A Journey in Writing

Book Review Series: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Beautiful Redemption (Caster Chronicles, #4)

2014-09-05T08:36:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Out of the entire "Beautiful Creatures" series, "Beautiful Redemption" is my favorite. I was fascinated with the travel to the "otherworld." It seems that when I try to focus on the good parts... I invariably come back to the things that drove me nuts in this entire series. I had a difficult time connecting with so many characters. Some of the characters seemed arbitrary (i.e. the dad and Leah Ravenwood) while others were more flushed out and actually added to the story (i.e. Amma and Xavier).
Ethan and Lena are immature and rebellious and completely into themselves which is to be expected of teenagers, I suppose. But at times, I just didn't care a whole lot about them - although in this novel - I felt Ethan really became a much more powerful character overall.
Macon, Ridley, Aunt Prue, and Linkubus are, by far, the most well developed, believable, and interesting characters in the entire series. Based on these characters alone, I'd give this novel a 5/5.
Now, let's visit Lena's POV section - there was literally no difference, stylistically or otherwise, between Ethan's POV and Lena's POV - so I constantly had to remind myself: "Oh, right. It's Lena, not Ethan." Okay, maybe that's a little harsh - but I did love Lena's poetry portions and honestly, if her chapter had been written a little more geared toward someone with a flair for the dramatic - as her poetry suggests she has - it would have been clear from sentence one through the end of her section exactly who's POV I was reading.
Maybe it deserves a 3/5, but honestly, it's a beautiful story. In the end, that's what I'll carry with me from this novel.

View all my reviews

Check out Beautiful Redemption (Beautiful Creatures Book 4) on Amazon!

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Book Review Series: Robin Cook - Crisis

2014-09-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

Crisis by Robin Cook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always enjoy a good medical mystery and Robin Cook rarely (if ever?) disappoints, but, I'm not going to lie... 100 pages in and I'd just about had it with all of the legal/malpractice/court stuff and debated walking away. After reading the quote on the back cover of the novel, I decided it might get a bit more interesting. I wasn't wrong.
The twists and turns and "ah ha!" moments began and went right up to the end... even leaving me wondering exactly what happened.
I don't think Cook's characters are all that well developed as a rule. I mean, he gives it a valiant effort, but there seems to be something lacking in believability. The characters just don't seem real... and yet... that's not entirely fair or true. Jack, the medical examiner/brother-in-law is the best developed character in the book. He's also the "hero," as it were. He feels much more flushed out than any other character.
Also, the ending really did leave me guessing what on earth it all meant and left me thinking Cook tried just a few too many twists to make it more suspenseful than was necessary. Character development and plot twists aside, I've realized that none of that makes any difference.
I read Robin Cook because his ideas on the medical profession, pharmaceutical industry, and society are compelling.
On a scale from one to five - I give "Crisis" a four. I've knocked it down for confusing ending and a slow start.

Check out Crisis by Robin Cook!

View all my reviews

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Book Review Series: Veronica Roth - Allegiant (Divergent, #3)

2014-07-30T07:12:00.002-07:00

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Part of me thinks this is my favorite one of the three books. I love the world within world within world - which offers a look into our own crazy socio-networks between cultures and countries across the world. My biggest disappointment in this book in particular is how contrived parts of it felt. Maybe it's just me, right now, and where my head is at... but I do applaud Roth for going through with the ending - but if it's ever made into a movie, expect Hollywood to nix that.

The Divergent Series Complete Collection

Or Just Check out Allegiant (Divergent Book 3) today!

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A Long Year

2013-12-31T12:57:00.001-08:00

* Live * Laugh * Love *

This has been one of the longest, most painful years of my life. In December of 2012, I lost my Grandma. She was the most amazing woman. She raised me and my brother - which doesn't come close to describing how she gave her whole life to her family and died without a nickle to her name because she was happier giving it away than holding onto it.

A month and 6 days later, I got a call early in the morning from my sweet niece that my brother had died. I could jokingly say, "You probably know him," but the joke would probably be on me because you just might. He was larger than life and he knew everyone or he knew someone who knew you or you knew someone who knew him.

Eight months later, I lost my precious Granny. Eunice was the classiest woman I've ever known and I could never even attain her level of strength. Her husband, my wonderful Granddaddy, had just died in Dec of 2011 and my cousin and I had tag-teamed Granny to keep her busy and well loved. My hat's off to my cousin who lives closer and has Granny's strength more than the rest of us combined. I guess I thought we could keep her going forever.

To be honest, we prepare ourselves on some minute level to lose our elders. Well, I thought I did. I treasured each moment with them and asked questions and listened to stories and stared into their eyes when they spoke - their brown eyes - for each of these precious people had varying shades of the same brown eyes they passed on to me and two of my beautiful children. I watched Grandma tap her feet and pat her knee when good music came on. I watched Granny flick her pinky on the steering wheel to straighten her ring. I watched Granddaddy scrub his hands after working all day on his cars.

