Esther Spurrill Jones's Blog, page 31
August 23, 2013
Review of Rescuing Lacey by Rebecca Heflin
Rescuing Lacey by Rebecca HeflinMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
Why are the main leads in a romantic novel always "irresistible" to each other? I understand that there is a formula, and I can live with that, but sometimes it just makes me groan. Too much predictability bores me.
The very first word of this book is "f***ing." The very first word! Nothing in the summary warned me of this, and I don't like foul language, so it really bothered me. I almost put the book down right there. I probably should have. Strangely, f*** is the only swear I noticed, and it was used a few more times, but not as often as I expected after that opening. Did Rebecca Heflin think this was a good way to hook readers? Well, it just made me angry.
When Luke and Lacey meet, they feel an immediate sexual attraction to each other. Now, I guess this happens sometimes in real life, but it just seems unrealistic to me that it would happen so often as it does in fiction. When I met my husband, I didn't feel an instant connection; the attraction slowly developed over time.
Luke is described from Lacey's POV as "über masculine." Lacey is described from Luke's POV as "almost boyish." This is another trope I see a lot in romantic fiction that really bothers me. Why is every female lead slim and small-breasted? Where are the curvy, voluptuous, plus-size women? Why don't we get to be romantic leads? And why is every male lead tall, muscular, and, well, an alpha male? Where are the geeks? Where are the non-athletes?
Speaking of POV, there's a lot of head-jumping in this book. I don't mind changing POVs, but there's no warning here. It often happens in the middle of a paragraph. And then, near the end of the book, after I got used to jumping back and forth between Luke and Lacey, suddenly we're in Luke's friend Tony's head. That really threw me for a loop.
Another thing that threw me for a loop was the overuse of obscure words. Now, I'm the first one to love a cool word. I've been accused of using too many big words myself. But when I have to stop every couple of pages to look up the definition, that's a little much. Thank God Kindle has a built-in dictionary. But then, I came across this little gem: proprioception." Kindle says "No definition found." I had to close the book and look it up on Dictionary.com. Not cool.
My final beef with this book includes spoilers:
(view spoiler)[When Lacey tries to seduce Luke, he refuses her because he wants her to tell him about her past. He thinks she doesn't trust him, and he doesn't want just a fling. He wants her to be open and honest with him, and she won't do that. She won't let down her guard and tell him about her experiences in war zones. Then, just a day or two later, he forgets all about this and beds her anyway when she hasn't told him anything yet. This really bothers me, because it ruins his character, making him compromise his morals just for a little sex. Oh, wait. I forgot. She's irresistible. Gag me. (hide spoiler)]
To be fair, it isn't all bad. The sentences were mostly well-crafted, with few grammar and spelling errors. Ms. Heflin is a competent writer. I just wanted something more than competence.
View all my reviews
August 19, 2013
My Review of Man of Steel
I've mentioned before that I have a thing for nice guys. One of my earliest geeky crushes was Clark Kent, who is one of the nicest guys (if not the nicest guy) in comic books. From a very young age, I wanted to be Lois Lane. Although, she can drive me crazy with the blind stupidity some writers give her. (Seriously, she’s an investigative reporter who is trying to find out who Superman really is, and Clark Kent works with her, and they end up dating even. How she doesn't figure it out has made for some really convoluted atrocities of plots.)
This past Saturday, I watched the new Man of Steel movie. I love this Lois Lane. The writers haven’t handicapped her with the unreasoning blindness I hate so much. I want to be this Lois Lane. And I have a new favourite Superman movie.
Before this past weekend, there was one movie on the list of “Movies That Made Me Cry Within the First 10 Minutes:” Up. Now, there are 2 movies on the list. The opening sequence of Man of Steel gives us Kal El’s birth, and follows the events leading up to when his parents, Jor El and Lara, send him to the stars. Lara’s pain at being separated from her newborn son was so real, so raw, I couldn't hold back the tears.
It is very difficult to write a character like Clark Kent, and do it well. Not only is he a completely good person, he is invulnerable. Most enemies can’t come close to being a real threat. Bullets bounce off him, he can walk through fire untouched, and he can fly. The only real weakness he has is to kryptonite radiation.
