N.B. Austin

American Author

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A Still Winter in the Mountains (Novel Excerpt Short)

Image source: Pixabay.

Passage from Crescent Heart (Civilands #3), Chapter 9: Painted

Looking down at the empty glass in his hand, he decided this time to place it down on the ground beside him as it was. “I can’t let her go. I’m sorry. I won’t.”

“I understand.”

“She was . . . a still winter in the mountains. On a morning when the air is flavored with pine so crisp you can relish the taste as much as the smell. Its breeze goes far beyond filling your lungs though. It enriches your entire soul.”

A smile crept across his face as his heart increased its pace and intensity. “But somehow — somehow she’s more than that, too. Right at the moment you were starting to think there couldn’t possibly be more, there is. Because she’s also a storm. A hurricane others might try to steer clear of, but not you. No. You truly know her — her path and every bit of her form. So you run straight for the eye, straight through the bolts of lightning and crackling thunder, to her center and watch as she tears through the plains without a care in the world of what’s left behind. And you love every minute of it because as much as that winter air is a part of her, so too is the storm. And you wouldn’t have her any other way. Because all of it exists within you, and it feels like it always has until you become one. But then . . . then you lose it all.”

Staring ahead with the back of his head against the door, his breathing slowed before he started to break down, as he had so many times before.

“I . . . I need her back, Nova. I can’t go on without her. This is the only way.”

Not a reply or sound came.

“Nova? Are you still there?”

The silence only stretched.

William stood and tore open the door to find an empty bar. Gently closing it again, he returned to his seat and wept.

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QOTD: Ever feel this for someone? Tell me about it below!

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Ode to Fortnite: A Teachable Victory for Epic Games

If video games are a part of your current lifestyle in any way, you have most likely heard of Fortnite. If not, think something similar to the Hunger Games. Players get dropped into a world and must be the last to survive out of 100 players. While PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) implemented this concept first, Fortnite has seemingly come out as the superior of the two. Below are the reasons why Epic Games won and made gaming great again for my friends and I.

But first, check out my sick snipe, Brotato Chip:

 

The highlight of my young career.

Posted by Nicholas Austin on Saturday, February 24, 2018

1. The game is free

The concept of a popular console game being free to download still blows my mind. To counter PUBG being the first known brand in this genre though, Epic went with this strategy for Fortnite.

What made this play even more significant was the timing. When Fortnite started to really hit the scene, PUBG wasn’t yet developed in full. Instead of charging because they could at the time, Epic still gave the game away. It would come to pay huge dividends both for increasing reach and also as a financial strategy.

As Fortnite’s fan base has become more fanatical, new micro-transaction add-ons have been periodically introduced–and players have been more than willing to pay. One friend of mine told me his friend has spent over $300 on the game, which is still less than a year old. Compare that to the typical $60 Xbox game and I’d say the free strategy has more than paid off!

2. Consistent updates, based on player feedback

A common complaint with PUBG in the beginning was how many issues there were with the gameplay. Call of Duty World War II has had similar problems, amplified by a lack of timely patches from developers.

So far, there have been no such frustrations with Fortnite. Epic has been swift in its responsiveness to concerns surrounding all things from player-suggested improvements to actual gameplay hiccups. With this game type being a new phenomenon, it’s no wonder this degree of customer service has resulted in loyalty. In a lot of ways, it allows the gamers themselves to feel like they’re customizing their own product. This only provides more incentive to invest both their time in money in a community that’s become their own.

Hold up though, Broprah Winfrey. Before I continue, you GOTTA see this one. He is “TOO savage!”:

3. It doesn’t take itself too seriously

I’m gonna be straight with you, this point is a matter of my taste. It’s interesting too because I feel the opposite in this regard when it comes to movies/TV shows/books. But for some reason I tend to prefer light-hearted, less dramatic video games.

