May the Fourth be with you!

On May Fourth I was invited by the Centro Cultural Sampedrano to give a lecture on Star Wars.
I took the opportunity to discuss the arc of the story on cinema's most iconic villain. I mean of course, Darth Vader, the Jedi formerly known as Anakin Skywalker.

Staying out of the Star Wars Stories, I concentrated on Episodes I through VI, starting from the cute little boy who casually murdered countless people by destroying a space ship. Granted it also saved the lives of his friends during the battle on Naboo. Visited the bad decision making during Episode III and culminated with his sacrifice in Emperor Palpatine's throne room aboard the Second Death Star.
A full path that led to redemption as envisioned by George Lucas.

I had a blast with the public because they had seen the movies, so no spoiler alert was necessary, and the discussion went into such mind-bugling details like "Why did Leia kiss her brother in Empire?" My response, beside the obvious that George dropped the ball there, was to point out that Leia was not kin on kissing her unknown brother, but rather to make Han Solo jealous.

May the Fourth be with you....and tomorrow, remember the revenge of the Fifth!

Is Avengers Endgame inadvertently promoting the Trump ideology?

I was among the first batch of people to watch this epic 3-hour film during a midnight showing. If you still haven’t seen it, please refrain from reading further as the argument will definitely include spoilers.

SPOILER  ALERT

If you scrolled down, then you entered out of your own free will. Let’s discuss now.

The first I noticed is the change of hands in the gauntlet holding the stones. Thanos wore it on the left hand. After a successful Time Heist, the Avengers made their own version of a gauntlet using, I assume because of the one-size-fits-all property, that nano-technology was involved. The Avenger’s device was right handed. Of course, the explanation can be as simple as saying Thanos was left-handed while Iron Man was right-handed. However, you can’t miss the hidden message that

Thanos=left=bad

While

Avengers=right=good.

The right is good and left is evil is hardly a new concept. The word “sinister” comes from Latin to mean “left-handed.” For a while, people who were left-handed were considered un-lucky or even evil. I’m sure we can find many a case of men or women punished for the sole crime of using their left hand.

So, given the Russo Brothers’ penchant for detail, I can’t but otherwise think the left-handed Thanos is evil in thinking wiping half the population of the universe with the snap of a finger was an intentional allusion. Whereas Banner and Stark’s use of the stones was to make things right again.

If that were all, I’d chalk it off to costume, a sort of muscle memory, except…

Enter the refugees from Asgard.

When putting the team back together, Rocket and Bruce pay a visit to Thor and what’s left from his people. They’ve settled in a small town, interact with the rest of the world and are treated fairly. Never mind the majority of them look like Viking gods.

The problem is when the dark-skinned Thanos comes from a sh*thole planet, and well, a big battle ensues. Things didn’t turn out well for him, even Google is erasing him out of existence if you click on the gauntlet.

Tell me that’s not a double standard!

Now, for the record, I enjoyed the film and this is nothing but observations that were perhaps too long to be included in the IMDB profile.

Have you noticed this? Is there any other instance that supports this claim? You can leave your comments below.

The January Edition of The Big Thrill

It's truly an honor to be featured in The Big Thrill, the e-zine managed by the International Thriller Writers.

The month of January not only did they feature my new novel, Heir of Evil, but also granted me the opportunity to interview and New York Time Best Selling author, my gratitude for John Lescroart for answering my questions.

Heir of Evil, or what if Hitler had produced an off-spring? Book 2 in The Falcon Chronicles Series:
http://www.thebigthrill.org/2018/12/on-the-cover-j-h-bogran/


The Rule of Law, by John Lescroart
http://www.thebigthrill.org/2018/12/up-close-john-lescroart/

New Year Resolution: Release Day for Heir of Evil.

Here's wishing you a Wonderful 2019! 

I start the year not with resolutions consisting on diets or reducing waist size, but with a party! 

Today is the release date of HEIR OF EVIL, the second novel in The Falcon Chronicles. 

About Heir of Evil

The Third Reich collapses. With the siege of the Soviets in Germany and the Second World War lost, Hitler's doctor finds out that Eva Braun is pregnant. A man, close to the Führer, conceives the plan to give continuity to the political-philosophical ideas of Adolf Hitler: we must save at all costs the legitimate heir of the leader of Nazism.

As the 20th Century dies, Oscar Brown emerges a financial superhero on Wall Street. On his thirtieth birthday, he discovers the inevitable skeleton in his family closet: his grandfather is none other than the most hated man in the world: Adolf Hitler. With a Neo-Nazi radical group looking up to him as a symbol, the Mossad wanting him dead, and the CIA turning a deaf ear to his plead for help, Oscar must now run for his life and discover the true origin of his heritage.

Discover how the shedding of police actions, a beautiful Mossad spy, an adventurous archaeologist - of the Indiana Jones type -, a great executive of the New York Stock Exchange and other characters intermingle to give rise to this novel.

J. H. Bográn covers the days from the end of the Second World War to the globalized present in a thriller that takes us across Europe and America in search of evidence that clarifies what happened with the cursed genes.

Blurbs:
"Heir of Evil is the ultimate high concept thriller, brilliantly conceived. J. H. Bográn has fashioned a classic tale that checks all the boxes from historical speculation, to a deadly secret, to a sinister international conspiracy. Reminiscent of Robert Ludlum, as well as Steve Berry and Brad Meltzer, this is storytelling at its level best."
--Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of the Caitlin Strong series


“Gripping, spine-tingling, and explosively brilliant, Bográn’s Heir of Evil will grab you with its initial and very imaginative opening and keep you reading into the night.  A very original, fast-paced, and suspenseful thriller.  Highly recommended!”
--R.J. Pineiro, author of Avenue of Regrets.

You can start reading today for just $4.99 wherever e-books are sold.

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  IBoooks  Kobo

The Big Thrill did a wonderful article about, you can read it HERE:

And check it out, I even made the cover! 

 

 

 

TREASURE HUNT now at just $0.99

Before the release of Heir of Evil in January, you can catch up with the first book in The Falcon Chronicles' series. Get your copy of Treasure Hunt for just $0.99 wherever eBooks are sold.

The crime that started it all happened twenty years ago.

Bill Porter hijacked a plane carrying gold, money and jewels. He was caught but not before he hid his treasure in a place he was sure no one would ever find it.
With his prison sentence over, he's anxious to retrieve his hidden goods but with the F.B.I. watching him, he has a problem.

Enter The Falcon, a master thief who is happy to help Bill solve his problem, for a cut, of course.
The plan is simple. The Falcon finds the treasure and delivers it to Bill's daughter, Jamie.
But when others find out about the treasure, The Falcon and Jamie find themselves fighting for their lives as they race to get to the treasure first.

The hunt is on in this gripping crime thriller with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Don't miss Treasure Hunt. Start reading today.