Book Review: "Persuader" By Lee Child

“I don’t really care about the little guy. I just hate the big guy. I hate big smug people who think they can get away with things.” — Jack Reacher in "Persuader"

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again... Lee Child doesn’t write the same book twice. 

That’s what keeps his Jack Reacher series so fresh, interesting, and readable. 

The past month I have been working to fill in the gaps and read all of Child’s novels. In that effort, I spent the past week reading his 2003 novel “Persuader.” 

I only have three novels to go — 2004’s “The Enemy,” and Lee Child’s most recent efforts published in 2016 and 2017. 

It’s going to feel unusual being all caught up. I love books — bookstores are deadly to my wallet — and I am in the midst of reading a number of series. I wanted to go into Lee Child’s April 11 appearance at UNO’s Baxter Arena ready, like a student who has carefully prepared for an examination. As such, I thought it’d be fun to have read all of his novels.

“Persuader” is one of Child’s most enjoyable Jack Reacher tomes. I’m kind of sorry I hadn’t read it earlier. The novel served up a heaping dose of action, clever twists, and an ample supply of “bad assery.”

“Persuader” starts off with a bang. On the opening pages of the novel, we find Jack Reacher on a college campus, next to a brown panel van parked outside a music store. He is about to kill a police officer with a Colt Anaconda — a huge, stainless steel revolver. 

Reacher is the vigilante hero of 22 novels — a former military policeman who wanders the globe on his own time and dime. 

To say the opening passages of “Persauder” are startling is an understatement. Not only does Reacher gun down the cop ("an accident," as he puts it), he thwarts the kidnap attempt of a college student named Richard Beck.

Before we know it, Reacher has eluded law enforcement, switched vehicles, and returned the boy to his familial home in Abbot, Maine — a stone mansion ensconced along the Atlantic Ocean. 

But all is not as it seems, and we soon find out that Reacher is working for the DEA, attempting to infiltrate the Beck family compound, rescue another undercover operative (Teresa Daniel), and locate a “ghost” from his past (who appears to be doing business with Richard Beck’s father). 

The “ghost” in question is a former military intelligence operative named Francis Quinn. Reacher is wandering the streets of Boston when he randomly runs into a man he believes to be Quinn — a man who had been shot in the head and presumed dead 10 years earlier. 

Reacher starts dialing old phone numbers from his MP days and asks a Warrant Officer named Powell to run the man’s license plate for him. That move alerts the DEA — Agents Susan Duffy and Steven Eliot approach the unwary Reacher in Boston as he attempts another run-in with Quinn. 

As the “knight errant” in Lee Child’s novels, Reacher is willing to help out the DEA. Reacher has an unquenchable thirst to learn about Lazarus rising from the dead. Quinn is presumed to be working with a Maine rug importer named Zachary Beck — and the feds don’t believe Beck is on the up-and-up. 

“Persuader” is told using the first person narrative, and Child uses that structure to good effect as he ratchets up the suspense throughout the novel. Everything is told through Reacher’s point of view — the reader finds out when Reacher finds out. 

As the novel progresses, there are two concurrent stories going on — the investigation of Zachary Beck’s business dealings in Maine, and “flashbacks” to an investigation of Francis Quinn during Reacher’s tenure as a military police officer. 

While “Persauder” doesn’t tread any new ground for Lee Child, the pacing is brisk compared to the three preceding entries in the Jack Reacher series (“Running Blind,” “Echo Burning,” and “Without Fail”). It feels like a kindred spirt with the novels to follow. 

Reacher also has more of an edge in this novel.

A clever “Easter Egg” in the novel (if you want to call it that) is the title of the novel — “Persuader” — which is a clue in and of itself. 

A quote that keeps coming up in “Persauder” is “bloody wars and dread diseases” — a phrase apparently uttered during toasts by the British Army in India during the Raj. It meant that a casualty further up the chain of command was the only way to get ahead. 

The sentiment plays out in both the novel’s main storyline and flashback passages. To be sure, the events that play out in both threads are bloody and full of dread. 

Child is a master at making the mundane feel compelling. “Persuader” illustrates once again why Jack Reacher — facing long odds — is one of the smartest sleuths in fiction today. He has the intellect of Sherlock Holmes mixed with the toughness of John McClane in “Die Hard.” 

