Movie Review - The A-Team

The A-Team

Staring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Quinton Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Gerald McRaney, Brian Bloom, Maury Sterling

Premise: Two US rangers meet two others through fate as an op in Mexico goes sour. Eight years later, the four have become an elite combat unit -an Alpha Team. They go ahead an take on a missions they've been told to stay away from, they find themselves set up to take the fall when it all goes fubar back at the base. When they are given an opportunity to escape from high maximum security military prisons, they take it and go off to try to clear their names.

Review: First off, this movie was AWESOME! I watched the A-Team back in the day, and despite the needed suspension of disbelief, it was always a fun and entertaining TV show. The movie remake is all it was and more!

It also gives us something we never did get in the TV series - the A-Teams' actual origin. Even better, we get to see how the four met in the first place. We see how high they rose within the military, and then the crime they got labeled for and how they escaped prison. Fan dream come true!

When the first news of the film started coming from Stephen J Cannel's Twitter account, I wasn't sure if they could pull it off. I need not have worried. They pulled it off an more. And weirdly enough, it's the little moments that totally take this movie from just a ton of fun to great. Plus all the little quirks of all the characters are there. We even see how they got some of them. They may not have been the original actors, but they gave them true life. Even better, we have sideline plots for BA and Face, giving the movie unexpected depth.

If you go see it, make sure to STAY TILL THE END OF THE CREDITS! There's some awesome fan service there with a couple of cameos. And I loved the way they did it. Priceless! Even better are the bits with music and even video from the original show that get snuck into the film. The folks who made this movie obviously loved the show. Kuddos!

So if you enjoy action, a good time, some off the wall hi-jinks, and loved the original series for the fun it was, this movie is totally for you!

Rating: ****3/4

Movie Review - Prince of Persia

Prince of Persia

Staring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Ronald Pickup, Richard Coyle (OMG! Jeffrey from Coupling!!!!)

Premise: The king of Persia adopts a young boy after seeing him do a courageous deed. Fourteen years later, his adopted son is on campaign with his two brothers (the king's true sons) and the king's brother. Having obtained information from a spy that the holy city of Alamut is forging weapons for their enemies, Tus, as the brother in charge and heir to the throne, decides to attack the city despite his father's orders not to do so. Dastan ignores his brother's wishes and attacks the city from the side to minimize casualties on both ends. When he accidentally ends up with an unusual dagger, he gets thrown into a cyclone of treachery and mystery, as he is branded a murderer and traitor to the realm.

Review: Okay, I better get this off my chest now cause I can see it disrupting my attempt at a review if I don't. :P

Prince Tus is played by Richard Coyle. Didn't know he was in this movie! Loved, loved, loved Richard Coyle as Jeffrey in the British comedy by Stephen Moffatt's (who's done some of the BEST new Dr Who episodes and is now in charge!!!) Coupling! And he's got long hair! He looked GREAT! But every time his character chose badly all I could hear was Jeffry's mother going "Ohhhh Jeffrey" in her deep disapproving tones in my head. ROFL! Totally awesome to see him again! (And on a totally random side note (did warn you all!) just saw on IMDB Mr Coyle is playing Ludwig Von Lipwig in a TV rendition of Terry Pratchett's "Going Postal" - How totally awesome!!!! Now if I could just get a hold of it to see it...) Wheee!

Ahem...back to the review... Prince of Persia was a nice, action filled romp! The back and forth play between Dastan and Tamina were pretty good. Sheik Amar was a hoot. Beautiful scenery, cities, buildings. Tons of acrobatics. I've not played the original game, but it definitely had the feel of one here and there as our hero jumps from building to building, flips, runs over the tops of camels, and other fun bits. Even a section was very reminiscent of the game Assassin's Creed (though for all I know that game (which the one scene and the activation chamber make me soooo dizzy - the game not the movie - making it hard for me to play...) took it from them instead. Whatever the case, there's loads to see and appreciate. The ostrich races were too funny.

Special effects were great. Some of the baddies were just creepy. And what they did with the snakes? Pretty darn cool. Loved the sand devils mode of transport for those guys - just a nice touch of mysticism there.

Any major surprises in plot? No. But then this isn't that kind of movie. Just a fast paced good time. Though the switch at the end did seem to almost come out of nowhere. Did not fit with the facts we'd been given up to that point. I may have missed something though. Still totally worth it for the action antics. Acting was pretty good too!

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Movie Review - Shrek Forever After

Shrek Forever After

Staring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Jon Hamm, John Cleese, Walt Dohrn, Craig Robinson, and a tons more!

Premise: Life for Shrek has turned somewhat predictable and sedentary after the birth of his kids. Finding it hard to find time for himself, he starts pinning for the olden days when he was single and had no responsibilities. Rumpelstiltskin finds out about his desire and cuts Shrek a deal, one with unexpected and dire results.

Review: All of our old friends are BACK! The same elements we've come to know and expect in the Shrek films are totally there. The songs, the jokes, the fun and excitement. Think of this as a mutated version of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and you'll have some idea what to expect. Except there are added wrinkles. What Shrek thought he was exchanging for 1 day can actually become the new permanent reality and a grim one at that.

It was a lot of fun seeing the old gang and how they would be if Shrek had never entered their lives. Plenty of homage fodder as usual. Cookie in the Spartacus/Gladiator bit almost killed me. Rumpelstiltskin (and his wigs) was a hoot. The trailer park for the lowlife element and the others thrown in there were too much fun. Witches were a hoot. Loved Rumple's goose companion as well. Puss in Boots, as usual, steals much of the show. :) And Shrek's successful wooing practice is definitely only one ogres would love. Heh heh. (And Fiona kicks some buns! Dang girl!)

While nothing truly unexpected, they still managed to throw a curve ball or two, which was great. Overall a fun, dazzling ride. Made me want to go watch the first Shrek all over again really bad! Heh heh.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Another Goodbye - My Feline Master Keiko

Some people believe that animals have no feelings or personalities. Anyone who has ever owned a pet for any amount of time can tell you different. Cats, dogs, ferrets, birds, they all have distinct personalities, likes, dislikes, moods, even humor.

Pets can be your friend, console you when you're sick, boss you around. They may not be able to speak in words, but they can communicate with you all the same. The better you know them and they know you, the easier that communication becomes. Some are extremely intelligent, others dumb as a box of rocks. Mellow, mean, happy, moody, easily bored, ADD, cruel, kind every extreme found in our own species can be found in theirs.

This week I lost my feline master and friend - Keiko.

Keiko was a fourth generation cat in our household. Her great grandfather was my beloved Lestat, and her great grandmother was Gretta. Grandmother was Claudia, who survives her at this time thought she's looked like she's been about to kick the bucket for years. (She will probably outlive us all!) The mother I did not know, as she'd been adopted by my mother and sister-in-law from one of Claudia's litters. Keiko was born at the Beltline house and after much prodding by my daughter, and my gooey husband capitulating to her whims, we'd brought the oh so cute (and I had resisted so well! I had just about escaped!) black kitten home.

Keiko was black from tip to tail with golden eyes and utterly adorable. Though she didn't smoke cigarettes, she was of the Nermal line, looking diminutive and cute her whole life. As a kitten, she'd been fearless. She would approach strangers in the house without a qualm, until she was somewhat traumatized by one of my husband's friends and then she grew extremely shy of strangers. (Steve, you fool! *shakes fist*)

More trauma was visited on her when we had to leave her and the others as outside cats for a few months, as our old house sold too quickly, the new one was not finished, and we had to move into an apartment complex for several months that didn't allow pets. She did not take well to being outdoors. Shell shocked from three seconds in. Coming by on weekends and spending time in the back yard with treats, I had no problems consoling the others, but Keiko remained aloof and distant, a tree her permanent perch.

When the time came, however, I was able to entice her close enough to reconnect and take her and the other back us once the house was finished. We settled in to our new place, and she slowly came back to herself. I will NEVER put a friend through this kind of hardship ever again. (Lost Gretta because of it, Lestat got kitty aids, Angelique got locked inside a storage shed in summer without food or water for days before we found her and got her free. Never, never again!)

