Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 127
April 18, 2011
Mind Sieve 4/18/11
Grab onto your hats as this is going to be a whirlwind this week. Also thinking of trying something a little different to give you more of a taste for the posts. Let's see how that works out...
Fan Fun
SoonerCon via Youtube shared a link to a Japanese Anime preview for the X-Men! Looks somewhat rad!
Mo Tanchareon shared a link from ComingSoon.net for a preview of the digital series Mortal Combat: Legacy. The fighting didn't look bad, but not enough there for me to form an opinion yet. :)
SooneCon forwarded a link from TechGoblin.com of an article that says starting in July all Star Trek episodes of all series will be available from NetFlix. (DS9 has a later release date of October.) Sweet news!
Donate and help to reality an AT-AT for America. No, you read right. Peeps are getting together to try to make a fully functioning AT-AT from Empire Strikes Back. Wonderful weirdness! My inner geek is giggling like mad! Hee hee hee!
Electric44 via Ziteapp shared an article and video about T3 Motion's revelation of an electric vehicle prototype. Very stylish interior!
For those of you who watch ABC's show Castle, you might recall he mentioned having a website. Well, he does for reals! And actually has FAQ's and writing advice. Check it out! www.richardcastle.net
Barbara Hambly finally has a WEBSITE! Woot! She's had a Live Journal account for a long time, but she finally has an actual website! Yay!
Author Platform/Social Media
Leyl Master Black has a list of the Top 5 Facebook Marketing Mistakes. Shared by Collen Lindsay and GoldBugGroup.
Chuck Wendig had guest bloggers last week. Here is Karina Cooper's post - How Not To Be A Dickface As A Writer. (NSFW) Great points in this one.
Here's a taste:
"May I have your attention, please? Hi. My name is Karina Cooper. I am a writer. Are you all paying attention? Yes? Good. Ready?
"Charlie Sheen.
"You know that thing you just did? That tic? That, right there, is why you want to hear me." (Continued at blog)
Pam Moore tells us Social Media: A Little Less Talk and A Lot More Action.
Here's a Taste:
"Listen up folks! It's time for conversations, relationships, Twitter chats, and Facebook parties. Social media is one big relationship! You must tweet, post, like and talk all day. As long as you're talkin' you're being social. Since you're so social, you'll do great in social media as long as you keep making friends, chattin' and raising your Klout score doing such." (Cont...)
Pumpyourbook shared a blog post from John Ames over at Beyond the Books Blog where he explains in detail How to Create A Facebook Welcome Page. (I have one, but need to make others.) This is a nice step by step walk through, even if you have minimal tech savvy. Quite nice.
Fondalo shared a post over at Bundle Post by Robert M Caruso on Mind Your Content - Social Media Sharing Opportunities That Fail.
Here's a Taste:
"As a Social Media guy, I am constantly posting, connecting, engaging and building relationships online. For those of you that know me at all, you know a large part of that for me is helping others. A component of that is showing #Gratitude to others in various ways. Thanking, retweeting and sharing other peoples content are a few of the ways I do that. But some of you unintentionally make that extremely difficult for me. If you make it tough for me to help you, then you are making it tough for others as well." (Cont...)
MKelly007 wrote a post about 11 Rules of Social Media. Basically she tells us to be friendly, be nice! Both of which are great rules to live by!
Here's a Taste:
"Since social media is, well, a social medium, it's important that users understand the proper ways to behave online. No, just because you're behind a computer monitor in your mom's basement doesn't mean all social etiquette goes out the window. It's quite the opposite—following proper social media etiquette is a key to being successful online (and to making sure you don't make a complete idiot out of yourself.)" (Cont...)
Kristen Lamb asks - Are You a Twitter Tyrant or a Twitter Activist. The next of her Twitter Tuesday features.
Here's a Taste:
"This Week's Fail Whale–The Twitter Tyrant.
"All of us have passions, and that is wonderful. Being passionate makes us feel alive and gives our lives purpose. But, when we are building a platform, especially in the beginning stages, we must be mindful to always express our passions in a positive way. Ranting on Twitter is never acceptable. I have had people I had to unfollow simply because every time they tweeted, I needed an antacid. Life is stressful enough without volunteering for an ulcer." (Cont...)
Peter Shankman argues that Facebook and Email are NOT Distractions But Necessities.
Taste:
"My original title of this post was going to be "Disagreeing with Julia Morgenstern." Then I figured, why give her the SEO juice? No, seriously, I figured the above title would be more beneficial to what I wanted to say today." (Cont...)
Writing Advice
KeikoMushi shared her discovery of a blog post by Savannah J Foley - Mistaken Newbie Writer Beliefs. Lots of truth here folks! WORD!
Taste:
"I have been a noob. Or, as I have often seen it called, a 'huge, flailing noob.' Now, I'm still pretty new to the writing business in general, despite having written over six complete manuscripts, having an agent for two years, and of course being a part of this blog." (Cont...)
A Lee Martinez talks to us about Emotional Resonance, Writing, and Other Complicated Stuff - Worlds Apart.
S Blackmoore tells us to Go Ahead, Shoot the Baby on a guest blog over at Terribleminds. (Don't pull your punches! Maybe? Hee hee.)
Taste:
"I've been watching a lot of film noir from the forties and fifties over at Noir City, the noir film festival going on this month at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and I've noticed something that's been bothering me.
"There are a lot of happy endings." (Cont...)
Nathan Bradford tells us Everyone will have a Chance but not all of them are equal! (Too true!)
Taste:
"This is indeed a great time to be an author. No longer must manuscripts disappear into the drawer, never to be heard from again, lacking only a publisher's best guess. Now, no matter what people think of a book, it can be published and try and find its audience." (Cont...)
From Roni Loren - Top 5 Mistakes Writers make at Conferences (Some good points, peeps!) :P
Taste:
"So, I've mentioned before that I'm a conference whore. I think part of it is that I've always loved learning. I have nerd DNA that can't be escaped. But the other part is that I have so much fun being around other writers. It's like finding your home planet after feeling like you were the only weird one all these years." (Cont...)
From Chuck Wendig (NSFW) How Not To Bug The F*** Out When Writing A Novel. Great advice as always!
Taste:
"There comes a point during the writing of a novel when, in the thick of it, some 30 or 40,000 words deep, you look down and wonder, how did you get naked, exactly? Where are your clothes? Why are you covered in grass-stains, your flesh marked by thorn-scratches? Why in your hair do you smell boar's blood and the mating fluids of forest nymphs? Time is lost in clips and stretches. You feel disconnected from your body." (Cont...)
Chuck also discussed this week - The iPad for Writers. Apps to use, how to use the iPad in general to be more productive writing, etc.
And a new category this week...
Scams
DirtyWhiteCandy shared The Dark Side of the New Age of Self-Publishing by Larry at the StoryFix.com blog.
Taste:
"On Thursday I got the email that all writers dream about. It was from a major television network, inviting me to appear on their morning talk show as part of their regular "author's corner" segment." (Cont...)
Victoria Strauss from Writer Beware wrote a blog post entitled Atlanta Nights The Movie: From Hoax to Film. Quite enlightening and shows how truly weird life is.
Okay, that's it for this week. Let me know if you like the "taste" segments or not.
Happy reading!
Fan Fun
SoonerCon via Youtube shared a link to a Japanese Anime preview for the X-Men! Looks somewhat rad!
Mo Tanchareon shared a link from ComingSoon.net for a preview of the digital series Mortal Combat: Legacy. The fighting didn't look bad, but not enough there for me to form an opinion yet. :)
SooneCon forwarded a link from TechGoblin.com of an article that says starting in July all Star Trek episodes of all series will be available from NetFlix. (DS9 has a later release date of October.) Sweet news!
Donate and help to reality an AT-AT for America. No, you read right. Peeps are getting together to try to make a fully functioning AT-AT from Empire Strikes Back. Wonderful weirdness! My inner geek is giggling like mad! Hee hee hee!
Electric44 via Ziteapp shared an article and video about T3 Motion's revelation of an electric vehicle prototype. Very stylish interior!
For those of you who watch ABC's show Castle, you might recall he mentioned having a website. Well, he does for reals! And actually has FAQ's and writing advice. Check it out! www.richardcastle.net
Barbara Hambly finally has a WEBSITE! Woot! She's had a Live Journal account for a long time, but she finally has an actual website! Yay!
Author Platform/Social Media
Leyl Master Black has a list of the Top 5 Facebook Marketing Mistakes. Shared by Collen Lindsay and GoldBugGroup.
Chuck Wendig had guest bloggers last week. Here is Karina Cooper's post - How Not To Be A Dickface As A Writer. (NSFW) Great points in this one.
Here's a taste:
"May I have your attention, please? Hi. My name is Karina Cooper. I am a writer. Are you all paying attention? Yes? Good. Ready?
"Charlie Sheen.
"You know that thing you just did? That tic? That, right there, is why you want to hear me." (Continued at blog)
Pam Moore tells us Social Media: A Little Less Talk and A Lot More Action.
Here's a Taste:
"Listen up folks! It's time for conversations, relationships, Twitter chats, and Facebook parties. Social media is one big relationship! You must tweet, post, like and talk all day. As long as you're talkin' you're being social. Since you're so social, you'll do great in social media as long as you keep making friends, chattin' and raising your Klout score doing such." (Cont...)
Pumpyourbook shared a blog post from John Ames over at Beyond the Books Blog where he explains in detail How to Create A Facebook Welcome Page. (I have one, but need to make others.) This is a nice step by step walk through, even if you have minimal tech savvy. Quite nice.
Fondalo shared a post over at Bundle Post by Robert M Caruso on Mind Your Content - Social Media Sharing Opportunities That Fail.
Here's a Taste:
"As a Social Media guy, I am constantly posting, connecting, engaging and building relationships online. For those of you that know me at all, you know a large part of that for me is helping others. A component of that is showing #Gratitude to others in various ways. Thanking, retweeting and sharing other peoples content are a few of the ways I do that. But some of you unintentionally make that extremely difficult for me. If you make it tough for me to help you, then you are making it tough for others as well." (Cont...)
MKelly007 wrote a post about 11 Rules of Social Media. Basically she tells us to be friendly, be nice! Both of which are great rules to live by!
Here's a Taste:
"Since social media is, well, a social medium, it's important that users understand the proper ways to behave online. No, just because you're behind a computer monitor in your mom's basement doesn't mean all social etiquette goes out the window. It's quite the opposite—following proper social media etiquette is a key to being successful online (and to making sure you don't make a complete idiot out of yourself.)" (Cont...)
Kristen Lamb asks - Are You a Twitter Tyrant or a Twitter Activist. The next of her Twitter Tuesday features.
Here's a Taste:
"This Week's Fail Whale–The Twitter Tyrant.
"All of us have passions, and that is wonderful. Being passionate makes us feel alive and gives our lives purpose. But, when we are building a platform, especially in the beginning stages, we must be mindful to always express our passions in a positive way. Ranting on Twitter is never acceptable. I have had people I had to unfollow simply because every time they tweeted, I needed an antacid. Life is stressful enough without volunteering for an ulcer." (Cont...)
Peter Shankman argues that Facebook and Email are NOT Distractions But Necessities.
Taste:
"My original title of this post was going to be "Disagreeing with Julia Morgenstern." Then I figured, why give her the SEO juice? No, seriously, I figured the above title would be more beneficial to what I wanted to say today." (Cont...)
Writing Advice
KeikoMushi shared her discovery of a blog post by Savannah J Foley - Mistaken Newbie Writer Beliefs. Lots of truth here folks! WORD!
Taste:
"I have been a noob. Or, as I have often seen it called, a 'huge, flailing noob.' Now, I'm still pretty new to the writing business in general, despite having written over six complete manuscripts, having an agent for two years, and of course being a part of this blog." (Cont...)
A Lee Martinez talks to us about Emotional Resonance, Writing, and Other Complicated Stuff - Worlds Apart.
S Blackmoore tells us to Go Ahead, Shoot the Baby on a guest blog over at Terribleminds. (Don't pull your punches! Maybe? Hee hee.)
Taste:
"I've been watching a lot of film noir from the forties and fifties over at Noir City, the noir film festival going on this month at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, and I've noticed something that's been bothering me.
"There are a lot of happy endings." (Cont...)
Nathan Bradford tells us Everyone will have a Chance but not all of them are equal! (Too true!)
Taste:
"This is indeed a great time to be an author. No longer must manuscripts disappear into the drawer, never to be heard from again, lacking only a publisher's best guess. Now, no matter what people think of a book, it can be published and try and find its audience." (Cont...)
From Roni Loren - Top 5 Mistakes Writers make at Conferences (Some good points, peeps!) :P
Taste:
"So, I've mentioned before that I'm a conference whore. I think part of it is that I've always loved learning. I have nerd DNA that can't be escaped. But the other part is that I have so much fun being around other writers. It's like finding your home planet after feeling like you were the only weird one all these years." (Cont...)
From Chuck Wendig (NSFW) How Not To Bug The F*** Out When Writing A Novel. Great advice as always!
Taste:
"There comes a point during the writing of a novel when, in the thick of it, some 30 or 40,000 words deep, you look down and wonder, how did you get naked, exactly? Where are your clothes? Why are you covered in grass-stains, your flesh marked by thorn-scratches? Why in your hair do you smell boar's blood and the mating fluids of forest nymphs? Time is lost in clips and stretches. You feel disconnected from your body." (Cont...)
Chuck also discussed this week - The iPad for Writers. Apps to use, how to use the iPad in general to be more productive writing, etc.
And a new category this week...
Scams
DirtyWhiteCandy shared The Dark Side of the New Age of Self-Publishing by Larry at the StoryFix.com blog.
Taste:
"On Thursday I got the email that all writers dream about. It was from a major television network, inviting me to appear on their morning talk show as part of their regular "author's corner" segment." (Cont...)
Victoria Strauss from Writer Beware wrote a blog post entitled Atlanta Nights The Movie: From Hoax to Film. Quite enlightening and shows how truly weird life is.
Okay, that's it for this week. Let me know if you like the "taste" segments or not.
Happy reading!
April 13, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 4/13/11
Pics for this week...
Our puppy, Serenity, graduated from her first training school.
As you can see, my daughter is camera paranoid. :P And those sad puppy eyes? She can turn those suckers up several more levels than here. Lady killer!
Petapixel shared A Surreal World Seen Through Puddles - really quite cool!
My evil brother thinks it's funny to send me pictures of food he's cooked that I won't get to eat. Bad Brother! :P These are all Puerto Rican dishes - arroz con salchichas (rice and veinna sauseges), beans, and mofongo (garlic and mashed plaintains). YUM!!!!!
NASA shared a majestic photo of glaciers in the "celestial mountains" of Central Asia taken by Space Station astronauts. A super awesome toboggan ride!
And I'll leave you with this bit of golden sunlight peeking through thick clouds - an omen to us that the cloud fields were dispersing. :)
Our puppy, Serenity, graduated from her first training school.
As you can see, my daughter is camera paranoid. :P And those sad puppy eyes? She can turn those suckers up several more levels than here. Lady killer!Petapixel shared A Surreal World Seen Through Puddles - really quite cool!
My evil brother thinks it's funny to send me pictures of food he's cooked that I won't get to eat. Bad Brother! :P These are all Puerto Rican dishes - arroz con salchichas (rice and veinna sauseges), beans, and mofongo (garlic and mashed plaintains). YUM!!!!!
NASA shared a majestic photo of glaciers in the "celestial mountains" of Central Asia taken by Space Station astronauts. A super awesome toboggan ride!
And I'll leave you with this bit of golden sunlight peeking through thick clouds - an omen to us that the cloud fields were dispersing. :)
April 11, 2011
Mind Sieve 4/11/11
Another week of fun and helpful stuff!
Fan Fun
Comediva suggested we all check out PMS Adventures. Girl Superheroes where PMS is what gives them POWER! Bwahahahahaha!
George Takei shares with us his autition tape for Broadway's Spiderman! It's pretty funny. Love the Indiana Jones move at the end. Heh heh.
Freshmen, a Super Hero comic book project from Seth Green and Top Cow, is now avialable for download.
Author Platform/Social Media
PamMktNut shared a post from YourCustomer about 3 Ways Facebook Questions can help your brand. (A new doohikey tab in FB. (Now if only I could come UP with some good questions and answers. lol)
From Kristen Lamb and Twitter Tuesdays come - Use Twitter Like a Pro, Not a Bot.
CidTyer shares Twitter Pet Peeves.
Be A Shark in the Waters of Social Media - guest post by Fred Hicks over at Terribleminds. Great stuff!
Brianne Villano talks to us about The Simplification of Facebook Pages for Authors and Newbies. Good tips!
From Writer's Digest - Elements of a Sucessful Fiction Platform. I swear the work of an author is never done...
Writing Advice
Roni Loren gives us The Ten Commandments of the Successful Author. Many great points!
Character Development from Rosemary Clement-Moore.
Karen Dionne tells us that For Career Authors, Staying Published is the Real Challenge.
How Dungeons and Dragons can help us be great novelists! (All genres!) By Kristen Lamb. (As long as you don't try to publish your D&D adventure.) :P
The Writer Who Is Also A Parent - Advice on time and life and more! From Chuck Wendig.
Jami Gold asks Can Karma Help You Become a Better Writer?
Enjoy, ya'll!
April 8, 2011
Movie Review - Hanna
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Barden, Olivia Williams, Aldo Maland and more...
Directed by: Joe Wright Screenplay by: Seth Lochhead and David Farr Story by: Seth Lochhead Music by: The Chemical Brothers
Premise: Hanna has been raised for only one purpose - to kill the woman who is responsible for her mother's death. Things, however, don't go as planned, and Hanna becomes the hunted instead of the hunter.
Review: The commercials gave alot away. The premise is simple, so to be honest, there wasn't much to give away. However, the execution of the simple premise goes pretty well.
At first we get to live like Hanna lives - the training, living off the land, education. Then when she gets out in the world it's a lot of fun to see her soak life in and meet civilization head on. Just when she thinks she has it all in hand, she realizes she's out of her element and not always dealing too well. Some well thought out moments. Others were quite funny! Her time with the traveling family was the best of the film.
Action wise, not shabby at all. Some very well coordianted fight scenes. Be prepared for several flashbacks, one which unecessarilly decided to go shaky cam. Luckily the shaky cam action used here and there never lasts for more than a minute or two, so it's not hard to sit through.