Before my grandfather died, I was facing a harsh reality - that my elders - those people who raised me - who watched me grow up from that scraggily-tanned-bushy-haired kid with scraped-up knees - would die one day. Three of my grandparents lived to 85+ and until 2010, when my great aunt died, I had started thinking ... well, you know... I thought these are two of the toughest women I've ever known and they'll outlive us all.

Grandma, Phyllis, lost her mother (we all called Mama) the summer after she took me and my brother in. Grandma told me so many stories through the years and I saw how much she always missed Mama. I began telling my children and husband that I didn't want my own death to define them. I wanted them to remember the love and wonderful adventures and the warmth. I wanted them to carry the love with them, but most of all, I wanted them to live happy, wonderful lives full of joy and love.

I hadn't even learned how to live in a world without my grandmother - the person I called almost daily to update, to talk to, to get advice from - to just chat with. My brother and I were talking more often, almost every day. He and I were going to figure out how to breathe again, together.

Then wham.

January 24, 2013.

Early morning call. The day played through my head so many times. The screams. That weren't mine. The tears. The disbelief. People asking me to call to verify, but hanging up because they couldn't talk.

The screams. Oh my god the screams. There are some things you never forget.

I wanted to be the one to scream. I wanted to wail. I wanted ...

A do-over.

I wanted to go back two days - even one. I wanted to tell my brother screw not having insurance and go to the doctor. I wanted to beg and plead with him that hospital debt is better than dead. I wanted ...

I wanted my brother alive.

Hundreds of people poured out to say goodbye to my brother. Everyone needed to tell me how much he meant to them - how much they loved him - how horrified and stricken they were at his passing.

I comforted. I smiled. I hugged. And I almost...

I almost screamed. I almost wailed.

I almost broke.

Amazon - Discover Your Voice
Shop Amazon - New Year, New You in Books

Day 25: Return from Blogcation

2012-04-24T22:35:00.001-07:00

Yes. I'm back after a little blogcation -

Did I cheat a little on my original goal? No doubt. My goal of writing every single day for 365 days turned into a goal of 365 posts - which left me so much leeway that now - I've used my loophole to avoid writing for twelve days.

But I came back.

I gave myself permission to not log in and write. I told myself it was okay because I was "thinking about writing" the whole time - unfortunately - there's no machine to take my thoughts and turn them into words on a page (see The Tommyknockers).

And on one level, I am thankful for that (see picture). On another - wow - the amount of writing that I would have finished by now. No one would ever, ever want to hear all of the garbage that runs through my head at any given time (no - trust me - you really wouldn't! stfub :)

So, given there's no Alienware to sub-atomically turn my thoughts into novels - I need a clone. With a clone - one of me could do my day job and one of me could write all day. On second thought, I might need two clones. One for day job, one for running the house (OMG, the house could finally get cleaned!), and the final one for writing all day. Hmm. Scratch that - I need three clones. One for day job, one for housework, one for writing, and one for gaming (thank you Blizzard and Battle.net for beta free weekend!).

This reminds me of David Brin's Kiln People. It's been years since I've read the book, but from what I remember, people could make duplicates of themselves to go about their tedious tasks - or illegal activities- while keeping the "real" person safe and sound. I can't tell you how much time I spend at work trying to figure out how to be in two places at once. Sometimes, I think I'm close to figuring out how to make it happen.

Once I do, I'll write about it - or "I" 2.0 will.

Sneak Peek: Visit tomorrow for a discussion on Stephen King's latest novel, The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel.

NOTE: All of the books I write about, can be found here: My Little Bookstore!
NOTE 2.0 Check this out Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Day 24: Special Announcement

2012-04-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

JK Rowling announced her new book The Casual Vacancy release date of September 27, 2012.
The Casual Vacancy is her first adult novel:

"In the novel, the unexpected death of Barry Fairweather leaves Pagford, the small town he lived in, in shock. Pagford appears to be a peaceful, serene town, but underneath that, it is a town at war. Fairweather's death leaves an empty seat on the parish council, and this causes the biggest fight Pagford has ever seen." (Huffington Post)

I also learned the JK Rowling website linked here and above is her new website that launched today. Good luck with it, though, I tried to check it out, but the "timeline" navigation leaves something to be desired.

I did read her Harry Potter series and I'm looking forward to reading her adult fiction. I look forward to reading something that maybe she didn't feel so pressured to write. Some of the Potter series felt rushed and unedited. I saw her speak several years ago (side effect - I was there to see Stephen King) and was quite impressed with her tales of writing the last few novels. Even then, she hinted there was an adult novel - not related to HP in anyway - and that was 2006, now that I do the math.

