More to watch!

If you've exhausted your list of holiday classics already and need something quality to watch, while the in-laws sleep off their food coma, i.e. a movie with both substance and good production, here's a list I'm eager to try!

What to watch, oh what to watch?

Here's a neat little flow chart to figure out what to watch with whomever this holiday season, and while I haven't seen all the films (and have a peculiar loathing for one in particular), they hit the nail right on the head enough that I thought I'd share this handy little tool and perhaps spare you some holiday stress, enjoy!

Bah Humbug Revisited

Need something besides the fiftieth installment of intergalactic angst or a plotless CG panoply of obnoxiously singing animated characters at the cineplex this Christmas?  I have yet to see it, but this film on the life of Charles Dickens looks like fun!

Venture forth but be prepared

You'd better be listening to some good Christmas music as an antidote to all the bad stuff flooding the atmosphere this time of year, otherwise your head will explode, it will, just ask the Surgeon General! 'Santa Baby' should not be endured without a good fortifying dose of Handel's 'Messiah' or the Nutcracker Suite, not that it should be endured at all, but you can't escape hearing it somewhere, unless you put yourself into solitary confinement until Easter, and while you're locked safely away, what better way to pass the time than with some actual music?  Either way, it is win win!

Puce Tuesday?

I've always imagined puce was some sort of purplish green color as it sounds absolutely horrid, but as it is the last extant color to have a day/cause of its own, I felt sorry for it and thought I'd have a book sale it it's honor.  Toddle over to smashwords.com and get 'The Last Shadow' for 50% off using the code PK94W at checkout or get the entire 'In Shadow' series 50% off using code CK78Z, hurry, there are only a limited number of coupons!

Breathes a life of gathering doom?

'Life is pain Highness, anyone who says otherwise is selling something...' 

~The Princess Bride~ 

The Dread Pirate Roberts might be onto something there.  I've always wondered why I've loathed the cheesy side of Christmas: all the fake, saccharine coated cheer forcefully manufactured by the retail industry and pop culture that has caused many a soul to wonder guiltily why they aren't as banally cheerful this holiday season as 'everyone else' seems to be, little knowing that we are all haunted by loneliness and fear and grief to some extent which the glaringly garish holiday lights only make all the more blatantly obvious to the eyes of our already disquiet soul.  Our hearts know innately what the over-the-top Christmas bonanza is trying viciously to hide: our Joy is ever tainted with sorrow.  And that's okay, that's how it has always been, even from the beginning, but amid that sorrow, that fear, that loneliness, that shame, there is 'Joy unspeakable and full of glory.'  Yes, glory, not ludicrous banality run rampant, a garish color of paint trying to hide a gaping defect in the very walls of our being, but a the true Something that can fill that defect and vanquish the sorrow.  The gospel accounts of that first Christmas are rife with it, as are the very best of the Christmas songs.  Savor the verses of 'We Three Kings,' for a moment, a song I've long overlooked and dismissed as a little odd and certainly ridiculous, but whose lesser known verses are truly full of the wonder and glory, and certainly the sorrow, that mark this intriguing season, or at least should:

We three kings of Orient are;

Bearing gifts we traverse afar,

Field and fountain, moor and mountain,

Following yonder star

O star of wonder, star of night,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain

Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never,

Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I;

Incense owns a Deity nigh;

Prayer and praising, voices raising,

Worshiping God on high.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom;

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

Glorious now behold Him arise;

King and God and sacrifice;

Alleluia!, Alleluia!,

Rings through the earth and skies.

What's on your bookshelf?

There were a couple advertising campaigns the title of this post might hearken back to, one for a frozen pizza company and the other for a ravening horde of ruffians promoting a certain credit card, does anyone else remember those?  It is probably a pretty sad commentary on our time that a catchy advertising jingle is more culturally relevant to most people than the best works of literature.  That being said, what's on your bookshelf?  If a stranger came over to your house and perused your library, what would it say about you?  What does your choice in books say about your interests and personality?  Hopefully it is a far better portrait of you than my memory of advertisements is of me!