Lestat was king in our house, and though he allowed me to lavish love on the others, he was top cat. On his passing, Keiko took up the mantle, having been the self designated heir for sometime.

Twelve years she spent with us. She ruled with an iron paw for one so small, but was normally quite gracious. My lap was her throne. She watched over me constantly and made demands when she deemed she had a need and castigated me when she felt I was laughing too loud or seemed upset. She comforted me when I was sad or ill, making sure not to leave my side until I was better. She took all the love I could heap upon her as her due and never complained in that regard.

In the last several months she'd become thinner than her already svelte self. We'd assumed it was just age finally catching up to her. In no other way did she seem different. But in April she looked like she was not feeling well, spending a lot of time in the bed during the day, which was unusual for her. She seemed to rally after a few days so we figured she'd just caught something we, the humans, were passing around.

On the day I got back from Conestoga I realized something wasn't right. Her poor belly was distended. I just about freaked. But we didn't take her to the vet. A sad experience with Miaka, the beloved ferret we lost a couple of years before, made us hesitant to take her in.

When the bloating didn't go away, however, I caved and my son-in-law was kind enough to take her to the clinic. Later that day I got the sad phone call. Keiko had cancer. There were growths on her liver and it was too far along to do anything about it. While chemo was an option, there were no guarantees. I couldn't see putting her through that. While you can explain to a human what chemo is and why they feel bad during treatment, how do you do that with a cat?

The vet felt we had a month with her, maybe two. I fought to hold it together and lavished what love I could on her as often as possible. The diagnosis came on 5/7/10. Rather than a month, Keiko left us in one week. She was gone by the afternoon of Friday the 14th. My husband had had a feeling she was going that morning before we left for work. The way she just lay unmoving on the comfy pile of sheets my daughter had made her, the fact she'd stopped eating the night before.

I petted her gently that morning and got a soft purr in return. Despite my husband's prediction, I didn't think it would be so soon. The son-in-law was home and keeping an eye on her, making sure she was comfortable. Daughter called me that afternoon after she got home.

Keiko was gone.

My husband had checked on her and realized she had left us sometime that afternoon. He buried her in the rain in our backyard. A feat he would not have done for just anyone.

I miss her terribly. She was my friend.

Good bye Master Keiko.

Movie Review - Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Staring: Robert Downey Jr, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L Jackson, Clark Gregg, etc.

Premise: Now that Tony Stark has revealed himself to the world as Iron Man, he's having to deal with some of the fallout. The government wants the suit, his industry competitors want the suit, some aggrieved people he's never even heard of want pay back. But the one thing most prominent in Tony's mind is the ticking time bomb in his chest. While the power source keeps him alive, it is also killing him with toxins. His time is running out and he's not taking it very well.

Review: The grapevine said that there'd been problems with Terrence Howard, the original Rhodey, so they'd had to get someone else to play the part. While Mr. Cheadle has been around and has been known for some very fine work, the spark between his Rhodey and Tony Stark just wasn't as pronounced as it should have been. Not that he was given much to work with, so it isn't entirely his fault. But it was something that hurt the film somewhat.

With Pepper now taking a back seat in the plot, that also didn't do the film any favors. (I also have to agree with Rob Thurman, they're just cruel having her running around on those heels! Oi!) Even the poor robot, which had caused such laughs in the first film, got his time cut. While understandable due to the plot and the time constraints, it still hurt the film.

There were definitely touches of comedic moments, but nothing like the original. Something was lost here as well.

The special effects, Stark Expo, the tech, all were FAB! The flight sequences, the race sequence, the explosions, all of that was utterly awesome. In the digital finesse of IMAX, it will have you drooling. Robert Downey Jr was excellent once again as Tony Stark, showing the multiple sides and complexity of the character and his many facades with ease. Very much enjoyed Mickey Rourke's addition as Ivan Vanko. Just the right touch of reckless madness and creepy. Mr Rockwell was well suited to be Mr Hammer, a man with power, who let it get to his head, yet always still looking for just that bit more of acceptance at any cost and never realizing what an idiot he's making of himself trying to copy others. (Kinda felt sorry for the schmuck! Heh)

The action sequences with Scarlett Johansson were a total blast! Made it all look so easy~! And way more believable than Hit Girl. (Sorry Kick-Ass fans!)

Poor Stark's house gets trashed yet again. That awesome place has no hope or survival. Good thing it's isolated!

Overall, the movie kicked buns even as it fell short of the original. I was way way relieved they didn't do the normal process Hollywood tends to go with these hero films when they decide that one bad guy is not enough to make a movie with. They kept it to 1.5 bad guys and extra plot complications. That worked quite well. Yay! (I can't believe how these movie people will not get the hint that multiple villains DO NOT WORK! You can have awesome scripts with just 1 bad guy. Really!)

Definitely go check this puppy out!

Rating: 3.75 out of 4

P.S. While the movie website is gangly and hard to figure out, it does have some awesome stuff in there. Even more fun are some of the associated sites under Extras like the Stark Expo 2010. Let the expo map load and you can click on some of the buildings. Some of these have even more sites attached. The Japanese one was the bomb! And wait till you get a look at the new sonic fire fighting equipment. (There's video!) Whoever organized the web presence went way out of their way. Awesome stuff. Now if only the main site had been more friendly. I almost missed out on all this! (Make sure the click the tiny nav square on the left side.)

P.S.S. Of major disappointment was seeing that while there's an AC/DC Iron Man 2 CD for the movie (AC/DC Rules~!) the background music soundtrack is NOT available! You can hear tracks from it at the main website, but that's it! ARGH! Soundtrack junkie needs will not be met for me. Nooooo!!!!!

Movie Review - Losers

Losers

Staring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada, Jason Patrick, Holt McCallany, etc.

Premise:An elite special forces unit is sent to Bolivia in what should have been an easy in out tagging mission. Things get complicated when they find out the target is using 25 children as shields. When the voice on the other end of their comm link refuses to call off the air strike, they wade into the estate and save the children then get out before the place blows to kingdom come.

They stay behind giving their extraction space to the kids, only to watch them be vaporized after take off.

Presumed dead, the team exists in Bilivia trying to get enough cash to make it back to the states, until they're approached by the spitfire Aisha who not only wants to help them get out, but wants their help getting revenge on 'Max' the voice on the com link.

Review:This was a fun action flick. Has little pretension on being more than it is, which was great. The bad guy was bad, the good guy was good, and everyone was tarnished in one way or another. Bullets and explosions flying left and right. And two side characters made the movie for me: Jensen and Cougar. Jensen was a manic hoot and Cougar was just cool! Heh heh.

The interplay between Clay and Aisha was a lot of fun too. Volatile relationship indeed!

Max, the bad guy, was pretty cookie cutter though the actor made him very creepy and worked him out pretty good all the same. He had a bad hand and eventually we got a look at it, but what happened to it was never mentioned or explained, so I felt a little cheated. If you're not going to tell me, why bring it up at all?

There's a plot twist or two though none of them all that surprising, but still fun. And we truly see the Puerto Rico giant dish not just a picture of it, they were there! (Sorry X-Files, still sore about that one...)

So if you're looking for a fun romp with tons of action and nice bits of comedy, Losers might just be what you're looking for.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

P.S. The movie's website has a cute little shooter game. Totally cracked up that Jensen's piece is his hand. ROFL! (You'll understand once you see the movie (or the previews))

Movie Review - Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass

Staring: Aaron Johnson, Garrett M Brown, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Chris D'Amico

Premise: David, a typical nerdy teenager, ponders why people don't actually try to be superheroes. Not able to see the downside, he decides to try to be one and his life is changed forever.

Review: ***WARNING*** This film is ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NOT FOR CHILDREN!! *** The R rating is well deserved and though the commercials paint the premise as somewhat light hearted, the subject matter digs deep enough and the violence escalats enough you should see the movie yourself before deciding if it's okay for kids younger than 16 or so.

