Unraveler Extras

I wanted to start a page full of stuff inspired by The Unraveler that you can download for free! Using these are a great way to show support for the novel. All of this was created by me unless otherwise noted. Please only use these for non-commercial purposes. Have fun!
Artwork - Here's some higher-res images from my website. Download these and use them in creative ways!

Blue Kudanite => Click here to download!


Jack-o'-lantern => Click here to download!



Crows at flight! => Click here to download!



Banners - Do what you will with these! The backgrounds are transparent!

Click here to download the white banner!



Click here to download the black banner!

Small Banner - forum signature sized!
 

Icons - Use these on your website or as your avatar !

- Click for Unraveler Logo Icon

- Click for Pumpkin Icon

- Click for Squid Icon

Logos - You can add these to documents, so only those in the know will understand the secret.
              
Click here to download the plain eye logo!



















     

Click here to download the realistic eye logo!



Music - These are music tracks I created that share a connection to The Unraveler!

Click here to download "Knockdown Sandcastle"
This song was written, recorded, and performed by Harrison Aye. This was during the same time as The Unraveler, and it was inspired by the seaside setting in the novel.

Click here to download "On and On"
This song was written and performed by Harrison Aye, with recording and percussion by Brian Wood. The lyrics and music were inspired by the same dream Harrison had one night that sparked the idea for the entire novel. I wrote a blog about that dream here!

Click here to download "Flytrap"
This song was written and performed by Harrison Aye, with Scott Weber performing drums and Brian Wood recording and performing guitar. This song was inspired by a concept I was creating for this novel. I imagined a giant flytrap of forgetfulness, and if it devoured you, you'd be forever forgotten. This giant flytrap is named Gome, and he still sits at the bottom of a very deep pit within my book.

The OBVIOUS reason why the Playstation Vita isn't selling... but nobody is talking about it

I haven’t seen a single person speak about what I think is the obvious, glaring reason that the Playstation Vita is not doing well. Sony has got it all backwards in their direction. This entire generation of handhelds, Sony has said that the Vita is the #1 spot for the home-console experience on the go. They’ve touted “cross-play” and “cross-buy” games, which are playable on both the Playstation 3 and the Vita, just to emphasize the point.

But that’s the HUGE, GLARING, OBVIOUS problem, and I haven’t seen one single Playstation gaming site talking about it: People don’t want the home-console experience on the go; they want the portable experience on the go. 

Handy Tools for Writers Using Microsoft Word and Kindle. Making bookmark links, Keyboard customization, eBook creation, and more!

In my experiences, I've stumbled upon a few useful secrets for software tools that I thought I’d share on here.  

You can create links to within your Microsoft Word document to other sections of your document. This is really handy for making an Index to each chapter you’ve written. I use the Mac version of Word, so that’s how I’ll be explaining how to do this:

Highlight the word in your document where you’d like to link to. On the top bar, click “insert” and then, “bookmark.” Type in a word for a bookmark name that is specific to this point. Keep the bookmark name short (you’ll have to type it again when you link to it). For example, for my Chapter 6 link, I use “ch6” for my bookmark name.

Next, go to your Index and highlight the word you want to become the clickable link. Click “insert” and then “hyperlink.” Find the box that says “anchor” and type in your bookmark name. That’s it, you’re done.

And what’s extra handy is that when you make PDF or eBook versions of this Word document, the links will still work. It’s very handy for use in editing and sending it out to friends.

If you didn’t know about Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” and “Comment” features, then consider this your heads up. For editing, these tools are critical for any writer to know. On the “Review” tab, you’ll find a button that says “track changes.” If you click it, then any change you make in the document will be recorded. Changes on the document can be right-clicked, and, in doing so, you can choose to either accept or reject these changes. This is a useful option for any critique circles you start with your other writer friends.

Comments are one of my most-used editing tools. By clicking “insert” and then clicking “new comment,” any words you’ve highlighted with your mouse will be given a box. You can type notes in these boxes that are separate from the main document. Very handy for marking parts of your writing that you might want to fix at a later time.

