Jack Lewis Baillot's Blog, page 67
February 4, 2013
"This one has a caramel center made with the milk of the intergalactic bovine creature that on occasion jumps over the Moon."
For all those worried...I don't typically kill off characters. Thankfully for all of you, I am reader as well as an author, and I know the pain of growing to love a character only to have them die. So you all can put some of your worry to rest. (I say some, because...I've not always been able to keep everyone alive. But I do my best.) That probably did little to comfort all of you concerned over a one handed hermit...
Because I was lacking in posts, yet again, and didn't wish to do book reviews in a row, I've decided to try a Character Encounter. I don't know who came up with them so I am unable to link to the blog, but lots of authors do them. Someone, somewhere, will tell where the encounter should take place - fast food restaurant, mall...so forth, and we have to tell of a time we met our characters in such places. This month's is a party.)
So...
My idea of a good party was always a few friends getting together and playing games in the parlor like in the Little House books. I even always envisioned an awkward Almonzo there, shifting his feet and watching Laura giggle. Sadly though, I've never been to a party like that, and this one proved to be no better.
All around me young people are talking while I sit awkwardly on the couch, trying to act like I'm listening and not like I know all what their saying. Trying out my Sherlock skills would surely lessen my popularity among them, and that isn't something I need lessened. Therefore, I sit there, my awkwardness having none of the charm that Almonzo's would have.
Slowly, as girls giggle over school and boys talk about cars, I drift off and space out until someone sits beside me, pulling me from my thoughts. Blinking, I dare to look and see who has sat beside the out of place girl and find myself face to face with a blond haired young man. His hair is close cropped and streaked with odd bits of black, giving him an odd look.
"I tried some of this frozen...stuff," he says, holding up a bowl I had not noticed before. He stabs a spoon into the ice cream and takes a bite, smiling. "It is good, what do you call it?"
I look around but no one has noticed him yet, which I find odd as he doesn't fit in with his leather jacket and tall boots.
"Peter Jones!" I whisper urgently. "What are you doing here?"
"Eating this," he motions to the bowl, "what are you doing here?"
I smirk at his earnestness and shrug my shoulders. If anyone sees him what should I care. "Playing Sherlock," I reply, "and that is called ice cream."
"Ice cream," he takes another bite, "how come we don't have any in Scotland?"
"Because Tony would get too round eating it all the time."
He snickers, then settles back. "This might be a more interesting party if he and Darcy where here," he points out.
Sighing, I lean back as well. "Likely," I say, "but it is less dull now that you are here."
"Good. I was hoping you'd want me to stay."
"Why?" I ask.
"I wanted another bowl of ice cream."*** Quote is from E Aster Bunnymund, the book. He is talking about one of his chocolates, which is rotten. One shouldn't talk about such good chocolates if he cannot share them.
Allons-y!
Because I was lacking in posts, yet again, and didn't wish to do book reviews in a row, I've decided to try a Character Encounter. I don't know who came up with them so I am unable to link to the blog, but lots of authors do them. Someone, somewhere, will tell where the encounter should take place - fast food restaurant, mall...so forth, and we have to tell of a time we met our characters in such places. This month's is a party.)
So...
My idea of a good party was always a few friends getting together and playing games in the parlor like in the Little House books. I even always envisioned an awkward Almonzo there, shifting his feet and watching Laura giggle. Sadly though, I've never been to a party like that, and this one proved to be no better.
All around me young people are talking while I sit awkwardly on the couch, trying to act like I'm listening and not like I know all what their saying. Trying out my Sherlock skills would surely lessen my popularity among them, and that isn't something I need lessened. Therefore, I sit there, my awkwardness having none of the charm that Almonzo's would have.
Slowly, as girls giggle over school and boys talk about cars, I drift off and space out until someone sits beside me, pulling me from my thoughts. Blinking, I dare to look and see who has sat beside the out of place girl and find myself face to face with a blond haired young man. His hair is close cropped and streaked with odd bits of black, giving him an odd look.
"I tried some of this frozen...stuff," he says, holding up a bowl I had not noticed before. He stabs a spoon into the ice cream and takes a bite, smiling. "It is good, what do you call it?"
I look around but no one has noticed him yet, which I find odd as he doesn't fit in with his leather jacket and tall boots.
"Peter Jones!" I whisper urgently. "What are you doing here?"
"Eating this," he motions to the bowl, "what are you doing here?"
I smirk at his earnestness and shrug my shoulders. If anyone sees him what should I care. "Playing Sherlock," I reply, "and that is called ice cream."
"Ice cream," he takes another bite, "how come we don't have any in Scotland?"
"Because Tony would get too round eating it all the time."
He snickers, then settles back. "This might be a more interesting party if he and Darcy where here," he points out.
Sighing, I lean back as well. "Likely," I say, "but it is less dull now that you are here."
"Good. I was hoping you'd want me to stay."
"Why?" I ask.
"I wanted another bowl of ice cream."*** Quote is from E Aster Bunnymund, the book. He is talking about one of his chocolates, which is rotten. One shouldn't talk about such good chocolates if he cannot share them.
Allons-y!
February 3, 2013
"You know you don't mean that." "I think he does. I've never heard him say so much all at one time."
This is another one of those days where I have little to say. Because of my secret project, a certain someone I know who is...come to think of it, I don't even know how to put that. (Getting married? Thinking I'm the most annoying thing who has ever walked the earth? Has issues with closets and clothing? Take your pick.) As well as editing, publishing, and a project my mum and I are under taking, I feel about ready to jump out of my skin - mostly from excitement and impatience.
Therefore, I don't know what to talk about. I must say though, I am sorry if I get behind reading your blogs. This is something I am hoping to keep up on, but as my list above stated, I don't have much free time. (Oh, and you can add work in there somewhere. And writing. And reading - an author must always read - and family. Okay, I'm doing to stop adding to my list. But why is it every time I go to publish, my life gets insanely...odd?)
Enough of that, though. I am pleased to announce I finished two books and am in the middle of three very good ones. (One of which I wasn't putting much hope in.)
Therefore, I do have a review for you all. This book I have seen about the library before and while it looked Steampunk I never picked them up. However, being on the look for something good I finally decided to try it.
The book is called The Navigator written by Eoin McNamee, an Irish author. It is the first in a three part series and tells the story of Owen, a boy who is suddenly pulled into a battle when time is messed up and the life he has always known is erased. He finds helped with a band of people who's job it is to fix time every time this happens. But he soon discovers earth's only hope lies with him.
This is a children's book so it didn't have a complex writing style. It was more simple and very fast paced, which I always love. The plot has enough twists to keep it interesting but the best part, of course, was the characters.
