tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66488492024-03-12T18:58:33.947-07:00DRAGON BONE BOOKSDomenico Italo Composto-Hart: World traveler, anthropologist turned economist, & author of Travels in the Land of Hunger and the sci-fi/fantasy novel Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity of The Legacy Cycle series.The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-54359641436017873672019-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:002019-12-01T10:19:04.381-08:00The wait is over! Travels in the Land of Hunger is published!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travels in the Land of Hunger (artwork by Tiberius Viris)</td></tr>
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Finally, after about five to six years of research and writing, my travel memoir, entitled <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Domenico-Italo-Composto-Hart/e/B006VYGBJS" target="_blank">Travels in the Land of Hunger</a></i>, is now published and available in hardcover (casewrap), paperback, and as an ebook (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Domenico-Italo-Composto-Hart/e/B006VYGBJS" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Domenico%20Italo%20Composto-Hart%22;jsessionid=8D3A2E9FE317D41C0F38B117460662BA.prodny_store01-atgap17?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a>, and <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity" target="_blank">Lulu</a>, and soon to be available as an ebook on <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=Domenico+Italo+Composto-Hart" target="_blank">Google play</a>, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/author/domenico-italo-composto-hart/id494590479" target="_blank">iBooks</a><span id="goog_1537844691"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1537844692"></span>, <a href="https://www.kobo.com/es/en/search?query=domenico%20italo%20composto%20hart&fcsearchfield=Author" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, etc.)</div>
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I had been picking at this travel memoir since about 2012, but I did not seriously dig into the book until 2014. After I published <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity </i>in 2011 I started working on <i>Book II</i> of the series and completed about 200 pages, but I decided to go back to my 2004 travel blog and flesh it out into a travel memoir as a sort of deep dive into the historical themes (imperialism, colonialism, capitalism vs. socialism vs. communism, globalization, etc.) that were becoming more and more apparent in my writings of <i>Book II</i>. It took much longer than I had anticipated to complete the travel memoir, but as you will find, it is a heavily researched work (32 pages of endnotes, and a 10-paged index).</div>
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I presented/launched the book on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 here in Barcelona, and received tremendous support and warmth in regards to the social issues I highlighted from my 2004 half-year backpacking journey across East and Southeast Asia, Siberia, Central Russia, the Baltic states, the Nordic countries, and Eastern and Western Europe.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2004: A temple of Angkor in Cambodia</td></tr>
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I think the back cover of the book accurately sums up the essence of the journey: "Traveling by foot, bus, train, and boat - and seeing the world through the analytical lens of anthropology, archaeology, and economics - Domenico documents, researches, and deciphers the developing nations he encounters as they rise through the turbulence of unregulated Western capitalism and globalization.</div>
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"<i style="font-weight: bold;">Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> is the author's reflective account of the dark, long-lasting impact of Western colonialism and imperialism, the Vietnam War, the Khmer Rouge regime, the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and the sex tourism and sex trafficking industries in Southeast and East Asia. It is also a narrative of finding exotic beauty, inspiration, inner strength, and unexpected love."</div>
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The travel memoir also includes two of my short stories entitled <i><a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/5794084-the-astor-house-of-old-shanghai" target="_blank">The Astor House of Old Shanghai</a></i> (a steampunk story set in Shanghai in 1899) and <i><a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/129017213-white-lion-rising" target="_blank">White Lion Rising</a> </i>(a dystopian story set in Barcelona in the mid 21st century).</div>
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I will be posting photos from the journey every day in chronological order on my Instagram account <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thelegacycycle/" target="_blank">@thelegacycycle</a>. Feel free to follow and match the photos to the events detailed in my memoir.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2004: A temple in Ayutthaya, Thailand</td></tr>
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As you will discover, Neil Peart (drummer and lyricist of the progressive rock group RUSH) was a significant inspiration for me during my adolescent years. He was not only a drummer, but a philosopher of sorts, a world traveler, and travel memoir writer. I remember vividly buying and reading his first travel memoir, entitled <i>The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa</i>, while I was attending Boston University and realizing that I could accomplish a similar feat. And now, twenty years later, I have done just that. A copy of my book now stands next to my old copy of Neil's first travel memoir on my book shelf; it brings a smile to my face every time I see it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXkpnhx-vm4/XeP7oSfpBdI/AAAAAAAAAy4/jec_JoC4RacswiLyXC0IhGhISHalHyLZQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_3770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXkpnhx-vm4/XeP7oSfpBdI/AAAAAAAAAy4/jec_JoC4RacswiLyXC0IhGhISHalHyLZQCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_3770.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2004: The Great Wall of China</td></tr>
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This all aside, I am now very much looking forward to getting back to writing <i>Book II</i> of the <i>Dark Legacy</i> series in 2020. Many of you have been so patient in waiting for <i>Book II</i>. My writing efforts are now focused toward working on and completing that second <i>Dark Legacy</i> book. In the mean time, if you are curious of what themes and hardships will <i>Book II</i> contain, check out <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger: A backpacker's earthbound journey from the East to the West.</i></div>
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Chapters from <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> are also available on <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheLegacyCycle" target="_blank">Wattpad</a> as you can see from the link below.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://embed.wattpad.com/story/59329228" width="500"></iframe>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-49676508680869751622019-08-07T08:42:00.004-07:002019-08-11T12:46:50.953-07:00The Sting and I: The musical events leading to my exit from Japan back in late 2003<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0hSsed88cw/XUraeKYNPiI/AAAAAAAAAu8/3xpdompooIE9MgpMZoJT6rB-gASugC58wCLcBGAs/s1600/105_0534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W0hSsed88cw/XUraeKYNPiI/AAAAAAAAAu8/3xpdompooIE9MgpMZoJT6rB-gASugC58wCLcBGAs/s320/105_0534.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Backstage with Sting in Tokyo on October 31, 2003</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">On October 31, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan I performed as a hired musician with Norwegian singer-songwriter <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lenenystrom/?hl=en" target="_blank">Lene Nystrom</a>; she is best known as the lead singer of the Danish eurodance group <a href="https://www.aquaofficial.com/" target="_blank">Aqua</a> (if you know the lyrics "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world ..." then you know who she is). I performed on the drums while my friend Ian Hartly played keyboards; there was another hired gun who played guitar. The three of us worked briefly with Lene on two gigs in support of her solo album entitled <i>Play With Me</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our second gig with Lene was at the Kokusai International Forum in Tokyo at the Universal Music International Convention 2004 for an audience of about 3,000. It was a music industry insiders event showcasing several acts and their new albums. Ian, the guitarist, and I arrived to the Forum for soundchecks with Lene in the morning and then waited in our dressing room for show time, which was at 3:30 pm. Lene was very kind to us and she was not hesitant to offer us her bottle of Jack Daniel's to loosen us up before our performance. We kindly refrained her offer and watched her being pushed in a chair with rollers by a friend up and down the hallway outside our dressing room. A couple of hours passed and Ian mentioned to me that while we were going through soundchecks he heard the Japanese engineers and staff say "Sting" several times. I really didn't think much of it, but Ian wondered whether or not Sting was also performing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOlW6bbHm4g/XUrmpZRGJBI/AAAAAAAAAvI/PK9AIPMMsDkEdiGzI3R6NAf0UXiMpWPRQCLcBGAs/s1600/105_0531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qOlW6bbHm4g/XUrmpZRGJBI/AAAAAAAAAvI/PK9AIPMMsDkEdiGzI3R6NAf0UXiMpWPRQCLcBGAs/s320/105_0531.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Outside our dressing room with Lene</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since we were temporary hires for Lene there was not much information that was shared to us by our agent regarding who else was performing at the event. But we did know that the English rock band <a href="https://busted.tmstor.es/" target="_blank">Busted</a> was performing since they had soundchecks right after us. Ian and I stayed to watch them, and found them to be obnoxious as they wasted time during the checks and were rude to the MC.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In any case, we were called from our dressing room to get backstage and ready for our performance. Busted finished their songs and answered a few questions from the MC before exiting stage right. We saw them pack up their guitars and then we went on stage to perform two songs: "It's Your Duty" and "Pretty Young Thing". Ian, the guitarist, and I then exited the stage while Lene stayed with the MC to answer a few questions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was then that we all saw Sting and his entourage enter the backstage (his musical entourage included Moroccan percussionist <a href="http://www.rhanikrija.com/rk/bio.html" target="_blank">Rhani Krija</a>). Ian and I were totally starstruck to see a musical legend right there before us. Our agent encouraged us to get back to the dressing room and to not speak to Sting. I told him that there was no way I was going back to the dressing room and that I was going to stay and watch Sting perform. He asked us again to go, but we collectively said no. It was then that I decided to approach Sting to ask him for a job. <i>I have nothing to lose</i>, I thought. <i>Why not?</i> So with my digital camera in hand to take a photo with him after I asked my question I approached Sting who was fiddling with his acoustic guitar. I then asked him if he needed a drummer. He responded by saying that he had enough problems with the drummer he currently had (he was referring to Keith Carlock). I then asked the "King of Pain" for a photo and he graciously complied, which absolutely made my day.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Supporting Lene on the drums on October 27, 2003 at Nagoya Rainbow Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">About two weeks after taking that photo with Sting I was performing with Brad Holmes and The Hit Men, a famous gaijin corporate musical band in Japan. We were the entertainment after a corporate dinner at the Sunshine Prince Hotel in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. I remember thinking while performing for increasingly drunk Japanese salarymen how depressing it was to go from the high of performing in a stadium for 6,000 people at the Nagoya Rainbow Hall with Lene Nystrom to the low of this uninspiring corporate event. It was then that I realized that my three plus years in Japan were at an end. Soon after that show I started getting ready to leave the Land of the Rising Sun. And at the end of March 2004 I began a solo backpacking journey across East and Southeast Asia, Siberia, Central Russia, the Baltic states, the Nordic countries, and Eastern and Western Europe.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With that said, I am happy to finally announce that my travel memoir entitled <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> detailing my six-month journey is finished. The hardcover, paperback, and ebook versions of the memoir will be published internationally on November 21, 2019 and will be available from Amazon, Barnes & Novel, Google Play, iBooks, Kobo, Lulu, and other retailers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Photos from my journey through Southeast and East Asia as detailed in the book will be published on my social media platforms in the days, weeks, and months ahead as a lead up to the November 21 release date. So please follow any of these sites:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thelegacycycle/" target="_blank">Instagram @thelegacycycle</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheLegacyCycle" target="_blank">Facebook @TheLegacyCycle</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/thelegacycycle" target="_blank">Twitter @TheLegacyCycle</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Blogger @ https://thedragonbone.blogspot.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for supporting independent authors.<br />With much appreciation and magic,<br />Domenico</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">P.S. To those waiting for <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels</i>, please note that I have not forgotten about you. Now that <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> is finished I will be using all of my available free time in working toward completing the novel you have been eagerly awaiting.</span><br />