Another useful feature on Microsoft Word is keyboard customization. As a writer, you spend all of your time working with a keyboard, so it’s really nice to be able to customize what your keyboard commands are. You probably already know that “control + i” makes highlighted text into italics, that “control + b” makes it bold, and “control + w” shows you the word count, but you can do a lot more than that!

On the top bar, go to “tools” and then find “Customize keyboard.” The rest is really up to you. I believe that to quickly add a hyperlink, Word automatically has it set to “control + k.” I love being able to quick-fire document bookmarks while I make hyperlinks, so I added “control + l” as a keyboard command. Another really useful command I’ve customized is “control + j” for add a comment. You can do whatever, of course, but these I’ve found to be incredibly useful time saving commands.

Did you know that anyone with a Kindle can make ebooks for free? You need to have a Kindle account for this to work, so go get one if you don’t. Save a copy of your Microsoft Word document, and then attach it to an email. The email address you need is, YOURUSERNAME@free.kindle.com. Obviously, YOURUSERNAME is your Kindle username. Email the attached document (you don’t need to type any subject or paragraph body), and Kindle will send you a copy of your ebook back to you. It usually takes a few minutes, so be patient.

When formatting your Microsoft Word document for making your Kindle version, you’ll note that often the paragraph indentations get messed up. You’ll have to make your document’s margins bigger, and any pictures in your document should be upped in size, too. By the way, the links I told you about in the start of this blog post should work on your Kindle! Cool, huh?

Anyway, I just wanted to share this as I’ve found it really handy. Let me know in the comments if you have any useful little secrets that I should know about!

Thanks for stopping by my blog!
UNRAVELSPACE UNRAVELTIME

My Reading Suggestions...

My suggestions for teens:

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling - I was in high school when the craze was at its height, and so I consider myself a part of the Wizarding World Generation. Honestly, though, you cannot go wrong with Harry. This is a cliche suggestion, by now, but it's still the best book series around for a reason. I, for one, credit Harry as one of the reasons I am a reader today. If you haven't given these books a try, then you're missing out. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky - I read this in high school (as did many of my friends), and it helped me feel strong through some of the harder times during that period of my life. It's great for high school freshmen who feel out of place, but fair warning that it contains references to drugs and sex. The movie version is also really well done.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien - These are your classic fantasy books, and I love them all very dearly. I suggest starting with The Hobbit, which is my personal favorite in the series.

Illusions by Richard Bach - I feel that this is a book that kids in high school will appreciate. It's sort of a mind-bending book that helped me grow as a person. It's one of my absolute favorites.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann - This is just a really fun series that feels like the combination of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.

Any of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Seriously, any of them. Go to your school's library and give Poe a chance. You won't regret it.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - The movie version of this book is... well not something I would ever recommend. The movie does not follow the book whatsoever. However, the book feeds a mind that craves intellectual wandering. It's a collection of short stories about the Laws of Robotics. It will make you think in new ways about the world.  

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - A fun book series that will send you traveling on an adventure through space. These books are hilarious and fun.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - A brainy story about a kid that trains to become a master in the art of space-war.

The Giver by Lois Lowry - This book is set in a dystopian society, meaning a should-have-been paradise that has a terrible underlying problem. I read this in one night during my years in high school. 

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank - A story of survival after an apocalypse of sorts. If you liked Hatchet by Gary Paulsen when you were in grade school, this is a book that gave me a similar feeling, but is aimed at older readers. Give it a try!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - I actually discovered this book while studying education in college. Since then, I've come to love Sherman Alexie. If you like this book, check out his poetry and other work! He's great!

For really young readers (kids below the age of 12), I firmly suggest any of these: Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Hatchet, or Alice in Wonderland. If I had young kids, these are the books I would read to them at night.

