Tuesday, March 28, 2006

MidSouthCon 2006

At the Holiday Inn Select in Memphis, TN March 24-26th I had the pleasure once again to be a guest at MidSouthCon.

I did couple of anime panels as well as the Yard Dog Road Show, a reading, and the ever popular "Dark and Stormy Night" panel.

The "Dark and Stormy Night" panel is a last day panel for the enjoyment of the fans and torture of the panelists (but it is still a lot of fun as you can make your fellow panelists cringe in horror! Bwahahaha). The premise is that throughout the con, the fans have been putting quotes from movies, TV, commercials, books, whatever on pieces of paper and piling them in a bucket. On the day of the panel, a setting is chosen by the audience, then the panelists must take one of the pieces of papers and incorporate whatever is there into the tale being spun. Makes for a lot of hilarity and comedic faces. Add in Selina Rosen, Lee Martindale, myself and the two other writers (I am ashamed to say I forgot their names! Argh!) and it was a ball! If you ever get a chance to go to one of those - don't miss it!!!

Made a number of new friends like Joy Ward and Haley Elizabeth Garwood and Kara who were a total hoot and definitely made the hours pass quickly in the dealer's room. Also had some great conversations with some of the dealers as we sat around and pushed our wares.

To my pleased surprise Order of the Stick was at the con! It's a comic strip on the web that is a total hoot. It's done by Rich Burlew. The art is done in a funky style, but the wit is razro sharp. A must for anyone who has ever gamed. Too darn funny!

Great guests, great panels, great friends - not much more could be asked for! I had a very good time. Thanks all!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

EPICon 2006

From Thursday to Sunday I was in san Antonio attending EPICon 2006.

A con mostly for writers and publishers interested in e-books, it is still a great venue for anyone interested in the craft, with lots of panels and demonstrations.

What makes this convention even more fun are the extras that come with it. Admission gets you fed most of the weekend for one. We also got a private tour of the Alamo (which was a lot smaller than I thought it would be), and a ride on the canal on one of the riverboats. Because we were considered a tour group, we even got taken to places people do not get to see on the regular rides. Yay! Our boat driver was awesome too, had a ton of information.

Of course the con is also a great place for networking and talking one on one with e-book/print publishers. The highlight of the con is the EPPIES, awards for fine writing in e-publishing, presented by the MC for Life - Jeff Strand. Normally a very shy individual, he out does himself every year causing audiences to roll on the floor. He is a hoot! (His horror mysteries splashed with a little comedy are not half bad either!) :P

The location for 2007 will be Virginia Beach, Va and looks to be shaping up to a fab time! We get to take over a beach hotel! Oh yeah!

For more info on EPICON, the EPPIES, or EPIC check out http://www.epicauthors.com/

Movie of the Week - V for Vendetta

WOW! All I can say is WOW!
Truly enjoyed this movie. I was crying everywhere but honestly loved it. (I cry easy at movies so don't be concerned.) :P Natalie Portman was wonderful. Everyone was. And the voice of V was perfect.
Interesting story line, good action and combat scenes, lots of symbolism everywhere. It does slow down a little in a couple of places and they would show certain flashbacks a bit much, but aside from that it was perfect.
A grand mystery of vengeance, which layer by layer lies exposed until the truth shines.
My husband saw it last Friday while I was away at a con, and actually looked forward to seeing it again when I got my chance on Sunday. With him, this is rare!
Oh, and once you see this film, you will never hear the 1812 overture quite the same ever again. :)

****
Go see it now!

Friday, March 10, 2006

Movie of the Week - Shaggy Dog

I love Tim Allen - all his movies are a hoot. Shaggy Dog is no exception. Lots of fun and feel good moments. And some definite comedy. If you love dogs, this movie is definitely for you. They definitely did their homework. Too darn cute! ***3/4!!

Friday, March 03, 2006

Movie of the Week - Ultraviolet

Well...
I has hopeful expectations on this one, especially after the fun with Aen Flux. Unfortunatly it did not live up anywhere near.

Some neat effects, some cool tech, but way too little explanation on things. Another 10 minutes would have done a lot for the film. And there were other problems, like some issues with the fighters and #'s vs 1. Some of the fights were too fuzzy. Though the one on the roof was sweet.

Nice try, but needed more. **1/2

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Cross-Eyed Dragon Troubles Sample Chapters

Cross-Eyed Dragon Troubles now has sample chapters up at the website. Just go to http://www.gloriaoliver.com/crossedsample



Here's some quick info on the book. Should be released in 2006 by HardShell Word Factory.

Talia didn’t want to be apprenticed, not even to the prestigious Dragon Knight’s Guild. She is taken to the school by a cross-eyed dragon and his partner, Kel. A dizzying, madcap ride leaves her less than eager to be a knight, but soon she finds out the guild has need of many types of people. Running into the dragon and squire again and again, she comes to realize the unlikely pair are outsiders in their own school—participants of the dragon-human pairing ritual, which in the end didn’t work quite as intended. They are stubborn loners who are determined to overcome the obstacles in their path and make a true pair, as was intended. Or are they?
As Talia’s first year at the guild evolves, she must deal with the quirks of the Administrator, her lessons, the odd rules of the school, the students, the mystery of Clarence and Kel, and somewhere in there, possibly decide what it is she wants for her own future.


If you have the time, please check it out!

ConDFW

ConDFW just completed its 5th year this past weekend. For those not in the know, ConDFW is a Dallas, Texas Sci-Fi/Fantasy convention.

Despite the tons of rain, all the guest panels seemed to be very well attended. Conversely, the dealers room was dead! Was quite weird. But the concom told me the two seem to flip from year to year for no reason they've ever been able to pin point.

I did still sell 4 books, so that covered my cost of the shared table. Phew! Luckily Yard Dog Press, which was also in attendance, did much better on the book selling front. But then again, when you have 10+ Yard Doggie Authors on hand to sniff out customers, of course they will come! lol.

Met a bunch of fellow authors that it is a always a pleasure to see and had some good conversations with them as well as several fans.

Looking forward to coming back in 2007!

Where has the time gone?!?!?!

*sigh* Don't know how this keeps happening. I blink and a month has gone by, I've done no updates, buried in email, far behind on promo, and let's not talk about work! lol.

They say that the older you get the faster time passes. To be honest, I think this is true! It's almost like the time lived weighs against the time being lived and so it zooms in our perceptions the older we get. A very strange phenomenom. Of course, the more fun we're having the even faster it goes! :P

Movie of the Week - Pink Panther

(Oh my! It's been a month since I have blogged? Where has the month gone????)

I was hesitant to see this movie. Not because I don't like Steve Martin, he can be a real hoot, but being Peter Sellers would be a feat few could attempt to accomplish. But hubby wanted to go, so I finally caved.

The movie was fun. The people involved definitely wanted to pay homage to the old films. So much so, that it begins with the Pink Panther theme and even the Pink Panther himself, as well as a new Cruseau toon that more resembles Mr. Martin.

A lot of slapstick, some recurring jokes, even some serious matters, egad! A couple of spots were totally hilarious. Steve puts his own spin on the detective and does fairly well. The James Bond joke was too funny. No Kato though, which was too bad.

Overall a pretty cute, funny, and entertaining piece. ***
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