Novel Extract

Here is a mini extract from chapter six where two of the main characters are trying to recruit some help from one of their former friends. At this point we are in Portugal and Donna is catching up with Jimmy after something has just gone down in a restaurant with her husband. So here it is:

The door of an old, shabby shanty about a mile away from the restaurant swung open and out stormed an angry and annoyed Jimmy screaming at the residents “Why don’t you go do that you pathetic losers? If you don’t want to tell me where he is I’ll go and find him myself you selfish, unhelpful…” He was now desperately thinking of something to say that could have an impact until finally he said “You err…err you…Portuguese people!” At this moment Donna came frantically running down a dusty path towards the shocked and surprised Jimmy. Once she reached him she started to stutter, but couldn’t get the words out due to her fast breathing. “What is it? Is Cormac in trouble?” he worryingly asked, to which he got the response he hadn’t hoped for, a simple yet frantic nod.

“About ten men followed us there and they attacked him, Jimmy, they savagely beat him and took him away. He got me out of the restaurant and took it.” She burst into tears at the thought of what the men could be doing to her husband. She fell to the ground and wept into her hands. Jimmy sat down and put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her, but as he did she wiped her eyes and stood up. “Those men wanted what he knew, so they have to keep him alive, so let’s carry on searching for the treasure and work out how to get Cormac back later.” She strongly told Jimmy. “Have you got the stuff we need?” she asked Jimmy, who was now looking guilty. “What?” Her voice had a sense of annoyance now. Jimmy stood up and sighed.

“This is the house my contact used to live at, but the current residents don’t want to tell me anything because they are IDIOTS!” he yelled at the shanty. One of the residents now exited the house and walked up to the duo.

“Eu disse a ele que ele tem na casa errada, se ele está à procura de Michael, então ele precisa ir ao lado porta” screamed the small tanned man at Donna. Donna turned to Jimmy and hit him around the head.
“You idiot, your friend lives next door to these people.” She turned to the man “Peço desculpas, meu amigo é estúpido” Jimmy heard the last word and felt insulted at what she could said to the stranger. Donna then shook the man’s hand and walked to the house next door. Jimmy looked at the man and then quickly looked at the ground in embarrassment and walked after Donna.
Once they reached the door, Donna stopped Jimmy and removed his backpack. “What are you doing?” he asked in confusion. She didn’t answer, instead she simply opened it up and searched around, until she pulled out her husband’s black nine millimetre glock. She showed Jimmy and pulled a face as if to say ‘that’s what I was doing’ “How did that get there?” Jimmy pleaded innocently.

So if you have any thoughts or just want to tell me your opinion, you can either comment below, or send me a message via the Ask Me page. Hope you have enjoyed this extract as there is much more to come.

Fear

I have previously blogged about the poem by Marianne Williamson about fear, so I wanted to write about my thoughts on fear.

I believe that fear is essential in life because without fear we wouldn't think about our actions and their consequences  which would lead to a world of crime and evil, because nobody would have anything to fear. Fear also motivates us because if we can conquer our fear then we are motivated to do more in our life and push ourselves to achieve things we wouldn't ordinarily do. Fear is always seen as the thing that holds us back, and that can be correct depending on your perception of that fear. Having that fear can make you more determined to overcome it making you a more strong willed person overall, which contradicts the argument that you are held back because that fear has in turn pushed you forward.

My fears are that the pressure of the lifestyle I want to lead will push me into a life that is very problematic with such easy access to drugs and alcohol. However if I choose to look at this from a different perspective, that fear could drive me to avoid that lifestyle by knowing that the thing I fear most is avoidable. So fear is a good thing in life because if the person is willing, then that fear can be the positive thing in life because it drives that person to a better life, by removing the complacent attitude. People think that if they stay safe in their life then there are no consequences, but the consequence is that the life becomes bland.

So my message is to embrace your fears and face them head on because if you never face them then you live in fear of the fear becoming reality and that is no way to live.

My Week In Diary Entries

19/06/2013- So today started off like any other day since I left school, waking up at around 9:15, watching Jeremy Kyle, getting some breakfast (Weetos today) playing some PS3 until lunch. After I devoured a sandwich at 12:30 i decided to watch a film I have never seen but always wanted to, 'Remember the Titans'. Now the reasons I wanted to watch this film were:

1. I love American Football
2. I admire Denzel Washington
3. I love films based around true stories
4. I love films

I have to admit I loved the film and would give it a good 8.5/10. Then after I had watched that I settled down to do a good 1 hour 45 minutes of applied business revision ahead of my exam tomorrow morning. I then decided to come onto my blog and write my views of the next generation of people. I also updated my blog with some new features and also did my very first top 5. After this I watched the NBA Playoff Finals game highlights which made for a very exciting watch. That all brings me to now, where I'm writing this entry, after which I will go and revise until 9:00 where I will watch The Apprentice and then You're Fired, do some more revision and retire for the night in preparation for the exam.

