M.B. Mulhall's Blog, page 4

Book to Movie Adaptation: 50 Shades

Today marks the debut of the first trailer for the (much?) anticipated 50 Shades of Grey movie.  Looks like it could be pretty steamy.  As someone who read the books, I’ll probably check out the movie just to see  if the movie translates better than the not so stellar writing of the series (Will movie Ana continue to talk about “down there”?).

Here’s the thing though, even with all the success of the books, I have a feeling the movie is not going to be as well received.  When reading the books, ladies of all walks of life could do so in the privacy of their own bedrooms, bath tubs, etc. never needing to let the public know that they were engrossed by the somewhat steamy stories. To walk into a theatre and buy a ticket, sit in public and possible squirm at the sexy parts will be a whole different experience.

While I don’t particularly care if the movie is a big success or not, I hope these shyer women will get out and see it and not be concerned about what others might think of them.  If they have no shame in enjoying the book and could discuss it with friends, hopefully they can/will get out and enjoy it on the big screen. Maybe make it a group “date” with other lady friends who might be embarrassed to go see it alone.  A ladies night out for all sorts. Make it fun. Live it up. Celebrate sexuality! But uhhh…ya know, keep it legal in public, ya know? :D

Will you be going to see 50 Shades in the theatre?

Here’s the trailer for those who have yet to see it:

The Absence of Time

Funny how there are twenty four looong hours in a day, but you still seem to be wishing for more so you can get things done.  Also, why do some hours move quick while others seem to drag on to eternity? A common conundrum I suppose, but I still wonder where much of my time goes when I realize I haven’t blogged or written or even been able to read much.

It’s been a while since I’ve been “here”, but life has been hectic and blog ideas have been scarce. I know it’s no excuse when I could be doing some research or finishing books to review, but I have to admit that I’d been putting “real” life ahead of reading and writing lately. Sorry!

I’ve missed this though and will try to get back on schedule even though life is still quite bumpy and those hours haven’t multiplied. I suppose I could try for less sleep and more writing. Maybe middle of the night writing!

So perhaps you’re wondering what’s kept me so busy lately (or maybe you don’t really care, but I’m going to tell anyway…)

Pwease hoomin, no more baffs!

Welp, firstly, we got a new pet and we’re kind of obsessed with her. Meet Princess Puck, the African Pygmy Hedgehog. She’s so awesome she even has her own Facebook page and Tumblr (we’re ridiculous and we know it…)

 

 

 

 

 

Then there was a trip to Florida to spend time with my parents. Sadly, my father is not doing well

We did get this cute shot together during a walk on the beach though.

and family is important.  It meant a lot to be able to spend the time with them even if it meant taking a break from writing (I did have my laptop with me, but decided whatever I produced down there would probably end up being cut in the end as I really wasn’t in the right frame of mind for it.).

 

 

Epcot says this will be us in the future!

 

The folks were super nice and gifted us a day at a park of our choice (the boy had never been to FL let alone a Disney park!) so we opted for Epcot since we figured we could get through most of it in a day, unlike some of the other parks.  It was fun but GAH! Sooooo hot!

 

 

 

 

Once we got back from that trip, we each spent some time at work and then took a quick little get 

away to Atlantic City (which, as it turns out, is closing a bunch of its casinos by the end of summer!).  That was good fun too considering I actually won some money! Yay!

 

We have one more quick summer adventure coming up next month, but we’ve finally settled in a little more in the new place and I’m back at my writing group and, I promise, I’ve been working on Driven a bit. I may have to pencil in writing time and turn down some invitations, but it will get done and I’ll be more available in the digital world (Twitter misses me, I know).

How do you guys handle busy summertime plans and writing?

The Possibilities of Transformation

You have probably heard of a lot of  books being transformed into movies, which is a great thing, but it’s not the only possible transformation your stories can take. There are several great series out there that are also being turned into gorgeous graphic novels. The stories are the same but you get to see your favorite characters turned into visual works of art.

A good friend of mine, writer and artist, Sasha Raught is in the process of doing just this, changing one of his great short stories into a graphic novel series and needs the help of Kickstarter (and you!) to get it going.

You may have recognized his name from the acknowledgement page in Heavyweight.  I met Sasha years ago at a a NaNoWriMo write in I set up when I moved back to Jersey.  He came to every write in and we clicked as writing partners and decided to continue to meet after NaNo was over.  He introduced me to the writing group I’ve belonged to for the past several years and he’s always around to offer opinions, advice and encouragement. Sasha is not only an amazingly creative and entertaining author, but a fantastic artist whose work deserves to be out there more than it already is.

