About Me

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WRITER. ARTIST. THINKER. INVOLUNTARY RECLUSE. I work under my own name, Marque Terrynamahr Strickland, or my pen name, Wrinklegus PoisonTongue. I absolutely ADORE artistically brilliant people. I surround myself with them, as it is with them that I feel most comfortable. I owe everything to artistic people, for without you, I would be nothing. Be you a writer, painter, actor, musician, architect, or whatever, I thrive upon your efforts. You are the air I breath. My solace. My stronghold. My safety net. My sanity. My reason for living. I love you all. Childish. Creative. High maintenance. Sensitive. Insensitive. Insecure. Quick tempered. Loving. Loyal. Lustful. Incredibly horny (especially after 3 decades of involuntary celibacy). Mischievous. Bombastic. Slightly domineering, yet fair and easy to please. Talented to no end. Know-it-all. Chaste. Afraid of germs. Healthy. Insightful. Artist. Born on St. Patrick's Day, I am a PISCES with VIRGO rising, two signs of opposition, which complete me. By the Chinese Zodiac, I'm a DRAGON with ROOSTER rising. —The ‘f-bomb’ is my favourite swear word.

Marque Terrynamahr Strickland's Twitter

Monday, January 7, 2013

The Grimoire: Treason (My review)


The Grimoire: Treason (My review)
I have nothing but praise for S.M. Boyce’s latest, Treason, the second installment of her Grimoire series. (Take note that I used the word “series” and not “trilogy,” as I’m almost certain she’ll be forced to expand it further than just three books...there’s too much story left to tell! Perhaps I just know that because I’m a writer, but mark my words...the third book will not be the end.) From start to finish, I had nothing but fun. However, it’s not the fact that the book is great reading that impresses me most, it’s that Boyce manages to write YA without adhering to ridiculous traditions that ruin many of those types of stories for me.

The main thing for me is that I like strong characters that know who they are. Let me be clear, I recognize the fact that every protagonist has a growth period, in which they’re figuring things out. However, my biggest problem with the YA genre is those ridiculous love triangles that, by now, are nothing short of cliché. I myself have never been that way. I’m the type of person who knows exactly what he wants, so perhaps that’s why I relate to characters that aren’t, for lack of a better word, “wishy-washy.” If a protagonist cannot decide on who he/she loves, and (in all aspects of life) love is what gives people a reason to fight for what they believe in, then how am I supposed to take that character seriously saving the world? It seems that many YA writers haven’t thought about this. Not that I haven’t liked certain stories containing this element, but it’s been “done to death.” At this point, I’d rather see the love triangle crap laid to rest. Thank goodness Boyce seems to instinctively understand the same thing I do, because if it had ever seemed that our beloved Kara would give herself to Gavin, I promise you I would’ve stopped reading long ago.

Speaking of Gavin, he’s an even bigger tool in this installment, arrogant and foolish as ever; spot-on reflections of what powerful men are like in the real world. Braeden is complex now, as Boyce simultaneously shows him vulnerable, confused, and yet much more vicious and honest about his nature. Twin is fleshed out more as well, and I can’t wait to see her development over the next books (yes, books!), along with a new character, Braeden’s “pet,” Iyra. Carden is just as hate-worthy as ever, but Deirdre is now (believe it or not) adorably intriguing. In this book we’re given the reasons behind her evil deeds, so I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. I think most people will feel that way. Deirdre is, in effect, a likeable villain now. It’ll be sad when she dies (I have a feeling the story is headed that way). And then there’s Kara... I won’t say much about her, lest I spoil the tale for you all. However, you should know that, by the end of the story, she reaches a very deserving level of awesomeness!

Smart, fun, and atypical of the YA genre, S.M. Boyce has delivered yet another fine tale that is such a quick read, its page count is deceiving. If I were a teacher, scoring her from a grade book, she’d receive near-perfect marks!

—Wrinklegus PoisonTongue (a.k.a. Marque Terrynamahr Strickland)
2013

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Okay, just in case you guys are wondering what's going on lately...

...I'm writing a short children's story, a parable of sorts with steampunk and fantasy elements. I don't plan for it to be any longer than 75 pages. The shorter, the better when it comes to children's stories. Once that's complete, I'll be getting back to writing "The Legend of Orchis and the Five Sisters, Book 2."

EDIT: 30TH JULY, 2015...

You all can COMPLETELY ignore the beginning portion of this post from 3 years ago! It ended up being a full-fledged novel of about 450 pages! LOL. I will never try to tell my own work "what's what" again. It has a mind of its own. I just have to let it "be." The book can be found here:

http://www.amazon.com/Wrinklegus-PoisonTongue/e/B008WB69TU

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Today's conversation...


Girl: "Marque, you're so...different and...weird."

Me: (I shrug.)