20/06/2013- Today was my last ever exam in life and I personally felt like it went well, at least better than the drama paper on Tuesday. Afterwards I hung out with two of my friends for a while, until I eventually returned home. After that went job hunting with no avail after one hour. Now some of you are probably wondering, no wonder I didn't find a job if I only searched for an hour but trust me you can walk around Louth town centre probably ten times over in an hour. The amount of times people said that they didn't have any jobs at the moment was crushing. All I want to do is earn a little extra money before I go off to uni and so I can buy myself some things. But, oh well at least I'll have more free time to myself. 

After the horrible job hunt was over I rang up my bank to sort out iTunes, as I received my second new card which didn't work either. I was put on hold three times and called back four times until the bank manager eventually said that I only needed 10p more in my account for it to work because of some stupid test Apple do with new cards. After this waste of time was over, I came back to my blog and added some contact forms so that people can contact me. 

And that brings me to now. At 7 o'clock today I will be going to the pub down the road for a end of business meal with my classmates and teachers. The night will probably end up in a bar somewhere after we go out after the meal, so the rest of today should be fun. It couldn't get any worse surely!

21/06/2013- So today was my hangover day after last nights antics. Last night me and my classmates celebrated the end of our time as business students by going for a meal and afterwards hitting the town. I had quite a lot to drink leaving me needing a lot of rest today, so my day hasn't been very productive. It has consisted of watching television, listening to music, playing some games and eating. I have a feeling that since finishing school I will be having many more days like these, seeing as though there are no jobs where I live, but oh well that's life.

22/06/2013- Today was alright for me, because I got some more of my book written, which has now taken the length to seven chapters. The book for me is quite interesting to do because it is like no other project I have ever done. It is proving quite challenging because the limits of my creative writing so far in life is short stories, scripts for plays and things like this where description isn't exactly key

After I had written some of the book, I went to my room and had a clear out of all my school work, of which took up two recycling bags. The feeling was great because it was like releasing all that work and was almost as if throwing the stuff out was like saying goodbye to school, which is both scary and exhilarating at the same time.

The only other thing I did was watch some television and listen to some music. The main item of the day to watch was The Voice UK Final, of which Andrea Begley won, much to the nations surprise. My personal opinion was the Mike Ward should have won, not that it makes much difference because look who won last year in comparison to the runners up. 

23/06/2013- This day brought nothing special because I had nothing to do. I had a lovely roast chicken for dinner, played on the Sims 3 Pets on PS3. Later on I am going to go and watch Big Brother and possibly watch The Perfect Storm. I was planning on writing some more of the book, however I didn't feel in the right frame of mind for this task, so instead I had a lazy day. Sorry to disappoint.

24/06/2013- The main thing that happened today was my leaver's ball at school. We had a prom in year 11 but it was quite silly because it was supposed to be saying goodbye to most people, which for me it was, however most people were going back for another two years, however this time was different because we are all going off and doing are own thing.

The location was extremely posh and the food represented this, it was good quality but was enough to feed a mouse because apparently less looks better, however less doesn't suffice the £30 we paid for this food. However the evening was filled with amazing fun, dancing, chat and having one last hoorah with my mates.

At one point in the night a teacher, of whom I had never met before came up and said what a great actor I was and how much enjoyed the production of Sweeney Todd I was in, so that was quite flattering. We then had a chat about what I intend to do in the future and was I going to pursue acting as a career, of which the reply was yes.

After the meal was over we went back into town, I had a few drinks, got a kebab and chips and then went home for the night, so it wasn't the great hammered send off I was expecting, however it was fun none the less.

25/06/2013- So today was interesting, I went for a walk around Hubbard Hills, a massive park in Louth and I saw some of my old friends. I hung out with them for a while catching up on what we have been up to and reminiscing some old stories from when we were really childish people.

After that I went onto Facebook to see some of the images from last nights leaver's ball and seeing everyone's status about going to miss people was enough for me, so I quickly logged off and watched WWE Monday Night Raw.

Other than that, I went onto Sims 3: Pets on PS3 and did some architecture work, and created masterpiece houses, which kept me entertained for the majority of the night, until I finally settled down to watch my daily dose of bitching from the Big Brother house.

26/06/2013- Today I went out with one of my good friends, just to hang out because she was in Louth. When I went out we didn't know what to do so we went for a really long walk to my old neighbourhood where I lived some seven years ago. The neighbourhood was on the outskirts of town about one and a half miles away. The weather didn't exactly help the walk because it was sweltering and we were knackered because Louth has a LOT of hills. However it was all worth it because I saw lots of old things that were filled with many memories, saw my old house and just remembered what it was like to live in that area.