The ability to make your character throw bananas, do funny dances, or have confetti and little kids cheering upon getting a head shot, makes the game more fun (thanks Mario, Fortnite, and Halo, respectively). While I’ve always played and enjoyed serious games like Call of Duty, creative, silly in-game action allows for much more community building.

Players sharing video content like the following is a great example of this in action.

Okay, this one wasn’t me either, Brotel 6. But nonetheless, WTF:

A lesson in customer-centric business

This isn’t a new principle I’m aiming to present to you. I just find it so cool to be actively involved in consuming a fantastic business/marketing model as it continues to develop. It’s a case study I’ve certainly learned a lot from and hope you might as well. Overall, the following two things are my key takeaways:

  1. The value of being customer-centric in both pricing strategy and services provided cannot be overstated.
  2. If you’re in the mood to play video games and have the time to do so, feel free to play video games. You never know what you might learn!

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QOTD: which do you play more of? Let me know in this poll and tell me why in the comments:

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Wilder, Freer Adventures: My New Book Giveaway Club

Longing for Exciting, Adventurous Reads? Want to Earn Every Book I Release for Free While Also Increasing Your Chances to Win a Bi-Monthly Best-Seller Giveaway Sweepstakes?

Yes, you read that right. Every other month I’ll be giving away paperback copies of both Crescent Heart (Civilands #3) AND a recommended best-seller, which I too will be reading with you and discussing as part of a new podcast.

This month’s best-seller giveaway (winner announced April 15th):
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott LynchFree Book Giveaways

So how do I sign up? Anyone interested can join here!

And how can I increase my chances to win? Those who sign up for my email list will be part of a points system. Points will serve as raffle entries for the sweepstakes. You can also earn ALL of my books in e-book for free, by reaching specific milestones. Points can be accumulated in two ways once you sign up:

  1. Social media shares (1 point)
  2. Getting others to sign up using your own, custom share link (4 points)

What if I have a request for the next giveaway book? Great! Tell me about it in the poll below!

So I hope you’ll join me in a new club where we’ll to dive into some exciting new reads. If you do, just remember one thing: ABR (Always Be Reviewing)!

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QOTD: Have you read The Lies of Locke Lamora? If so, what did you think? Also, whether you have or haven’t, please let me know any recommendations/requests you might have in the poll above!

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

My Brazilian Carnival Experience: One Festival to Rule Them All

Today I’m almost two weeks removed from the most beautiful, insane festival imaginable. It’s taken all of those two weeks to recover from illness, jet-lag, and a brief, depressing period of being back to normalcy. However, here I am, finally ready to try putting into words how great my Brazilian Carnival experience was. Vamos!

What is the Brazilian Carnival?

Based on what I was told alone, the Brazilian Carnival is basically a pre-lent sin-fest. The whole country gets together for “four days” of letting loose, prior to making their sacrifices for lent. I use quotes on the length because I am told there is about a week of both pre- and post-Carnival, beyond the official dates. For future reference within this post, I personally was only there for the four days.

To give you a more proper description, see the following, from Wikipedia:

The Carnival of Brazil (Portuguese: Carnaval do Brasil, IPA: [kaʁnaˈvaw]) is an annual Brazilian festival held between the Frida afternoon (47 days before Easter) and Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term “carnival,” from carnelevare, “to remove (literally, “raise”) meat.”

As you can see, the locals who explained it to me have a different definition than what’s official.

Where did I go and what did I do?

Brazilian Carnival experience
The paint lasted maybe an hour, but I found a way to be covered in sparkles pretty much each night.

The trip consisted of two days in Salvador and two days in Rio de Janeiro. I will detail my thoughts/experience on each below. First though, I’d like to give you 5 travel tips I picked up along the way.