If you are interested, you might consider checking out Lee Child at UNO’s Baxter Arena on April 11. I’ve watched a number of interviews with the author on YouTube, including this event where he is “in conversation” with author Stephen King in Cambridge, MA:

Lee Child is fascinating to listen to, and tells a number of interesting tales about his life. 

Click here to learn more about the event at UNO’s Baxter Arena on April 11 — the event is open to the public and tickets are free. 

>> If you enjoyed my review of Lee Child’s “Persuader,” be sure to follow me on Twitter/X – @TheJonCrunch 

Related posts on author Lee Child and Jack Reacher: 

> TV Review: Amazon’s “Reacher” Season 1 Gets It Right 

> Blog: Author Lee Child Reveals the Only Person Jack Reacher is Afraid Of...  

> Book Review: Teck at the Center of “The Sentinel” By Lee Child and Andrew Child 

> Book Review: “Past Tense” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “No Middle Name: The Complete Collected Jack Reacher Short Stories” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “The Midnight Line” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “Night School” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “The Enemy” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “Without Fail” By Lee Child 

> Book Review: “Echo Burning” By Lee Child 

Previous post: Omaha World-Herald Lays Off 43... What's Happening? 

Omaha World-Herald Lays Off 43... What’s Happening?

“We are entering a golden age of journalism. I do think there has been horrible frictional costs, but ... I look at my backpack that is sitting here, and it contains more journalistic firepower than the entire newsroom that I walked into 30 to 40 years ago.” — David Carr

As something of a news junkie who binges on information, I’ve been concerned about the state of my local daily newspaper.

I’ve watched the size and scope of the Omaha World-Herald become more svelte the past few years. It’s a well-worn tale, a reality that has hit a number of dailies around the United States.

There was a time when subscriber revenue was “gravy” for newspapers. The real money was made off of advertising — in-column ads, classifieds, and automobile advertising. 

My wife and I have degrees in journalism, and we own a marketing communications business. Along with the rest of our ilk, we’ve watched the seismic shifts in the industry the past decade with a sense of foreboding.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about the Omaha World-Herald’s revamped paywall. 

This week, the Omaha World-Herald announced it was cutting 43 employees, and making changes to the newspaper. 

I have a friend who lost his job with this round of cuts. He found out when he arrived at work that morning — it hit him like a punch to the gut. 

The public expresses concern about “quality journalism” in our society. They bemoan the rise of "fake news" as a scourge on the public good. Yet, as is often the case in these situations, little is being done by the citizenry to staunch the bleeding.  

Nobody likes a train wreck, but everyone likes to watch a train wreck... if you get my gist.

My brother-in-law Sean Weide spent his adult life working in media. He died unexpectedly in 2017, but I had the opportunity to work for him in the mid 1990s, and we often talked about the state of media.

Sean's most recent jobs were in the role of press officer for professional cycling teams. 

Sean would tell me how the media rooms at cycling events (generally multi-stage tours around the globe) were full of bloggers. As such, he often wondered aloud why Bridget and I were excluded from press events related to UNO Hockey (since we run a fan site for the hockey program called MavPuck.com). 

Bloggers, YouTubers, SnapChatters, Instagrammers, Tweeters and Facebookers have been painted with labels like “new media," "alternative media,” or worse. The question you have to ask yourself is this: When will these people and platforms — which are often "adjuncts" to so-called accredited news organizations — become all that’s left to dole out information to the public?

You see it trending more that direction each year. News organizations try to maintain editorial legitimacy by keeping newsrooms and operations staffed and stocked — all while subscribers, ad sales, and print sizes continue to plummet. 

It is not a sustainable model. 

What will a world look like if “citizen journalists” rule the day? Are they already ruling the day?

I realize large organizations — especially those with an entrenched leadership structure — often change at a glacial pace. 

Some will point to the fact that newspapers are designed as money-making ventures. They’ll cynically say that journalistic purity has never been the sole goal for these institutions. Rather, they’ll argue that editorial content is based (at least in part) on what attracts eyeballs, and greases the wheels with potential advertisers. 

Some will go further and suggest that these institutions were too slow to figure out what appealed to younger demographics. 

I don’t know what the future holds for the Omaha World-Herald — or other daily newspapers around the country. 

Instituting the “more restrictive” paywall in January of this year — followed by significant layoffs in February — wasn’t an attractive look for the newspaper. It will bring into question the viability of print media in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area — an area that spans roughly 900,000 people. 

Will the next decade see newsrooms whittled down even further — only to become paper-thin versions of their former selves?