I think what I love most about this announcement ...

Can you feel the electricity? That moment of excitement that comes with the announcement of a new novel that could be huge? Did you stand in line for Harry Potter books? Twilight? Have you ever seen so many readers gather with such anticipation you could almost reach out and touch it? You walk around, watching the "real" fans decked out in full Hogwart's garb - and most aren't children.

You line up the night before, just to get a spot - to buy a book. You spend hours talking with other book lovers about what could happen in the next book - what's already happened in the previous books. You talk about the movies - the possibilities - and who would be Hufflepuff and who would be Slytherin - because either might be more daring and fun than Gryffindor.

Whether you even liked the Harry Potter series or the Twilight series, you can't deny they brought about an astounding level of excitement about reading around the world that's never been seen before. Of course, word of mouth is much better than the old days - now we have the internet (Thanks Al!) to share good-reads globally.

Will The Casual Vacancy draw the same excitement? Who can predict?

But, considering most children who began reading the series are now young adults - I'm guessing this could be a pretty exciting September.

We'll have to wait and see (to paraphrase Paul Sheldon).

(Visit J.K. Rowling's Amazon Page)

Day 23: Zombie Typist

2012-04-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here we are - Day 23 - the big 2-3. Yup. That's right.
I'm not even a month in. And for those counting - yes, it's been more than 23 days - but I've decided I will stand by my 365 posts - but they do not necessarily have to be consecutive. I will let myself have a day off now and then - especially when RL is a bit hectic.
I know - it's a cheat - but if I don't guilt myself about not writing, then the guilt won't keep me from coming back and facing my own failure.

The biggest thing I haven't worked out - the best time to blog.
For some crazy reason, I keep working on this late at night, while my dog, Dusty, lays on top of me chewing up his toy. Overall, I feel I'm doing pretty well if I'm done by 2am. So yes, when I say I'm sitting here asleep while blogging, I really am many nights (which is why some stop so quickly hehe).

Here's an unexpected side effect of this whole thing -
I can't get to sleep for a couple of hours after I close my MacTop2 - then once I fall asleep, I can't stay asleep for another two hours.
Some days I come home and nap after my "day job." Most days, I don't.

So, here I sit, eyes barely open, struggling to stay awake, knowing my minutes are ticking away - Until I reach the conclusion that I just can't keep it up for tonight and tell myself I'll make up for it tomorrow.

Really.

And maybe, just maybe, tomorrow I will try starting earlier.

Much, much, earlier.

Day 22: Part Two: Books, Kindles, or Zombies?

2012-04-09T21:08:00.001-07:00

So, where was I? Oh, right -

Love books - what about ebooks and zombies?

On the ebook front - I adored my Amazon Kindle. Instead of one or two books... I could carry so many. I got a lot of the free classics right away. I finally had a way to flip between the different books I was reading. As for actually reading on a Kindle, once you're reading, you forget you're not holding a book.

Another thing I quickly loved about the Kindle - I've had some weird issue with my hands for the last 10 years or so (not arthritis) and holding some of the bigger books became unbearable at times. Even trying to hold open paperbacks was a struggle some days. Holding the Kindle - even the larger 2nd Generation - never bothered my hands.

The readability on a Kindle is amazing. Not only does the Eink display look like a page out of a book, you can change the font size from smaller to larger - whichever way works for you. And although no one would ever/should ever purchase a Kindle for the Text To Speech, it offers hours of entertainment, in and of itself. Try it some time - the word "baby" is probably the funniest word to hear on a Kindle.

Clearly, I'm an ebook fan. I was reading ebooks before the term "ebook" was named. I am not a fan of reading off a computer screen - I'm guessing it's the lighting (but I can spend hours on Pintrest.com and DYAC on my computer...).

So - it's clear - I'm a book fan. I'm an ebook fan.
Did buying a Kindle curb my "real" book purchasing? Sure. Of course it did. Now instead of $80 book purchases every few months, I spent that much about every six months. 2 things changed - 1. I now take my Kindle with me (or Kindle app on phone) and double check prices. 2. When I do go into a real bookstore - I spend money in the store and on my Kindle at the same time - which often is double the amount I used to spend on books.

Today - I still own my original Kindle, but I also have a Kindle Fire. The Fire is compact, touch screen, sleek, and downright beautiful. But, I can't put it into a baggie and sit in the hot tub with it and I can't see it well in direct sunlight. That's where my older Kindle comes into play - along with real books.

I also cannot believe airlines make you turn off your eReader in take off and landing - but because they do, I still carry a book or two when traveling (looks like that might be changing!).

So there it is - Real books vs. Kindles - Questions?