Some gorgeous panoramic shots. Though on one of them they got a little carried away with the panning. There are also several foreign locations that gave it some definite flavor. Even better, it was street life, rather than the usual dolled up city blocks we normally get.There are also some very artful type shots, most quite enjoyable.
The one major notpick would be Hanna's time in the dessert. Having been raised way way up north, she wouldn't have had exposure to such a climate. And with her super light skin. Can you say crispy criter in just a few hours? OUCH!
Saoirse Ronan does a great job. Cate Blanchett definitely comes across as one evil person. Tom Hollander was totally creepy and disturbing though he didn't do much directly. But his walk, his talk, his whistling - ugh. Nicely done. Jessica Barden and her on screen brother, Aldo Maland added a lot to the film - good job guys!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby is out of town so no rating from him this time. The kids liked it.)
Zumaya Publications Free e-book Promotion!
One of my publishers, Zumaya Publications, is doing a free e-book promotion on two releases from Noon EDT 4/8/11 through Midnight EDT 4/10/11.
The promotion will be for:
Carole Waterhouse's The Tapestry Baby (Romance)
and
Mark Roberts's Unforced Error (SF/Fantasy)
Here are the links to the free downloads:
Tapestry Baby PDF
Tapestry Baby EPUB
Tapestry Baby MOBI
Unforced Error PDF
Unforced Error EPUB
Unforced Error MOBI
So enjoy these freebies from Zumaya Publications!
Happy reading!
April 6, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 4/6/11
This might be a little of a whirlwind. Got more pics than usual (not that I am putting them all here, so you're safe) and am running behind (as usual) so I'm slapping these on quick! :P
Loved the embossing on this building. It was too cool and you just don't see that type of thing often. This ended up being for a Korean restaurant called The Chicken House. Tried it on a whim and it was so GOOD! Everything was Super FRESH! We left there stuffed to the gills. :P
Aha! Agent P (aka Perry the Platipus) was on a mission during AggieCon! Hope Dr Doofenschmirtz was stopped in time! Hee!
The Wisteria at the Hilton in College Station blew me away! Our monster plant is a wisteria but it never blooms like this.
And this is the main plant/vine all those flowers came from. One plant! It's mind boggling.
And here is the thick layer/field of clouds that graced my view on the way to AggieCon. Within a couple of minutes it was gone! So my timing was perfect. :P
I think that's it for this time. Enjoy!
Loved the embossing on this building. It was too cool and you just don't see that type of thing often. This ended up being for a Korean restaurant called The Chicken House. Tried it on a whim and it was so GOOD! Everything was Super FRESH! We left there stuffed to the gills. :P
Aha! Agent P (aka Perry the Platipus) was on a mission during AggieCon! Hope Dr Doofenschmirtz was stopped in time! Hee!
The Wisteria at the Hilton in College Station blew me away! Our monster plant is a wisteria but it never blooms like this.
And this is the main plant/vine all those flowers came from. One plant! It's mind boggling.
And here is the thick layer/field of clouds that graced my view on the way to AggieCon. Within a couple of minutes it was gone! So my timing was perfect. :P
I think that's it for this time. Enjoy!
April 4, 2011
Mind Sieve 4/4/11
Got a ton of stuff to share with you this week. (Some of it was from last week's overflow!) Doh!
Fan Fun
Candace Havens shared a link to the preview of the Three Musketeers in 3D! Lots of familiar faces too! Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Matthew Macfayden, Ray Stevenson, and Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu.
Vcinemashow is asking peeps to join them in Facebook to show your love of Asian Films.
SoonerCon shared the new trailers for Sega's video game adaptations of this summer's "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger"
Dr Who has a cool 10 minute adventure online. Link curtesy of TopsyRT - Doctor Who: Amy Flirts With Amy? It's too darn funny! A great time loop piece.
SonnerCon shares The theme to the Original Star Trek as played on a...SAW~! (Watch the people's faces. They'll crack you up!)
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan's Eden Hotel has a $50-per 3-hour suite devoted to Batman. (Also shared by SoonerCon. I am sensing a pattern here. :P)
Dollhouse returns in comic book form this week with the brand new story "Dollhouse: Epitaphs" from Dark Horse. (News from MoTacharoen)
Author Platform/Social Media
From inkyelbows comes an updated list of Twitter for Writers. From the basics on up! (Looks super comprehensive!)
Kristen Lamb shows us how to - Go Hard or Go Home--Blogging & Branding. Tag like gang bangers. Own ur digital turf(As I was reading it I realize that though my blog had my name, I wasn't using my tag line! Now we're in business. Bwahahaha!)
YAFantasyGuide told us of Special Invite: Promote your books w/ character profiles.