Stay tuned...

Previous post: Book Review: "Without Fail" By Lee Child 

Book Review: “Without Fail” By Lee Child

My effort to fill in the gaps and finish every single one of Lee Child’s novels (before the author’s April 11 appearance at Baxter Arena) continued this week with the author's 2002 outing “Without Fail.” 

As I said in my review of “Echo Burning” last week, Lee Child doesn’t write the same novel twice. Because his protagonist is a loner who wanders the country (since he left his life as a military policeman), he can head anywhere and become embroiled in a variety of intriguing mysteries. 

“Without Fail” finds Jack Reacher in New Jersey. He had hitched a ride with aging R&B musicians in California — headed for greener pastures in Atlantic City. Reacher is trying to help the pair receive the proper “fee for service” at the lounge where they’re performing. 

It’s November. It’s cold in New Jersey. Reacher sets out to find an affordable clothing store where he can purchase a coat and some warmer duds. He also needs more money, and contacts his bank to have funds wired to Western Union. 

The call to the bank sets our plot into motion. It turns out a United States Secret Service agent named M.E. Froelich is looking for someone who can help with an investigation. Her research points to Jack Reacher, but the fact that he’s off the grid makes him a hard man to track down. 

But find him they do. 

Froelich discovers Reacher on his way to pickup the wire transfer at Western Union. He spots her black Chevrolet Suburban. The two chat and Reacher learns that Froelich had worked with — and dated — his deceased brother, Joe.

“I want to hire you for something,” she said. “On a kind of posthumous recommendation from Joe. Because of what he used to say about you. He talked about you, time to time.”

Reacher isn’t looking for employment, but is intrigued by her “interesting proposition” — the agency needs someone to poke holes in their protection procedures for the Vice President-Elect of the United States.

In short order Reacher finds himself a consultant for the U.S. Secret Service. He hires a former colleague — Frances Neagley — to help them test the security around Vice President-elect Armstrong. 

Reacher and Neagley prove that the politician isn’t as safe as one might believe. 

But this wasn’t a mere “test” of policies and procedures. The would-be veep has received a threatening letter (intercepted by the Secret Service) — a simple message on a particular stock of white paper, printed on a Hewlett-Packard laser printer, in Times New Roman font, with a single fingerprint (that doesn’t come up in any of the government databases). 

It’s a puzzle that sends Reacher, Neagley, and Froelich spinning around the corridors of Washington, D.C., and the wide-open spaces of the Great Plains (Armstrong is a senator from North Dakota).

Reacher is trying to figure out if those threatening Armstrong are hoping to implement their nefarious deed and escape — as Edward Fox did in the movie “The Day of the Jackal” — or if they are planning to die in the act of treachery — like John Malkovich’s renegade CIA agent in “In the Line of Fire.” 

The story itself is compelling. It lacks the action and theatrical punch featured in some of Child’s other Jack Reacher stories — until the final act of “Without Fail,” which is pretty terrific. 

Instead, “Without Fail” is more procedural in nature, showing Reacher analyzing a variety of evidence in the hunt for the truth (he even turns to various iterations of the constitution for clues). The antagonists in this story are basically unseen, and there are a variety of red herrings thrown in for good measure. 

Reacher also finds himself in an awkward romantic relationship with Froelich as the novel progresses — the agent still has some of Joe’s old suits and personal belongings in her home. 

Froelich is conflicted as she tries to convince herself (and Reacher) that she isn’t trying to bring Joe back from the dead, or live vicariously through his brother. 

The early setup of the story reminded me a bit of Stephen Hunter’s novel “Point of Impact” (which was made into the movie “Shooter” starring Mark Wahlberg). The two stories ultimately take divergent paths. 

Reacher’s brother Joe was a key plot point in Child’s first novel “Killing Floor,” and it was nice to see Reacher get a bit of closure on his sibling in “Without Fail.”

Lee Child worked in television before he became a writer at age 40 (he was laid off by Granada television). In this clip he talks about the importance of dialogue and research in his work:

One of my favorite aspects of a Jack Reacher novel is the banter between characters. It doesn’t matter whether Child is writing the novel in first or third person (six of the Reacher novels are told using the first person narrative), the conversations are crisp and quick.

I also like Child’s view on research — not to let it overwhelm the story, Too many novels I’ve read have awkward “info-dumps” at certain points, and you can tell the writer is excited to share how much they learned in the research process. 

