F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction (New Weird) Author

Writing

I'm Not Spending a Lot For This Muffler!

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The past couple of weeks, I’ve been going back through my supernatural murder mystery manuscript. I’d started it back in 2001, “finished” it three years later, given to a part-time writing schedule, basically about 2 hours a day, five days a week, and whatever I can do on the weekends. But since then, I’ve been trying to sell the damned thing (there’s actually a pun in there…) and tweaking it. Nine years worth of that unrelenting activity. Belief in my manuscript. Anywho, as I’ve previously mentioned, I’ve decided I’m going to e-publish it, so I’ve gotten a graphics artist fellow writer friend of mine to work the cover. She’s been a true trooper!  Karen Duvall (here’s her graphics art page) has hung in there trying her best to find the images I’m asking for for my cover design, sometimes spending hours searching for just the right thing (and I spent a couple of hours one morning, myself, also trying to find the right graphics). But in the world of free art, sometimes you just can’t find what you’re looking for—finding free stuff is haaard! And since I’m e-pubing, I’m trying to keep expenses down. Way down. I already went the AuthorHouse route 12 years ago, when there wasn’t much game in town, but now there is, and I’m not spending a lot for this muffler!

So, Karen came up with a really cool image, after multiple go-arounds and attempts and efforts on her part, yesterday (hope she’s still talking with me…), but I think we’ve finally come up with a great image! I’m looking forward to the Big Reveal, when I finally get everything in place. I love the feel of the cover.

Another interesting development during all this was the Jodi Arias trial. My wife and I have been watching it (me, off and on), and it is amazing to me on many levels, but I bring this up because I have a court scene in my novel that goes in a weird direction, much like Juan Martinez and the Seven Dwarfs goes off in a weird direction (and yes, I included that phrase into my manuscript). Now my court scene isn’t as belligerent as this real-life one, but it amazes me at how utterly combative the Law can get when trying to prove their side of the story. Trying (IMHO) to force witnesses to only give a “Yes” or “No,” when the answer might not really be a case of yes or no, but the “Yes” or “No” can make the witness look bad in the presentation of the case, therefore racking up points for whoever such a thing benefits. It was nice to see someone remain utterly composed (whether or not you agree with LaViolette’s side of the story). And I do mean she is utterly unflappable, not intimidated in any way by Martinez’s constant, unrelenting battering—though he, himself, no matter what HLN commentators say (most of whom I find extremely annoying), is not so (he frequently shows his anger, his frustration, and gives nasty “tone” and body language in his deliveries). I’ve never seen such composure in my life, as I have in LaViolette. I’m not going into if LaViolette is biased…just look at her composure. Incredible. Perhaps comes from dealing with lots of rage in her 36-year-or-so career. She also knows all the psychological tactics Martinez is employing—and calls him on them—and doesn’t fall for them. But I digress. I just wanted to mention this trial because of the weird Seven Dwarfs turn it took, and the trial in my novel also takes a weird turn. I have also had two actual (now retired, I believe) judges read the court-room scenes to make sure it remains true in structure and presentation.

Okay, so after I make all my manuscript redlines, get my Tax ID number, and do the rest of the logistical end of things, I will get this story out there. So, in the meantime, sorry haven’t been keeping up on everyone’s blogs, tweets, e-mails, and what-have-you, but there’s only so much time in the day!

We Talk Story, Yeah?

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English: Interesting Story
An Interesting Story (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Story.

Isn’t that what we’re really doing—writing stories, fictional or otherwise?

I read this article the other day, by Bob Mayer, and it really made me look at things differently! Bob’s got a lot to say in the post, but one of the things I came away with was that books are not the be-all, end-all. They’re a method to this madness, is all—and not the only method. Bob broke it down into three great lines (quoting from his post):

“Authors create stories and ideas.

Readers consume stories and ideas.

Everyone in between the two has to add value to that.”

What great insight!

What this means to me: I’ve been trying to get my work published through my agent by the traditionally published route. It hasn’t gone well. Over 4 years and not one sale. I never claim to be a Stephen King, Bob Mayer, James Patterson, or anyone else. I’m just little ol’ me, scribblin’ down my stories. But the point is, the traditional route isn’t working, and the traditional route is all about selling books. It’s not so much about selling stories. There’s an ever-so fine distinction there. It’s about the story and about picking different platforms, and all that goes with that. Mr. Mayer does a great job of it in his post, so I suggest reading it, but my point is that I’ve been resistant to trying the e-book only platform, having to admit to loving books, in and of themselves. I do, yes. As a reader. But as a writer, I’ve never been against any of the other platforms, like e-books. Just personally didn’t deal with them. My view has always been, if readers want to read on computer screens, smartphones, or tablets, more power to them!

So, I’m going to give this a shot. I’m going back over, for the umpteenth time in 12 years (I’ll post more about the long road in this novel’s journey once I get it out there), to my supernatural murder mystery, set in Gulf Cost Florida, and I’m going to publish it as an e-book. And I’m pretty dang sure I’m going to do it through Smashwords, but I’m still open to other ideas (I met Mark Coker last year, at the PPWC, and heard him speak; I was quite impressed with him and how he stood up to “Traditional Publisher Think,” or TPT—okay, I just made that up, on the spot, here, but feel free to use it!). And I’m pretty danged excited about it! This is a story that has been near and dear to me, on many levels, but, most importantly, it’s a story that’s important to me (or I’d never have stuck with it this far; I have given up on other manuscripts)…and one I think will entertain others, not to mention “get readers to thinking.”

So, let’s talk story, folks, and think differently about what it is we’re doing and how we’re doing it!

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Shifting Gears

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Clutched? Shift!
Clutched? Shift! (Photo: RambergMediaImages.com)

Grind me a pound, will ya?

I feel…like a huge weight has been lifted from me.

Yesterday, I had a long talk with my agent about this SF-y action/adventure I’d been working on the past year, because the editor who came to me with the proposition (a first) turned it down—and (perhaps) rightly so.

Science fiction is really not my thing. I’ve written only one science fiction-y manuscript (actually a conspiracy theory with elements of science fiction…), and it’s a stand-alone, based in part on my early life, which I wrapped around aliens, government conspiracies, and gave new meaning to the term “extended family.”

NOTE: no, I have had no (zero-zilch-nada-nichts) personal extraterrestrial alien interaction at all.

That I know of.

Okay, back to this rejection thing. As much as the editor loved the ENERGY of my writing, the plot, he did not.

And I’m okay with that. I had issues with it, too.

But I tried, the past year, in doing something different, something outside “my box”…and I realized it’s simply not my thing. With an exception to follow, science fiction is not for me [to write]. I love writing about normal people experiencing weird shit. It’s that simple. Hey, it’s not like that stuff’s sold, either (though am considering other options)…but it’s what I love penning (penciling? keying?). In fact, I even try to be a little literary about it, my stories, whether or not I succeed still remains to be seen…but I try. Exception still to follow….

Not going to get into all the gory details—there really aren’t any—the whole series idea simply didn’t work, that’s all. We didn’t see eye-to-eye. That’s okay. And this whole time I worked on the project I felt…well…I felt conflicted…working on it (11 months on the thing as a whole, 8 months on the first draft). I just don’t do science fiction. And I don’t really do action/adventure, per se, though elements do surface in my material (but, at the same time—here’s the exception—I really do want to write an X-Files-like story…someday…so I might resurrect elements of this work later…). I do supernatural and paranormal. Everyday people. Mashing the two together. Somehow…I have to make that work better—correction, make that more salable. Or go indie publishing, which I’m still really considering for a couple works of mine. And, like my agent and I talked, it’s best I figured this out now, rather than forcing myself to continue plodding along at something I don’t really like doing or get stuck in some other project with less of an escape, if that be possible. It’s good to try new things every so often, even if they don’t pan out, because you always learn from everything you do. I truly believe that nothing in life is wasted, even if you can’t figure out what’s happening at the time or the why behind it….

But, he loved my energy!

I can bring a piece of paper alive, and I appreciate that from this editor-who’s-been-around. We get so few compliments on our work, so it was nice to receive this one.

My agent and I talked about other possibilities, I threw a couple ideas out—one of which I was working on directly before this project—and she liked them. Actually kinda liked the one I’d already started (120 pages in). And this one could even become a series—don’t know if I’ll go there, but I’m certainly going to put some thought toward it. But over the night and this early morning I also thought about maybe again looking into the Amazon CreateSpace route for one manuscript in particular, my supernatural whydunnit murder mystery. Stay tuned for possible developments.

