Saturday, July 26, 2014

Comic-Con San Diego here we come…

Well, okay not this year but next year we hope to be there promoting the Zenobia book series. We understand Comic-Con is for superhero comic book style fans but we feel the Comic-Con fan base has grown beyond that. The Zenobia book series is based on a real historical person and her fight for justice will appeal to all Comic-Con fans. We’re interested in having a booth and advertising during the 2015 Comic-Con International San Diego event. We had planned to visit the 2014 Comic-Con in San Diego to get a better idea if this venture would be worth our time and money. Unfortunately, Comic-Con tickets sold out in record time and we weren’t able to get a hold of any.



“Just Like That, San Diego Comic-Con Sells Out

Within an hour-and-a-half, every available badge to the 2014 event was sold out”

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/LA-COPY-Just-Like-That-San-Diego-Comic-Con-Sells-Out-250471861.html



Another event happening the same week as Comic-Con we were hoping to attend is The Nerd Machine panels in San Diego over at Petco Park.



The lineup of stars that will be at The Nerd Machine panel is going to be incredible. For instance:


NathanA Conversation with Nathan Fillion – Saturday, July 26th @4:15pm. Sunday, July 27 @ 11am.




joss

A Conversation with Joss Whedon – Sunday, July 27th @ 1:15pm.


Joss Whedon’s panel sold out in 20 seconds, so unfortunately we aren’t able to get ticket to go. For some time now we’ve had Joss Whedon in mind as screenwriter and director for the Zenobia movie. Joss Whedon’s talent would enhance the Zenobia project and we believe the Zenobia book series can become an epic TV series or movie. If we were able to attend his panel we’d love to ask Joss how we go about submitting our book for consideration as a possible film project for his company Bellwether Pictures.



Here’s some casting ideas:



Zenobia – Birth of a Legend




Zenobia

Hanna Mangan Lawrence

(Hannah Lawrence)




Zelina- Zenobia’s mother, wife of Zabbai

Jennifer-Lopez(Jennifer Lopez)



Sheik Zabbai- leader of the tribe in Syria-

russell crowe noah(Russell Crowe)



Cam- warrior in Syria

Sheik Zabbi(James Purefoy)



Salim- warrior in Syria

Taylor-Lautner(Taylor Lautner)



Shanzar- warrior in Syria

Kellan LutzKellan Lutz



Senator Odenathus- leader in Tadmor, Syria

ben affleckBen Affleck



Samuel- bookstore owner in Tadmor, Syria

Wallace ShawnWallace Shawn



Zeriah- sword master in Syria

Patrick Stewart 2Patrick Stewart



Saladir- desert bandit

Saladir

Oded Fehr



Dionysius Longinus- professor in Alexandria, Egypt

zachary-levi-imageZachary Levi



Aurelius- friend of Longinus in Alexandria, Egypt

Shawn-SpencerShawn Spencer



Alim Hashell- merchant in Alexandria, Egypt

ian_mcshaneIan McShane



General Gaius Publius- Roman commander

FWROSean Bean


 


 Characters from the second book,

Zenobia – Challenging a Legend





Longinus’s friends

Longinus's friends




Remeliah

Nathan

(Nathan Fillion)



Ajax

Tom Hiddleston head shot

(Tom Hiddleston)




Governor Julius Severus

& his wife Tabira of Alexandria, Egypt

Zenobia marries Odenathus(Lorrisa Julianus and Scott Bovaird ) Picture from Zenobia the Musicalhttps://www.facebook.com/zenobiathemusical




Ahab- Alim Hasshel’s son

pirate(Zach Mcgowan)



Zageeb – mercenary hired by Alim

Alim Hashel(Arnold Vosloo)



pirates

Pirates in Alexandria, Egypt- Captain Ahmal (Toby Stephens), Caras (Mark Ryan), Gabal (Tom Hopper), Zedras (Luke Arnold)




Hakim –warrior in Alexandria; from Syria

orlando bloom(Orlando Bloom)



Lemuel- warrior in Alexandria; from Syria

douglas-booth(Douglas Booth)



Tyrianna –Nubian; kidnapped into a sex slave trade

Tyrianna2(Liya Kebede)



Patricia- kidnapped into sex slave trade

Minka-kelly2

(Minka Kelly)



Seluria and Selaria – twin sisters kidnapped into sex slave trade

TiaTameraMowry

(Tamera and Tia Mowry)



Antares- sex slave guard

agora

(Max Minghella)



Nadar- camel trader

Jeremy Irons

(Jeremy Irons)



Julia – wife of Nadar

Julia-Ormond

(Julia Ormond)



Jemel – son of Nadar

Jemel

(Max Irons)


Now that’s a movie I would love to see.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

FIGHT FOR JUSTICE! Zenobia shows us how.


dont-keep-calm-stand-up-for-justice

Last week we shared excerpts from Zenobia - Birth of a Legend. On one of Zenobia's visits to Tadmor, Syria she fights off some bullies who were beating up a young boy. Our post focused on what kids can do in schools to peacefully stand up to bullies. Today we wanted to expand our scope to everyone everywhere. There are many kinds of bullying happening all around the world. What can we do to help those suffering injustices?