SFWA posted a link to - How Not to Market Your Book. An actual sample (with the names filed off) of a letter received by Victoria Strauss.
Yes, there is a way to launch a FB fan page and not need therapy from Kristen Lamb. More eye opening wisdom!
How writers can use twitter to help SAVE TIME - by Kristen Lamb.
And cause she's on a roll - You know what you need? More Blogging Cowbell!
From PimpYourNovel we have
Writing Advice
Chuck Wendig brings - "Beware Of Writer II: Revenge Of The Teenage Penmonkey From Mars." Insights into a writer's mind! (NSFW)
Kristen Lamb talks about Antagonists.
Trusting Your Muse! Good post by Gigi Salem.
A slice of a writer's life. Stress less. Good advice by Writer Wellness maven JoyHeld. Shared by Kristen Lamb. Now I just need to find the time!
And that's it for this week folks! Enjoy!
Fan Fun
Candace Havens shared a link to the preview of the Three Musketeers in 3D! Lots of familiar faces too! Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Matthew Macfayden, Ray Stevenson, and Christoph Waltz as Cardinal Richelieu.
Vcinemashow is asking peeps to join them in Facebook to show your love of Asian Films.
SoonerCon shared the new trailers for Sega's video game adaptations of this summer's "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger"
Dr Who has a cool 10 minute adventure online. Link curtesy of TopsyRT - Doctor Who: Amy Flirts With Amy? It's too darn funny! A great time loop piece.
SonnerCon shares The theme to the Original Star Trek as played on a...SAW~! (Watch the people's faces. They'll crack you up!)
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan's Eden Hotel has a $50-per 3-hour suite devoted to Batman. (Also shared by SoonerCon. I am sensing a pattern here. :P)
Dollhouse returns in comic book form this week with the brand new story "Dollhouse: Epitaphs" from Dark Horse. (News from MoTacharoen)
Author Platform/Social Media
From inkyelbows comes an updated list of Twitter for Writers. From the basics on up! (Looks super comprehensive!)
Kristen Lamb shows us how to - Go Hard or Go Home--Blogging & Branding. Tag like gang bangers. Own ur digital turf(As I was reading it I realize that though my blog had my name, I wasn't using my tag line! Now we're in business. Bwahahaha!)
YAFantasyGuide told us of Special Invite: Promote your books w/ character profiles.
SFWA posted a link to - How Not to Market Your Book. An actual sample (with the names filed off) of a letter received by Victoria Strauss.
Yes, there is a way to launch a FB fan page and not need therapy from Kristen Lamb. More eye opening wisdom!
How writers can use twitter to help SAVE TIME - by Kristen Lamb.
And cause she's on a roll - You know what you need? More Blogging Cowbell!
From PimpYourNovel we have
Writing Advice
Chuck Wendig brings - "Beware Of Writer II: Revenge Of The Teenage Penmonkey From Mars." Insights into a writer's mind! (NSFW)
Kristen Lamb talks about Antagonists.
Trusting Your Muse! Good post by Gigi Salem.
A slice of a writer's life. Stress less. Good advice by Writer Wellness maven JoyHeld. Shared by Kristen Lamb. Now I just need to find the time!
And that's it for this week folks! Enjoy!
April 1, 2011
Movie Review - Sucker Punch
Sucker Punch Staring: Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, Carla Gugino, Oscar Issac, Jon Hamm, Scott Glenn, and more... Directed by: Zack Snyder Story by: Zack Snyder Screenplay by: Zack Snyder & Steve Shibuya Original Music by: Tyler Bates & Marius De Vries Premise: This is a story of angels, angels that come to help you in different ways and wearing different forms, whether you want them to or not. A chance encounter at a mental institution sets of a series of events in multiple realities all aiming at one thing - gaining freedom. Review: I'd heard good and bad things about this film so I went to see it with some misgivings. However, I ended up being given quite a tasty treat. But I can see how some things could be missed, which would take away from the full experience, so pay close attention. :P Through the film, keep in mind what the female voice tells you at the beginning of the film. Here are the seeds of all that will follow. Also pay particular attention to the girl on the bed in the theater. The connection that happens there between her and the new comer is pivotal to everything else. The plot appears simple and just as stated on the previews - find five objects and you will be set free. Four of the five are shown to us right away. What makes this simple goal interesting is the spread out/connecting effect it has on others over time. Especially at the end, more than those originally involved were affected and in their own way set free - a few never knowing until that point that they'd been prisoners. The visuals are fantastic! Totally loved the saying of "the world is a stage" and having it taken to broader lengths, even involving the opening of the film in how they show the Warner Brother's logo. The fights are good, the shaky cam on some of the fight scenes not used long enough to give any trouble. Lots of cool shots. Especially loved