Why did you not discuss Nook or Sony's eReaders?
Right - I'm not going to discuss Nook at this point because my choice remains Kindle. As for Sony's eReaders - I played with them a lot through the years and, although they have great features missing in Kindles (one great feature - Removable Memory Cards - SD or otherwise), I felt they were bulkier, heavier, and slower to "turn" the pages. (FINE: Nook - touch is not as responsive, the Nooks in the store crashed every time I tried to do anything - overall performance was lacking in comparison - there.)

What on earth do Zombies have to do with this conversation?
I thought you'd never ask -
When the Zombie Apocalypse occurs - electricity will vanish - trumping all eReaders.
Books need no batteries.

I win either way.

Day 22: Part One - Books, Kindles, or Zombies?

2012-04-08T21:33:00.002-07:00

I've weighed in on the debate between real books vs. ebooks with friends and family for several years now. I remember the excitement I felt as a child digging through the stacks in the public library.

As a teenager and an adult, I had always carried a book in my bag (okay, at least one book, sometimes two). If I didn't have it in my bag, it was only because I tossed it out into the car at the last minute. A few years ago, I remember my friend seeing a book sticking out of my bag and she asked, "So, what? Are you planning to be bored?"

Even though most of the people in my life are readers, I've never quite been able to fully explain my need to have a book with me at all times. I mean, you never know when you might have a couple minutes to read. Out to dinner - your friend goes to the bathroom and you're just sitting there - Standing in line at the grocery store, bank, post office, etc. - Going to the restroom yourself...

Anyway -

I vividly remember the first time I saw my daughter's friend's Sony Ebook Reader. I wanted one. I wanted it so bad I could hardly see straight. I love reading, but I read what my mood fits, so I'm often in the middle of two or more books at one time (see previous posts for current list!). I went right out to Borders (bye bye Borders, so sad) and fondled the ebook reader. I didn't get one right away - in fact, the first Amazon Kindle came out and I still didn't get one. The biggest thing that kept me from it immediately - cost. That first Sony reader was over $300. I can't remember the first price on the Kindle, but I remember it being pretty high as well.

So, did I break down and get an ebook reader?

You bet your butt I did.

I first picked up the second generation Amazon Kindle. Honestly, I picked Amazon because I've been buying from them for so long and often that I used to get Christmas presents from them in the 90s. I remember the mailman (ahem - "postal carrier") asking me once how I liked Amazon since he was delivering it so often to my apartment. This was before the shipping rates were jacked up - but I only went to Barnes & Noble to pick up books I needed (or wanted) immediately (rarely went to Borders as their shelves were not as well organized and I struggled to find anything).

I digress - to be continued...

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part Two - Books, Kindles, or Zombies?

Day 21: World of Words

2012-04-07T22:21:00.003-07:00

The blank page haunts me.

Again.

Not for lack of words - they roll around in my head all the time. But as stated from the beginning of this blog (okay, by "Day One" post) and my friend, Liz, pointed out - I avoid writing. So here I am - avoiding.

Again.

Have you ever loved doing something so much that your biggest fear is failing? Have you ever loved doing something so much that your biggest fear is succeeding? I'm pretty sure I suffer from both of these. But in the end, what does it matter? I swim around in my own words, struggling to write. Struggling not to write.

I've tried a plethora of tools to aid in my writing - pencils, pens, typewriters, computers, laptops, books about writing, books about not writing, digital voice recorders, tape recorders...

I thought maybe if I got a degree - or two (yes, thinking three might be the trick...). Maybe if I had a room to shut myself into (which I promptly gave the kids) - maybe if I went out in public...

Maybe if I stop using ... and - I could come up with something good. Maybe if I stop using the word "maybe" in every sentence...

Words rolling and riding with no etc and no dashes to hinder the flow. Building sentences, thoughts, and ideas into a story. A moment.

That moment. Where you're hooked into the life and love of some character created out of someone's imagination constructed of real emotions with dream-like qualities. That instant when visions of another world fill your soul. The moment where you visit a land built purely in imagination.

If only someone can find the words.

I'll keep looking for them and get back to you.

Day 20: Visual Happiness

2012-04-04T20:31:00.002-07:00

Check out PulpFactor.com for more amazing affirmation posters!

Day 19: Look over there!

2012-04-03T22:06:00.001-07:00

I am certain no one noticed anything funny over the last day... surely I didn't miss a day or anything! I figure I gave a visual break and a post in one day - and I just needed to go to sleep. I tackled a migraine and am back and at it - ready to come up with more words to put together into sentences.

Today, I saw this posted on Pintrest (from Etsy.com).

Of course, it got me thinking - Okay, What do I love? I mean, other than the obvious - family, friends, and pets.