  1. Get a below-the-clothes fanny pack like this one. Keep your stuff safe, keep your pockets empty, take the target off yourself.
  2. Look closely at your itinerary. On the final leg of our trip, from Sao Paolo to Salvador, there was apparently a stop the plane intended to make in some other city. This stop wasn’t mentioned clearly at all on our itinerary and we actually got off the plane, thinking we were in Salvador. We were lucky we realized it in time when we saw our Airbnb was a quick 7.5 hour car ride from the tiny airstrip we were at… We were luckier when the Portuguese speaking security people let us back out and onto the near-departing plane.
  3. Travel with amigos. More safe, more fun.
  4. Know key words in either Spanish or Portuguese. This isn’t 100% necessary, but it’s good to at least know “thank you” and “bathroom.” Though not many people I met in Brazil spoke Spanish, it was similar enough to Portuguese to hold a basic, if broken, conversation. I’ll talk more about language as a part of the experience below.
  5. If you lose your phone in the Uber to the airport, do it before the trip. Sorry, Alex. But it was a learning experience. My buddy misplaced his phone in our ride-share to the airport. The silver lining though was it allowed him to be unplugged. It was also easy enough to meet up with the driver when we got back to the states. So be like Alex, don’t lose your phone in Brazil.

Salvador

The parties

If you followed the Wikipedia link above, you would have seen there is a difference in celebrations between the northern and southern cities. The “main event” in Salvador (northern) features big floats with musicians jamming out on top. The locals follow these floats en masse, dancing their hearts out from sundown to sunrise. Fun fact: these people are actually referred to as “popcorn,” because of the way the look dancing in the large crowd.

View from the Camarote

On either side of the street are paid party areas called Camarotes, where you can watch the street festivities pass by. The Camarotes also feature their own entertainment, with musicians, free food/alcohol, and other recreational activities. This is where we spent each of our evenings, going to Camarote Salvador the first night and Camarote Harem the second.

Salvador from our AirBnB
The place

Beyond the parties, Salvador felt small for being such a big city. The conditions of the favelas are tough and you should be aware of your surroundings, but the people we met in general were really nice. From having water gun shootouts with local Brazilian kids, to watching the sunrise with strangers, it was amazing to see how neighborly it felt there.

Though I didn’t have enough time to retain specific location names, there are also a few things I recommend you take the time to do while in Salvador:

  1. Eat, eat, and eat some more. Wow. The street food was fantastic. The sit-down restaurant food was fantastic. Even the mall food was fantastic. There were times I didn’t even know what exactly I was eating and was still blown away. Got through Salvador without getting sick too!
  2. Moto taxis. They are probably really dangerous on those roads and the manic drivers don’t help, so don’t do them… unless you like fun. The best part was asking for a joy ride to the market square area. This detour included a hillside ride by the water. It can be nerve-wracking with certain drivers, but you should wear a helmet and do it anyway.
  3. Malls and markets. They are a big deal here and a cultural experience. I’m not typically one to get excited about the tourist shops in a place, but the markets during Carnival are just another spot to continue celebrating during the day.

Rio de Janeiro

The parties

So there are three main options I am aware of, but since Rio is a massive city, there’s probably more.

  1. The Rio Samba Parade. If pageantry is your thing, this has to be the most extravagant parade in the world. Different samba schools give the wildest performance they can with the hopes to be judged as the best. This carries on through the night so I imagine you’d be sitting for a while. My group decided not to go to the parade, but it plays on every TV you’ll see around town.
  2. Lapa. For those who know Austin, TX, think dirty sixth street but WAY dirtier. Lapa refers to a specific area in the city where there’s basically a bunch of clubs. People hang out on the street and there’s ample opportunity for various shenanigans. We went here. It was wild. I’ll leave it at that.
  3. Blocos. These are kind of like the floats in Salvador except they are fixed in one place, with tons of people gathered around them. Again, shenanigans are a plentiful resource. I sadly missed out on this. 🙁 By this point in the trip, getting a cumulative 8 hours of sleep in three days had caught up with me and I was also locked in the bathroom sick. My friends who went highly recommend the blocos though!
Brazilian Carnival Experience.
View from Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
The place

Rio definitely felt a little more sketchy than Salvador. It seems it is a more dangerous place in general, especially in the favelas. As mentioned previously, I also got sick within the first meal I had there. The food overall didn’t quite knock my socks off the way Salvador’s did.