On Turtles in unexpected places

Sadly, I don't have a living favorite author, mostly because I'm a book addict who MUST stay up and finish the last page, a thing that isn't such a great idea since I am now getting old (why is everything so much easier in college?), have small children to chase, and various other pursuits that demand most of my time and energy.  When I have time to read, it is best to stick to something that I know how it ends so there is half a chance I'll actually get some sleep.  Needless to say, I'm not avidly waiting (with drool encrusted tongue lolling from my mouth) for the latest release of any particular writer but when a book garners reviews and interest at two completely unrelated non-book sites (of the five I regularly visit!), it must be something special, or at least interesting.  And as someone who suffers from anxiety/panic attacks, it is even more interesting.  I'll leave it to you to decide what you think.  Here are the links to the reviews for 'Turtles All the Way Down:'

Review #1

Review #2

Maybe one of these years I'll actually get around to reading something new, until then, at least you can enjoy it!

December Film Anticipation...not that movie, there is another.

Whatever you think of the new Star Wars movies, I'm looking forward to December for a different reason: apparently the BBC is coming out with their own version of 'Little Women,' which should be awesome!  So go brush up on your classics so you can tell the difference between the March girls, sorry Leia isn't among them!

Classic Literature?

School is in full swing, even if you don't have kids, now is a great time to dig out some of those childhood classics and read them again, 'for the first time.'  Some you will discover are actually rather dreadful (the same goes for favorite childhood movies and TV shows!) while others may just make your week.  One of my personal favorites: 'The Monster at the End of This Book,' starring Grover, it's even seasonally appropriate!  And there isn't even a book report to hand in, enjoy!

Season of Change

Reading Assignment: enjoy the autumn weather and the natural beauty of the season, even if you are trapped in an urban environment or live in a place that doesn't have much for seasonal variation: read!  Pick up some of the 'Anne of Green Gables' books or hang out with Frodo before he leaves on his epic ring adventure; you could even watch the movies for this one.  However you do it, get outside even if it's only in your imagination!

A new twist on classic literature?

This looks like an interesting book, I have not read it, but if you have an interest in the Brontes or classic literature, it is an intriguing idea!

Dear Stars Wars and/or Parenting Enthusiasts

You need this book, don't even think about it, just get it!

Today is the day!

Yes, today is the day that all my preorder/bestseller dreams come true...or not.  The new book is officially out (though I've sneakily updated the boxed set so if anyone has noticed, it has actually been out for a bit).  I think this preorder thing is all hype, either that or I'm just not a famous author with dozens slavering to read my next work of genius(?).  Well, famous or not, enjoy!  And it may be a bit before the amazon update, life's a little nuts right now.

Make money online or who needs a day job?

I was reading some random article on a couponing site, whither I had strayed from Pinterest, and another link told me how I could make money doing everything from surveys to driving for Uber.  Living where I live, some of the options were non-viable, mostly those involving doing things for other people (like Uber) where you actually need a population base to serve.  There was an interesting option of reselling books, which when I typed in a few choice examples of academic type works we had lying around the house, we were making a whopping $3.50 on a book that would retail for $15 on the used book market.  Then there was the 'make $5 every time someone buys your photo' app which seemed really exciting for this photographer-wanna-be, but apparently that's a pipe dream as well, since no one actually buys photos from the site, or if they do, you have 2 million other people to compete with, hmmm...  They also suggested publishing an ebook, I should have stopped reading the article then and there.  Yes, you can theoretically make money self-publishing, but it is sort of like that photo app: way too many competitors to really do much more than earn enough annually to buy a soda or two.  It kind of reminds me of those 1990s infomercials that urged you to give up your career and breed alpacas, and since the only thing you can do with an alpaca is breed more of them (yes, there is a small market for the fiber but most of the critters were 'breeding stock,' resulting in a vast oversupply of alpaca hair) and when you run out of more people who want to buy them that they too might be alpaca breeders, the whole thing falls apart.  Apparently you can have a pyramid scheme in any industry: ebooks, photos, alpacas.  Better keep the day job!