At first, I thought - Writing ... I love writing.
But then I thought - Could I write about writing in relation to this "motivational poster" because in reality, I avoid doing what I love every day - I avoid writing.
So then, I asked myself, "Do I love writing?"
I mean yes - I'm haunted by words and ideas and stories and thoughts. But does that really mean I love writing.
Is it love or is it insanity?
Or maybe there's no difference.

With that answered - What else?

I love reading - and I do read every day - maybe not as much as I'd like, but I'm almost always in the middle of two books.

Currently, I'm reading (oops! 3!) American Gods, Selection Event, and Explosive Eighteen. In all honesty, I've really got more than that going, but those are the three I'm working on daily - if only a few paragraphs here and there.

These books couldn't be more different than the other.
Neil Gaiman's novel, American Gods, is ripe with science fictional characters drawing on mythology. The main character, Shadow, is dark, mysterious, and oddly trusting and loyal.
Wayne Wightman's novel, Selection Event, is a futuristic view of society following the fall of man. Martin, the main character, is thoughtful and tough - and definitely a survivor.
Janet Evanovich's novel, Explosive Eighteen (A Stephanie Plum Story!) is an entertaining chick-lit novel about a female bounty hunter. (It's also a novel I wouldn't have bothered picking up years ago - now I view this type of novel as my "candy" - a fun and entertaining read, lacking grit you can sink your teeth into, but fun as all hell.)

Obviously, I can't get too much into these novels as I haven't finished them, yet. I'm almost done with the first two and barely into the third.

So yes, I do love reading - I love books. I love holding them, carrying them, and sharing them (not necessarily in the "loan out" sense - I might not get them back! So, if I really want someone to read a book I love, I buy it for them haha). Sharing a book is so much more than just loaning out a book, anyway. It's getting into the ideas, thoughts, and emotions that novels/stories evoke.

My friend, Liz, and I used to sit and read together for hours. Sometimes we'd read the same book, most often we read different books. She used to say she enjoyed watching me read a book. I'm all over the place. I can't sit still. I read for a bit, then I put the book down and look around. It looks like I'm bored - but in reality - my mind is filled with the story. I'm walking down the path laid out by the author. I'm living the moment - basking in the words. I have to take time to live in the world.
To join the world that's been created for me (I know, I know, not me in particular - but since Stephen King writes "Dear Constant Reader" when addressing readers - and I happen to be a Constant Reader, I just imagine they are all writing for me, so there...).

And I do join the world while I'm reading and when I put my book down and stare off into space, often with a smile on my face or a tear in my eye.

Okay, I don't want to prattle on (see Annie Wilkes), but I think I'll pick this back up tomorrow - if that's the way the wind blows...

X

Day 18: Let Sleeping Zombies Lie

2012-04-01T21:45:00.001-07:00

Fiction is the truth inside the lie. ~ Stephen King

It wasn't easy to talk myself into logging in here tonight and write. I spent at least 30 minutes telling myself It's fine, skip ONE night. As you can see, I went through the thought process about the whole deal and ended up here. Doing this. All the while my dog, Dusty, is half laying on me as he bathes and pants.

I guess there were plenty of April Fool's pranks online and otherwise today.

Twitter announced they are changing tweets from 140 characters to 133.
(oh my!) I know I was worried.

That reminds me of a funny joke.

(To clarify: This refers to a Gilda Radner joke)

Alas, a Visual Break

2012-03-31T22:24:00.002-07:00

Zombie Shakespeare

According to an educated Hot Topic Employee -

This is Poe!

Day 17: Here we go again!

2012-03-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

So, I declared on facebook that I wasn't going to post tonight. Then I started thinking...

That's how I got where I am today - a writer who doesn't write -

So here I am.

Writing.

See the words? Sentences? It has to count for something.

Right?

Oh, that reminds me - All the links in my posts are actually set up by me - not some random linkage sending you off to Dictionary.com. Well, except for that one - but I did that, too.
Some send you off to Amazon.com, or YouTube.com, or whatever site I think fits - some are just funny. (Earlier posts had tons of links, but some will not work because I did them wrong and eventually I will go back and fix them.

But not tonight.

Oh, yeah - I was surfing earlier and came across Cleverbot.com and was happy to know that the answer to life, the universe and everything is still - 42.

At least some things never change.

Day 16: Walking Cliff Notes

2012-03-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

First, let me clarify something from my previous post -

I know what you might be thinking - No, I didn't have or consider having a sex-change, nor did I have relations (by any definition) with women. I am married to a wonderful man (a reader, of course!) with three amazing children, two dogs, and three cats. I just wanted to hang with the boys - and have all of the advantages boys had that I didn't (I've been rejected and practically laughed at for going for jobs as a female - furniture store in Colorado Springs - hiring manager said, "I can't believe he[district manager] sent a female for this job. That's just what we need, another woman." And Wal-Mart - manager said to me, "You'll only make a quarter more an hour and we don't need women with children in these positions. We need men because they can work in any store.")

