Feeding

A hungry python lies coiled in the dark cellar beneath Tajo Borrego’s home, waiting to be fed.  Tajo captures animals to feed the huge creature.  But the snake is still hungry and wants Tajo to bring him something bigger to eat.

Tajo is a smart city kid who loves to dance and hates his little sister.  He wants nothing more in the world except to perform in The Nutcracker and fool around with his boyfriend, Daray Gilliard.  But Daray doesn’t like being human, and he finds a way to transform into a creature that is very big, utterly cool… and completely terrifying.

Tajo is torn by the simple promise he made to take care of the monster he helped create.  Soon Daray starts to eat Tajo’s neighbors, then hunts the people of New York City.  And unless Tajo breaks his promise and stops the killings, he might become Daray’s next meal.

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You can purchase Feeding in paperback or Kindle at the link below.

Feeding at Amazon.com

You can find other e-book formats for Feeding here:

Feeding at Smashwords

Find out what Tajo fears most—read the first three chapters of Feeding here:

FEEDING—First Three Chapters

Toasted Cheese Reviews Feeding!

Oh, wow! Toasted Cheese has given my novel Feeding an excellent review! I know, I’m being shameless, but I have to quote this bit:

Likewise all of Stanford’s characters are robust and real and sometimes raw. Stanford doesn’t hold back. Some of the scenes are edgy and some are more than a little provocative. Tajo isn’t a perfect character and the things he does—although done for love—make him more appealing because sometimes good people do bad things and bad people do good things. Tajo does both. Stanford gets this and that is why Tajo, along with his fabulous supporting cast, is such a terrific teen character, so believable with his old-soul, wise-cracking, kid-cussing ways. Clearly, Stanford gets teenagers and is fluid in their speak.

Thanks so much for the terrific review! You can get Feeding for yourself and read the first three chapters here!

Don Quixote

This is my favorite ballet. I saw the American Ballet Theatre production when it was first broadcast on PBS many years ago and immediately fell in love with it. Don Quixote is based on a short episode in the novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The ballet was composed by Ludwig Minkus and choreographed by Marius Petipa. I’ve posted two videos of this ballet; the first is from the Mariinsky Ballet.

And this is the performance I first saw on TV; it’s terrific and features Mikhail Baryshnikov, Tajo’s favorite dancer. The video quality on this is not very good, which is why I posted the better-quality version above. Either way, I think you’ll enjoy this work.

“Everything Old is New Again” from All That Jazz

During his stay with Aunt Lola, Tajo mentions that he and his aunt choreograph their own dance routines, which reminds Tajo of this scene from one of his (and my) favorite movies.  All That Jazz is an autobiographical movie by legendary Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse. Roy Scheider plays Joe Gideon, a thinly veiled version of Fosse himself. Gritty, sexy, profane, and filled with all sorts of things that help the movie earn it’s hard-R rating, All That Jazz showcases Fosse’s work at its absolute finest. In this scene, which was inserted into the film after the producers complained that the storyline was becoming too depressing, Ann Reinking (Fosse’s onetime girlfriend who essentially is playing herself in the movie) and Erzsébet Földi (playing Joe’s daughter Michelle) present their own dance routine to the Peter Allen song, “Everything Old is New Again.” This sequence is anything but depressing; the dance was actually choreographed by Reinking and Földi.

If you’re really interested in Bob Fosse’s work, here’s a collection of videos showcasing several of his best numbers. The selections start with a couple of clips from All That Jazz, and, yes, they open with the—*ahem*—rather grown-up choreography of “Take Off With Us.” I assume you won’t watch that if you’re not old enough for it, okay?  :3

“Cool” from West Side Story

“Cool” is one of the finest examples of the energetic choreography of Jerome Robbins and is one of my favorite sequences from the film, West Side Story. Robbins co-directed the film (he created the choreography for the show’s original Broadway run) and rehearsed the dancers through all of the numbers before filming began. He was a perfectionist and, as filming began, shot take after take of each scene, causing the shoot to begin running over budget and behind schedule very early in the production. Robbins was soon barred from the set and the film was finished by co-director Robert Wise. But clearly Robbins’ influence can be seen in every step the dancers make.

Enrique Granados—”Oriental” from 12 Danzas españolas

This is a movement from a piano composition by the Spanish composer Enrique Granados. Tajo likes this piece of music so much, he choreographs his own dance steps to it. Granados himself plays the piano in this recording.

Elton John—”Tiny Dancer” and “Home Again”

“Tiny Dancer” is a song from Elton John’s 1971 album, Madman Across the Water. Tajo and Daray find the song online and decide it’s their song.

Another song by Sir Elton that Tajo likes a lot is “Home Again,” from Elton’s 2013 album, The Diving Board.

Arcade Fire—”Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)”

Late in the novel Feeding, this song by the Canadian band Arcade Fire becomes very important to Tajo. You’ll have to read the story to find out why.

Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot was originally a movie that was turned into a musical by Elton John. It’s the story of a boy who pursues his dream of being a dancer despite fierce opposition from his family and community. Tajo saw the musical on Broadway and immediately decided he wanted to be a dancer, too. Here’s a terrific number from the stage production.

Daphnis et Chloé

Daphnis et Chloé is based on an ancient Greek fairy tale. The ballet was composed by Maurice Ravel for the Ballets Russes and choreographed by Mikhail Fokine. Daphnis et Chloé is a tale of love, jealousy, and kidnapping with a pagan setting that concludes with a bacchanale, which, as Tajo notes in Feeding, is just another word for an orgy.

The Prince of the Pagodas

Benjamin Britten’s ballet The Prince of the Pagodas tells an original fairy tale of love, good, and evil through very striking and ethereal music and dancing. Tajo mentions this video performance in Feeding; it features Jonathan Cope, one of Tajo’s favorite dancers.