tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40949006837850296182024-02-18T21:05:04.465-06:00...A Succession of JerksWriting, reading, RPGing, superheroing, and other nerdy stuff harnessed by the power of a natural born film fanatic, book lover, and daydreamer with delusions of geekdom living in the deep south with teenagers and cats.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger44125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-6658814172604517972012-08-25T10:21:00.000-05:002012-08-25T10:24:35.623-05:00Apostle of Epistles pt. 1I watched a gripping film recently that some of you who subscribe (but never comment except in email!) may have seen titled We Need to Talk About Kevin. I noticed on the menu list that there was contained within, an interview with the author of the novel about which the book was written. With a desire for eager consumption, my daughter and I selected this option. We were to be grievously injured by it. Not only did this detestable (in my opinion from 30 seconds of an interview) woman seem to have a narrow view of motherhood, postpartum depression, and mental illnesses in children, but she also opened her mouth and vomited all over the epistolary novel! <br />
<br />
I had intended to read it, as everyone who spends more than 5 minutes in serious conversation with me knows that the portion of air I breathe that is not my children belongs to Les Liaisons Dangereuses and the subsequent movies it spawned.<br />
<br />
However, the author, with her spewing verbiage on camera, turned me off. She stated her book was tested to some readers and it was suggested that she make it a series of letters so she simply "stuck Dear" at the beginning of each chapter and " Love," at the end. "And there you have it. An epistolary."<br />
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To write an effective epistolary, one must needs employ such a thing as talent, rather than the childish idea that letters begin with Dear and end with Love. Epistolaries, likewise, need not be completed with letters. Epistolaries may rely upon only what one is told in a series of legal documents discovered in the briefcase of a dead man. An epistolary may tell its story through the eyes, and diary, of a young girl, hiding for her life in the middle of a deadly crusade against her people. Furthermore, an epistolary's story may unfold through newspaper articles, the importance of which may increase to the reader as the page number in the publication decreases and becomes a very vocal portion of the story itself! And the writer of the epistolary novel must have eloquence that may be ignored in typical modes of conveying stories to readers.<br />
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So, I have decided to come up with a list of epistolary novels that will get you on your feet if you decide to check out this unique and exciting form of literature. And this time, tell me which ones you like, or reasons you don't like them! <br />
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<br />
<u>Historical Fiction</u><br />
<br />
1. Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos<br />
2. Dracula by Bram Stoker<br />
3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley<br />
4. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith<br />
5. Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady by Samuel Richardson<br />
6. Poor Folk by Dostoyevski <br />
7. The Ides of March by Thornton Wilder<br />
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<u>For Young People</u><br />
<u></u><br />
1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney<br />
2. Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks<br />
3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank<br />
4. The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson<br />
5. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes<br />
6. Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix<br />
7. Kathleen, Please Come Home by Scott O'dell<br />
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<u>Contemporary</u><br />
<u></u><br />
1. Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding<br />
2. Diary: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk<br />
3. Fan Mail by Ronald Munson<br />
4. The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie<br />
5. The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers<br />
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon<br />
7. Overqualified by Joey ComeauUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-65314871203596008072012-07-29T10:50:00.002-05:002012-07-29T10:57:43.726-05:00Thirst by Andrei GelasimovNope, it isn't a vampire story. Well, not in the traditional sense. Although there is much consuming, burning, and living in darkness.<br />
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<br />
Thirst is a short novel from Russian author Andrei Gelasimov. In 2001, Andrei self-published a story <em>A Tender Age</em> on the Internet and instantly became one of the most beloved Russian literary figures of modern day.<br />
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In a nutshell and on the surface, Thirst is a story that we've seen many times. A young war veteran returns home changed, physically and emotionally, only to find that life has gone on without him. Haunted and without the psychological tools to adjust, he goes through the motions, never really analyzing how he got where he is and how to become part of the world again.<br />
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Interspersed with flashbacks of his childhood, his time in the war, the rebel attack that leaves him scarred, the story tells of Konstantin's life and the few people with whom he feels a tenuous connection. Along with two other young men who were in the war with him, our hero leaves the safety of his solitude to search for a missing friend, the man who pulled them all out of the burning APV, leaving Konstantin for last, to burn the longest.<br />
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But symbolically, it is something more.<br />
<br />
Konstantin, better known as Kostya, is the one with this thirst. But it isn't just a thirst. It's a <em>thirst</em>. With all the drinks around, he never seems quenched. This is because he doesn't even know that he's thirsty.<br />
<br />
The story opens with Kostya drowning in a mountain of vodka bottles, seals unbroken, so numerous that they cannot all fit into the fridge, or into the kitchen, taking up the windowsill and the dirty clothes hamper. Wallowing in his solitude, Kostya continues with his life. The reader gets the feeling that he has come to grips with his appearance, which is never described. What he has not come to terms with is his life before the fire.<br />
<br />
And then the quest.<br />
<br />
Isn't there always a quest in the best stories? A quest for a ring, a quest for a chalice. The prize is not always the most important part of the journey. Sometimes it's the getting there.<br />
<br />
Seryoga is missing. Seryoga, the young soldier who pulled the company from the burning vehicle, who took them all to safety, but left Kostya for last.<br />
<br />
Genka and Pashka have arrived in the midst of Kostya's disarray to take him on a journey to find Seryoga whose apartment has been taken over by disreputable homeless people with whom Seryoga had associated. Despite having Pashka and Genka, who had become quite successful (even driving American SUVs) after the war, Seryoga remains on a path of destruction. Money slips through his fingers like water. His associations are less than desirable. Even Kostya has found a measure of success, although it is not as lucrative financially or emotionally as Pashka's and Genka's. Could Seryoga's haphazard drift through life be a reenactment of that haphazard trip from the safety of cover, across the bombed streets of Chechnya, to pull out his wounded brothers? Only this time, Seryoga is leaving himself behind, not Kostya. Leaving himself to burn in the wasteland of Moscow.<br />
<br />
And into that wasteland Genka and Pashka drag Kostya to search for the man who let Kostya burn.<br />
<br />
No reason or trace can be found of their fellow. But along the way, Kostya is forced to deal with the father he has not seen in twenty years. This great, looming man-behind-the-curtain who abandoned Kostya and his mother for a younger woman, who became the father to two new children that he never was to Kostya. And that father finds that he must come to terms with Kostya or lose him forever.<br />
<br />
And back on the road, following clues, asking questions, running into ghosts of the past, always with the wicked shadow of Chechnya clouding out the sky.<br />
<br />
Always, Kostya looks at the passing world from behind the mask of the war, the face the fire gave him, and the protective glass of the SUV, an almost magical war tank itself, large and expensive and part of a world that is removed from him.<br />
<br />
Despite the water that has been prevalent in his life, Kostya has never been cleansed. Not from the ocean, not from the melting snow, or the flood of vodka that begins in his apartment and carries him to Moscow. And where was all this water, all this liquid that permeates the story, when Kostya was burning? <br />
<br />
A man without a face. But it wasn't stripped away just by the fire. It was taken by his father's betrayal, his mother's love of a man who was less than fatherly to young Kostya and her eventual drifting away from him. One could not be a man if he didn't have a face. Different men made different faces as they drank their vodka. They all made different faces at each of the women they looked upon. And Pashka and Genka, who drifted in and out of Kostya's life as if with the tide, consuming not only their own vodka but the vodka that Kostya has bought for himself? They carried with them the memory of Kostya's face before the fire, a face that Kostya has even forgotten he had.<br />
<br />
With many quests, the hard-won treasure can be disappointing, can show up so easily after a difficult journey that it leaves the knight bewildered and exhausted. The Great and Powerful Wizard can turn out to be an old man, just as lost and just as much on a quest for home as the haggard band of comrades who find him.<br />
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And often, like that little girl from Kansas, what the hero is searching for all that time could end up being right under his nose. Or in the mirror.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-80233861979803692452012-05-13T19:06:00.000-05:002012-05-13T19:12:18.855-05:00Pontypool's Secret PULP Origins! (Pulp Fiction Part 4)I intended to address fans of the tantalizingly written novel, but if you've just seen the movie, that works, too. Most of us were rendered speechless in 2008 with the release of the movie Pontypool, set in the town of the same name in Canada, wherein a zombie-like virus envelopes a county, spreading through the bacterium of words. However, unbeknownst to some, a novel preceded the movie. <br />
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The movie Pontypool took one chapter late in the novel and centered around it and the limited connection with the towns surrounding that were falling rapidly into chaos. Even more unbeknownst to move fans,( and to me until a friend bestowed upon me the short story written by H.P. Lovecraft's cohort Henry Kuttner in 1943) Mr. Tony Burgess, author of Pontypool, most likely did not have divine inspiration when he came up with his tale of semantic terror.<br />
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Enter Mr. Henry Kuttner, pulp terrorist. He deserves a post all his own, so I will not go into detail about him now. However, his story is another story.<br />
<br />
Nothing But Gingerbread Left.<br />
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In the story, a professor and one of his grad students are having a discussion while the professor's teenage son sits in the background muttering a silly schoolyard sing-song rhyme that gets stuck in their heads. At the forefront of their minds is the war in Europe and the spread of Hitler's propaganda. Both scholars, who are German-as-a-second-language speakers, devise a scheme wherein they will use the pattern, rhythm, and particularities of the German language to write a nonsensical verse, say it for a group of German prisoners of war, and analyze the results.<br />
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Results, to whit, that are the undoubted origins of Mr. Burgess' Pontypool novel.<br />
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The link below provides a skip over to the short story in whole. There are some annoying errors in format, but these are easily ignored, for the most part. The story is very short, 15 or 20 minute read for us logophiles, 5 or 10 for everyone else. If you have to ask why it takes some of us longer, then praise the lord that you are not damned to read blissful words and phrases three or four times, then call up a friend and read them aloud for as long as the friend will tolerate it.<br />
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<a href="http://henrykuttner.bravehost.com/Kuttner,%20Henry%20-%20Nothing%20But%20Gingerbread%20Left.html" target="_blank">Henry Kuttner's Nothing But Gingerbread Left (1943)</a></div>
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Opinions? Comparisons? Curses?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-66573068472570479922012-05-06T11:26:00.000-05:002012-05-06T11:43:40.409-05:00Bugs Bunny: Master Logophile?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HMyFtqGcTBBep7F5SnqA9bn2nCsdc-TrPf2qZihj8Eg5ZRltzLYfODEZYkk7ktnfNP8jal28XnvEdVzftpbmTJDTshRFriFunFE69esXd-9UJtzufbctG153-t_n5Syzk3VBJAB_TD2U/s1600/bugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HMyFtqGcTBBep7F5SnqA9bn2nCsdc-TrPf2qZihj8Eg5ZRltzLYfODEZYkk7ktnfNP8jal28XnvEdVzftpbmTJDTshRFriFunFE69esXd-9UJtzufbctG153-t_n5Syzk3VBJAB_TD2U/s1600/bugs.jpg" /></a>With confidence, the suave woodland creature exits his home and strolls across the plain armed only with a quick wit and a business card. You've seen the exchange. You know its verbiage by heart. But do you truly <em>understand</em>?<br />
<br />
You may ask yourself how on earth a gray rabbit could be more intelligent than 98% of the human beings who walk to and fro upon the earth. You may answer yourself with the following. "I heard...but I did not comprehend!"<br />
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<br />
When Bugs Bunny traipses across his front lawn to meet his new neighbor, the ever-starved Wile E. Coyote, Supergenius, he is accompanied by a most keen awareness of the English language. He raps upon the door with the back of his knuckles, the way only the debonair can accomplish. "Are you in, Genius?" he calls out. With a lift of one carefully coiffed eyebrow, he treads the path that only the great have tread before. "Are you in, Capable?" Which leads him further down the winding trail of acidic wit, wherein he loses the pause and dives straight in for the kill. "Are you insolent? Are you indescribable?"<br />
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So let me follow this wild hare and pose to you the question of, if a cartoon bunny can understand basic elementary prefixes, why not great authors and speakers across the English-speaking world?<br />
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I will start at the beginning. We have all read, and many of us (myself excluded, of course)have used, the word "ingenious." I've heard ejaculations such as "That is an ingenious invention!" on television commercials. I've read in otherwise praiseworthy novels "He was a foe of ingenious wickedness." I have heard people say of coworkers "He is rather ingenious" and I've wanted to say in return, "Possibly, but you most assuredly are!"<br />
<br />
I will get to the point.<br />
<br />
Definition: in-<br />
A prefix meaning "the opposite of"<br />
<br />
Definition: incapable-the opposite of capable<br />
Definition: indescribable-without words or meaning to provide description<br />
Definition: inept-the opposite of adept<br />
<br />
Waiting for it...<br />
Waiting for it...<br />
You see where I'm going, don't you?<br />
<br />
Definition: ingenious-the opposite of genius. Or it should be. Right?<br />
<br />
Everything about the word screams opposite of genius!<br />
Sadly, one of my major hang-ups in wordage leaves me very dissatisfied.<br />
<br />
Ingenious should follow the same path that Bugs began. But it does not! It makes me want to scream!!<br />
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Ingenious, frustratingly enough, is not a word that uses "in" as a prefix. It comes from the Latin word <em>ingeniousus</em> which means "intellectual or talented." While genius and ingenious seem to negate each other when spoken, notice the difference in spelling, for one thing. Also note that <em>ingeniousus</em> has also been spelled <em>engenious</em>. This is the root word for "engine." But this does not give satisfaction, either, as the "en" in <em>engenious</em> is not a prefix. The prefix "en" is added to verbs to make them nouns, as in "engulf."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknsNdYMdqa4rmmfGKT5pIIuOVLddgrmWBuFSfRHm1wSu-g2xWTOO9AkOyOGay9Iu9FkUZePFsyZHhrm6NbvL_ZNNomCeRelTRkMjRu7UFUWd8_Jo3eoHOcwuMsWV3bPSrD4Z0zsYNFa-t/s1600/coyote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknsNdYMdqa4rmmfGKT5pIIuOVLddgrmWBuFSfRHm1wSu-g2xWTOO9AkOyOGay9Iu9FkUZePFsyZHhrm6NbvL_ZNNomCeRelTRkMjRu7UFUWd8_Jo3eoHOcwuMsWV3bPSrD4Z0zsYNFa-t/s1600/coyote.jpg" /></a>So, all this logophilia frustration builds into anger and a sense of betrayal by one of the master speakers of the childhood years of budding word-lovers everywhere! Did Bugs spit in the face of our desire for a perfect and orgasmic language? Did he thumb his cute wittle nose at our starving spirits seeking satiation in the musicality of words?<br />
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I believe not. <br />