With that out of the way - On to something more interesting, if not a little sad -

Mega Millions - Who didn't have a moment of thinking about what you could do with all that money? I rarely play - maybe once a year or every couple of years. I never let myself think too much about things like that, but even I had a moment of excitement figuring out what I would do with all that money.

In reality, even a thousand would make a difference. Oh, this brings up a thought - "Deal or No Deal" -
I was always shocked when someone would say, "I didn't come here to win $25,000. No Deal!" I always thought, "Well, why not? It's $25,000 more than you came with!" I don't know about you, but $25,000 - okay call it $16,000 after taxes- would help me considerably. I mean it won't clear off significant debt (doesn't even touch college tuition plus interest x 3), but it certainly would help out along the way. As much as I always wanted to go play the game because I was pretty good at it from the sofa, I would bail as soon as they offered anything. I mean, here - I guarantee you $30 - or turn it down and maybe you'll double it or maybe you'll get nothing. I don't see the problem. Something is better than nothing.

Sure, it would have been fabulous to win $640 million. Instead, I'll go to work on Monday morning, live paycheck to paycheck, and continue to be haunted by the one thing I truly want to be -

A writer.

SSDD

Day 15: Confessions of a Ghost Reader

2012-03-29T22:11:00.002-07:00

I have a confession...

I desperately wanted to be a boy growing up. Boys were cool. They demanded classroom attention - and often got it. They could say and do things girls weren't allowed to say or do. My brother could come and go without question and so could I - if I was with him. Men were tougher, meaner, got better jobs, sweeter cars, and made more money.

While I know I was addicted to reading by 2nd grade, I finally realized I wanted to read what boys were reading. Of course, this was after reading every Judy Blume book, all of the horse books (Black Beauty and a bunch of others that I can't quite remember the names of now), and Nancy Drew books. I think my granny bought me my first Nancy Drew, which, of course, led me to the library and a wonderful discovery - The Hardy Boys.

Here's what The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew taught me - girls needed rescuing, boys saved themselves. I'd seen all the movies of women fainting and screaming (see Gone with the Wind and Psycho). Seriously, which would you rather be? (Even now I don't want to link a bunch of stuff to Nancy-girlie-Drew!) This shift to The Hardy Boys was more than just a book choice - I joined the high school math club - maybe there was one other girl, but I only remember the boys. Well, one boy (that's a story for another day!).

Although I didn't know a lot of guys who were readers, I dove into reading books by male authors because boys didn't read female authors (mostly true even today?). I would pass over any blatantly girlie (see Confessions of a Shopaholic) books in lieu of mysteries (Kellerman), horror books (King, VC Andrews), and sci-fi novels (Tolkien and Heinlein). To be fair, I didn't know VC Andrews was female until after I was hooked. I really thought that article was the one I read and that she had chosen to write as VC Andrews to appear to be male. I'm not sure where I got that notion from, but it certainly helped me shape my life.

There were times I wondered myself if I was interested in all of these "male" books or if I was interested in the boys these "male" books tended to attract. To this day, I'm still not certain there's a clear answer.
And in the end, does it really matter? Thanks to my friends now, I've moved out of the idea of male vs. female and have learned to embrace my womanhood (okay, that makes me laugh - while I'm not a tomboy, I still belch with the best!)

Okay, so enough about boys...

You've heard of ghost writers? People behind the scenes who write books for other people without taking credit (hey, I think I'd like a gig like that!).

Well, tonight I took on a Ghost Reading gig - for free because I heart Sara -
it was kind of a joke, but we'll see. Maybe we'll talk about the book - if you want to.

I have decided to go ahead with my announcement - but not until Sunday :)

Day 14: Quote of the Day

2012-03-28T22:30:00.001-07:00

Writing is difficult on a good day - not the actual words flowing from fingertip to page (keyboard), but from the head to the fingertip is a much longer journey.

I struggle most with my internal editor - that voice that tells me everything I write is going to really be bad, so why bother? This is my goal - as suggested by Stephen King:

"I believe the first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than three months…Any longer and — for me, at least — the story begins to take on an odd foreign feel, like a dispatch from the Romanian Department of Public Affairs, or something broadcast on high-band shortwave duiring a period of severe sunspot activity." (Stephen King On Writing)

When I'm writing, I don't like to talk to anyone about what it is I'm writing. I feel like the more I talk about it, I guess I just get tired of hearing it... but it's more than that - I just need it to be fresh as I write it. When I talk about what I'm writing, I feel like the story has no surprises left. Then I get bored with it and wind up with nothing but a few dozen pages of what amounts to an old story that's going nowhere.

What I like about trying to just plough through a book is that I have less time to contemplate every single word for accuracy or excitement level. For god's sake, just write the story already! (Don't mind me, I yell at myself a lot.)