But, oh, do I feel so much better! I appreciate all the help a handful of writer friends lent in creating this project, but it just didn’t feel right to me. Sometimes, I feel like I’m already in overdrive and am running out of gears…but I always have to go back to why I write in the first place (downshifting…). For the enjoyment, the imagination, the creativity. I’ve been doing this since I was six. I hope to keep doing it.

So, sure, I’ll grind a pound for ya—or ten. Want some cheese with that?

Shifting….

This Culture of Celebrity

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English: Same as :Image:Perdigon with fiddle.j...
Image:Perdigon with fiddle.jpg, but reversed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is this good? Is it bad?

Juan Martinez…posing with the public outside the court room in which he’s prosecuting Jodi Arias…

Covert operatives writing books…

Punks and the uncouth having hit shows…

Pushing the limits of baring as much skin as possible and body grinding each other and creating “dance porn” all under the guise of “art” and dancing with stars…

And writers having to be social media gods and goddesses (and do such all-creating deities really require gender differentiation?).

This need for publicity. This need to be famous.

Perhaps oversimplified, but I find it funny how so many seek to be famous. To be famous strips away your privacy. Turns you into a public figure, ripe to be vilified, held up to public display and scrutiny—and not usually in a good way.

I frequently think back to the “old days,” and by “old” I don’t just mean before smartphones, but back in, say, medieval times. Did both knights and peasants dream about creating hit songs and getting a “contract” with the king or queen’s courts? Did they deify court jesters and troubadours, wishing they could be like them and get troubadour groupies?

Now, arguably, one could say, “Hey, writer! What-the-hell back atya!”

Yeah, you could. But I say that, personally, I’d be great with publishing my work and not having my face anywhere on the cover. Not having to make TV appearances or tweet my zit-poppin’ and ass-wipin’ (though, okay, I love a one-liner or two, so Twitter is kinda cool like that…).

Writing blog posts?

That’s writing. Communicating. It’s an extension of the art form—for me. I know others out there post for their own reasons, but for me, I do it for the love of writing, it’s immediate, and I don’t have to wait for anyone to approve or disapprove it, buy it, or edit the heck out of it. I love writing. Period.

Advancements in life can be a good thing, I’m far from prudish, but have to admit I can remember being unleashed from any form of contact and being alone up in the woods, behind my house. Clearing brush, climbing trees, or just walking through the acres and acres of unspoiled forest and listening to nature. Can remember the concept of not having any of this hyper-connection. Granted, it’s a small world, there’s lots of good that comes with advancements, but what also comes along with it all is increased stress, little rest, and, yes, a kind of “fame among friends,” kinda thing (“Oh, I’m important enough to be getting a text! Must answer now….”).

Is it a good thing—a bad thing? A necessary evil of our time?

And why do so many long for it? To be famous? Why the hell—and do you really understand the long-term ramifications? Are you so disaffected with your life you feel the only way out is to have everyone in the world poke their noses into yours? Is there some other reason? Sure, some are born to entertain, no problem there, and I’m not talking about righting wrongs, setting records straight, I’m talking about just wanting pure, unadulterated fame…in and of itself, doesn’t matter in what or why. What is this all-pervading need I’m seeing?

That’s all I got. Thanks for stopping by.

Total Recall—Arnold Schwarzenegger’s True Life Story

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Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

There is no doubt about it—Arnold Schwarzenegger is a machine.

Everything about him is big. Heck, look at the size of his book.

He makes up his mind what he wants to go out and get, and—make no mistake about it—gets it.

I grew up over a decade behind him, but have always followed his life with great interest. I have always been into bodybuilding and powerlifting and health and fitness; have always been fascinated with strength. Have tried to live my life by the phrase: “A sound mind in a sound body.” So, when I found out about a kid from Austria (I’m also part Austrian—not that I knew that when I discovered Arnold) who took the world by storm, it really captured my interest. My stepmother at the time bought me ARNOLD: The Education of a Bodybuilder, and I was captivated (this link has the 1977 version of the cover I have and prefer to the newer covers). The man was massive and pretty nearly perfectly proportioned. And strong—he wasn’t just for show, he powerlifted, too. The other fascination about him was that he was the first bodybuilder I’d read about that went out and did things outside bodybuilding—he  worked out his mind and body and got into real estate. Had incredible initiative. Actively lived the axiom “a sound mind in a sound body.”