Smallville does a really good job of humanizing Clark, and giving him some non-physical weaknesses, but the movies have to create a bigger spectacle, give him an enemy that threatens him physically. One movie I watched a few years ago (I think it was Quest For Peace), created an enemy who wore a suit that essentially stole Superman’s powers. The stronger Superman was, the stronger the bad guy was. I seem to remember Lois and Jimmy placing a piece of kryptonite on Superman’s chest so the bad guy would be weak enough for the police or the army or something to capture. It wasn't a very good movie.
Man of Steel, however, has an excellent villain. General Zod isn't evil for the sake of being evil. He doesn't want power for the sake of power. He is that rare and wonderful antagonist who believes that he is right, that what he is doing is the best thing he can do. And what he is trying to do isn't completely wrong; it is his methods that bring him into conflict with Clark. And the conflict isn't merely Clark vs. Zod. SPOILER ALERT! Clark has only recently discovered that he is from Krypton, and that the planet died; Zod is another survivor, a fellow Kryptonian, and he offers a chance to rebuild their world. They don’t have to be the last Kryptonians. However, in order to do this, humanity must be destroyed. No matter what he does, Clark loses: if he joins Zod and rebuilds Krypton, his adoptive world and people are lost; if he stops Zod and saves Earth, his birth people are lost. In the end, he makes the only choice he can, considering his character.
Before he knows what Zod wants, though, Clark has another choice to make: Zod threatens to kill every human on Earth if Kal El doesn't surrender himself. Clark hesitates, not because he fears for himself, but because he doesn't trust Zod not to kill everyone either way. He’s right, of course, Zod’s plan has always been to build a new Krypton on the bones of the humans who stand in his way. Again, Clark makes the choice that is in character.
And here is where the movie got really interesting for me.
The original purely good person, Christ Jesus of the New Testament, is the model for everyone who follows. In university, I learned that a character who fits this mold is called a “Christ figure.” I am fascinated with this idea. There are many characters who can be said to fit in some way or another (few fit perfectly). Aslan, Gandalf the Grey, Frodo Baggins (even Aragorn Elessar), Luke Skywalker, and Sailor Moon are just a few.
In Man of Steel, Clark Kent is 33 years old, which is the age at which Jesus began his ministry. Clark is not of our world, and his father sent him here. Most telling of all, when he surrenders to the military so they can “hand him over” to Zod, he makes it very clear to them that he is in control, not them. Just like when Jesus said, “I lay down my life... No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:17b-18a NIV) Of course, Kal El doesn't actually die, but he does have to make sacrifices, like I mentioned before.
This is the first time I've really thought of Clark Kent as being a Christ figure. I can’t believe how blind I was (maybe I have more in common with the old version of Lois than I thought). I guess I never really noticed because he’s never sacrificed himself before. (Or did he? What about the Doomsday plot in the comics? Maybe I am blind.)
Now, this is a summer blockbuster movie, so they had to include some big explosions and the like. And they gave Superman an enemy who can actually threaten him. Zod is from Krypton, so our yellow sun gives him the same powers it gives Kal El. This makes him Clark’s equal physically. Furthermore, Zod was born to be a warrior and has trained his entire life. Clark grew up on a farm, and his greatest physical struggle was adapting to an alien atmosphere, which wasn't really that hard. Clark has never had much trouble with anything physical. He can lift anything, and nothing on Earth can hurt him. Zod and his allies are a shock to him.
And Clark is alone in his fight. Lois and the “ghost” of Jor El (some kind of computerized construct of his memories) do their best to help, but when it comes down to it, Clark must face Zod alone. And Zod is not alone; he has a squad of Kryptonians with him. So truly, this is a fight that Clark cannot hope to win. Yet, somehow, he does. I’m a little hazy on the details here, but it seems that 33 years spent adapting to Earth’s atmosphere gives him that edge he needs, or something.
After the obligatory fight scenes between Clark and the Kryptonian criminals, the movie ends with a kiss between Lois and Clark and a new, uneasy truce between Superman and the military. I walked out of the theatre unsure how I felt about the film as a whole, and I’m still conflicted. It was definitely the best Superman movie I've seen, but the climactic fight was confusing and strange, and the ending was disappointing. I loved it, but I wished for something more.