There is a whole host of amazing characters, starting with Owen who isn't the typical hero. He's brave, yes, but he is also kind and doesn't go about acting as if he's better then everyone else. If anything he's mostly confused throughout the book - time is messed up, who wouldn't be? Then you have Cati, a wildly adventurous girl who always is one of the sweetest girl characters I've ever read. She isn't afraid to comfort others and, get this, even gives another girl a hug to cheer her up. (When was the last modern book you read where a girl will hug someone?!) She also gets annoyed with Owen sometimes, but never hesitates to stand up for him. When others believe he's a traitor she refuses to, even when there seems to be a lot of evidence toward it. I loved the friendship between them.
There are others as well. A doctor who talks backwards, Wesley - who is kind of like a street boy/ soldier. Pieta, a recklessly brave woman, though not in the annoying sense. And Cati's father, who was cool, there is no other word for him.
Though I wouldn't consider this the most well written book I've ever read, it pleasantly surprised me especially how much I came to like Cati and Owen. And, I am looking forward to the second and third book, because...the ending! A very good ending, but still!
And now, I think I will go away. Because, well...because if I didn't I would spend the next hour talking about nothing.
Quote is from the Lucky Luke movie.
Allons-y!!
Therefore, I don't know what to talk about. I must say though, I am sorry if I get behind reading your blogs. This is something I am hoping to keep up on, but as my list above stated, I don't have much free time. (Oh, and you can add work in there somewhere. And writing. And reading - an author must always read - and family. Okay, I'm doing to stop adding to my list. But why is it every time I go to publish, my life gets insanely...odd?)
Enough of that, though. I am pleased to announce I finished two books and am in the middle of three very good ones. (One of which I wasn't putting much hope in.)
Therefore, I do have a review for you all. This book I have seen about the library before and while it looked Steampunk I never picked them up. However, being on the look for something good I finally decided to try it.
The book is called The Navigator written by Eoin McNamee, an Irish author. It is the first in a three part series and tells the story of Owen, a boy who is suddenly pulled into a battle when time is messed up and the life he has always known is erased. He finds helped with a band of people who's job it is to fix time every time this happens. But he soon discovers earth's only hope lies with him.
This is a children's book so it didn't have a complex writing style. It was more simple and very fast paced, which I always love. The plot has enough twists to keep it interesting but the best part, of course, was the characters.
There is a whole host of amazing characters, starting with Owen who isn't the typical hero. He's brave, yes, but he is also kind and doesn't go about acting as if he's better then everyone else. If anything he's mostly confused throughout the book - time is messed up, who wouldn't be? Then you have Cati, a wildly adventurous girl who always is one of the sweetest girl characters I've ever read. She isn't afraid to comfort others and, get this, even gives another girl a hug to cheer her up. (When was the last modern book you read where a girl will hug someone?!) She also gets annoyed with Owen sometimes, but never hesitates to stand up for him. When others believe he's a traitor she refuses to, even when there seems to be a lot of evidence toward it. I loved the friendship between them.
There are others as well. A doctor who talks backwards, Wesley - who is kind of like a street boy/ soldier. Pieta, a recklessly brave woman, though not in the annoying sense. And Cati's father, who was cool, there is no other word for him.
Though I wouldn't consider this the most well written book I've ever read, it pleasantly surprised me especially how much I came to like Cati and Owen. And, I am looking forward to the second and third book, because...the ending! A very good ending, but still!
And now, I think I will go away. Because, well...because if I didn't I would spend the next hour talking about nothing.
Quote is from the Lucky Luke movie.
Allons-y!!
January 31, 2013
"Probable murder weapon. No prints." "There never are."
For a long time I've been trying to decide where to go from here. I have one book published, but I have a lot of work to do still. I've been working on marketing plans and am making some progress there. Though I still have to come up with some others. (A slow process right now.)
And I still have other books to publish. Such as, book two. However, with that one certain things have come up so my original plan got changed, which changed some other things as well. (The short of it was whether or not to move back the publication date or to publish without pictures. The other short of it is I moved back the date. *Smirk*)
But this left the set publication date open. (It also got me to address the issue of price. Which I have lowered. Sadly, Lulu wouldn't let me lower it as much as I wanted. I am working on this to see if I can find a way around it. I set a discount but am not sure how it will end up working. Keep an eye on the site, it should be down to 12 now, if the discount worked. Which I am hoping it did.)
All of this, though, is leading up to this. My next, to be published project. And today, I will tell you all about it. (Well, most about it.) This book was my second NaNo project. It came about as most of mine do, last minute when I ditched the plot I had and tried to come up with something new.
What first started it was a desire to tell a story about a prince (partly brought on by watching Stardust and thinking the princes were one of the best parts of the whole movie.) Holding to this idea, I asked around and soon had so many ideas thrown at me I had a plot. I also had a kind friend who not only drew a map for me but outlined the whole country. I need to pull that file out sometime soon and share some of the facts. But for now, I will skip it.
By the time NaNo ended I had a two part book series and some quirky characters I hadn't set out to meet. (Some of which included an elf and some dwarves.) Before this I had never written a story with elves and dwarves, and I've never done so since, but I had a lot of fun doing so with this book. I suppose, with the elves and such, it makes it a fantasy book, with no magic in it. It was written before I learned of Steampunk so it has none of that in it either. It just has some princes, an elf, hungry dwarves, and some other creatures. And an adventure all centering around one little boy.
And today, since I am feeling kind, I will share with you not only the title, but the summery! (Aye! Bask in my kindness!)
Ahem.
Over the next few weeks I will be introducing the characters, kind of like I did for Haphazardly Implausible and am doing for The Broken Blade. This also means book two's cover and trailer will be on hold, and we will be working on everything for this book. It also means I am planning on revealing the release date next week. (Okay, there went some of my kindness.)
I am hoping this made some kind of sense. I don't know what is with me today, but I can't seem to think coherently. Here is the link though for my book. Please let me know if the price hasn't changed as it all looks good from my end, but it might be doing that because I am the one who did it. PAPERBACK BOOK. (Note, the ebooks will also have new prices.)
And now, here is the summery and title of the book I will be publishing next.
A Stretch of Loyalty
Prince Lachlan's only crime is that he is the youngest son of the king, a selfish man who took what he wanted no matter the cost. Now Lachlan's life is in danger because his father's last law was that the last of his sons left living will be the new king.
Lachlan's half brothers are determined to get rid of him first before they work on killing each other, but their plans are foiled when Lachlan is saved by a young girl named Magda. Knowing Lachlan would make a better king then any of his brothers, Magda flees into the wild, hoping to find help and safety for the boy in one of the neighboring kingdoms. Instead, all Magda finds is rejection.
But help might be closer then she thinks, and it comes in the form of a grumpy, one handed hermit, an elf with a sense of humor, and two dwarf brothers. Together, they might have a chance to save the boy - but what price do you pay to keep a stranger alive? Just how far are they willing to go to make sure he is kept safe?
What do you think? (I think it still needs some work and will be polishing it up over the next few months, as I always do with my summeries.)