While his Kickstarter video will tell you, it’s not his first time in the sandbox, it is his first time to be working for himself (so to speak) rather than doing the work others are asking of him.  He has free reign for concept, design, story, etc. but he needs YOUR help to get this amazing story out there to the masses.

Here’s some info on the project.  If it strikes your interest, please stop by Sasha’s Kickstarter page (click HERE!) and consider donating to the help this great piece of graphic literature  get out into the world.

“Aurturio Benerzini and the Three Impossible Tasks is a 120 to 130 page B&W and half tone illustrated graphic novel. It is the adaptation of a short novel that I wrote a number of years ago. The story itself is a faerie tale type story, much in the tradition of Sinbad and Aladdin. It takes place in ancient Arabia and is written in a style similar to the Arabian Nights, but with more startling and surprising twists.”

 

Reading Slump

After all this time, I don’t think it’s a secret that I love books and I love to read.   A few scant years ago, I was reading between 150-200 books a year.  That’s a whole lot a books!  I still love to immerse myself into a good story, to get lost and forget my own issues, but lately, I’ve been having a read hard time settling down and getting into some of my favorite authors.  It’s not that the stories are bad (they’re not!), in fact, many of them I’ve been waiting years to read! I just can’t seem to shut off my mind and all the other shit going on in my life to throw myself into a good book.

I’m very much an advocate of writers being readers.  I think we learn from what we read, whether it’s what to do or what not to do.  I think, as a writer, you need to know what’s out there in your genre. Frankly, I don’t understand writers who tell me they’re not readers.  It just does not compute with me.

So how do I get out of this slump? Do I have to wait until all my life issues are resolved? Until my brain can settle down a bit?  I don’t know that that will happen any time soon. Do I have to give myself a deadline or make a schedule?  Does anyone want to get into a summer reading competition with me? Maybe we can come up with some cool prizes!

Ideas and suggestions welcome!

Bookcon was a bust…

I had had such a good time being a Power Reader at BEA last year.  When I heard they were turning the Power Reader day into more of a convention I thought it was going to be that much better. Sadly, I was mistaken.

SO CROWDED

Firstly, the show floor was teeny tiny compared to last year.  BEA was next door and they had guards posted so there was no way a Con goer could sneak over. Shame, because I couldn’t get in to see my Harmony Ink/DSP folks (although they told me after the fact I should have let them know and they would have sneaked me in! Hehe Now I know for next time).  A smaller floor wouldn’t have been so bad except the amount of people there was ridiculous. You couldn’t get through the aisles without cutting through a line of people waiting for something.  Sometimes we waited on lines that just ended up disappearing! It was extremely frustrating and definitely not a good experience for someone who has some claustrophobia issues.

 

 

My con buddy, Tiffany, and I decided to abandon the con floor and head for the panels downstairs.  We only

Waiting. Stan Lee! The three lovely ladies. Jason Segel!

had two we really wanted to see…originally.  When we got downstairs, the line was already forming.  It was supposed to be that you couldn’t line up more than an hour before the panel started.  It looked as if no one was following that rule, so we stepped into line.  We waited a bit for our 1pm panel and when we got to the front, we overheard staff saying the panel rooms were not being cleared out after each panel.  I stopped and asked if that meant we could just stay, and she said “no problem, want to go in now?” Ummm yes! We were the last two people allowed to enter the (amazing!) Stan Lee panel.  I’m so glad we got in because it was a really interesting and entertaining talk.  We stayed after and hung out until the Epic Storytelling panel with Cassandra Clare, Holly Black and Maggie Stiefvater, another great talk.  We really wanted to see the dystopian panel but there was another in between. Peeking out we saw the line was still insane and we

This is my I’m starving and really need to pee but can’t leave the panel room face.

decided to just stick it out.   We were both starving and I desperately needed a bathroom but if I left, there was no promise I’d get back in, so I suffered through it. The next panel had Jason Segel of How I Met Your Mother/Muppet fame and it was really good! We were both glad we stayed to hear him speak. Sadly, the dystopian panel was probably the weakest of them all. Not that it was awful but it definitely didn’t live up to the others we had seen all day.

It was overcrowded, disorganized and lacking in loot but all in all, the panels made the con worthwhile.  I felt because the big houses had to have two booths that it was an extra added expense that meant less swag was given and they had less manpower to deal with the incredible throng of people that showed.