This past Saturday, I watched the new Man of Steel movie. I love this Lois Lane. The writers haven’t handicapped her with the unreasoning blindness I hate so much. I want to be this Lois Lane. And I have a new favourite Superman movie.
Before this past weekend, there was one movie on the list of “Movies That Made Me Cry Within the First 10 Minutes:” Up. Now, there are 2 movies on the list. The opening sequence of Man of Steel gives us Kal El’s birth, and follows the events leading up to when his parents, Jor El and Lara, send him to the stars. Lara’s pain at being separated from her newborn son was so real, so raw, I couldn't hold back the tears.
It is very difficult to write a character like Clark Kent, and do it well. Not only is he a completely good person, he is invulnerable. Most enemies can’t come close to being a real threat. Bullets bounce off him, he can walk through fire untouched, and he can fly. The only real weakness he has is to kryptonite radiation.
Smallville does a really good job of humanizing Clark, and giving him some non-physical weaknesses, but the movies have to create a bigger spectacle, give him an enemy that threatens him physically. One movie I watched a few years ago (I think it was Quest For Peace), created an enemy who wore a suit that essentially stole Superman’s powers. The stronger Superman was, the stronger the bad guy was. I seem to remember Lois and Jimmy placing a piece of kryptonite on Superman’s chest so the bad guy would be weak enough for the police or the army or something to capture. It wasn't a very good movie.
Man of Steel, however, has an excellent villain. General Zod isn't evil for the sake of being evil. He doesn't want power for the sake of power. He is that rare and wonderful antagonist who believes that he is right, that what he is doing is the best thing he can do. And what he is trying to do isn't completely wrong; it is his methods that bring him into conflict with Clark. And the conflict isn't merely Clark vs. Zod. SPOILER ALERT! Clark has only recently discovered that he is from Krypton, and that the planet died; Zod is another survivor, a fellow Kryptonian, and he offers a chance to rebuild their world. They don’t have to be the last Kryptonians. However, in order to do this, humanity must be destroyed. No matter what he does, Clark loses: if he joins Zod and rebuilds Krypton, his adoptive world and people are lost; if he stops Zod and saves Earth, his birth people are lost. In the end, he makes the only choice he can, considering his character.
Before he knows what Zod wants, though, Clark has another choice to make: Zod threatens to kill every human on Earth if Kal El doesn't surrender himself. Clark hesitates, not because he fears for himself, but because he doesn't trust Zod not to kill everyone either way. He’s right, of course, Zod’s plan has always been to build a new Krypton on the bones of the humans who stand in his way. Again, Clark makes the choice that is in character.
And here is where the movie got really interesting for me.
The original purely good person, Christ Jesus of the New Testament, is the model for everyone who follows. In university, I learned that a character who fits this mold is called a “Christ figure.” I am fascinated with this idea. There are many characters who can be said to fit in some way or another (few fit perfectly). Aslan, Gandalf the Grey, Frodo Baggins (even Aragorn Elessar), Luke Skywalker, and Sailor Moon are just a few.
In Man of Steel, Clark Kent is 33 years old, which is the age at which Jesus began his ministry. Clark is not of our world, and his father sent him here. Most telling of all, when he surrenders to the military so they can “hand him over” to Zod, he makes it very clear to them that he is in control, not them. Just like when Jesus said, “I lay down my life... No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:17b-18a NIV) Of course, Kal El doesn't actually die, but he does have to make sacrifices, like I mentioned before.
This is the first time I've really thought of Clark Kent as being a Christ figure. I can’t believe how blind I was (maybe I have more in common with the old version of Lois than I thought). I guess I never really noticed because he’s never sacrificed himself before. (Or did he? What about the Doomsday plot in the comics? Maybe I am blind.)