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The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-33993433917980318732017-03-03T03:44:00.002-08:002017-03-03T03:50:08.940-08:00Dark Legacy: Trinity now available on the Radish mobile app!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Legacy Cycle webpage on Radish.</td></tr>
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I am very excited to announce that all of my published written works are now available on a new mobile app for serialized fiction called <a href="https://www.radishfiction.com/" target="_blank">Radish</a>.</div>
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You can check out my Radish webpage listing my literary works available on the app @ <a href="http://www.radishfiction.com/users/TheLegacyCycle">www.radishfiction.com/users/TheLegacyCycle</a>.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.radishfiction.com/stories/HkgYk5Zcg" target="_blank">Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</a></i> and my steampunk short story <i><a href="https://www.radishfiction.com/stories/ryiVb2CKl" target="_blank">The Astor House of Old Shanghai</a></i> are available on the Radish app as free e-reads (they are also available as free e-reads on Wattpad @ <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheLegacyCycle">www.wattpad.com/user/TheLegacyCycle</a>).</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.radishfiction.com/stories/ByfJrkQ9g" target="_blank">Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</a></i> is available as a premium read on the app where in following with the serialized philosophy of Radish, indie authors, such as myself, can release and monetize each and all chapters of our books to readers in a "bite-sized serial fiction" format.<br />
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I have also released the first few chapters of my travel memoir <i><a href="https://www.radishfiction.com/stories/SytYgHmcx" target="_blank">Travels in the Land of Hunger</a></i> under the Radish freemium model where readers can gain early access to edited chapters that I have, and will be, releasing over the next few months until the entire memoir is completed this year.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HW1imnFBzms/WLlUBeuQjqI/AAAAAAAAArw/uAKt77Oc87U0m8pXv5lAKxh8OyLCvKVygCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-01%2Bat%2B7.22.26%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HW1imnFBzms/WLlUBeuQjqI/AAAAAAAAArw/uAKt77Oc87U0m8pXv5lAKxh8OyLCvKVygCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2017-03-01%2Bat%2B7.22.26%2BPM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The current list of my stories available on the Radish app.</td></tr>
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This is a great way for readers to further support indie authors and help them gain additional income so that they can potentially get a step closer to pursuing their craft part- or full-time.</div>
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Radish has recently raised $3 million in seed funding from venture capitalists, and investors such as famed author Amy Tan of <i>The Joy Luck Club</i>.<br />
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Seun Yoon Lee (CEO and co-founder of Radish) is pushing the app in the calculated belief that since this method of reading on mobile devices has proved incredibly successful in East Asia, that the US market would also follow in that e-reading will take place more on mobile devices over time than on dedicated e-readers such as the Kindle and NOOK. Time will tell if that proves to be the case. I have the feeling that Seun Yoon Lee is right, and that this app definitely has the potential of being <i>the </i>mobile fiction reading app in the not too distant future. </div>
The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-27367153748101015052016-07-28T03:54:00.001-07:002016-07-28T03:57:18.718-07:005th anniversary edition of Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity now available!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwFn4Y9BTD0/V5nYfahyHFI/AAAAAAAAApY/iWgcWin3s3USSZDENukX1MDzZnrRpHQGACLcB/s1600/Dark-Legacy-and-EotK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GwFn4Y9BTD0/V5nYfahyHFI/AAAAAAAAApY/iWgcWin3s3USSZDENukX1MDzZnrRpHQGACLcB/s320/Dark-Legacy-and-EotK.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">5th anniversary edition of </span><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i></td></tr>
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I'm happy to finally announce that the 5th anniversary edition of <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> is now available in hardback, paperback, and ebook editions on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, iBooks, Kobo, Lulu, and Wattpad. After working with James Egan of <a href="http://www.bookflydesign.com/" target="_blank">Bookfly Design</a> on the book cover designs for my steampunk short story <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> and my travel memoir <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> I decided to work with him on a redesign for <i>Dark Legacy</i> as a way to relaunch the book and celebrate its 5th anniversary.<br />
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This edition has been updated to include improvements in the typesetting of the printed books as well as additional material such as an author interview conducted by Camilla Stein. I should also mention that a dust jacket hardcover edition is now available from Lulu at <a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity">http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity</a>. You will also notice from the new printed editions that the Dragon Bone Books logo has been redesigned.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAoJxg912GM/V5neYG2qHyI/AAAAAAAAAps/FqketJp5BD0auTPcgcFMVw2FbpAOHuquwCEw/s1600/%2BDragon%2BBone%2Blogo%2Bblack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jAoJxg912GM/V5neYG2qHyI/AAAAAAAAAps/FqketJp5BD0auTPcgcFMVw2FbpAOHuquwCEw/s200/%2BDragon%2BBone%2Blogo%2Bblack.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redesigned logo for Dragon Bone Books</td></tr>
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The upcoming months into next year will bring a more aggressive marketing and advertising campaign for the book as a means to increase the fanbase for the series. It is my hope that with increased support for the book, and the series, that I will be able to dedicate more and more time as an independent author to the completion of the second book of <i>Dark Legacy</i> while also completing my travel memoir and expanding my steampunk short story into a full length novel. The question I get most often from fans of the first book of <i>Dark Legacy</i> is when the second book will be published. It is a difficult question to answer since I am not able to work full-time as an independent author (it is simply not financially viable). Thus my time from September to June over the past couple of years has been dedicated toward my career as an IB economics teacher, which I enjoy incredibly (I feel very fortunate to be working in a very supportive and vibrant academic community). But the need to finish these books is always gnawing at the back of my head and heart. Trying to find time to write between raising a family and teaching economics (and theory of knowledge) is difficult, but I will dedicate a bit of time each day from this point forth (even if it means robbing this time from my sleep) so that I can publish the next few books as soon as possible. I am thankful to my fans for their patience and support, and I hope to pay them back by publishing the next <i>Dark Legacy</i> book as soon as possible.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdU-Uz6QpmQ/V5njZ1Smb6I/AAAAAAAAAp4/yf78XnpfuREteaLKDv9iRKL2RaL5Zhp6wCLcB/s1600/Dark%2BLegacy%2BPoster%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FdU-Uz6QpmQ/V5njZ1Smb6I/AAAAAAAAAp4/yf78XnpfuREteaLKDv9iRKL2RaL5Zhp6wCLcB/s640/Dark%2BLegacy%2BPoster%2B2.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promotional poster for the 5th anniversary edition of <i>Dark Legacy: Trinity</i></td></tr>
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The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-89712704243689710002015-02-16T10:42:00.000-08:002015-08-01T00:41:35.358-07:00The Astor House of Old Shanghai part of the Nano Bytes collection of short SciFi stories on Wattpad <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ud4lQKyIlOs/VOIssaIrRZI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/LEYd9nz0j78/s1600/The-Astor-House-of-Old-Shanghai-Web-Medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ud4lQKyIlOs/VOIssaIrRZI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/LEYd9nz0j78/s1600/The-Astor-House-of-Old-Shanghai-Web-Medium.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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Back in September of 2011 my steampunk short story <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> was published in a sci-fi e-zine with an amazing illustration by famed matte painter and concept artist Wayne Haag (<a href="http://www.ankaris.com/">http://www.ankaris.com</a>) of the films The Fifth Element, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers (LOTR), The Wolverine, and The Maze Runner. Response to the story was extremely positive and in the years since its publication I began researching more into the late Victorian period with particular attention towards imperialism, colonialism, social Darwinism, and the causes and consequences of the Boxer Rebellion, the Spanish-American War, and the Second Boer War, along with the history of MI5 and espionage during the 20th century. Notes, ideas, and a collection of books are sitting on my shelves awaiting the day when I begin to dedicate time toward expanding <i>The Astor House</i> story into a full-length novel. But first I must complete and publish my travel memoir <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i> and <i>Book II - Travels</i> of the<i> Dark Legacy Cycle </i>series.</div>
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I usually write during my summer breaks from my full-time teaching position, but last summer (summer of 2014) I was not able to pick up where I had left off on <i>Book II - Travels</i> since the summer of 2013 (thus leaving the book at 200 pages). The reason for this long delay in writing had been due to gaining the IB Economics teaching position at another international high school in Barcelona. After being offered the position I dedicated my entire 2014 summer break toward developing and expanding my lesson plans and PowerPoints for the two-year cycle course. By September I had completed all my lesson plans for the first year of the course and worked on the second year of the course in the months that followed. It is now February 2015 and I am now near finishing all my PowerPoints and plans for the second year of the course. Since beginning my new job I have had very little spare time (I have not even been able to finish two books that I started reading last summer). I absolutely love my new job. I am surrounded by amazing students, very supportive parents, and an incredible team of teachers and administrators that have all created the best working environment I have ever encountered. I feel very fortunate and blessed to wake-up up each morning and feel like I no longer work because I love what I do so much.</div>
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As mentioned above, I am close to finishing all my extensive lesson plans and thus I will soon have time again to dedicate to writing. For those fans that have been so patient I will hopefully have a book or two published this year. I plan to first finish my travel memoir and then, finally, <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels.</i> In the mean time I have published <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> on Wattpad at <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheLegacyCycle">http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheLegacyCycle</a> as a free read. The steampunk short story was also featured by Nano Bytes - A Collection of Short SciFi Stories on Wattpad at <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/95621522-nano-bytes-a-collection-of-short-scifi-stories-the">http://www.wattpad.com/95621522-nano-bytes-a-collection-of-short-scifi-stories-the</a></div>
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To excite readers about <i>The Astor House</i> story I decided to have a cover design completed using Wayne Haag's illustration. James T. Egan of Bookfly Design (<a href="http://www.bookflydesign.com/">http://www.bookflydesign.com/</a>) completed the brilliant steampunk cover design and I'm eager to work with James again in completing a cover redesign of <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> and <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> along with my travel memoir book <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i>. I have another short story that I would like to publish on Wattpad and most likely I will utilize Mr. Egan's talents in developing an appropriate cover design for that story.<br />
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So this year should be a good year in terms of finally putting out more material. Thank you all for your support and patience. In the mean time enjoy reading <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>.</div>
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With Magic,<br />
Domenico<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" id="widget-iframe" src="http://embed.wattpad.com/story/5794084" width="500"></iframe><br />The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-52709063487777921432014-04-05T09:02:00.002-07:002014-04-06T02:26:54.882-07:00Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai ranked at #2 on the Amazon Best Sellers Top 100 Free<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgtbh9kQyXw/U0AbP0fqGBI/AAAAAAAAAYY/2fs84rb3AgA/s1600/Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai+Amazon+Free+Kindle+%232.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dgtbh9kQyXw/U0AbP0fqGBI/AAAAAAAAAYY/2fs84rb3AgA/s1600/Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai+Amazon+Free+Kindle+%232.png" height="257" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> ranked at #2 on Amazon</td></tr>