Loot!

We did leave with some good stuff, a signed copy sample of Stan Lee’s upcoming book Zodiac, as well as Maggie’s Sinner (squee!). We also got these awesome I read YA tumblers from Scholastic (see my post from May 20th!) that Tiffany and I altered slightly to make more accurate.

I read AND write YA!

While it wasn’t as good an experience as last year, I’m still glad we went and got to see the speakers.  We’ve already decided next year we’ll put the money aside for the whole BEA convention in the hopes to have the best experience.  We shall see how it goes.

Did you attend Bookcon? What are your thoughts on the experience?

Bookcon Here I Come!

Some of you may remember that I was able to attend BEA (Book Expo America) last year on their Power Reader day.  My lovely friend, Tiffany, and I got to attend a great panel with Mr. Neil Gaiman as well as book club speed dating.  We came back with tons of loot (I still have books to read!).

When I looked up the info this year, I found they decided to do away with the Power Reader idea in exchange for Bookcon, which is being run more like a convention. Of course I decided I had to be there!  There are tons of great panels going on as well as autograph sessions. We are hoping to get into the Epic Storytelling panel with Holly Black, Cassandra Clare and (extra squee!) Maggie Stiefvater as well as the Fault in Our Stars movie panel with the amazing John Green.

I’m planning on Tweeting and updating during the day (so long as I have a decent connection. Last yr it was spotty) so be sure follow along with me (MBMulhall) and I’ll be sure to post something about the experience next week as well!

 

Are you planning on attending this year?

Tuesday Teaser – Driven

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a teaser with you guys, so I thought I’d share a little of my current project with you. It’s slow going but it’s getting done. As usual, it’s unedited at this point, so be kind with any typos or grammatical issues.

Here’s a taste, just to whet your whistle!

______________________________________________________________________________________

The quick rising, breath-stealing frigid water in the drainage tunnel should probably have concerned him, especially since he didn’t know how to swim, but Oliver felt it was karma finally coming to exact its revenge. Others would argue he didn’t deserve it, but he felt it was long overdue.  Sure he had suffered in different ways over the years, but not in any one way that lived up to his guilt or equaled the horrendousness of his crime.  They were just the precursor, the appetizer so to speak, to the main course.

Coldness, like he couldn’t have imagined, seeped into his bones, seemingly bypassing the barriers of his clothing and skin.  It wrapped itself around the calcium laced supports and settled in the very marrow, spreading from extremity to extremity.

Oliver tipped his head back until it rested on one of the metal wrinkles of the tube. There was no longer feeling in his feet and he knew it was only a matter of time before that numbness crept up his legs, over his stomach and into his chest to finally lay to rest his broken heart. His lids fluttered and sad eyes closed on their own cognizant as he welcomed his impending doom.

A lighthearted joy suddenly skidded through him as he realized that his ending would reunite him with those he lost.  Oliver only hoped that if they met him at the gates, they wouldn’t turn him away, making his afterlife as painful as the earthly existence he would be leaving behind.  How does one survive a tortured eternity?

Maybe it would be his ultimate penance.

Maybe he wouldn’t even get to go to the place he imagined they were.

His head dropped forward, chin meeting chest. It would be what he deserved.  There was no forgiveness, only pain.

Never-ending pain.

 

I read YA week!

Thanks to the lovely ladies at I Heart Daily, I learned this week is I read YA week!  YAY!

As I’ve discussed in the past, I’m all for everyone of any age reading young adult books.  Teens can identify with many of the characters as well as learning about diversity and romance and different things that they may be sheltered from in their own lives.  Adults can reminisce about when they were teens and also learn how things might be different today for the young adults in their lives, allowing openings for discussions with their teens on topics that might otherwise be difficult to breech.

The writing is not dumbed down, it often deals with difficult topics and has an expansive vocabulary to challenge even advanced readers.  The stories spread through the genres of sci-fi, high fantasy, paranormal and more.  I promise, it’s not all romance.

I love seeing the diversity in young adult literature these days.  I grew up reading Nancy Drew, the Babysitters Club and Sweet Valley books. They were fun reads and I devoured them at such a rate that my folks couldn’t keep me stocked with enough new stuff to read, but they were all pretty much happy ending books where everything worked out for the best, and everyone kissed and made up and went on with a good life. There were significantly less stories that touched on important and controversial topics.  Today is there a much wider range for teens to delve into, that will make them think and feel and possibly act after reading certain books.  I think that’s a great thing.  There is certainly still a place for the happy ending (and I still love them) but I can appreciate that there are stories out there that are more true to life as well.

