Conduit and the reaction to the writings of the WV killer got me to thinking about what's on my computer. Conduit wrote a post about the weapons research he's done on the internet lately for his WIP, and we all know about Cho's sucky plays by now.
I've had a favorites file named Weaponry going on four years now. Many links are for sniper rifles since I have a sniper protag. He usually shoots the MSG-90, except in urban settings, because the gun has a 10 meter ejection range, which makes clean-up a hassle. Kaelin doesn't use a spotter either, though his brother would be a damn good one.
Most people like a Glock or Baretta for their P9s, I prefer the HK Mk 23 . It's an excellent combat pistol with the highest accuracy rating, a 12 round clip (military), and it's corrosion protected (handy if your guy is going to get thrown in a lake or something but still needs his gun). It's carried by US special forces and a lot of the folks in my series.
I also know more than I should about the damage most major militaries' standard issue rifles do, (I'm partial to Isreal's specialist weaponry but let's face it, the M16 is reliable and available).
I haven't shot a bow much, but I know a lot about different bows and arrows. Aidan shoots blood-coated broadheads from his competition recurve bow, usually stripped of counterweights and sight for the sake of hiding it. He could shoot a compound bow, but he likes the challenge of his recurve and he's has a heavy enough draw-weight that range isn't usually an issue. He wears his wrist guard twenty four hours a day. It's pretty gross by now.
I really like this site for current info and specs on different models from different manufacturers:
http://world.guns.ru/main-e.htm
and Defense Review is always an interesting read:
http://www.defensereview.com/index.php
Oh, and don't lets forget about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand_to_hand_combat
Anyone could make assumptions about me based on this information, but these are basic research links for anyone who writes urban fantasy or thrillers or action films. Additionally, most people would think I'm insensitive for writing this post in light of recent events. Actually, I'm doing it to prove a point. There's a fine line between fact and fiction and it's called sanity. I don't think even the experts can always tell the difference.
For example, in the first book of my series the mother turns out to be the antag (not entirely her choice, but it's the way it works out). A friend read it and said, "Wow, you must have issues with your mom."
To which I replied, "No, Aidan and Kaelin have issues with their mom. I actually get along fine with mine."
Some one from this post (and my other writings) might deduce that I'm a psychopath waiting for an opportunity to strike. But a reality show on my life would be damned boring. I'm a soccer mom for crissake--I drive my SUV to two games every Saturday. Incidently, my five-year-old daughter had her head in the game: after several passes to the strongest player, she got her first break-away, dribbled down the field to the delight of her screaming parents, and sliced it toward the goal. She missed, but she knew she'd done something grand. Her confidence skyrocketed. Actually, come to think of it, my son had a nice break-away as well, except he was playing midfield so he shoulda passed it. They were trying a new 2 2 2 rotation though and it wasn't working so well.
See? Wouldn't you rather read about plagues and demons and unpaid vendettas and mercenaries who finally choose sides and anti-heroes trying to right their wrongs? That shit involves guns and knives and hatred and violence. Guns are popular literary and film props. We might not have a love affair with the gun itself, but we've got a long-standing fascination with people who carry them because we know they're probably on the business end of something nasty. Besides, guns make for brevity. Anyone who's fired a gun would tell you it's an extremely efficient tool for killing. Kinda like war, and we don't seem to be giving that up anytime soon.
I don't need some 23-year-old insane kid to show me the ugly in violence. I was living less than an hour away from both Oklahoma City and then Columbine when they happened and my husband lost coworkers in the Towers, so I'm not immune. I might not have had a gun pointed right at me or someone I loved before, but I have a highly developed sense of empathy--almost to the point of lacking sympathy (which I suspect is a emotional self-defense mechanism). I've spent sleepless nights worrying over Holocaust victims--people long dead. I see the strain in the faces of the Iraqis and our soldiers. I've imagined the wail of mothers in Afghanistan, and rejoiced when the women there were freed from the clutches of the Taliban. I know men and women live lives as virtual slaves, or at best, maimed prisoners of war, in Sudan. In response to all the ugliness I see, I create worlds which best showcase what I want to say about ours--violent worlds where the stakes are high and all bets are off.
Those worlds aren't so far off from the truth, though, are they? Violence is a plot device for me, but people in this world live that life, every day. People die for causes and people die for nothing, and there's no forthcoming resolution in the killing grounds we call The Holy Land. But hell, where's the hope in that? I don't want to be a child soldier on a self-imposed assassination attempt, or a vampire hunter, or a girl in love with Satan, but I'd like to try to be as brave as they are. If my characters can face the worst and still survive, then maybe the rest of us can, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment