Lance Greenfield's Blog, page 33
January 20, 2019
Book Review: Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The idea that underpins the story is very good. A very advanced biotech company develops a virus that kills the victim but keeps them walking until they have bitten somebody to infect them with the deadly virus. It is terrifying. But money will be made out of providing the antidote.
The genius behind the biotech company teams up with Islamic terrorists to hatch a plot which is going to kill the United States of America.
In the meantime, Baltimore Detective Joe Ledger is recruited into the top secret unit, Department of Military Science, DMS, which is dealing with the threat. He is a super-hard policeman, although I had to laugh at part of his assessment. The head of the DMS is the mysterious Mr Church, who is answerable only to the president.
“Elapsed time from the slide locking back to completed kill is 0.031 seconds,” said Church. “Tell me why I want him for the DMS.”
Can you believe that anyone can react to an event and complete a move to kill somebody in three-hundredths of a second? The move itself would have taken over half a second.
There were a few more minor irritations.
“Sure, what do you want?” “My usual. Iced half-caf ristretto quad grande two pump raspberry two percent no whip light ice with caramel drizzle three-and-a-half-pump white mocha.” “Is any of that actually coffee?” “More or less.” “And you think I’m damaged.”
Is that necessary?
Counting Javad, our patient zero, we have a loss of life totaling one hundred and eighty-eight civilians and twenty-four DMS operatives. Two hundred and ten deaths as a result of one carrier.
I make that 212.
“LOL,” Bunny murmured.
Clearly didn’t laugh out loud if he was murmuring!
“I hate to break up this Dr. Phil moment but I kind have to go fight some zombies.”
Where does “like” come into it?
Those irritations aside, the tension in the story builds with a race against time to save humanity.
The middle section of the book became a bit predictable and boring for me, as it resembled a shoot-em-up computer game, but the last third was all action and compulsive reading, with lots of twists and turns.
It is exciting, and the ending is good.
I really don’t know what “normal” zombie stories are like, but I believe that this one would be different. I enjoyed the ride.
View all my reviews
January 19, 2019
What is beautiful to you?
If you pause long enough to look and listen properly, you can find some beauty in everything and everyone. True beauty, when I see it, stops my heart for a moment and then makes it beat so strongly, like timpani, out of my chest.
What makes my heart burst more than anything and brings the most tears to my eyes? It is the way that people treat their fellow humans. I have witnessed extreme acts of love and kindness in the face of the most awful adversity.
THAT is real beauty!
What is beauty to you? Is it the soft curves of a woman’s form or the visions of humanity and its gods captured on canvas or in stone? Or is it the natural beauty you find in the world around us?
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Film Review: The Favourite
There are three outstanding leading ladies in this film and they deserve equal credit for the way that they portray their very different characters. Olivia Coleman plays the frail and slightly crazy Queen Anne who is, initially, controlled by Lady Sarah Marlborough played by Rachel Weisz. As the Queen’s word is law in the two-party parliament, it is really Lady Sarah who is running the country.
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The three co-stars. Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
The balance of power soon starts to change when Sarah’s cousin, Abigail, brilliantly played by American actress, Emma Stone, whose English accent is convincingly authentic, makes a very muddy entrance onto the scene. The audience feels pity for Abigail, who has been left destitute after her uncle has burned down the family home, killing himself in the process. She begs her cousin for a job in the Queen’s household and starts as a lowly maid, suffering beatings and humiliations at the hands of the other servants. However, she is devious and manipulative and, before too long, she is in a battle with Sarah to become the Queen’s favourite.
All of the characters in the film are wonderfully developed. I put this down to some excellent writing by Deborah Davies and Tony McNamara and the first-rate directing by Yorgos Lanthimos. My understanding is that the director trusted his actors to bring the characters to life, giving them the thumbs up most of the time with the occasional intervention when he spotted room for improvement. It worked well.
There is tragedy and comedy, cruelty and debauchery and some graphic cinematography. The scenery and settings are amazing.
The story, and the interactions between the characters could be transposed from the early 18th century setting into any other era in history. Indeed, I found many parallels to the craziness of the 21st century world in which I live.
There were some irritating periods in the soundtrack, particularly when a monotonous ‘deep boing’ beat pervaded for several minutes. That was distracting.
I loved the rabbits, the Queen’s children, which were very significant in many ways. You will have to watch the film to understand what I mean.
The ending was a bit quirky. It was mostly very meaningful, but there was one aspect of it that I think could have been dropped. Again, I don’t want to say more for fear that my opinion might act as a huge spoiler.
I am probably almost unique in picking the rolling of the credits as the most heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping moment of the whole film. My reason is that the song that was played as they rolled was Skyline Pigeon by Elton John. This song is off one of his early albums, Empty Sky. I still have my copy, which I bought when I was a teenager. The song means a lot to me. I was walking out of the cinema as the credits rolled. It stopped me in my tracks, and I stood, listening, until the final notes died away. I played it again when I got home. It was absolutely the right song to close this film. Elton plays the clavichord rather than his usual piano. Great lyrics too and bang on period.
I loved this film and I recommend it very highly.
Next week, I shall be going back to the cinema to watch Mary Queen of Scots. I hope that it compares well with The Favourite. I’ll let you know.
January 9, 2019
Book Review: Wrong Time, Wrong Place by Simon Kernick
Wrong Time, Wrong Place by Simon Kernick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Pacey, tense, horrific and unpredictable
The pace is fast. The tension is tense. The violence is horrific.
From the moment that a dysfunctional quartet of hikers in the Scottish Highlands rescue a young, naked East European woman from her pursuers, they are in serious danger. It is not long before the blood is spattering all over the place.
It is very unlikely that you will predict the ending.
This is one of the better quick reads. You’ll read it in one sitting as you won’t be able to put it down until you’ve read the last word.
January 1, 2019
New Year – First Milestone
For me, 2019 is going to be a year that is full of personal achievements.
On the first day of the year, I hit my first milestone.
Many of my followers will know of my passion for parkrun. It has become an institution in the United Kingdom and is a truly global phenomena. For thousands, parkrun provides social stimulus and a healthier lifestyle.
On New Year’s day, many neighbouring parkruns stagger their start times to make it possible to run two in one day. In previous years, I have paired my home run, Andover, with either Newbury or Salisbury. Travelling with friends adds to the fun and we usually go somewhere for a brunch together on the way home.
This morning, some of us ran Andover at 09:00 and then we travelled to Salisbury for a 10:30 start. I drove, with Matt Jeffery, Jim Dundas, Luke Pierce and Rob Bryan as my passengers. Many more of my friends from Andover made the same journey. And many Salisbury parkrunners had joined us at Andover before making their way back to their home parkrun.
Andover was my 299th parkrun. That made Salisbury my THREE-HUNDREDTH!
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That is a huge milestone and represents 1500 km in the parks.
Jay Friedlander, who had started her parkrunning at Andover but had more recently made Salisbury her home, completed her 99th at Andover and her 100th at Salisbury. This was also a massive achievement, as health problems have made this accomplishment more difficult, and admirable, than my own.
The Salisbury Run Director, James Mills, announced that it was my 300th before setting us off. I was made to feel very welcome by the home runners who were full of encouragement, praise and compliments as I plodded my way around the course.
It all added up to a very enjoyable event.
The only downside was that, Salisbury Tesco Extra, where we had brunched for the past three years, was only serving hot drinks and no food. Only slightly dispirited, we made our way back to enjoy better hospitality at The Folly Inn, Andover.
Thank you to everybody at both Andover and Salisbury parkruns, especially the volunteers who make it possible, for making the first day of my New Year into a Milestone Day to remember.
December 30, 2018
2019 New Year Resolutions
For Her Majesty, it was 1992.
For Lance it was 2018. It was a year in which I failed completely to achieve ANY of my New Year Resolutions.
Here’s a reminder of what they were.
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The year started quite well. For the first few weeks, I was writing an average of over 500 words per day and I was applying for two jobs every working day.
My 2019 novel? I planned and plotted to write Eleven Years, the sequel to Eleven Miles, during NaNoWriMo. Family problems and looking for work soon got in the way of my well-intentioned November writing endeavours.
I have been running less in the past three months and my weight has escalated to over 87 kilograms. I just don’t feel as motivated as I used to. I have also retired from playing hockey. I think that 55 years of playing that wonderful game with great friends is enough for any man. People who know me well will be surprised that my mojo has become lethargic.
My following on this blog has reached, 588, well short of my target.
I am exercising two or three days per week. I’m still clocking up the parkruns though. I shall be running my 300th on New Year’s Day.
One high, for me, in 2018 was attending the 70th anniversary of the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. I loved being part of the Tech Team with Jonathan Higgs and Richard Hemsley, running around ensuring that all of the speakers and presenters had all that they needed. That week culminated in being elected onto the organising Committee for 2019. I get on very well with the rest of the Committee and we work well together. 2019 is going to be a tremendous year for Swanwick! I also took on the responsibility of being the webmaster for the School and I am proud of my achievements so far.
Recently, I have almost conceded that ageism does exist and that my long and distinguished professional career in the Armed Forces and in the international Information Technology business is over. I have applied for 167 jobs this year and only had six face-to-face interviews.
That conclusion does not mean that my working career is over. Oh no!
At the age of sixty-three, I have a plan for a new career. Watch this blog. I’ll tell you about it when it happens.
In the meantime, here are my New Year Resolutions for 2019.
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During 2018, I have been a failure.
In 2019 I shall become a
super spectacular success!
Book Review: Turn up the Heat by Randi Alexander
Turn Up the Heat by Randi Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Turn Up the Heat
is a great, appropriate title for this story. The pot simmers on smoldering embers for an almost intolerable length of time.
Mackenzie Jarvis is a restaurant owner from a farming community in Wyoming. She’s made it through to the final of a TV reality chefs’ show, and falls madly in lust with the show’s slick, attractive, city-girl presenter, Gina Volto. She cannot understand the intensity of her feelings. as she has always considered herself a straight, hunk-loving woman. She also finds it very difficult to control her feelings and not make the physical move on Gina that she is so wanting to make. However, it is public knowledge that Gina has a well-established boyfriend.
As the two women come so close to contact, time and time again, and Gina seems to give positive signs, I was almost screaming at Mackenzie to reach out and touch the object of her desire.
Eventually, of course, it happens: the pot comes to the boil, and keeps bubbling at that temperature for almost the entire remainder of the book. Between the wonderful sex scenes, there is a fair amount of character and plot building, and few good descriptions of the restaurant business and the keeping of horses.
Once the pace picks up, it is relentless. It left me breathless, and quite exhausted.
As far as I remember, this is my first ever venture into F/F erotica, and WHAT an introduction! The sex was extremely arousing. If I were a writer of erotica, which I hope to become someday, I can think of no greater compliment than knowing that a reader has actually pleasured themselves whilst reading my story. Well, Randi Alexander, I can confess to you that your writing had exactly that effect on me. That is a dangerous admission to make, especially when I know that this review could be read by many of my friends, but your writing has given me the courage to admit to that level of arousal. So it must be better than good. What I won’t say, in public, is how far that self-pleasuring went. Oh no! I shall not tell!
What I will say, without spoiling anything, is that there is one particular passage towards the end of the book, where Mackenzie and Gina get it together in the stables, that was so hot that I almost dropped my e-reader. The pages were burning my fingers!
In conclusion, I would recommend this book to all readers who already enjoy F/F erotica, and to all those who enjoy erotica more generally, and even to readers who have yet to venture into this genre. To the latter, I would say that this could be the beginning of a new path for you.
December 28, 2018
Conversations With Colleen: Meet Author, Marie Lavender
Colleen Chesebro ~ The Faery Whisperer
Hello everyone! This week I’m happy to bring you an author I’ve seen throughout social media but didn’t know. I love meeting new people so, when I asked her to pick three or four questions from my huge list HERE, she jumped right in! We all aspire to be successful authors and the best way to learn some of the tricks of the trade is to ask questions.
First, please welcome my guest, Marie Lavender.
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 24 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, dramatic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several anthologies.
Her current published…
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December 21, 2018
Digging in: seeds, jam and a trap
and in Elephant Journal
19th December 2018
The room is hot, dry. I am sitting with my back against the mirrored wall, head pressed back, in half lotus. Half lotus is about all the flexibility I can muster in yoga tonight. The lights are down and my eyes are closed. My hands are in my lap, left over right, palms up, ready to receive.
[image error]The lesson for the week is non-attachment, Maryline tells us in her low, accented voice.
In Maryline’s yin class, we hold poses for seven minutes. It’s simultaneously excruciating and divine. Tonight, we hold our pose as she tells the story about how monkeys are hunted in Africa.
Seeds, made into sweet and sticky clumps with jam and fruit, are stuffed into small holes dug into termite hills. The monkeys are unable to resist the sweet promise of satisfying hunger, of delivering sweetness, of instant, short term gratification. And so, the monkeys reach into the side of the termite hill to grab the tacky treat. However, the holes are not large enough for the monkey to pull out the ball of seeds and jam when his hand is wrapped around it. But they can smell and feel the treat, and they desire it so badly, they do not let go.
As they cling, the “hunters” simply walk by and sweep them up into their arms.
[image error]The monkeys can see them coming. They can see danger is approaching. But they want that promise of sweetness. They want that need fulfilled, despite the obvious near and present danger. So, they don’t let go. They don’t opt for their freedom and flee.
They don’t consider the consequences of holding on. They cling to their desire – and then they are caught.
Perhaps if the monkey was more evolved, had more self-awareness, he would choose to run. He would forego the temporary sweetness of the seeds and fruit for his free life, for the potential to have future treats with no strings attached.
But the monkey is attached to that idea, that image of a glob of sticky sweetness. And so he is trapped.
My mind is whirling as she finishes, and I am trying to focus on my breath. But the clarity Maryline has offered overwhelms my mind and it’s hard to find the usual calm and space I feel in this yin class.
Because I’ve been holding on to a sticky glob of a mess myself.
I have been caught in the trap
And the universe has slapped me in the face again, I think, as I pull my back flat against the wall and exhale deeply.
I think a lot of us hold on to these sticky treats that promise sweetness and satisfaction. We make judgments and decisions based on them. We shape our lives according to the promise we see in them.
Because the treat is filled with goodness, isn’t it? It’s the vision for the future. Our desires for happiness and joy, health and well-being, security and safety. The vision for how life is going to play out – relationships, career, personal growth, success. It’s anticipation – future tense. It’s not the reality of the present.
[image error]In the past few months, my sweet treat of promise was ripped out of my hands, leaving my hands sticky, dirty and sore from all the effort I spent trying to free it from the termite hill. All those dreams, those ideas… They didn’t evaporate into some ethereal smoke. They were toyed with, poked at, and then smashed into the dirt and swarmed by black, biting ants. And while the past few months were the most brutal, I had actually grabbed hold of that sticky mess of a promise a long time ago. And it was the moment I clutched it, that tearing and wounding began.
I just didn’t see the trap.
I didn’t want to. I was so focused on the perceived reward.
And now, in the process of healing and tending to these open wounds, I am closely looking that ball of promise. What was real? What was my own hope, my own fabrication? Why did I cling to it all, even after it was clear the monkey hunters were coming, when they had their hands on me and were pulling me away into a life I didn’t want and yet… why did I hold on to that damn sticky mess?
Am I not smarter than the monkeys?
Apparently not.
I was clinging to what I thought I needed to make my vision real. There’s nothing wrong with a vision, after all. And there’s nothing wrong with making a plan to realize it. We are all familiar with SMART plans. We have been trained to develop those measurable, actionable goals that keep us accountable for making progress.
And by God, I was moving forward with my vision. And the sweet, sticky mass, and all it held, was critical to my success.
Or was it?
And thus, the lesson of non-attachment
Non-attachment doesn’t mean you can’t have goals. It doesn’t mean you aren’t supposed to want something. We’re human. Wanting is in our nature.
But non-attachment suggests that you stay fluid and open… that you consider the possibility that your goals may change. That you entertain the idea that no matter how SMART your plan is, there is always an alternative route. And alternative destinations that might achieve the same outcome.
Non-attachment is about giving yourself permission to first recognize what isn’t serving you. Is that relationship providing the safety and love you desire? Is that job fulfilling your career ambitions? Is that decision supporting or breaching your boundaries?
Ironically, perhaps, the concept of non-attachment supports the very thing we DO need to stay attached to – our core values.
Values are the principles we live by. They are the foundations for the boundaries we set for ourselves, and for others whom we allow in our lives. Our values come in two flavors: fear-based and conscious-based.
Our fear-based value are the ones we feel we *must* have, and the action they drive us towards is to avoid something – avoid a difficult situation, avoid an uncomfortable interaction or a sensitive conversation. These values feel like, “I have to or else…” there’s a potential negative consequence.
Our conscious-based values are those we choose and lead us to positive action, to action that builds and grows who we are, allowing us to be who we want to be. These are the values we actively want to be part of ourselves and our lives.
Getting clear on your values, what they are and how they motivate you, is key to understanding just how hard you’re holding on to that lump of seeds and jam. And what’s in the lump that has you stuck. Understanding our values allows us to step back and see a bigger picture, to recognize what elements in our current moment are and are not serving us.
Remembering your values – because often, when we’re tightly gripping that treat, we forget what they are – allows you to reconnect with what’s important to you, at your core.
As we continue to dig deeper this holiday season, I invite to consider the lump of seeds and jam in your hand. Take a moment to yourself to think through the top five values you hold dear – perhaps you value loyalty, spirituality, communication, or family… perhaps your top five includes adventure, passion or health. What are the top drivers in your life, in your decision-making process, and ask yourself these questions:
What does this value mean to me? Describe it and what it means to your life
When I am happy, what do I value?
When I am angry, what value is being violated?
When do I compromise my values? Why do I do that?
Is this value serving me? Is it helping me create my life? Is it helping me avoid a difficulty?
These questions are not easy to answer. Once you dig deep into identifying your values and why they are there, you are faced with your choices. Are you living a fear-based or conscious-based life?
And that is where the power lies. The power to drop the clump of seeds and jam, and take control of your life. We can choose to honor those values that better serve us for where we are in our journey today, and where we want to go.
And in choosing to honor those values, we can release the grip on those empty promises that trap but do not deliver.
[image error]Today, I am looking at my scraped, hurting hands with some awe. How lost I got. How willingly I allowed myself to ignore my values, to let boundaries be crossed all because of a sticky, messy promise that never was, and would be, fulfilled.
If you’re looking at your own bruised hands, then join me in digging a little deeper. With this clarity of understanding, I know that I chose to hold on to the clump of seeds and jam, and that is my responsibility. I also know that going forward, I will be more mindful of such traps. By digging a little deeper, we can stay aligned to the values that we know serve the person we are, and the person we choose to be.
Natalie Hahn is a principal at Dirty Girls Consulting, focused on helping men and women tackle the challenges of communication and life transitions. We explore breaking free of traditional standards, how we communicate between the sexes and redefine the “midlife crisis” to accomplish professional and personal goals, creating an authentic, fully loved life. Read more Dirty Girl Consulting blogs here.
December 17, 2018
Book Review: April Fool by Joy Wood
April Fool by Joy Wood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
April Masters is a tough, devious detective. She needs to be. Her brief is to trap an art dealer who is suspected of being behind the theft and eventual sale of a very valuable painting. To build her cover, she spends three months in prison for fraud. She successfully fools everyone around her. Only those closest to the case have any idea of what she is up to.
Her motivation is to fund clinical healthcare for her sister’s child, who is the greatest love of her life.
As April builds trust from her target, Dylan Rider, she also builds unexpected deep sexual feelings for him. She assures her masters that she will not sleep with him, but she can’t help herself. However, being the devious woman that she is, she maintains total control over how and, more importantly, when. Dylan is a man who is used to being in charge of every situation. Even when April has him dangling on a string, he still thinks that he is the one who is calling the shots.
The sex scenes are very well described and highly arousing. They are certainly not candidates for the annual bad sex awards.
Dylan’s autistic son adds further complications. He has no relationship with his father, but April somehow manages to gain his trust. Well, almost.
I love the way that the characters are developed through the book. And, just when you think you know what is going to happen next, something completely different happens.
There is a Grisham-esque ending, so watch out for that.
This is a super story with lots of twists and turns. I highly recommend it.
