I’m a couple weeks late after the newest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer came out but I only saw it when I went to see Inception. It looks like it’s going to be phenomenal! I do have to say though that this whole splitting the last book in a series into two movies is just wrong. Harry Potter, Eclipse…I mean come on…we’ve bought and read all the books, we’ve gone to all the movies, we’ve bought the DVDs…do you have to stretch the beejezus out of the last one? Come on!
Rant said, the Harry Potter trailer looks awesome. I could almost be convinced that it would be worth it to see it in two parts. Almost. All I can say is that they have to do it right – and not just stretch it out painfully so that they can make the two movies. They both have to have standalone substance.
Holy crow, True Blood! Blood, guts, gore, and more. Way to wake Tara up! I think I am now a little afraid of her badassness – biting Franklin in the neck and then bludgeoning his skull to flatness with a grisly-looking spiky hammer! Outstanding! Although I do have to say that I don’t think Franklin is dead because all I was thinking was “cut his head off, Tara, cut it off!” Between that, burning, and staking, it’s really the only real ways to kill one of those sneaky suckers. Love how she takes charge to rescue Sookie and then they tandem kick the bejeezus out of the guard. That was just spectacular. I think I almost liked Tara in that moment. Almost.
Eric didn’t really impress me much in this episode but I guess he’s tortured by other things like almost-forgotten family vengeance. I did enjoy him putting the beat-down on Sophie-Anne.
Eric: “I’m older and stronger than you…I only submitted to you in the past because of respect…I will rip your head of and throw it in the pool, and I will have fun doing it!”
Hiss hiss, snarl snarl.
But that was just a snippet of the old Eric. I know he’s only being a sycophant just to get close to Russell but it’s bordering on skeevy. Definitely a lot of mano-y-mano action in this episode between Eric, Russell and Talbot (little jealous man-wife), and of course, Lafayette and Jesus (hot orderly boy if you’ve forgotten). Speaking of those two, I honestly have to say that that was the best boy-boy kiss I have ever seen on TV. I was totally cheering for Lafayette! Well, until of course he totally ruins it all when Jesus finds out that he’s a drug dealer. Silly Lafayette.
The other sub-plots are moving along but aren’t interesting enough for me to think about with any huge amount of brain space. Sam and family engaged in a shady dog-fighting ring. Blah. Jessica and her random eating habits. Blah. Jason and Crystal’s on-the-sly outdoor extravaganza. Blah. Still think she’s a werewolf by the way.
Can’t wait for next week now that Lorena finally has Sookie in her clutches! Definitely need to see some more of that supernatural killing force from her! And of course more of Alcide seeing that we only got a tiny little teaser of a view….although he was naked after morphing from wolf form so not complaining too hard.
Previews for next week look awesome! True Blood airs on HBO at 9pm on Sundays. Get yours!!
Just a quick post to say that the queries are out. Typically, every agency has rules but you know what, I’m a sales person at heart and I want to sell my product. So I’m out there trying to sell it, hard core. If this isn’t viewed as a business, then that agent is never going to be successful selling your book. They have to passionate about your work, as much as you are, and they have to have sales savvy. Plus of course have lots of contacts, and not the eye kind.
So you probably know by now from my extensive posts on querying agents (shame if you don’t), my query process basically means that I have a researched list of anyone looking for new clients in my category/genre, and then it’s “Hi yo, Silver, away!” That’s the Lone Ranger for you young’uns. Why the list, you ask? Well it’s such a subjective process. So go for anyone who would be a good fit for you and your book. Seriously, what if you get someone on a bad day, and then you’re screwed from the whole agency? Come on. At the end of the day, they’re human too, so make sure you cover your bases.
Repeat slowly – it is a business, and again. It. Is. A. Business. A business to make money.
Everyone in the entire publishing industry views it that way, so why shouldn’t you? I’m not saying don’t respect the rules, but bend them if you have to. I mean this is your dream, is it not? As my Aussie friends say, harden up. Push the limits. And remember, it’s the law of numbers – a rule I learned in Sales 101. The more you send out, the more responses you’ll get, and the greater chance for an offer, or maybe fifteen. I got 8 offers the last time so there’s something to be said for that law. And of course having stellar writing which comes in a close second. Or first. Seriously, that’s first.
Response has been fantastic so far. Lots of interest, so fingers crossed that it will just be about me connecting with the person who’s going to take me to the next level. My Mr. or Ms. Right-Agent. I can’t wait. Wow, this could be like an episode of the Literary Bachelorette or something. *Caution – too much query excitement can cause random delirium and some serious verbal vomit. Thank goodness it’s here and not in el query or el novel.