“Without Fail” is an intriguing novel in Lee Child’s repertoire (if you’re new to the Jack Reacher novels, I’d start with “Killing Floor”). The story gives new insight into Reacher’s family life, and adds additional depth to the character. It is a tad slower than the best outings in the series, but worth the read.

Also, as I mentioned in my previous review of “Echo Burning,” Lee Child is set to give a free talk at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Baxter Arena on April 11. Click here to learn more about the event — which includes ticket information. 

Previous post: You Should Be Watching Amazon's "Bosch"  

You Should Be Watching Amazon’s “Bosch”

I consume a considerable amount of detective fiction. 

My love of the genre started when I was in third grade and I pulled the Hardy Boys novel “The Secret of the Old Mill” off a bookshelf attached to my bedroom wall in the two-bedroom apartment my family lived in at the time. 

I quickly became fascinated with the finer aspects of detective work, and enjoyed the various tropes the genre had to offer. This was the 1980s — a time when shows about private investigators and police officers dominated network television. 

One of today’s finest writers in the detective genre is Michael Connelly. His novels focusing on Detective Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch are among the best procedurals — meticulous and authentic in their research, tone, and style. 

The first Connelly novel I read was “Lost Light” in 2003. I was immediately hooked. Connelly’s brooding, noirish feel harkened back to classic detective fiction. His main protagonist was incredibly compelling.

Amazon decided to turn the exploits of Harry Bosch into a TV series on its Prime Video streaming service a few years back. The first season of “Bosch” debuted in 2014, and Amazon just announced the fourth season of the show — set to drop on April 13, 2018. 

My wife and I love the series, and consider it to be one of the finest detective shows around. 

Here is the trailer for “Bosch” Season 4:

The show feels authentic (Connelly insisted they shoot on location in Los Angeles). The beating pulse of the series is provided by actor Titus Welliver, who plays the title character. 

Welliver’s portrayal of Harry Bosch is pitch perfect. While the intense detective is dogged in his pursuit of justice, he isn’t the pat “anti-hero” often seen in the genre these days. 

He’s hard-boiled without being overdone. 

There is a quiet intensity to Welliver that serves the series well. He might not be a performer you’re readily familiar with, but his work as a character actor over the years makes him instantly recognizable. 

In my mind, Welliver’s performance is Emmy worthy, and he should receive more accolades. He adds a certain edge to the character that is neither cliche, nor obtrusive in any manner. His version of Bosch is honed smooth like a fine blade.  

There are other notable performances in the cast. Jamie Hector is terrific as the unassuming Jerry Edgar (Bosch’s partner in the LAPD) and Lance Reddick provides a stoic intensity as Deputy Chief Irvin Irving — a man navigating the tricky waters of law enforcement and Los Angeles politics. 

Amy Aquino plays Lieutenant Grace Billets — Bosch’s immediate superior, friend, and confidante. Aquino is excellent in the role, and provides a nice counter-balance to Harry Bosch. 

One of the interesting aspects of the series is that the show pulls from a “mashup” of Connelly novels — slicing and dicing his procedurals into each season’s story arcs.

In this clip, Connelly discusses the novels that will be featured in the fourth season of “Bosch”:

That technique is a nice touch. It allows readers to see familiar plot points and established pillars of character development, but it also means each season feels like its own unique thing. 

One of my favorite aspects of the series is the development of Harry’s personal life — in particular, his relationship with daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz). Not only do these threads humanize Bosch, they help keep the melancholy character grounded. 

Another thing I like about the series is the opening title sequence. I know that might seem trivial, but growing up in the 1970s and 80s exposed me to a number of excellent title sequences, and my feeling is that they add a key bit of punctuation to a television series. 

The “Bosch” title sequence features the song “Can’t Let Go” by Caught A Ghost — played over a kaleidoscope of Los Angeles images. There is sort of an OCD quality to the song, and the overall sequence sets a nice tone for the show:

There are number of quality shows for viewers to consume these days, and I know time is limited. I highly recommend you consider adding “Bosch” to your “must-see” list. 

It’s nice to see Michael Connelly’s vision come to screen — in a manner that stays true to the stories told on the printed page. 

I think it is the finest “original” in Amazon’s lineup, and is definitely worth your time.

Listen up! pic.twitter.com/5LmKQjzEaI

— TitusWelliver (@welliver_titus) February 13, 2018

P.S. - Titus Welliver recorded a video message about the fourth season of "Bosch" on his Twitter account today (Feb. 13, 2018)... it includes some good news about a fifth season of the show. 