So, this is where my fascination with “The Austrian Oak” began. The Education of a Bodybuilder book obviously didn’t have much more than his meteoric rise within the bodybuilding world at the time, but he was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Now, I’ve never liked certain things about how he’d gotten to the top of bodybuilding, like messing with other competitor’s minds by outright lying to them and making them doubt themselves, but I understand why he did it (you could call it “psychological warfare”). I also don’t like all the violent films he makes and have stopped watching them years ago, though have to admit to having seen many of them. One of them is even a favorite of mine, the first Terminator (yeah, I’m not perfect either). But…I like how he created a vision for himself, stuck to it, and battled “insurmountable odds against him” to make something of himself. I also like how he’s made a positive difference for others across the world. Arnold is clearly a “world personality.” There’s nothing “parochial” about the man. I liken him to how some can whisper, or talk low into phones, and others cannot. There’s no whispering with Arnold. Everything about him is huge. Over the top.

Reading Total Recall was fascinating. He goes into great detail about his life and how he got there, and now that he’s in his 60s, there’s so much more to tell than in Education of a Bodybuilder. In this book, he not only details his successes, but also his failings and  foibles…but I have to admit, it got kinda old after a while, because he paints the picture of a man who [seemingly] rarely made mistakes, seems to have correctly and successfully second-guessed nearly everyone he’d ever met, and nearly always came out on top, smelling like a rose, and did the right thing. Granted, he had his dumb moves, and arrogant words flying out his mouth, usually when he was trying to be funny or cocky in his early days—and at someone else’s expense—but he admits to eventually smartening up (and then, of course, there’s the “big secret”…). Also I found it annoying when he “quoted” exact verbiage people were supposed to have said, 20-30 years ago. Now, I understand there’s got to be some kind of leeway when writing memoirs, about putting down words that supposedly came out of many people’s mouths (like, “…yes, you’re right, Arnold, we really should do it this way or that way…,” or “…Arnold, you really are an Olympian god and know better than anyone else…”), but it got annoying at the praise that seemed to have been heaped upon Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is also good with numbers, something I never remember hearing about, or had, but had forgotten, so maybe he really does have a really good memory. Either way, I think all this self-described praise could have been downplayed some, in the beginning.

There was also a definite air of arrogance. And maybe that’s what people of his caliber—the über successful—all possess, don’t know, but it, too, grew tiring. And another “off feeling” I got was that this book (and I certainly could be wrong)—all of it (except Chapter 29)—seemed to me to be about making up for Chapter 29, which is titled, The Secret, and is about his affair with his housekeeper and their resulting child. I found the chapter interesting; like everything else in his life, he approached the subject head on and took total responsibility for what happened, but the chapter felt a bit “clipped” and trite, and was liked he couldn’t finished it fast enough. I’m sure it was kinda embarrassing to write. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole of the book was to somehow make up for that major misstep in his life. I expected more out of Chapter 29, but, instead, it felt truncated.

The chapter on his Governorship was enlightening. I’m not into politics, no longer live in California, no longer have lots of trips there (but had when he was in office), but it was interesting to read his take on what I’d seen and heard while there under his rule; to see all the behind-the-scenes crap that gave rise to the publicly manifested outcomes. Politics—it’s amazing anything gets done. He comes out and says that politics has gone the route of selfish party line antics, no longer doing what is needed for the good of the country. We all see that.

I liked Chapter 30’s “Arnold’s Rules.” It shows you can take chances, can buck the system. It’s always interesting reading anyone’s “rules” for living, especially extremely successful people.

Yet…Arnold is not a perfect man. And I don’t even think he claims anything near that.

In fact, I can’t think of one Human I know who can be described as “perfect.” But…Arnold’s energy, who he is…definitely burns hotter than most. He takes chances, not just little ones, but big, honkin’ ones. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. And it seems part of his life is in learning how to better deal with that intense energy he wields. He loves people, he’s outgoing, loves challenges, has his own “contradictions,” and loves helping others. Thinks ahead. Waaay ahead. And as much as I may have grown tired of his constant self-described deification early in the book, I do think he probably does have better ideas than most others out there. He’s intelligent. Street smart. Cunning. He seems to have proven all this throughout the course of his life.