Okay, now that the bad stuff is out of the way, let me say Rio is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Christ the Redeemer is as magnificent as advertised, as are the views from its platform. You can really see EVERYTHING from up there. Back down the hill, the beaches are very pretty too with all the cliffs towering above them. The environment feels like Florida, but with hills.

One of the difficult things about going to Brazil during Carnival is the amount of partying limits sight-seeing time. Because of this, I would definitely want to extend my trip to at least a full week next time. Especially in Rio, there were so many other hiking and exploring opportunities we simply didn’t have time for. So if those types of activities are more your speed than the parties, there’s still so much for you to experience there.

My overall, heartfelt summary

In my hand is my fifth water bottle… within about a 2 hour period.

Before I departed for this trip (and after too), the question of safety came up a lot. Now, I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it or act tough–parts of Brazil are very dangerous. As strange as it is that the favelas have the best hill views, stay the hell away from them.

What I need to make absolutely clear though about my Brazilian Carnival experience is this…

GO THERE ANYWAY!

Have a wild destination in mind you’ve heard can be life changing? Is it expensive? Can it be dangerous if you aren’t careful? Are there other reasons you’re worried about going? Guess what: you live one fucking time. Go anyway. Want to know why? Because…

Those ridiculous limits in your head, you will smash them.

Before I left, the concept of parties that went until well after the sun rose scared the crap out of me. I worried my body wouldn’t be able to handle it as that isn’t quite my normal routine. Boy, was I wrong. When we returned from those long nights/mornings I was on so much adrenaline I didn’t even want to sleep. And no, no drugs and hardly any alcohol were involved. Oh, and guess what else…

Don’t speak the local language? GOOD.

It’s fantastic to struggle together with others, especially people who you’re also celebrating life with. You’ll learn that words matter way less in communication than we assume. You’ll see you can show people what you’re thinking or feeling, rather than telling them (and they’ll do the same back to you).

Not the smoothest small-talker? Great. You’ll learn you don’t even need to make quick jokes or spit game. What you will do is laugh with people without any reason for doing so; you’ll turn a communicative roadblock into a reason to dance; and you’ll form extraordinary confidence, friendships, and memories in the process. To summarize it all in four words…

Your worldview will change.

Brazilians come from many different walks of life. But for four days, they are one people. During this time the filthy rich and dirt poor all look the same: they look happy. And why shouldn’t they be? The music that fills their streets is vibrant (hear Vai Malandra for your next song on endless repeat), their food and scenery are as good as it gets, and their women are… WOW. 😉

So please, I beg you to take my word for it: At some point in your life, invest the money and time to go and have your own Brazilian Carnival experience. I know 2018 isn’t the only year I plan on going, so maybe I’ll see you there!

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Thank you for reading about my Brazilian Carnival experience!

If you enjoyed this content, you might also enjoy the Civilands series and the Tuesday Night Fiction audio book podcast. The series is best described as Game of Thrones meets Gangs of New York meets Manifest Destiny. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and feel free to subscribe at the bottom of the page for more blog updates.

My February Top 3 Medium Post Recommendations

Have you seen enough articles on Medium about “how to increase your productivity in under ten seconds and never procrastinate again for the rest of your life?” Looking for some original, creative shorts or daily life stories that are as honest as they are entertaining? If so, you’ve come to the right place!

The following are the most thought-provoking pieces I’ve had the pleasure of tearing through in the past month or so. For each, I’ve included a summary of what I loved, but feel free to follow the links and see for yourself how they can challenge a reader in different ways.

1. Testimony Case #1102138–13 by Alanah Andrews

This one wins it for originality and is something I haven’t seem much of at all: a reader-interactive short. Not only does Alanah world-build effectively in the span of a short-story, she inserts you into her new world by putting the life of the main character in your hands.