I'm of two minds about this movie. I've been trying to hash this out in my head for a good half hour plus and I keep vacillating. So let's give it a shot.

For a good, ton of violence, bad guy stomping, comic book quoting movie - it's great! Any male geek and non-geek out there will love it. It has a lot of great lines, there's homage all over the place to comic books and superheroes and villains everywhere.

They don't hold back any punches in things dealing with teenage boys and what they think about and do. And the angst of trying to find your niche in life. Some of the situations are even comedic. But beneath the comedy they also broach deeper subjects.

Yet it is here that I think they failed. Even as they bring out the reasons why we as people do what we do and aren't dressing up in costumes or even putting ourselves in harm's way, they ignored others that directly relate to their subject.

SPOILER ALERT! Big Daddy has his reasons for doing as he has. That he would not hesitate to kill tainted and yet non-threatening people (or have his daughter do the same) was understandable. Yet the fact he crossed a line, not only killing killers but those who just happened to be associated with them, which made them not heroes but murderers was never broached. Kick-ass, as the comic book lover that he is, would have known this. It should have been a point the character should have at least thought of or commented on to us in his dialogues. But it was ignored just so more death could be had.

I'm probably making more out of it than I should, but it soured things for me. If you're going to make a movie about people being costumed heroes, who read about superheroes, you can't ignore this. Even the superheroes who cross the line and kill usually have problems murdering bystanders, regardless of who they're associating with. It was a subtle thing that for my years of comic book loving, I could not believe got overlooked or glossed over like it was. Again, it might just be me and a high moral horse. No one else in the group of us that went even mentioned it. Yet it screamed at me from the screen.

For a film trying to deal with costumed heroes in a realistic setting, they also stretched things quite a bit. To most, however, it probably won't make any difference.

I will say that the performances were pretty good all around, and I especially enjoyed Garrett Brown's performance as the evil mobster. Nicolas Cage was also a hoot. There were also a lot of unexpected turns, which was nice. The action scenes were pretty good, and though some with Hit Girl were way out there, there were still others with her that were definitely believable and very nicely done.

And Hit Girl, sorry, but if you're going to show me grenades and put them on, you really should use them! Two pin down sections could have been easily resolved if she'd used what she had! lol.

With a little more effort, Kick-ass could have really and truly kicked ass. Oh well...

So my advice, don't look too deep beneath the surface and just enjoy the ride. Will make for a better viewing.

Rating:***

Movie Review - The Bounty Hunter

The Bounty Hunter

Staring: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Gio Perez, Joe Garland, Jason Sudeikis, Dorian Missik, Christine Baranski, and more...

Premise: Bounty Hunter gets his dream assignment when he finds out there's been a warrant put out on his ex-wife. Knowing her like no other, he takes the job, but it ends up being more than he ever bargained for.

Review: What shone the brightest for me in this movie was the utter glee of Aniston and Butler in playing their roles on this film. It was a blast just to watch them go at it. Weirdly enough, the whole revenge angle and some of the things Butler's character does will totally appeal to guys! His romp through her apartment had my husband and his friend howling with evil glee.

The plot ends up throwing together a bunch of different concurrent, yet unrelated complications, adding to the fun: stalker coworker, gambling debt enforcers, the mystery Aniston's character, Nicole, skipped her court date for in the first place. And when some of these items intersect, the fun just sky rockets.

Nicole's Mom, Kitty, played by Christine Baranski, was a total hoot!

Some slapstick, miss communications, car chases, people chases, gun fights, bar brawls, gambling, and battles of will ensue. Two people who went too fast, burned too bright, and didn't communicate, both almost destroyed by the depth of their feelings, finally, get a clue. But will they learn anything? If you're looking for a bit of fast paced fun, this one's for you!

***1/2

Famous Spots and Expectations

I've been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel here and there at different times in my life, even out of the country. (And if my dream comes true and I win the lotto someday, I have a ton more I will be going to visit!) The biggest thing that's whacked me over the head when I've gone to some of these places, more specifically the very famous ones, is how due to the media, there's a built in expectation of what the place will be like that doesn't often actually meet with reality.

It's possible this is just me, but I doubt it. As I will endeavor to explain. (I'm bringing all this up as it should be something that as authors or even tourists, we keep in mind when writing about or are thinking going to somewhere - so there's a reason for this madness.) :P

My first encounter with this phenomenon was the first time I went to Japan years and years ago.

Tokyo itself was what I expected. A big modern metropolis with tons or people, trains, posters, buildings. The big surprise there was the little bits of 'old' like small corner shrines, monks, and the like you'd see sprinkled here and there. But overall, I got as expected. Kyoto on the other hand...

From movies, TV specials, and the like, my mind's eye had a certain view of Kyoto. When Kyoto was in movies, etc they tended to only photograph and focus on the old part of the city, the small section kept as it had been back in the samurai era.

And when I first went there I was in literal shock to find the city to be a very modern affair! You actually had to work to find old architecture and the quaint little places I'd always seen before. The old quarter is very small and totally surrounded by the modern everything.

It wasn't to be the last time I went somewhere and was forced to realize things were far from what we're normally shown.

The same thing happened to me on my near miss visit to Las Vegas and the strip. (Convention was in a nearby town not in Las Vegas itself. Got to peek at it as we went around it and later drive through it when my flight was canceled. Leg problem and not able to afford $75 taxi bills kept me from the strip. So close and yet so far!)

Anyway, I digress. Las Vegas mostly looks just like any other city in the US (Except for some giant billboards!).

The strip itself is only a few blocks long and if you walk away from it, it's as if it never was!

The latest one I faced was New Orleans. The big whoop you always hear about is the French Quarter. But it too suffers from the same media blitz and fairy tale making, a lot of other famous places do as well. Yes, what they show you does exist, just not in the proportions they like to show. (It was amazing to see how much the city has recouped from Katrina though!)

So you can go from beautiful and picture perfect to fantasy shattering reality by just going down a different street.

I guess what my point is, don't just believe the media. As both a tourist and an author, make sure to dig a little deeper. Not only can it make your works more true to life (and won't get you laughed at by those who live there), but you might spare yourself a nasty, unexpected surprise. :P

EPICon 2010

Last week was EPICon 2010 - a convention that's held in a different city each year by EPIC - the Electronically Published Internet Connection.

Unlike the rest of the conventions I attend, Epic's is strictly for e-book publishers and authors. No fans. (Well, writers are always fans too so I'm not exactly telling the truth, but you know what I mean.) :P So it can be a great venue for picking up new tips on marketing, making connections, networking, doing pitches, etc.

This year's convention was held in New Orleans!



I got to walk around the French Quarter for a couple of hours and we also had a boat ride set up through the convention aboard the converted Mississippi River Boat Natchez.



While you would think that only a few ours out in the outside world I would not be able to take a lot of pics, I'd have to point out you'd be dead wrong. I have shutter finger big time! If you're interested in taking a peek at the photos, you can see them here.

While a lot of the topics discussed were a lot of the same ones we've had before, many of the guests themselves were vibrant and new and gave us new insights, which was fab. Some personal favorites were: Deidre Knight, visiting as ebook author more than agency owner (she does some nice off the beaten path romances - I very much enjoyed the Butterfly Tattoo, which she won an EPIC E-book Award for that weekend! Congrats!); Deborah LeBlanc, paranormal author and Cajun to the core (she was a giant bundle of concentrated energy! Very inspiring! She will catch up to James Patterson yet!) and also heads up www.literacyinc.com; Holly Jacobs, enthusiastic, fun and made the mistake of sitting near me for the banquet (we had a blast talking about Wii Fit agonies, heh heh), and several others.

Totally top on my list, however, was Forensic Anthropologist Maria Allaire. I'd been weeping to myself as I would not be in Dallas for a lecture on forensic anthropology as I would be out of town yet got one anyway! YES! *pumps fist* Dr Allaire belongs to the Louisiana Repository for Unidentified and Missing People, which supplies services for the state to try to identify the identities of remains for which the police are not able to get a name for through usual investigation. Her passion for her work shone through the entire double panel. I had my geek on so bad! We learned the most interesting stuff about maggots, their habits and life cycles. High speed velocity impacts vs blunt force trauma vs sharp trauma, differences between antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem and how they can tell that's what injuries are. She brought props, she brought slides, I was bouncing in my seat and writing like mad. SQUEEEEEE!!!!

