Maria Hammarblad's Blog, page 41

Babylon 5 and Lord of the Rings

For the past couple of weeks, hubby and I have been watching Babylon 5 for dinner TV. I didn't really get into the first season, but we just finished season three, and now I like it.

I blogged a while back about how almost everything has been done before. That time it was initiated by someone telling me my story Courage and Retribution reminded them of some old British TV show I'd never heard of. Watching Babylon 5 sent my own mind into a similar spin, one that shows you can find similarities between anything if you put a little heart into it.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be many similarities between Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and Babylon 5. Well, both contain a number of species that need to get over past injustices to work together in order to defeat a common enemy, but that goes for a lot of things. I perked my ears when the characters started talking about Z'ha'dum. The word reminds me of Tolkien's Khazad-dûm. They're not the same, but similar enough to catch attention.

If you don't remember your Lord of the Rings history, Khazad-dûm  is the dwarfish name for Moria, a city under a mountain long since overrun by darkness and evil. Gandalf is a great charismatic wizard and leader of a group with representatives from a number of species that carry the fate of the world on their shoulders. If my memory serves me right someone warns him that bad things will happen to him if he goes to Moria.

Gandalf's group try to go over the mountain, but the road is blocked to them. They enter Khazad-dûm, and Gandalf falls into an abyss while fighting a Balrog. (A Balrog is a big fiery creature.) Everyone thinks he's dead and mourns him.

In Babylon 5, the station lead by Captain Sheridan stands between the world and an ancient evil. He leads a group consisting of many alien species, struggling to make everyone cooperate and save the world. One of the aliens tell Sheridan that if he goes to Z;ha'dum he will die. He goes anyway, of course, meets monsters, and jumps into an abyss. Everyone assumes he's dead and mourns him.

I haven't seen season four, but I'm assuming he'll come back and everyone will be suitably surprised.

Is there a real similarity or does it just exist in my mind? I don't really care; the line of thought amused me, and made a connection between two of my favorite forms of entertainment. =)

 

Spring fling... donut?

There's a Dunkin Donuts conveniently close to work, and coffee addict as I am, I stop by there almost every day. Today, they had a big festive sign outside with a new "Spring Fling" donut. I can't say donuts are good for me, but they are good, and I can always find an excuse to stuff something sweet in my mouth. Today, the excuse, "Well, it is Friday" seemed really good.

I drove around the drive through, came to the window, and the friendly lady handed me my coffee. So far so good.

A good looking young man came jogging through the store with a huge smile on his face. He leaned through the window, handed me the bag, and said, "Here's your spring fling."

What do you think that does the imagination of a romance writer? I couldn't help but laugh, and said, "I'm sorry, that's just such a funny name for a donut."

Still just as happy, he said, "Yeah, and they look more like Easter, but there it is. A Spring Fling for you."

He is so going in a book. The next time my heroine needs cheering up, she'll be visiting Dunks! =D

Cute baby animals make us smarter

I talked about this on the PlexiDor blog the other day, but I really like the message, so it's worth repeating. ;-) Looking at cute baby animals makes us smarter. I knew there was a reason I want to ogle kittens and puppies.

According to theweek.com, scientists from Hiroshima University performed tests on 132 university students. Participants were divided into groups with tasks measuring performance, focus, and handling numbers.

Those who looked at pictures of cute baby animals outperformed those who saw images of neutral objects and adult animals, and not in a small way. Scores improved up to 44%

Being a pet lover I am biased, of course, but I'd like to think the study is true. So, take a moment to stare at this adorable picture. It might make your entire day better! :-)

2013 invention wishlist

I was looking back at old blog posts, and about a year ago I wrote an invention wish list. I had forgotten all about it, but now when I look at it, I still like the ideas. It had an iVacuum. I think I would like to reconfigure that to an iClean, which would be a multipurpose self-running house cleaning device. (Yes, I want a housekeeping robot, LOL.)

I found this image on the website http://labautomationrobotics.wordpress.com. They say machines have been taught to scan a room, detect things that aren't in the right place, and move them. That would be convenient!

The iBeauty would also be fantastic. In my imagination, it's a mask you stick your face into, and voila - instant, perfect makeup. I could sure do with an iHair too, fixing my hair. There's a possibility the housekeeping robot could help out, of course, but I think he/she/it would be busy enough anyway.