No kidding. It feels like everything is coming to boiling point. Writing a new book, a literary one mind you…no urban fantasy here, just evil masquerading as nice, normal individuals. Seriously, you don’t need to be a vampire or a werewolf to be inhuman. Strip away those top layers and sometimes you will be disgusted to see what you find in the very people around you. That’s not to say you don’t find good things too, but more often than not, there’s darkness lurking. It’s the human condition.
But I digress.
So between writing my third book, publishing the first one (hoping fervently that it will take off like a rocket), and getting a new literary agent for the second book (new series), it feels like my world is entering hyper-drive! But I’m not complaining! Don’t get me wrong…it’s just overwhelming. But oh so good!
If you’re interested on learning how to query an agent, check back to my links on that subject. I’ll keep you posted on progress of all three. Query-city next week!!
Tara gets out of stupid mode and is actually funny in this episode. Loved her OMG faces when she’s talking to the obviously psychotic Franklin. He is hilarious when he does the “how-fast-can-I-text” thing. What a tool. Hopefully Tara is wily enough to wrap him around her little finger before she becomes the meal du jour slash vampire bride.
Nice twist with Eric showing up (of course Talbot finds him hot!) Thought the back-story when he sees the crown in the king’s collection with him and his father was also neat, which reveals that Eric is in fact a Viking prince. Classic. Just adds in the element of “vengeance” against the house of cards that the old Mississippi King Vamp Russell is building.
Now for the rest of the True Blood sub-plots… Not really sure where the whole Sam and family thing is going, especially with his father’s rage against his little brother. I’m sure there’s a reason but it’s just boring – alright already, tell us what it is. Also interested to see who this mystery girl is that Jason keeps seeing. $50 says that she is a wolf too (or some other kind of super freak). Very happy that Lafayette is going to hook up with the cute orderly who takes care of his mother! Being Eric’s little cabana boy and dealing with his crazy cousin Tara all day long, the poor boy needs some nice in his life!
Absolutely loved the end of this episode where Bill goes completely nuts against Cooter and his vampire guard. And then the piece with Sookie using the strange power that first came to light against the maenad from last season was very cool. Mr. Vamp King definitely likes that considering he probably wants to use Sookie for his own ends. That little clap thing he did was extremely creepy.
Prepare to get completely mind-effed. I was, and am still recovering.
Rated at 84% on the tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes, Inception was an amazing film. Not only was it a fantastic visual experience, the plot is so intricate with so many layers, that you would need to see this movie more than once to even try to get it. Based on mazes as the basis for the architectural design of the dream world, Inception certainly seems to be just one giant maze that your mind constantly swings around – like the unending staircase loop. Paradox.
Similar to the Matrix in terms of its question of reality, Inception brings a new concept to the fore – entering one’s dreams to steal secrets or learn one’s thoughts. That is known as extraction. Inception on the other hand is the planting of an idea of external origin into the dreamer’s subconscious so that they come to accept and believe the idea as their own. Sounds simple right? In fact, it is far from simple as the delicacy required to not have the dreamer’s subconscious automatically reject a foreign thought is almost impossible.
In Inception, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Cobb, an extraction artist. A fugitive from the US, he is engaged by a third party, Saito, who asks him to perform inception with the heir of a billionaire and plant an idea to break-up his father’s empire to avoid a global corporate monopoly. To even achieve the near-impossible inception, Cobb and his team need to go four-layers deep into the dream-state, dreams within dreams, which puts them dangerously close to being in limbo (a state where you cannot return to reality). In each of the layers, they face different dangers, not just the dreamer’s subconscious protectors, but also Cobb’s own demons (his dead wife that guilt has kept alive in his mind) that attempt to sabotage them. Ultimately, they succeed in planting the idea, and Saito wipes Cobb’s record allowing him to get back to his children. In true movie fashion (*groan*), in the last few minutes, you are left haunted with whether Cobb’s reunion is actually a dream or reality, and whether they even succeeded at all!!!!
All I can say at this point is that the collective groan of the entire movie audience summed it up. MIND-EFFED.
Great cinematography – as good as anything your mind can dream up – that keeps your heart pumping while your mind is racing uncontrollably trying to keep up. Let me put it this way. If you’re looking for escapism, look elsewhere. This film will make you think, make your brain work trying to connect the different pieces…it just might make you insane trying to work out all the variables or invariables as the case may be. It’s so open to interpretation that you will think one thing one minute and then something completely different the next. Is it possible? Is it improbable? Is it doable? Is it one big mind-game? Who knows.
Amazing film. I would rate Inception 4 out of 5 stars. But like I said…that could change on a dime. Definitely a “go see it.” And pay attention because if you miss one second, it could change everything.