Of course I got to see many old friends and made some new ones, which is always great! A lot of sickness was going around, which was somewhat of a bummer, but I mostly came out unscathed on that front. *knock on wood* Was totally jealous of some of the other peeps who got there a few days early and did tours like mad. Scums! Heh heh.

Hope next year is even better! (Yeah, no pressure, guys. Hee!)

Read an E-book Week and Free E-books!

Hi,all!


The time has come around once more for Read and E-book Week. E-book awareness has been rising in the last few years. And you all can cash in big time with some free books!

Don't know what an e-book is? Would like some info? EbookWeek.com has set up a page to discuss what they are, the numerous ways they can be read, free computer program readers, resources and more.

Zumaya Publications has also jumped into the act by offering several of their titles for FREE for the week! One of them is my first book In the Service of Samurai . So if you've not given in to temptation before to check it out, this might be the time!

Here are all the free books Zumaya has place for the week so far:

In the Service of Samurai by Gloria Oliver (YA Fantasy)

Synergy by M D Benoit (Science Fiction)

Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows by David Lynn Anderson (Fantasy)

Milky Way Marmalade by Michael DiCerto (Science Fiction Comedy ala Hitchhiker's)

The Dream Ender by Dorien Grey (Thriller)



So how about checking out what e-books are all about and getting some free reads too! Should be a blast!

Tell your friends!

Have a good one!

Gloria Oliver
Unveiling the Fantastic
www.gloriaoliver.com

What's in a Name?

Couldn't go to sleep last night and was wondering what to blog about this morning. Then it hit me - names! I could talk about names!

But what's in a name, you ask? Loads! Especially for writers.

With a name you can give the reader a bunch of information without ever actually having said anything. Let's try 'Jorge Winchester' for instance. What does it tell you? On a guess, you might say that Jorge comes from a couple with Spanish heritage, probably on the mother's side, and a more English/American bent from the father's side possibly California. (We're talking about assumptions here, guys, subconscious items you can seed in your readers' minds, so you may not have come up with exactly the same. Yet the clash of two cultures is still evident.) So right away something's already been stated about Jorge without ever spelling it out. Of course as the reader continues to learn about Jorge more will come out and it will be seen if this might even be a point of conflict for the character.

(Laughing at myself right now. First name I picked was Jesus. Spanish speakers would have read it in the Spanish as I'd intended (hehsuus), everyone else would see it in English (Geesaus) as both are spelled the same but pronounced differently - doh! But something else to keep in mind as well when choosing names!)

If possible try to keep a list of the names you use as came up with them for a story or book. Reason for this is so you can make sure to make the names different enough from one another so as not to get the reader confused. The bigger the cast, the more important this becomes. You should try not to have characters with the same beginning letter for their names. If you have an Ash, Ann, Arthur, and Alice the characters will start running into each other especially if there's large gaps between their sections. Much easier for the reader if they were called Ash, Mary, Lance, and Deidre as they are all varied and unique. The chances for confusion then are greatly decreased.

In fantasy or science fiction names are a great way to differentiate between races and even social status in your worlds. But you also have to watch not to get the names too gangly or long, as you'll lose the reader that way too. If you find someone needs to have a long fancy name, make sure that while someone speaking to them might use the long form, when you refer to them in the narrative, you have a shortened version or nickname to refer to them by. This will help the readers immensely but also give you the benefit of using the name itself as a variable on the culture.

I have a character in one of my novels called Daltimonious, but when he's with friends or when referenced in the narrative, I used the shortened form of Dal, which is much easier to read and recognize. (Plus he hates the longer name anyway - a fact Rostocha is very well aware of and therefore loves to use it on him on occasion just to watch him cringe.)

Consistency is also key if you're making your own societies or races. The uniqueness will help segregate and again build things in the background for you that won't necessarily need to be explained, but will shine in their own context. A perfect example is the Spanish use of 'Don'. In reading a story if characters call out to older men as Don Diego and Don Rodrigo but call the boy only Simon, the subconscious will pick up on the implication that 'Don' is an honorific of some sort and possibly an address of respect. In English, 'Don' has the equivalent use of Mr.

Just more details to keep in mind as you go about your writing! Hope it was at least semi entertaining! See you!

Catch Up Ramblings

Yo, all!

Had back to back conventions so have not been able to do any blog posts. Work's been busy too! Darn it! So let's see what kind of damage I can do this morning, shall we? Heh heh

February 2-5, 2010 saw me at AggieCon. It was nice to be able to go on down there again. Run by alumn and also current students, it has been a staple at Texas A&M for many years. This was the first year it was held off campus, as most of the space that used to be available for the convention has had to be converted for other things. Been seeing many of the ConCom's peeps at other conventions in 2009 trying to see how others did things. For their first time in a totally new venue, I thought they did an awesome job! Congrats, guys!

What I did enjoy more than usual too were the room parties. Mostly put on by other conventions trying to attract pre-registration members, and groups doing World Con bids, they tend to be incredibly packed affairs. I'm not like the biggest party goer around (I tend to be more of a wallflower. I'm shy... I just am!) and when it's wall to wall people, hot, and noisy, it tends to put me off. But because of the new venue and possibly students needing to go to bed early (crazy, right?) they were much more lightly attended than normal and that was awesome! Made the parties quite relaxing! Even got to harass some peeps. Bwahahahahaha! (Oh and being on a panel with A Lee Martinez and Rosemary Clement-Moore when they're both real tired was a blast! Oh the blackmail material! YES! Bwahahahahahaha!) Ahem...

And while I have done readings at the Yard Dog Press Road Shows before, this was my first time actually taking a part in one of the small Who Done It Bubba Mysteries. I gave all my clues away as I didn't know how we'd know what round we were in, but was able to errr salvage the situation. Yeah! I said we had us a Government Conspiracy! Woot! Heh heh. Was a lot of fun.

Also had an added treat, as I was asked to introduce Martha Wells (Texas A&M Alumn) at her Q&A and reading session. Only mispronounced a thing or two. And didn't fall on my face, so it was mostly successful on my part? Eek!

Want to thank Rie Sheridan and Mel White for helping me and Kathy Sullivan with rides to and from the airport down there. The ride with 3 of us in Rie's small pickup was an adventure all on its own. Hee!

February 12-14, 2010 was spent at ConDFW! Since it's super local, I dragged my daughter along so she could ply her wares for Chibi Chains as I hocked books. Weirdly enough while people enjoyed looking at her colored chainmail jewelry, it was her Japanese chainmail blocks that were popular! Especially with teenage girls. The things are fun to play with!



Had a great time seeing peeps and talking up a storm. Also helped judge the costume contest for the first time ever! I even tortured those who showed up for my reading with a short story I've been kicking about and then asked them for comments to help improve it! Bwahahaha! (Bet they were not expecting that! Hee hee!) Ended up being too tired to do the party runs. Ugh.

What else? Oh, I'm going into Movie Theater withdrawal. Between the cons and all the OT hubby's had to put in at work, we've not made it to the movie theater in weeks! Eek! And there's stuff I wanna see out! Oh noes! Need to sneak in one or two somehow before I come up to the next convention. lol.

Have an awesome day, ya'll!

Fans Beware!

A couple of years ago, I did a post on fans and how we should never forget that authors, actors, artists, sports stars, etc are all people too and should be respected rather than treated as property. The blog post was called "The Dark Side of Fandom".

This time out I figured I would cover an offshoot issue from this. One that affects fans rather than the those we are fans of. And that's the issue that there are people out there more than willing to prey on fans by passing themselves off as the stars we look up to.