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<i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai </i>was liberated by Amazon users in the United States and finally made available as a FREE ebook download on April 4, 2014. As a result the science fiction and fantasy novella that serves as an extended prologue to <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> shot up the ranking to #2 for the Metaphysical & Visionary Fantasy eBook category, and shot up to #24 for the Science Fiction category on the Amazon Best Sellers Top 100 Free list.</div>
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It is my hope that Amazon users in the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, India, Brazil, and Mexico will also liberate <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> by clicking on the "tell us about a lower price" button on the ebook's Amazon page.</div>
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Unfortunately Amazon does not provide publishers and self-published authors the option of initially offering their ebooks as a free download on their sites. Instead we are required to price our ebook at $0.99 or above. The only way around this requirement is if Amazon becomes aware from its users that there is a more competitive price at which point they will lower their price. Since <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> is available for FREE from Barnes & Noble, Google Play, the iBookstore, Kobo, and Lulu, Amazon finally made the ebook available as a FREE download.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jEypf4Qt5K0/U0Ag6fztYoI/AAAAAAAAAYo/ypnhJaknHtA/s1600/Dark+Legacy+%232+and+%2324.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jEypf4Qt5K0/U0Ag6fztYoI/AAAAAAAAAYo/ypnhJaknHtA/s1600/Dark+Legacy+%232+and+%2324.png" height="143" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> at #2 for Metaphysical Fantasy<br />
and #24 for Science Fiction on Amazon</td></tr>
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It was quite an exciting experience watching <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> rise to the #2 position within the Fantasy genre and #24 in the Science Fiction genre. I was especially pleased to see the ebook ranked at one point alongside <i>Wool - Part One</i> by Hugh Howey, which can be seen in the photo below.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9oElLacjnQ/U0AiaYptooI/AAAAAAAAAY0/SkkdntyNTL0/s1600/Dark+Legacy+and+Wool.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g9oElLacjnQ/U0AiaYptooI/AAAAAAAAAY0/SkkdntyNTL0/s1600/Dark+Legacy+and+Wool.png" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Wool - Part One</i> and <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> </td></tr>
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In other news I have a couple of short stories that I would like to release on Wattpad as soon as I have the ebook covers designed. The first short story entitled <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> is in the genre of steampunk and was originally published in Peter Saga's <i>Sci-Fi Freedom</i> e-zine a couple of years ago. The second short story entitled <i>White Lion Rising </i>takes place in dystopian Barcelona in the year 2085 AD and is a tribute to MotoGP, Robotech, and the legend of Saint George and the Dragon.</div>
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I will begin polishing the final draft of my 2004 travel memoir entitled <i>Travels In the Land of Hunger</i> next week while also getting back to <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels</i>. So stay tuned.</div>
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With Magic,</div>
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Domenico </div>
The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-67675768946973013232013-11-16T13:11:00.001-08:002013-12-09T02:19:28.735-08:00Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai featured on Wattpad<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" id="widget-iframe" src="http://embed.wattpad.com/story/5792868" width="500"></iframe><br />
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Over the summer I received an email from <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/TheOrangutan" target="_blank">Gavin Wilson</a>, a prolific writer and Wattpad Ambassador from the UK, who had come across <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dark-legacy-1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> on Kobo</a>. He encouraged me to join the Wattpad community of more than 15 million monthly users as another online outlet to expose and share my written work. I soon created my account and uploaded <i>The End of the Kai</i> and the first three chapters of <i>Book I - Trinity</i> of <i>Dark Legacy</i>. I was happy to discover within a few days of joining the site that authors I greatly admired such as Margaret Atwood (<i>The Handmaid's Tail</i>), Paulo Coelho (<i>The Alchemist</i>), and Brandon Sanderson (<i>The Wheel of Time</i> books 12, 13, and 14), along with indy authors Daniel Arenson (<i>Blood of Requiem: Song of Dragons</i>) and Amanda Hocking (<i>Trylle Trilogy</i>) were members. A few weeks later Gavin connected me to <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/pam" target="_blank">Pam</a> and <a href="http://www.wattpad.com/user/spennin" target="_blank">Samantha Pennington</a> at Wattpad headquarters in Toronto, Canada, to begin the process of having <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> featured on their site during the month of September. It was a very pleasant, encouraging, and professional experience working with them.</div>
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<i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> was launched as a featured work on Wattpad on September 3, 2013, and within three weeks it hit 70,000 reads and 599 votes.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZW2hxQzwUk/UqIad4M-oWI/AAAAAAAAAX4/TwS8XZq05pU/s1600/Dark+Legacy+End+of+Kai+Wattpad+70k.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZW2hxQzwUk/UqIad4M-oWI/AAAAAAAAAX4/TwS8XZq05pU/s400/Dark+Legacy+End+of+Kai+Wattpad+70k.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCrjCpVrHOg/UqIdrVqLFdI/AAAAAAAAAYE/hUYpzcYfNgk/s1600/The+End+of+the+Kai+Cover+Off+Wattpad.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FCrjCpVrHOg/UqIdrVqLFdI/AAAAAAAAAYE/hUYpzcYfNgk/s400/The+End+of+the+Kai+Cover+Off+Wattpad.png" width="255" /></a></div>
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Wattpad was also kind enough to promote <i>The End of the Kai</i> via their Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/wattpad" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/wattpad</a>) and Pinterest (<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/wattpad/" target="_blank">https://www.pinterest.com/wattpad/</a>) sites along with a cover-off query on their Facebook page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/wattpad" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/wattpad</a>) where users voted for <i>The End of the Kai</i> cover they liked the best, which you can see in the photo to the left. The majority of people voted for the red cover version<i> </i>and as a result I may release a free "red cover" ebook collectors edition of <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> in 2014.</div>
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As of December 2013 <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> has hit 180,000+ reads on Wattpad. I am very grateful to Gavin and the Wattpad team for the incredible opportunity to have been featured on their site and for their continued support. I strongly encourage any and all avid readers and writers to join the Wattpad community where one can connect, read, write, provide and receive constructive feedback from members from all parts of the globe.</div>
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Before signing off I will mention that I have over 200 pages written for <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels</i>. I am very excited about the direction and pace of this book. The sequel will begin right where <i>Book I - Trinity</i> left off. The world beyond Lemuria's western coastal borders will come into greater focus as the political, economic, and military complexities of the Atlantean Empire are revealed. The story and direction of this book has become very clear to me over the past year and provided the time I know I can finish the first complete draft of this book sometime next year.</div>
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The very talented <a href="http://tiberius-viris.com/" target="_blank">Tiberius Viris</a> and I have also moved forward with the details in using his painting <i>Hall of the Dragon Mist</i> as the cover for my 2004 travel memoir, <i>Travels in the Land of Hunger</i>. A final cover design should be completed and revealed in early 2014. All that remains is for a small group of outside eyes and an editor to read through and edit down the completed draft of the memoir before it is to be released for publication.</div>
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With Warmth and Gratitude,</div>
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Domenico<br />
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If you would like to buy <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> please visit:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Domenico-Italo-Composto-Hart/e/B006VYGBJS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Amazon (Kindle & paperback)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-legacy-domenico-italo-composto-hart/1111324126?ean=9780615550961" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Barnes & Noble (NOOK)</a></div>
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Google Play (Android)</a></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-legacy/id494590017?mt=11" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ iBookstore (iPad, iPod, iPhone)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dark-Legacy/book-BQKBi0I13k6xXa6h8s6jRw/page1.html?s=kEm-PzPFRky2783HEznEbA&r=1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ KOBO</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Lulu (hardcover, paperback, ePub)</a></div>
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The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-43338000019332024202013-04-12T04:07:00.000-07:002013-10-15T10:13:27.592-07:00Update: Travels In The Land of Hunger, Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels, & Reviews of Trinity<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drCInlJs5Es/T_gLRDC3lsI/AAAAAAAAAE4/BZbK-7vD_RI/s1600/DarkLegacyEPUB(Lulu)Cover(June20,2012).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-drCInlJs5Es/T_gLRDC3lsI/AAAAAAAAAE4/BZbK-7vD_RI/s320/DarkLegacyEPUB(Lulu)Cover(June20,2012).jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="213" /></a></div>
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<i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i></div>
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ebook, paperback, and hardback cover</div>
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I apologize for the long delay in updating The Legacy Cycle blog site. It is a beautiful spring day here in Barcelona and I finally have a moment to sit down and write a new post as beams of sunlight shine through my apartment's window.</div>
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Over the past few months I have received emails and messages from readers and fans of <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> wanting to know when <i>Book II - Travels</i> of the series will be released. I remember when I was in junior high school going every week to the Waldenbooks store that was next to the music shop where I took drum lessons hoping that the third book in Stephen King's <i>The</i> <i>Dark Tower </i>series had been released. This was before the Internet so there was no immediately accessible means for readers like me to know when King planned to release the next book. It was in the years after graduating college that Stephen King had finished the series, and so I grew up reading each book as they came out throughout my adolescent to young adult life.</div>
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In the long spaces of time between each <i>Dark Tower</i> book release I developed within my own mind a story that would ultimately become the <i>Dark Legacy</i> book series. Although <i>Dark Legacy</i> has almost nothing in common with <i>The Dark Tower</i>, Stephen King's series was what inspired me to create my own world of fantasy and my own series of books.</div>
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While I waited for King to release the next book I grew agitated that instead of working on the series he had written other books within the genre of horror. I kept thinking, <i>Why doesn't he finish the series?</i> Little did I know of what the writing process was like for an author and how at times it is good for an author to take a break from writing their series by working on other stories and books.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eN4cGYA0qv8/UWfoOPBWRKI/AAAAAAAAARk/G_61clpNXWE/s1600/Hall+of+the+Dragon+Mist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eN4cGYA0qv8/UWfoOPBWRKI/AAAAAAAAARk/G_61clpNXWE/s320/Hall+of+the+Dragon+Mist.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This painting entitled,<br />
<i>Hall of the Dragon Mist</i>, by <br />
Tiberius Viris may serve as the cover <br />
art for my travel memoir, <br />
<i>Travels In the Land of Hunger</i></td></tr>
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In the time since <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> was released I have written the first one hundred plus pages of <i>Book II - Travels</i>, but I have also worked on a steampunk short story entitled, <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>, and I have been editing a travel memoir of my 2004 journey through East and Southeast Asia. I have also written an incomplete science fiction short story entitled, <i>Rise of the White Lion</i>. These side projects have been healthy for my writing and leave room for books not within the <i>Dark Legacy</i> series, but within a much wider<i> Legacy Cycle</i> series.</div>