I was pleased to find a group at the local college, Arizona State University, who’s trying to make a difference in the lives of those suffering in Syria.

“SOS Freedom is a student-governed, non-profit organization at Arizona State University… looking for students who are interested in making a difference in the lives of the victims of the humanitarian crisis taking place in Syria. Together, we will work towards a brighter future for a free Syria.”  https://orgsync.com/56305/chapter.


Zenobia's home country of Syria is experience many hardships.  Zenobia, a 3rd century warrior queen challenged Rome for Syria’s freedom. Not all of us can lead large armies to fight off the bullies like Zenobia did but there are plenty of ways we can follow Zenobia’s example and stand up for justice.


justice

Zenobia should've been put to death as a baby but instead her mother saved her life by pretending she was a boy. This experience motivated Zenobia to battle against the injustices of the world. Below is a scene from book two, Zenobia- Challenging a Legend.  http://geodepress.com/to-those-who-fight-for-justice/


Zenobia – Challenging a Legend takes place in ancient Alexandria while Zenobia studies with some of the finest scholars. A couple scholar gentlemen question her about the experience of pretending to be a boy to stay alive and how it has affected her life thus far.

Here's Zenobia's response:


“First, I had to pretend to be something I wasn't. That was oppressive and

it robbed me of a measure of freedom! It restricted my ability to choose. It

still irritates me to recall it, so I usually don’t.


    “Second, though I survived, other baby girls did not. Didn’t they have a

right to grow up, to find what happiness they could in this crazy world? It

offends me that they were denied that opportunity. Truthfully, that

should disgust anyone who cares about justice.”



What will motivate you to act? In the Zenobia series by Russ Wallace we can all learn from Zenobia. She sees something that needs to be changed and she does whatever it takes to correct the wrong. She's courageous and stands up against the injustices of the world.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Zenobia stood up to the bullies of 3rd century Syria



National-Bullying-Prevention-Month

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about bullying. Believe it or not bullying

was an issue even in 3rd century Syria. Here’s a excerpt of Zenobia dealing

with bullies.



Zenobia- Birth of a Legend, chapter sixteen:
 


 Zenobia began to jog back to the spice market. On impulse she decided to take a side street to see more of the city. As she passed a narrow alley, she heard a boy’s voice say, “Just leave me alone!” She turned back and saw three boys who looked to be about fourteen bullying a smaller boy. One of them pushed the weaker boy to the ground. A fire started to burn in her and she walked slowly into the alley.

     One of the attackers saw her and yelled, “Hey, we’ve got company!”

     The three all faced her and a second one addressed her, “I haven’t seen you around here.”

     “I’m not from around her,” she said simply.

     “What do you want?” asked the third one.

     “Justice.”

     The first one laughed derisively, “You must be crazy, girl! I’ll give you the beating of your life!”

     She smiled slightly and said nothing. “She’s got a sword Demeter!” the second boy said.

     Zenobia sized up the situation, noting the narrowness of the alley. The bullies would not be able to surround her. Next she looked at the boy on the ground and asked, “Why are they after you? Did you steal from them?”

     He shook his head. “They told me not to walk in this alley. They hate me because I’m a Jew.” No contradiction came from the three youths…

      “I’m first!” claimed Demeter, and he advanced on Zenobia, rubbing his hands in anticipation. She was as fast as a cat and fifteen seconds later he was on the ground, screaming in pain.

     His two comrades ran at her together… In short order they joined their companion on the paving stones, writhing…


 
Zenobia uses her fist but there are plenty of other ways to stop bullying. We encourage you to resolve
bullying in a more peaceful manner.

Stand Up for Others:


When you see bullying, there are safe things you can do to make it stop.
  • Be kind to the kid being bullied. Show them that you care by trying to include them. Talk to them at school, or invite them to do something. Just hanging out with them will help them know they aren’t alone.


  • Tell the bully to stop. Not saying anything could make it worse for everyone. The kid who is bullying will think it is OK to keep treating others that way.


If you are being bullied, tell them to stop and make it clear that you don’t appreciate it. If you don’t feel comfortable in saying something get an adult involved.

   

More information can be found at:  http://www.stopbullying.gov & http://nobullying.com/


Be the hero


Be a hero like ZENOBIA