Honestly, my naivete sometimes runs into the incredulous, but occasionally I get a clue. I don't think I would ever actually believe a star I met online would ever want to meet me in person, but there are those who might. I'm on a list for my obsession "Supernatural" (though season 5 may quickly drop me back into just regular watcher status - 9 out of 12 episodes having crap for scripts is NOT good. Waaaahh - but I digress...) and through several conversations and items/information that have been posted, this area of inquiry came up.

In the last several years there have been people who've shown up on Facebook and MySpace claiming to be Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. They've massed a ton of followers, they've posted updates, and acted in everyway as if they're the real thing. Unfortunately, they weren't, but fans didn't know that, and there have been instances where these predators have tried to "meet" with some of those following them for mischief. Something that could be quite dangerous.

And while eventually these people get found out and closed down, more spring up. Jensen and Jared have stated before that they do not have or will ever have set ups in social networking sites. (With their schedules - not time!) Yet the trouble has become so prevalent that they've now been forced to do a quick video stating so to make sure fans become aware so they don't get preyed on!



It's just amazing to me that anyone out there would use someone else's name and fame to prey on others.

Some of the networking sites are even coming up with ways to try to safeguard us and the stars. Twitter now has a means for people to get a "seal of authenticity" put on their Twitter page so fans know they are the real article and not some poser. Not all stars are using this, as not all are used for preying on others, but it is definitely something to be aware of.

So be a fan! Follow the peeps you like, but be careful. Let's keep fandom, fans, and stars safe!

Marketing Experiment # XXX - 140 Character Quotes

Several months ago I got an idea for an online marketing experiment from something Rachel Caine (marvy urban fantasy and YA author) was doing using Twitter.

For her bit, she was linking a partial quote from the about to be released Morganville Vampires Book 7 called Fade Out and including a link to her LJ so readers could see the rest of the selected quote. (MV7 totally rocked, by the way!)

I decided I would try something similar, but with a Twitter twist. I would actually try to make the quotes fit into Twitter's 140 character limit as well as include a purchase url for Amazon or just the name of the book the quote came from depending on space. (Sometimes nothing as a couple of the buggers were too long!)

For each book, I went and hunted for 20 plus quotes from the beginning chapters. The plan was to Tweet quotes 3 times a day. Reason for doing it 3 times was because people aren't always on Twitter/Facebook at the same time the quote would be posted. The two different Twitter Utilities I use seem to only buffer about 100 Tweets, so assuming most others were about the same, I wanted to send enough of them out there to hopefully get included, but not so many I would seem to be spamming the netwaves.

I use two different utilities to check Tweets. At work I use TechHit's TwInbox. (TwInbox basically lets you create a folder for Tweets in Outlook and feeds Twitter into it. It also means I don't have to have any suspicious software on at work or an internet page up. :P) (I love that I can forward Tweets with interesting links via email automatically too to peeps I know who don't use Twitter. Somethings just have to be shared!) At home, I use TweetDeck. Tweetdeck lets me see feeds from Twitter, My Space, and Facebook, plus I can upload comments to all 3 at once.

So, armed with a week's worth of quotes for each of my four books - In the Service of Samurai, Vassal of El, Cross-eyed Dragon Troubles, and Willing Sacrifice - I set off on this mad marketing experiment!

Today is the last day of the fourth week. Since I included urls leading anyone who was interested to Amazon, I figured using my ranking #'s there for each book would let me know if anything happened at all.

I'm afraid to have to report that the impact of this experiment very well seems to be Zero~! But at least now I know. Of course there's always the possibility that the full impact, if any, is not yet visible. It's the biggest problem with trying any type of marketing for books as there are time when the effects are felt long after you've stopped pursuing that particular strategy.

In some ways too, I was probably preaching to the choir - most of those following me have probably already read some of my work. To get others on Twitter to see it I needed to use hashmarks like #ya #fantasy, but I don't think I thought of using those until well into week two at least. Doh. (hindsight is 20/20)

Now to think of something else to try!

ABC's Marketing Genius

Since marketing is a part of the duties of an author, I like to keep my eyes open for what other people are doing even in other venues.

This particular marketing tactic of using multi outlets is something ABC has done before. In 2004, when Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital came out, they got with Hyperion books and put out a tie-in book called The Journals of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation of the Kingdom Hospital Incident. It was a great way for fans of the mini series to get a little more juice out of it, to give the experience another level and get more information.

Well, the same type of multi media experience for fans is being repeated again with ABC's new show Castle, staring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, but in some ways it is at a whole new level.

Castle is about a mystery writer named Richard Castle who through his huge stack of contacts gets permission to follow after Lieutenant Kate Beckett as she goes about her work in solving murders in New York City. Castle is an incorrigible free spirit to Beckett's very strict no nonsense personality, but does add a different point of view and knowledge base, so the team dynamic actually works (all to Beckett's chagrin) and more crimes are getting solved than would have without him. Meanwhile, Castle is using Beckett as the inspiration for new set of books.

So comes to life the character of Nikki Heat, who he will be using in his new series, the first of which will be entitled, Heat Wave.

In the show, we see Castle start and finish the book, as well as actually get it published. It has a cover, it has a dedication to Beckett, they talk of passages in the book. And here is where the beautiful part comes in - Hyperion actually printed a 'real' book called Heat Wave written by Richard Castle for viewers to buy!

The front and back cover is the same. The back cover has a picture of Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle for the author. And then, to sweeten the deal, they went a few paces further, which so totally makes the fantasy weave in with the show and bring the audience in.

The dedication of the 'real' book is the same as the one talked about on the show. There are actually passages in the book that are of things Castle learned during several of the cases in the episodes, or even things he brought to the table to help the police. (The discussion on all the varied names for a 'perp' for instance. Castle's acquaintance with an art thief he'd befriended on research for another book. Other little things like this.)

Better yet was the mention on the show (as Beckett is trying to read the new book - as she is a fan of Castle's - though this is something she would like him not to remember and is sneaking around to read the thing) of the 'hot' scene on page 103. Which in the 'real' book, is exactly where the romance heats up.

As a fan of the show, these ins and outs just tickled the heck out of me and shot my enjoyment of the series and the book by multiples. In New York they even did book signings with Nathan Fillion playing his character to sign books!

(As for the book itself, it's pretty good! On a personal level I wished they had not made it so close to the show (a reporter has tacked himself on to Heat's team to get the inside scoop on crime solving), but the mystery itself and all the awesome tie-in bits made it a total treat.)

This is a wonderful example of how to grab and give a treat to your fan base. That's some marketing ABC. Kudos to you!

Nostalgia Food

Monday I read at post over at www.terribleminds.com (Yeah it was Chuck Wendig again) talking about needing to eat a good breakfast to get those creative juices flowing. For me, it actually threw me back thinking about breakfasts I used to have back in the day. That night, due to an odd set of circumstances that are not important here, I ended up on my own that night, so scrambling in the kitchen I set out to see if I had what I needed and took a trip into nostalgia land.

Come with me on a little journey...

Sometimes it is the simplest things that will stick with us and will poke at the old memory centers. Simple input that will transport us far and wide to places we've not been to in years. So it was with me Monday night as I partook breakfast for dinner.

This breakfast I only had occasionally and normally at Mamacita's house (my grandmother on my mother's side). My grandmother could burn water - yes, there's an art to that, and she had the skills - but there were a few things she could actually cook. And those that she did, she did well. My favorite of hers was her Asopao (chicken and rice stew), but that's for another day.

The first part of this breakfast was Puerto Rican coffee. We don't drink coffee made of water on the island, no sir. Our coffee is made with milk! (Once you grow up on PR style coffee, American coffee just tastes like bitter awful water. Eek!) Put a cup of milk in a pan and slowly heat it until the fatty part separates to the top. Skim off the fat and pour the hot milk into a coffee cup, add a pinch of instant coffee and sugar to taste and voila!

This is where Mamacita's genius came in. She would take pieces of cheddar cheese and drop them into the coffee. In the hot milk, they would get soft and melty. Make some toast, add butter. Take your prepared bounty to the table and sit.

The scent of coffee wraps around you like a comfortable sweater. Picking up a piece of toast, you dunk it in the coffee were it soaks up the smooth taste and mixes with the butter. Take a bite.