For more on the concept, here’s the opening excerpt:

Charge: Murder in the first degree

Juror Instructions:

1) Download the free Universal Juror app or sign in on the website.

2) Consider the following testimony carefully before making your decision.

3) Upon conclusion of reading this statement you must vote Guilty, Not Guilty, or Abstain by selecting the appropriate option.

Although the most common parallel people will make here is probably 1985, the thing that kept popping up into my head for some reason was Shutter Island. In watching Shutter Island you’re left to wonder about (cast judgement on) both the characters and the institution in question.

A similar dilemma is presented here in masterful fashion. Like the movie, it makes you question what you’ve seen and know, rather than spoon-feeding you an answer. This provides greater mystery and tension, making your decision as a juror even more difficult and important.

It could be in the form of an extended story, or distinct new cases, but I want more from this world. Whether my wish comes true or not though, do yourself (and possibly the defendant) a favor and check it out!

2. The Sacred Ordinary Things of a Day by Brian McFadden

This is a short one that packs a big punch, which it seems like is a style of Brian’s from what I’ve seen so far. If quick, poetic reads are up your alley, follow the link.

This one in particular though is what I’d refer to as, “so Medium,” which I mean in the best way. Like most articles on Medium, it address the distractions/trivialities of the world which hold us back (and also keep us centered). However, the delivery of its message is well-crafted and will make you re-read.

“Everything will interrupt you soon enough.”

Lines like the above resonate most with me. There are so many distractions in our world today, making the kind of focus necessary to reach “awareness” and/or “enlightenment” all the more difficult to maintain. It’s an interesting take he goes on to offer too, about how our daily rituals hold us together despite those distractions!

3. Thoughts on… Dating Another Artist by Gustavo Mendez

There is a trend with Medium which seems to be most lifestyle articles converging into a focus on general productivity or something along those lines. It seems what can get lost in the fold at times is the writer’s personal experience, which should be what gives them the authority to discuss in the first place. In the case of “Thoughts on…” Gustavo keeps it real. REAL real.

“Seeing someone be happy makes them attractive. Seeing them create makes them that much more attractive. Being with that person? You’re gonna need an extra pair of dry boxers (or panties).”

In all seriousness though, this had been a lifestyle topic I personally was wondering about. As a single creative, you start to wonder if a non-self professed creative would be able to appreciate your passion with the same depth you do. Would they give you the time you need to satisfy your itch when it comes demanding you scratch it?

What Mendez does a great job here is showing both the pros and cons. The majority of things in life are not black and white — nothing is 100% better than another, especially in art and lifestyle. It is nice though, to see what it’s like to both have and be a muse.

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QOTD: after checking out each piece, which resonated with you most and why?

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Hostiles Movie Review: A Beautifully Gray Western

This past weekend I took a trip to the movie theater to see Hostiles, starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike. While I’m a fan of the western genre in general, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film. The trailers didn’t give much away–which I suppose is a good thing. Nonetheless, having seen many hit-or-miss films lately, I went in with tempered expectations. Now able to say I was pleasantly surprised, here is my Hostiles movie review.

Summary (IMDB)

In 1892, a legendary Army captain (Christian Bale) reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief (Wes Studi) and his family through dangerous territory. A long history between the two impacts how they will handle the journey ahead.

3 Great Things, 1 Improvable Thing

Great: Gray Morality

This is the first on my list for a reason. I’m a firm believer that our stories occur on a micro basis. As much as we tend to lump groups of people together, our individual experiences are just that. For this reason I found it extremely refreshing to see the propensity to do both good and bad within each character.

Game of Thrones was the first show to really plant the seed of this idea in my head. Especially in the case of the Lannisters, we see the line between antagonist and protagonist blurred in a realistic way. For example, where Jamie can be an incestuous, brutal combatant, at times we see a softer side to him too (Tyrion and Brienne).