The thing I really want is an iTransport. Humanity needs a teleporter. Would save both time and the environment. Get building, engineers. :-)

Wallaroos and birdies

At my daytime job, I write the official company blog, amongst other things. Sometimes inspiration wanes and I have to google for ideas. One of those days brought me to an online newspaper article about exotic pets. To me, it seemed like a great subject to natter about. I mean, they're cute, they're unusual, and people in general don't know that much about them. What's not to like, right?

WallarooIt took about five minutes from posting the blog to the first angry comment on Facebook. How dared I write about exotic pets? The company in general - and I in particular - were a disappointment.

I replied diplomatically that I'm not exactly telling people to go out and buy something that's hard to take care of, and what's exotic depends on part of the world. I had chinchillas on the list, and took them as an example. In other countries they're just as common pets as hamsters or guinea pigs are here.

The commenter did not let herself be pacified. She wrote, "This is a pastime to adopt these animals for those people who crave the extra attention having a pet like this brings. Animals like these, plus snakes, other reptiles, and birds get let loose in an area they are not native to, and cause all kinds of problems."

Seriously? I've had birds. Am I a bad person because I took care of a bird for thirteen years?

A dilemma. She'd never be happy unless I agree, apologize, and say it'll never happen again. I couldn't do that, for a number of reasons. 

First of all, I don't agree. I believe there are many pet parents with exotic pets who take exemplary care of them, and many owners of cats and dogs who shouldn't be allowed to care for a potted plant. 

Second, I'm speaking for the company. How many customers might we have who share their home with a bird, a snake, a lizard, or a turtle? Or, something even more exotic?

I spent the most part of that day enhancing my calm and politely disagreeing. I do believe my readers enjoy seeing photos of cute animals. I don't see anything wrong with showing a photo of a Wallaroo, telling people what it is. I'm not saying, "This is the coolest thing ever, go out and buy one."

I have a live and let live approach to most things in life. I don't care what kind of pet you have, as long as you take care of it. 

I don't care who you marry, as long as it's consensual and you're nice to each other. 

I don't care what religion you adhere to, as long as you leave me out of it.

I do care about people yelling at random strangers for not agreeing with them. Differing points of view is fine - we're all different people with different backgrounds - but keep it polite. Being nice generally gets you further than pouncing on someone.

When the characters take over

I usually start my writing projects filled with purpose. I type away at the first chapter, might even get through the second, and then I write an inspired ending. This is where things get a little confusing. I think I know what happens in the middle, but the characters usually don't agree.

Sometimes they just come up with ideas about what happens to them. They know better than I do, so whatever little incidents they want to talk about usually work just fine. Sometimes they argue. Some are really difficult, claiming they loath the person I intended for them to hook up with. That one's tricky, because all of a sudden an intended main character isn't a main character at all.

I've been working on a novella scheduled for release in November. I'm intending for one of the characters to die, but he doesn't want to. I might kill him anyway, to show the imaginary people in my head who is boss, or it might make for a completely different ending than I originally intended. That doesn't have to be a bad thing; might make everything more interesting. We'll see...

I was kidnapped, by Liza O'Connor!

Rescue me, please! Or, at least come over and read Liza's hilarious blog. She has kidnapped both me and Kidnapped. In the most pleasant of ways, I must add.

Leave her a comment. If she gets enough comments she might decide to let me go. The brown paper bag isn't too bad, and the cuffs are padded, but that is one big roll of rope around my legs. ;-)

The blog is funny, it's worth the trouble, I promise. =D

Liza O'Connor - Author: Liza Kidnaps Kidnapped by Maria Hammarblad

Say it with Flowers, post by Larriane Wills

I know very little about flowers. I mean, they're pretty, but definitely outside my realm of competence. Luckily, Larriane Wills knows more, so today I'm leaving the pen, eeeh keyboard, to her. =)

Say it with Flowers! 

Flowers have been used for expression since nearly the dawn of man, dating back to early Chinese dynasties. In print, the name ‘Language of Flowers’ was first used in 1807. The concept of expressing sentiments with flowers sprang into popularity when Queen Victoria became fascinated by the idea, and it hasn’t been forgotten. William, heir to the throne, said his vows to Kate while she held a bouquet containing a sprig of myrtle, a symbol of marriage and love. The myrtle was cut from a plant started from a stem in nosegay given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert. Kate’s bouquet included lily-of-the-valley to signify a return of happiness, sweet William for gallantry, hyacinth to express a constancy of love, and ivy promising a wedded love and friendship, marriage, and fidelity.

With over 650 flower sentiments, I could go on, and on and on. Instead I simply direct you to the internet. Type ‘language of flowers’ in the search box, choose a site, explore the dictionaries, and decide what flowers you’d like in your next bouquet whether it be for a wedding, someone special, or to sit on the table and admire. Iris have always been one of my favorites. Now I have to wonder, who is it that has a message for me.