Bliss.

Follow this with a sip of the coffee itself. Mmmm.

Even better, take your spoon and fish in the bottom of the cup for a nice, melting piece of cheddar. Entice your taste buds into a mad frenzy with all these flavors mixed in together. YUM.

Comfort, warmth, and memories...

Heaven...

Try to think of something simple that transports you somewhere else. Share it. Indulge in it. Relive the past...

Difference of Heart and Mind

Yes, I know! Been neglecting the blogging. Argh! Time just constantly seems to be running away from me. Will be trying to make a more concerted effort to post more regularly, but no promises. :P (Need a blood infusion from Chuck Wendig at http://www.terribleminds.com He blogs every DAY! Dude!)

Anyway, back to the subject at hand - mind over matter, heart over mind, logic over illogic.

I've been having to see a number of specialists in the last few months as I've been trying to narrow down some overall health issues. Nothing life threatening just inconvenient. It's been like a mystery hunt, striking off possibilities one by one. (Was amazed at the difference in life it makes to be Vitamin D deficient! Holy moly!) Truly amazing how sometimes the simple things can totally create major havok! Eek!

So after some chest x-rays, then a cat scan, then some ultrasounds, it was decided I had some nodules growing from my thyroid nodes. Saw the thyroid specialist (Side item -- both times I went to see specialists for the first time in Nov/Dec it snowed in Texas! At no other time but on those days, and down to the hour before the appointments! Oooo!), who after doing his own lookie-see with his ultrasound rig at the office said he'd need to get samples of my little darlings to get tested for the Big C. (My Christmas Eve present. Hah!)

Okay...have to come back a week later. Going to insert long needles into my throat to get a sample of the little darlings. No biggie. They've done it hundreds if not thousands of times... Get a local anesthetic I will apply myself. Nothing to worry about...

Tick tock tick tock.

So I do some research. (Had done some even before I saw him the first time.) Nothing to worry about. Simple procedure. But...I've never had it done to ME before...

It's amazing how something you know is routine takes a whole other aspect in the panic of the heart/feelings when it needs to be done to you. It's a whole other ballgame than when it happens to the other guy.

The night before I'm bouncing off the walls and working like mad not to think about it. Heck, I can feel my pressure rising just thinking about it now and I've already had it done and it was NO BIG DEAL! (Could it be an age thing? A heightened sense of mortality? huh.)

Was originally going to go to work then go to the appointment, but a rescheduling request from the doc put it in the AM so I just decided I would skip work that day (also was going to meet some peeps I'd not seen in years for lunch so that just put it over the edge and I took the day off. Nice too as I then was able to spend 3 hours yakking at a Chili's. Had a blast!)

Ah, watch me digress. You naughty author you. Or is that just the fear talking? Anyway, I drove myself to my doom after applying the anesthetic cream to my throat and wrapping it in Saran wrap. (Hey, doctor's instructions! Not my idea, no way! I know I have no fashion sense, but Saran wrap as a clothing accessory? Get real.) (I did make the joke at the doc's office though, could not help myself. I looked so stylish! NOT. :P)

Bouncing like a nutjob inside my own skull, outwardly appearing mostly calm and sedate. Of course, I warned the nurse upfront I was nervous when I got taken to the patient room and she went to do the usual blood pressure test. 160 over 80. Not a surprise to me! She tells me how they do 20 or more of these a week, already did one that morning. I know she's trying to help me relax a little, but she does not understand... I know all this. I just makes NO difference! lol. (Mostly I feel like an idiot for the irrational fear, but still can't do a thing about it. Should have seen me on the first visit to the acupuncturist. Hah!)

I'll give the doc this, he definitely knew how to make the ordeal as easy for himself and the patient as possible. He made sure I closed my eyes before he did anything so you would never see the needle. The pillow beneath your shoulder to shoot your neck up to make an better working surface helps keep you from seeing too much too. I got one side of the neck better with the anesthetic than the other, but it was never more painful than having blood drawn, though I must say the sensation of him slipping it deeper once he got it in was funky. They also took ultrasound pics during the procedure as he was using that to see where he was going. Three stabs per globule. He hit a minor blood vessel on the last one which he explained would leave a bruise on my neck. No biggie to me (though I think he was unhappy at himself). I've had six inch long bruises from bad blood drawings once or twice. A half inch is nothing.

Out of there in a half hour. Minimum of fuss or muss. Yet I know if I had to do it again, I would most likely be freaking out deep inside just as bad as the first time. Familiarity would breed contempt, but I don't think I want to go through it that many times to get there! lol.

It's just amazing to me how even knowing better, I could not stop the fear from having a party. Bastard! (But I will probably use this in a story somewhere! No experience is wasted to a writer - none. Bwahahahahahaha!)

The Writing is the Thing - But Where has it Gone? TV Commentary

I've been wanting to rant, err, write about this for a while but held back due to that old adage "If you can't say something nice..." Yet I realized that sometimes, the only way to fix something or have others become aware of it is to say something, even if it is not nice.

First off though, I'd like to say this - writing for TV is HARD! Not something to be taken on on a whim. I've no experience doing it myself, but have heard from enough from those who do to understand it can be a thankless and often frustrating job. Mandates are handed down by suits who care nothing for plot, integrity, or the vision. So it could be that this issue I'm about to present might not even be their doing but the influence of things they can't control. I don't know. But whichever it is, I feel the need to point it out in the hopes that someone can perhaps shine a light on those responsible and maybe fix it...

Hope springs eternal!

I watch a lot of TV. I didn't use to as about 5 to 10 years ago there wasn't all that much to watch. But there's been a lot of stuff to interest me lately. Yet there have been some shows that I loved at first that going into second or later seasons, things change, almost abruptly sometimes, and it's no longer the show I liked.

It is TV, so there's always a level of suspension of disbelief. And that's fine, I can handle it. What I can't handle is when suddenly characters behave in ways they never have before for mere plot convenience, when stated facts for the universe are suddenly ignored, but worse, when the audience suddenly is treated like they are too stupid to understand things (especially if its a SF or Fantasy show) and believe they can get away with whatever...

"Avatar the Last Airbender" was a gorgeous, beautifully written, intelligent show about a boy suddenly having to carry the burden of needing to save the world. He had helpers and tragic enemies and I was enjoying the heck out of it. Episodes 2.10 and 2.11 ruined the show for me. Built as Big Production Can't Be Missed episodes, they were actually slaps in the face. Here are these kids trying to save the world, but suddenly it's okay to steal from a non-human who took them in an cared for them and destroy the objects he's been set to guard for hundreds of years. And there wasn't one qualm of guilt on any of them. Worse, Apa gets stolen, and though there's no proof the bison has been hurt, and this not being the first time his friend has been taken or has disappeared, Ang goes into a maddened murderous RAGE! Excuse me? Bison disappears every three episodes people! Maddened Rage? When Zuko doesn't learn his lesson for the umpteenth time and realizes how he is being used, that was it for me. See ya!

"Battlestar Galactica" I was desperate to like. Had loved the show back in the 70's even saw the movie at the theater with the giant sursurround speakers making the whole place vibrate! Richard Hatch had been trying to bring the sucker back forever. Two hour movie had to hold back the horror as the imagination of those involved obviously didn't go far (20th Century Earth with some plastic to the ties - please!) probably budgetary. Nuclear weapons, no really? And sorry, the battlestar would have been destroyed in that major battle. Look up info on nukes and radiation people! The science was abysmal! And aside from pretending to sort of keep some of the names and traditions from the original, it wasn't. But it had some social plots of interest and a funky take on Cylons, so I have it a whirl. They lost me when suddenly Apollo started being the changing character of plot convenience. BLEAH. See ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!

More recently my trouble has been with "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" cartoons. First season was a lot of fun! Second season has taken a turn that has been pissing me off pretty much every episode. And there was no need for it! It's as if the writers/suits took a drug to make them forget what the Force is capable of aside from holding a lightsaber and moving things with their minds. Worse, is things like episode 2.7 stating FACTS about zombie activating worms used by the queen, then in 2.8 using said worms in ways totally contradictory to FACTS given in 2.7!!! What the???? They've been doing this type of thing all through season 2! I have no idea what's happened over there. Come on guys!!!!