the dream worlds - mixing some contemporary and future items with things you'd not normally see, like giant samurai, dragons and goblins, the trenches of WWI manned with mechanized enemies, derigibles, mecha, a total mixture of stuff. Totally loved the face off in the temple grounds, with the fog, the mountains, a grand, breathtaking vista! The shell of the church in the WWI sequence looked just like actual shells of catholic churches you've seen in other films/documentaries. The grand vista of a ringed world dominating the sky of the planet they were on. Tons of stunning visuals. My son-in-law said he had troubles with the sections switching from reality to reality, but I didn't. They give a lot of cues if you look for them. Normally a pan view of Baby Doll's head and a change in the overall background color. Watch for those cues and you shouldn't get lost. (Plus the original reality is so drab, you won't mistake it!) For the guys, lots of mini skirts, girls with swords and guns! Explosions, mayhem, mecha! And make sure to watch the end credits as you get a song and dance number with all the girls dressed up as well. One point I found quite funny was that for the 3rd tier of reality, we're told the enemy are already dead just reanimated with technology and later are robots, so mass destruction can ensue and no deaths caused. This is despite the fact that in layer 2/layer 1 death actually happens. I suppose it just shows the depth of disassociation they all were running through. Overall, it was a nice ride with lots of pretty things to look at for all viewers. And make sure to listen closely at the end, so you know someone who may seems like he got away with something will also be getting his comeuppance. Rating: 4 out of 5 cause I liked the subtle twist. (Hubby Rating - Better as a Matinee)
March 31, 2011
Guest Blogger - Mayra Calvani - A Typical Writing Day – A Parody
A typical writing day in my life...
7:00am: Get up, make breakfast, take kids to school.
8:00: Walk my dog, Amigo, while listening to podcasts on my iPod (I'm addicted to Book Bites for Kids and Publishing Insiders!)
8:30: Major dilemma! Should I make the beds, tidy up the kitchen, pass the vacuum... or WRITE??? Procrastination wins! Yeah, housework, my favourite! (Yeah, right.)
9:00: Sit at the computer. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Scowl at the sign on my desk that says: "A writer is someone who writes everyday."
9:15: Go to kitchen. Make a cup of tea. Writers and tea go together, right? Or is it writers and coffee? Oh well... Fight urge to grab a mini Snickers bar... Will loses. Go to computer with tea and Snickers bar. A writer needs her nourishment, right?
9:30: Drink tea, eat Snickers bar, check email. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Scowl at the sign on my wall that says, "Leap, and the net will appear." Starting to feel guilty. OK, that's putting it mildly. Starting to HATE myself.
10:00: Just remembered: laundry, get dressed, buy toothpaste, brush Amigo... STOP! Take a deep breath. Tell my inner critic, Helga (I named her like that), to SHUT UP. Do a short meditation with affirmations. Yes, that's it. Calm, calm. Write. Write. Write... Aaaah. Soothing. Time stops. The earth stops rotating. It's the zone. No other place like it.
12:00: Happiness. Bliss. Get dressed and brush your teeth (finally!).
12:15-14:00: Lunch and errands, all the while listening to podcasts (otherwise they're quite unbearable!).
14:00: Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook.
15:00: Call my mommy long distance (So I'm still a mama's girl. Sue me.) Talk to her while critiquing somebody else's manuscript. Talk to her while preparing interview questions for a guest author. Talk to her while editing my own story. She asks, "Are you listening to me? I hear the keyboard!"
16:00: Email, website, Twitter, Facebook. Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook. Head is spinning. Neck hurts. Shoulders stiff. Ouch!
16:30: Make dinner while listening to podcasts, get kids from school.
17:00: Back at the desk. Look at tower of books to be read. Ignore. Stared at mountain of books to be reviewed. Wince. Look at TO-DO list. Scream. Friend calls, "Want to do lunch tomorrow?" I say, "Nah. I'm a serious writer. I write. That's what I do." She says, "You're antisocial. A hermit." Email, website, Twitter, Facebook. Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook.
18:00: Dinner. After-dinner walk with hubby and Amigo (while planning scenes and hearing voices in my head). Hubby says, "Are you listening to me?"
19:00: Watch an episode of Columbo. I'm mesmerized. Sshh! No talking. Not even breathing, please!
20:30: Browse on eBay for Marc Jacobs bags, Chanel bags, Lauren Conrad's clothes, Bare Minerals makeup I'll never buy. Browse Amazon. Add a zillion new titles to my wish list.
21:30: Put kids to sleep, tidy up kitchen, take shower.
22:30: Cuddle up in bed with book and iPad. Email, Huffington Post, iTunes store.
23:00: Call my mommy. Exhausted. Fall asleep with scenes in my head... Mom says, "Mayra! Are you awake?"