After that we went for a dinner at a restaurant with another of our friends. It was great to catch up over dinner since we left school. Overall the day out in town was quite fun because it was filled with old and new memories.

After I went home, I didn't really do much, other than make a list of day to day essentials for university that my mum wanted me to make so that she could see what I thought I needed on a daily basis. The list was quite long and apparently you don't need a hammer on an average day. After that I had my second burger of the day (after having a Tennessee burger for dinner and a beef burger for tea) and then just chilled by watching some television. 

Jobs

Over my lifetime I have considered many career paths before I ended up at wanting to act for a living. Most jobs had their problems, such as me not being smart enough to get the qualifications. So here are the main jobs that at some point in my life I have seriously considered.

First I wanted to be an A&E doctor, because I always wanted to help people and I watched shows like Casualty and it looked interesting to do. This job is something most people like the idea of, however the work load is high and most people avoid the job because of that. The reason that I avoided it was because I didn't feel that I could handle being responsible for other peoples lives.

Another job was archaeologist because i have always been interested in history and old things. The job seems really cool, to go to excavation sites and dig up fossils and artifacts and then analyse them, however I didn't personally feel that I had enough knowledge to undertake the job and would spend most of the time learning and would never feel confident enough on my own.

The other main job that I always wanted to do was being a crime scene investigator, because the job is challenging and it tests you. Also the job includes bringing people who have done wrong to justice through the power of science. Also I love CSI:NY and it seemed like such a cool job and I honestly thought that I would enjoy it, however the people who do the job are immensely clever and it would take me a long time to get to that level.

So I finally decided upon acting because it is something I am talented at and other people have told me to pursue acting. It is something I am passionate about and would love to do on a daily basis. It is a risky career path because lots of people want to do it, however I am determined to make it because it is my only viable option. 

Top 5 26/06/2013

Week beginning: 26/06/2013

5: Kim and Kanye's Baby Girl

The arrival of this baby was highly anticipated by the media for one reason only, what was the baby going to be called. Once it was revealed the baby was a girl the press were sure that the baby would keep up the Kardashian tradition of 'K', however they were to be shocked when it was revealed that the baby was to be called ........ 'North West'. That's right, another stupid baby names to add to the list of stupid celebrity baby names. Oh well, with North's parents being who they are, that baby is heading straight to the top, and then slightly to the left (sorry, couldn't resist)




4: Wimbledon Is Here!

Wimbledon has arrived and it has arrived with a band. Big shocks with early exits from Nadal and Hewitt and then on day three exits due to injury from Darcis, Azarenka, Wozniacki and Isner. This has made for an interesting start, but who is favourite to win. For me, Serena Williams has to win the Ladies title because she is on fire at the moment and for the Gentlemen's title it has to be Andy Murray because he has a nation backing him and he has proven that the Olympics that he can win here.



3: Nelly and Florida Georgia Line on The Voice

This is very exciting because I love both Nelly and Florida Georgia Line and I love their collaboration because rap and country compliment each other so well and nobody realises, but this is bringing it to the forefront on the music industry. They performed on the final of the fourth season of The Voice in the U.S along with Hunter Hayes, One Republic, Cher and many more stars. Check the videos out online because they are amazing, and the performances made for an epic finale.

2: Miami Heat win NBA Title

Miami Heat held off the San Antonio Spurs to win a second NBA title in just as many years. As a Knicks fan this isn't really that exciting, but the final series was very enjoyable and they deserved the win. My MVP had to be LeBron James, who once again played in a final with such skill that he seemed unstoppable. What they have achieved is great, however the Baltimore Ravens had a quick poke on twitter about their celebratory parade, with a picture of a bare road and the team going through the middle in comparison to their Super Bowl XLVII parade, however fans quickly stopped the Ravens fun posting pictures of jam packed streets in Miami.

1: Alex G Debut Shows and Contest

Alex G has revealed through her YouTube channel that she finally is headlining her own show. She had also started a competition for anyone to send in their videos of them singing to her and the best two will get to open one of her two shows in July. The tickets have also gone on sale along with VIP passes which allow you to hang out with Alex herself before and after the show. The two shows are on 28th July in LA and 30th July in New York, so if you are around on those dates, the show is not one to be missed. Also she revealed earlier on this year that she is currently working on her debut album, which hopefully will be released soon, and she will also be touring soon, so keep watching this blog for updates.

My American Dream

Since a young age I have always loved the U.S.A and have always wanted to move there, however some people have never understood why. I have never been there and I am through and through English. So this blog entry is to explain my reasoning.