And he’s also far from dead.

At 64, he has taken a position with Flex and Muscle and Fitness magazines, as the Group Executive Editor. He has also launched the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. He continues to act in movies, such as The Last Stand and in a planned future Terminator 5 film (which, yeah, I’m looking forward to…).

Though I had issues with his arrogance, self-deification, and the like, I really did enjoy reading his book, and looking into his life. But, I have to admit, reading it and analyzing it was like taking swipes at a life-long sacred cow for me, because I looked up to him for most of my life. But whatever you may think of the man, he has lived a fascinating life, and continues to live one. It ain’t over til it’s over. I think the “bigger you are” in life, the larger your mistakes. Or, at the very least, the more visible your mistakes. I don’t know any perfect people. We all have issues we’re dealing with. And I don’t think, overall, Arnold is an “evil” man. He’s made mistakes, one fricking huge one with his family and his housekeeper, but throughout the book (which I do feel—the more I think about it since finishing it last month—perhaps was written to show, yeah, he fucked up, he’s not perfect, but…) it does show he’s not evil. Perhaps misguided at times, but not evil. Depending on where you’re “coming from,” you will like or dislike the guy. I don’t think there’s much in-between, but I could be wrong. He’s definitely testosterone-fueled…but he if he’s anything else, he is “learning” his way through life. I don’t think this book will convince readers one way or the other, if they’re on the fence about him. But it will certainly give you more aufklärung as to just who this Arnold Schwarzenegger is.

He is a conqueror.

A statesmen.

An actor.

A father.

He is…the Terminator.

Nothing stops him.

Related articles

Total Recall—Arnold Schwarzenegger's True Life Story

by

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

There is no doubt about it—Arnold Schwarzenegger is a machine.

Everything about him is big. Heck, look at the size of his book.

He makes up his mind what he wants to go out and get, and—make no mistake about it—gets it.

I grew up over a decade behind him, but have always followed his life with great interest. I have always been into bodybuilding and powerlifting and health and fitness; have always been fascinated with strength. Have tried to live my life by the phrase: “A sound mind in a sound body.” So, when I found out about a kid from Austria (I’m also part Austrian—not that I knew that when I discovered Arnold) who took the world by storm, it really captured my interest. My stepmother at the time bought me ARNOLD: The Education of a Bodybuilder, and I was captivated (this link has the 1977 version of the cover I have and prefer to the newer covers). The man was massive and pretty nearly perfectly proportioned. And strong—he wasn’t just for show, he powerlifted, too. The other fascination about him was that he was the first bodybuilder I’d read about that went out and did things outside bodybuilding—he  worked out his mind and body and got into real estate. Had incredible initiative. Actively lived the axiom “a sound mind in a sound body.”

So, this is where my fascination with “The Austrian Oak” began. The Education of a Bodybuilder book obviously didn’t have much more than his meteoric rise within the bodybuilding world at the time, but he was clearly a force to be reckoned with. Now, I’ve never liked certain things about how he’d gotten to the top of bodybuilding, like messing with other competitor’s minds by outright lying to them and making them doubt themselves, but I understand why he did it (you could call it “psychological warfare”). I also don’t like all the violent films he makes and have stopped watching them years ago, though have to admit to having seen many of them. One of them is even a favorite of mine, the first Terminator (yeah, I’m not perfect either). But…I like how he created a vision for himself, stuck to it, and battled “insurmountable odds against him” to make something of himself. I also like how he’s made a positive difference for others across the world. Arnold is clearly a “world personality.” There’s nothing “parochial” about the man. I liken him to how some can whisper, or talk low into phones, and others cannot. There’s no whispering with Arnold. Everything about him is huge. Over the top.