But, I have the site for it set up, so you can go and look around if you like. HERE
And I think that is about it. For now. I might have some more exciting news later, but I have to check on when to talk about that one. (See?! Not talking coherently. And I didn't even crack my head today...)
I think I will go before I start up more babbling. Character voting is open! Check the sidebar!
(Note, the title series, Because of Loyalty, is very likely to be changed. It is all I could come up with at the moment though.)
Another Columbo quote, this one reminded me of a line from the old Avengers TV show.
Au Revoir!
Allons-y!
And I still have other books to publish. Such as, book two. However, with that one certain things have come up so my original plan got changed, which changed some other things as well. (The short of it was whether or not to move back the publication date or to publish without pictures. The other short of it is I moved back the date. *Smirk*)
But this left the set publication date open. (It also got me to address the issue of price. Which I have lowered. Sadly, Lulu wouldn't let me lower it as much as I wanted. I am working on this to see if I can find a way around it. I set a discount but am not sure how it will end up working. Keep an eye on the site, it should be down to 12 now, if the discount worked. Which I am hoping it did.)
All of this, though, is leading up to this. My next, to be published project. And today, I will tell you all about it. (Well, most about it.) This book was my second NaNo project. It came about as most of mine do, last minute when I ditched the plot I had and tried to come up with something new.
What first started it was a desire to tell a story about a prince (partly brought on by watching Stardust and thinking the princes were one of the best parts of the whole movie.) Holding to this idea, I asked around and soon had so many ideas thrown at me I had a plot. I also had a kind friend who not only drew a map for me but outlined the whole country. I need to pull that file out sometime soon and share some of the facts. But for now, I will skip it.
By the time NaNo ended I had a two part book series and some quirky characters I hadn't set out to meet. (Some of which included an elf and some dwarves.) Before this I had never written a story with elves and dwarves, and I've never done so since, but I had a lot of fun doing so with this book. I suppose, with the elves and such, it makes it a fantasy book, with no magic in it. It was written before I learned of Steampunk so it has none of that in it either. It just has some princes, an elf, hungry dwarves, and some other creatures. And an adventure all centering around one little boy.
And today, since I am feeling kind, I will share with you not only the title, but the summery! (Aye! Bask in my kindness!)
Ahem.
Over the next few weeks I will be introducing the characters, kind of like I did for Haphazardly Implausible and am doing for The Broken Blade. This also means book two's cover and trailer will be on hold, and we will be working on everything for this book. It also means I am planning on revealing the release date next week. (Okay, there went some of my kindness.)
I am hoping this made some kind of sense. I don't know what is with me today, but I can't seem to think coherently. Here is the link though for my book. Please let me know if the price hasn't changed as it all looks good from my end, but it might be doing that because I am the one who did it. PAPERBACK BOOK. (Note, the ebooks will also have new prices.)
And now, here is the summery and title of the book I will be publishing next.
A Stretch of Loyalty
Prince Lachlan's only crime is that he is the youngest son of the king, a selfish man who took what he wanted no matter the cost. Now Lachlan's life is in danger because his father's last law was that the last of his sons left living will be the new king.
Lachlan's half brothers are determined to get rid of him first before they work on killing each other, but their plans are foiled when Lachlan is saved by a young girl named Magda. Knowing Lachlan would make a better king then any of his brothers, Magda flees into the wild, hoping to find help and safety for the boy in one of the neighboring kingdoms. Instead, all Magda finds is rejection.
But help might be closer then she thinks, and it comes in the form of a grumpy, one handed hermit, an elf with a sense of humor, and two dwarf brothers. Together, they might have a chance to save the boy - but what price do you pay to keep a stranger alive? Just how far are they willing to go to make sure he is kept safe?
What do you think? (I think it still needs some work and will be polishing it up over the next few months, as I always do with my summeries.)
But, I have the site for it set up, so you can go and look around if you like. HERE
And I think that is about it. For now. I might have some more exciting news later, but I have to check on when to talk about that one. (See?! Not talking coherently. And I didn't even crack my head today...)
I think I will go before I start up more babbling. Character voting is open! Check the sidebar!
(Note, the title series, Because of Loyalty, is very likely to be changed. It is all I could come up with at the moment though.)
Another Columbo quote, this one reminded me of a line from the old Avengers TV show.
Au Revoir!
Allons-y!
January 30, 2013
"Every time we go into a restaurant she steals an ashtray. It's very embarrassing in my line of work."
Wherein Jack reviews something she does enjoy to make up for a two part review about something she didn't. (And also implies that at the end of this she might have something writing related.)
I like crime shows. Rather, detective shows. I like to try and solve the cases before the detectives, and then at work I will stand about and try their methods of deduction on the costumers. I also like all shows that have a Sherlock like detective in them. (Because, let's face it, he was the most brilliant detective who never lived.)
But, I REALLY like it when someone can take that Sherlock like man and make him unique. A good example of this is Monk. Adrain Monk, a very observant fellow who is scared of everything, even milk. "Hey, we are making good progress with the milk!" When I saw Monk I thought the writers had done it. They'd finally created a detective like Sherlock but unlike him. I didn't think anyone else would or had ever come close to doing this before. I was wrong.
My friend got me into watching an old TV show called Columbo, made around the late 1970's and early 1980's I believe.
The show is about a rounded shouldered, slightly cross eyed, middle aged man named Columbo. He has thick, curly black hair, usually looks like he has just rolled out of bed and is in need of a long bath. His clothing is usually rumpled and askew, his rain coat apparently looks like it has been around since the dark ages. And if that wasn't enough to throw off the villains his eyes are. Very often he looks like a lost little boy, hoping to make a new friend who will go out for ice cream with him.
And then, on top of his appearance, is his personality. Now, I am not sure how much of this is an act or if this is just really how he thinks. (I believe most of it is an act, but I cannot prove it. Which I think is one of the best parts of the show. One can never tell if he is serious or faking to throw bad guy's off their guard.)
Anyhow, Columbo basically comes off as a little...a lot sometimes...dim, slow, clueless, who never pays attention to anything. He is the kind of detective bad guys DREAM of getting. He is the kind of man who looks and acts as if you were to tell him a chicken killed someone he would believe it. He acts as if he believes everything everyone tells him and every time he shows up on a case the villains assume they are home free.
Haha, bad guys. Haha.
I think Columbo, most of the time, knows who did it right off. He will then visit that person over and over and over and over and ramble on and on and on and on. He will ask them for help on the case and question them about things they have said that don't add up. (In other words he drives them insane by his constant, "Oh, one more question." Or, "You know, I have this little problem and I can't seem to figure it out. Maybe you can help."
By the end of it I think they are happy to get arrested, just to get away from him. (He also loves to talk about his family, his wife, his daily life. I think he has nephews and nieces who have done pretty much everything there is to do. He's Italian, big family.)