The Chem nerd vs. the English geek

I hate autocorrect (who doesn't?), especially when dealing with words the computer doesn't recognize (I can't imagine trying to right a lab report for Organic Chemistry in this day and age!), but perhaps the thing that drives me the most crazy is when it thinks it knows what you are trying to say and automatically changes it or even fills in the word for you so you might not even realize you're not saying what you wanted to say.  That being said, I thought I'd try out Grammarly, the apparently amazing grammar checker I've seen advertised everywhere.  I'm by no means a grammar expert so I thought it would be interesting to see what the computer thought of my writing.  It wasn't happy.  Perhaps the paid service ($11/month) is better, but I was not impressed with the freebie version.  Of the sample I gave it to check, it found over a hundred errors, but only about 3% of those were actual errors, the rest were words it didn't like or recognize or it didn't like my 'creative' use of the English language.  The thing has no sense of humor, not unexpected in a computer, how do you explain 'poetic license' to a thing that is programmed to obey the rules and only the rules?

Overall, the program will be helpful to those whose first language is text lingo, those learning proper grammar, or those learning English, but if you've survived a few English classes, read good books on occasion, and write a fair amount, it will probably be more nuisance than asset, much like autocorrect.  Of course you should take this with a grain of salt, as I'm one of those annoying people that thinks language is an art, not a science: you learn the rules so you can occasionally bend, if not break them.  I wonder what it would think of one of my old lab reports...too bad they're all on floppy disks!

Preorder Away!

All righty then, somehow I've managed to get this thing published amid everything else going on this crazy summer!  It's officially out the 19th of September (theoretically to celebrate a decade of writing on my part).  Enjoy!

Cover and back blurb

Here you go, something to tide over my ravenous fan(s)(?) until I actually get around to finishing the thing.  Here's the draft for the 'back' blurb too:

He’s finally done it, the only wonder is how the world has survived his continued presence this long.  Jace, the imprecisely named Last Shadow, finally blows up the world.  Perhaps it is not wholly his fault, but that’s never stopped him from claiming credit for such feats before.  Join Jace and a few old friends for a last romp through the world’s twilight years; the Apocalypse has never been this much fun!

The Enemy’s final triumph draws nigh, the Time of Revelation looms, and the world trembles at his coming, or it would if it realized its peril.  As the days dwindle and the gloom deepens, even the Shadow of the Unicorn does not escape unscathed.  Reduced to a single man, but still determined to fight, though forbidden from meddling in the greatest acts of this final age of the world, the Last Shadow does not stand idle nor long alone.  Well equipped with his trademark smile and incorrigible sense of humor, Jace is willing to meet the looming End alone if he must, but then that’s never been his lot, even in the darkest days of his service to the Shadow.

You’ll find a more detailed and serious account of the last days recorded elsewhere in the Chronicles of the Brethren, whereas this tale is told from the perspective of the most irascible of all Shadows with his usual combination of levity, impetuosity, and boldness with a generous dose of the ridiculous and absurd thrown in for good measure.  Join Jace and his friends for one last lark in the world as we currently know it, ere the curtain falls and something far more grand begins.

A philosophical question

Hmmm...I'm making progress on that theoretical book, but it may be a little short, but as Jane Austen says, 'a good book always is,' (paraphrase mine), does that mean a short book is always good?

Nope, go fish...

'Got any books?'
'Nope, go fish...or go read something worthwhile instead of playing insipid card games.'
'What a brilliant idea, ta ta!'
'Got any lobsters...hello?...does this mean I win?'

Halfway there

Amazingly, I'm halfway there on the book, though how long the other half will take is anyone's guess!