National Novel Writing Month uses the same idea King writes about - just squishes it into ONE month, not three. I've done it once, but honestly, I will be lucky to get a few chapters out... if I can ever face my old writing again. I've lived with my stories for so long, I can't imagine anyone would want to read them.

But, enough of that for now -

Time to curl up with a good Jenna Marbles vlog and call it a night.

(Hope you like the new look! I liked the other look, but my Granny needed to be able to read it better - so I hope it helps!)

Day Thirteen: "Writer's Walk"

2012-03-27T20:54:00.001-07:00

Another blank page to fill with words.

This is the first night I haven't come to the page with something stirring in my brain to start working out. Okay, there are things - 7 billion people gone in a flash (see Selection Event) - and there are Gods among us (see American Gods), but mostly there's just ...

Okay, so I went onto Reddit earlier and I ran across a blog by some person writing weird "Jane" stories. I read a few and tried to figure out the attraction because there definitely seemed to be one as it was the third story from the top. (I tried to find it again, but no luck - maybe tomorrow!) The stories were high-schoolish - sort of like Mean Girls. Okay, the first one was funny - the rest were just different scenarios with the same idea.

But in the end, whoever this person is writing these weird little scenarios is writing, now isn't she/he?
Instead of writing, I think I'll go to sleep now. My dog, Dusty Mocha (bushy-haired Cocker Spaniel who (yes, he's a who not an it) doesn't at all look like a Cocker and should have been named Paul Anka) keeps trying to use my Mactop as a pillow and I am giving up the battle.

If you need further encouragement to write, see Natalie Goldberg and her book, Writing Down the Bones. You won't regret it.
Any day now, I will take my own advice.
Maybe tomorrow.

Thursday, for sure.

Absolutely Friday, though. No doubt.

("Writer's Walk" refers to Stephen King's Bag of Bones)

Visual Break

2012-03-27T14:41:00.001-07:00

My Yearly Flower

Day Twelve: The Path of Writeousness

2012-03-26T22:37:00.003-07:00

So, yes - we all know movies based on books can never be as good as the novel. Well, I should say - Readers understand that films adapted from novels will never be as good as the written word.

Some movies are adapted with the understanding that readers are the audience - at least that's the only explanation that I have come up with, so far. I think on some levels, this is true for the entire Harry Potter series. Movies - from the reader's perspective - should be seen as a supplement to the written story. While, with some films, I've gained a deeper understanding of characters and/or plot.

There are times, though, when something doesn't necessarily scare me - like clowns or spiders (okay, I do squeal a bit with spiders and maybe hold my breath while releasing this odd choking sound, but in the end - I know I'll kill it if I have to). So reading It wasn't incredibly scary in parts (SPOILER - can't believe I'm writing that considering the book came out over 20 years ago...). Like in the end, when they were chasing down the spider. I mean, sure, going into dark tunnels with creepy-crawly things everywhere and some murderous thing you're not even sure what it is, of course it's scary - but when it came down to a spider, I remember thinking, "Hmm. A spider? Really?" That doesn't mean King didn't find many other ways to scare me to death in the story - there was plenty of other creepy things (like drains - I agree, Mr. King. Drains are just about as creepy as they get... especially when they might have a "shit-weesel" swimming in the toilet - wrong book, same idea! See Dreamcatcher).

Stephen King is such a master of horror because he knows very well how not scary something can be if you name it too quickly. Who doesn't stop and think about King on Family Guy with his (oooo) "Haunted Lamp!" - or was it "Lamp Monster?" (Now I digress -King on Family Guy cracks me up! You gotta watch). It's the unknown that's really scary because we, as readers, fill in our own deepest fears. Once it is named - the same thing can happen to you - maybe spiders just don't scare you, either. (Just like clowns don't scare me - but Pennywise sure does.)

The thing is - Stephen King could write the story about a haunted lamp monster and scare the crap out of all of us - because we wouldn't know it was about a haunted lamp until half the people in the story had been either eaten, sliced, diced, smashed, slashed, or split (or all of the above), but by then, he's got us, up alone at night, trying to finish the last 40 pages of the 1200 page novel. Lights on, doors and windows locked (hopefully), and a phone within reach with 911 punched in and ready.

Just in case...

Coming Soon:
I will be reviewing Stephen King's new book: The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel next month!

Day Eleven: Words into Vision

2012-03-25T22:02:00.001-07:00

Yes - Day Eleven and still going! At some point I need to do this a little earlier so I don't fall asleep mid-sentence. Thankfully, you can't see the drool on the keyboard, so all is well.