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I now plan on working and completing each project before moving on to the next. I have been editing the travel memoir over the past year and will finally finish the first complete edits next week. I will then leave it and focus on <i>Book II - Travels</i>. Ideally, I would like to work on <i>Book II</i> a little bit each day and now that I have my summer holiday around the corner I will be able to accomplish quite a bit. It is my hope that I will have the first complete draft of <i>Book II</i> finished by early 2014, while also releasing my travel memoir entitled, <i>Travels In the Land of Hun</i>ger, by early 2014. Once <i>Book II</i> has been released, hopefully by late 2014 to early 2015, I will take a break from <i>Dark Legacy</i> to develop the steampunk short story, <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>, into a full length novel. Then I'll be back to <i>Dark Legacy</i> to write <i>Book III - Tribe</i>.<br />
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I would like to share with you some of the reviews of <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> from the past couple of months.<br />
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"This was one of the most unique books I've read in a long time; in style if not always in content. As I read it, I definitely came to the conclusion I was reading some European author, as the style was so different from anything I had read in a long time (he's not :))." - Mitchell Tyler<br />
Read the full review on Goodreads @ <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/375996637" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/375996637</a></div>
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"Overall, this was a great read ... Domenico has an excellent tale to tell and tells it very well. I am anxiously awaiting further installments in the <i>Dark Legacy</i> series." - George Jaros<br />
Read the full review on Goodreads @ <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/409215305" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/409215305</a><br />
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"I originally started out with the intro book: <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i>, which is basically the first 1/4 of this book. After reading through the incredible blend of fantasy and sci-fi, mixed with Eastern philosophies, I had to buy the full book and finish it." - Mike Pearce<br />
Read the full review on Goodreads @ <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/484677199" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/484677199</a><br />
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"In short it was an excellent book; a wonderful blend of science fiction and fantasy. I haven't checked to see if the other books in the series are released yet, but its something worth checking out if you are done with cliché books like <i>Divergent</i> series, the <i>Hunger Games</i> series, etc." - Justin Yan<br />
Read the full review on Goodreads @ <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/285417642" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/285417642</a><br />
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"Not only does this book offer a beginning to what could become a new epic story worthy of endless numbers of fans, it exposes humanity at multiple levels. As readers, we can identify with most of the characters at one point or another, thus creating an opportunity to explore our own dark, rejected, and neglected facets coming to terms with ourselves as a whole unit. On a less personal note; it is a story that surprises the reader at every turn. Entertaining, different, NEW. Totally worth it! Can't wait for the story to continue. Hopefully we'll see a sequel soon." - Manu M.<br />
Read the review on Amazon.com.br @<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com.br/review/R2W9EUJ0B71RY9/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B006VJQCSS&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=5308307011&store=digital-text">http://www.amazon.com.br/review/R2W9EUJ0B71RY9/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B006VJQCSS&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=5308307011&store=digital-text</a><br />
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I would like to thank each reader and fan for all of their support. It is greatly appreciated!</div>
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Now I best be getting back to writing.</div>
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With Magic,</div>
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Domenico</div>
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If you would like to buy <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> please visit:</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Domenico-Italo-Composto-Hart/e/B006VYGBJS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Amazon (Kindle & paperback)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-legacy-domenico-italo-composto-hart/1111324126?ean=9780615550961" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Barnes & Noble (NOOK)</a></div>
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Google Play (Android)</a></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-legacy/id494590017?mt=11" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ iBookstore (iPad, iPod, iPhone)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dark-Legacy/book-BQKBi0I13k6xXa6h8s6jRw/page1.html?s=kEm-PzPFRky2783HEznEbA&r=1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ KOBO</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Lulu (hardcover, paperback, ePub)</a></div>
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<embed src="http://www.lulu.com/viewer/embed/EmbeddablePreviewer.swf?version=20110908141923" flashvars="contentId=9270812&endpoint=http://www.lulu.com/author/previews/preview_endpoint.php" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="330"></embed></object>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-35389241691465514262012-07-07T03:33:00.000-07:002013-10-15T10:14:30.036-07:00Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai available as a FREE ebook!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TFXMi2TKh2w/T_gENP78NFI/AAAAAAAAAEs/6x6YBp5iH6c/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TFXMi2TKh2w/T_gENP78NFI/AAAAAAAAAEs/6x6YBp5iH6c/s320/cover.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i><br />
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It is my great pleasure to announce that <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> is now available in five editions from ebooks to paperback to hardcover!</div>
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But before I get to the details of those five editions please take note that <i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> is available as a completely FREE ebook download on Lulu, the iBookstore, the Barnes & Noble NOOK, Kobo, and Google Play.</div>
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<i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> is a science fiction and fantasy novella that serves as the prologue to <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i>. The FREE ebook download of <i>The End of the Kai</i> includes the first three chapters of <i>Book I - Trinity</i>, and together they amount to 180+ pages of free action-packed e-reading material!</div>
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To get your hands on a FREE digital copy of <i>The End of the Kai</i> select and click from the options listed below.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Legacy-End-Cycle-ebook/dp/B008D6107A/ref=la_B006VYGBJS_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352739660&sr=1-2" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> @ Amazon (Kindle), but it currently lists for $0.99</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-legacy-domenico-italo-composto-hart/1112315810?ean=9780985017736" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> @ Barnes & Noble (NOOK</a>)<br />
<a href="http://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> @ Google Play</a><br />
<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-legacy/id542486769?mt=11" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai @</i> iBookstore</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dark-Legacy/book-yOp6qQj4DkKaHsuWIxplsA/page1.html?s=t9LcVaDuYk2LSBmyJui7yg&r=2" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai @</i> KOBO</a><br />
<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: The End of the Kai</i> @ Lulu</a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i><br />
ebook, paperback, and hardback cover</td></tr>
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Now getting back to the five editions available of <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> (this book includes <i>The End of the Kai</i>). I am very pleased to announce that <i>Dark Legacy: Trinity</i> is available for all eReader devices from the iPad to the NOOK to the Kindle, while also being available as a 6x9 paperback on Lulu and Amazon; and--for those die-hard fans--as a 6x9 casewrap hardcover on Lulu!</div>
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To get your copy please visit the following online stores listed below.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Domenico-Italo-Composto-Hart/e/B006VYGBJS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity @ </i>Amazon (Kindle & pbk)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-legacy-domenico-italo-composto-hart/1111324126?ean=9780615550961" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Barnes & Noble (NOOK</a>)<br />
<a href="http://play.google.com/store/search?q=Dark+Legacy+The+End+of+the+Kai" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Google Play</a></div>
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-legacy/id494590017?mt=11" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ iBookstore</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Dark-Legacy/book-BQKBi0I13k6xXa6h8s6jRw/page1.html?s=kEm-PzPFRky2783HEznEbA&r=1" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ KOBO</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity" target="_blank"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> @ Lulu (hbk, pbk, ePub)</a></div>
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And on a final note, be sure to visit the official website for The Legacy Cycle @</div>
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<a href="http://www.TheLegacyCycle.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">www.TheLegacyCycle.com </span></a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gletNbqN0Vo/T_gPkSTTvNI/AAAAAAAAAFE/V4W5PxGoZSA/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-07-07+at+12.27.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gletNbqN0Vo/T_gPkSTTvNI/AAAAAAAAAFE/V4W5PxGoZSA/s640/Screen+shot+2012-07-07+at+12.27.57+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-2686662683672482142012-01-18T02:41:00.001-08:002013-04-12T04:41:45.140-07:002012: The Astor House and Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YEsY3LWDcE/TwI61rPWIuI/AAAAAAAAADU/ty5dQUcztH8/s1600/Steampunk_FINAL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_YEsY3LWDcE/TwI61rPWIuI/AAAAAAAAADU/ty5dQUcztH8/s320/Steampunk_FINAL.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Vernon Kell Portrait by Wayne Haag</td></tr>
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It has been exactly one year since the launch of my first sci-fi/fantasy novel, <i><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</a></i>. And I am very proud to announce that the book has joined the 21st century by being available as an eBook for the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes & Noble NOOK, the iPad, iPhone, and iPod, as well as for most other eReaders.</div>
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You can click the following links to get the eBook version of <i>Dark Legacy</i> (sample the beginning of the book on Amazon for free):</div>
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<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> (Lulu) $2.95</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VJQCSS"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity </i>(Amazon Kindle) $2.99</a></div>
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<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/dark-legacy/id494590017?mt=11"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> (iBookstore) $1.99</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-legacy-domenico-italo-composto-hart/1029657667"><i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> (Barnes&Noble NOOK) $1.99</a></div>
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During the past twelve months I have been promoting the book through all available internet avenues such as <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thelegacycycle">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thelegacycycle">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5043259.Domenico_Italo_Composto_Hart">Goodreads.com</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/thelegacycycle">YouTube</a>, and to a certain extent <a href="http://es.linkedin.com/in/domenicocomposto">LinkedIn</a>. There is still more virtual terrain to cover such as Smashwords.com and more traditional means of getting exposure through bookstore events and speaking to literature students in high schools to encourage them to also self-publish. But 2012 is the year that I need to take a break from aggressively promoting the book via the web and sit down and focus on the craft of writing. There are four literary works that I hope to hammer out over the course of this year: one is a short-story, two are novels, and one is a travel memoir.</div>
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The working title for the science fiction short story I have been kicking around for the past couple of months is <i>Rise of the White Lion</i>. Peter Saga of <i><a href="http://sffezine.blogspot.com/">Science Fiction Freedom</a></i> E'Zine was trying to put together a science fiction superhero issue back in the autumn of last year. He asked me if I could come up with something with the condition that it be based in the city where I am currently living in (Barcelona). I found the request a difficult challenge as my initial ideas were typical and easily rejected by my wife. Finally, I settled on a concept that I was content with revolving around GP Motorcycle racing, the myth of Saint George, projecting the future outcomes of the current economic crisis on the EU, aspects of Gaudí architecture, Japanese robot technology, corporate espionage, and the rise of China as a significant 21st century superpower. This is all I will say for now. I am hoping to have a final draft of the short story completed by the first week of February after which I will pass the story along to the amazingly talented concept artist, <a href="http://www.ankaris.com/home.html">Wayne Haag</a>, who provided the beautiful artwork for my steampunk short story, <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>.</div>
