Hitfar Trip to Vancouver

Thank you Hitfar for sending my wife and I to Vancouver, BC for a few days! Had a blast hanging out with Glenn and Troy. The tour of your facility was really interesting. The little Italian restaurant, Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria was a wonderful place to eat lunch. Glenn was then kind enough to drive my wife and I around Vancouver and show us some spots we may want to check out in Stanley Park. As the week progresses and I have time, I will post up photos of the trip as a highlight. I will also put a bunch on my Facebook group, Tony Alexander Photography.

Cardero's Restaurant Review

Cardero's Restaurant Vancouver, BC

Located on the southern end of Stanley Park, this fish joint was a pleasant place to eat. The menu had a decent variety of food. The atmosphere was very busy and loud, only because there are so many people in the restaurant and out on the patio. We had to wait to be seated, which is usually a good sign, though it was not an overly long wait. The decor was comprised of a bunch of fun and intriguing items, all with local ties, to look at. The waiter was attentive and saw to all of our needs in a prompt and timely manner. As far as the most important factor, the food, we have mixed opinions on this. The steak that my wife ate, though perfectly cooked, had a huge chunk of gristle running down the center, making it really hard to eat. For the money paid for it, I would have expected better. My food, on the other hand, was quite delicious. I had a Miso-Sake Sablefish. The grill was perfectly charred on both the skin side and the flesh side, and the seasoning/marinade was packed full of flavor. When you cut into the meat, it oozed juices and was very tender. Probably the best fish I have ever eaten. I guess when visiting this fish restaurant, eat the fish and you will leave quite happy. I would eat here again, and confidently recommend it. 

Graffiti In Motion Now Available!

Graffiti In Motion Book will be available on Amazon, blurb.com within a week and will be in the Apple e-book store soon!  http://www.blurb.ca/books/8750488-graffiti-in-motion 

Hunting Black Dragon In the Works

Still working on my graffiti book, awaiting my proof copy, which will await my final touches before being released to the public. Meanwhile I am also working on the last edit of my sequel to Kids On A Case: The Case of the Ten Grand Kidnapping. Hunting Black Dragon has been in the works for quite some time but I am finally trying to prep it for self-publish. Above is a sample of my concept for my book cover. Hope you all like it. Excited about both projects. Also now on twitter and Instagram

Twitter: Tony A Peters@TonyAPe35985133

Instagram:authortonypeters

Fire and Sword by Simon Scarrow Review

Fire and Sword by Simon Scarrow 4 Stars

This is the third installment in the Napoleon-Wellington quartet. Napoleon is set on another war with countries in Europe. He continues to win and take over more of Europe. The countries allying against him can't seem to coordinate attacks together, helping Napoleon to defeat them one at a time. Meanwhile Wellesley continues his push for fame, making a name for himself as a general with strategic skills.

I was certainly more intrigued by this book. A better, more action-packed book in this series. Napoleon's arrogance is growing and you can see just why he ends up being exiled. I love that we see so much of the characteristics of these two generals. We see their fates twisting around each other, until they are bound to meet in the final installment. Scarrow brings in hints as to other world events that shape their lives, without making it a long and boring addition. Plot and characters continue to be strong driving points in Scarrow's novels, as well as his historical research that he brings into his novels. Overall I would recommend this novel for those who love history.

The Generals By Simon Scarrow Book Review

The Generals: Wellington and Napoleon Quartet Book 2 3.25 Stars

In the second installment of this quartet, we see Napoleon rise in power and reputation in France, as well as Arthur Wellesley become a General himself and rise in his reputation in Britain. Napoleon works on bringing Egypt and Italy under French rule, before fighting to establish peace in France again. Wellesley does the same in India, rising to power, before he returns to Britain.

I still find it tough going back and forth between these 2 story lines. I know at some point they will meet, but just when you get into a story, it moves back to the other character. I am really loving the history and obvious research that went into creating this series. I also love how deep the characters are. They jump off every page and ping little bits of memory from things I already know. The plot is great, although he can't really deviate too far, as history has set out his plot for him already. Overall I will finish this series, but for me it is in the one time read category, not a keeper, but good enough to read once.

Graffiti Photo Book

I have been working hard at trying to get out a photo book featuring Freight Train graffiti that I have taken photos of in Swift Current, SK. It has been an enlightening experience. I first had to start out by editing the photos to showcase them in such a manner that it best shows the work put into making the graffiti. This took quite a long time as I have over 160 photos I hope to put in, and twice as many that did not make the cut, never mind all the time and effort involved in taking those photos. The next step was deciphering what each piece said, to pick out the taggers/crews involved in it's creation. Then came all the research of these taggers and crews to find out where they are from, though many of them I could find very little information on, some no information, which considering the legalities of graffiti art, should come as  no surprise. Even so the research was very intriguing, and I found that by the end I could decipher more of the tags, and even recognize some taggers work without seeing their signature. Now I am working on putting this all into the book form and doing the cover art.
Lots of work, but we will see when I am done if I am happy with the way it turns out. If I am I will make it available for purchase, if not then It was a fun learning experience.