In ‘Hostiles,’ essentially all characters have blood on their hands, Americans and Natives alike. Over time the “protagonist” characters are the ones who come to accept there is a reason for the other side’s hatred. They learn the only way to right the wrongs is to move forward, past a dark time when attack and subsequent revenge is all there was.

And maybe you believe one side is more warranted than the other and that’s fine. The point of this story is shouting about it or pretending to be superior doesn’t make you part of the solution. The people involved don’t move forward unless they come together the way the Army captain and Cheyenne chief do. In the end, their initial reluctance and mutual redemption is what truly advances society. This in clear in the captain’s final decision in the film.

Great: Relentless Action

The extent of intense action to me is a balancing act which depends on the overall purpose. Plenty of books/movies/shows employ a ton of violence which serves little-to-no purpose in moving the story they are trying to tell forward. In this movie though, the violence WAS the story.

It certainly isn’t designed for the faint of heart. The first sequence of the movie in particular is tough to watch. However, this same scene ended up being one of my favorites because it sets the tone and sends a message: no one is safe in this world. Suddenly, we don’t see the actions of misguided, violent enemies as cruel, but defensive. This helps to further establish the above grayness and makes us feel the inner-struggle the characters do with each passing battle.

Great: Character Growth, Man V. Himself

It’s hard to say any specifics here without spoilers, but the growth from beginning to end of the movie are what made it great. Two particularly noteworthy performances of great characters came from Rosamund Pike and Rory Cochrane. Both portrayed the pain of loss in a believable way. More importantly though, both move through the stages of grief powerfully over the course of the story.

As mentioned above, their transformations through experience are what ultimately lead to an understanding with those who were previously sworn enemies. This is, again, what moves us forward as people

Improvable: Pacing

My only real gripe with this movie was it felt kind of long because of how many mourning scenes there were. A lot of people die and they do good job of making us care about each one. Additionally, I understand the point is to drill into us loss is a regular occurrence for them which doesn’t get any easier to stomach. However, there are enough scenes of utter heartbreak to remove or alter some of the extended mourning for lesser deaths.

On the other hand, some choices of what-to-show v. not-to-show were great. I think the decisions overall showed how focused the writers were on the characters themselves and I love that most about this movie.

So if you like a western, if you want to see a movie with a message as relevant to the past as the present, if you can appreciate story-appropriate violence, I highly recommend you hit up a theater to see this one!

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QOTD: Who’s your favorite all-time example of a “gray” character and why? Let me know below 🙂

Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!

Why Leadership and Gratitude Go Hand-in-Hand

This weekend I had the privilege of working with some very talented people. These friends of mine helped me bring my creative vision to life and offered tremendous effort in doing so. While there is still post-production work to do, the experience thus far has re-defined gratitude for me.

Leadership and gratitude.Leadership and Gratitude

If you want to feel fulfilled, act on your passions. If you want to feel gratitude, expand your vision and give others a role in it.

First, understand what their passions are. If you know what gets them excited, you can find a way to best utilize their talent. Doing this will provide them an outlet to act on their passions, though yours. Give in this way and they will give you the world in return.

And “utilize” might sound like a dirty word in terms of benefiting from others. I assure you, it isn’t. If you like to play video games and a gaming convention gives you a platform to do it, the convention and gamer have a mutual relationship. Management and delegation should operate under the same principles.

So take the lead and be amazed at how far you will go with great people by your side!

Acknowledgements

I would like to call out everyone involved in the trailer’s shoot and acknowledge them for their talents. Here’s also a bit on what they all have coming up as well. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out on some exciting projects!

Lincoln Athas

My cousin and videographer. More on the upcoming film he has been working on here and be on the lookout for local IMAX release!

Malachi Vargas

One of my best friends and videographer/actor. Check out his YouTube channel here for a variety of entertaining content.

Gina Kavallas

A friend of one of my old teachers and actor. Reach out for her contact info if interested in her talents!

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Thank you for reading and for everyone’s continued support for the Civilands series. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, feel free to subscribe for more blog updates, and click here for free book giveaways, including best-sellers!