Interested in Amazon Video? Try Amazon Prime for 30 days for free by clicking on the ad!

Previous post: Book Review: "Echo Burning" By Lee Child 

Book Review: “Echo Burning” By Lee Child

I’d have to say my favorite author of the past decade is Lee Child. 

Some of you have probably flipped the pages of one of his 22 mystery novels. More of you have likely seen one of the “Jack Reacher” movies starring Tom Cruise (totally miscast, but entertaining movies nonetheless). 

My mom introduced me to Lee Child’s books in 2005. His novel “One Shot” was released that year. I picked up a copy at a big box store. Read it. Loved it. That novel went on to be the basis for the 2012 movie “Jack Reacher” — one of the truest book adaptations I’ve seen put to screen. 

Child’s protagonist is the aforementioned Jack Reacher — a loner... drifter. He is tough as nails — a hard man who can do hard things. His previous life was that of a military policeman. Now he wanders the globe like Caine in Kung Fu. 

As such, Lee Child (a pen name for British-born writer Jim Grant) has created a near-perfect fictional protagonist—a character who can go anywhere and do anything.

Child has referred to Reacher in interviews as a “knight errant.” He’s one part vigilante, and one part Sherlock Holmes (or “Sherlock Homeless” as he was referred to in one of the novels). 

Reacher buys new clothes every few days (disposing of the used ones in trash receptacles), and his only possession is a toothbrush he carries in his pocket. 

In more recent novels, Reacher acquired a debit card (a more 21st-century way to get money from his bank account than having it “wired”). But Reacher still eschews most modern-day trappings (such as cell phones), content to live a simpler, nomadic existence.

He’s reminiscent of western archetypes — the peculiar stranger who rides into town, gets embroiled in a local controversy, and uses brain and brawn to right a wrong. 

Because Lee Child is going to be at the University of Nebraska at Omaha Baxter Arena on April 11 — for a free lecture that you should consider attending — I am “catching up” on the Jack Reacher novels I have yet to read. 

This weekend I read “Echo Burning” — the fifth novel in the series, released in 2001. 

The novel finds Reacher wandering around west Texas. The temps are swelling like a primed pressure cooker, and our laconic hero is looking to hitch a ride — to take him somewhere, anywhere. 

A woman named Carmen Greer is tooling down that same stretch of road. She picks up Reacher.

Carmen is looking for a man to do some dirty work for her. She is the wife of Sloop Greer — whose family owns a ranch in Echo County — south of Pecos, TX. Sloop abuses his wife. Treats her like dirt. She feels like a prisoner in the family, doesn’t have a dime to her name, and worries about losing 6-year-old daughter Ellie were she to leave. 

Her husband has been in prison for tax evasion — but is set for an early release... heading home in a matter of days. Carmen tells Reacher that she ratted her husband out to the feds — and imagines the abuse will reach a fever pitch once Sloop returns to the family homestead. 

What Carmen Greer wants is a man to kill her husband. 

Reacher isn’t warm to the concept, but eventually agrees to get a lay of the land back at the ranch (painted red because it was the cheapest paint available during the “Red Scare”), and is hired on as a ranch hand (claiming horse and blacksmithing skills he doesn’t possess). 

Reacher soon finds himself embroiled in an intriguing mystery that is a mix of familial drama, greed, racism, a treatise on illegal immigration, and Texas politics.

All is not as it seems. Is Carmen Greer on the level? Or is she merely a “femme fatale” in cowboy country?

The unflappable Reacher is up to the task — much like the old west gunfighter Clay Allison (who died in Pecos, TX, and is mentioned several times in “Echo Burning”). 

“...you’ve got a gunfighter’s eyes. Maybe like Clay Allison had. You should let him see them. Let him see what’s coming.”

Child knows how to thoughtfully construct his dramatic narrative. He's said in a number of interviews that he doesn’t outline his stories. He tends to avoid empty thrills, and instead builds tension in a methodical manner. 

While some thriller writers serve up the equivalent of “junk food,” Lee Child serves up what I consider to be “comfort food.”

A Jack Reacher story is the mystery novel equivalent of heaping plate of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and buttermilk biscuits with a boat-load of gravy — hearty food that goes down nice and easy.

While thriller writers are often dismissed in the literary lexicon, Child’s writing style is sparse yet refined. He knows how to create a sense of place with his prose. 