Girl: "Like...what's wrong with you? "

Me: "Nothing's wrong...I just don't give a crap about 'fitting in.'  I ain't made for that."

Girl: "Yeah, but, like...you do realize people actually LIKE you, right?"

Me: "And?"

Girl (She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, lecturing me.): (Blah, blah, blah, fucking blah...)

Me (after maybe 5 minutes): "What? I'm sorry, you said something?"

Girl: "You weren't even listening?!"

Me: "My bad...I was thinking about how to approach the cover painting for this short story."

Girl (Her mouth drops open.): "Jesus!" (She storms off.)


LOL.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I thought I'd post this here, too, just in case someone misses it!

Good lord, you all have no idea how many people have been going apeshit in emails over such a simple, inconsequential thing!


For those new fans and also one girl in particular that sent me an email saying, "What's the deal? You're too cool and too talented to be a * * * * * * !", here's the "FROM THE AUTHOR" section on the "Creatures, Smells, and Magykal Spells" Amazon page, which MANY of you obviously haven't read yet! Sillies! :)

(You guys are not in grammar school any longer, LOL! Do your research before you ask silly questions...the information is out there!) Anyway, this is what you missed on the page...perhaps I'll post it in other places, too, just so that I can stop answering the question so freakin' often! You all have no idea how tiresome it is! :

"OH, MY GOD...HOW COULD HE REVEAL SUCH A PERSONAL DETAIL ABOUT HIMSELF?"

Sorry, guys, I'll not be ashamed of my book simple because it tells the truth. The bottom line is this (although it isn't one of the reasons I put in the "About Me" section...it's funny I didn't think of it) : SEX CREATES BABIES!
I'm too focused on my career to give my attention to anything else. Also, until we get to where we're going, the life and the financial status of us creative folk is too up-and-down.  There's no way I'll bring a child into this mess!

"YOU CAN'T THINK ABOUT THINGS LIKE THAT...JUST USE PROTECTION!"

Excuse me, but you all have no idea how many couples I know that used every kind of protection there is, but somehow still ended up pregnant! I don't care what anyone says. On the off-chance that I'm one of those guys with super sperm that eats through condoms and completely disregards birth control, I'll not be out in the world "laying around" as if I've got no sense!
It's funny how people are flipping out, taking my virginity more personal than me. You guys are only shocked and appalled by it because you actually know what I'm missing. But me, I can't miss something I've never had, so naturally I don't give a F**K. (Pun intended!)

_________________________________________________________________________________
And, voila, my explanation! Satisfied? Good...now calm down!


https://www.amazon.com/author/poisontongue

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/PoisonTongue

https://twitter.com/WriterArtNerd

https://twitter.com/Wrinklegus

http://www.facebook.com/marque.terrynamahr

http://wrinklegus.blogspot.com

wrinklegus@gmail.com

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Book 2 is now in progress!


Monday, August 13, 2012

Saturday, August 4, 2012

The moment of truth is coming soon, guys!

Hopefully it will only be another day or two. The reason it's been taking so long is because I had to COMPLETELY reformat my stories for ebook versions (I didn't know I was going to have to go the self-publishing route, and all my work was formatted for "print" versions. Print and digital are two different things, I've learned!)

Anyway, it's about 1AM, and I'm hard at work, trying to get these books done for you guys. My next post here will contain links to the published books! Please forgive me for the wait, guys...things have been slightly difficult on my end. I appreciate your patience. Love you!
—PoisonTongue/Marque Terrynamahr Strickland

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

NEW PAINTING! (Cover-piece for the FREE BOOK I'm soon to give away!)

I have issues with the image quality on some, but that's ALWAYS, as it's impossible for a digital reproduction to match the quality of the original painting. I hope you guys like them! (Oh, I'll certainly be letting you all know when the book is up for download!)













Friday, June 8, 2012

I've got some things in the works, guys...

I'm about to set up a TUMBLR, and I also have a SMASHWORDS account now. I'll probably link all the sites together soon.

Yes, Wrinklegus PoisonTongue is my pen name. I've been writing under it for quite awhile now, but I've never told anyone, because I hadn't yet started putting my books out there. However, life has put me in a position that has forced me to do so. I have to figure out a way to pay for school, so here goes nothing...

Thursday, November 10, 2011

BEAUTIFUL CHAOS (My review of a wonderful story!)

(Click on image to view in HTML format! The plain text review is on the bottom!)


Beautiful Chaos
Review by Marque Terrynamahr Strickland

Staying true to form, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia have delivered yet another marvelously entertaining story. Although still set in Gatlin, South Carolina, the environment never quite seems the same. With each book, Gatlin is enrichened with new locations that add even more mystery to this food-filled, ‘fire and brimstone’ county that we readers have so grown to love. My favourites this time around happen to be Macon’s study, Ethan’s pantry (or what lies beneath it), and the Bokor’s little shop of horrors. Marg and Kami are understatedly good at taking you places, whilst never really leaving Gatlin.