Another thing I love about him, is he will set up the bad guys. If he doesn't have any clue to prove they did it, he will find a way to fish them out. He goes out of his way to do this sometimes. (Borrowing a ring to worry a murdering wife into give away the location where she hid her husband's body. A borrowed contact which panics a murderer into tearing apart a car to find it and destroy it. A box of cigars which supposedly have a bomb in them {That one was pretty funny, actually. He was sitting there, all calm, and the bad guy was tearing apart the box trying to find the bomb and get rid of it.})
And usually, nothing ever bothers him. He is a very calm fellow who apparently likes to go about playing as if he's an idiot until he catches the bad guys - and only then can one see how upset he is they committed murders in the first place.
But, I've never actually seen him get mad, until last night when a doctor is trying to murder another doctor and Columbo is trying to save him. Trust me, you wouldn't like him when he's mad.
Something I didn't think I'd like about the show, is always at the beginning it shows who the murder is and how they did it. And I didn't think it would be any fun, not getting to try and guess who did it before Columbo. But it is so much fun watching him work out all the clues and annoy the murderers I don't mind anymore.
So, in short, it is a brilliant show and has a new twist on the typical Sherlock detective. (Side note, he's not really a detective. More of a policeman who investigates murders. Which is why someone always dies in every show.) Also, it has guest appearance of other actors I know. (Captain Kirk. Spock. Dick Van Dyke. You might not know it, but those three are rather sneaky in the murdering field. Makes me wonder just how the red shirts really did die.
Spock was one of the creepiest because he played a murdering doctor. I knew I had a good reason not to trust doctors. And Kirk almost outsmarted Columbo - almost.)
And, that is about it. So...aye, moving on.
Tomorrow I will have a huge writing update for all of you. But for now, I will leave.
Quote, again, is from Columbo.
Au Revoir
Allons-y!
I like crime shows. Rather, detective shows. I like to try and solve the cases before the detectives, and then at work I will stand about and try their methods of deduction on the costumers. I also like all shows that have a Sherlock like detective in them. (Because, let's face it, he was the most brilliant detective who never lived.)
But, I REALLY like it when someone can take that Sherlock like man and make him unique. A good example of this is Monk. Adrain Monk, a very observant fellow who is scared of everything, even milk. "Hey, we are making good progress with the milk!" When I saw Monk I thought the writers had done it. They'd finally created a detective like Sherlock but unlike him. I didn't think anyone else would or had ever come close to doing this before. I was wrong.
My friend got me into watching an old TV show called Columbo, made around the late 1970's and early 1980's I believe.
The show is about a rounded shouldered, slightly cross eyed, middle aged man named Columbo. He has thick, curly black hair, usually looks like he has just rolled out of bed and is in need of a long bath. His clothing is usually rumpled and askew, his rain coat apparently looks like it has been around since the dark ages. And if that wasn't enough to throw off the villains his eyes are. Very often he looks like a lost little boy, hoping to make a new friend who will go out for ice cream with him.
And then, on top of his appearance, is his personality. Now, I am not sure how much of this is an act or if this is just really how he thinks. (I believe most of it is an act, but I cannot prove it. Which I think is one of the best parts of the show. One can never tell if he is serious or faking to throw bad guy's off their guard.)
Anyhow, Columbo basically comes off as a little...a lot sometimes...dim, slow, clueless, who never pays attention to anything. He is the kind of detective bad guys DREAM of getting. He is the kind of man who looks and acts as if you were to tell him a chicken killed someone he would believe it. He acts as if he believes everything everyone tells him and every time he shows up on a case the villains assume they are home free.
Haha, bad guys. Haha.
I think Columbo, most of the time, knows who did it right off. He will then visit that person over and over and over and over and ramble on and on and on and on. He will ask them for help on the case and question them about things they have said that don't add up. (In other words he drives them insane by his constant, "Oh, one more question." Or, "You know, I have this little problem and I can't seem to figure it out. Maybe you can help."
By the end of it I think they are happy to get arrested, just to get away from him. (He also loves to talk about his family, his wife, his daily life. I think he has nephews and nieces who have done pretty much everything there is to do. He's Italian, big family.)
Another thing I love about him, is he will set up the bad guys. If he doesn't have any clue to prove they did it, he will find a way to fish them out. He goes out of his way to do this sometimes. (Borrowing a ring to worry a murdering wife into give away the location where she hid her husband's body. A borrowed contact which panics a murderer into tearing apart a car to find it and destroy it. A box of cigars which supposedly have a bomb in them {That one was pretty funny, actually. He was sitting there, all calm, and the bad guy was tearing apart the box trying to find the bomb and get rid of it.})
And usually, nothing ever bothers him. He is a very calm fellow who apparently likes to go about playing as if he's an idiot until he catches the bad guys - and only then can one see how upset he is they committed murders in the first place.
But, I've never actually seen him get mad, until last night when a doctor is trying to murder another doctor and Columbo is trying to save him. Trust me, you wouldn't like him when he's mad.
Something I didn't think I'd like about the show, is always at the beginning it shows who the murder is and how they did it. And I didn't think it would be any fun, not getting to try and guess who did it before Columbo. But it is so much fun watching him work out all the clues and annoy the murderers I don't mind anymore.
So, in short, it is a brilliant show and has a new twist on the typical Sherlock detective. (Side note, he's not really a detective. More of a policeman who investigates murders. Which is why someone always dies in every show.) Also, it has guest appearance of other actors I know. (Captain Kirk. Spock. Dick Van Dyke. You might not know it, but those three are rather sneaky in the murdering field. Makes me wonder just how the red shirts really did die.
Spock was one of the creepiest because he played a murdering doctor. I knew I had a good reason not to trust doctors. And Kirk almost outsmarted Columbo - almost.)
And, that is about it. So...aye, moving on.
Tomorrow I will have a huge writing update for all of you. But for now, I will leave.
Quote, again, is from Columbo.
Au Revoir
Allons-y!
January 29, 2013
"My wife says I'm second best. She says they'res eighty fellas tied for first."
Someday a fellow is going to ask me to dinner by saying, "My mother is cooking." And I will reply with, "Good. Put her on a slow heat and let her simmer." And I will then loose all chances of getting married.
I was tagged, twice. Once by Bella HERE and second by River HERE. And I will be doing the answers, this way.
I tagged all of you, by the way. Questions are at the end of the video. Sorry for the long ramble, I wasn't sure what to say half the time.
Quote is from Columbo
Au Revior!
Allons-y!
January 28, 2013
"Please, Spock. Do me a favour and don't say it's fascinating." "Of course not, but it is interesting."
Part Two
Wherein Jack lists reasons she doesn't like a world famous series and ducks the tomatoes.
So, as I said, I was doing this post in two parts. And, since I normally don't do two parts, I am not sure where to start. So I will just start in the middle, because that usually works.