Now, this is a summer blockbuster movie, so they had to include some big explosions and the like. And they gave Superman an enemy who can actually threaten him. Zod is from Krypton, so our yellow sun gives him the same powers it gives Kal El. This makes him Clark’s equal physically. Furthermore, Zod was born to be a warrior and has trained his entire life. Clark grew up on a farm, and his greatest physical struggle was adapting to an alien atmosphere, which wasn't really that hard. Clark has never had much trouble with anything physical. He can lift anything, and nothing on Earth can hurt him. Zod and his allies are a shock to him.
And Clark is alone in his fight. Lois and the “ghost” of Jor El (some kind of computerized construct of his memories) do their best to help, but when it comes down to it, Clark must face Zod alone. And Zod is not alone; he has a squad of Kryptonians with him. So truly, this is a fight that Clark cannot hope to win. Yet, somehow, he does. I’m a little hazy on the details here, but it seems that 33 years spent adapting to Earth’s atmosphere gives him that edge he needs, or something.
After the obligatory fight scenes between Clark and the Kryptonian criminals, the movie ends with a kiss between Lois and Clark and a new, uneasy truce between Superman and the military. I walked out of the theatre unsure how I felt about the film as a whole, and I’m still conflicted. It was definitely the best Superman movie I've seen, but the climactic fight was confusing and strange, and the ending was disappointing. I loved it, but I wished for something more.
August 14, 2013
My Name is Esther, and I am a Ginger
If you want to completely lose your faith in humanity, do a Google search for "Ginger Jokes." For even more depravity, look at the images. Some of them say "No offense intended"—as if that makes it okay. If you don't intend to offend, don't post it.
I am a redhead; aka a ginger. So are one of my brothers, one of my brothers-in-law, both of my sisters-in-law, and three of my nephews. While I was growing up, I used to say my hair was "copper-coloured." I was very literal as a child, and "red" was the colour of Ronald McDonald's hair, not mine. I never heard the word "ginger" used to describe hair until I read Harry Potter. I like it, though. It makes me think of gingerbread and Christmas. It's a warm and comforting word, with just a hint of spice. I'd like to think it suits me.
Unfortunately, I discovered soon after I read Harry Potter, there is a lot of hate for gingers. I don't know where it comes from, but a quick Google search indicates that it might be racism against Irish (even though many Scottish are redheads too). It seems the idea is that gingers have no souls. From reading fantasy and historical fiction, I was aware that in the past, some people believed that redheads were magical. Whether you thought they were evil or not depended on your view of magic, I guess. Now, I like to call myself a vampire because of my pale skin and my tendency to burn in the sun, but that doesn't mean I have no soul.
The first time I saw the picture on the right, it was before I was aware of the "gingers have no soul" thing, and I read it as "gingers can get any man because they're just that awesome." I still like that reading better than the "no soul" thing. I have met many a man who thinks redheaded women are the most beautiful of women—I married one of them.
(Grammar Templar comment: I didn't make this poster. I don't know why the comma is there. Yes, I know it shouldn't be there. Yes, it is a comma splice. Yes, it drives me crazy, too.)
Harry Potter is one of my all-time favourite book series, and I really identify with the Weasley family. I am the oldest of eight children, and I have only one sister. The Weasleys have only seven children, but if they had one more girl, they would practically be my family. Well, my sister and I are the two oldest, and Ginny is the youngest, but still. The only other difference is that we have only two gingers: me and my fourth brother. Everybody always said how lucky my parents were to get two redheads as we are so rare. The idea of a whole family of gingers is such a cool idea, but the odds against it happening in real life are astronomical.
Tell me these kids aren't adorable. I dare you.I've heard that gingers are a dying breed, because the gene that causes red hair is recessive, so slowly but surely there are less and less redheads born and, one day, there will be no more ever again.
Then my sister married a ginger and they had two kids who are both gingers. And my third brother had a kid who's a ginger. So my family is doing our part to keep the trait going into the next generation.
Anyway, back to the Weasleys. I saw an interview with James and Oliver Phelps who play the twins Fred and George. They said when they got the roles, they went back to their school and told everyone, but no one believed them. Then, the next day, they showed up at school with their hair dyed ginger, and everyone was like, "Well, there's no way you would dye your hair ginger for any other reason!" Because, you know, no one wants to be ginger! Well, talk to my sister. She's always saying she wishes she had red
hair. Also, talk to Doctor Who. It's a running joke on the show that every time he regenerates, he wants to be ginger, but he never is, and that is very disappointing for him.