Other shores

Since you are denied a new story for the foreseeable future as my usual brilliance (what there is of it) is currently stashed in the closet of too little sleep, you'll have to make due with other authors and previously published works.  Here's one I came across at a used bookstore on a distant shore (all shores being distant from here).  I've tried to read Spencer's 'Faerie Queen' but haven't made much progress, more for lack of time than anything, but the tale of 'St. George and the Dragon,' is rendered beautifully in this book, both from an artistic and a literary standpoint.  Enjoy!

No news is not good news

For all you enthusiasts waiting impatiently for my next release (ye blessed few), sorry, there is no news to report; think of it as a rain delay in a baseball game, a months long rain delay, maybe we'd better call Noah!

Dog Days

It's hot, go read something, preferably cold or at least Springish!

Trivia and trivialities

In America it is Independence Day, the 4th of July, my question to you is do they have a 4th of July in England?

Yes, they do, and a 5th of July and even a 6th of July, yes, yes, that joke is old as the hills.  But there is your trivia.

As for the much anticipated (by someone, somewhere I'm sure, maybe only by me) there has been a minor glitch in my schedule and it may be on the back burner for a bit.  I'll keep you posted (if any of you there be).

Things most vital?

I've got a title and a cover (the most important part of a book right?).  I'm even working on a catchy description.  Now if I could just finish the book!

Slightly more than a rumor

Well, the rumors be true, at least partially.  I've got the first portion of the new book scribbled out and am wrestling the rest of the beast into story form as best I can.  Stay tuned!

Books and rumors of books

After a rather significant hiatus, I'm dabbling in bookery again.  There are rumors, perhaps exaggerated, that I'm working on another 'Shadow' book, I'll keep you posted (if anyone is actually interested that is!).  Even if substantiated, this announcement is not exactly going to set the internet afire, but I thought you'd like to know this is actually a real author's website, one who writes actual books (sometimes!).  Let the eager waiting begin...?

Your choice!

I read North and South a few years ago but didn't think it was all that memorable, better than Middlemarch, but still not something I'm likely to read again for a very long time.  I just finished Wives and Daughters and thought that was much better.  So pick one of the three and I'll expect a report by the end of the week on one of these lesser known but still classic works.  For extra credit, read two or all three and write a 2 million word dissertation comparing and contrasting them.

Official Permission

That's right, you have official permission (a rare treat, I know) to go a watch some actual media.  Check out these recommendations on film adaptations of a few classic novels, and maybe try the works on which they are based!  Have fun!

Take a really long hike!

Last week's assignment was to get you in shape for this week: get lost!  Find some nice woodsy wild place and vanish with a book or three and enjoy the combined delight of nature and literature.  Life doesn't get much better!

Take a hike

Yes, ditch the book (for once) and get outside and enjoy this fleeting wonderfulness called Spring!  Frodo will be waiting for you when you get back.

An assignment too good to be true!

It's spring, go outside and play, better yet, go outside and read (the best of both worlds!).

You have one guess...

Yes, you are correct, this week you MUST read 'Return of the King,' and I need a sixty page, single spaced, size 12 font paper comparing and contrasting the journey of Frodo with that of Odysseus (I suppose that means you need to read the 'Odyssey' too!) by Thursday...anybody missing English 101 yet?  At least the reading list is better!

You guessed it!

Yep, last week we read 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' this week you get to read 'The Two Towers' and write a thousand words on the abuse of Faramir in the movie.

How to be a great author: do your homework!

I've taken the requisite (and a few elective) English/writing classes and sought the best means of becoming a successful author (however you define it).  And guess what, there is no book or website or class or publisher that will turn you into a great writer in 3 easy steps (for only $99!).  The best authors are well read and practice their craft, persistently.  That's it, the secret to success: yes, hard work, patience, and perseverance, whether you are a writer, a musician, a baker, a doctor, whatever.  So get busy, whatever your passion!  For you aspiring writers out there, this week's assignment is 'The Fellowship of the Ring.'  Enjoy!