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My suggestions for adults:


It by Stephen King - If you've never tried Stephen King, then yesterday was the time to start. This man is a master of crafting stories. The truth is that there are a million books out there, but even the lesser-loved Stephen King usually end up being better than 95% of what else is out there. My favorite book by him is It, and it's good for anyone who has ever felt stuck in a town.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck - This is one given to me by a teacher in high school, but I would rather list this for adults because of its allusions to sex. This is a fantastic book about people in a Chinese village. It is one of the books I credit for turning me into a reader.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin - This is like the Lord of the Rings for mature audiences. Never before have I read something that has struck my nerves as hard as the ones in this series. The HBO show is also fantastically performed. This is not a series to be missed out on.

I am Danger, I am Prisoner by Sergeant Danger Geist - This is a memoir written and self-published by a friend of mine, and it's a very honest look at the war in Afghanistan. It's great! You can read the first nine chapters on his website for free!

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski - This book was hard to get through but worth it. This book is about a guy who finds a trunk filled with the scattered pages of a book that is about a documentary that doesn't exist. If that sentence confuses you, then you should read the book. This is a scary book, and it will sit within your mind long after you've finished it.  

Predilection by Mary Parker - My friend put together a collection of short stories, and they're really great. She's a master at horror, and this book is only a debut for all the things I'll bet she'll write in the future. You can buy a copy by clicking here!

The Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft - You can't go wrong with a short story by Lovecraft. If you love weird monsters and provocative settings, this will be a treat.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - This is a book that will sink you into a culture that you won't be comfortable with, and it will give you a perspective about your own culture. It's about colonialism in Africa. This is a must-read, in my eyes.
Inferno by Dante Alighieri - This is a classic. Dante's Inferno is the first part of a longer work, but Inferno is definitely the most fun part. Evil is fun to read, what can I say?

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So, those are my suggestions, but I expect this list to grow/change over time! You can probably tell that I love fantasy, science fiction, and horror! Hah! If you happen to be a writer that has stumbled upon this page and you wish to be included on this list, you should send me a message at my facebook page. Maybe I'll read your book (if it isn't romance, ha ha)! However, I'll only list books here are readily available for anyone to purchase (but I won't hate on you, even if I didn't like it). I might also do a review on Amazon for you if I do!

Sea Lampreys, a Comedic Poem by Harrison Aye in Collaboration with Clayton Sanders

Chordata, subphylum vertebrata,
class cyclostomata,
are the sea lampreys.
A protective slime layer
allows the fish to swim.
I wish I had an air bladder
to have buoyancy.
The operculum
covers my fish's gills.
Over 30 K inhabit the world.
The lateral line is the fishs sense organ.
They have an interior spiny dorsal fin

10,000 species cant be wrong

FISH!!!!!!!!

A protective slime layer
allows the fish to swim.
I wish I had an air bladder
to have buoyancy.
The operculum
covers my fish's gills.
Over 30 K inhabit the world.
The lateral line is the fishs sense organ.
They have an interior spiny dorsal fin.
Some have an adipose fin,
And a caudal fin,
a pectoral fin,
and an anal fin

sandworms, leeches, earthworms, polygordius

Credits: Video and music by Harrison Aye, vocals and lyrics by Clayton Sanders and Harrison Aye together, and drums performed by Brian Wood. This song can be purchased for a buck: http://gum.co/fishsong



Notes: I wrote this song in high school, so don't judge it too hardly. My biology teacher told us to, "Do anything you want with fish for credit." He basically implied that we should all draw a picture of a fish and turn it in, but me and my friend wrote this song instead. The class was in shock as we played it in front of them, totally overdoing what should have been a simple project. I shot the video while I lived in Seattle. It's a tour of the famous Pike Place Fish Market. One last thing, I wrote this in high school; I don't actually know if the lyrics are accurate to the actual science, and I reckon I got some things wrong.

Thanks for stopping by my blog!
UNRAVELSPACE UNRAVELTIME