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After writing <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> as a short story and getting a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from <a href="http://www.ankaris.com/home.html">Wayne Haag</a>, my wife, and readers of <i><a href="http://sffezine.blogspot.com/">Science Fiction Freedom</a></i> E'Zine I have decided to expand the short story into a full length steampunk novel. As a result I have been reading as much as I can on the art and history of espionage, Chinese history, the Boxer Rebellion, the Spanish-American War, and the history of Shanghai during the Victorian period. I am very excited by the evolving storyline of the characters, Nicholas Winter and Sir Vernon George Waldegrave Kell (founder of MI5). A lot of the ideas, values, and concepts I have for <i>The Astor House</i> will in some way also feed into <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels</i>. The storyline for <i>Dark Legacy: Book II</i> is still coming together in my mind and reading up on the Boxer Rebellion, Chinese history, etc. for <i>The Astor House</i> is helping me solidify the details and direction of <i>Dark Legacy: Book II</i>. I plan to finish up the first act of <i>Dark Legacy</i> by the summer of 2012 while working in tandem on <i>The Astor House</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last, but not least, is a travel memoir that I would like to publish by the end of 2012. The writing is done and it is all up on this blog (go back to entries from 2004), but I need to edit it and format it for publication. The memoir is from my travels in the late winter, spring, and summer of 2004 in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, Scandinavia, and Eastern and Western Europe. If anything my hope for the memoir is for it to stand as a document for my children, and their children, and hopefully their children; to in some way speak to future members of my family and encourage them to travel far and wide into this world. The memoir also reveals how my wife and I first met at the top of a pyramid temple in the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat on the 21st of May, 2004.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Well, let it begin. Time to sit down and write.<br />
With magic,<br />
Domenico</div>
The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-65687468149717085712011-09-11T07:21:00.001-07:002012-04-08T11:00:26.849-07:00The Astor House of Old Shanghai (steampunk) featured in Issue 5 of Science Fiction Freedom E'Zine<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Y1rbfdrQRc/Tmy3zz1YaII/AAAAAAAAADE/YAOBaBV3_No/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Y1rbfdrQRc/Tmy3zz1YaII/AAAAAAAAADE/YAOBaBV3_No/s320/001.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Science Fiction Freedom Issue 5 Cover</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">A steampunk short story I wrote entitled, <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>, which was beautifully illustrated by Wayne Haag of <i>The Fifth Element</i>, <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> (<i>The Fellowship of the Rings</i> and <i>The Two Towers</i>) and <i>Superman Returns</i> fame was featured in Issue 5 of <i>Science Fiction Freedom</i> E'Zine. The E'Zine is free so be sure to check it out at: <a href="http://sffezine.blogspot.com/">http://sffezine.blogspot.com</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Peter Saga, the Art Director for <i>Science Fiction Freedom</i>, had contacted me at the end of May (or early June if I remember correctly) through Twitter. At that time I was linking up my Twitter account with several steampunk Twitter accounts and as a result Peter discovered my book and website. He offered me the incredible opportunity to write a steampunk short story for his publication that had to be completed by the end of June. But with the month of June comes final exams and the massive amounts of grading to end the academic year at the international high school I teach at. I foolishly considered turning him down but soon decided to take on the chance to get a work published via a new medium - an E'Zine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I had never worked within the realm of steampunk I was nervous as to what I could come up with, but then I remembered a small literary work I had written while I was in the internet and reading lounge of The Astor House in Shanghai back in 2004. I decided to work with what I had written and add onto it to make it fit within the genre of steampunk. At the same time I was teaching my 8th grade students about the Spanish-American War, American imperialism, and the Boxer Rebellion, which all became elements I used for the story. While I researched and began working on what would become, <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i>, I needed a character to compliment the protagonist in the story and the character of Sir Vernon George Waldegrave Kell fell perfectly into place. The story was to take place in Shanghai in 1899 on the eve of what was to become The Boxer Rebellion. The idea of writing an espionage story provided an interesting angle and when I looked up MI5 (the British intelligence service) I was very pleased to discover that Kell was one of its founders and that he had lived in China, spoke Chinese, and fought in The Boxer Rebellion. It was perfect synchronicity. Thus from there the story took a life of its own.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I was able to finish the story about a week before deadline and then it was off to Peter at <i>SFF</i>. Next came the ultimate surprise. Peter soon explained to me that my story had been picked up by famed production designer, matte painter, photographer, and artist, Wayne Haag! I was completely floored. Wayne had worked not only on the films <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> (<i>The Fellowship of the Rings</i> and <i>The Two Towers</i>) but on <i>The Fifth Element</i>. <i>The Fifth Element</i> was such a visually stunning and ground breaking film that to this day I still remember what I was doing the first time I saw the trailer for the film. Never had I seen anything like it and my friends and I were so excited that we counted down the days to it theatrical release. One image that I absolutely loved when I saw the film was the futuristic depiction of New York City, which you can see below.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrkHsAzJD_s/Tmy_ODO_E7I/AAAAAAAAADI/srGC8VZt9uA/s1600/fifthelement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrkHsAzJD_s/Tmy_ODO_E7I/AAAAAAAAADI/srGC8VZt9uA/s320/fifthelement.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">NYC city-scape by Wayne Haag for <i>The Fifth Element</i> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">This image of New York was so unique that I still remember it clearly fourteen years after first seeing it. What I found so interesting about this depiction of NYC was that the sea levels had fallen with the city stretching out further into what had once been covered by the ocean. This was at a time when the dangers of global warming was initially being raised and the possibility of sea levels rising. I found it "cool" that Wayne's depiction of NYC went against the grain as to what was to occur in the future and that instead of sea levels rising, they had fallen.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4ZneAEkK3E/TmzCj0E952I/AAAAAAAAADM/HLVYtn7Z5AI/s1600/Kellphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L4ZneAEkK3E/TmzCj0E952I/AAAAAAAAADM/HLVYtn7Z5AI/s200/Kellphoto.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"><i>Kell</i> portrait by Wayne Haag</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Working with Wayne on what was to become a beautiful portrait of the character of Kell was a dream come true for a major science fiction film fan. Wayne is, in so many ways, my hero as to what he can accomplish through the medium of his art in creating futuristic and fantastic worlds, city-scapes, and landscapes. I had always wanted to gain the ability of becoming an artist in bringing to life what I could imagine, but gave it up once I took a very good look at the competition and pursued music and later writing instead. Wayne was very supportive and constantly encouraging me and has inspired me to continue work on <i>The Astor House of Old Shanghai</i> storyline to develop it into a full-length espionage, steampunk novel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a result, while I was in Chicago in August, I stocked up on as many books as I could find on the topics of espionage, The Boxer Rebellion, British imperialism, and Chinese history in the late 1800s to early 1900s. While I work on <i>Dark Legacy: Book II - Travels</i> I will also be working on this steampunk story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am incredibly grateful to Wayne Haag and Peter Saga for giving me such an unforgettable experience over the summer. I invite you to check out Wayne's website at <a href="http://www.ankaris.com/">http://www.ankaris.com</a> and Peter Saga's amazing <i>Science Fiction Freedom</i> E'Zine at <a href="http://sffezine.blogspot.com/">http://sffezine.blogspot.com</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">With MAGIC & INSPIRATION!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Domenico Italo Composto-Hart<br />
<a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">http://www.thelegacycycle.com</a></div><br />
<object height="330" width="440"><param name="movie" value="http://www.lulu.com/viewer/embed/EmbeddablePreviewer.swf?version=20110908141923"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashvars" value="contentId=9270812&endpoint=http://www.lulu.com/author/previews/preview_endpoint.php"></param><embed src="http://www.lulu.com/viewer/embed/EmbeddablePreviewer.swf?version=20110908141923" flashvars="contentId=9270812&endpoint=http://www.lulu.com/author/previews/preview_endpoint.php" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" width="440" height="330"></embed></object>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-84857626597155220732011-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:49:40.572-07:00Reflection: Book Signing and Presentation at The Book Stall in northern Chicago<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UQc0nBI6yA/TkqajYZME5I/AAAAAAAAAC8/QM_HxxB4bJE/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0UQc0nBI6yA/TkqajYZME5I/AAAAAAAAAC8/QM_HxxB4bJE/s320/IMG_2486.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Busy signing books at The Book Stall in northern Chicago</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The second book presentation and signing for my sci-fi/fantasy novel, <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i>, was held at <a href="http://www.thebookstall.com/">The Book Stall</a> in Winnetka, Illinois (a northern Chicago suburb) on Saturday, July 30th. The event was organized by my mother and sister who worked diligently in promoting the presentation to as many friends and family as possible. As a result we had around sixty people in attendance and we sold every single copy The Book Stall had in stock.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It had been two years since I was back in the United States (the longest I have ever been away from the country of my birth), and back to my home town of Wilmette. It was a great pleasure to return with my family and present my literary work in Winnetka, which is the town where I went to high school. Although I was nervous before the event, once I got started I had a lot of fun discussing the themes, history, and stories behind the book. But the best part of the presentation was the excellent range of questions I had from the audience.</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Two amazing friends filmed the presentation and book signing using high definition cameras, and as a result I have already uploaded the presentation as a four part video onto the YouTube channel for The Legacy Cycle at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/thelegacycycle">http://www.youtube.com/thelegacycycle</a>. Check it out and share them with all your sci-fi/fantasy reading friends!</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">With magic,</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Domenico</div></div><div style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">http://www.thelegacycycle.com</a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-61668461377138623062011-07-12T03:39:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:50:08.516-07:00Dark Legacy: Trinity presentation and signing at The Book Stall in Chicago's North Shore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cF26QRGL6-c/Thwhm-I1kAI/AAAAAAAAAC4/DS5r9oc6Qjs/s1600/bookstall.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cF26QRGL6-c/Thwhm-I1kAI/AAAAAAAAAC4/DS5r9oc6Qjs/s1600/bookstall.gif" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Presentation and book signing of <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i> will take place at 3:00 pm on July 30th at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka, IL.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">The Book Stall</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">811 Elm Street</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Winnetka, Illinois, USA</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Tel. (847) 446-8880</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebookstall.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">http://www.thebookstall.com/</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Book Stall at Chestnut Court is a fantastic book shop located in Chicago's North Shore that is now celebrating 75 years of independent book selling! Come and join us on the 30th of July.</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">With magic,</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Domenico</span></div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">www.thelegacycycle.com</a></span></div></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-67474356139665063792011-06-26T13:33:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:50:30.523-07:00YouTube: Dark Legacy - Trinity Book Presentation & Signing on April 1, 2011<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_Om-z2Ps-qE" width="540"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Check out the The Legacy Cycle YouTube channel at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/thelegacycycle">http://www.youtube.com/user/thelegacycycle</a></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-89941013685608132532011-06-26T05:42:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:50:47.048-07:00S.J. Wist Review of Dark Legacy: Trinity also on Fantasy Cookie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J9Dwur1GNWg/TgcmxiDUWAI/AAAAAAAAACw/Z-bgcgz24ME/s1600/FCavatar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J9Dwur1GNWg/TgcmxiDUWAI/AAAAAAAAACw/Z-bgcgz24ME/s1600/FCavatar.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Just a quick note: as mentioned on my May 30th blog post a review of my sci-fi/fantasy novel, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</a></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, by S.J. Wist is also available on her <a href="http://fantasycookie.blogspot.com/">Fantasy Cookie</a> blogspot at the link below:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><a href="http://fantasycookie.blogspot.com/2011/06/dark-legacy-book-i-trinity-by-domenico.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">http://fantasycookie.blogspot.com/2011/06/dark-legacy-book-i-trinity-by-domenico.html</span></a>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-80231259180075480122011-05-30T13:34:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:58:31.085-07:00S.J. Wist Review of Dark Legacy: Trinity<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-23NCLJ9p0C4/TeP3NzTqTGI/AAAAAAAAACk/dMS2KF4LCtw/s1600/banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-23NCLJ9p0C4/TeP3NzTqTGI/AAAAAAAAACk/dMS2KF4LCtw/s320/banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the Fantasy Book Review Blog of S.J. Wist at:<br />