Take this passage in “Echo Burning,” as an example of his descriptive prowess:

“There were clouds of moths everywhere, big papery insects crowding the bulbs above the porch like tiny individual snowstorms, forming and re-forming as they fluttered from one to the next. Behind them the chant of night insects was already rhythmic and insistent.”

The advantage Lee Child has with Jack Reacher is that he rarely writes the same story twice. Some of his novels take place in big cities and involve vast conspiracies. Others are ensconced in small dots on the map — intimate mysteries located off the beaten path. 

This clip of Lee Child (from his publisher) talks about how he designed the Jack Reacher character, and the unique origin of the “Reacher” name:

Child avoids genre cliches, and doesn’t seem overly concerned about crafting convoluted plot twists to keep reader interest. 

Child instead builds a character who is confident and authentic — Reacher has taken on near-mythic proportions in the collective mind of fans — and drops that character in difficult situations. 

Child makes the innocuous act of Reacher downing breakfast at a diner oddly compelling. 

In 2014, Forbes magazine called Jack Reacher “The Strongest Brand In Publishing.” Much of that honor had to do with his brand’s loyalty — as opposed to platform or outright sales. 

If you like mysteries and thrillers, Lee Child’s novels are worth sampling. I’d start with his first novel “Killing Floor” — even though I started with with his ninth — because it is fun to see the progression of the character through the books. 

Two of his books — “Worth Dying For” and “A Wanted Man” — take place in Nebraska. Those two novels are part of a four-book arc (that starts with “61 Hours” and concludes with “Never Go Back”) and that might also be a good place for new readers to start — especially those in my neck of the woods. 

As I mentioned earlier, if you are in the Omaha area, be sure to check out Lee Child’s free appearance (part of UNO’s Marion Marsh Brown Writers Lecture Series) at Baxter Arena. 

Previous post: My Friend Ben Makes Movies... Check Out Aksarben Creative's Latest Effort 

My Friend Ben Makes Movies... Check Out Aksarben Creative's Latest Effort

“I’ve fallen in love with the concept of storytelling, and Aksarben Creative serves as an outlet for that.” — Ben Matukewicz, Aksarben Creative

I love the efforts of creative individuals. 

My wife and I have owned a marketing communications company for 22 years, and we appreciate entrepreneurial efforts within our community. 

My friend Ben Matukewicz is one of those creative individuals. Bridget and I first met Ben at a UNO Hockey-related event a couple years back. He came over to our table to tell us about a “jersey history” project he was working on, and he wanted to get our input on the site he was putting together. 

Ben is the President and Creative Director of Aksarben Creative. He co-founded the company with Tom Knoblauch. Tom and Ben’s creative efforts have been on display since 2013 (the company went by the name Fatherson Productions before they re-branded in 2017).

The Omaha-based business strives to tell “midwestern stories” with reasonable budgets. Aksarben Creative focuses on making independent feature films, short films, web series, music videos, podcasts, photography, and branding and graphic design (among other creative projects). 

Aksarben Creative’s latest effort is the short film titled “The Living Draft”:

I first became familiar with Ben’s company a few years back when they held screenings for the feature-length film “Adoptation” at Aksarben Cinema (a company Bridget and I do marketing work for): 

The team also held screenings at the theater in 2017 for their most recent feature-length effort, “Naomi Jones”:

“I’ve never been good at verbal communication, so I choose to tell stories through more visually-based mediums,” Ben says. “Tom Knoblauch and I share a common interest in filmmaking and founded the company on that, but we learned as we went that what we really loved was storytelling.”

Having spent my life as an entrepreneur, I understand how difficult it is to put yourself out there and learn as you go along. That’s why I admire people like Ben — willing to work hard and bootstrap passionate efforts. 

As I mentioned earlier, Aksarben Creative also focuses on creative pursuits in addition to filmmaking. 

“Tom enjoys hosting podcasts and talking with interesting people,” Ben says. “I enjoy graphic design and photography, so we decided to expand the company’s reach beyond filmmaking.”

(Knoblauch’s “Loomings” podcast — https://www.aksarbencreative.com/loomings)

The next feature film for the Aksarben Creative team is called “Green On Green,” and will be released in 2018 (the film is written and directed by Knoblauch). 