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While Bugs was making what seemed a very concise link between words, which turned out to be grievously incorrect, what he was actually doing was making a quick-witted pun on the linkage and aural play of word usage and custom. He did not betray us, beloved logophiles! He taunted our rigidity, forced a crack in the surface of our polished veneer, and drove us to question him, ourselves, and our destiny as feeders at the trough of linguistics.<br />
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The most important lesson an intelligent person or beast can learn is to make light of themselves. As followers of Mr. Bunny know, he is quite a logophile and possessed of an awareness of what lies beneath the surface of those around him. He did not misstep. He led us into the darkness without a dictionary to light our way so that we may pioneer in ourselves an oasis in the desert. Take the knowledge that he imparted in the origin of words and use it to make your world a little brighter. And know that Bugs Bunny will remain the common man's champion in the arena of the ingenious.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-22860382908914087582012-04-29T15:14:00.000-05:002012-04-29T15:14:04.604-05:00A Finite Number of Alternatives to "Countless"Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Monday Mechanics. Well, actually it is the first episode. Or quite possibly the only episode. Only time will tell! So stick with me while I pull up my well-used and much-loved soapbox.<br />
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One word more than almost any other will turn my stomach and make me rethink my decision to read a particular book, article, or correspondence: Countless. It is in many of my favorite books and stories. It exists four times in the first 1,500 pages of the Game of Thrones. Lestat uses it to describe things in The Vampire Lestat and I’m fairly certain that Louis used it a few times in the preceding Vampire Chronicle. It is akin to the misuse of the pronoun “I” in my list of words that make my skin crawl. <br />
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Here’s why.<br />
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For one thing, nothing is countless. If it is a substance that can be numbered, it can be counted. You may not be able to count that high, but someone can. You may have to go to work and take a break from counting flowers on the wall. You may lose your place while counting the stars. But they can be counted. Take my word for it. It would take a concerted and well-choreographed effort between scientists across the universe, but it could be done.<br />
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Having said that, is there anything wrong with the word countless? Not really, I say hesitantly. Other than it feels rather sloppy and rushed. Each word counts. Each word provides an opportunity to nourish the starving, offer a branch to the reader plummeting over a crevasse of mass-market verbiage. Don’t let those moments zip passed!<br />
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And if you are counting them, they are “numbers”, by the way, not “amounts.” Amounts are measured. Rod Stewart had the right of it when he said “My love for you is immeasurable, my respect for you immense.” And Javert used restraint when he implied that the stars, while we do not know how many they are, still have a number, though they are “scarce to be counted.” <br />
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So, should you find yourself tempted by the word countless, borrow one of these options instead, depending on the way you are planning to use it. Okay, so a couple of these may have been used only by Clark Ashton Smith or H.P. Lovecraft, but what can ya do? I’m a sucker for arcane language.<br />
<br />
• Vast<br />
• Many <br />
• Unnumbered <br />
• Abundant <br />
• Untold <br />
• Endless <br />
• Seemingly infinite <br />
• Multitudinous <br />
• Numerous <br />
• Uncounted <br />
• Myriad <br />
• Uncalculated <br />
• Astronomical <br />
• Massive <br />
• Bounteous <br />
• Legions <br />
• Eternal <br />
• Boundless <br />
• Immeasurable <br />
• Incomprehensible <br />
• Scarce to be counted (or numbered) <br />
• Extensive <br />
• Without end <br />
• Numberless <br />
• Immense <br />
• Limitless <br />
• Googol <br />
• Incalculable <br />
• Incognizable <br />
• UnknowableUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-70186009636208017132012-04-21T08:52:00.002-05:002012-04-21T09:07:51.407-05:00They Call Me Mellow Giallo (AKA PULP FICTION Part 3!)We all live in a giallo submarine, giallo submarine, gi--oh...hey! I didn't see you there.<br />
<br />
Yep, it's that time again! <a href="http://successionofjerks.blogspot.com/2012/01/pulp-fiction-unpacked-part-1.html" target="_blank">PULP FICTION</a> time!<br />
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So, what's this giallo stuff I'm talking about? Glad you asked! Now, I'm not here to give a dissertation on the meaning and reason of giallo literature and movies. I know most of you are smarter than you look. I'm not going to compare and contrast one director with another. I just want some of the hundreds of people a week who read my post on <a href="http://successionofjerks.blogspot.com/2012/02/marble-hornets-youtube-train-wreck.html" target="_blank">Marble Hornets</a> to get a taste of something different. And as you know, I've been writing here and there on pulp fiction.<br />
<br />
While we were over here in America dreaming of the jungles with Tarzan and Britain was fighting communism with Bulldog Drummond, Italy was producing its own pulp fiction (though a lot of it consisted of translation into Italian of English-language mystery and crime novels) on fairly cheap stock with yellow (giallo) covers. And just the same way that the chicken follows the egg, the giallo book gave birth to the giallo movie.<br />
<br />
I will interject that to Italians, giallo means something different than it does to Americans. We would not, for instance, look at film and consider Psycho anything but a high-quality masterpiece of American cinema. So I won't go there. I'll talk about giallo movies from this neck of the woods.<br />
<br />
So, if you're an American, what does an Italian giallo have in store for you?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qylZDqjWQcfPoDjxRG4QvUXSNLO4vZPawBh9mmRjiR7vYIyZGzfosKQjcphIUAhnlKoqpe_PGfSSGgzlntIaCtoE4_Elcu7RoP2pcaqa28u-60y_BRQWC7j8QmmJbhuybAlNERlhBOTd/s1600/opera.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qylZDqjWQcfPoDjxRG4QvUXSNLO4vZPawBh9mmRjiR7vYIyZGzfosKQjcphIUAhnlKoqpe_PGfSSGgzlntIaCtoE4_Elcu7RoP2pcaqa28u-60y_BRQWC7j8QmmJbhuybAlNERlhBOTd/s1600/opera.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <em><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Dario Argento's Opera 1987</span></em></div>Damsals, sans braziers. They may scream, they may plead for help in badly dubbed and overdubbed English and it may seem to take them HOURS to die, but they will do it clothed in flimsy lingerie, plunging necklines, or startlingl and unsettling slashes of light.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgsEoLrhRxE3DptU29rLtUR6FGL63mCdxqqXbcNDb5V_WHSaTKAX_DPa_Iw0F8bIRauRfu3Tl17BqIdPmGzFChUXxGhbeQ-ZJVsQP_LrbLxevowrKuoz_hGubEWkiuqBGQACwQh6vtCuP/s1600/the+girl+who+knew+too+much.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgsEoLrhRxE3DptU29rLtUR6FGL63mCdxqqXbcNDb5V_WHSaTKAX_DPa_Iw0F8bIRauRfu3Tl17BqIdPmGzFChUXxGhbeQ-ZJVsQP_LrbLxevowrKuoz_hGubEWkiuqBGQACwQh6vtCuP/s1600/the+girl+who+knew+too+much.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Mario Bava's The Girl Who Knew Too Much 1963</span></em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Music, sometimes known as noise. Of course we all know that Italy is proud of its opera. And music in a giallo is essential. So most giallo films will scorch your ears off with the sounds of opera, classical, heavy metal, or in the case of Bird With the Crystal Plumage, what-the-heck-is-that-racket. And there are times when the music plays such an important part that it takes on an actual role in the film. Check out Dario Argento's Opera for some brilliant use of ear-splitting metal when you least expect it (well, until after the first kill).</div><br />
The killer. You probably won't see him, but his scenes are extended. The murder scenes are the longest scenes in the giallo film. They usually get no more graphic than a gallon of 1970s scarlet paint splashed across a wall, a back, or a bed sheet, but they're long. And who is this killer? Only time will tell. All you'll know is that he is one of the men (or could it be a strong woman?) who may be sweet on the starlet or trying to solve the murders. Did I mention that there is always a string of them? Murders, I mean.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NMq3AIODwLpliq2SR0HsDaqbhIk4eGrW7aRdqdMM9ZMk2eSmej5DjRmEIbJeEMngW6tARu7rhasgQ_qX6t6-gGDIdTDEaZ_fr9iC0LAjy5RFSGKMenVQOK07R1FB9pvHZgiiQ_tLjqL1/s1600/paranoia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3NMq3AIODwLpliq2SR0HsDaqbhIk4eGrW7aRdqdMM9ZMk2eSmej5DjRmEIbJeEMngW6tARu7rhasgQ_qX6t6-gGDIdTDEaZ_fr9iC0LAjy5RFSGKMenVQOK07R1FB9pvHZgiiQ_tLjqL1/s1600/paranoia.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Umberto Lenzi's Paranoia 1968</span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Paranoia. And as we all know, just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Black gloves. They're everywhere. Holding knives. Reaching into coat pockets. Snapping photographs. Pulling back curtains. Who do they belong to? Why does everyone seem to be wearing them? Are they in this year? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVZoDMAGVVuHv3pE_MCbuVpUX-p7b9yOZFjdnTY_1uw85CN3WPrf7ZgY3FkRQbTlzXFu-ACoX1YFcCQ-F-1ioc7YBrMTANyc9DAdkVj0i7JStFCTuaVzTGjty7CdAFNCrqdBksOnEqfDI/s1600/bird+with+the+crystal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVZoDMAGVVuHv3pE_MCbuVpUX-p7b9yOZFjdnTY_1uw85CN3WPrf7ZgY3FkRQbTlzXFu-ACoX1YFcCQ-F-1ioc7YBrMTANyc9DAdkVj0i7JStFCTuaVzTGjty7CdAFNCrqdBksOnEqfDI/s1600/bird+with+the+crystal.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Dario Argento's The Bird With the Crystal Plumage 1970</span></em></div><div align="center" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div>So, do these <a href="http://successionofjerks.blogspot.com/2012/02/pulp-heroes-explainedjohn-carter-youre.html" target="_blank">qualify as pulp</a>, aside from the fact that the books were printed on cheap paper? Let's see what we have. Crime? Check. A mystery? Check. Exploitation? Check! Epic battles? Well, yes, in the form of the time-consuming murder scenes. Check! Exotic locales? Well, Check if you consider that you're American and have not likely been to the wilds of Italy where many take place. Heroic adventures? Check! Except the heroes and heroines may not see it as such. A bit more sleezy than we're used to, but pulp nonetheless.<br />
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Put all these things in a pot and mix them up and what spills out is a giallo, for better or worse. Mind you, these are not action movies or cop adventures. That's a different story for a different time. For now, if you're interested, and want to expand your pulp experience, take a look at some of these listed here and let me know how you like 'em.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OHwALnznf0ptcIB6_CWzXoeiZgt8_bAoHm9v9kgEklv8iQIXwNiX7Nt18d4UmhVCHvcJo2dNAoU31DmDrlc2zJBMg7EEyn1g4pRp4wKr68SZKEorLMJrOVuiHU3_ziY6WDzuL-gZO4Q0/s1600/what+have+you+done.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OHwALnznf0ptcIB6_CWzXoeiZgt8_bAoHm9v9kgEklv8iQIXwNiX7Nt18d4UmhVCHvcJo2dNAoU31DmDrlc2zJBMg7EEyn1g4pRp4wKr68SZKEorLMJrOVuiHU3_ziY6WDzuL-gZO4Q0/s1600/what+have+you+done.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center"><em><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Massimo Dallamano's What Have You Done to Solange? 1972 </span></em></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-43156087735940922982012-04-07T13:03:00.002-05:002012-04-07T19:25:53.987-05:00Celebrating April with a Poop-Eating Grin!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As April's annual Hate Week is drawing to a close, I would like to offer you this moment to celebrate with reverence by observing the following video, which, incidentally, I find less full of hatred than the average newscast I am forced to witness on my twice-daily trips to the break room from Monday through Friday.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiCuLnbwLYg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's strange what people think is important enough to name a day for and what they find to be a cause to celebrate. There is almost nothing left to petition as a holiday. And just how does one celebrate some of these days? Some are easy. April is National Kite Month. That's a no-brainer. It is also Orthodox Holy Week. But if you just can't get enough out of the month by forsaking meat on Fridays and dying hard boiled eggs, I present to you other days and ways to honor the month of April. (Also for those who shy away from actual physical activity that would be required in assisting a kite to mount the wind.) In other words, here is a list of films to help you beat the doldrums and get in the mood for springtime frolic and fun!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>International Cesarean Awareness Month</em></strong> Rather than post graphic photos of my cesarean scars, I suggest an evening of fun-filled romping with the lovely Ms. Dahl. No stitches required. (A l'interieur, AKA Inside [2007])</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RL3C4Kl_IA_AGrm0hht14o2yQkTO7qnvDcmIKX3a-zOAFcLoyY4LnfQn66Ha605GBdCJXkhxO52psKW-_8MOVl8F-81h8_9xJWIiLSCdIV7J5sQaOP8grhhy-xzEnn6w7tRJ61pAwjH3/s1600/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RL3C4Kl_IA_AGrm0hht14o2yQkTO7qnvDcmIKX3a-zOAFcLoyY4LnfQn66Ha605GBdCJXkhxO52psKW-_8MOVl8F-81h8_9xJWIiLSCdIV7J5sQaOP8grhhy-xzEnn6w7tRJ61pAwjH3/s1600/inside.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>National Farm Animals Day,</em></strong> which falls on April 10th, should be celebrated with a viewing of the beloved musical from Belgium, Calvaire (The Ordeal), from 2004.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> And don't forget<strong><em> International Louie Louie Day,</em></strong> which falls on April 11th.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And a topic that should be through the lips and over the gums of all concerned citizens, <strong><em>Global Child Nutrition Month.</em></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">And for those more adventurous partiers out there who want to be a part of the action, rather than sit docile on their rumps, celebrate <strong><em>Boomer Bonus Day</em></strong> with a marathon game of <em>Fallout: New Vegas!</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This list has been brought to you in part by <strong><em>Irritable Bowel Awareness Month</em></strong> and this guy:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLue75aPzEy-F0FH4LlgRcR47JriapkPYIYmTCmQUbdLMCSuunuyOarRijKnE0ggNOCtdDHvHanBJBbnGpsTetyXQMXXUqLEbx5YDnzQha3A0uu3CaZYwxi7WpBz5w4UwqsO2IRGP8JEQS/s1600/aldo+valetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLue75aPzEy-F0FH4LlgRcR47JriapkPYIYmTCmQUbdLMCSuunuyOarRijKnE0ggNOCtdDHvHanBJBbnGpsTetyXQMXXUqLEbx5YDnzQha3A0uu3CaZYwxi7WpBz5w4UwqsO2IRGP8JEQS/s1600/aldo+valetti.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-19716279873194538882012-03-11T20:14:00.001-05:002012-03-11T20:33:20.142-05:008 Ways You Can Be a Nonconformist and Renew Your Love for Vampires<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Do you cringe when you see vampires (other than a certain muscle-bound, black Daywalker) strutting around in daylight? Are you tired of seeing airbrushed posters of angsty teenaged vampires who would never dream of killing humans? Does your thirst for blood take you time and again to the movie theatre, where the only terror on the screen is a scene of a vampire wedding? </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">These are MONSTERS! They aren't supposed to go to high school proms or get their wives pregnant. They don't love you. They don't wish you loved them. They don't invite you over for cake. They hunt you down and eat you and don't give a passing thought to the fact that you might be cute in a pair of boots.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Are you afraid to even whisper the word vampire for fear that someone will take you for a Twihard? Are you cowering in shame because you knew what that phrase meant when you read it? Are you old enough to remember thinking that Rick Springfield was the worst thing that could happen to the vampire genre?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Fear, no more! Lift up your copies of Bram Stoker and repel the adolescent and adolescent wanna-bes. Take back your genre and unleash the real meaning of being undead! Below are 8 titles that will renew your faith in the end of humanity as we know it and have you donning your garlic necklaces once more!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Climb under the covers, kiddos, for here there be monsters!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm-MjRszwxkuGN11loooo6zOsVOUqtfOcxednrPTGFu5yWPEdVfBp3lPxszgT8RCdxFuI-A9JvtocAAZPheZUldopBfzvJI1tfK4p4TYYiXsgQLtnwteuEAuFTuIuEEesn70sf3DJKRKk/s1600/vampire+junction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm-MjRszwxkuGN11loooo6zOsVOUqtfOcxednrPTGFu5yWPEdVfBp3lPxszgT8RCdxFuI-A9JvtocAAZPheZUldopBfzvJI1tfK4p4TYYiXsgQLtnwteuEAuFTuIuEEesn70sf3DJKRKk/s1600/vampire+junction.jpg" yda="true" /></a>1. S.P. Somtow's Vampire Junction - Before Justin Beiber. Before a 10 year old Kirsten Dunst played a 5 year old vampire. There was Timmy Valentine. Timmy was a rock idol who would send the Twilight crowd crying for their mommies. Festering with the power of 2000 years and a Jungian psychiatrist, Timmy is the true monstrosity that we all long for from days of old. And the book is not lacking in sensuality. I read this sometime in the early '80s and fortunately still have my original copy (though a bit worse for wear) because it has become very pricey on Amazon at about $14 for a paperback. There is a sequel, Vanitas, that I cannot vouch for, but as it was written prior to the influx of paranormal romance novels, I'd be willing to bet it's worth a shot.