Hello everyone,
I guess some of you may know who I am by now, I must admit, I am somewhat fatigued by introducing myself each time that I upload a blog post. I figured, Hey Kevin, since it’s your blog and your name is included in it, ten times out of ten they’re reading it because it’s you. ( I really just figured that out) First off, since I’ve gotten that out of the way, allow me to say welcome to July and happy Independence day this July 4th for those of you that celebrate! The reason I am here writing this post today is because in exactly two weeks, I’ll be releasing my latest offering, (project) a short-story called motown, BLUES. When it comes to this project, I really wanted to challenge myself by taking my writing to places that I never thought I could go. I first got the idea to write a story called motown, BLUES during the terrible rainstorm SANDY that plagued the eastern seaboard of the United States late last October. Since I was trapped at home and wasn’t able to attend school, (as many establishments and facilities around the Tri-State Area were closed) an idea came to my head to start conjuring up another short-story. Immediately I knew that I wanted to do it in Detroit because I knew that crime and poverty had plagued that city in tremendous ways just as it had in many cities across the nation. The reason why I wanted to do a story for Detroit was because I knew it to be a city with a lot of rich history; but at the same time, you’d never see it get as much national attention like the Los Angeles’s, New York’s, or Chicago’s of the world. As soon as I got the idea to write such a story, not once did I hesitate.
HOW MY SISTER GOT EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CREDITS
After deciding that I was certainly going to do a project solely based in Detroit, I immediately told my sister (also my best friend) that I was going to write one in the midst of the chaos that was SANDY. She told me that if I was going to do a crime-fiction type of story, (like the ones I usually make) that I had to have a good looking detective at the helm of the story’s plot. In the designing of the protagonist who would become Silas “Sly” Carr, my sister helped me configure certain things about him such as his name, interests and how exactly he would maneuver around the city. I also had her help me select the names of other characters that would also be involved within the story.
WHY I DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THE LEGENDARY MOTOWN RECORDS
I knew that the moment I decided to do a specific story in Detroit that I didn’t want it to be another ordinary story. And so, I decided to base my characters surrounding a few of the legendary musical artists that helped build Motown records into the powerhouse that it eventually became. After doing this, I incorporated many hit records of Motown artists by including them within the dialogue of the work.
THERE ARE GOODIES INCLUDED THROUGHOUT THE SHORT-STORY
For many, when they read this project, they will read it for its pure enjoyment and what they will be able to take from it in face value. However, by sticking to the mantra of Flowered Concrete, I wanted to challenge my readers an also myself. I threw a few curve balls throughout the entire project that is sure to have a fan jumping in excitement if they executed their game-plan correctly. Most of the songs that I reference within the work appear throughout the story chronologically in terms of their rise up the charts. Therefore, if the reader wants to challenge themselves by doing some research on Google, they will see how understanding the placement of each song will lead to the case being solved by the story’s end. As a writer, I had never taken such an unconventional approach and I thought it would be interesting if executed properly. Also, if one hasn’t noticed thus far by what I have written in this post, the story in its entirety is an ode to the entire city of Detroit and everything Motown. Detroit is a city that is well known for its industrial movement. In other words, it is the heart of the U.S. when it comes to the automobile industry. Combine that with its ascension in rock and soul during the 1960’s, and you then have a project that focuses on a bigger picture but still represents and pays homage to everything that constitutes Detroit. This is the entire purpose of Flowered Concrete as I’ve stated many times before. To entertain as well as educate the masses. After writing this story and really getting a feel for what it really stood for, I noticed that it had the potential to teach kids a fragment about American and geographic history in a way that isn’t taught in the public school system. Taking the time out to reflect, I am very proud of myself because of what it is and of what it can become.
THE ARTISTIC GENIUS OF A GUY NAMED ALTON TAYLOR
Cover Design/Artwork 0f motown, BLUES by Alton Taylor
When I first told my very close friend Alton about what I wanted the motown, BLUES cover art to consist of, he just looked back at me in astonishment. I told him that I most certainly wanted a minimalist approach in terms of its colors. Unlike the cover art of FRANKLY TWISTED that would later go on to be used for Tales of the 23RD PRECINCT, I wanted this one to be presented mostly in a blue and black color scheme to represent Motown and its industrial persona. After playing with a few ideas, Alton then invited me to his house to show me a few of his sketches and what he had created. I was truly impressed and as always, I knew the finished product would be something that was nothing short of stellar. He then had me search the best pictures of Motown artists that would later be used on the cover of the project. After seeing it in its entirely, I was nothing short of amazed. It turned out to be everything I thought it would be, wouldn’t be, and then some. Once again Alton had found a way to tell my story with a portrait that I knew I couldn’t create myself.
IN CONCLUSION
My second official short-story and fifth overall will be posted online Tuesday, July 16th. Out of all the stories I’ve ever written, I would definitely say that I had the most fun writing it and when the readers get a chance to read it themselves, I think they can most certainly agree. Also, I am not afraid to say that it will be one of my best works thus far. The way I pushed and challenged myself to be innovative, I would certainly say its a formula that I think helped me succeed in terms of the product’s outcome. In my opinion motown, BLUES IS my best work to date. It has a little bit of everything that I believe readers search for when reading and enjoying a satisfying story. I hope the project will be as gratifying for you as it was for me and that you finish it feeling inspired in some sense. The project has given me the confidence to push my writing to the limits and explore my horizons in ways I didn’t think were possible. Wherever this may lead to, I think its safe to say that although it’s my first experimental project, it most certainly won’t be my last.
“Dream For Anything, Reach For Everything”
– Kevin Anglade FCP CEO/Founder/Blogger/Author
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