(Yes, I know they call him "The Doctor" on New Who, not "Doctor Who." I know there are many people who hate when people call him "Doctor Who." I don't care. He was Doctor Who in the credits on the original show. Yes, I know I may get some hate for this. Hey, I'm a ginger. I'm used to it.)
Another side of the whole thing is the phrase "red-headed stepchild." I did a bit of Googling on this, and it seems that it comes from the idea that if two non-gingers have a ginger child, the father assumes that his wife was unfaithful to him and the kid isn't his. "Stepchild" here is used as a euphemism for "bastard." This child then gets treated poorly, leading to the phrase meaning something like "second-class citizen." Well, my mom was brunette and my dad was blond, and he never assumed either me or my red-headed brother weren't his. While the red-headed gene is recessive, it can pop up unexpectedly. Both of my parents had uncles and other distant relatives with red hair. Both of my parents had Irish and Scottish blood in their history. My brother and I got the red hair legitimately.
I would love to have red-headed children, but I will love them just as much if they have brown, blond, or black hair. By the way, I hate blond jokes, too. I think it's just as bad to stereotype someone because of the colour of their hair as it is to stereotype them because of the colour of their skin. It's all wrong. I am proud to be a ginger.
I leave you with this picture of Molly Weasley. She is one of my favourite gingers.
I am a redhead; aka a ginger. So are one of my brothers, one of my brothers-in-law, both of my sisters-in-law, and three of my nephews. While I was growing up, I used to say my hair was "copper-coloured." I was very literal as a child, and "red" was the colour of Ronald McDonald's hair, not mine. I never heard the word "ginger" used to describe hair until I read Harry Potter. I like it, though. It makes me think of gingerbread and Christmas. It's a warm and comforting word, with just a hint of spice. I'd like to think it suits me.Unfortunately, I discovered soon after I read Harry Potter, there is a lot of hate for gingers. I don't know where it comes from, but a quick Google search indicates that it might be racism against Irish (even though many Scottish are redheads too). It seems the idea is that gingers have no souls. From reading fantasy and historical fiction, I was aware that in the past, some people believed that redheads were magical. Whether you thought they were evil or not depended on your view of magic, I guess. Now, I like to call myself a vampire because of my pale skin and my tendency to burn in the sun, but that doesn't mean I have no soul.
The first time I saw the picture on the right, it was before I was aware of the "gingers have no soul" thing, and I read it as "gingers can get any man because they're just that awesome." I still like that reading better than the "no soul" thing. I have met many a man who thinks redheaded women are the most beautiful of women—I married one of them.(Grammar Templar comment: I didn't make this poster. I don't know why the comma is there. Yes, I know it shouldn't be there. Yes, it is a comma splice. Yes, it drives me crazy, too.)
Harry Potter is one of my all-time favourite book series, and I really identify with the Weasley family. I am the oldest of eight children, and I have only one sister. The Weasleys have only seven children, but if they had one more girl, they would practically be my family. Well, my sister and I are the two oldest, and Ginny is the youngest, but still. The only other difference is that we have only two gingers: me and my fourth brother. Everybody always said how lucky my parents were to get two redheads as we are so rare. The idea of a whole family of gingers is such a cool idea, but the odds against it happening in real life are astronomical.
Tell me these kids aren't adorable. I dare you.I've heard that gingers are a dying breed, because the gene that causes red hair is recessive, so slowly but surely there are less and less redheads born and, one day, there will be no more ever again.Then my sister married a ginger and they had two kids who are both gingers. And my third brother had a kid who's a ginger. So my family is doing our part to keep the trait going into the next generation.