Ah, but here's the one that really hurts. Here's the one that makes me ache and despair. (Yes, I am a drama queen. Get over it. :P) I've been obsessed with "Supernatural" since not long into season 2. "Supernatural" is actually my first obsession EVER. For four years they've been giving me yummy goodness, every department of this show so on board it screams from the screen. Yes, not all the episodes have been perfect. They've had a misfire or two a season, but even those had things to make me not care and 90% plus were awesome more than making up for it. I don't expect perfection, no matter what I sound like. I know things happen. Then we hit season 5...

8 out of 10 episodes so far this season have been abysmal in the writing department. I've no idea what's happened, but I hope they get a clue soon, despite 30% of people in a survey saying it is the BEST season ever. (Are we watching the same show????) It's like every cheesy TV trick ever used is now making it into all the season 5 episodes. Monsters not being taken care of and conveniently forgotten about as if things were resolved (Poker Witch 5.7, 3rd Killer Ghost Boy 5.9). Ridiculous amounts of time being glossed over by how the events are shown (ghost boys attack Sam and Dean minutes (like 5 if they're lucky ep 5.9) after fanboys go off to dig graves - digging graves (which they needed to do 3 and only did 2) take more than five minutes to unearth!!!!

Episode 5.2 Sam kills a couple of teenagers having been led to believe they are demon possessed yet the demon knife did not do its usual loud and bright light show and Sam never noticed! Please people, he's been killing demons with this things for 2 plus years! I think he'd notice that it didn't do the usual! Even if he did not understand why not, and was being tempted by what he thought was demon blood, he should have noticed!

Episode 5.5 This one REALLY made me angry. Suits - we're NOT stupid!!!! First victim we see die and they show all the a typical signs of a ghost having done the murder. Boys never even use the EMF reader on the car. And though they themselves did not see the cold temps and other ghost signs, kept assuming it was ghosts. These guys are experts, they don't assume! Worse, it turns out it is not a ghost but a god. Uhm sorry ya'll but the gods don't have the same signs as ghosts! And if one did, it should remain consistent, which it didn't!!!! Then lets have people be unconscious and remain standing up for filming convenience, why don't we. Hello????

Would point out more but it's just too depressing...

What's truly sad is that all the other aspects of the show have been spot on. Direction, props, sets, the awesome acting. Yet it's like the writers are burned out, being sabotaged, or who knows what. And there are plenty of other shows out there that have remained consistently good overall throughout their runs! So it can be done!

Please guys, this is probably the last season, the one where all the things you've been building up for four years are finally culminating. Don't blow this! *cry* Don't let my first obsession ever be in vein! (And you know it's bad cause I do not want them renewed for a season 6.)

Okay, I'm done. Sending good karma SPN's way hoping second half is back on track. Don't make me beg ya'll!

The Life of a Work In Progress

I'd decided to log my progress on my latest WIP called Jewel of the Gods. While this manuscript did not evolve in the most straightforward manner, I still thought it might still be fun to share how it evolved over time.

There will be several spots where the starting number won't match the previous sessions end number - that's normally somewhere where I deleted notes I'd added at the end of the book I no longer needed.

There's also a huge gap in there or two where "Supernatural" took over my life. The muse went totally nuts and she had to be followed. Will try to add how much I wrote during those times as while the WIP may not have gotten attention, the writing of things never stopped.

Date                Start      End       Words      Days Since
??                                        8,165
3/22/2007      8,165      8,670      505
3/26/2007      8,670      8,950      280      4
3/27/2007      8,950      9,283      333      1
3/29/2007      9,283      9,860      577      2
3/30/2007      9,860      9,865      5      1
4/2/2007      9,865      10,217      352      3
4/10/2007      10,217      10,435      218      8
4/19/2007      10,435      11,125      690      9
4/20/2007      11,125      11,400      275      1
5/9/2007      11,400      12,182      782      19
5/11/2007      12,182      12,642      460      2
5/18/2007      12,642      13,294      652      7
5/21/2007      13,294      13,815      521      3

Then Supernatural took over my life!

(June 2007 - "Sacrifice of the Heart" SPN fanfic - 26,167 Words) This is when they got posted
(July 2007 - "Appeasement" anthology submission - 4,600 words)
(July 2007 - "Jess" SPN - 32,376 Words)
(Sept 2007 - "Our Separate Ways" SPN - 24,400 words)
(Sept 2007 - "Serving the Public" - anothology submission - 5,000 words)
(Nov 2007 - "Broken Idols" SPN - 7,638 words)
(Dec 2007 - "Of Grief and Guilt SPN - 23,828 words)

Hah! You thought I was kidding didn't you? Totally took over! That's over 100K words in 6 months! I was SMOKING! Booyah! Go, Muse, Go!

12/27/2007      13,815      21,052      7,237      220
Multiple sessions forgot to list them! :(
12/28/2007      21,052      22,152      1,100      1

(June 2008 - "It's Not Working" - SPN - 2,234 words)
(Aug 2008 - "Heart of the City" - SPN - 48,344 words)
(Re edit of novel "Price of Mercy" already accepted by Zumaya Publications)

8/27/2008      22,152      23,012      860      243
8/28/2008      23,012      23,435      423      1
9/2/2008      23,435      23,815      380      5
9/20/2008      23,815      25,570      1,755      18

(Nov 2008 - "Weight of Failure" SPN - 28,297 words)
(Dec 2008 - "Snow" SPN - 6,032 words)
(Jan 2009 - "Dark Secrets" SPN - 35,524 words)
(March 2009 - "Winchester Interrupted" SPN - 31,235 words)
(March 2009 - reworked future WIP beginning Inner Demons into 1st Person)
(July 2009 - "Switch" SPN AU - 63,767 words)

9/1/2009      25,570      65,243      39,673      346
(Another chunk of Multiple sessions I forgot to list. Ack! Life was errr turbulent in late 2008 into 2009. Bleah!)

(Aug/Sept - Blog Week postings for Novel.net - 6,834 words)

9/2/2009      65,243      66,288      1,045      1
9/3/2009      66,288      67,501      1,213      1
9/4/2009      67,501      68,233      732      1
9/9/2009      68,265      68,917      652      5
9/10/2009      68,917      70,103      1,186      1
9/11/2009      70,103      70,410      307      1
9/21/2009      70,410      70,850      440      10
9/22/2009      70,850      71,182      332      1
9/23/2009      71,182      71,448      266      1
9/24/2009      71,448      71,740      292      1
9/25/2009      71,740      72,456      716      1
9/29/2009      72,456      73,295      839      4
10/1/2009      73,295      74,058      763      2
10/2/2009      74,058      74,841      783      1
10/5/2009      74,841      75,197      356      3
10/6/2009      75,197      76,216      1,019      1
10/7/2009      76,177      76,839      662      1
10/8/2009      76,839      77,653      814      1
10/9/2009      77,653      78,496      843      1
10/12/2009      78,496      80,003      1,507      3
10/13/2009      80,003      81,278      1,275      1
10/19/2009      81,278      81,725      447       6
10/20/2009      81,733      82,127      394      1
10/21/2009      82,127      82,949      822      1
10/22/2009      82,949      83,519      570       1
10/23/2009      83,519      84,268      749      1
10/26/2009      84,268      84,796      528      3
10/27/2009      84,796      85,599      803      1
10/30/2009      85,599      86,628      1,029      3
11/2/2009      86,628      88,339      1,711      3
11/3/2009      88,339      88,588      249      1
11/4/2009      88,588      89,092      504      1
11/5/2009      89,092      89,591      499      1
11/6/2009      89,591      90,420      829      1
11/9/2009      90,420      91,239      819      3
11/13/2009      91,239      92,295      1,056      4
11/16/2009      92,295      92,983      688      3
11/17/2009      92,912      93,180      268      1
11/18/2009      93,180      93,458      278      1
11/19/2009      93,391      93,883      492      1
11/20/2009      93,883      95,456      1,573      1
11/23/2009      95,456      95,831      375      3
11/24/2009      95,831      96,181      350      1
11/25/2009      96,181      96,635      454      1
11/30/2009      96,635      97,209      574      5

So let's summarize this mess.
SPN madness - 329,842 words! (Holy Molly! Yeah, 3 books worth in 2 years - Muse went INSANE I tell you! And she would NOT be denied!)
Other - 16,434
Re-edits and edits - who knows!
Jewel of the Gods WIP - 97K - Almost 3 years. Way, way, way longer than I meant it to. lol.

