Tee Morris

Writer, podcaster. and streamer

Geek Chic

Why Fake News Works: Internet Audiences Cannot Be Bothered

Yesterday, I had a pretty rattling exchange on Facebook. (I know — a bad back-and-forth on Facebook?! Inconceivable!) The headline reading “Hollywood Film Depicts Trump Supporters Being Hunted for Sport by Liberals” appeared in my feed, and immediately my “Peter Tingle” kicked into overdrive. I went to Google and looked up “The Hunt, 2019 film” as that was what this news article (not flagged by Facebook, mind you) was pertaining to. The official plot of The Hunt is as follows:

Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen… for a very specific purpose … The Hunt. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of globalist elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt humans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of the hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, GLOW), knows The Hunters’ game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman (two-time Oscar® winner Hilary Swank) at the center of it all.

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Getting My Writing Game On: GenCon 2019

Remember when I said I was going to get better at blogging?

Yeah. Good times.

It’s been an incredible few months, and a summer of change, of ideas, and of opportunities. I’m working now on two simultaneous projects. The priority project is the next novel in the Verity Fitzroy and the Ministry Seven novel, Secret of the Monkey God. Once again, Verity is uncovering the mystery of her parents’ untimely deaths and the enigmatic mastermind behind them. The second is an idea I’ve been kicking around for a few years. Villainy LLC is a comedy set in a world of superheroes that maybe should not have quit their previous careers. It’s partially inspired by The Boys and Watchmen with a bit of inspiration from my new day job, so I will see where the story will take me. I’m also casually working on another Destiny-inspired short story/novella from my favorite video game, Destiny. Shadowkeep is just around the corner and I feel like exercising some creative juices in that world from Bungie.

And throughout all this, I’m hitting the road once again.

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The Best “Thank You” to an Author

The final adventure of Books & Braun — OPERATION: ENDGAME — is now live on all digital platforms. (Audio and print coming in January.) Both Pip and I are hoping this final chapter will offer up a finale that leaves you wanting more.

But when you are done with the read, I got a favor to ask…

The Orville, Con Man, and First Impressions in Comedy

photo by P.J. Schnyder

When it comes to comedy, I like to think I know what I’m doing. MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana, amidst its swashbuckling action and romance, indulged in some well-needed comedic scenes. The Case of the Singing Sword is my homage to mystery noir and epic fantasy, and takes great joy poking fun at both. The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences offers up intrigue, twisted tales, and cliffhanging moments. There are also moments of whimsy that steampunk allows.

And before my life in between a book cover, I was treading the boards bringing to life comedy from Christopher Durang and William Shakespeare and making laughs up as I went with the good people at ComedySportz.

So yeah, I know a thing or two about comedy.

This is why I was a little disappointed and somewhat troubled by the early reviews of The Orville, a new science fiction comedy from Seth McFarlane. When the trailer dropped, the hype was the The Orville looked more like Star Trek than Star Trek’s upcoming Discovery. [Read more…] about The Orville, Con Man, and First Impressions in Comedy

4 Lessons from Wonder Woman for Writers

 

wonder-woman-2017-5Last weekend, I — as many of my fellow nerds, geeks, and moviegoers also did around the world — made Wonder Woman a record-breaking film. Single-handedly, the Amazonian Princess of Themyscira pulled off a true wonder: an incredible cinematic experience from DC Studios. Guess it really does take a woman to do the job of two men.

But I digress.

Let’s just address the 800-pound Doomsday in the room: Batman V. Superman (where Gal Gadot’s Diana was unveiled) was nothing short of a red hot mess. It made its money back, sure, but so did Star Wars: Episode One, Two, and Three, so please, don’t use that as a dog in this hunt. On account of BVS’ reception, a lot was riding on Wonder Woman. A lot. Perhaps the future of DC’s cinematic franchise.

I’ve had a week to process it and some things have cemented for me about this film: [Read more…] about 4 Lessons from Wonder Woman for Writers