Anyway, back to the Weasleys. I saw an interview with James and Oliver Phelps who play the twins Fred and George. They said when they got the roles, they went back to their school and told everyone, but no one believed them. Then, the next day, they showed up at school with their hair dyed ginger, and everyone was like, "Well, there's no way you would dye your hair ginger for any other reason!" Because, you know, no one wants to be ginger! Well, talk to my sister. She's always saying she wishes she had red
hair. Also, talk to Doctor Who. It's a running joke on the show that every time he regenerates, he wants to be ginger, but he never is, and that is very disappointing for him.(Yes, I know they call him "The Doctor" on New Who, not "Doctor Who." I know there are many people who hate when people call him "Doctor Who." I don't care. He was Doctor Who in the credits on the original show. Yes, I know I may get some hate for this. Hey, I'm a ginger. I'm used to it.)
Another side of the whole thing is the phrase "red-headed stepchild." I did a bit of Googling on this, and it seems that it comes from the idea that if two non-gingers have a ginger child, the father assumes that his wife was unfaithful to him and the kid isn't his. "Stepchild" here is used as a euphemism for "bastard." This child then gets treated poorly, leading to the phrase meaning something like "second-class citizen." Well, my mom was brunette and my dad was blond, and he never assumed either me or my red-headed brother weren't his. While the red-headed gene is recessive, it can pop up unexpectedly. Both of my parents had uncles and other distant relatives with red hair. Both of my parents had Irish and Scottish blood in their history. My brother and I got the red hair legitimately.
I would love to have red-headed children, but I will love them just as much if they have brown, blond, or black hair. By the way, I hate blond jokes, too. I think it's just as bad to stereotype someone because of the colour of their hair as it is to stereotype them because of the colour of their skin. It's all wrong. I am proud to be a ginger.
I leave you with this picture of Molly Weasley. She is one of my favourite gingers.
August 7, 2013
What is Truth? (A Triolet)
Morgan Dragonwillow asked the following questions as a poetry prompt:
What does truth mean to you?What is your truth?Do you know what your truth is?
Here is my response in triolet form:
What is Truth?
One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.
~John Locke
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
~Flannery O’Connor
What is truth?
~Pontius Pilate
I asked my neighbour, “What is truth?
“Is it the same for you and me?”
He answered me in words uncouth.
I asked my grandma, “What is truth?
She smiled and showed her single tooth.
“Truth is truth, do you not see?”
I asked the world, “What is truth?
“Is it the same for you and me?”
What does truth mean to you?What is your truth?Do you know what your truth is?
Here is my response in triolet form:
What is Truth?
One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.
~John Locke
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
~Flannery O’Connor
What is truth?
~Pontius Pilate
I asked my neighbour, “What is truth?
“Is it the same for you and me?”
He answered me in words uncouth.
I asked my grandma, “What is truth?
She smiled and showed her single tooth.
“Truth is truth, do you not see?”
I asked the world, “What is truth?
“Is it the same for you and me?”
July 26, 2013
The Philosophy of John Locke: Sherlock Fanfics
There is a thing in Sherlock fanfiction called "Johnlock." It means that the writer has created some kind of romantic plot/subplot pairing the two main characters. It's like when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie get called "Brangelina." Now, I don't think Johnlock makes a lot of sense. It is very difficult to write Sherlock being romantic without him being wildly out of character, and I really, really hate when one my favourite characters is written wrong.
However, the (non)word "Johnlock" was bugging me with its familiarity. Something told me that I had heard it before, years ago. Then, I remembered: in university, I studied an English philosopher named John Locke. The pronunciation is the same, or at least so similar as to make no difference.
Now, my brain doesn't work the way other people's brains work. Most people who don't like Johnlock fanfics would never consider doing what I decided to do. I decided to write some Sherlock "John Locke" fanfiction. Yes, I know I'm weird. Normal is boring.
I went on brainyquote.com and looked up John Locke quotes. I was delighted to find seven that fit perfectly. I proceeded to write a 150 word "one-shot" for each of them. I posted these on Archive of Our Own (AO3) as a series, and on FanFiction.net as seven separate stories as that site has few options. If you're interested, links are below.
The pictures link to AO3, and I couldn't seem to get them to open in a new tab/window. Sorry about that. The text links below should open in a new tab/window though.
"I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts."
~John Locke
"An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; A villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards."
~John Locke
"All men are liable to error; and most men are, in many points, by passion or interest, under temptation to it."
~John Locke
"One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant."
~John Locke
"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."
~John Locke
"The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good."