<a href="http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/">http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Last Friday I was very pleased to discover a review of my book by <a href="http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/">S.J. Wist</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"> who is a fantasy writer and reviewer that is currently adding the finishing touches to her fantasy novel, <i>Dragon Aster</i>.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Thursday, May 26, 2011</b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Review of Dark Legacy: Trinity</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">by Domenico Italo Composto-Hart</span></b><br />
<b><a href="http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-of-dark-legacy-trinity-by.html">http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-of-dark-legacy-trinity-by.html</a></b><br />
<br />
Rating: 5/5<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><i>"<a href="http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/darklegacytrinity">Dark Legacy: Trinity</a></i>, is a fantasy novel with a blend of science fiction that will appeal to both preferences in readers. It is a coming of age story of Kieko, son of the last Kai guardian of Atlantis. He is trained by the priest, Shinsei, as the relentless force that took Atlantis draws closer to his peaceful home of Ikishi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The oldest mystics of the Orient against the pinnacle of human kind -- Atlantis, fused together seamlessly. When the technology of science fiction clashes with a primitive culture, sparks fly. When it collides with rich characters who are rooted deep in their spirituality, then it becomes a battle of absolute willpower against a merciless evil. Add just the right touch of vivid detail, characters and story, and you have this epic tale that is hard to put down.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kieko, Aiko and Kira are all lovable and thoroughly entertaining to follow to where their youth takes them next. As they become adults together, their trials and tribulations grow a powerful and unbreakable bond that the reader can easily connect with and follow alongside.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">Domenico Italo Composto-Hart</a> has made a most impressive step into the fantasy and science fiction genre. This first book of the Dark Legacy series will join my shelf alongside my all-time favorites."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Review by <a href="http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/">S.J. Wist (http://infinitydreamt.blogspot.com/)</a></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-65072328824894884022011-05-16T12:53:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:51:35.297-07:00Reflection: Book Signing and Presentation at Librería Gigamesh, Barcelona<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qh7Gpsjv5O4/TdF6dof26kI/AAAAAAAAACY/DwagGAxNMVA/s1600/2011DSC00376.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qh7Gpsjv5O4/TdF6dof26kI/AAAAAAAAACY/DwagGAxNMVA/s320/2011DSC00376.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Book signing at Libre</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">r</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">í</span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">a </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Gigamesh in Barcelona, Spain.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The first book presentation and signing for my sci-fi/fantasy novel, <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i>, was held at Libre<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">í</span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a </span>Gigamesh in Barcelona, Spain. The event was organized by my wife as part of a surprise birthday gift. Since launching the book my wife has been encouraging me to get out of my shell and promote it, and the event at Gigamesh was a wonderful way to begin doing so.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">So much energy and time went into writing, rewriting, writing, rewriting, editing, reediting, and editing the book that once a final draft was complete, the book cover design finished, and the website (<a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">http://www.thelegacycycle.com</a>) up and running, came the question . . . "well, now what?" I hadn't put much thought into the promotion of the book beyond what can be done via online networking sites. Promoting in the "real" world as opposed to the "virtual" world was not something I had put much thought into. Perhaps I had been avoiding the idea. To be honest I felt uncomfortable going out there to promote (essentially become a salesperson) for my art. Most artists I believe are shy about promoting (to sell) their very personal works, and my book is, in many senses, a very personal story.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">But, my wife was there by my side pushing me to do what an unknown writer must ultimately do. To get out there and share with the world their art.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The event at Gigamesh was a safe and comfortable way for me to get my feet wet. Many friends, students, fellow teachers, and family were there to support me. What made the event unforgettable was seeing my father walk into the bookstore unannounced; he had flown in all the way from Chicago as a surprise. And what a fantastic surprise it was for me to see my father, to have his support, and to share this moment with him. My father is, in a word, amazing!</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">A friend of mine video-taped the presentation with her iPhone and so I have been fiddling with iMovie to prepare the video recording of the event on this site as well as on the other Legacy Cycle sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Perhaps in a week or so I will upload the presentation . . . so stay tuned.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">With magic,</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Domenico</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">http://www.thelegacycycle.com</a></div></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-77475431517419513972011-05-10T10:00:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:51:53.542-07:00Janusz Migasiuk: The Genius behind The Legacy Cycle website<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0EU5k9sBpk/Tclp6W9NrkI/AAAAAAAAACU/6zrRgi_BIaU/s1600/poster-promoFINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l0EU5k9sBpk/Tclp6W9NrkI/AAAAAAAAACU/6zrRgi_BIaU/s320/poster-promoFINAL.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Later this week I will write a blog describing my first book presentation and signing at Libreria Gigamesh in Barcelona, Spain, which took place on the 1st of April. In the mean time I have uploaded the promotional poster for my sci-fi/fantasy novel, <i>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Janusz Migasiuk (<a href="http://www.migistudio.com/">http://www.migistudio.com</a>) designed this poster and built the website for The Legacy Cycle (<a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">http://www.thelegacycycle.com</a>) as well as my personal website (<a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">http://www.thedragonbone.com</a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">He is the most talented and professional painter, graphic artist, and web designer I have ever met, and it is a great honor to have him as a good friend. I encourage you to take a look at his site and his talented work and to spread the word about him. On top of his amazing abilities as an artist he is also an exceptional musician (bass player & keyboardist). Overall, Janusz is a fine example of what it means to be a Renaissance man.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are on Facebook or Twitter you can look him up as well at:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002373294388">http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002373294388</a>) and (<a href="http://twitter.com/#!/OriginalArts">http://twitter.com/#!/OriginalArts</a>)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All the best,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Domenico :)</div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-16038737295320229352011-03-13T14:15:00.000-07:002011-09-11T12:59:46.829-07:00Dark Legacy: Trinity presentation and signing at Librería Gigamesh<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ir7P0wfyb5I/TX0t2UTG9tI/AAAAAAAAABw/UZQQE19LTeo/s1600/poster-signing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ir7P0wfyb5I/TX0t2UTG9tI/AAAAAAAAABw/UZQQE19LTeo/s400/poster-signing.jpg" width="261" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Gigamesh book signing poster for<br />
April 1, 2011</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Presentation and book signing</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Dark Legacy: </span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Book I - Trinity</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">will take place at </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">19:00h</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">(7 pm) on the </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1st of April, 2011</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> at:</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Librer</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">ía Gigamesh</span></span></span></span></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">«Vicio y subcultura»</span></span></span></span></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"></span></span></span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Ronda San Pedro, 53</span></span></span></span></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"></span></span></span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">08010 Barcelona, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Spain</span></span></span></span></span></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"></span></span></span></span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Tel. 932 466 359. Fax 932 327 708</span></span></span></em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"></span></span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.gigamesh.com/libreria.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">h</span></a></span></span></em><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.gigamesh.com/libreria.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">ttp://www.gigamesh.com/libreria.html</span></a></span></span></em></span></div></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </span></span></em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></span></em></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Librer</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">ía Gigamesh in Barcelona has the </span></span></em></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">best, and largest, selection of science </span></span></em></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">fiction, fantasy, and horror books, and </span></span></em></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">graphic novels in English. For the expats in BCN that are in literary need of Neal Stephenson, Iain M. Banks, Ursula K. Le Guin, Stephen King, Robert Jordan, etc. then </span></span></em></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Librer</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">ía Gigamesh is where you need to be.</span></span></em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> </span></em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Looking forward to seeing you on April 1st!</span></span></em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">All the best,</span></span></em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Domenico Italo Composto-Hart </span></span></em></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">www.thelegacycycle.com</span></span></a></span></em></span></span></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-26120813861720526922011-01-20T22:04:00.000-08:002011-09-11T13:03:22.335-07:00Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity Cover Design and Launch!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qx2P7tTbUdI/TTkjYAzJU3I/AAAAAAAAABo/XDmFFxN_lpE/s1600/74608_178785772139812_178784692139920_537787_3810419_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qx2P7tTbUdI/TTkjYAzJU3I/AAAAAAAAABo/XDmFFxN_lpE/s400/74608_178785772139812_178784692139920_537787_3810419_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Book cover design for </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Dark Legacy</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><b>The Legacy Cycle</b> website has launched on this day(s), January 20-21 (depending on what side of the planet you are on), 2011 for my first sci-fi/fantasy novel, <i><b>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</b></i>! You can visit the site at: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"><a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">www.thelegacycycle.com</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">and learn more about Atlantis and Lemuria.