Although a well-crafted, well-paced story is typical for Kami and Marg, I feel that the most intriguing aspect of their recent project is the growth of the subordinate characters. They literally carried the story! Our adoration of Ethan and Lena is most unsurprising, as we’ve loved them since the very beginning of the series. But it is the excellent development of characters, like Amma, Liv, Ridley, Macon, Marian, the Linkubus, and John Breed that place this story in my ‘finest reads’ category. They were just too much fun! It was wonderful to get to know John Breed past the point of ‘dislike,’ which was my opinion of him in the second book. Here, he’s just awesome, and he gained all of my respect when he took control in a certain situation. And Ridley, my goodness...our precious Ridley! She has a moment that’s even better than a certain critical scene in the first book. I guarantee you all you’ve never seen her wreak so much havoc! I loved it. And there were certain scenes in this novel in which my heart nearly bled for Olivia–that’s how much I like that character! And though this would seem to be more than enough entertainment, we readers are still given the Sisters, who are funnier than ever, and an Incubus Link, who still has his former shortcomings (or charm, depending on your point of view) in the brain/personality department, but is also now a supernatural. He was perfect!

If I’m to complain about anything at all in this novel it would, once again, be the lack of vegetables in Ethan’s diet! C’mon, Kami, Marg...REALLY?! Amma claims to want to keep this boy from harm, yet everything she cooks is eventually going to kill him! What’s the deal? Give this boy some broccoli or something, please. In a series that is so filled with delectable-sounding food, still, you’d be hard pressed to find something green amidst any of it. Good grief, get it together, ladies! If Ethan keeps up with the diet he’s on, he’s going to have a gut by the time he’s twenty! I’m sure you don’t want your young female readers drooling over him any less than they already are.

After the cliffhanger the story ended with, I have to say I’m quite eager to see what Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl come up with for the tale’s conclusion. It will be interesting, to say the least. I’m of the opinion that Ethan will be more powerful in the next story, or at least more ‘special.’ And for those of you sillies worried about whether or not he’s actually _ _ _ _, calm down. Remember, without the protagonist you have no story! That’s not a spoiler, ladies and gentlemen, that’s COMMON SENSE.

In short, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl cease to amaze me with their adept skill to entertain. Two thumbs way up for Beautiful Chaos!

(c) Marque Terrynamahr Strickland/2011

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Common Sense: We Mourn His/Her Passing

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: - Knowing when to come in out of the rain; - Why the early bird gets the worm; … - Life isn’t always fair; - And maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies, don’t spend more than you can earn and adults, not children, are in charge. His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition. Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion, his daughter Responsibility, and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, I’m A Victim.   Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, do nothing.
–Someone Brilliant (whoever he/she is)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Short story I'm about to submit to a contest....

(Click on image to view in HTML format! Plain text will be on the bottom!)


The Pie Thief
Each contestant was set to dig in.
They were all hungry and eager to win.
Pie eating for sport–a ridiculous waste.
Well-to-do folks, each one stuffing their face!
But one contestant was missing this winter.
This deprived man had no spare loot to enter.
Juggling daggers for tourists did not provide much.
Life for the rich! The poor shit out of luck!
Great prizes for winning–oodles of money.
A life supply worth, good to buy bread and honey.
But no sense in wishing...he was out of the game.
He’d end their damn contest, he swore on his name!
He snuck himself inside, along with the judges...
...then bled them backstage, even killed one on crutches!
He slit the throats of contestants, making onlookers suffer.
And, last, took the meat-pies, so he’d have food for supper!


–Marque Terrynamahr Strickland/2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

THE SUPERNATURAL: How I wish they'd reveal themselves!


I keep telling people...there's something going down!
http://youtu.be/RjGYSGbAEUM

And I NEVER thought I would agree with Farrakahn on ANYTHING, but...

http://youtu.be/DvIgbZmALFI

And another...


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

"Ghost Writer" :)


I was just sitting here reminiscing on my 'ghost writing' days. In my early years, I may have been the closet-nerd, but I was the one who had the words girls wanted to hear. So I always had these dudes come to me to write poems to their girlfriends or girls that they were crushing on. I remember this one girl, jumping up and down in the back of the classroom, reading something I'd written. LOL. I guess she liked that guy.

...but I've always wondered what happened after the girls realized that there was no way in hell those guys could have written those letters to them. The thought amuses me. I bet those dudes were in serious trouble!

I put my skills to use quite a few times in college as well. My boy Fernando used to be in love with this girl, Jessica...but let me shut up, because that's a LONG story!

My Loyal, Wandering Souls