Remember, these thoughts are my own opinion. I'm not going to burn you at the stake if you disagree.
So, aside from not caring for Harry, Ron, and Hermionie much, nor the actual writing style of the book, there is another part I couldn't get past. The adults.
I am sure some of you can see where I am going with this. Aye, Snape. Now, when I first heard of this man it was my sister saying how much she liked him. I didn't care at the time, not seeing the movies. But when I did, I found myself liking him as well. Grumpy, quiet, glaring most of the time, something about him interested me. Even if he was a bit mean sounding at times, he was likable. Then I read the books.
Now, those who do not know. Snape is Harry's teacher, one of them. He's a greasy haired man who never smiles, or hardly ever does, and has it in for Harry. He also favours Draco, this spoiled brat boy who torments Harry. It turns out, Snape loved Lily, Harry's mother. He tried to save her but got to the house too late the night she and her husband were killed. (He didn't like her husband because James bullied him when they were boys, then went and stole his true love just to add insult to injury. Okay, maybe not to ruin Snape's life, but he seems to think it.) Now, Snape hates Harry. (Hey, why not? Your sweetheart and tormentor's son. You've got nothing better to do.)
Now, Snape sets out to make Harry's life miserable. (Keep in mind I'm talking about book Snape, NOT movie Snape who had less of this 13-year-old grudge issue.) Now, here is where I have problems with this fellow. I made it to the middle of book four and in them Snape is horrible. He is very hard on Harry. Harry will mess something up in class - in other words he will be a student and not get everything perfect - and Snape will take points away from his House. Meanwhile, Draco can pretty much get away with murder and Snape will give him a cookie for it. I didn't finish book four. I was told he redeems himself in book 7 because we find out about James. Here is my point. I. Don't. Care.
I don't care that Snape was bullied. I don't care that Snape lost his girl. I don't care he couldn't save her. I do not for one moment think ANY of this gives him the right to act as he does. And I don't see how learning his past can fix any of this and get me to like him. (Yes, he saves Harry's life at least once, but still. Is this any reason to torment a boy and his friends.?!)
Example. Draco is mocking Harry in one part and Harry losses his temper. He and Draco pull out wands to zap each other with something and miss. Well, Draco misses. Harry's hits Draco and something happens. Draco's hits Hermionie. Snape shows up. Seeing Draco, he says he should go and see the doctor and get all mended. Meanwhile, Hermionie's teeth have begun to grow very large. Normally a girl with buck teeth, this is, well, not normal. But Snape looks at her and says, "I see no difference." And this is supposed to be an adult. A teacher. And the kids act more mature then him.
(And that is just one example.)
So, in short, I do not think anything should give him the right to behave in a childish manner and to so obviously bully Harry. Also, the other problem I have with this. It doesn't feel real. I have read books where kids are mistreated, but it was realistic. As I said before, when Harry's aunt and uncle are mean to him it is unbelievable. It is like Cinderella. The same with Snape. I have a hard time believing any adult would do any of that to a kid. (And yes, adults do do horrible things to children. But there is realistic and there is wicked step-mother where it is just the author wanting you to feel bad for the hero and making it almost silly.)
Nevelle is another problem I have. He is a quiet, shy, frightened boy with big teeth and a bad memory. And even Harry is mean to him sometimes. What kind of example is this? If you don't fit in you might as well get used to not having friends? It is okay to pick on someone who has struggles with things?
Lastly, is the insistence that everyone in the world should read these books. I made book four, I plan to read no further. I like the basic plotline, but I can get that from the movies and I can enjoy the charactrers more - just not the spiders. But, many seem to think if one DOESN'T read these books there is something wrong with them. They cannot go through life without reading them.
We read because we enjoy it. Everyone has different tastes. I do not enjoy these books, someone else might. (Same with the Ergon books. I don't enjoy them and never finished the first, but others love them.)
We each read what we enjoy. And there should be no law that we HAVE to read something even if we don't enjoy it.
So, there you have it. The reason I won't be finishing the Harry Potter books. (Besides, in book 7 she kills a lot of the characters I DID like. Fred, Remus, his wife, Fred. And leaves George. Alone. Without his twin brother. All alone....you get my point.)
And that is all. Quote is from Star Trek. (Spock likes to say fascinating when some disaster hits. And, well, it finally got on McCoy's nerves. Shocking, I know.)
Au Reivor
Allons-y!
Wherein Jack lists reasons she doesn't like a world famous series and ducks the tomatoes.
So, as I said, I was doing this post in two parts. And, since I normally don't do two parts, I am not sure where to start. So I will just start in the middle, because that usually works.
Remember, these thoughts are my own opinion. I'm not going to burn you at the stake if you disagree.
So, aside from not caring for Harry, Ron, and Hermionie much, nor the actual writing style of the book, there is another part I couldn't get past. The adults.
I am sure some of you can see where I am going with this. Aye, Snape. Now, when I first heard of this man it was my sister saying how much she liked him. I didn't care at the time, not seeing the movies. But when I did, I found myself liking him as well. Grumpy, quiet, glaring most of the time, something about him interested me. Even if he was a bit mean sounding at times, he was likable. Then I read the books.
Now, those who do not know. Snape is Harry's teacher, one of them. He's a greasy haired man who never smiles, or hardly ever does, and has it in for Harry. He also favours Draco, this spoiled brat boy who torments Harry. It turns out, Snape loved Lily, Harry's mother. He tried to save her but got to the house too late the night she and her husband were killed. (He didn't like her husband because James bullied him when they were boys, then went and stole his true love just to add insult to injury. Okay, maybe not to ruin Snape's life, but he seems to think it.) Now, Snape hates Harry. (Hey, why not? Your sweetheart and tormentor's son. You've got nothing better to do.)
Now, Snape sets out to make Harry's life miserable. (Keep in mind I'm talking about book Snape, NOT movie Snape who had less of this 13-year-old grudge issue.) Now, here is where I have problems with this fellow. I made it to the middle of book four and in them Snape is horrible. He is very hard on Harry. Harry will mess something up in class - in other words he will be a student and not get everything perfect - and Snape will take points away from his House. Meanwhile, Draco can pretty much get away with murder and Snape will give him a cookie for it. I didn't finish book four. I was told he redeems himself in book 7 because we find out about James. Here is my point. I. Don't. Care.
I don't care that Snape was bullied. I don't care that Snape lost his girl. I don't care he couldn't save her. I do not for one moment think ANY of this gives him the right to act as he does. And I don't see how learning his past can fix any of this and get me to like him. (Yes, he saves Harry's life at least once, but still. Is this any reason to torment a boy and his friends.?!)
Example. Draco is mocking Harry in one part and Harry losses his temper. He and Draco pull out wands to zap each other with something and miss. Well, Draco misses. Harry's hits Draco and something happens. Draco's hits Hermionie. Snape shows up. Seeing Draco, he says he should go and see the doctor and get all mended. Meanwhile, Hermionie's teeth have begun to grow very large. Normally a girl with buck teeth, this is, well, not normal. But Snape looks at her and says, "I see no difference." And this is supposed to be an adult. A teacher. And the kids act more mature then him.