I was thinking more about the book to movie adaptations that failed. One in particular comes to mind (because I really worried that The Hunger Games make the same mistake) - The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) -

The books were cleverly written and definitely on the dark side. The movie was a farce and "prettied" up for audiences. To be fair to the filmmakers, certainly put a lot of work into creating Lyra's world, but the true sense of the novel was completely missing. Although it's been a while, the one big change that didn't seem to make sense from the books to film - why change the name of the armoured bears to ice bears?

Okay, if I'm going to point out these changes - Why on earth did the name get changed from Northern Lights to The Golden Compass, anyway? There's a good explanation, I'm sure, but I figure it's because deep down, the UK feels Americans are just too dense to get some of the subtleties of British words (see Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone).

I guess I just don't like change...

That really started as a child - even younger than the Freaky Friday incident. I could blame more directors, screenwriters, or even Hollywood or the audiences - but really, it's all of these things that just boil down to one thing in particular - money.

I mean, I get there are people out there making these decisions - but seriously - I wish directors/producers/screenwriters and actors would stop one minute to consider the integrity of the novel - it doesn't have to be bigger and grander - you've got the audience built up - especially on the bigger selling novels.

So this whole thing came about because I really hoped The Hunger Games film would meet or even exceed my expectations after having read the book. I will be buying the movie when it's out - with pleasure.

So, in writing this, I find the movie Avatar running through my head, but I will leave that conversation for another day.

Day Ten: Visual Words Continued

2012-03-24T20:03:00.001-07:00

So, where was I? Oh yes, vaguely talking about book to movie translations -
Since I was a child, I've longed to see movies made from books, but so often, I'm disappointed. I've tried through the years to enjoy the movies separately, but the first few times I see a book adaptation, every change is a glaring reminder that the "Dirty Birds" got it wrong! (See Misery)
Like Harry Potter - Am I the only person who noticed that his scar is in the wrong place? I mean, I get that some things don't translate well to film, but couldn't we get the small things right? What's the problem with hanging onto a modicum of integrity to the written word?

This is where I have to take the movie for what it is - a separate telling of a similar story. I've found that once I've seen a movie a few times, I lose the memory of some of the details (the scar is STILL in the wrong place!), but not all.

Now, this is how I try to watch films on the first go 'round, but it's just so difficult. I went to see The Hunger Games again today. (SPOILER ALERT) Yes, some changes bother me although some of the changes I understand.

I totally get why the mayor's daughter is removed from the film. She's really a secondary character that doesn't move the plot along to speak of - except for that one little moment where she gives the mockingjay pin to Katniss. Unfortunately in the film, the pin loses a lot of its power when Katniss finds the pin on her own while she's trading in the black market. The mystery behind the pin's history held much of the plot together. Now that I think about it, the loss of the game player's tokens, in general, weakens the historical link so prevalent in the books - from the meaning of the mokingjays in that evolved from the oppression of the people but became the voice of the people through song.

On the other hand, additions to the film filled in some back-story that was interesting to witness - like the gamekeeper's death. Other films have additions that often become bigger than the film and book ~ see Jack Nicholson in The Shining. There are amazing moments in so many films -

But nothing compares to those moments that reading a novel brings. Reading allows each of us to bring our own ideas, thoughts, and dreams into a new world of amazing characters filled with new hopes and dreams.

Find your words - Find your dreams

Day Nine: Visual Words

2012-03-24T00:43:00.002-07:00

Do you like yesterday's cheat post? You can thank my daughter for that one. She pointed out Pintrest and I had to give it a try. Oh right, then I went to the midnight release of The Hunger Games.

First, I'd like to say, I've always been critical about book to movie adaptations - and yet completely taken with them. I used to say Freaky Friday was the first time I read a book and begged Grandma to take me to see the movie (during the movie I told her every detail that was different from the book). But, I think my real first time with this experience was Charolote's Web. I read the book in second grade - and honestly, I was hooked on reading. That's also the first "real" book I remember reading.

Book-to-Movies appeal to me, but I am often disappointed. Overall, I think most movies cannot capture a book because we fill in all images based on words - and rarely does a movie capture the sense of our imagination. However, I believe Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series mastered this in a way other directors/movies only hope to achieve. His vision remained closely linked to the written word and some of that probably comes from his love of the books - but another part must have included his desire to create films that only supplements the novels, not replaces them.

It's no secret that I'm a huge Stephen King fan (no no, not his "number one fan!" Just an average fan who's followed his work since I was a teenager). When it comes to books, well, picking favorites is tougher than it is to say which I could go the rest of my life without re-reading I enjoyed the movie Misery so much. Kathy Bates was amazing in the role. And yes, the book was very close to the movie - but there were some others that didn't work very well - in comparison.

(almost 4am - going to break here and continue this tomorrow... I know, I know - really cheating all over the place!)

Arkansas Sunrise

2012-03-22T17:53:00.003-07:00