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTGVMwEjN0xLA0fXwgGHl6IwL7D65XG7yXKkueb18rP8nYFAVc3jqZsSF2M6aiFX-m59kyzClNs7iEwjwC6Z_ln2N_M59x7lVN3_yo0hy2caXCVRttWJA7_HA3lLarr4DBjcg7Mq0wGYq/s1600/i+vampire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTGVMwEjN0xLA0fXwgGHl6IwL7D65XG7yXKkueb18rP8nYFAVc3jqZsSF2M6aiFX-m59kyzClNs7iEwjwC6Z_ln2N_M59x7lVN3_yo0hy2caXCVRttWJA7_HA3lLarr4DBjcg7Mq0wGYq/s200/i+vampire.jpg" width="130px" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">2. The original I...Vampire - J. M. DeMatteis' comic featured in House of Mystery from 1981 to 1983. This was a comic that I devoured as a young child. I could not wait to get my hands on each issue. It was the story of Lord Andrew Bennett who, after being made a vampire in the 1500s, turned his lover Mary into a vampire. Mary, bless her heart, did what any self-respecting monster would do in such a situation. She promptly titled herself Mary Queen of Blood, left Andrew, and formed an army of vampires called The Blood Red Moon. Lord Andrew chases Mary throughout time, rescuing people from her clutches, trying to destroy The Blood Red Moon, and leaving little tidbits that would later fester into Edward Cullen (though I seriously doubt THAT author has ever heard of Lord Andrew Bennett!) If you are unable to find a copy of these originals, I understand that DC has resurrected the series recently.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWgkAogVPHwr2cjslBs9_iv4Q6Fhj0OkUxRwgcMevLGPlhviVWHnThPVg1OyDeL-9Ch9dXGYCk8EoBSryz_Ce9eIfCMXv54AUHpCzoj70eATCK3LpyyOstgQ5kGZYB-ItrWVFMPFLWadW/s1600/mr+vampire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWgkAogVPHwr2cjslBs9_iv4Q6Fhj0OkUxRwgcMevLGPlhviVWHnThPVg1OyDeL-9Ch9dXGYCk8EoBSryz_Ce9eIfCMXv54AUHpCzoj70eATCK3LpyyOstgQ5kGZYB-ItrWVFMPFLWadW/s200/mr+vampire.jpg" width="135px" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">3. Mr. Vampire (Hong Kong, 1985) - The Mr. Vampire series features Chinese hopping vampires. Lots of humor and horror rolled into one can wipe away the glitter residue from your evil little heart. Three men, whose job it is to be keepers of the vampires, are stalked, teased, and tormented by ghosts and all manner of the undead while one of them is slowly changing into a vampire himself. No scowling emo lip biters here! These vampires are UGLY. We're talking Nosferatu level ugliness. Grab you a pound of rice for protection and pop this in when your Team Edward friends come over. They won't know what bit them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B3aOfGeISVVue27nupJynGN9l3OVYZnCQ4l1-OzjGuU6evbKxUTQCUqvvw6TCbl6zyF7_IujuLwwvxvTJfo11ERAv5ZqRD_tk3Kykzo3fqIhvV3FZSwGmDNyrzv0UOJQFvKQas9pz9qX/s1600/the+passage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4B3aOfGeISVVue27nupJynGN9l3OVYZnCQ4l1-OzjGuU6evbKxUTQCUqvvw6TCbl6zyF7_IujuLwwvxvTJfo11ERAv5ZqRD_tk3Kykzo3fqIhvV3FZSwGmDNyrzv0UOJQFvKQas9pz9qX/s1600/the+passage.jpg" yda="true" /></a>4. The Passage (2011) - <a href="http://enterthepassage.com/" target="_blank">Justin Cronin's</a> epic novel takes a monstrous look at the undead like no one has taken in decades. Slightly in the future, the government has been doing super secret studies with a virus discovered in the jungle. Like everything the government does, the studies go bad and hell is unleashed on earth. Or at least in North America. Spanning hundreds of years, Justin's creatures will make you double check the locks on the windows before you go to bed at night. These aren't the kind of vamps you want to be taking home to Mama. These are grotesque former death row inmates with a hive mind out to devour the living at all costs. Bill Compton, they ain't. And there is a 2nd installment of this very wordy piece coming out in the fall of this year! Intelligent, well-written, and populated with vivid, realistic characters.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUd81hc41D1iyUc6K7bxKOKr7TbRkRiOXmBpx-QE6RAEmxJYLuWaZ3Vg62ApblGedeEgwdv4KPXDP3BI9MEd-CLneouO1h9QGZ8uswiEDL2HW-sYgrEg0NnfBpmxSEDH0RtlqdKOo1dJE/s1600/vampire+tapestry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUd81hc41D1iyUc6K7bxKOKr7TbRkRiOXmBpx-QE6RAEmxJYLuWaZ3Vg62ApblGedeEgwdv4KPXDP3BI9MEd-CLneouO1h9QGZ8uswiEDL2HW-sYgrEg0NnfBpmxSEDH0RtlqdKOo1dJE/s200/vampire+tapestry.jpg" width="200px" yda="true" /></a></div>5. The Vampire Tapestry - Suzy McKee Charnas' anthropology professor was not your average vampire. Equipped with a stinger rather than fangs, he cultivated a lifestyle that allowed him to become so complacent that he fell into the hands of humans more monstrous than he. Murderous ladies and psychotic satanists threaten the existence of this biological mutation. I read this book decades ago and only just recalled it to memory. That happens when you have several centuries to claw through for tidbits of the past. Unforgettable little read. It's even available on Kindle now!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZkVEGOMbG2Dc782REYH6NWvieL23el9vyGLmaH_vfaAw0nM7WrIx0UbzVK9FExVlSwq0r2LDMSh-C3z_Vt8LH_ZRATaxB5xH9wTQdyzqvtXKLQJTgjTEH3QUsEM64C4qIAounP8ZmTA4/s1600/tzimisce+clan+novel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZkVEGOMbG2Dc782REYH6NWvieL23el9vyGLmaH_vfaAw0nM7WrIx0UbzVK9FExVlSwq0r2LDMSh-C3z_Vt8LH_ZRATaxB5xH9wTQdyzqvtXKLQJTgjTEH3QUsEM64C4qIAounP8ZmTA4/s200/tzimisce+clan+novel.jpg" width="200px" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6. The Vampire: the Masquerade Clan Novels - No, I don't mean for you to go off and read the Clan Books with all their statistics and attributes and disciplines. But some of the 20 or so novels, including the 13 Clan Novels, were very entertaining. Limited romance, a LOT of war, politics out the wazoo because we all know how scary that can be, and blood blood, gallons of the stuff! The 13 main clans are represented with a novel for each, and there are others as well, telling the story of the World of Darkness for those of you who remember LARPing with fondness and still eagerly pour over your clan books to see how you could have sneaked a Baali into that Camerilla city in your tabletop game back in 1995. Yeah, I know, I lost some readers about now. Pay no attention to the woman behind the keyboard!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZQ6cOSD2ohOWyNGIbD8CPKghACpD7S7mPZAXU2b3Y2lN2qErF-0dSSDfHYsiHgBITufty9nLQcMyFsj33LX4yN4HyOyx0vSpsDeIhAPc85arHvYu016ZxkpP-WWMs3NfVwSUnfw3z8Wd/s1600/preacher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZQ6cOSD2ohOWyNGIbD8CPKghACpD7S7mPZAXU2b3Y2lN2qErF-0dSSDfHYsiHgBITufty9nLQcMyFsj33LX4yN4HyOyx0vSpsDeIhAPc85arHvYu016ZxkpP-WWMs3NfVwSUnfw3z8Wd/s200/preacher.jpg" width="200px" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">7. Cassidy in the Preacher comics - Despite the name, Garth Ennis' 75-issue Preacher comic contains not a single redeemable character. From the irreverently named Arseface (a boy who was the victim of a failed suicidal shotgun blast to the face) to the resident vampire, this comic is guaranteed to make you nauseous, hysterical, and ashamed of the human race in dizzying cycles. Cassidy is a swaggering, whiskey-drinking Irish vampire who pals around with the possessed Jesse and his floozy girlfriend Tulip. There is also another treat buried in the comic series: The Saint of Killers. Look 'em both up.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIijiTNpA9acfbYjWCn0HLXV7kraNa76NvC-lTAedXlmcZ-elxvv-9nfVTjRHPu9QUy1Mp-5Nwi1u5H6wIpkqgqz5aBRxyRKEQNO0Yt4qAOixpaaR1OHXvSPBfHUccICUYGqvDqAyFUFBD/s1600/the+hunger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIijiTNpA9acfbYjWCn0HLXV7kraNa76NvC-lTAedXlmcZ-elxvv-9nfVTjRHPu9QUy1Mp-5Nwi1u5H6wIpkqgqz5aBRxyRKEQNO0Yt4qAOixpaaR1OHXvSPBfHUccICUYGqvDqAyFUFBD/s200/the+hunger.jpg" width="200px" yda="true" /></a>8. The Hunger - Whitley Strieber's tale of Miriam Blaylock, immortal, and her aging husband, portrayed titillatingly by David Bowie in the movie version, is full of that stuff we were wanting to avoid: romance. However, it is nonetheless intriguing, well written, and mature. Do not mix up the sort of pre-pubescent posing and bellyaching with the aching desire to not be alone in a world that changes around you while you remain the same. Check it out, then go watch the movie for Mr. Bowie and the music video of Bela Lugosi's Dead.<br />
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So, there you have it, folks. 8 tried and true methods for you to worship the darkness and all that exist within it without looking like a pathetic old woman trying to be a teenager again. Love the night. Drink the blood. Be proud of who you are, as you were before you ever heard the term paranormal romance!</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-73213992432542738542012-03-04T09:29:00.004-06:002012-03-04T21:14:34.395-06:00The Les Miserables Philosophy of Tabletop Gaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>It is an age old tale of the line drawn between right and wrong and the gray areas in between, if they exist at all. I'm talking about the struggle between players and Game Masters, of course. Although the analogy fits for Les Miserables as well. There are as many types of Game Masters, Dungeon Masters, and Story Tellers as there are characters in everyone's favorite French Revolution masterpiece. Perhaps you know someone who fits these descriptions, or even see yourself in them. If not, then maybe you'll want to go out and watch a Broadway play or read a classic novel after reading this. Or maybe you'll just want to go steal a loaf of bread.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QO5e9PdA2rEDDpc5r5fUzNGj_O-mdUuvOZIVUEPnE1AwiJjnVTrBWqoa4O36SM-18TX0MjLfxLwbGe_lze6klbtrNy0VuTOwXYn0ZSGnZg5KtfpxozpL8gaJVg1p3Od9173Ftd5xdwW_/s1600/jean+valjean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1QO5e9PdA2rEDDpc5r5fUzNGj_O-mdUuvOZIVUEPnE1AwiJjnVTrBWqoa4O36SM-18TX0MjLfxLwbGe_lze6klbtrNy0VuTOwXYn0ZSGnZg5KtfpxozpL8gaJVg1p3Od9173Ftd5xdwW_/s1600/jean+valjean.jpg" uda="true" /></a>1. The Jean Valjean-The Jean Valjean school of GMing is probably the most popular. This game master has good intentions. He knows the rules and sets out to follow them staunchly. However, he has a soft heart. He can't say no to a sultry little elf who doesn't quite have the comeliness to seduce an ancient map from a dungeon sentry. He will bend the rules here and there and sees no wrong in it. He is also the story teller who will let the party take a little bit longer to lose all their SAN than the numbers show. This type of game mastering can be fun and help a blundering party of poor dice rollers play a little bit longer before they're eaten by a giant bugbear. However, hidden within his group may be the NEXT type of gamer who will toss his pack to the ground and disrupt the fun for everyone.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY4hCJpV3eXOoxVJA_vvKBq2KgUiQA_vfdnF7aTqBpD1BlqqPMnv038iSc74AftB5JmQhD_j_4MjpOGy18id_D4aJgEH8Win4UirzM2OtiC_M9unNNSX4n-tDyS9HIkYsnZaXEyeFdqSu/s1600/javert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJY4hCJpV3eXOoxVJA_vvKBq2KgUiQA_vfdnF7aTqBpD1BlqqPMnv038iSc74AftB5JmQhD_j_4MjpOGy18id_D4aJgEH8Win4UirzM2OtiC_M9unNNSX4n-tDyS9HIkYsnZaXEyeFdqSu/s1600/javert.jpg" uda="true" /></a>2. The Javert-The Javert philosophy of dungeon mastering is the bane of existence for the Jean Valjeans. Javerts, the 2nd most common game master, is also known as the Rules Lawyer. He does not bend. He has every Dungeon Master handbook that has come onto the market since 1982 and he can flip to the page that correspond to any argument you may try to bring up. He has every Vampire the Masquerade clanbook since 1st Edition and do NOT bring up the new stuff to him. He is a purist and you will not get him to allow your Assamite to know three dots of Vicissitude no matter how you try to justify it! He follows your cultist through time and space and if you so much as THINK of stealing a loaf of bread, he is on you like a Tzimisce at a Sabbat Ball.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMdUhWCjTU5tIfgoqtOh-05RsZm18C7mp8TcERtlaUtFYETPCRe0RkAZWWQK8RJZGjzv6COcdqD6ZGlqj1JOla_jQrGtTJ0vuFfZDR_-yPshhgKYYEL5qPjsude48xeRhEJ9JjNEavOSV/s1600/fantine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMdUhWCjTU5tIfgoqtOh-05RsZm18C7mp8TcERtlaUtFYETPCRe0RkAZWWQK8RJZGjzv6COcdqD6ZGlqj1JOla_jQrGtTJ0vuFfZDR_-yPshhgKYYEL5qPjsude48xeRhEJ9JjNEavOSV/s1600/fantine.jpg" uda="true" /></a>3. The Fantine-Yes, this is the girl GM, of which I've been, although I've been more of a Javert than a Fantine. She may be cute, but mostly she is a GIRL who is GAMING! and we know where that might lead. You've come down off the high of defeating a cave of giant spiders. Everyone's laughing, sharing stories, pointing out war wounds. And then the dreaded words..."I'd like to run the next campaign." Several pairs of male eyes dart together, rolling mental dice to figure out how to get out of this. The group loses 4 points of SAN. There's a trapdoor in the corner through which they could escape, but who knows where it might lead. There is the slim chance that Fantine might wear that nearly see-through top to one of the gaming sessions. And if you say "No" she might whine like she did to Jean Valjean that time when she wanted him to go to the innkeeper and take her little snotty nosed brat and raise it.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ob1T299UyapkZQJU8J4b4zt6h025KxcZ2NcR6L-o0p6KLNKG4dnryG5WwkZ4j-iD-wQkLne5Tlv-3yUVkfhoMhbIi0Ug-peXcOQW-H0QQ0Jo8qU9MtZHICYZweBcEqxOaennMPXLbRKC/s1600/marius.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ob1T299UyapkZQJU8J4b4zt6h025KxcZ2NcR6L-o0p6KLNKG4dnryG5WwkZ4j-iD-wQkLne5Tlv-3yUVkfhoMhbIi0Ug-peXcOQW-H0QQ0Jo8qU9MtZHICYZweBcEqxOaennMPXLbRKC/s1600/marius.jpg" uda="true" /></a>4. The Marius Pontmercy-Marius is perhaps more of a bane to the existence of gamers than Fantine. Marius is head over heels with Fantine (or the other girl in the group who plays but has no designs on being a GM). When thieves ransack the campsite in the night, any female in the group miraculously has nothing of her own stolen. When a superhero group of Champions is fighting a rampaging robot taller than the tallest city skyscraper, the girl always saves the day. And in the end, there is Marius with his eyes glittering behind his glasses, drool on his bottom lip, hoping that THIS time she'll realize he did this all for HER! Luckily, there is usually a stalwart Javert in the group who can squelch this lovelorn young man faster than you can say 24601.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6xU7JFNzv_jXJcO2WVLi3NfFFDaMw6J_u_1vz0qCkDworN_1P_6f1feW-LE-DDLsNqoaonN1q6j-LgxojkMpGc92QVcV4DcxXTT8z6J_8MrqwPGNhGJR7iYoTWOIcA-7C-5EelRZcfJh/s1600/thenardiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6xU7JFNzv_jXJcO2WVLi3NfFFDaMw6J_u_1vz0qCkDworN_1P_6f1feW-LE-DDLsNqoaonN1q6j-LgxojkMpGc92QVcV4DcxXTT8z6J_8MrqwPGNhGJR7iYoTWOIcA-7C-5EelRZcfJh/s1600/thenardiers.jpg" uda="true" /></a>5. The M. Thenardier and Grp-Yes. <em>Them.</em> Fortunately, this pack usually lurks in larger gaming groups. Unfortunately, this makes them harder to weed out. M. Thenardier has a bit of all of the above in him and appears at first to be jolly, goofy, everybody's bosom friend. But, behind every M. Thenardier is his Mme. Thenardier, who may or may not be female. Mme. Thenardier floats amongst the gamers, laughs and talks and befriends them while M. Thenardier is doing his Game Mastering. When everyone breaks for the bathroom, M. and Mme. Thenardier go to get more chips from the kitchen, at which time Mme. Thenardier drops all the secret plans and plots of the unsuspecting gamers right into the lap of M. Thenardier who is quick to devise ways to destroy players' hopes of having a favorable outcome. But he cannot do this alone. And he won't have to. For, lurking in the depths of the gaming group, is a sweet little scamp known as Gavroche. He probably knew the Thenardiers from before, in the last group they were kicked out of. He is their henchman. He takes the evil plans of the M. Thenardier and uses them to guide the group into the wicked clutches of the game master. How? Because Gavroche and Mme. seem to always roll the best dice, always have the best powers, and have lady luck at their sides. Before long, Fantine is stamping all over the heart of poor little Marius. Javert has Jean Valjean against the wall at the end of his blade. And the character sheets are trampled like so much ticker tape in the dust of their feet.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, about now that much hated Javert in your group is looking PR-ETTY good, eh? Turn your rules lawyer loose on occasion. He'll sniff out those Thenardiers and break the will of the annoying Fantines. I like to think that he brings balance to the force.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGMfvhBCjCQXgOsnVMAtWKLmbje_Cc_1ugnLBm6TwZyf0SRJFH-CeCVtiM_yJd772GYA72wpRmCxWWEGFS-nZQB_0YCFqbpPi-HzwnHoGPymPjMnJATu13YOMDWuzoMqr-3aufGD-a5jw/s1600/CoC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGMfvhBCjCQXgOsnVMAtWKLmbje_Cc_1ugnLBm6TwZyf0SRJFH-CeCVtiM_yJd772GYA72wpRmCxWWEGFS-nZQB_0YCFqbpPi-HzwnHoGPymPjMnJATu13YOMDWuzoMqr-3aufGD-a5jw/s1600/CoC.jpg" uda="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JDle_Ti79ou-O4apLiv3_tPBaWTvN4zBr0AicQZ88aIXJa18Ytrnm0TcH3oHRDatyV0VNTBOeTiqguyVcik7u4J4ujTpiw8KxVEGthnGprnVoREiNgNBtFp-lg5P0TlKHhHFB_CFKuUB/s1600/hero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JDle_Ti79ou-O4apLiv3_tPBaWTvN4zBr0AicQZ88aIXJa18Ytrnm0TcH3oHRDatyV0VNTBOeTiqguyVcik7u4J4ujTpiw8KxVEGthnGprnVoREiNgNBtFp-lg5P0TlKHhHFB_CFKuUB/s1600/hero.jpg" uda="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLNPGiyXqWhcGaZYxL82BDhiznS6n3IXrNKU4mu0fO9WU7d3DuV9WG9K3wh_Sc28HLxm46sUSNZcwTilg1rfzT0M1NM1UWhqyGIHLm63tBWsrvFqa1cwYGAV3ElR4NMzMHyNg5sW1fTgz/s1600/assamite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmLNPGiyXqWhcGaZYxL82BDhiznS6n3IXrNKU4mu0fO9WU7d3DuV9WG9K3wh_Sc28HLxm46sUSNZcwTilg1rfzT0M1NM1UWhqyGIHLm63tBWsrvFqa1cwYGAV3ElR4NMzMHyNg5sW1fTgz/s1600/assamite.