~John Locke
"I have spent more than half a lifetime trying to express the tragic moment."
~John Locke
The Philosophy of John Locke on AO3
Part 1: Details
Part 2: Variable
Part 3: Errors
Part 4: Proof
Part 5: Thinking
Part 6: Breathing
Part 7: Missing
The Philosophy of John Locke on FFnet
Part 1: Details
Part 2: Variable
Part 3: Errors
Part 4: Proof
Part 5: Thinking
Part 6: Breathing
Part 7: Missing
However, the (non)word "Johnlock" was bugging me with its familiarity. Something told me that I had heard it before, years ago. Then, I remembered: in university, I studied an English philosopher named John Locke. The pronunciation is the same, or at least so similar as to make no difference.
Now, my brain doesn't work the way other people's brains work. Most people who don't like Johnlock fanfics would never consider doing what I decided to do. I decided to write some Sherlock "John Locke" fanfiction. Yes, I know I'm weird. Normal is boring.
I went on brainyquote.com and looked up John Locke quotes. I was delighted to find seven that fit perfectly. I proceeded to write a 150 word "one-shot" for each of them. I posted these on Archive of Our Own (AO3) as a series, and on FanFiction.net as seven separate stories as that site has few options. If you're interested, links are below.
The pictures link to AO3, and I couldn't seem to get them to open in a new tab/window. Sorry about that. The text links below should open in a new tab/window though.
"I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts."
~John Locke
"An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; A villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards."
~John Locke
"All men are liable to error; and most men are, in many points, by passion or interest, under temptation to it."
~John Locke
"One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant."
~John Locke
"Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours."
~John Locke
"The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good."
~John Locke
"I have spent more than half a lifetime trying to express the tragic moment."
~John Locke
The Philosophy of John Locke on AO3
Part 1: Details
Part 2: Variable
Part 3: Errors
Part 4: Proof
Part 5: Thinking
Part 6: Breathing
Part 7: Missing
The Philosophy of John Locke on FFnet
Part 1: Details
Part 2: Variable
Part 3: Errors
Part 4: Proof
Part 5: Thinking
Part 6: Breathing
Part 7: Missing
July 17, 2013
26 Random Things About Me
At work, we were asked to share random things about ourselves. Of course, I had to go a little crazy, and I wrote an acrostic.
About Me
A – Art: I write poetry, short stories, and music.
B – Brave: My sister thinks I look like Princess Merida from the Disney movie “Brave.”
C – Cat: I used to have a cat named Oliver.
D – Dog: I used to have a dog named Lucky.
E – Elves: I love the world of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
F – Food: I am willing to try just about anything once.
G – God: My relationship with Him is very important to me.
H – Hearts: I used to collect heart-shaped earrings and pendants.
I – Imagination: I’m always making up stories in my head.
J – Jerks: I can’t stand rude drivers.
K – Kids: I am the oldest of eight.
L – Language: I love to study words.
M – Mushy: My husband and I are very affectionate, even in public.
N – Nails: I love to do my nails. I have a box full of polishes, stickers, and stuff.
O – OctPoWriMo: Last year, in October, I participated in October Poetry Writing Month. I wrote a poem each day.
P – Poetry: I love the form of rhyme and rhythm. I’m a poetry geek.
Q – Queen: I was named after a queen.
R – Reading: My dad used to say the house could burn down and I wouldn't notice if I was reading a book.
S – Science fiction: I read and watch a lot of this. I’m such a geek.
T – Thunder: I love thunderstorms.
U – Ukulele: My husband plays the ukulele. I play piano and guitar.
V – Vampires: I own the entire series of Buffy on DVD. Also the entire series of Angel.
W – Weird: I am not normal. Normal is boring.
X – Xmas: Christmas is my favourite holiday.
Y – YouTube: I recorded myself reciting one of my poems and posted it online.
Z – Zombies: In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I’d probably play dead (or actually be dead). I can’t run or fight.
About Me
A – Art: I write poetry, short stories, and music.
B – Brave: My sister thinks I look like Princess Merida from the Disney movie “Brave.”
C – Cat: I used to have a cat named Oliver.