(And that is just one example.)
So, in short, I do not think anything should give him the right to behave in a childish manner and to so obviously bully Harry. Also, the other problem I have with this. It doesn't feel real. I have read books where kids are mistreated, but it was realistic. As I said before, when Harry's aunt and uncle are mean to him it is unbelievable. It is like Cinderella. The same with Snape. I have a hard time believing any adult would do any of that to a kid. (And yes, adults do do horrible things to children. But there is realistic and there is wicked step-mother where it is just the author wanting you to feel bad for the hero and making it almost silly.)
Nevelle is another problem I have. He is a quiet, shy, frightened boy with big teeth and a bad memory. And even Harry is mean to him sometimes. What kind of example is this? If you don't fit in you might as well get used to not having friends? It is okay to pick on someone who has struggles with things?
Lastly, is the insistence that everyone in the world should read these books. I made book four, I plan to read no further. I like the basic plotline, but I can get that from the movies and I can enjoy the charactrers more - just not the spiders. But, many seem to think if one DOESN'T read these books there is something wrong with them. They cannot go through life without reading them.
We read because we enjoy it. Everyone has different tastes. I do not enjoy these books, someone else might. (Same with the Ergon books. I don't enjoy them and never finished the first, but others love them.)
We each read what we enjoy. And there should be no law that we HAVE to read something even if we don't enjoy it.
So, there you have it. The reason I won't be finishing the Harry Potter books. (Besides, in book 7 she kills a lot of the characters I DID like. Fred, Remus, his wife, Fred. And leaves George. Alone. Without his twin brother. All alone....you get my point.)
And that is all. Quote is from Star Trek. (Spock likes to say fascinating when some disaster hits. And, well, it finally got on McCoy's nerves. Shocking, I know.)
Au Reivor
Allons-y!
January 27, 2013
"Did you see the love light in Spock's eyes? The right computer finally came along."
Harry Potter. We've all heard about him, right? (Either that our you really are an Alien and I'll be right over.) I believe half the reason he is so popular now is the huge debate over the books and movies. Half the world claims they are evil, the other half the best thing ever written.
Unsure what to think, I watched the movies and tried to read the books. (I made it through the movies and rather enjoyed them. But the books...well, that is as follows.)
I have honestly found very little I like in the books. It isn't that there has been a lot of terrible things. (No sexual stuff, not a lot of language, the violence is a bit dark but isn't violence always this way?) All in all, they seem to just be stories about good vs. evil, and we all look a story like that, right? We want good to win and we like it when an unlikely character, or characters, defeat a terrible evil.
Know that I didn't set out to dislike the books. I simply wanted to know what made them the biggest reading rage at the moment. The characters? The plot? The romance? What was so wonderfully or evil about these books?
I have found some things I like about them, I will admit that. First off is the characters themselves. Harry is supposedly hugely famous all over the world, but in school he has very few friends. Often everyone thinks he is just showing off. Some of the teachers don't like him. He doesn't get prefect grades and muffs many things. He is, in fact, a typical human boy with all the faults that go with it. And he doesn't want fame, just a normal life.
Ron struggles because his family doesn't have enough money. (As if that matters. Seriously, who wouldn't want to trade places with him and hang out with his cool family?) But, it can be hard, not having much and having a friend who can buy anything he wants whenever he wants.
Herminie is a geek, simple as that. She loves learning, which makes her an outcast. (How true is that in our own world?) And, she is a bit of a know it all and can get annoying from time to time, but she is also sweet and cares for her friends.
I also liked the fact that the main plot of the stories is good vs. evil. It isn't mushy romance. It isn't how to fit into school. It is standing up and doing what is right even when you're scared half to death.
Now, what I have not liked about the books, and what has left me wondering how they became so famous.
I didn't care for the writing style. It felt lacking in most places. Rowling goes on and on about all these details. What they were eating, what the hall looked like though we've been there before. How the first year students looked, though we were with Harry when he was a first year and we know from first hand experience that they were scared. On and on about things we don't need to know or care about. Then when it comes to how the characters are handling things, she skims it. I don't care about their food, or what class they had next. I want to know how Harry is REALLY taking being almost killed, again. And not just telling, I want to see it. I want to feel something for him, to like him. All I really know about him is he gets mad very easily and talks back so much it lands him in all kinds off trouble. (And all of this because she told me. I didn't really get to see it.) I have come off thinking of him as something of a brat who hates his uncle and aunt. (And here is where the debate begins. Does Harry have a good reason to hate his uncle and aunt? They are VERY mean to him after all - unrealistically so by the way. They make him live in a broom cupboard and eat less then their son. So, lets take a quick look at this one.)
Harry is the hero of the books. The reason we love heroes is because they make us wish to be like them. Yes, we want them to have faults, but we also want them to be better then us. We want to have a reason to admire them. Therefore, can one admire Harry?
So far, all I've found is a bitter little boy who won't forgive because he believes he has a right to hold all this anger. He was mistreated, HOW DARE THEY! Someday he will make them pay! Do kids really need this message? Someone hurts you so make them suffer, spend all your time plotting revenge? No, they come up with that on their own. What if Harry was angry with his family, and learned how to overcome it and forgive them? What if he learned to stop harboring all his hate. Wouldn't that make him a worthy hero? One everyone could love and children could look up to and wish to be like? Isn't that what of the qualities we love in heroes?
The same with Ron and Herminie. (Sorry, I keep spelling her name wrong.) What if Ron was to learn that family is more important then things, and that he has a pretty grand family. It is so rare for a husband and wife to love each other as much as his mum and dad does. And Herminie, wouldn't it be better to learn that, knowing things is fine but she needn't show off about it all and make everyone around her look stupid.
And now I think I will go, because it is late and this is already long. I will do a part two likely tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on the books, stories, movies, or all of the above?
Quote is from Star Trek, where Spock finally finds true love, in a logical computer.
Bonne Nuit
Au Reivor
Allons-y!
Unsure what to think, I watched the movies and tried to read the books. (I made it through the movies and rather enjoyed them. But the books...well, that is as follows.)
I have honestly found very little I like in the books. It isn't that there has been a lot of terrible things. (No sexual stuff, not a lot of language, the violence is a bit dark but isn't violence always this way?) All in all, they seem to just be stories about good vs. evil, and we all look a story like that, right? We want good to win and we like it when an unlikely character, or characters, defeat a terrible evil.
Know that I didn't set out to dislike the books. I simply wanted to know what made them the biggest reading rage at the moment. The characters? The plot? The romance? What was so wonderfully or evil about these books?