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-51513852792832428072012-02-12T11:02:00.003-06:002012-02-12T14:22:25.234-06:00Pulp Heroes EXPLAINED!...John Carter, you're not so naughty now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTyRS2sq4ZKDaI00f_QCxiRgpUaz6jpwwCL94_sVY8ouk8ypDV2YQK_iV_f-wkX09UPhWnyxQyp6OHmsyYd7rPWOzMVd-STYBAglaDv-jlJHihIZDNvbXkDbDIKEdNtgXWEzSbra58R2B/s1600/John-Carter-of-mars-film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTyRS2sq4ZKDaI00f_QCxiRgpUaz6jpwwCL94_sVY8ouk8ypDV2YQK_iV_f-wkX09UPhWnyxQyp6OHmsyYd7rPWOzMVd-STYBAglaDv-jlJHihIZDNvbXkDbDIKEdNtgXWEzSbra58R2B/s1600/John-Carter-of-mars-film.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">The pulp magazines discussed previously <a href="http://successionofjerks.blogspot.com/2012/01/pulp-fiction-unpacked-part-1.html" target="_blank">(click here)</a> were responsible for the sci-fi genre. Horror sci-fi, like H. P. Lovecraft, and planetary travel sci-fi, like Edgar Rice Burroughs, drew fans out of the serie noire (French crime) and the western pulps. For novices, Edgar Rice Burroughs not only wrote something other than Tarzan, he wrote something BETTER than Tarzan!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>And now Disney is going to kiddify it! Horrified yet? You should be.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Pulp magazines were written to appeal to a more adult crowd than the comics of the same time period. They were exploitative, bloody, scary, and full of steam! They depicted hard men, damsels in distress, and twisted criminals. Ever wonder what that family in The Thin Man was hiding behind their big fancy house and secret closet doors? Read the book! Same goes for A Princess of Mars. You'll be even more confused after watching Disney's John Carter, I'd wager.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAX6FTZ2sc8h-xr38zb6OyqHnwUJBFaYn4jsv8RGXDqFZQ-ZlFiy2rON4zYGYoxEiXa09xYEyTfcYjTaVC695rcmcB62xNWA9F-vUYXDStIZG57iwuTljRfWDswYi5QOu8VIQ6yp12E2U/s1600/thumbnailCA595FZQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAX6FTZ2sc8h-xr38zb6OyqHnwUJBFaYn4jsv8RGXDqFZQ-ZlFiy2rON4zYGYoxEiXa09xYEyTfcYjTaVC695rcmcB62xNWA9F-vUYXDStIZG57iwuTljRfWDswYi5QOu8VIQ6yp12E2U/s1600/thumbnailCA595FZQ.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Why?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I'll tell you!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">John Carter is mysteriously immortal. He has no idea how old he is. One night after a strange ordeal in a cave, he finds himself pulled to the planet Mars where clothes are considered ugly and unnecessary. Good thing he arrived there naked as the day he was born! The hulking, 15 feet tall green Martians that Burroughs describes? Disney has made into skinny, Avatar-esque creatures that wouldn't frighten the flea off a Thark's behind! And what of the beautiful Dejah Thoris, the red Martian princess that John Carter falls immediately in love with? Burroughs? Naked as a jay bird. Disney? Wearing some silly costume only Earth girls would find appealing.</div><br />
(Not to mention the description of one of the green Martian leaders could be describing Jabba the Hut, and the titles of some of the ranking Martians are suspiciously a predecessor to Jedi.)<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The John Carter of Mars books, beginning with A Princess of Mars, are chock full of nakedness, gory battles, more distress than a damsel can shake a stick at, and epic adventure that could not possibly translate to Disney PG-13 (assuming it isn't going to be PG, I've been too scared to check).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When John Carter was first seen around 1918, I'm sure the nakedness of not only the bizarre green Martians, but more particularly of the hero and heroine and everyone in between, was rather shocking to a puritan America. It is also one of the most strikingly different aspects of life on Mars. Of course, they weren't depicted as such on the covers of the pulp magazines, but once you crack open the cover, there they were, displayed in all Edgar Rice Burroughs' beauteous descriptives.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6iqcKkAz11yvqf8Q-SwSWGHnZKvoKtnaJM21nV4nR0gOIBhfPgtovqKALeB4tNC-UJGvZUZ-CSkwwmRO6TwlUeCqzUMQ7_KttNB5qw1Wr2iJjzWjX4OLUipgRpSJNT4EAaIkfdrV1pHo/s1600/thumbnailCABR8RZW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6iqcKkAz11yvqf8Q-SwSWGHnZKvoKtnaJM21nV4nR0gOIBhfPgtovqKALeB4tNC-UJGvZUZ-CSkwwmRO6TwlUeCqzUMQ7_KttNB5qw1Wr2iJjzWjX4OLUipgRpSJNT4EAaIkfdrV1pHo/s1600/thumbnailCABR8RZW.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">There you are. How can you tell that John Carter is a pulp hero? Exploitation. Damsel. Epic battles. Exotic locales. Heroic adventures. Check, check, check, check, and check.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We can expect none of the exploitation from the movie, I am certain. So, hop onto your Kindle and download A Princess of Mars for FREE, and see what all this pulp heroism is about!</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Keep your eyes peeled for more PULP HEROES...EXPLAINED!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-76153345453573055522012-02-08T20:07:00.001-06:002012-02-08T20:19:52.161-06:00Filk U! The wonderful world of geek music!"Hey, Glork! Haven't seen you since ComiCon 1998! Love the new ears. You make them yourself?"<br />
<br />
"Gee, Doff, thanks for noticing! HISlah, I did make them myself. Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam!" <tt class="tlh"> </tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"JIjah....I mean..." Glork begins to back away slowly.</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"I'm just teasing you!" Doff claps Glork on the back jovially. "Where are you off to next? Maybe I'll grab the wife and meet you there!"</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Quizzically: "Nugjatlh?"</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"The...wife...spouse..."</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Oh...Well, I am going to see the folk music in Room 222."</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Folk music?" A rather rumpled program is retrieved from the waistband of rather snug uniform pants. "I wondered if this was a typo. It says 'Filk music...'"</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Superior, snorting laughter. "Indeed it does. And yes, it is a typographical error. But it sounds rather catchy, don't you think?"</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">***</span></tt><br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yes, those were actual words in the language of Klingon. No, I did not make them up. Yes, you may now kiss my toes.</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And that was a dramatized rendition of how the word "filk" came to mean sci-fi/fantasy-based folk music. A typo in a convention program that was to define a genre and give meaning to many a wandering folk artist with an affinity for the weird. Filk songs can be about anything near to the hearts of sci-fi fans: vampires, kitty cats, computer, dragons, Star Trek, Lovecraft, comics, etc. If you happen to be a seasoned filker (someone who is a filk singer/songwriter) you may win a Pegasus Award at the <a href="http://www.ovff.org/" target="_blank">Ohio Valley Filk Fest!</a></span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I invite you to plumb the depths of my favorite filk tunes. So, grab your snake and your plumb bob and enjoy! </span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, and Hab SoSlI' Quch! (But don't tell her I said so...)</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. My ultimate favorite filk song does not have a Youtube entry, but you sometimes can find a version to <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Cecilia+Eng" target="_blank">listen to here.</a> Scroll to the bottom of the page for the lyrics. And all you New-Who fans can bask in the glory of the original Doctor! Cecilia Eng's Grandfather Clock.</span></tt><br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">It is a Dr. Who-based song using the tune of the old folk song My Grandfather's Clock. This song defines filk in my humble opinion (see there, that's a good geek phrasing, eh?).</span></tt><br />
<br />
<tt class="tlh"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">2. As I am told by my own filk-sensei, Michael of the great frozen north, this next one is the most well-known filk song ever in the history of filkology. The song won Leslie Fish (hmmm, suspiciously Lovecraftian name..) one of those much coveted Pegasus Awards in 2003. She, however, has stated that she wrote the song as a filler for an album and has regretted it ever since. That's gratitude for ya! Here are her lyrics, and mind you, there are around a bizillion different versions, <a href="http://www.ovff.org/pegasus/songs/banned-from-argo.html" target="_blank">but I bring you the original!</a> And for you visual types, the Star Trek version of the video!</span></tt><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q50UBIWXvfc" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s5KtpQV_ns" target="_blank">You may skip the video on this one and just listen</a>. It is only a picture of Elrond superimposed against the Matrix code, and if you need that explained to you, you've come to the wrong place. Heather Alexander: Freaking the Mundanes. That tune is, of course, Waltzing Mathilda.<br />
<br />
<br />
4. And my personal favorite. Also because no horror, filk, or ocean themed blog should be without it, The HP Lovecraft Historical Society's heartwarming, seasonal favorite, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Fishmen." *Sniffle* May the joy of Dagon be with you this, and every season.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3tTHn2tHhcI" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Now that you are armed with the Dr. Scott Refresher Course version of sci-fi music, I bid you to go forth upon the earth and filk!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">****</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Lyrics: Cecilia Eng-The Grandfather Clock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oh, a grandfather clock just appeared in the hall</span><br />
and it seems very strange to be sure<br />
And a man has come out of the clock in the hall<br />
and is stating some things quite obscure<br />
He seems mildly deranged and a little bit insane<br />
we can make out his words if we try<br />
He says he's the master and we'll obey,<br />
or we all shall die.<br />
So we did as he said after one of us was dead<br />
shrunken down to a tiny toy doll<br />
And we wake up in fright to hear laughter at night<br />
from the man in the clock in the hall<br />
Oh we don't understand all the orders and commands<br />
why he wants to be king in the sky<br />
But he is the master and we'll obey,<br />
or we all shall die<br />
Now a wooden blue box has appeared in the hall<br />
just across from the grandfather clock<br />
And a man has come out of the box in the hall<br />
and his clothes are a bit of a shock<br />
He seems mildly deranged and a little bit insane<br />
and he holds out a featherless hand<br />
He says he's The Doctor and how are we<br />
as he shakes my hand<br />
Now the man in the clock has stepped into the hall<br />
and is holding The Doctor by force<br />
And they talk as we work, like old friends now estranged<br />
as the project continues on course<br />
They seem mildly deranged and a little bit insane<br />
as they talk of strange worlds in the sky<br />
but the master orders and we obey<br />
or we all shall die<br />
Now a darkness and cold has come into our hall<br />
it seems things have gone terribly sour<br />
for the man from the box and the man from the clock<br />
are both trying to cut off the power<br />
as the darkness creeps out they work hard to shut it out<br />
all their differences now laid aside<br />
how we wish they and their darkness would go away<br />
as we try to hide<br />
At the end of the fight day has won over night<br />
and the master has run to his clock<br />
and the man from the box gives a curse as it fades<br />
and his hand passes right through the lock<br />
He seems mildly deranged and a little bit insane<br />
as he screams at the star studded sky<br />
but he is The Doctor and we'll obey<br />
or we all shall die<br />
But he says we are free and returns to his box<br />
and it fades from our now empty hall<br />
And we sigh with relief and a bit of disbelief<br />
as the last weeks events we recall<br />
And we've put the word out sent our messengers about<br />
no more grandfather clock chimes will ring<br />
they've been chopped up never to run again<br />
o'er a time Lord bringUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-1768923984026951482012-02-05T09:27:00.002-06:002012-02-05T12:34:19.791-06:00Marble Hornets: Masky and Hoody and Slendy, Oh MY!You likely have not heard of it. It doesn't have cute kittens saying funny things with a lisp. It doesn't have a celebrity throwing a tantrum. (See what I think of most of the people on the Internet? Like how I slipped that in? Except for you of course. You're straight up!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEjR70g05__0WPFhMhPa7zI5wET7mhCYq83c2u-tF-0Pcgc6lAsTWJVY3IHJlF5BTDjm31Q_-N_fHDRGUAXUMdTzYIdSuMheDi-f6yPkVq0jxT3ShcWOQKwhJCAOYDtaYQUCzsfOq8UFc/s1600/marble+hornets+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEjR70g05__0WPFhMhPa7zI5wET7mhCYq83c2u-tF-0Pcgc6lAsTWJVY3IHJlF5BTDjm31Q_-N_fHDRGUAXUMdTzYIdSuMheDi-f6yPkVq0jxT3ShcWOQKwhJCAOYDtaYQUCzsfOq8UFc/s1600/marble+hornets+6.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What it does have is an eclectic assemblage of settings, a group of young actors with varying degrees of talent, and some quite surprising pepperings of simple, yet effective visual scares. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/MarbleHornets?feature=chclk" target="_blank"> You can watch it here.</a></div><br />
<u><strong>The premise</strong></u><strong><u></u></strong><br />
Alex, a young college filmmaker, has written a script for a movie called Marble Hornets, which as near as I can figure hovers somewhere in the vicinity of Tommy Wisseau's The Room as far as dialogue and storyline go, with better talent and fewer cameras. However, Alex's movie Marble Hornets isn't the focus of this Youtube Blair Witchian tale. Several years ago, Alex gave away his mountains of tapes, dropped the project, and disappeared.<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The real story begins when his friend Jay decides three years later to go through the tapes and finds that Alex was having some sort of paranoid break-down and, as Jay is drawn deeper and deeper into the life of his missing friend, seemed indeed to be tailed by a strangely proportioned, faceless man in a business suit.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Now, this would not have seemed odd to me if I had not been regaled for the past 2 years by my daughter with spooky stories of The Slender Man, an urban legend that somehow escaped my radar. <a href="http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/slender_man_is_coming_for_you" target="_blank">You can read about him here.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jgJQYbvtjLqHZxs9z_lM6oekSKBSWNshxi_cFM7xa7NPEpA6XUmcflkigvPCwnCB33KeVlNiSDWcPfFtqeo62nTRaycgSJPCzfnwIqq_PDcX4q96HHtioX3vnfuKW6nc-NofK2BiN2fb/s1600/marble+hornets+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3jgJQYbvtjLqHZxs9z_lM6oekSKBSWNshxi_cFM7xa7NPEpA6XUmcflkigvPCwnCB33KeVlNiSDWcPfFtqeo62nTRaycgSJPCzfnwIqq_PDcX4q96HHtioX3vnfuKW6nc-NofK2BiN2fb/s1600/marble+hornets+5.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u><strong>The players</strong></u></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u>Alex-</u> Alex is an insufferable, superior nerd of the first order. One of those people you run into who walks with his nose in the air and takes pride in his own ostracizing by the rest of the human race because he knows the names of all the red shirts in Star Trek. Although he disappeared three years prior to Jay finding the mystery on the tapes, he re-emerges as a great big geeky thorn in the side of his much cooler, much braver former colleague.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u>Jay</u>- Jay is this average dude who happens to have a streak of what almost comes across as a good dose of noir detectivism in him. He goes out into the wide, post-college world in search of Alex, and low and behold!, the other disappearing members of the cast and crew of Marble Hornets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyaJoBclWLPH7pBxBh8nmEO8fueh64doM6Hds2rsbVyP_M6KOHQ0KRcu4I1ep2lJS8EtoDKBBxco6KhU3WWMnhh51KhBsV_3pCJlgC_4y-ihv4RY8fTbfUPo7Oy5Cl49H47sJMVO-R4Hy/s1600/marble+hornets+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyaJoBclWLPH7pBxBh8nmEO8fueh64doM6Hds2rsbVyP_M6KOHQ0KRcu4I1ep2lJS8EtoDKBBxco6KhU3WWMnhh51KhBsV_3pCJlgC_4y-ihv4RY8fTbfUPo7Oy5Cl49H47sJMVO-R4Hy/s1600/marble+hornets+3.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u>Masky-</u> Now, this is not the official name of the character who turns up in odd places such as Jay's bedroom bureau in the middle of the night, burned-out husks of deserted houses, and remote forest locations. He wears a very disturbing mask and has a way of turning his head that sends goosebumps scattering like cockroaches. Take that as you will.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxO9yAOUTapMXn7DZuaDmOZLsExT5uIfOEiCkBF3NuWtDOrMqCC0bL5AtGJtJD4bCuaKdLmmUkH_dCAVOr9R3HkKC_Ovr0fuicnf2unKNWUal8EoPVLNZcvEpU3jM9i_-8fZc4osEYFGX/s1600/marble+hornets+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxO9yAOUTapMXn7DZuaDmOZLsExT5uIfOEiCkBF3NuWtDOrMqCC0bL5AtGJtJD4bCuaKdLmmUkH_dCAVOr9R3HkKC_Ovr0fuicnf2unKNWUal8EoPVLNZcvEpU3jM9i_-8fZc4osEYFGX/s1600/marble+hornets+2.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u>Jessica</u>-Jessica is something of an enigmatic character. When we first see Jessica, she is walking down a hallway in a hotel and appears not to know Jay beyond the fact that his name sounds familiar. However, we realize much later (despite the fact that we were told the tapes were probably out of order) that this is not the first time Jay and Jessica have met. Both are suffering long lapses in memory, have no idea how they got into this hotel, and are freaked out by the fact that they are the only 2 people there other than the staff who are strangely absent from screen.</div><br />