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Now that I have climbed my first literary mountain (writing and finishing my first novel), I stare at the foot of the next mountain (promoting the book), and with the launch of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">www.thelegacycycle.com</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: lime;"> </span>I have taken my first step.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">All the best and I hope you enjoy the book!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Sincerely,</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Domenico Italo Composto-Hart</span></span></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-66014389639722453012010-12-21T09:58:00.000-08:002011-09-11T12:52:59.610-07:00Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity & the 4Cats<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qx2P7tTbUdI/TRDmQKgskTI/AAAAAAAAABA/j--JOzxhkds/s1600/DSCF1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qx2P7tTbUdI/TRDmQKgskTI/AAAAAAAAABA/j--JOzxhkds/s320/DSCF1227.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Celebrating the completion of my first novel</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">at the 4Cats.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It is done. After over a decade of work, my first novel, <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #674ea7;">Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">, is complete. I received my first copy on the 5th of October 2010. </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">A couple of weeks later my wife, son, and I went to the 4Cats cafe in Barcelona, Spain. It was there that we celebrated the birth of my first serious, literary work.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Why the 4Cats? Well, on the 4th of January 2007 my MacBook, with the most up-to-date draft of my novel, was stolen at the 4Cats. I was completely devastated by the theft because I did not have a recent digital back-up of my book. Instead I had a 6 month old back-up on my Sony Viao, thus meaning that 6 months work prior to the theft was gone. This incident set back the completion of the novel. But, the past is the past, and, well, here I am nearly four years later, and the book is finished. So what a better place to celebrate than the place to which I had overcome the hardship of having lost a significant portion of my work, to then keep at my craft to finally complete what I had set out to do.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">The book will be available to the public January 1st, 2011. There will be a website to promote the book, which you can check out in the early part of the new year. The site will be: <a href="http://www.thelegacycycle.com/">www.thelegacycycle.com</a></span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And from this point forth, after a very long hiatus of not writing on this blog, I will be writing updates as the weeks and months go by regarding my book and the next book I am working on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All the best,</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Domenico Italo Composto-Hart</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">P.S. I have also updated my website (just cleaned it up a bit).</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You can check it out at:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">www.thedragonbone.com</a></div>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-1153297759193467052006-07-19T01:21:00.000-07:002006-07-19T01:29:19.206-07:00<strong>July 19th, 2006</strong><br />Barcelona, Spain<br /><br />As you can see I have not updated this site for nearly 2 years. I am near the end of completing the final draft for my first sci-fi/fantasy novel: <em>Dark Legacy: Book I - Trinity</em>. As a result I am beginning to think more and more of the story and details that will comprise <em>Book II - Travels</em> of the series. My journey by land (and experiences) from Tokyo, Japan through Korea, Southeast Asia, China, Mongolia, Siberia, Scandanavia, Eastern & Western Europe (as documented in this blog) will be heavily drawn upon as I begin working out the storyline and themes for <em>Book II</em>. So, I will be revisiting this blog site (a diary of my travels and discoveries) and perhaps I will work on it and prepare it to also be published under some format (digital or hardcopy). <br /><br />This blog also marks the fact that I will begin monthly updates on my website <a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com">www.thedragonbone.com</a> which I have neglected for the past 6 months. A new PDF of the first couple chapters of my first <em>Dark Legacy</em> novel will be up by September of 2006.<br /><br />All the Best from Barcelona, Spain,<br />Domenico Italo Composto<br /><a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com">www.thedragonbone.com</a>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-1094216109502687392004-09-03T05:46:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:45:48.005-07:00The Art of Burning Out and Finding Salvation in Barcelona, Spain<strong>The Art of Burning Out and Finding Salvation in Barcelona, Spain</strong> <br />
<strong>September 3rd, 2004</strong> <br />
<br />
I was in Belgrade, Serbia last week and it was there that I finally realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was totally burnt out on backpack travel. As a result I decided to head to Barcelona, Spain to stay put for awhile. And so that is where I am now - in Barcelona - resting. I just moved into a room in an apartment that I am sharing with students from Italy and Argentina. I will return to the U.S. sometime in November - and don't worry, I have already put in for my absentee ballot for the election on November 2nd. <br />
<br />
In the mean time I will be in my cocoon preparing for my return to the U.S. by working again on my first book (and mailing it out to publishing companies) and working on some music stuff that Ive been meaning to put down on paper, and teaching a student or two on drum rudiments and proper hand and foot drum-kit techniques. <br />
<br />
Until next Time, <br />
Domenico <br />
<a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">www.thedragonbone.com</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.banromsai.gr.jp/">www.banromsai.gr.jp</a> <br />
<br />
P.S. As for the Salvation part of arriving in Barcelona. Well, yes . . . I have found it (salvation). To elaborate on that I will not. Some treasures are meant to be sacred and quiet . . . like an enchanted temple hidden deep within a jungle fortress :)The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-1092428756774603352004-08-13T13:17:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:46:41.792-07:00Quick Note from Bratislava, Slovakia<strong>August 22nd, 2004</strong> <br />
<strong>Quick Note from Bratislava, Slovakia</strong> <br />
I have a lot to catch up on in regards to this journal. I have been to Hamburg and Berlin, Germany as well as to Warsaw and Krakow in Poland. I am now in Bratislava, Slovakia. I have been taking a sort of break from the internet but soon I will return with stories and tales from this leg of the journey. As to where I am going, here is my itinerary: <br />
<br />
Vienna, Austria <br />
Budapest, Hungary <br />
Belgrade, Yugoslavia <br />
Transylvania and Bucharest, Romania <br />
Sofia, Bulgaria <br />
Skopje, Macedonia <br />
Tirana, Albania <br />
Sarajevo, Bosnia <br />
Zagreb, Croatia <br />
Ljubljana, Slovenia <br />
Vaduz, Liechtenstein <br />
Switzerland <br />
Lyon and Marseille, France <br />
Tunis, Tunisia <br />
Sicily <br />
Sardinia <br />
and finally Barcelona, Spain. <br />
<br />
It will be in Spain that this journey will end. And it will be in Barcelona where I will find home again. <br />
<br />
With Love, <br />
Domenico <br />
www.thedragonbone.com <br />
<br />
<strong>August 14th, 2004</strong> <br />
<strong>Readings from <em>The Travels of Dom e Niko: Essays, Thoughts, and Other Tales</em></strong> <br />
<br />
Author's Note: Here is my first short story, as promised, for this site. I began writing it on a cloudy day in my hotel in Shanghai. The work is fiction; but the events, conversations, and ideas in the story do have a place in reality. I hope you enjoy it. I welcome any feedback: <a href="mailto:thedragonbone@hotmail.com">thedragonbone@hotmail.com</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size: 130%;">The Astor House of Old Shanghai</span></strong></div><div align="left"></div>He laid the rolled silk scroll on his bed, and took a step back. The wood floor creaked. He looked down at his old beaten shoes and thought again about why he liked the Chinese painting. It was the utter loneliness. <em>Yes, that is it.</em> <br />
<br />
<div align="center"><strong>+ + + +</strong></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">It was his first time in Shanghai. It was cloudy when he arrived. Dismal and sad; his first two impressions of the city once called, <em>the Whore of the Orient</em>. After checking into the Astor House, and dropping his things in his lavish 5th floor room, he decided to take walk. He walked north along the Bund until Nanking street. He turned right as soon as he passed the Peace Hotel. Walking east he thought, <em>West is home. Where I belong</em>. It had been 4 years since he had seen his family and childhood friends. <br />
<br />
"Excuse me, sir," a college girl began with a sweet Chinese accent, "but, we have a gallery on the 8th floor. Would you like to come and see it?" <br />
<br />
His first tout in Shanghai. He had traveled throughout southeast Asia and had grown bitterly numb to the elaborate stories and lies he had heard day after day from touts in Hanoi, Hue, Saigon, Phenom Phenh, and countless other cities and towns. But, she was a woman: young; not forceful; unaware of her seductive powers. <em>So much does she have to learn</em>, he thought remembering his long-ago college days. <br />
<br />
"It's just this way. Where are you from?" <br />
<br />
<em>'Where are you from?' </em>How many times had he heard that question in the past four months? "I'm originally from Chicago." <br />
<br />
The girl gave a quizical look. <br />
<br />
"- In the United States." <br />
<br />
She pleasantly nodded her head with a smile. "Where in the United States is it?" <br />
<br />
"Well -" <br />
<br />
"Is it near Detroit?" she interrupted. <br />
<em></em> <br />
"No! God, no. What an aweful place. No, Chicago is on the west coast of a large lake called Michigan." <br />
<br />
The girl smiled. It was then that he noticed her pearl earrings. He immediately thought of the women he had known in Valparaiso, Chile. He could tell though that she still had very little idea where Chicago was located. <br />
<br />
"What kind of gallery?" he asked, changing the subject. <br />
<br />
"We have Chinese calligraphy - Do you know calligraphy?" <br />
<br />
He nodded yes. <br />
<br />
"And we have traditional Chinese paintings - and modern too." <br />
<br />
He loved art. He had many friends who were artists. He did his best to encourage them. But that was now months ago. <em>It actually feels like years ago.</em> <br />
<br />
"Yes, let's go," he quickly said. <br />
<br />
She gave a wide grin and escorted him into a century-old building. She pointed to the elevator expecting him to go in first but he didn't. He waited kindly for her to go. Pleased with his small display of chivalry she walked into the elevator. He followed. <br />
<br />
The gallery was simply a room that was neither large nor small. Scroll paintings were hanging on all the walls. Oil canvas paintings were sitting on the floor against two of the walls. There was a table in the center of the room that was convered with smaller paintings; beneath the table were stacked green boxes that he assumed were used to pack the scrolls when they were bought and rolled. <br />
<br />
"Are you an artist?" he asked. <br />
<br />
"Yes, I am - Well, I only do calligraphy." <br />
<br />
"Oh, do you have some of your calligraphies here?" <br />
<br />
"Yes, just over here." <br />
<br />
She led him to the opposite side of a wall partition in the room. He then saw several calligraphy paintings hanging. <br />
<br />
"Can you read any of them?" she asked. <br />
<br />
"No, only bit and pieces. Like that kanji - I mean character. That means school, no?" he said quietly. <br />
<br />
"To study. That's the meaning." <br />
<br />
"School - to study. I was almost right." <br />
<br />
"Yes, perhaps." She walked to one of her paintings and explained, "This means plum and this is tea. These two characters give a peaceful sense. This calligraphy is meant to relax. Rest the mind. Do you know what this means?" she asked pointing to a large single calligraphy that he had never seen before. <br />
<br />
"No, I don't know what it means," he said enjoying her sweet voice and small movements. <br />
<br />
"It means love." <br />
<br />
"Oh," he said a bit shocked. He then thought of the Japanese character for 'great liking' which was far different in appearance than the Chinese character for love. He took a good look and said, "That means heart and that means friend." <br />
<br />
"Yes," she said impressed that he could identify the individual characters that made up the entire character for love. <br />
<br />
"- But, I don't know that kanji - I mean character." <br />
<br />
"That means house or home." <br />
<br />
He wanted to impress her by drawing the Japanese character for 'great liking' and to explain that it was composed of the Japanese characters for woman and child. He rehearsed in his mind, <em>There is no greater, and more pure a form of love than that between a mother and her child</em>. But he said and did nothing. <br />
<br />
"Where did you learn to read characters?" she asked with a peachy voice. <br />
<br />
"In Japan." <br />
<br />
"In Japan?" <br />
<br />
"I used to live there." <br />
<br />
"Really?" <br />
<br />
"Yes, and while I was there I learned a few Japanese characters." <br />
<br />
"Chinese," she said sharply. "The Japanese stole this from us." <br />
<br />
He had nothing to say in reply. <br />
<br />
