Influence of the Indiana Jones series. June 26, 2023.

I know I have already written a blog about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade being an Easter movie. Now I will talk briefly about the influence those movies had on me. They are a hallmark of the action-adventure genre, which goes without saying. The thing that made them unique was Harrison Ford made the character so likable, with his sense of humor. As it progressed, you got to know him better. The reason The Last Crusade inspired me above all of them, was the chemistry between Indy and his father. As they shared an adventure, they started to see that making peace with each other was more important than the Holy Grail. Indy was often cynical about the artifacts he was trying to find but opened up when he saw them himself. Like Indy a lot of the characters in my books wear hats, and I describe them that way as a means of being unique, because I wear hats all the time in real life. Though I am not as afraid of rats and mice now as I was when I was a kid, I still find them disgusting because they carry deadly diseases and have sharp teeth and claws, which is why they are not welcome in my home. That is why the protagonist in the Covert Militia Campaigns is afraid of them but becomes less so as the saga will progress. Last of all, I know I said this during my blog about The Last Crusade being an Easter movie, but I still feel obligated to end on this. When you see one of your favorite movies for the first time, it is an experience you will never forget, and I first saw it in the summer of 1989 with my dad, my brother, my aunt, and two of my cousins. After thirty-four years, I still can't watch the scene with the tank and not think about the older of my two cousins asking, "Did it break," after it fell of the cliff. 

If you are interested in seeing their influence on my work, I am giving The Penitent Warrior, away for free all July in Smashwords 15 Annual Summer/Winter Sale. Smashwords.com