<u>Hoody-</u> (or is it Hoodie?) Hoody is another enigma of the Marble Hornets saga. For motives that are all his own, Hoody appears in the woods where Alex and Jay have apparently been followed by The Slender Man. Jay drops his camera in fear and hot foots it out of there. Knowing that the only key to Jay's survival now that he is involved is the footage, and the continuous filming of every noisy step he takes, a mysterious figure in a gray hooded sweatshirt is seen through the camera lens after having rescued the camera and deposited it into Jay's car for safe keeping. Hoody, as he has been affectionately termed by his fans, turns toward the camera, pauses for effect, and disappears. He, of course, has no face that is distinguishable beneath the hood from whence he gets his name.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfZPnlxYeEFggFW5n6u5w0FD0BZ6ZOCyWiflX1uZhPC6uwqvBscdFShwIMyEb7Kwg34cnhS_0ZcHGwoKQC3s1jlkg5Prma66KXKRHLNtuKJTIhEWrUWMgTEqPWd6GT70QPpV2wDTypwhyphenhyphen/s1600/marble+hornets1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfZPnlxYeEFggFW5n6u5w0FD0BZ6ZOCyWiflX1uZhPC6uwqvBscdFShwIMyEb7Kwg34cnhS_0ZcHGwoKQC3s1jlkg5Prma66KXKRHLNtuKJTIhEWrUWMgTEqPWd6GT70QPpV2wDTypwhyphenhyphen/s1600/marble+hornets1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u><strong>The event</strong></u></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Over the course of several years and around 53 (so far) uploaded "entries", Jay unravels for us a convoluted tale of terror. After his apartment building is burned down, Jay runs for the hills, only to discover that he is easily located by friend and foe alike. He promptly wakes up in a hotel room to discover that 7 months of his life is missing and the key to it all is locked in a safe in his hotel room, to which he has forgotten the combination.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What we view on screen is the videotaped events as near in order as Jay can guess since most of them do not have dates or labels. Jay finds himself on the tapes narrowly escaping situations with his life, finding all the missing people from the Marble Hornets film project, and totally ignoring what must be clues that will be picked up later on when the crew decides to continue the story.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The crazy thing about this whole Marble Hornets thing is that it has inspired spoof movies, fan fiction, Halloween costumes, motivational posters, watch-me-watching-entry-43 Youtube videos, and much much more. Fans scour the 3- to 14-minute-long uploads for hidden clues, hidden faces, hidden signs of a dark and dismal future. And setting it all off is the strange and foreboding circle with an X through it called, inexplicably and ominously, "operator". There are even anime, crossdressing works of art starring the members of the Marble Hornets cast!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkAtR_lObaubbeLJeX0qRsyO5GzGKja4Y3ja3ZJ28jpVJm0UxwPUGisISWyuO-M_muzoayJireg_ishjV-h-oqDG-QmFZNw9inzCjI4RSuW40bp-I4moF164cN-mwJlSnCFRh-9qOl1Qg/s1600/marble+hornets+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkAtR_lObaubbeLJeX0qRsyO5GzGKja4Y3ja3ZJ28jpVJm0UxwPUGisISWyuO-M_muzoayJireg_ishjV-h-oqDG-QmFZNw9inzCjI4RSuW40bp-I4moF164cN-mwJlSnCFRh-9qOl1Qg/s1600/marble+hornets+4.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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In conclusion, enjoyed alongside the uploads from the Youtube account<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/totheark" target="_blank"> "totheark"</a> which seem to be official uploads from someone trying to goad Jay along, the Marble Hornets saga can be quite addictive. I have no idea why I'm writing about it, though. I can't tell you anymore about it without giving too much away. But then, is there really much else to give away? A lot happens. Or does it? I feel oddly compelled to share all this with someone. Anyone. And...I think I hear footsteps.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-58537893948787121732012-01-28T09:17:00.001-06:002012-01-28T09:20:32.922-06:00Pulp Fiction Unpacked! Part 1And I don’t mean the movie Pulp Fiction. If you need someone to explain that to you, then you may be of too sensitive a constitution to get into the deep end of the pulp pool!<br />
<br />
<br />
I mean the genre that created genres, defined men, and gave evil a face.<br />
<br />
Emerging from the frivolous dime novels of the last half of the 18th century, pulp magazines opened the wide world to the average Joe. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCadXesgnKNtF0JVssbbstwGzR1GRuhABqJEd1ix0e5LYzT_1eJcwmhUZe8JI6kOKL4Bj8nplhIeS0oKUqC-kDnxygeR_Kdc7DC8UWa55MVcrRhBLO3EPDuFEaKP3eopwh0w7Zp7d-ismP/s1600/docsavagenv18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCadXesgnKNtF0JVssbbstwGzR1GRuhABqJEd1ix0e5LYzT_1eJcwmhUZe8JI6kOKL4Bj8nplhIeS0oKUqC-kDnxygeR_Kdc7DC8UWa55MVcrRhBLO3EPDuFEaKP3eopwh0w7Zp7d-ismP/s320/docsavagenv18.jpg" width="224px" /></a></div><br />
<u>History</u><br />
There assuredly are factors that contribute to the popularity of the pulp magazines in their hay day that go beyond the inexpensive cover price. For one thing, in the years following the civil war, elementary and secondary school enrollment for African Americans increased dramatically. By 1880, around 35% of black youth were registered in school, compared with 10% in 1870. Even into the 1920s the school enrollment rate was at its highest for all races of children in America. Government attention was also focused on education, with the first annual report of the Office of Education in 1869. The report focused on informing congress yearly the condition and progress of American education. During the 1940s, an increase in higher education began to push others to continue at least through high school when the trend had been a completion of education in the 8th grade.<br />
<br />
So it’s easy to see that the whole attitude of the country toward literacy and education of all people had taken a swift kick in the pants.<br />
<br />
In 1870, 20% of Americans age 14 and over were illiterate. By 1920, the number had dropped to 6%. And with this new voracious appetite for knowledge came what I’d like to think was dissatisfaction with their mundane existence. After all, dissatisfaction is from whence comes the best invention.<br />
<br />
<u>The pulp business</u><br />
<br />
The new educated masses had jobs which meant they wanted things. They were tied down to what they now realized were boring existences. Enter the story writer. Of course, no one could afford a $12 paperback in those times, so crafty publishers took the cheapest bits of paper leftovers, paid writers barely enough to keep themselves in typewriter ink, and the pulp magazine was born.<br />
<br />
The new bourgeois of literacy, with ten cents to spare, converged on the magazine racks with a vengeance. Big bosomed damsels, square-jawed gangsters, grinning heroes, mammoth-sized tigers, and haberdashered aliens. Inside those colorful covers were three or four tickets to other worlds.<br />
<br />
Whatever your taste, the pulp publishers would pay someone peanuts to write to you. There were military adventures, sexy trysts, mysticism from the dark continent. And thanks to the pulp era, the science fiction and hard-boiled detective genres facilitated the births of generations of geeks!<br />
<br />
H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard and the Weird Tales magazine brought unknowable creatures to life. Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov, and L. Ron Hubbard ushered in an era of exploration beyond our Earthly shores. While back in deepest Africa, Tarzan was being adopted by apes.<br />
<br />
And if you think that Trekkies invented the fan convention, think again! Long before mere humans were learning proper Klingon, pulp fans in the 1960s were organizing conventions.<br />
<br />
<u>The end? </u><br />
<br />
World War II brought not only fear of real world terrors, but rationings of everything, including paper. Thus began the demise of the pulp genre. But was it the end?<br />
<br />
From the murky depths of the Internet, a rise in the popularity of pulp has been seen. Despite the encroaching terror of the viral video, the Kryptonite of Tila Tequila, and the staggering atrocities of bulletin boards, real heroes reemerge in the form of Dashiell Hammett on ebook, and reprinting of 1930s magazines so that all may acquire the knowledge that Doc Savage was the first man to have a Fortress of Solitude!<br />
<br />
Has pulp fiction seen it’s end?<br />
<br />
I think not, Drummond. I believe that we shall meet again!<br />
<br />
...end of part one. Tune in next time for Pulp Heroes...EXPLAINED!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aUbB83hlEeFE0l4mZ3FYaJztjrPd_Du7y8P37ILf8sNGLFjVGTfdees1TtnSHhCdKb1NltOPGfvxZDkuNI7SCiBF_mXgKNl742tLQbpi-6ERyC5R4ArnfFIMHuLVt9Z9-nUgxzUfMRv0/s1600/shadownv01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aUbB83hlEeFE0l4mZ3FYaJztjrPd_Du7y8P37ILf8sNGLFjVGTfdees1TtnSHhCdKb1NltOPGfvxZDkuNI7SCiBF_mXgKNl742tLQbpi-6ERyC5R4ArnfFIMHuLVt9Z9-nUgxzUfMRv0/s1600/shadownv01.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-82489263783578521902012-01-24T20:22:00.001-06:002012-01-24T20:24:14.569-06:00What is on YOUR writing playlist?<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Most of the time when I'm writing, I have noise in the background: the kids playing a video games together, all of us watching a movie while I jot something here and there, the filter cycling water through the turtle tank, or the cats playing Neo and Agent Smith in the kitchen floor. My favorite noise is the sound of the kids playing, of course. It's relaxing in a way that only a devoted mother could understand.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">But on those rare moments when I'm alone in the car, on iPod day at work, or when the kids are gone, I get in moods where I want to have music on that will inspire a certain feeling. I do this especially when I've got ideas brewing that need a little nudge here and there. I like to make a CD with ammunition for imagination. These songs usually tell some sort of story that sparks a dark, sinister, or epic feeling in me when I'm thinking of writing or actively writing. These songs on my MP3 player also make the workday more exciting, not that the insurance business is boring or anything.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTI0e9-epNyl3MLBFy6NFvvYJlIjFT-wZ_4oL09Yfx3nivBJs5yVtYikr5xSDyovor0UfvZXYNUWn5Oh0SVTIDYxNx807WOLjVc9TbsdOgcPyXRt2tJaD-_eWviJnFdl6o2mSSIspHAC1/s1600/siouxsie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTI0e9-epNyl3MLBFy6NFvvYJlIjFT-wZ_4oL09Yfx3nivBJs5yVtYikr5xSDyovor0UfvZXYNUWn5Oh0SVTIDYxNx807WOLjVc9TbsdOgcPyXRt2tJaD-_eWviJnFdl6o2mSSIspHAC1/s1600/siouxsie.jpg" /></a>Here is what is currently on that CD: </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1. Don't Go into That Barn-Tom Waits</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. Cities in Dust-Siouxsie and the Banshees<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eIV9z0YYfidhk4o_gRybkhsUwDcdKGBzGksrKpp4xSu3PJ90K-G5EKI6eg4oHBBj7aubtOV8qf8EzeQE98MxK8huemI6UDxXDT1M7ENc-QDWpNKSUOJFtxyu-VoGA4JWO_Ab26sB0WKY/s1600/londonaftermidnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eIV9z0YYfidhk4o_gRybkhsUwDcdKGBzGksrKpp4xSu3PJ90K-G5EKI6eg4oHBBj7aubtOV8qf8EzeQE98MxK8huemI6UDxXDT1M7ENc-QDWpNKSUOJFtxyu-VoGA4JWO_Ab26sB0WKY/s200/londonaftermidnight.jpg" width="135px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>3. Lost in the Flood-Bruce Springsteen<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4. Pet-A Perfect Circle</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>5. Middleman-Bright Eyes<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6. Red Right Hand-Nick Cave</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">7. Hallelujah-Rufus Wainwright</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">8. The Black Rider-Tom Waits</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">9. Where Good Girls Go to Die-London After Midnight</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1ta2BD65PwWvHu-cs4KWJWHX_qfzN9j1l7kCzyfK5L08l1ZQT_oTdsxpq6T_x4VLpEe33sCEqgRcEUcnwDgAFVRPxcLlQKM7mQ56kHJCy_Y_-LtBj1K4u4rZQq_aNQOb5V2J58hAMqVJ/s1600/Tom-Waits-tom-waits-8900643-500-611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="200px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB1ta2BD65PwWvHu-cs4KWJWHX_qfzN9j1l7kCzyfK5L08l1ZQT_oTdsxpq6T_x4VLpEe33sCEqgRcEUcnwDgAFVRPxcLlQKM7mQ56kHJCy_Y_-LtBj1K4u4rZQq_aNQOb5V2J58hAMqVJ/s200/Tom-Waits-tom-waits-8900643-500-611.jpg" width="163px" /></a>As you can see, my taste runs a little on the theatrical side. Those are just a few of the songs that I currently enjoy writing to. The list gets modified and added to, but rarely subtracted from. These are my staples. No matter what my mood is, these are the songs that bring to mind the richest lands, the most mysterious characters, and enticingly intense settings.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Please share your favorite writing music! And if you don't listen to music while writing or looking for inspiration, what do you do?</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-71518775599647196342012-01-20T18:49:00.002-06:002012-01-20T18:55:47.193-06:00January is Volunteer Blood Donor Awareness Month! And the award goes to....In observance of January being National Voluntary Blood Donor Awareness Month, I invite you to turn out the lights, bare your carotid, and join me in honoring some of our favorite voluntary blood donors past and present.<br />
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1. Eric Northman<br />
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I know what he is, but as they say, he giveth and he taketh away. While Mr. Northman is quite apt at receiving donations, he is just as good at giving it away. Of course, he donated to the stunning Pam. However, if you have not seen the results of Mr. Northman's very generous donations to both Sookie and Lafayette, then I prescribe a good heaping dose of True Blood episodes.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2. The elevator in The Shining</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhedK4x6bQvNPJxGEmDdGNwybpVZPnUPVv2NnqAiOM-MSdU9mnlH6nmvVL6uzGErlYDtLF3Q9DJJFgLT5OOUJb45mKBgqX-K02WMM6fciExk1DtaulfsHOQFpi8337r8TGk7lWjVR4qch/s1600/elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181px" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhedK4x6bQvNPJxGEmDdGNwybpVZPnUPVv2NnqAiOM-MSdU9mnlH6nmvVL6uzGErlYDtLF3Q9DJJFgLT5OOUJb45mKBgqX-K02WMM6fciExk1DtaulfsHOQFpi8337r8TGk7lWjVR4qch/s320/elevator.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Yeah, so a friend amused me with this idea and I ran with it. Never has there been an entity so willing to pour forth its life-giving essence. So much so, in fact, that I sense a frenzy coming on from the picture above!<br />
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3. Cindy Sondheim<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhMR5vplTCQQc9bsfNvvSnpGG2v2YD0UlzMTRbdgxU55kZiwjITwYr03KbBBKjoemL-9RId8AkfTaVKF1Xog2N0I17J2PRNEYhtoCCxtd-Doqiph4q9-V9axIHA4f7mWHdOWtKkmjaZHL/s1600/lovebite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhMR5vplTCQQc9bsfNvvSnpGG2v2YD0UlzMTRbdgxU55kZiwjITwYr03KbBBKjoemL-9RId8AkfTaVKF1Xog2N0I17J2PRNEYhtoCCxtd-Doqiph4q9-V9axIHA4f7mWHdOWtKkmjaZHL/s1600/lovebite.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Admit it. You wanted to know what was up with those three discreet bites when you were a kid, too. For awakening the 30-40-somethings to the pleasures of the bite, and the brilliant disco routine, I nominate Cindy Sondheim for the kinkiest, err, hair on a blood donor.<br />
<br />
But, seriously, a blood donor saved my life and I'm here today for my kids because of some unknown person who gave Type O + when I needed it. Go give blood.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-67759080365643464762012-01-18T13:10:00.001-06:002012-01-18T13:28:28.853-06:00Future Music: 3 Performances you MUST see!!I was bored waiting on a doctor's appointment and while looking up music videos, that all seemed the same, I stumbled upon some innovative musicians you've likely never heard of who may be pioneers in the future of the music. I did some more digging and found three great performances that MUST be seen. Even if you don't like the music, considering what they're doing while they're making the music is mindblowing!<br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<object width="526" height="374"> <param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param><param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2010W/Blank/TheAhnTrio_2010W-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/TheAhnTrio-2010W.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1083&lang=&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=ahn_trio_a_modern_take_on_piano_violin_cello;year=2010;theme=celebrating_tedwomen;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=live_music;event=TEDWomen;tag=Arts;tag=Entertainment;tag=live+music;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="526" height="374" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talk/stream/2010W/Blank/TheAhnTrio_2010W-320k.mp4&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/TheAhnTrio-2010W.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=512&vh=288&ap=0&ti=1083&lang=&introDuration=15330&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=830&adKeys=talk=ahn_trio_a_modern_take_on_piano_violin_cello;year=2010;theme=celebrating_tedwomen;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=live_music;event=TEDWomen;tag=Arts;tag=Entertainment;tag=live+music;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"></embed> </object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-55103078462533210812012-01-09T19:06:00.000-06:002012-01-09T19:06:02.514-06:00Fan Fiction: Who? Me? Never!I was contemplating fan fiction today. Should I have actually admitted that? Oops. Probably not. At any rate, I was thinking about it in relation to serious fiction writing. There are a lot of websites devoted to it and some of it, if you can stand to wade through the elementary attempts at living the lives of their favorite anime or video game characters, is pretty decent.<br />