Why do you read YA?

 

Be sure to follow along with Scholastic and join in on the daily topics and discussions on several social media platforms: Click here to see topics & how to participate!

Book Review: Spillworthy

I’m excited to be able to review and release this book because not only is Johanna Harness an excellent author, but because she’s been a great force for authors all over the net.  If you have ever used the #amwriting hashtag, you’ve got Johanna to thank!  She’s made it possible for authors to connect, learn and hone their craft.  I even wrote several articles for the Amwriting website when it was still up and running. I met several others through the tag, as well as developed a relationship with Johanna herself.  I was very excited to be a part of her release and I hope you all will enjoy the book as much as I did!

Title: Spillworthy

Author:  Johanna Harness

Genre: Middle Grade

Source: Author

Goodreads Rating: 5

My Rating: 4 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

A Spillworthy is an idea so good, it has to be shared and ten-year-old Ulysses Finch doesn’t let being homeless get in his way. He scrawls his best thoughts on pizza boxes, releases them into the wild, and relishes every response. After moving to Idaho, Ulysses finds Gem Rost’s journal and dives into reading it. She must be a kindred spirit! Or is she?

Reaction:

Firstly, as an author myself, I love the idea of a Spillworthy.  To release your words unto the world, to share your art, even with just one person, is powerful and the idea of this ten-year-old homeless boy has so many hardships yet still wants to be able to touch the lives of others is a pretty amazing one.

The story is told via journal entries which allows the reader to really get to know the characters.  You get to join them as they have their adventures but the reader can see the bigger picture, the problems of these characters, how they deal with them and how other people see them.

Some of Ulysses’s actions and reactions contradict his large (for a homeless ten-year-old) vocabulary and more adult philosophies but I liked the character so much I could suspend disbelief and just go with the flow of the story.

It’s a powerful story about having a voice.  Even though it’s aimed towards a middle grade reader, adults will enjoy it and it can be a great read for parents and their children to read together and discuss.

In addition: This review is a little different because not only did I want to share that this was a great read, I am going to release a paperback copy of Spillworthy into the world for someone else to catch and read and hopefully pass along after.  I had a hard time deciding where I was going to release my copy.  I wanted to work something out with a teacher friend, but the timing just wasn’t right.  I wanted to put it in a park, but the weather has been so up and down I wasn’t sure the sun would be out long enough for kids to get out there and find it.  I finally settled on releasing it in my favorite writing haunt, the local Starbucks.  It is packed with other writers and parents grabbing a drink with their kids before or after sports/activities.  Since the day is lovely and folks are outside enjoying their caffeinated beverages, I left it on a chair by a table in the sun.  I know someone will pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.

Don’t Be Surprised by Honest Feedback

I am all for people joining critique groups or writing groups where others give feedback on your work. I think it’s very important to have people outside your close circle of friends and family read your writing and tell you what they think.

That being said, don’t be surprised by people’s honest feedback.

If you’re just looking for your ego to be stroked, you’re not going to get any real benefit from these kinds of groups. We all love to hear praise and that people enjoy our work, so there’s no shame in that, but if you’re ignoring feedback that isn’t praise you’re doing yourself an injustice.  That’s not to say you need to take everyone’s advice for fixes or rewrites, but it should be worth thinking about.  As I’ve said before, you’re the artist and you get final say, but you should be going to these groups to improve your writing and hone your craft, so don’t just make excuses about your formatting or wrong choice of words,  say thanks and decide what you want to do about it after the fact.

For those providing the feedback, a few words of caution: Honest feedback is important, but there’s no need to crush someone’s spirits.  There are ways to give suggestions without being cruel or rude about it. Also, I believe there is always something good to be said about everyone’s writing.  Find that thing and be sure to mention amongst your other comments.  The point is to help your fellow authors improve, not depress them to the point of quitting.

Everyone’s got a role to play at these groups. Make sure you’re getting the most out of your time spent with them.  If you feel you aren’t getting honest feedback, don’t hesitate to find a new group. Sometimes it’s just not a good fit and another group may better understand what you’re trying to accomplish or be more willing to give the kind of feedback you’re looking for.

Do you give honest feedback, or are you too worried how people will react?