In The Wait for Red Roses two flowers are mentioned. Actually one, but in the language of flowers the color changes the meaning. A red rose signifies passion in some dictionaries, a simple ‘I love you’ in others. White roses convey innocence. Could have guessed either of those I think. 

Curt gave Cindra a single white rose for a bouquet for their wedding, all he could afford. They waited to share their bodies until they said their vows. Rather old fashion but they were young and so in love he honored her wishes, not that—as she said—they didn’t indulge in some heavy petting. Kurt might well have added a sprig of baby’s breath to enhance the symbolism of her purity of heart as well as her innocence, but never a yellow tulip to warn her of a hopeless love. He promised her red roses by the dozen in their future. You’ll have to read the book to know if the only appropriate flower would have been a marigold for grief and sorrow.

Now for a bit of a contest. So those who know the answer to what I’m going to ask, please sent your responses to larriane @hotmail.com rather than answering in the comment box so you don’t give the answer away. Somewhere in the above is an error. You’ll know what it is to tell me by going to either my site Larriane aka Larion or to MuseItUp . Read either the excerpt or blurb for The Wait for Red Roses. I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with a name. I’ll make a random choice from the entries for a download of any book of your choice from my backlist.

Larion aka Larriane Wills
Two names, one author, thousands of stories.
My web page
Twitter
Facebook 

Find my books here:
All Romance Ebooks and All Romance Ebooks    
MuseItUp Publishing   
Secret Cravings Publishing                          
Sweet Cravings Publishing Amazon    Barnes and Noble    Smashwords 

The wait for red roses

Tomorrow, romance author Larion Wills is coming over to visit and blog about messages sent with flowers. She'll have a contest too, don't miss it! 
To get in the right flowery mood, I'd like to introduce her new book: The Wait for Red Roses. It's brand new, published March 26.
Blurb:Imposter Curt would convince Cindra he was her husband long enough to turn the tables on the man paying him to fool her and gain even more.
Cindra knew the instant she saw Curt she still wanted him no matter what he’d done. Follow Cindra’s struggles to salvage the life she’d made for herself, not let him back into her life or heart, not to trust or succumb to the charms of a man changed too much, and to stay alive while she learns why Curt left her, and why he disappeared.







Larion aka Larriane Wills
Two names, one author, thousands of stories.
Larion's web page
Twitter
Facebook 

Find her books here:
All Romance Ebooks and All Romance Ebooks    
MuseItUp Publishing   
Secret Cravings Publishing                          
Sweet Cravings Publishing Amazon    Barnes and Noble    Smashwords 

Why did I pick Russia?

When my novel Undercover was released last summer, people asked why I wanted to write about a Russian spy. To those very young today, the threat of Russia seems distant and unbelievable. It probably is, today. To people my age who grew up in my part of the world, the shadow of big brother in the east will always linger.

I haven't been to Russia, at least not yet. When I grew up, the cold war raged and Sweden rested in the shade of the Soviet Union, with Finland as a small buffer between us. News on TV showed women wrapped in layers of dark clothing, queuing for hours for a loaf of bread. There were surely other sides of life in the Soviet Union as well, but these were the only images that reached me.

In 1981, we had a Soviet submarine allegedly making a navigation error. It was a navigation error alright; they went too close to the shore and were stuck. We were overwhelmed. The nation stared at images of a gigantic foreign object - nuclear sub - that spent time sneaking around spying on us.

I was nine, and my imagination ran rampant. Who were the people on the sub? Did they like their lives? Were they happy?

A few years later, when I was 13, the innovation of cable TV reached my city. All of a sudden, our TV set filled with images from other countries. There was one channel from the Soviet Union, in Russian, and everything on it seemed brown.

It wasn't black and white, and it wasn't quite color; it was brown and white, like seeing through a sepia filter. I watched for hours, without understanding even one word. There were a lot of people marching in long lines, and movies showing people frolicking in the grass, smiling just a bit too much.

As you can imagine, I grew up with a fascination bordering on fear. I wanted to write stories about Russia and Russian spies when I was a teenager, but mom said no. She claimed it was too dangerous. It probably wasn't, but her imagination was as wild as mine, and in her mind the threat was real.

By the time I finally got around to writing my spy story, the world had changed. The Soviet Union is no more, and even if the country isn't exactly the west, it's nothing like in the 1970's. I'm still super curious, and I still haven't been there.