Bio:
Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She's co-author of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. She's had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published. In addition, she's co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. A reviewer for more than a decade, she now offers numerous book reviewer workshops online. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com. For her children's books, visit www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com.
Check out her satire novel, SUNSTRUCK, now on Kindle and Nook!
7:00am: Get up, make breakfast, take kids to school.
8:00: Walk my dog, Amigo, while listening to podcasts on my iPod (I'm addicted to Book Bites for Kids and Publishing Insiders!)
8:30: Major dilemma! Should I make the beds, tidy up the kitchen, pass the vacuum... or WRITE??? Procrastination wins! Yeah, housework, my favourite! (Yeah, right.)
9:00: Sit at the computer. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Scowl at the sign on my desk that says: "A writer is someone who writes everyday."
9:15: Go to kitchen. Make a cup of tea. Writers and tea go together, right? Or is it writers and coffee? Oh well... Fight urge to grab a mini Snickers bar... Will loses. Go to computer with tea and Snickers bar. A writer needs her nourishment, right?
9:30: Drink tea, eat Snickers bar, check email. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Stare at the screen. Scowl at the sign on my wall that says, "Leap, and the net will appear." Starting to feel guilty. OK, that's putting it mildly. Starting to HATE myself.
10:00: Just remembered: laundry, get dressed, buy toothpaste, brush Amigo... STOP! Take a deep breath. Tell my inner critic, Helga (I named her like that), to SHUT UP. Do a short meditation with affirmations. Yes, that's it. Calm, calm. Write. Write. Write... Aaaah. Soothing. Time stops. The earth stops rotating. It's the zone. No other place like it.
12:00: Happiness. Bliss. Get dressed and brush your teeth (finally!).
12:15-14:00: Lunch and errands, all the while listening to podcasts (otherwise they're quite unbearable!).
14:00: Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook.
15:00: Call my mommy long distance (So I'm still a mama's girl. Sue me.) Talk to her while critiquing somebody else's manuscript. Talk to her while preparing interview questions for a guest author. Talk to her while editing my own story. She asks, "Are you listening to me? I hear the keyboard!"
16:00: Email, website, Twitter, Facebook. Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook. Head is spinning. Neck hurts. Shoulders stiff. Ouch!
16:30: Make dinner while listening to podcasts, get kids from school.
17:00: Back at the desk. Look at tower of books to be read. Ignore. Stared at mountain of books to be reviewed. Wince. Look at TO-DO list. Scream. Friend calls, "Want to do lunch tomorrow?" I say, "Nah. I'm a serious writer. I write. That's what I do." She says, "You're antisocial. A hermit." Email, website, Twitter, Facebook. Email, blog, Twitter, Facebook.
18:00: Dinner. After-dinner walk with hubby and Amigo (while planning scenes and hearing voices in my head). Hubby says, "Are you listening to me?"
19:00: Watch an episode of Columbo. I'm mesmerized. Sshh! No talking. Not even breathing, please!
20:30: Browse on eBay for Marc Jacobs bags, Chanel bags, Lauren Conrad's clothes, Bare Minerals makeup I'll never buy. Browse Amazon. Add a zillion new titles to my wish list.
21:30: Put kids to sleep, tidy up kitchen, take shower.
22:30: Cuddle up in bed with book and iPad. Email, Huffington Post, iTunes store.
23:00: Call my mommy. Exhausted. Fall asleep with scenes in my head... Mom says, "Mayra! Are you awake?"
Bio:
Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She's co-author of The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. She's had over 300 stories, articles, interviews and reviews published. In addition, she's co-editor of Voice in the Dark ezine. A reviewer for more than a decade, she now offers numerous book reviewer workshops online. Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com. For her children's books, visit www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com.
Check out her satire novel, SUNSTRUCK, now on Kindle and Nook!
March 30, 2011
Picture Kaleidoscope 3/30/11
With the time change, sunrises and sunsets are wonky with my drive to and from work, but still was able to catch this beauty from the fourth floor. What's truly amazing is that the sun is not only rising but moving slightly sideways. There is one point where the sun will be exactly behind the building. I'm hoping to catch a picture of that soon. (By the time I realized it was happening and hurried to get the phone, it was too late.) :(
NASA shared some very cool pics this week.
1st one up comes from WISE - Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It is the last picture taken by it back in Feb 2011. A gorgeous field of stars and gases.
2nd is an infrared image of the North American Nebula. I love all that RED!
3rd is a super cool image of Saturn. Not only can you see the rings, but more fun is the fact you can see its auroras. Take a look at the north and south poles. Sweet!
And just when you thought it was safe, winter is BACK!
Inkyelbows got a great picture of an unhappy bird and added a cute caption to it. Heh heh.
That's it for this week! Have a good one!