“It’s difficult to categorize this film under a specific genre because it doesn’t try to be any one thing," Ben says as he describes the movie. "At its core, ‘Green On Green’ is an adventure movie, mixed with comedy and drama. I can’t wait for people to see the performance of Rachel Dinan in the lead role.”

Matukewicz and Knoblauch are also gearing up for a new web series called “Craft.” It will be filmed over the next few months, and will follow Ben and Tom around Nebraska as they travel to different breweries sampling beer.

“These brewers put in a lot of effort to create beer they’re proud to serve,” Ben says. “We strive to create something we’re proud to show, and this project is about appreciating the craft. The parallels between the two industries are fascinating, and we’re incredibly excited to explore that through comedy in our upcoming project.” 

It sounds like Ben and Tom have a lot on their plate for 2018. I’m looking forward to seeing what the team brings viewers in the coming year.

You can learn more about Ben and the rest of the team at Aksarben Creative by visiting www.aksarbencreative.com. 

P.S. -- I just noticed the small, hairless cat nestled under a blanket in this shot from the short film “The Living Draft”:

Previous post: Cloud-Based Hockey and Tesla Chargers - St. Cloud Trip, Feb. 2018 

Cloud-Based Hockey and Tesla Chargers - St. Cloud Trip, Feb. 2018

My wife Bridget and I have traveled all over this fine country on hockey road trips. 

Well north of 40 trips — including three NCAA regionals and one Frozen Four. 

We run a site for UNO Hockey fans called MavPuck.com. We’ve made many friends via the site — along with the Twitter and Facebook offerings we have for MavPuck. We’ve even organized nine MavPuck.com Bus Trips. 

College hockey fans are a unique fraternity. There are only 60 hockey teams at the Division 1 level. As such, there exists a fiercely niche following that comprises what I consider to be the best fans in all of sports fandom. 

Our niece Lauren is in her first year as a student at St. Cloud State University. SCSU is a conference rival for our beloved University of Nebraska at Omaha Hockey team. She also loves college hockey. 

Bridget and I circled this series on our calendar the moment the 2017-18 schedule was released. 

ROAD TRIP DAY 1

Our adventure started on Feb. 1 — to make the 6-1/2 hour drive from Omaha to St. Cloud. We didn’t leave “bright and early” (we ain’t morning people), but we did manage to escape O-Town before noon. 

It was a nice drive up. The weather was calm and clear. My favorite thing on the “Des Moines Route to St. Cloud” is the profusion of wind turbines in eastern Iowa. Absolutely love ‘em:

I read Gary Vaynerchuk’s new business self-help book “Crushing It” out loud in the car (because I am the human version of Audible). The tome will be featured in a future blog post:

(This wasn’t our first trip to St. Cloud. We visited in Dec. 2016. That 2016 trip included all of Lauren’s favorite things: Minnesota, shopping at the Mall of America, and ice hockey. She ultimately decided to go to school at SCSU — a quaint school nestled in a bucolic town that sits 65 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.)

We made sure to arrive in St. Cloud in time to take Lauren out to dinner. She drove down to our hotel from campus to meet us.

There was a crisp-looking “ST. CLOUD” water tower next to our hotel — with a color scheme firmly planted on the “BIV” side of the Roy G. Biv spectrum. Lauren and I took this selfie with the tower in the background:

We ate dinner at the local Granite City (trivia: St. Cloud is referred to as “Granite City"). I know the restaurant isn’t a character-filled place oozing with local flavor. But we ate there during the 2016 trip, and spent much of that meal discussing Lauren’s desire to attend St. Cloud State University (and we even perused scholarship opportunties online during that lunch). 

Also dining this time out at Granite City was the UNO Hockey team. That’s always kind of awkward. UNO Head Coach Mike Gabinet came over to say hi. It was Lauren’s first time meeting our coach, and she took a picture with him:

ROAD TRIP DAY 2

This trip was the first time we would be seeing Lauren’s dorm accommodations at St. Cloud State University. I know she wasn’t exactly thrilled that I took pictures, but I pulled the “I’m doing this for my blog” card. 

Her dorm represents fairly typical 1960s- and 70s-era student housing construction: bunk beds lofted, desks, restrooms down the hall, and cinder-block everything. 

Lauren and her roommate have pet shrimp (that have multiplied since the start of the school year).