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When I first began exploring the Internet about 12-15 years ago, fan fiction sites were atrocious. The grammar could only be classified as such at best. The only reason to even be looking at the sites was to feed the good ole <em>yaoi</em> sweet tooth, if that was your inclination. <br />
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Yahoo clubs (later called Groups) was a cornucopia of fan fiction writing groups and collaborative fiction groups for boldly taking your favorite Pokemon characters to story lines where no Pokemon had gone before.<br />
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Today, it seems like you can find fan fiction on nearly anything from soap opera characters to comic book superheroes. I'll admit to belonging to more than my fair share of X-Men and Harry Potter collaborative fan fiction sites in my day.<br />
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Fan fiction, however, is scoffed at when mentioned in polite, Internet savvy company. Never, outside of the fan fiction sites themselves, is fan fiction considered anything close to valid writing. It is seen as the domain of 40-year-old <em>hentai</em> who live in their mom's basement and peruse mailorder bride websites and have questionable hygiene. <br />
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Does fan fiction have no redeeming qualities in the eyes of "real" writers? Granted, I haven't written fan fiction in years and if I did I wouldn't admit to it. <br />
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Fan fiction <em>is</em> writing. And the adage that "writers write, always" implies that even if your well of ideas has run dry you should still write something. Why not fan fiction? Is that even enough of a reason for being to take fan fiction off the don't-ask-don't-tell policy of fiction authorship? Are there any fan fiction authors out there who will admit that they dabble in the occasional alternate pairing of FullMetal Alchemist characters? Or are fan fiction writers the pariahs of the writing world?<br />
<br />
Inquiring minds want to know!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-12942196420094549322012-01-03T19:26:00.000-06:002012-01-03T19:26:10.040-06:005 Minute Time WasterThere comes a point when children are no longer enthralled with coloring cowboy hat-wear pizza slices and hamburgers with legs while waiting for an order to be filled at a restaurant. Of course, that usually coincides with the acquisition of texting plans and iPods. But I always feel self-conscious if everyone at my table is texting to other people while sitting together. I feel like we should be doing the family thing of sharing that time together. But there are only so many conversations about Roger Waters (per my 13 year old daughter) and Pokemon (per my 12 year old son) that I can stand!<br />
<br />
Enter Cthulhu!<br />
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Yes, we are some geeks (me, particularly). This game only cost about five bucks and looks like this:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbgpdjJdtW5iMYsurscOylaKgdZR4Ac2RlDzqEOn9V2OGrHnJ6vjeSB8iOFtEseAgB-loPinr7P6qy92TWc-EpaCGLppIyXtkNAS2Kh2zWMRcu3mucmnDSuPSB2X6ac99iH_eKbSIYBXP/s1600/cthulhu+dice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbgpdjJdtW5iMYsurscOylaKgdZR4Ac2RlDzqEOn9V2OGrHnJ6vjeSB8iOFtEseAgB-loPinr7P6qy92TWc-EpaCGLppIyXtkNAS2Kh2zWMRcu3mucmnDSuPSB2X6ac99iH_eKbSIYBXP/s1600/cthulhu+dice.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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That is all that you need to play and it fits in a tiny ziplock that I keep in my purse. We have pulled this out at restaurants and played games ranging from 3 minutes long to 5 minutes long. The pieces are small and discrete so everyone in the place doesn't actually SEE how much of a geek you are. <br />
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It's not one of those games you'd buy to play at home, but fun while you're waiting somewhere, or during lunch. All it requires is a surface big enough and flat enough to roll the die. The object: To send all your opponents into the depths of madness by stealing their 3 marbles or forcing them to lose their marbles to Cthulhu. Not very educational, but we do laugh a lot with it! (And while it is very small and discrete, we have gotten a strange look or two from a waitress.)<br />
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Steve Jackson is so cool! Planning on teaching my kids Munchkin next, since tabletop RPGs didn't appeal to them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-45354052943024206562011-05-27T07:17:00.001-05:002011-05-27T12:37:00.806-05:00Author Interview: Jacqueline Carey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYupIstfROS9rxPdCfb1sPw6u9eIvFnnqjS56CQvB2YQZLu573F67kXiXFLg2fJld1fF0SWglAJ19QEtHQZbaE4pRTBHNvINQuL8eCZS74UmVwqY2az3tbWVsf9jkEoy3uXfmza_cP6ae/s1600/1376_NaamahsBlessing_D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYupIstfROS9rxPdCfb1sPw6u9eIvFnnqjS56CQvB2YQZLu573F67kXiXFLg2fJld1fF0SWglAJ19QEtHQZbaE4pRTBHNvINQuL8eCZS74UmVwqY2az3tbWVsf9jkEoy3uXfmza_cP6ae/s1600/1376_NaamahsBlessing_D.jpg" t8="true" /></a></div><br />
<em>Jacqueline Carey, the author of the beloved Kushiel series, is an author who is as beloved by her fans as the heroines and heroes in her novels. In the Kushiel series, a young girl abandoned by her mother and marked by one of the pantheon of angels is trained in the art of pain and secrets by a loving Master. Thrust into a world of politics and deadly games, she finds love and adventure across a trilogy of exquistly written novels. The world of Terre d'Ange continues through another 2 trilogies and descendants of the vibrant characters brought to life in Kushiel's Dart. Through wars, death, love, and betrayal, the generations of characters Jacqueline brings to life in her novels have an uncanny way of worming their way into your heart. Just ask her adoring fans who keep them alive even beyond the ending of the books!</em><br />
<em>I was very honored that Jacqueline agreed to let me ask her a few questions and post them on my blog. <a href="http://jacquelinecarey.com/"> Please visit her website</a> and check out some of her novels.</em><br />
<em>Thanks for reading!</em><br />
<em>Andrea</em><br />
<em>* * * * * </em><br />
<em>Andrea:</em> I wanted to open by saying that I have never identified with a heroine in a book as much as I identified with Phaedre. Shared experiences with her were brought to life when I read your descriptions. In fact, the Kushiel series was the first time I’d ever read anything that I would call remotely “romantic.” Is there something of you in Phaedre? Which character from any of your books do you see as being most like you?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline: </em>There’s a bit of me in all my characters, really. As a divinely ordained masochistic courtesan who’s also a genuine heroine, Phèdre is unique in the annals of epic fantasy, and truly a gift of the Muses. Some readers have accused me of being as diabolical as her antagonist Melisande for the complex plots and emotional torments to which I subject my characters! It’s hard for me to be objective, but people who know me well have said the character who most reminds them of me is Sidonie, whose very controlled exterior belies a passionate interior and a somewhat wicked sense of humor.<br />
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<em>Andrea: </em> In other interviews I’ve read, you’ve said that to write, one has to write, which involves a lot of sitting and writing. I was wondering how much your travels have made easier the job of sitting and writing. Do you think you would have been able to weave such a real world in the Kushiel series without your time in London and traveling around the world to exotic places?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline: </em>The traveling that I’ve done definitely informs my writing! And no, I don’t think I could have brought my alternate world to life without having a deep well of marvelous and visceral experiences to draw on. Sitting and writing is crucial to developing and honing the craft of writing, but I believe that the more one experiences in life, the more one has to bring to the process. <br />
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<em>Andrea: </em> The very rare bit of fiction I’ve read that centers around the same themes that Phaedre experiences in her own personality and personal life, with submissive female characters dominated by aggressive men, the writing is quite lacking in detail and written more like a Penthouse letter. With the Kushiel series, Phaedre is more than her desires and the life that destiny has given her to live. What research, if any, did you do to be able to create such a real and human character in a world of bondage and slavery?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: I did a lot of research into the contemporary BDSM community. One of the reasons that consensuality is a sacred tenet in D’Angeline society is that it reflects the level of respect and responsibility that exists in the actual BDSM community. Also, I wasn’t setting out to write erotic fiction; I was writing epic fantasy with a subversive heroine. Phèdre’s sexuality is the most provocative aspect of her character, it’s her strength of will and her refusal to be a victim, her ability to resist despair, that ultimately make her a memorable heroine.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4utmyp0TOZDQvPDHFoV4d88jcKa1MOAP2PacIc0OSYzf2hHtyLUWa_WQQEEh2EKZWPWUYQjWITAQnNREYgd1FbEfRuYraTQnZ1Sxeso20VaUtQ4Z5Shl3v47L8ql7waMIiGLohgtZGxg/s1600/kushiel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik4utmyp0TOZDQvPDHFoV4d88jcKa1MOAP2PacIc0OSYzf2hHtyLUWa_WQQEEh2EKZWPWUYQjWITAQnNREYgd1FbEfRuYraTQnZ1Sxeso20VaUtQ4Z5Shl3v47L8ql7waMIiGLohgtZGxg/s320/kushiel.jpg" t8="true" width="193px" /></a></div><br />
<em>Andrea</em>: The world that you brought to life in the Kushiel series and that is still going forward with Imriel’s trilogy and now with Naamah’s Blessing is so detailed and dependent on its own unique history, pantheon, and customs. Over the span of so many lengthy novels, what methods do you use to ensure that you don’t contradict something from one book to another or leave out some important element? Have you ever found after a few books that there was an element you wish you had added in from the start?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline: </em> I can’t think of an instance of the latter. As to the former, I wish I could say I had a method, but the truth is that my head is a very crowded place! I do often have to refer back to earlier manuscripts in the process of writing to make sure I’ve maintained consistency.<br />
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<em>Andrea: </em> What methods do you use when you get stuck on a section while writing, or to combat writer’s block?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: First, never try to force it. That just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been writing long enough to know when I need to step away and get some distance from the problem. I find I do a lot of my best creative mental work when I’m in motion – walking or jogging, or even driving. Although I remember fellow fantasy author Sara Douglass saying she swore by hot baths to cope with writer’s block, too. Whatever works, works!<br />
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<em>Andrea:</em> How much of your writing comes from your life experiences and how much comes from fantasy? I’ve never written what I would call fantasy, but I’m sure it’s different from writing something more contemporary, or even a straight historical novel. Afterall, you have to invent the locations, you can’t go visit them.<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: In terms of worldbuilding, because I’m writing alternate history, I draw extensively on my own experiences. I can’t visit the City of Elua in Terre d’Ange, but I can visit Avignon in the south of France. I can take in the quality of the light as dusk falls over Provence, with the scent of lavender in the air, and find it achingly beautiful. In terms of the characters and plot, well, that’s pretty much entirely a product of my imagination. Obviously, I’ve never been a courtesan, a spy, or a swordsman in real life. I’ve never been abducted and enslaved, never had to make a daring escape, never enduring the fate of an entire realm riding on my shoulders. But I get to do it all in my imagination. That’s what makes writing – and reading – so much fun!<br />
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<em>Andrea</em>: What is your most valued research tool when you’re building on the world in the Kushiel books and its following series?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: I’d have to say my local library network, which is wonderful. I do a lot of old-fashioned book research, and while I’ll buy some volumes, the library allows me to do extensive background reading without breaking my budget or my already over-crowded bookshelves.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNQYVMtKGkP169FXC46b4vVMNgVdmC-Phpzr7kGI7lyciJNVBd0G7PTdIqEBwW5nf07eeoaJT1l_YPzX8GwcidB8VeMPa9Glkeohla6GpRCoC9MwxuCQ8TfSTpk4ZeKpWKt279IS15JAf/s1600/n296917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNQYVMtKGkP169FXC46b4vVMNgVdmC-Phpzr7kGI7lyciJNVBd0G7PTdIqEBwW5nf07eeoaJT1l_YPzX8GwcidB8VeMPa9Glkeohla6GpRCoC9MwxuCQ8TfSTpk4ZeKpWKt279IS15JAf/s320/n296917.jpg" t8="true" width="207px" /></a></div><br />
<em>Andrea</em>: You’ve written Santa Olivia which was a departure from the sort of fantasy world that is Terre d’Ange. Are there any other genres or subgenres you think you may dabble in some day?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: Oh, for sure! I’m currently working on a new project that’s more of a contemporary urban fantasy, and I suspect some day I’ll tackle a piece of straightforward literary fiction.<br />
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<em>Andrea</em>: Who is the most influential person in your life where your writing is concerned? A friend or family member or teacher who was a motivator or influence on your drive? <br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> My biggest supporter was my Great-Aunt Harriett, who passed away a year or so after “Kushiel’s Dart” was released. She’d read earlier, unpublished work, but due to the erotic content, I had a lot of trepidation about letting her read this one. I remember coming home to a message on the answering machine telling me she thought it was absolutely wonderful, adding in an acerbic tone, “And I hope people realize it’s more than just a sex book!” When it won the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2001, I dedicated the award to her.<br />
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<em>Andrea:</em> You are on Facebook and you have a wonderful website. Do you feel that social media has made publicity for your work much easier? What influence do you feel that the ease of interaction with fans across the internet has had on your writing life?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> Let me say up front that I’m fortunate in that I enjoy it, and I have a funny, thoughtful, wonderfully diverse group of fans with whom it’s a pleasure to interact. Social media absolutely affords writers a platform that didn’t exist before. That said, there is a downside in that it’s shifted the burden of publicity further onto the writers. We’re expected to utilize social media to promote ourselves and our work to our utmost capacity. It can be a real struggle for writers who aren’t comfortable with it, who are more private and introspective, or simply lack basic techno-savvy. And as much as I do enjoy it, it can be time-consuming, taking away from precious writing hours. It’s a balancing act.<br />
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<em>Andrea:</em> If someone said they were going to make a movie based on Kushiel’s Dart, who would you like to see play the main characters?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> I’m no good at playing the casting game! I’d rather see who my readers choose. If it were up to me, I’d probably want to go with a bunch of incredibly talented unknowns who don’t bring any media baggage.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUY_zNeVi_Jp9kVO2ZZsiEr152lGCYSB4qKPbjmFLJMVWJd6nPGeOEYN2SFKlI4BAN4qCxpT_NSTR_sFARjLPX6k-vVav_j7HQAwHIpa5XmoFq_kXbrfIMTc22PA5yftoP1_Ke_e_k3GX/s1600/Kushiel%2527s+Mercy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUY_zNeVi_Jp9kVO2ZZsiEr152lGCYSB4qKPbjmFLJMVWJd6nPGeOEYN2SFKlI4BAN4qCxpT_NSTR_sFARjLPX6k-vVav_j7HQAwHIpa5XmoFq_kXbrfIMTc22PA5yftoP1_Ke_e_k3GX/s320/Kushiel%2527s+Mercy.jpg" t8="true" width="200px" /></a></div><br />
<em>Andrea:</em> With the increase in self-publishing thanks to the popularity of ebook readers, how do you feel about the new tools available to writers to get their work out there? Many writers who would never have been published are able to self-publish and publish via ebook. The downside of that is that there is a lot of less than stellar stuff to sift through if you’re looking for a good, new read. Do you see this as a viable option for beginning writers?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> As of this writing, I’d say yes, if you’re good at marketing and self-promotion. There have been a few amazing success stories. However, the ebook market’s still in a state of flux. If traditional publishers decide to lower the prices on ebooks to be more competitive with self-published writers, I think that will limit their opportunities. Not that I’m sure it’s going to happen; I just don’t think the market’s really found its base level yet.<br />