My first reason for my love of America is that I have grown up watching American shows, such as Leverage, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Everybody Love Raymond and much more and the lifestyle on these shows trumps the lifestyle I have here in the UK.

My second reason is the opportunities that America offers. There are a lot more chances to break into show business over there, sport is taken more seriously with scholarships and proper teams and high school just looks much more fun than school over here.

The third reason is the beauty of America, sure there will be rough parts, like there are in the UK, but when something looks good over there, it looks amazing, but over here, it's just good. Take for example these two photos, one is of London at night and one is of Manhattan. Manhattan just seems more alive and bigger and better. London has a few good buildings and then not much else. 


















There are more reasons but they repeat things made in these three points just in more detail, like the fact that I love American sport, so I will leave the reasons at these three.

Stranded On An Island

Today I was watching an ask me anything video on YouTube and one of the questions sparked my interest; If you were stranded on a deserted island what three items would you take and why? So I decided to write a blog entry answering my personal opinion, because it makes you think creatively and keeps your brain young.

At first I thought of cheat ways, like a fully functioning powerboat, fuel for the journey and food to feed me for the duration of my time there, however I thought this was boring and really if I had those items, I wouldn't really be stranded. So I then started to think again.

My first item would be a solar powered car, because the likelihood of the deserted island being rainy all the time would be ridiculous so this way I would have transport around the island, which would save my energy. Also the car could act as shelter at night and would hopefully be comfortable.

My second item would be a kindle filled with books so that I could read to keep myself entertained. Also it wouldn't be hard to transport around and it is less likely to become damaged like a book. Now there may be a problem with power but this could be solved by using the lighter holder in the car with a portable car charger (this of course would be included in the car).

My final item would be a spear so that I could go into the sea and go hunting for fish. They could be cooked by finding parts of trees and using rocks, that would already be on the island and creating a fire. This would keep my energy levels up and would stop me from starving.

Now it's your turn, have a think what you would take and why and tell me if you like.

My Novel

I am embarking on a very exciting project. I, Philip Marshall, am writing my first ever novel. If you have been reading the 'My Day' page then you may have seen the book mentioned. So this entry is going to give you a back story to the book.

The novel is set in 2010 and follows a group of normal people, a husband and wife and the husbands brother, who all set off on the adventure of a lifetime, hunting treasure. This book follows their hunt for the Lost Treasure of Lima, which is a real thing and the story of this legend is explained in the first chapter as I give a bit of information about the treasure. The partners are inexperienced at this thing and are only doing it for the mans grandfather and to spice up their marriage, however the man brings his brother along as he is good at this sort of thing. The story shows the strain on the marriage, relationships being tested, action because they get into trouble when others hunt for the treasure and new friendships being formed.

I am excited to see the progression of this book and will share details about it with you along the way. It is a long way away from being finished and will hopefully get some more people on board to help with the finishing touches, so I hope that you people will come on this journey with me and I will release extracts for feedback every now and then. 

Decisions

So today I was thinking about the significant decisions that have happened in my life and how those choices have affected where I am today.

One decision I made was starting to lose weight. Now, it wasn't drastic the amount I lost, but it was obvious that I had lost some because I had slimmed out. People that had know me when I was quite chubby were now coming up to me and telling me how slim I looked and how much healthier I seemed. This boosted my confidence and made me get out there more, instead of shying away because I was self-conscious. I maintained the slimmer form for some time, until I started drinking excessively, which started to make me seem chubbier again. Since I started drinking, I have had terrible moments where I was drinking everyday and then some where I wouldn't drink for a week and my weight was constantly changing. I made a decision to change my way and stop drinking, however I had a drink within three weeks, but this time was different as I had learned how to drink responsibly and I started working out again so my weight was back to being controlled. All these decisions about drink have led me to this point where I know how to control myself because I don't want to go back to drinking constantly.

Another decision that changed my life was joining my local theatre, because this led me to being able to act all year round and have an audience see me. This decision came about when I met someone who I know class as a very good friend, because they were the musical director for that seasons Pantomime, and he told me about the auditions. After this I saw my old music teacher and I asked him about whether I should audition and he encouraged me to go for it. So without those two people I probably wouldn't be going to University on the course I am going on. And I want to take this moment to say R.I.P Mr Shaw (who was the music teacher) and thank you for your words of encouragement.

My final decision was moving schools for Sixth Form. This decision was hard because I knew it would mean leaving a lot of good friends behind, however I knew it was for the best in terms of my future as it gave me the opportunity to do drama and media as a subject, which is what my University subject is a combination of. The decision also led to me meeting some of the best people I have ever met and some amazing teachers who have taught me so much in life. And if I hadn't made this decision then all of the other ones wouldn't have become reality, so this is probably the most significant decision