So there you have it! One author's road to a finished WIP. Bwahahahaha!

FridayFlash - The Tree

Miaka sensed immediately that something in her kingdom had changed.

There was a new scent filtering through the house -- one that spoke of nature and outside. It sent a tingle through her furry frame, awakening primal instincts. She scurried to the corner of the hall, curious, watching her larger housemates struggle with this brown thing with green needles and that marvelous scent. They set it into a red bracket in the corner of the big room then cut away the net around it, which allowed the thing to spread out, small brown arms full of green reaching out, beckoning to her.

Boxes were brought in from the garage and set on the floor. These smelled of dust, glass, and metal.

She slinked around them and the tall outside thing, sniffing, cataloging, her small dark eyes bright.

Round, shiny items were taken out of the boxes and hanged off the arms of the tall mysterious thing. The sunlight glittered off their colorful bodies, making her dizzy and filling her with strange excitement.

Her housemates talked and worked, moving her out of the way when she got too close.

Eventually all the activity died down. Those who fed and played with her stood before the towering thing and stared with seeming pleasure.

The boxes were closed up and hidden beneath the couch or taken back to where they came from.

Miaka stared at it, too, and realized that this thing, it was for her. Must be hers. The tantalizing scents wafting from it told her so. She climbed the couch with a blur of speed then stood poised on the back studying what called to her soul. Yes, this was hers to do as she saw fit!

So moving over the top of the couch, she calculated angles and trajectories then she rushed at it, leaping through the air to land in the embracing branches.

“The ferret!”

The thing jingled and jangled as she dove deeper into the interior. Reaching the central core, she went upwards, her blood singing. She became as tall as her housemates. Taller! She was the owner of all she surveyed!

Her lofty perch began to sway.

“Miaka! Miaka, no!”

CRASH.

“Oh my God!”

She rolled as the thing bounced and ran off under a chair amidst the sudden yelling and running around by the others. Peeking out, she saw there was no need to worry. Her housemates were setting up her toy upright again.

Soon she would reign supreme once more.

#FridayFlash - Salvation

It started as a low rumble that built and built, reverberating off the walls of downtown.

Smiles peaked out at the increasing sound from dirty, scarred faces, their owners looking out toward the street from boxes and alleys, others through the open soup kitchen window that always burped out the friendly scent of baking bread.

They’d all heard the rumors. And it looked like they were about to find out if they were for real.

Corner dealers looked up like startled foxes and rushed to finish their transactions before slinking out of sight just in case. Streetwalkers stared with hope in the rumble’s direction, making sure their pimps couldn’t see their expressions.

The hum of engines roared as those approaching finally turned the corner, formed up in a double line. A Hesketh Vampire led the pack, followed by Kawasaki Ninjas, some Indian Chiefs, and even Hogs. The smell of exhaust filled the air. Glass rattled with the noise of their passing. Reflective sunglasses shone under the bright sun, even as black habits flowed behind them in the wind, their underskirts hitched up so they could ride.

As they came to a red light, the Mother Superior reached back to caress her bat sized cross in anticipation, her sawed off shotgun poking up above the seat from the other side of the machine. Both were within easy reach and ready for battle, just like she liked them.

The Mother Superior cracked her knuckles. After all the training, after all the sacrifice, the Church had finally deemed them ready. Souls would now be saved. She and her sisters were up to the task. Using whatever means necessary.

The Virgin Vixens – dispensing tough love in the name of God.

Prepare to be saved.

Writing on the Waves!

Trying to help a fellow author promote a most unique writing workshop! Writing while cruising in the Caribbean!

Lynn Flewellin is an internationally acclaimed Fantasy author. And she will be holding a multi part writing course aboard the Freedom of the Seas with Royal Caribbean International.

7 night cruise with stops at Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Martin with 3 days of seminars packed between locations.

Seminar Day 1:

10:00-11:00 am: Meet Lynn and Explore Her Worlds

11:00-noon: "I Love/Hate That Guy! Creating Memorable Characters" with writing prompts

4:00-5:30 pm Salon- a gathering to read aloud, listen, and discuss each other's writing. Don't be shy! You can read from stories or books you've been working on or new material inspired by the day's writing prompts, or just come and support your fellow writers.

Seminar Day 2:

10:00-11:00 am: Creating a Sense of Place:

Everything has to happen somewhere.
Crafting detailed, believable settings" with writing prompts.

11:00-noon: "The Plot—and Theme— Thicken: You don't have much of a story if they don't!"

4:00-5:30 pm Salon

Seminar Day 3:

10:00-11:00 am: "Editing: Forget "book doctors." How you do the work to make your book the best it can be."

11:00-noon: "Through the Hoops: Finishing, Polishing, Packaging, and Approaching an Agent or Publisher"
4:00-5:30 pm Final Salon

Workshop participation Age 18 and up.
16-17 with parental permission.

Special pricing for the cruise as well. So if you've been looking for a vacation and have also wanted to learn about writing and the business, this cruise might be for you!

#FridayFlash - Prey

Her hunger tore at her guts, once more demanding its due. She ignored it, already on the prowl, seeking for the means to satisfy it.

So far the darkness had revealed nothing.

Honed senses scanned for the merest hint of prey. Deftly, she skirted the trees and other vegetation, searching, always searching.

Her pangs growing ever more acute, she finally spotted a bit of light glinting through the foliage. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she changed course, dizzy with the possibilities.

As she cleared the last of the trees, she found her endeavors hadn’t been in vain. A large clearing opened up before her showing the top of a small hill with a house, the calling light coming from its open doorway.

Sticking to the shadows, she drifted closer.

Excitement ignited inside her as she noticed a flesh being sitting on a raggedy chair on the sagging porch, staring out into the night while smoking a pipe.

Food at last!

With darting movements she made her way up the hill.

Nearing the house from the side, she peeked into the porch, studying her quarry, making sure her presence had gone unnoticed.

The balding prey puffed on his pipe oblivious.

A stray strand of wind wafted the scent of cooling sweat and pipe smoke toward her. Beneath it, barely noticeable, was the intoxicating perfume of blood. She moved a little closer, her hunger rising to a fevered pitch.

All senses on the alert for signs that her victim suspected her presence, she drifted closer still. Staring at her target, she could easily envision the life giving fluid pumping through the veins and arteries. If she’d been able to, she would have licked trembling lips in utter anticipation.

Barely stirring the air around her, she snuck up behind her victim, mesmerized by the pulsing beat of blood beneath the skin at his neck.

She moved closer and closer, her hunger and the call of the blood driving her on. Yet she purposely stretched the moment, moving forward ever so slowly, letting her anticipation increase.

As she touched the warm skin with the lightest of caresses, she felt a tingle rise through her.

No longer able to contain herself, she plunged deep into the succulent flesh. Gushing blood filled her hungering body, covering her with shivers of utter ecstasy. This was what it was about -- this was why she existed.

Trapped in the moment she didn’t notice the large presence rising over her. Too late, she felt the movement above her and tried to disengage from the pierced flesh. Pressure crushed her where she stood and sent waves of excruciating pain through her fragile being until mercifully, she could feel nothing at all.

The hunter had become the prey.


“Damn bloodsucker!”

Joe pulled his hand away from his neck, staring with disgust at the bloody smear on his callused palm. He stood up from the rocking chair, hastily wiping his hand on his coveralls.

“Myrtle, where’s that blasted can of OFF again?”