I have found some things I like about them, I will admit that. First off is the characters themselves. Harry is supposedly hugely famous all over the world, but in school he has very few friends. Often everyone thinks he is just showing off. Some of the teachers don't like him. He doesn't get prefect grades and muffs many things. He is, in fact, a typical human boy with all the faults that go with it. And he doesn't want fame, just a normal life.
Ron struggles because his family doesn't have enough money. (As if that matters. Seriously, who wouldn't want to trade places with him and hang out with his cool family?) But, it can be hard, not having much and having a friend who can buy anything he wants whenever he wants.
Herminie is a geek, simple as that. She loves learning, which makes her an outcast. (How true is that in our own world?) And, she is a bit of a know it all and can get annoying from time to time, but she is also sweet and cares for her friends.
I also liked the fact that the main plot of the stories is good vs. evil. It isn't mushy romance. It isn't how to fit into school. It is standing up and doing what is right even when you're scared half to death.
Now, what I have not liked about the books, and what has left me wondering how they became so famous.
I didn't care for the writing style. It felt lacking in most places. Rowling goes on and on about all these details. What they were eating, what the hall looked like though we've been there before. How the first year students looked, though we were with Harry when he was a first year and we know from first hand experience that they were scared. On and on about things we don't need to know or care about. Then when it comes to how the characters are handling things, she skims it. I don't care about their food, or what class they had next. I want to know how Harry is REALLY taking being almost killed, again. And not just telling, I want to see it. I want to feel something for him, to like him. All I really know about him is he gets mad very easily and talks back so much it lands him in all kinds off trouble. (And all of this because she told me. I didn't really get to see it.) I have come off thinking of him as something of a brat who hates his uncle and aunt. (And here is where the debate begins. Does Harry have a good reason to hate his uncle and aunt? They are VERY mean to him after all - unrealistically so by the way. They make him live in a broom cupboard and eat less then their son. So, lets take a quick look at this one.)
Harry is the hero of the books. The reason we love heroes is because they make us wish to be like them. Yes, we want them to have faults, but we also want them to be better then us. We want to have a reason to admire them. Therefore, can one admire Harry?
So far, all I've found is a bitter little boy who won't forgive because he believes he has a right to hold all this anger. He was mistreated, HOW DARE THEY! Someday he will make them pay! Do kids really need this message? Someone hurts you so make them suffer, spend all your time plotting revenge? No, they come up with that on their own. What if Harry was angry with his family, and learned how to overcome it and forgive them? What if he learned to stop harboring all his hate. Wouldn't that make him a worthy hero? One everyone could love and children could look up to and wish to be like? Isn't that what of the qualities we love in heroes?
The same with Ron and Herminie. (Sorry, I keep spelling her name wrong.) What if Ron was to learn that family is more important then things, and that he has a pretty grand family. It is so rare for a husband and wife to love each other as much as his mum and dad does. And Herminie, wouldn't it be better to learn that, knowing things is fine but she needn't show off about it all and make everyone around her look stupid.
And now I think I will go, because it is late and this is already long. I will do a part two likely tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on the books, stories, movies, or all of the above?
Quote is from Star Trek, where Spock finally finds true love, in a logical computer.
Bonne Nuit
Au Reivor
Allons-y!
January 24, 2013
"They're like giant - baby rats."
I would say something clever before I begin but I have started this book. The title of which is The House of Many Ways. And it is set in Howl's world. And Howl shows up somewhere in it with Sophie and Calcifer. And the girl character is rather fun. So, I kind of want to crawl into bed and read.
As you might have seen, it was Striker who won the voting. (He's not sure how he feels about this, except maybe hungry.)
I forget when Striker came into being. His name was around for quite a while before he laid claim to it. And even when he took it up I didn't know him very well. I thought him to be a grumpy kind of person who had a tragic past and let it spoil his future. (Originally he had a half brother and sister, and a girl he fancied from a people who hated him. He betrayed his own family and ended up joining a bad of rebels rather reluctantly. Mostly because of the girl he fancied.)
(Let it here be noted there are no girls in The Broken Blade. Aside from mothers and a certain little girl who all of the sudden got her name. I'd been trying to find her one for weeks. After declaring to my friends I WOULD write a book entitled The Broken Blade, I firmly stated I wouldn't put any girls in, therefore eliminating the risk of my characters falling in love.)
Carrying on, though. That story got scrapped and when I worked out the plot for TBB, Striker moved there. Even then it took him awhile to adjust, and for me to really get to know him.
Striker is complicated mainly because he doesn't remember anything about his past. He wakes up one fall day on a farm, and knows he doesn't belong there. But aside from that he can remember nothing, not even his real name.
The name Striker is given to him, because of his incurable habit of punching people the moment he meets them.
For a reason he cannot explain he has trouble trusting people. Also, any time he comes close to remembering even a hint of his past he blacks out.
On hearing the legend of the blade, he becomes one of the few who firmly believes it will help Nightshade and determines to find it, yet also determined to never wield it as he doesn't wish to be Nightshade's next king.
He has a dry sense of humor. Most of the villagers are scared of him so he uses this to his advantage and glowers at them just for fun. He is also one of the few who can get the twins to tell him which is which. (They are always scared he will punch them if they make him guess.)
Striker's hair is dark brown, his eyes blue, and he is tall. Everyone assumes he is about 18 but there is no way to prove this point. He can handle a sword well, is somewhat clumsy with the bow, and, has a tempter when provoked.
I suppose that sums him up rather well - at least what I know of him. (I am still learning. I've only discovered recently who he is and how he lost his memory. All of the characters have been having fun, keeping me as much in the dark as possible. I have to force a lot of it out of them.)
Now I shall go to bed, and Ingry in the chance I might run into Howl again.
Quote is from Merlin, same episode as the quote I used yesterday.
Allons-y!
As you might have seen, it was Striker who won the voting. (He's not sure how he feels about this, except maybe hungry.)
I forget when Striker came into being. His name was around for quite a while before he laid claim to it. And even when he took it up I didn't know him very well. I thought him to be a grumpy kind of person who had a tragic past and let it spoil his future. (Originally he had a half brother and sister, and a girl he fancied from a people who hated him. He betrayed his own family and ended up joining a bad of rebels rather reluctantly. Mostly because of the girl he fancied.)
(Let it here be noted there are no girls in The Broken Blade. Aside from mothers and a certain little girl who all of the sudden got her name. I'd been trying to find her one for weeks. After declaring to my friends I WOULD write a book entitled The Broken Blade, I firmly stated I wouldn't put any girls in, therefore eliminating the risk of my characters falling in love.)
Carrying on, though. That story got scrapped and when I worked out the plot for TBB, Striker moved there. Even then it took him awhile to adjust, and for me to really get to know him.
Striker is complicated mainly because he doesn't remember anything about his past. He wakes up one fall day on a farm, and knows he doesn't belong there. But aside from that he can remember nothing, not even his real name.
