Jerome Parisse's Blog, page 26

Watercolours: the travelling artist

Chantal Parisse is not the only one who likes to travel, but what she brings back from her trips is unique. Landscapes, atmospheres, children at play, locals at work, all depicted in wonderful, touching, vibrant watercolours. She was born in Cambodia, grew up in Africa, and now lives in France. The cultures and the diversity she came in contact with during her childhood still influence the way she sees the world today, whether in Europe, Guyana, India, Thailand, or China.

Chantal...

Release of "My Sister's Choice"

"My Sister's Choice", has just been published on Smashwords as an e-book. The play is available for immediate sampling and sale in multiple e-book formats, readable on virtually any e-book reading device at http://smashwords.com/b/18205

My Sister's Choice is a two-act play. Here's a blurb about it:

Julia and her sister Helen are both deaf. Whereas Julia is deeply involved in the hearing-impaired community, Helen has always inexplicably refused to learn sign language. The two sister's world is t...

Eclipse: the movie vs the book

The movie "Eclipse", the third instalment in the Twilight saga, came out just as I was finishing reading the book by Stephenie Meyer, so I decided to go and see what the screen adaptation of the teen-age romance was like. I have not seen the first two films, but having read the first two books, I knew what the story was all about.

I found the film a little flat, except for the last part where things seem to accelerate. The acting is okay. In fact, I found Kristen Stewart's performance (Bella) ...

Three chocolate croissants, please!

I came across a group of Japanese tourists yesterday as I was hurrying to a meeting in the city. They surprised me by being uncharacteristically un-Japanese. I love the way people behave in Japan, the politeness, the silence, the respect for each other, the attention paid to the neighbour, the lack of body contact… I am sure you get my drift. Yesterday's tourists were boisterous and behaved as if they literally owned the place. As I walked through their group, I found myself being shoved...

Don't judge a book by its cover

Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick: Nora Grey lives with her mother in a country farmhouse. She is strongly attracted, yet frightened, by Patch, her new biology partner at school. Nora and best friend Vee speculate about the true nature of Patch, while flirting with Elliott and his friend Jules. Patch turns out to be a fallen angel and Jules the descendant of a Nephilim (a cross between a fallen angel and a human). A romance will develop between Nora and Patch, while Nora is submitted to a...

Paranormal romance: The list goes on

Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick: Nora Grey lives with her mother in a country farmhouse. She is strongly attracted, yet frightened, by Patch, her new biology partner at school. Nora and best friend Vee speculate about the true nature of Patch, while flirting with Elliott and his friend Jules. Patch turns out to be a fallen angel and Jules the descendant of a Nephilim (a cross between a fallen angel and a human). A romance will develop between Nora and Patch, while Nora is submitted to a...

Sex and the City (I)

Last night I watched  Sex and the City, but hey, only the first movie! I know, I'm late… Everyone is talking about the second movie at the moment. Which is probably why I watched the first one. A friend of mine was talking about going to see the most recent installment, and since she had a DVD of the first one, she lent it to me so that I could see it and decide for myself whether I wanted to venture out and watch Sex and the City II. Truth is, I have never watched a single episode of the TV...

A great launch

D-day came faster than I expected! The Wings of Leo Spencer was successfully launched last night at gleebooks in Sydney. I was genuinely surprised by the size of the crowd and thrilled to see so many familiar faces in the audience. I was surrounded by friends for the launch: Jane Malone, playwright, writer, producer and co-founder of the inclusive theatre company The After Party Project was MC for the night; Caroline Conlon, deaf director, actor and writer launched the book and entertained...

Jackhammering, sniffles and gum chewing

I'm in the office trying to write a report – not my home office (sigh), but the real one, the one where I've been spending every single working day over the last three years. Actually, I'm lying. We have moved into brand new offices two weeks ago; in fact they're so new that they're not even finished! The carpet has been laid down, we have beautiful shiny new desks, and a pedestal each for storing things. Okay, the meeting room doors have no handles yet (I love watching staff knocking on the ...

New Moon, Stephenie Meyer again

I've just finished reading New Moon, the Twilight sequel by Stephenie Meyer. It's definitely getting better. The plot is more intricate, the writing tense, and there is action. Bella is still annoying at times – in fact, some of her behaviours are really not credible – but she strikes a chord. There is a lot of dialogue in the story, but this sits well with me. I have often come across heavy criticism of novels with a lot of dialogue, but I find that, if sounding natural and well built, they ...