The writer's climb

I've been reading the 'Emily' books by L.M. Montgomery and am enjoying her portrayal of the aspiring author's struggle and climb to 'greatness' (however one defines it for themselves); it is nice to see an honest description of the trials, frustrations, despair, and triumphs of trying to reach any goal, a nice change from the 'just do it' and 'chase your dreams' rhetoric of the modern West.  Dreams take time, work, and luck to become realized and some of them never come to fruition and sometimes what we think we want most isn't all that great when we actually achieve it.  A lovely exploration of what it means to be an aspiring creative genius and also a glimpse at the struggles of a woman choosing ambition over love, very timely for the modern woman though it was written nearly a century ago!

This week in literature

This week's reading assignment is 'The Blue Castle' by L.M. Montgomery of 'Anne of Green Gables' fame.  It is a rather obscure book, but in some ways I actually prefer it to the 'Anne' books (sacrilege, I know!) but you'll have to read it to judge for yourself.

Behind the scenes of a classic

Usually your weekly reading assignment is to read something, but in very rare cases, I will allow you to watch the movie, in this case there isn't a book, but with the 5 hour 'Pride and Prejudice' with Collin Firth or 'Much Ado About Nothing,' they are faithful enough to the book/play that you can swap one for the other.  I have not yet seen it, but 'To Walk Invisible' looks like a great movie based on the lives of the Bronte sisters.  If you are a 'Jane Eyre' fan, I think it will be a very interesting peek into the life of the author.  Find the article here.  

Assignment

Your reading assignment this week is Jane Eyre (once considered something of a radical feminist novel).  Remember, this is 23.7% of your grade!

All the news from Bree?

There might be news from Bree, but certainly not from Astoria, so go read something Tolkienish.

New Website!

I finally have an 'official website' for my books.  Check it out here!

Bad advice and worse advice?

Want to be healthy, wealthy, and wise?  I think that has something to do with getting up early so has nothing whatsoever to do with this post.  How about something totally enthralling and countercultural?  Turn off your device (unless it be an e-reader) and open a book, the older the better. Another good reason not to get up early: you can stay up late to finish 'just one more page...'

Old sayings and new reading assignment

No news is good news, right?  If you are really desperate for something to do, go read 'Little Women.'

Startling news, or not

I know you've been waiting years for this, not really, but it is fun to say: I've updated a few covers, same content, but slightly better to look at.

A trifling assignment

Okay kids, this week's reading assignment is to read your choice of G.K. Chesterton's many essays.  I am particularly fond of 'Cheese,' but take your pick.  It is strange how relevant much of his writing still is today though he was writing about issues of his own day, but then I suppose humanity at its most basic level never changes much, we just change the furniture around or repaint the walls a bit.  Here are a few of his compilations, and be warned, like potato chips, you can't stop at just one!:

All Things Considered
Tremendous Trifles
Alarms and Discursions

A tale (or five) worth the telling

I have yet to read any of the short tales listed in this article but they all look really good and a quick search on project Gutenberg came up with each of them (usually in a larger collection) free of charge, enjoy!

Back to work?

This week's reading assignment: 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen, you may watch the 5 hour miniseries with Colin Firth, but anything with zombies in it does not count.

Black Friday, the extended edition?

I've revamped the prices on most of my books via smashwords, it may take a little while for other retailers to adjust prices, and prices at amazon sadly won't change, but that is beyond my control.  Enjoy!

The most minor of updates

You will be delighted to know there is a new story in 'Over the Hills and Faraway,' well, probably not, but now you know!

Mightier than the pen?

What a winter!  A perfect time to delve into the classics, G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis are keeping me enthralled through many a long, gloomy night, at least when I'm not shoveling snow.  If only the shovel were as mighty as the pen...?