Editorial: The Perfect Audience

    What makes someone a compelling author?  Why do we feel like certain writers speak directly to us?  These are fascinating questions I ask myself every time I write something, rather it be a review or a humor piece.  Do I have an audience who enjoys my writing, my style?  The truth is that it doesn’t really matter.  The more I write, the more I realize that the important thing about writing is that I am doing it for myself.  I am writing to make myself happy and that’s where my voice has come from.

    Writing is like any art, you can’t write to please others so you might as well write to please yourself and hope your work speaks and connects to others.  This is an important lesson I learned from my mom.  My mother found her voice in writing from the perspective of our dogs of all things.  Her writing was funny and even inspirational and brought great joy to others but she always wrote based on what she enjoyed reading.

    I learned a lot from both my parents but my mother taught me to never give up on my dreams, no matter your age or interest.  Others who share your passion will follow in time and if they don’t, at least you created a piece of work you are proud of.  Your words and voice can never be replaced.

RIP Angel Zoom Smokey

    I had every intention of posting a new movie review tonight.  I had even started a few and were just waiting to put the finishing touches on them before I posted them.  I try my best to make the best reviews possible after all.  Things took an unfortunate turn this morning however when my brother called me this morning to tell me our dog Angel Zoom Smokey was sick.  Before I could even get home, she passed away.

    I am not going to lie when I say I was sobbing over the tragic news.  Angel Zoom Smokey was around twelve years old but up until today was in good health and active.  There is so much about her I am going to miss.  She was a fur ball of energy and it is still hard to process what happened.  All I know is that my heart hurts and I will never forget her.

    I wrote a post on Facebook and I wrote that I hope she finds happiness over the rainbow bridge and that I hope she is there to greet me when I pass away.  I know I would meet her with tears of joy instead of my tears of pain and loss.  Dogs are truly man’s best friend.  Angel and my other dog Demon both helped me so much when I was dealing with the grief of losing my mother that I will forever be grateful to them.  Angel was the best emotional support dog you could ask for.  Whenever I cried those nights, she would be there to kiss my face and I couldn’t help but smile.

    So why am I writing about Angel’s passing today?  Much of my content has (and still will remain) revolved around dog centric movies and tv shows.  The reason I enjoy dog movies and shows so much is because of Demon Flash Bandit and Angel Zoom Smokey.  Those two dogs have always been sort of a figurehead for me.  Years ago when Dogster was a website, I wrote for Angel Zoom Smokey quite a lot.  My dogs helped expose me to a social media presence and blogging.  They have and will remain mascots here at Next Level Blockbuster.

    While words can not express the importance Angel had in my life and my artistic endeavors, I will try my best to do so regardless in this blog.  Also, while the subject is sad and it will bring tears to my eyes for some time, I can’t help but remember that if she was here right now, the last thing she would want is for me to be sad.  So, out of respect for my little fur baby Angel, I will remember the good times we had together.  I will remember the movies we watched together in my room.  I will remember how I was your thunder buddy.  I will remember the times you barked at me in your sassiest way to let me know you disagreed.  I will miss you, simple as that.

    May you find peace my Angel and best friend.  Safe travels over that rainbow bridge.

RIP Angel Zoom Smokey