Reading Total Recall was fascinating. He goes into great detail about his life and how he got there, and now that he’s in his 60s, there’s so much more to tell than in Education of a Bodybuilder. In this book, he not only details his successes, but also his failings and  foibles…but I have to admit, it got kinda old after a while, because he paints the picture of a man who [seemingly] rarely made mistakes, seems to have correctly and successfully second-guessed nearly everyone he’d ever met, and nearly always came out on top, smelling like a rose, and did the right thing. Granted, he had his dumb moves, and arrogant words flying out his mouth, usually when he was trying to be funny or cocky in his early days—and at someone else’s expense—but he admits to eventually smartening up (and then, of course, there’s the “big secret”…). Also I found it annoying when he “quoted” exact verbiage people were supposed to have said, 20-30 years ago. Now, I understand there’s got to be some kind of leeway when writing memoirs, about putting down words that supposedly came out of many people’s mouths (like, “…yes, you’re right, Arnold, we really should do it this way or that way…,” or “…Arnold, you really are an Olympian god and know better than anyone else…”), but it got annoying at the praise that seemed to have been heaped upon Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is also good with numbers, something I never remember hearing about, or had, but had forgotten, so maybe he really does have a really good memory. Either way, I think all this self-described praise could have been downplayed some, in the beginning.

There was also a definite air of arrogance. And maybe that’s what people of his caliber—the über successful—all possess, don’t know, but it, too, grew tiring. And another “off feeling” I got was that this book (and I certainly could be wrong)—all of it (except Chapter 29)—seemed to me to be about making up for Chapter 29, which is titled, The Secret, and is about his affair with his housekeeper and their resulting child. I found the chapter interesting; like everything else in his life, he approached the subject head on and took total responsibility for what happened, but the chapter felt a bit “clipped” and trite, and was liked he couldn’t finished it fast enough. I’m sure it was kinda embarrassing to write. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole of the book was to somehow make up for that major misstep in his life. I expected more out of Chapter 29, but, instead, it felt truncated.

The chapter on his Governorship was enlightening. I’m not into politics, no longer live in California, no longer have lots of trips there (but had when he was in office), but it was interesting to read his take on what I’d seen and heard while there under his rule; to see all the behind-the-scenes crap that gave rise to the publicly manifested outcomes. Politics—it’s amazing anything gets done. He comes out and says that politics has gone the route of selfish party line antics, no longer doing what is needed for the good of the country. We all see that.

I liked Chapter 30’s “Arnold’s Rules.” It shows you can take chances, can buck the system. It’s always interesting reading anyone’s “rules” for living, especially extremely successful people.

Yet…Arnold is not a perfect man. And I don’t even think he claims anything near that.

In fact, I can’t think of one Human I know who can be described as “perfect.” But…Arnold’s energy, who he is…definitely burns hotter than most. He takes chances, not just little ones, but big, honkin’ ones. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. And it seems part of his life is in learning how to better deal with that intense energy he wields. He loves people, he’s outgoing, loves challenges, has his own “contradictions,” and loves helping others. Thinks ahead. Waaay ahead. And as much as I may have grown tired of his constant self-described deification early in the book, I do think he probably does have better ideas than most others out there. He’s intelligent. Street smart. Cunning. He seems to have proven all this throughout the course of his life.

And he’s also far from dead.

At 64, he has taken a position with Flex and Muscle and Fitness magazines, as the Group Executive Editor. He has also launched the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. He continues to act in movies, such as The Last Stand and in a planned future Terminator 5 film (which, yeah, I’m looking forward to…).

Though I had issues with his arrogance, self-deification, and the like, I really did enjoy reading his book, and looking into his life. But, I have to admit, reading it and analyzing it was like taking swipes at a life-long sacred cow for me, because I looked up to him for most of my life. But whatever you may think of the man, he has lived a fascinating life, and continues to live one. It ain’t over til it’s over. I think the “bigger you are” in life, the larger your mistakes. Or, at the very least, the more visible your mistakes. I don’t know any perfect people. We all have issues we’re dealing with. And I don’t think, overall, Arnold is an “evil” man. He’s made mistakes, one fricking huge one with his family and his housekeeper, but throughout the book (which I do feel—the more I think about it since finishing it last month—perhaps was written to show, yeah, he fucked up, he’s not perfect, but…) it does show he’s not evil. Perhaps misguided at times, but not evil. Depending on where you’re “coming from,” you will like or dislike the guy. I don’t think there’s much in-between, but I could be wrong. He’s definitely testosterone-fueled…but he if he’s anything else, he is “learning” his way through life. I don’t think this book will convince readers one way or the other, if they’re on the fence about him. But it will certainly give you more aufklärung as to just who this Arnold Schwarzenegger is.

He is a conqueror.

A statesmen.

An actor.

A father.

He is…the Terminator.

Nothing stops him.

Related articles