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<em>Andrea:</em> Now that we’re devouring Naamah’s Blessing and a new trilogy, are there any other projects you’re working on?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> There’s the aforementioned contemporary urban fantasy – which is really a small-town fantasy – but it’s not in a place where I’m ready to divulge details yet. And I just finished proofreading “Saints Astray,” which is the sequel to “Santa Olivia,” coming out in November of this year.<br />
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<em>Andrea:</em> What do you consider the best piece of advice to aspiring authors?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline:</em> I’m going to cheat and crib from my own FAQ on<a href="http://jacquelinecarey.com/"> www.jacquelinecarey.com</a>, because I put a lot of thought into this one, and I don’t think I can top it: It's hard to give advice on writing, because the best way to learn is through doing. No two writers work the same way, and everyone has to find their own path. So… write. Write a lot. Build a world and explore it. Create characters and break their hearts. Take risks, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Experiment. All the methodology -- whether to outline in advance or wing it, write in a linear fashion or skip around, follow a rigid schedule or go with the flow of inspiration, edit as you write or worry about it later -- emerges with experience. As you write, you'll discover what works for you.<br />
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<em>Andrea</em>: Is there anything else you would like to say or information you would like to give?<br />
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<em>Jacqueline</em>: Thanks for reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-27659066539150201532011-05-21T13:42:00.001-05:002012-01-18T19:28:51.174-06:00Author Interview: Rosalie Lario<span style="color: black;">Rosalie Lario, author of The Fallen Warriors series, recently answered some questions for me on self-publishing, the writing process, and her new book For Love of an Angel. Please read the interview and</span><a href="http://rosalielario.com/"><span style="color: black;"> visit her website.</span></a><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: Describe the process you went through to publish your novel.</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I knew when I thought up The Fallen Warriors series that I wanted to publish it myself. I had very strong ideas about the marketing and look of the series, and I wanted to retain control over that. So after writing the story I hired a cover artist to bring my vision of Michael to life, as well as a freelance editor to polish my story to perfection. Once that was done, I placed my novella for sale on Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com and Smashwords.com. </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: For Love of an Angel is what I would call an erotic novel, meaning the descriptions are very titillating, for lack of a better word. How did you feel about friends and relatives reading those scenes in your book? Did you meet with any disapproval from anyone?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">You know, if I worried about what anyone else was going to think while writing, I’d never get anything done. So I just sit down and let the words escape me. And then I worry about it later, LOL.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: What is the writing process like for you? Do you make time to write every day or do you write when you feel inspired?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">When I’m writing a book I try to write every day, and that’s mostly because I have this deep-seated fear that I’ll lose my feel for the story if I don’t constantly keep at it. But I do try to take some time off between books (at the very least a few weeks) to recharge and start thinking about the next story.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: Where did you get the rather dystopian idea for For Love of an Angel, where jobs are assigned rather than chosen?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I got that idea where I get most of my ideas. From my crazy brain! When I first thought up the series I knew two things: One, I didn’t want my angels to be biblical creatures. And two, I wanted Fallen Angels. So from there I had to think of a reason why an angel would be “Fallen”, i.e. an outcast. That’s where the idea for taking over control of the human society came from. </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: I’ve seen that idea a few different places and always find it interesting. It seems to be a common philosophy in dystopian settings. I haven’t seen the idea that people are also living in assigned spaces that may or may not be equal to their job status and do not have to pay rent. What appealed to you about such a set-up?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I really liked the concept of having a lottery system for everything. In other words, something that would be completely random and not based on social class or status.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: I’ve read a lot of articles on where authors find inspiration. Some have said in newspapers, some in RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons, some in philosophy books. Where do you find most of your inspiration?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Television! Seriously, I am the biggest CWTV fan in the world. I can’t get enough of their supernatural-type shows. My number one favorite is Supernatural. I don’t understand how anyone could not love my boys, Dean and Sam. But I also live for Vampire Diaries, Smallville, Being Human, True Blood. Watching these shows inspires me to come up with some kick-ass fiction myself!</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: What resource (online website, fellowship with other writers, reading often, etc) do you find most helpful with the writing process?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I live for Wikipedia. Honestly, I don’t know how we ever survived without it. It’s the number one tool I use when plotting out a new novel. There’s so much information on practically every topic. I start out there, and I use Google for images of places I’m writing about or that evoke the feel I’m going for. I’m a visual creature, so pictures trigger my muse. </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: When you read, what genres and types of settings do you like to read about?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I mainly read within my genre, and that’s because I love it so much. There are some seriously awesome paranormal romance and urban fantasy authors out there.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: What is your preferred method of reading: print or e-book (Kindle, etc.)?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I used to say I’d be the last woman standing when it came to print books. I love the feel of them, and reading in the tub is a must for me. But then I got an Android phone, and discovered just how wonderful it is to have a whole library of books in the palm of my hand. So while at this point I’d say I’m 50/50, I have a feeling e-books are going to win out in the long run.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: Do you feel that self-publishing is a strong option for writers? </span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Absolutely! I think there’s a lot of upheaval going on in the industry today, and I say, why not explore all your options? I have a series of novel-length books releasing with a fabulous publishing house later this year (Blood of the Dragon, Book 1 of the Demons of Infernum Series, releasing on August 5, 2011 through Entangled Publishing). But for my novellas, I like the flexibility of releasing them on my own, and the fact that I can do it at a lower price point than if I went through a traditional publisher.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: You have a great website. What tools do you feel work best for promoting your novels? Do you do any public appearances?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Thank you! I don’t know if I’m in the position yet to say which promotional tools work best, but I do know that I really enjoy visiting blogger sites. It’s fun to interact with the blog followers there, and hopefully I can entice them into visiting my own blog. </span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: What is your biggest piece of advice to writers trying to get published?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">If you really, really want it, then don’t give up. Seriously. It takes time to hone your craft. For some of us it takes more time than others. But as with anything, practice equals improvement. If you have stories inside you that simply must be told, then do it, and keep doing it. Never, ever, ever give up.</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: How did you find the publisher you used?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">With For Love of an Angel, I went with the major distribution companies: Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Also, Smashwords is a great site for distributing to all the minor e-reader players out there. As for my Demons of Infernum series, the managing editor of Entangled Publishing happened to read a post on my blog that intrigued her, and after taking a peek at my Works in Progress page on my site, she contacted me and asked to see more. That just goes to illustrate how important a social media presence is for unpublished authors!</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: One thing I was dying to ask about is that completely yummy cover! Did you have any hand in the design?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Thanks! I love this cover too! And I’m especially proud of it because it was my vision. I chose the stock photo of the cover model and the feel I was going for, and relayed it to my amazing cover artist who brought my vision to life perfectly. Aren’t her angel wings just flawless?</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: How much of yourself do you find in Eva, your heroine in For Love of an Angel, when you skim back over your book?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">I don’t think Eva is very much like me. Of course I don’t know how true that is, given that she’s a figment of my imagination, LOL. But I find that once I come up with my characters and a few of the attributes I want them to have, they really take on a life of their own. Sometimes I feel like I’m just a fly on the wall, being privy to their lives as they happen. (Heh, I never said I was “all there”.)</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: One last question I was eager to ask about the book: If you were in Eva’s position would you resist as much as she did? She made me so mad! I wanted to throttle her sometimes! Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a story if everything happened easily!</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">LOL. This was a tough journey for Eva because she had to change her views on practically everything she’d been taught to believe. I think that’s what made it so hard for her to decide what to do. If it were me...I probably resist more. I like my life just as it is!</span><br />
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<em><span style="color: black;">Q: This book is the first in a series. Do you know the release dates of the next novels and is Eva going to be featured in those as well, or will there be different heroines?</span></em><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Each novella will feature another Fallen hero with a different heroine, but all of the characters will play recurring roles as the series arc develops. In fact, the heroine of Book 2 walks in on Eva and Michael in a (ahem) compromising situation. So if you like the characters in Book 1, never fear, you’ll see them again!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Angel’s Desire, Book 2 of the Fallen Warriors Series, is set to release on June 15, 2011. (And wait until you see that cover; it’s smoking hawt!) There’s no set release date for Book 3 yet, but it will likely be toward the end of the year.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Thanks so much for having me here, and for these really interesting questions! It was a blast. </span><br />
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-86620756419059268592011-05-16T18:14:00.002-05:002011-05-16T18:22:28.384-05:00Top 5 Dystopian Books/Stories and MoviesContinuing the discussion on dystopian fiction began by author Rosalie Lario, I was curious about what other people's favorite dystopian stories were. I think the first time I heard the word dystopian was when I was around eight or nine, the first time I watched the movie 1984. It was a favorite book of my mother's and we watched the movie together on TV late one night. Of course, I didn't know what the term meant then and wasn't fond of asking my parents questions so I pondered over it until I began hearing it applied to other things. Mind you, this was in the late 70s to mid-80s when you couldn't find a wiki on anything your heart desired.<br />
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For years I had a rather narrow view of what dystopian was. I think I considered only the very bleakest of sci-fi to be dystopian. I also applied that to movies. <br />
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It was hard for me to narrow my list of favorites down to just five, considering that some of my favorite and most enjoyable dystopian books and movies are not what I would consider the BEST in dystopian fiction. That being said, I made a list of my ever-changing five favorite dystopian books/stories and five favorite dystopian movies. Enjoy, comment, and post your favorites.<br />
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BOOKS/STORIES<br />
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1. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep<br />
2. 1984<br />
3. The Hunger Games<br />
4. Brave New World<br />
5. The Road (Which I didn't finish because I'm a wuss)<br />
MOVIES<br />
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1. Dark City<br />
2. The Matrix<br />
3. The Lathe of Heaven (original)<br />
4. Clockwork Orange<br />
5. Blue Gender (anime series)<br />
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What are your favorites?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-87504534683111537352011-05-14T14:14:00.004-05:002012-01-18T19:29:51.760-06:00Guest Author Post: Rosalie LarioI have been reading the new novel from author Rosalie Lario entitled For Love of an Angel. I asked Rosalie to offer her insight on the craft of writing and was thrilled to receive the following article. Please check out Rosalie's links and read the first chapter of her novel. Comments and discussion are welcome! <br />
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<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i><b>What is it About Dystopian Fiction?</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">First off, I’d like to say thanks so much for hosting me on your site! Today I’m here to talk a little bit about dystopians. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Dystopian fiction features a nightmarish sort of world, often post-apocalyptic, wherein society has become repressive and controlled. It’s very popular in YA fiction (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i>Hunger Games</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">) and has also appeared in romance (Joss Ware’s Envy Chronicles). It can even contain paranormal elements (Sophie Littlefield’s </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i>Aftertime</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, featuring government-created zombies).</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">So why is dystopian fiction so popular lately? Many people conjecture that during times of economic or societal stress (like we’ve had for the past several years), dystopians increase in popularity because they serve as a societal caution about what could happen if we continue down a certain path.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">My new release, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i>For Love of an Angel</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, isn’t dystopian in the traditional sense in that it features paranormal creatures. The angels on my world aren’t biblical creatures, but rather a race of beings from an alternate dimension who are forced into our world when the walls between the dimensions collapse. They convince humans to allow them ultimate rule over Earth in exchange for peace and security...the ultimate utopia. But in reality, their designs on Earth are far more sinister.</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The heroes of my series are a group of angels, the </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i>Fallen</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">, who seek to protect humankind. Because of this they have been cast out of their society and condemned to die. Read on for more:</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><b>Blurb:</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">In a world where angels rule over humans, twelve outcasts dare to defy expectation, warring with their angel brethren to prevent the extinction of humankind.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">They are The Fallen...