She demonstrated how she has to open her window so she can get fresh air in the room when it becomes overly stuffy and hot:

This pic of Lauren is her looking completely “embarrassed” by the fact I was documenting her crib:

The good news (for Lauren) is that we were soon off and out of the dorm. I didn’t live in a dorm when I attended UNO (they didn’t build student housing until after we graduated in the mid 1990s), so in instances like this I try to imagine myself living in a dorm (I don’t know if I could have abandoned my creature comforts, but "dorm life" seems like it would be fun). 

We ate lunch at Pepperjax. Yes, I know, we went to another chain joint, but that was how we rolled on this particular trip. 

Once our bellies were full, we trekked 30 minutes south of St. Cloud to visit a very nice outlet mall we’d seen on the way up.  

We didn’t get many pictures at the mall (I did get a new pair of Nikes), but we did snap this pic at the Skechers store (where Bridget was trying on shoes):

Lauren had to work later in the afternoon, so we didn’t stay at the mall too long. On the way back, Lauren pointed out where the Tesla charging station was located. Being a fan of the innovative Elon Musk-led company, I had to stop and take some pics:

Bridget and I had a few hours to kill until the 7:37 p.m. start of hockey game. Our time was spent visiting Walmart, and dropping in on Lauren at work:

Then it was game time! The UNO Hockey team had already been swept by the Huskies in their two-game series in Omaha back in December, so most of our fans had fairly “sober” predictions for the outcome of the games. 

This fence is on the “main drag” to the St. Cloud State campus. We have driven by it many times, and it adds a certain “school spirit” flavor to the neighborhood that sits west of the campus:

Lauren planned to arrive a bit late to the game because of her work schedule, but Bridget and I landed at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center about 30 minutes prior to face off:

Our friend Bill Pickett (who is Director of UNO Student Involvement and the Milo Bail Student Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha) led a bus trip of students to St. Cloud for the series. Having the Maverick Maniacs in attendance made the games much more fun and entertaining. We ended up standing with them for the duration.

We cheered, made noise, and even threw torn newspaper “confetti” during the series:

As I mentioned earlier, Bridget and I led several hockey bus trips from 2005 through 2012. It takes a considerable amount of time to set them up, wrangle passengers, collect payment, and arrange the various logistics. I’m really glad Bill provides these sorts of opportunities for the UNO students (something that was lacking back when we were students). 

Lauren sat with the SCSU students for most of the game, but did come and visit during the intermissions. We had the chance to meet her friend Rachel at the game: 

UNO ultimately lost to the Huskies 5-3. It was an entertaining game, though, and we had a good time despite the final outcome. 

After the game we went out to eat at the local Old Chicago (chain restaurant #3) with Lauren and Rachel. It was nice to get to meet one of Lo’s college friends, and the food hit the spot after a long day. 

ROAD TRIP DAY 3

Saturday saw snow in St. Cloud. More snow than was forecast, and the streets were a bit of a mess. 

We ate lunch at Panera (chain eatery #4). This is a picture Lauren took walking into the place:

Our post-lunch activities involved Bridget’s makeup run to Ulta and a visit to Old Navy to get Lo a new pair of jeans. 

As was the case on Friday, Lauren had to “clock time for the man” on Saturday afternoon, so we dropped her back at campus to get ready for work. She joined us in the UNO section once she arrived at the game, though.

The second game in the series was worse for the Mavs than Friday — UNO lost 6-2. Saturday hasn’t been their night this season — especially on the road. 

But the students had fun during the game. A St. Cloud fan sitting below us decided to heckle and taunt our students. They had a good attitude about it, but the guy was kind of a tool (in my opinion). He posted this pic on his Instagram account... Stay Classy, St. Cloud:

After the game, we made a return trip to Old Chicago with Lauren:

ROAD TRIP DAY 4

Sunday, the next day, we headed back to Omaha. We would have typically traveled down through the Twin Cities for the return trip. However, because Super Bowl LII was being held at U.S. Bank Stadium that night, we went down through central Minnesota to avoid game day traffic. 

While we had to traverse a mix of highways, county roads, and byways, we did get to see a number of interesting communities on the journey. 

Our trip to see Lauren wasn’t nearly long enough. 

When you are a college hockey fan, you have opportunities to visit a variety of quirky places that are “off the beaten path.” You might have to deal with sub-zero temperatures, blizzards, and a variety of less-than-idyllic conditions. 

The experience is a unique one — one that I look forward to for six months each season. 

Until we meet again, St. Cloud...

Previous post: My Thoughts - "Solo A Star Wars Story" Ad and Teaser Trailer