The name Striker is given to him, because of his incurable habit of punching people the moment he meets them.
For a reason he cannot explain he has trouble trusting people. Also, any time he comes close to remembering even a hint of his past he blacks out.
On hearing the legend of the blade, he becomes one of the few who firmly believes it will help Nightshade and determines to find it, yet also determined to never wield it as he doesn't wish to be Nightshade's next king.
He has a dry sense of humor. Most of the villagers are scared of him so he uses this to his advantage and glowers at them just for fun. He is also one of the few who can get the twins to tell him which is which. (They are always scared he will punch them if they make him guess.)
Striker's hair is dark brown, his eyes blue, and he is tall. Everyone assumes he is about 18 but there is no way to prove this point. He can handle a sword well, is somewhat clumsy with the bow, and, has a tempter when provoked.
I suppose that sums him up rather well - at least what I know of him. (I am still learning. I've only discovered recently who he is and how he lost his memory. All of the characters have been having fun, keeping me as much in the dark as possible. I have to force a lot of it out of them.)
Now I shall go to bed, and Ingry in the chance I might run into Howl again.
Quote is from Merlin, same episode as the quote I used yesterday.
Allons-y!
January 23, 2013
"We could talk about your feelings while we walk."
For some reason this week has flopped. I am behind in writing, I've not edited. I have a ton of emails to answer, am behind on comments, and barely read anything. Also, I am behind on a secret project. I'm not even sure what happened. Nothing out of the ordinary accrued this week, it just decided to flop on me. But, that happens. I think it is just a reminder that life likes to do unpredictable things. Keeps us from getting board I suppose.
I haven't got too behind though, which is nice. I am just one chapter off, which I might be able to make up for on Saturday.
I have been doing some research though so that might count as book work. A long time ago I wrote a book which two of my friends thought was the best thing since buttered bread. They convinced me it had to have romance in it. (Only I don't write romance, mostly because I have fond almost every romantic book I've ever read boring. Also, being the unromantic person I am, it makes things tricky.)
But I told these two friends I'd do this one book romantic, just for them. Right now this book is sitting in a back document, waiting for it's turn to be re-re-re-re-re-re-re-written. But until I begin I've been pondering what makes a good romantic story, and what kind makes the reader roll their eyes and go, "Yeah right."
I've not made it very far. I know one thing though, I don't like the romantic stories where the fellow loves the girl, and the whole world knows it, but he decides he fancies another girl instead. And you are left sitting there saying, in the words of Flynn Ryder, "Oh, come on!"
And now I am curious. What do all of you think makes a good romance story? Do you like romantic books, or do you run from them as if they had the common cold? If you do like them, what kinds do you enjoy?
That is all I have for now. So...quote is taken from Merlin. The one where Arthur goes off to save Gwen and he and Merlin are almost eaten by giant...baby rats.
Allons-y!
I haven't got too behind though, which is nice. I am just one chapter off, which I might be able to make up for on Saturday.
I have been doing some research though so that might count as book work. A long time ago I wrote a book which two of my friends thought was the best thing since buttered bread. They convinced me it had to have romance in it. (Only I don't write romance, mostly because I have fond almost every romantic book I've ever read boring. Also, being the unromantic person I am, it makes things tricky.)
But I told these two friends I'd do this one book romantic, just for them. Right now this book is sitting in a back document, waiting for it's turn to be re-re-re-re-re-re-re-written. But until I begin I've been pondering what makes a good romantic story, and what kind makes the reader roll their eyes and go, "Yeah right."
I've not made it very far. I know one thing though, I don't like the romantic stories where the fellow loves the girl, and the whole world knows it, but he decides he fancies another girl instead. And you are left sitting there saying, in the words of Flynn Ryder, "Oh, come on!"
And now I am curious. What do all of you think makes a good romance story? Do you like romantic books, or do you run from them as if they had the common cold? If you do like them, what kinds do you enjoy?
That is all I have for now. So...quote is taken from Merlin. The one where Arthur goes off to save Gwen and he and Merlin are almost eaten by giant...baby rats.
Allons-y!
January 22, 2013
"May all your bacon burn."
I must confess, I did very little today. For some reason I was feeling incurably lazy - though I did write so I should get points for that. However, after that I tried my best to get some other work done, gave up the effort as pointless, and sprawled out on my bed to enjoy an exceptionally large book - and then I watched a movie, all the way through. For two hours. So, while I did very little in the way of writing and marketing today...well, I feel as if I did nothing but it was nice to enjoy a fat book. (And since I knit and read at the same time, I almost finished knitting a fingerless glove.)
And there is no point to any of that whatsoever. But since I didn't do any writing work I have nothing to talk about in that area, so this is what you get. Unless you want to hear about how I went to the library and found the second Guardian book! (Ahem, I might have did a little dance and clenched it in a death grip in case someone was about wanting to nab it from me.) I also got the third book in the Howl's Castle series. Even though he's not in it much, it sounds like a fun book.
(I also might have spent a lot of time on pintrest today. But we shan't bring that up.)
I suppose this might be a good time to hint at a project I am working on editing. (I am always writing something new, which right now is The Broken Blade, but I have a ton of stories I've already written and need to edit.) And now, with all your wonderful input I asked for the other day, I now know which will be next on my editing list.
But, of course, I won't be telling you about it yet. Because, you know, evil and all that. I will say this, it is one of the three stories you all voted on.
And really, that is the extent of all I have to say. So I'm going to leave and let you ponder about the book. (Also, don't forget. Friday I will be introducing one of the characters from The Broken Blade. If you look at the voting box I'm sure you can guess which one.)
Quote is from the movie of Howl's Moving Castle. And I might have used it once already but it is brilliant enough to use twice.
Allons-y!
And there is no point to any of that whatsoever. But since I didn't do any writing work I have nothing to talk about in that area, so this is what you get. Unless you want to hear about how I went to the library and found the second Guardian book! (Ahem, I might have did a little dance and clenched it in a death grip in case someone was about wanting to nab it from me.) I also got the third book in the Howl's Castle series. Even though he's not in it much, it sounds like a fun book.
(I also might have spent a lot of time on pintrest today. But we shan't bring that up.)
I suppose this might be a good time to hint at a project I am working on editing. (I am always writing something new, which right now is The Broken Blade, but I have a ton of stories I've already written and need to edit.) And now, with all your wonderful input I asked for the other day, I now know which will be next on my editing list.
But, of course, I won't be telling you about it yet. Because, you know, evil and all that. I will say this, it is one of the three stories you all voted on.
And really, that is the extent of all I have to say. So I'm going to leave and let you ponder about the book. (Also, don't forget. Friday I will be introducing one of the characters from The Broken Blade. If you look at the voting box I'm sure you can guess which one.)
Quote is from the movie of Howl's Moving Castle. And I might have used it once already but it is brilliant enough to use twice.
Allons-y!