"Over here we have more paintings. These are more traditional," she pointed to four paintings framed on silk scrolls hanging on the wall. "Each one represents one of the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter. In China we often liken the seasons to our lives. Spring is for the child; summer is youth and strength - vitality; and fall for settling down, having a family; and winter, for rest in the old age." <br />
<br />
"Interesting." <br />
<br />
"Yes, and here we have another four seasons, but this is more modern. The colors are more vibrant in these paintings." <br />
<br />
"Yes, I like these very much." He took a long moment to admire the summer painting that was composed of a vibrant green color. "How much is this one?" <br />
<br />
"The summer one? Well, it is part of a set. I can't sell you only one. For all four it is 1,500 wong." <br />
"Oh," he said disappointed. <br />
<br />
He then looked to a series of paintings of warriors armed with pulled bows riding on horses. "I like these. Particularly this one." <br />
<br />
"This is by a more famous painter. They are Mongolian riders hunting." <br />
<br />
"How much is this one?" <br />
<br />
"300 wong." <br />
<br />
"Oh," he said, "that isn't so bad." <br />
<br />
"You should buy it. It's meaning is success." <br />
<br />
He instantly thought of his father and decided that he would buy it. But before he would declare his decision he wanted to continue looking for he wanted to spend more time with the girl. Then he saw it. It was a painting that was far different to his eyes from all the others. He took a closer look and saw that the painting was of an enormous cloudy sky hovering above the tiniest tree at the edge of a straight and bare cliff. It was a sad painting. Full of loneliness. And because of that he loved it. "This is a tree?" he asked with the tone of a statement. <br />
<br />
"No, it is of a famous Chinese poet. That crashing down above him is a waterfall - from the Yangtze river. He is walking along the edge of a sandy floor. Those tiny curved lines are birds. The poet wrote about the insignificence of himself in all the vast space of the universe. That is why he is so small and insignificant in the painting." <br />
<br />
He was drawn to it. The story behind the painting was tragic. But, he loved it; this painting of vast nothingness. He took a few steps away from the painting to admire it some more. He then noticed that half of it was in shadow. "Can you move it? I want to see it in the light." <br />
<br />
"Yes, she said as she quickly grabbed a pole to lift the painting and place it on a wall with more light. <br />
<br />
He looked at the painting now in the light. The light bleached the painting. He could see that the paintings effect on him was due to it hanging in a dark place. <br />
<br />
"Yes, I like it. I like it very much. But, it looks better in shadow, not in the light." <br />
<br />
Although he had made up his mind to buy the painting, along with the other for his father, he wasn't prepared to leave the young girl. He quickly fished for questions to ask her and spoke: <br />
<br />
"Are you from Shanghai?" <br />
". . . Inner Mongolia . . ." <br />
"When did you leave?" <br />
". . . three years ago . . ." <br />
"Which do you like better, Shanghai or Bejing?" <br />
". . . Shanghai . . ." <br />
"Do you have brothers and sisters?" <br />
". . . one younger sister . . ." <br />
"Which kind of paintings - or style - do you prefer?" <br />
". . . impressionism . . ." <br />
<br />
When he had finally left he had bought a total of three paintings. The third was for his sister and her husband. It was a traditional Chinese landscape paiting with vibrant splashes of pink for the leaves of the cherry trees. Although it should have, the painting did not remind him of Japan in the spring. <br />
<br />
As he waited for the elevator with the girl, and took the elevator to the first floor with her, he felt the urge to ask her out for a drink when she finished work at the gallery. But, ultimately he decided against it. He knew that in the immediate end everything that attracted him to her - her sweet voice, small movements, and smile - would loose their luster and appeal, and that he would find every reason why he didn't like, or perhaps, couldn't stand her. </div><div align="center"><strong>+ + + +</strong></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div>And there was the painting on his bed. He was hesitating to undo the brown ribbon knot that held the tightly rolled scroll together. He took a step toward the bed, the floorboards creaked again, and bent forward to finally untie the knot. He then held the top end of the scroll and unrolled it carefully over his bed. <br />
<br />
There it was. The painting. And he stared at it. The darkly lit room began to fade. There was only the painting. <br />
<div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong>+ + + +</strong></div><div align="left">"Sir, would you like to come in and see some paper-cuttings?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No, no thank you," he said in the bazar of the old Chinese quarter of Shanghai.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">She approached him. He was standing on the side of the street. "Where are you from?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"From Canada," he lied. "Toronto."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Oh, yes. I know it. We´ve had many customers from there. Would you like to come in?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No, no. I've already bought a few paintings today."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"But, these are traditional Chinese paper-cuttings. Very cheap. For your girlfriend - Do you have a girlfriend?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No," he blushed.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"You should get a Shanghai girl. They are very nice. Very good for you."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">He didn't reply. <em>What does she mean I should get. Are they for sale too?</em> he thought with a sarcastic grin.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Why are you smiling?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No, nothing."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Please, come in. Just looking. You don't have to buy anything."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Look, I'm wasting your time. I'm not going to buy anything."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Are you waiting for a taxi?" she asked finally noticing that he was standing in the street.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No, I want to take a picture of this street."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Oh, go ahead. I wait."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">He looked behind to make sure no cars were approaching and then stepped quickly toward the center of the street. He turned on his digital camera, framed the street in a way he found pleasing and took a picture. The picture he had taken appeared on the small monitor of the camera. He looked at the image and, satisfied with it, turned the camera off and walked back onto the sidewalk.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Now you can come in." She took his hand and pulled gently. He like being touched by her. He looked at her and decided to go into her shop.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"These are all handmade and uniqe. No two are alike."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">He looked at the many framed paper-cut pieces. There were animals, images of Mao, as well as cute Chinese children in traditional dress. He could see the price tags on the pieces and agreed that the paintings were indeed cheap.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Do you like this one?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Which one?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"This one. I thought you were looking at this one?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Oh, no."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Do you know its meaning?"</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"No, I don't." O<em>bviously</em> he thought.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"It's my favorite one. It was made by my mother. Most of these are hers. This is her shop."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Oh," he was now intrigued.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"It is called, 'Love is like a Bird'."</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">He looked at the paper-cutting and tried to understand how that meaning could be derived from it. All he saw was a young woman with flowers all around her and a white dove flying above her head.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">"Do you like it?"</div><br />
"Yes," he lied again. <br />
<br />
"My mother says love is always on our minds. We may try to distract ourselves to not think about it. But, in the end the thoughts of love keep coming back to us. Like a bird that we free but soon returns." <br />
<br />
"Oh," he said. He liked the story behind the cut-out. He liked it more than the cut-out itself. <br />
<br />
"Do you want to buy it?" <br />
<br />
She then ruined the moment for him. He found his slight attraction to her disappear in an instant. He realized that he was just another sale, and decided that the story she told him was probably false. <br />
<br />
"No. I told you that I wasn't going to buy anything." He began to walk to the door. <br />
<br />
"We have many more. You don't need to buy anything for your girlfriend?" she rushed to say. <br />
<br />
"I already told you," he began disappointed that she had already forgotten what he had already explained, "I don't have a girlfriend." <br />
<br />
"I know. I didn't mean that. Your friends," she said eagerly. <br />
<br />
"No," and he left. <br />
<br />
As he walked away he thought about the story and agreed that love is always on our minds. <br />
<br />
<div align="center"><strong>+ + + +</strong></div>The painting stared back at him. He looked and found a strong understanding with the old poet in the painting. He knew what it felt like to be completely alone, and to be reminded of it by the vast spaces found in nature: like when standing in a desert, or when watching the sun set into an unending ocean from a cliff. <br />
<br />
He thought of the mountain he had climbed in Gyeongju, in Korea. At its summit he sat in peace and enjoyed the winds as they caressesed his forearms and shaved scalp. Upon that summit, he felt all the distance between him and his family: vast oceans and continents. So far was he from those he loved. He thought for a moment of the life he had left behind in Japan and the short and failed relationships he had had there. <br />
<br />
He wondered if he would ever marry and how difficult it would be for him to settle into giving up his long-time affair with solitude. <br />
<br />
He looked at the vast waterfall falling over the poet in the painting. And then he thought of her. Yes, her; still there, lingering in his mind. She was far from him; perhaps months away. He didn't know her. Not, at all. And his mind was too old and worn to fantasize and dream. It was then that he knew, that for the rest of his journey he would be condemned to think about her. She would haunt him. Yes, she would haunt him until the end. <br />
<br />
And so he stared at the poet in the painting, standing all alone, in room 502, in the Astor House of old Shanghai. <br />
<br />
----------------- <br />
This Work of Words was composed by Domenico Italo Composto-Hart <br />
Copyright Protection 2004 <br />
<a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">www.thedragonbone.com</a> <br />
<br />
<strong>August, Friday the 13th, 2004 - Berlin, Germany</strong> <br />
<strong>The Travels of Dom e NiKo: Essay, Thoughts, and Other Tales</strong> <br />
<br />
My state of mind is changing during this leg of my journey. Asia still lingers in my mind. But, I am now here in the "West"; traveling through the lands of my ancestors. <br />
<br />
There is a lot that is going through my head now. Thoughts of the past, the present, and the future. Thoughts of life and death. Of love, and solitude. <br />
<br />
These feelings need an outlet. And so from this point forth, until I return to my home in the land beyond the Gates of Hercules, I will begin sharing with you stories that I have been writing during this journey. <br />
<br />
These stories share a common theme: solitude, loneliness. And within these stories you will find elements of magic and hope. <br />
<br />
I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I will post my first short story within the next day or two :) <br />
<br />
Sincerely yours, in Mind and Spirit, <br />
Domenico <br />
<a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">www.thedragonbone.com</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.banromsai.gr.jp/">www.banromsai.gr.jp</a>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6648849.post-1092054503525653902004-08-09T05:28:00.000-07:002011-06-11T09:47:15.420-07:00Copenhagen, Denmark - August 5th to 7th, 2004<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/222/1457/320/IMG_4706.2.jpg"><img border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/222/1457/200/IMG_4706.1.jpg" style="border-bottom: #000000 1px solid; border-left: #000000 1px solid; border-right: #000000 1px solid; border-top: #000000 1px solid; margin: 2px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 0px;"></span><span style="font-size: 0px;"></span> <br />
An inviting tattoo shop, Copenhagen. <br />
<br />
<strong>Copenhagen, Denmark - August 5th to 7th, 2004</strong> <br />
<strong>A Small Gallery of Photo´s</strong> <br />
Well, after 5 months of typing about my travels you can now see them. I am now in the home of my uncle Joachim in Hamburg, Germany. Here I have found a warm and pleasant place to rest and prepare for the next couple of months of travel ahead. Most importantly though I have given my backpack a good scrubbing and cleaning. <br />
<br />
Below I have posted an assortment of photo´s that I took in Copenhagen, Denmark. Instead of describing thís city to you I will simply allow your eyes to wander. And so enjoy :) <br />
<br />
Domenico "Itachan" Composto <br />
<a href="http://www.thedragonbone.com/">www.thedragonbone.com</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.banromsai.gr.jp/">www.banromsai.gr.jp</a><a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img align="absMiddle" alt="Posted by Hello" border="0" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></a>The Legacy Cyclehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04274201178152894369noreply@blogger.com