</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Michael is one of twelve angels who have been outcast due to their determination to protect humankind. In order to preserve his immortality and strength, he must find a mate with angel blood. Eva Smyth has never believed the propaganda spouted by the Consortium—the elite system of guards put into place once angels took over reign of Earth—but she never expected to learn the angels plan to eradicate all of humankind, or that she herself is part angel. Joining Michael means living a life on the run, at war against the angels and hunted by the Consortium. Eva must decide whether to risk it all...for love of an angel.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><b>You can read the first chapter here:</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u><a href="http://rosalielario.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/for-love-of-an-angel-chapter-one.pdf"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://rosalielario.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/for-love-of-an-angel-chapter-one.pdf</span></a></u><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><b>Please Visit me at:</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Website: </span><u><a href="http://www.rosalielario.com/"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">www.rosalielario.com</span></a></u><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Twitter: </span><u><a href="http://www.twitter.com/rosalielario"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">www.twitter.com/rosalielario</span></a></u></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Facebook: </span><u><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/profile.php?id=100000710051624"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000710051624</span></a></u><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><b>Buy Links:</b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Barnes and Noble: </span><u><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/For-Love-of-an-Angel/Rosalie-Lario/e/2940012464378"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/For-Love-of-an-Angel/Rosalie-Lario/e/2940012464378</span></a></u></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Amazon: </span><u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Love-Angel-Fallen-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00500796I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1305054233&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://www.amazon.com/Love-Angel-Fallen-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00500796I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1305054233&sr=8-1</span></a></u><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Smashwords: </span><u><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/58033"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/58033</span></a></u></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUUhqoq644nCeVRgLaeKGRJKujq5cVOo7_CdMvawOjf9U3NsH-xpAf5kEu8O0Nr2SWq-nDM1QYSqQNhFhKpsMkgTrS2Mvc_rpvyLxcdi4mDuU2J9uks_0pYJGbeMQqBxPSuArAtcZMio0/s1600/Cover_Art_-_500_650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUUhqoq644nCeVRgLaeKGRJKujq5cVOo7_CdMvawOjf9U3NsH-xpAf5kEu8O0Nr2SWq-nDM1QYSqQNhFhKpsMkgTrS2Mvc_rpvyLxcdi4mDuU2J9uks_0pYJGbeMQqBxPSuArAtcZMio0/s320/Cover_Art_-_500_650.jpg" width="246px" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia,serif;"><i><b>For your readers, I’d love to know whether you enjoy dystopian fiction. If so, what is it about the subject that calls to you?</b></i></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-36777223422070049442011-04-09T15:39:00.003-05:002011-04-09T15:42:18.560-05:00The Hunger GamesI must say that I am quite anticipating the Hunger Games movies. I read the books in a week, all three of them, which is a feat for me because I was in my final college class at the time getting ready to hand in my senior paper and had just started a new job.<br />
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The thing that I loved the most about the books was the flawed characters. Few books have flawed characters anymore. Or rather, if they do, the flaws end up being assets or not even important enough to hinder the characters. The flawed people that drive the story of the Hunger Games are so real. And the flaws are age-appropriate flaws. I remembered being a teenager and longing to say something to someone but being unable to say it, or wanting something with such conviction that it seems I would die without it.<br />
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The story takes normal teenagers with normal teenage thoughts and desires and places them in unthinkable danger with unimaginable horror. Moreover, Suzanne Collins must have been a fan of the Japanese film Battle Royale, because she took the movie concept and improved it in such vast amounts that I never would have believed possible. A movie that I loved is now rather lackluster to me after reading the trilogy.<br />
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I also found that Mrs. Collins’ writing was thought-provoking and she surprised me at every turn. I insisted that my thirteen year old daughter read at least the first book, certain that she would feel the same way I did about the books. Shockingly, she did not. She was the target age group for the stories, adolescent/young adult, and she has a lot of dystopian films and novels behind her. She is a huge fan of The Handmaid’s tale, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451.<br />
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She found it more predictable than I did and I am sure the characters made her angry. So, it is not for everyone. However, I loved it. I daresay the writing was more polished than J.K. Rowling, as far as young adult novels go. And now they’re making movies.<br />
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I am skeptical about the outcome. I suppose I am too old to know the actors being cast in the lead roles, but I plan to watch some of their stuff over the next months before the movie comes out. Having done a casting of the older characters in my head already, I find myself curious if they will see them the same way I did. Knowing that the author has a hand in casting, at least somewhat, makes me feel better, although rarely do we get the same thing out of novels that the authors meant for us to get. We add our own experiences, prejudices, dreams, and fears to create our own experience from the material the author gives us. At least I do. And seeing a movie adaptation of a beloved book could breathe life to our fantasies or ruin the dream forever.<br />
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I am keeping my fingers crossed for the Hunger Games.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-42056716946922982132010-12-12T14:38:00.003-06:002010-12-12T14:58:23.868-06:00Essentials for Free for Kindle and other readersEveryone has a list of free stuff from Amazon for the Kindle. It's all the same. Sometimes they don't even tell you why you need the items. They also don't list other places you can go for free things that can be read on Kindle, on your PC, and any other reader. Sometimes you can even find those same items that are .99 cents to 9.99 on Amazon for Kindle on other websites for free. Here is a list of my favorites that must be had and completely free and legal.<br />
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1. Brave New World-Aldous Huxley<br />
This can be found for free in multiple formats from the banned books section on archive.org. Simply pick your format from the menu to the left, download to your computer, and upload to your reader. On Amazon, this book is 4.79 for the Kindle. <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/Book-AldousHuxley-BraveNewWorldPdf">http://www.archive.org/details/Book-AldousHuxley-BraveNewWorldPdf</a><br />
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2. Candide-Voltaire<br />
This one is only .95 cents from Amazon, but still, if you can save .95 cents, why not, right? From the same website through the banned books section, you can download it for free, with other works by Voltaire and introduction and notes. <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/candideotherroma00voltuoft">http://www.archive.org/details/candideotherroma00voltuoft</a><br />
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3. Where Angels Fear to Tread-E. M. Forster<br />
Only .80cents on Amazon for Kindle and the free Kindle software for iphone, etc., this can be had for free at <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/whereangelsfeart00forsuoft">http://www.archive.org/details/whereangelsfeart00forsuoft</a><br />
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4. The Art of Caricaturing-Mitchell Smith<br />
I downloaded this for free for the little artist at my house. On Amazon, it's 3.99 for Kindle. <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/artofcaricaturin006061mbp">http://www.archive.org/details/artofcaricaturin006061mbp</a><br />
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5. And my favorite new find: type this into your Kindle web browser if you have the version that has the browser <a href="http://m.gutenberg.org/">http://m.gutenberg.org</a> or go to <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/main_page">http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/main_page </a><br />
on your computer and download a lot of ebooks categorized by genre, author, title, subject, most popular, and language. They download quickly from the Kindle on the mobile version of the site and go right to your home page. There are a few extra pages about the Gutenberg project and some disclaimers at the beginning of the books, otherwise, they are the same as the Kindle versions that I've seen, and open right to the last page you were on, just like the Kindle books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094900683785029618.post-60072536150911753712010-12-10T10:07:00.000-06:002010-12-10T10:07:43.623-06:00Lovecraft and DickI was reading science fiction when I was too young to know it was science fiction. Recently, however, something has rekindled my love of the genre and I've been going back through stuff I should have read years ago and somehow missed. Two works of short science fiction I devoured recently are reviewed here, by two of my favorite genre authors, Lovecraft and Dick. I chose these two particular works because I feel they are some of the most poignant, most imaginative, and the most accessible of each authors' works to people who are not familiar with science fiction or who have not read these authors before. Even non-genre fans will enjoy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0RfQHbioZztJSDzyxtO6xb8aNv1dFFO1SJQzRNMCYk3qzFTBiHJjFMfmflThM5KJmCtHhDso_Za8MFpEPRK_HAyq6zewWH8QhWgWrZbR_-0s8hld4MKTrdYhlyUUZMfFwxfoEljkhfsQ/s1600/colour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE0RfQHbioZztJSDzyxtO6xb8aNv1dFFO1SJQzRNMCYk3qzFTBiHJjFMfmflThM5KJmCtHhDso_Za8MFpEPRK_HAyq6zewWH8QhWgWrZbR_-0s8hld4MKTrdYhlyUUZMfFwxfoEljkhfsQ/s1600/colour.jpg" /></a></div><strong>Title: A Colour Out of Space</strong><br />
<strong>Author: H.P. Lovecraft</strong><br />
<strong>Pages: approx. 35</strong><br />
<strong>Publication Date: 1927</strong><br />
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<strong>One sentence synopsis</strong>: An unwitting surveyor preparing to turn an old settlement into a reservoir stumbles across a mystery from half a century previous involving a strange and brilliant rock that fell from the heavens.<br />
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The Colour Out of Space is a perfect blend of horror and science fiction. It also tells of the most alien creature ever to appear in literature or film. Many alien stories and movies depict aliens that are either humanoid in some form, have thoughts and motives that we can relate to on some level, and behave in ways that, while we may not be able to sympathize, we can at least logically understand. The creature in The Colour Out of Space has no form that can be described using human adjectives. Its motivations are as foriegn as its appearance. Its powers we can see the effects of, but we cannot fathom exactly what it is doing. How, you ask, can a writer craft a story if his creation cannot be captured in words? Read this story. NOW!<br />
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The Colour Out of Space lays to paper some of the most beautiful phrases and emotions I've ever read. That's coming from an obsessive logophile. What should have taken me an hour to read took probably three hours because I had to keep going back to savor the heartbreaking loveliness of a particular passage, to consume a line of dialogue. This story does for science fiction what Hamlet did for drama.<br />
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<strong>The story</strong>: Told through first and second hand accounts of a past event, the tale unfolds to a man who starts out as a skeptic. A meteroite crashes on a farm and is taken to a lab for examination with bizarre results. Finally, it fades away, leaving something behind that begins to slowly taint the entire landscape, causing devastation to the farm and the family living on what is called by locals "the blasted heath." Read it for that description alone: "the blasted heath." <br />
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<strong>News</strong>: While waiting impatiently for del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness, Lovecraft fans can try to get their hands on a copy of the DVD or Bluray of Germany's Die Farbe, an indie release of an adaptation of A Colour Out of Space that has been getting better reviews than most Lovecraft adaptations.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lovecraft-Collection-Biography-Bibliography-ebook/dp/B00328I21G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1291992015&sr=1-4">3.99 for all Lovecraft in one bundle on kindle.</a> That is the best way to go if you're just wanting to dabble in his material. Some of it can be quite daunting, however Colour Out of Space is the perfect starting point.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5gsQd2APZzBa6RfTRZ8towrouAJofS4n0pn7DchHEEQTOaJnc18A4B418c63ZIaEz3zdmZbkjUkZB2eBrJMAh2nPEc-N_IWNhos7IyHx9wmExMouEschokl043qBEtVCerB02f_WXMaF/s1600/androids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX5gsQd2APZzBa6RfTRZ8towrouAJofS4n0pn7DchHEEQTOaJnc18A4B418c63ZIaEz3zdmZbkjUkZB2eBrJMAh2nPEc-N_IWNhos7IyHx9wmExMouEschokl043qBEtVCerB02f_WXMaF/s1600/androids.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<strong>Title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?</strong><br />
<strong>Author: Philip K. Dick</strong><br />
<strong>Pages: approx. 135</strong><br />
<strong>Publication Date: 1968</strong><br />
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<strong>One Sentence Synopsis</strong>: In a partially deserted earth-future of fallout dust and aptitude tests, renegade androids who have killed their masters and fled to earth to try to make a life for themselves are hunted by bounty hunters for 1,000 dollars a piece, money that can buy the much-coveted living animal pet.<br />
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The movie blade runner, while based on this book, has flip-all to do with it beyond some surface scrapings. I was a fan of Blade Runner as a teenager, but I hadn't read a lot of Dick at the time. <br />
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Pervading themes throughout the book are loneliness, empathy, identity, and destiny. All of these are things that slap us into reality as we move from birth to death. But in a world where only the genetically unaltered from fallout dust can immigrate to other planets and procreate, where android slaves are used as incintive to do so, and where animals from spiders to elephants are all but extinct and coveted as signs of wealth and humanity, loneliness and destiny begin to define life.<br />
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<strong>The Story</strong>: Bounty hunter Rick Deckard, in the middle of a stressful time in his marriage, dons his fallout-proof codpiece and hits the hovercar-highway to hunt down renegade android murderers so he can buy a real animal to replace the electric sheep he has grazing on his rooftop garden. The importance of the animals invades all aspect of life on earth. Without public displays of affection toward helpless creatures, one can be suspected of being an android. Affection toward raising and keeping animals has become a measure to define humanity. Androids do not feel empathy or care to have animals. At least that is the general consensus.<br />
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Rick's been looking for a big break and he might have found it when a group of android hellions murdered their slavemasters on the Mars colony and fled to earth to rape and pillage. But what Rick finds on his 24 hour journey to bring them to justice (i.e. retire them, i.e. kill them) will challenge the very fabric of his humanity. Through encounters in his day-long task, Rick finds questions about what makes someone human, worthy of life and respect, and what weight should be put upon intelligence, organs, and acts of despiration. Questions to which there are no answers.<br />
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<strong>Another important theme</strong>: Religion is as central to human life on this future-earth as pet ownership. Mercerism is the religion of the day. Only humans are allowed to participate in Mercerism because it centers on empathy for all actual living things and a desire for human companionship. Because the earth is so sparsely populated after the last World War, from death and immigration, many people live their lives without much human contact. Mercerism connects them to other human beings. Through Mercerism, Dick explores what makes people human, what draws people to each other, and what a person (or Android) becomes when left out of the circle of humanity.<br />
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In so few pages, Dick tells a story so vast and important that it should be required reading.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2