D – Dog: I used to have a dog named Lucky.
E – Elves: I love the world of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
F – Food: I am willing to try just about anything once.
G – God: My relationship with Him is very important to me.
H – Hearts: I used to collect heart-shaped earrings and pendants.
I – Imagination: I’m always making up stories in my head.
J – Jerks: I can’t stand rude drivers.
K – Kids: I am the oldest of eight.
L – Language: I love to study words.
M – Mushy: My husband and I are very affectionate, even in public.
N – Nails: I love to do my nails. I have a box full of polishes, stickers, and stuff.
O – OctPoWriMo: Last year, in October, I participated in October Poetry Writing Month. I wrote a poem each day.
P – Poetry: I love the form of rhyme and rhythm. I’m a poetry geek.
Q – Queen: I was named after a queen.
R – Reading: My dad used to say the house could burn down and I wouldn't notice if I was reading a book.
S – Science fiction: I read and watch a lot of this. I’m such a geek.
T – Thunder: I love thunderstorms.
U – Ukulele: My husband plays the ukulele. I play piano and guitar.
V – Vampires: I own the entire series of Buffy on DVD. Also the entire series of Angel.
W – Weird: I am not normal. Normal is boring.
X – Xmas: Christmas is my favourite holiday.
Y – YouTube: I recorded myself reciting one of my poems and posted it online.
Z – Zombies: In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I’d probably play dead (or actually be dead). I can’t run or fight.
July 13, 2013
Review of The Orb of Truth by Brae Wyckoff
The Orb of Truth by Brae WyckoffMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
I downloaded this book because I heard that it was similar to The Hobbit. Well, it does have Elves and Dwarves, and the main character is a halfling. And they go on some kind of quest. I guess that's similar. But J.R.R. Tolkien was a good writer. Brae Wyckoff, unfortunately, isn't.
I couldn't finish this book. It was painful to read. It really needs a professional editor. The grammar is so wrong I cannot help but wonder if English is Mr. Wyckoff's second language. If so, it is understandable, but I still need some serious editing before I will be able to force myself to read this.
View all my reviews
July 11, 2013
Book Release - A Light That Burns
When I clicked "publish" on
A Light That Obscures
, my hands were shaking and I found it difficult to breathe normally. Even though it is only a short short story and it's free to download (and always will be), it is the first ebook I've ever published.I thought that my second ebook would be different, but I was just as nervous/terrified when I clicked "publish" on A Light That Burns yesterday. This one is over 4,000 words, so I decided to set the price at $0.99; this also allowed me to publish it on Amazon as well as Smashwords.
If you've read the free one, and enjoyed it, you will love this book. It is the same characters, the same story, but more "fleshed out." If you wanted to know what came before and after, now you can.
If you haven't downloaded A Light That Obscures yet, what are you waiting for? It's free, and it will be free forever.
Add to Goodreads here: A Light That Obscures - A Light That Burns.
July 3, 2013
Review of The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The Runaway King by Jennifer A. NielsenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I highly recommend reading The False Prince before reading this book. Not because the story cannot stand on its own; because the "big reveal" in the first book is ruined if you read this one first.
In this book, Sage is now king and nothing is going right. You'd think that winning the throne and convincing everyone he is the lost prince Jaron would be the end of the battle, but no. His troubles have only begun.
Sage is a wonderful character; Jennifer A. Nielsen has done an amazing job of of crafting him. Although I didn't always agree with his choices (sometimes I wanted to reach into the pages and shake him), I always understood his motivations. Supporting characters are well-done too. We don't see their motivations as clearly, but that's because we are seeing everything from Sage's point of view. There is one character who switches side without enough motivation in my opinion, and Sage trusts him, which I wouldn't do if I were him.
The plot isn't too predictable, although the ending isn't quite as much of a surprise as the first book was. But really, what is?
View all my reviews
June 28, 2013
A Light That Obscures
So I took the plunge and published a short story on Smashwords.com. It's only just over 1,000 words, so I didn't think it would be fair to charge anything for it. Therefore, you can download it for free if you'd like.
Click here to download.
Click here to add to Goodreads.
Click here to download.Click here to add to Goodreads.