I finally managed to get in to see Eclipse over the weekend. I can honestly say that from Twilight to New Moon to Eclipse, the movies have definitely improved. But of course, boatloads of money will do that for you. I’m still not a huge fan of Robert Pattinson *gasp* but I’m very impressed with Taylor Lautner in this go-around. I found him to be very interesting (and hot) as Jacob, and am now wavering in my self-professed “vamp-girl-for-life” persuasion.
Rated at 54% on the tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes, the film did have some great moments, like the fight scene between the vampires and the wolves which was exciting and fast-paced. I’m not sure I’m a fan of the diamond bodies – something about it just doesn’t resonate with me but that could be because I’m a crumble-to-ash-when-staked kind of girl. Old school. Nonetheless, in the new school, it was still pretty cool.
The core of the novels, I didn’t really enjoy the love scenes between Bella and Edward as much as I did when I’d read the books. In the film, I found them long and drawn-out. They were tedious and sappy, and I wanted to get to the action sequences. Something about Edward in this movie also felt a lot older to me – he didn’t seem as young as he did in the other two movies. Maybe that’s what made the love scenes seem awkward. Not entirely sure. I did like the interaction between Bella and Jacob – they were far more interesting. Plus you can’t help rooting for Jacob – the little underdog…er…wolf.
I also really enjoyed the back stories of each of the Cullens, and I especially liked Jasper’s story. I thought he was really great in this film – loved his humor and found that he reminded me of Louis from Interview with a Vampire at times (when he was conducting the training of the vampires and werewolves to fight the newborns), which was very cool.
Overall, I’d say it was a decent representation of the novel, and a film that most Twihards will enjoy. Me, I liked all the action scenes, Jacob’s constantly shirtless tanned body, and the nice one-liners throughout.
Edward: Doesn’t he own a shirt?
Not to mention the first kiss between Jacob and Bella which was so funny.
Charlie: What’s going on?
Jacob: I kissed Bella. And she broke her hand. Punching my face.
Classic. Love Charlie!
The film had both good and bad moments, but overall I enjoyed it. I thought that Xavier Samuel who played Riley also did a good job of being Victoria’s little minion. But in the end, he dies, poor thing. Dakota Fanning as Jane, in the little we did see of her, does a great job combining the little girl looks with stone cold killer. Got chills from that one…nice. Not sure who the other two Volturi were but didn’t care too much on that front. Jane and Felix were enough for me.
Overall I would rate Eclipse, the movie, 3 out of 5 stars. It was fun and stayed true to the book which fans will love. Couple that with Edward’s broodiness and cool vampire hair, and Jacob’s chiseled abs, and well, you’ve got box-office millions. Enjoy!
So the last episode of True Blood entitled Crimes was pretty decent. LOVED the dream that Eric had about Sookie, but loved even more the look that was on his face when he woke up. Classic. Normally it’s about humans dreaming about vampires not the other way around! He was completely shaken!
Definitely got my fill of Alcide as he steps in to help Sookie find the man/werewolf who kidnapped Bill. On that note, funny to notice that the same hot/cold metaphor comes up – cold for vampires, hot for werewolves. Obviously it’s not a new thing.
Sookie: Oh my god, you’re so warm.
Alcide: It’s a were thing, we run hot.
This just brings me to my rant of the day which of course is that everything to do with vampires and werewolves has been done. Even in this episode, they talk about Sookie being a telepath and not being able to hear Bill, which is the same thing between another vamp popular couple, Bella and Edward. He can’t hear her thoughts. There’s rarely anything new, well except of course for sparkling fairy-dust vampires. But I digress.
The best part (and saddest) about this episode was Bill being so cold to poor Sookie – “You are no longer of concern to me,” and telling her that he’d just been with Lorena. Ouch. That was stone cold. Despite his iciness to Sookie, Bill has definitely gotten his sexy back – how hot does he look when he gets angry and smashes Lorena in the face? Fantastic! I am liking the new Bill…
Apart from the whole plot movement of the Mississippi king vamping out his blood to the werewolves (which hopefully is going to come back in a huge way because you have to imagine that if dealing V to humans is so bad, giving it to the werewolves is even worse), the episode was very entertaining. Tara is still as dumb as ever but maybe one of these days she will surprise me, and Franklin is just plain psycho. The sub-plot of Sam and his family is a little boring but I’m sure they have a purpose. Love that Sam hired Jessica to do some waitressing (and of course Arlene’s reaction – “I’m the only redhead!”) And of course the magistrar vampire dude laying the law down on Eric by punishing Pam is pretty cool.
Looking forward to next week, now that Eric has a timeline to find Bill.
These last two episodes of True Blood felt more like plot movers than anything especially with the Eric/Godric flashbacks and the Bill/Lorena flashbacks, although there were a couple exciting moments in both episodes.
I forgot to mention Sam’s search for his family in my last post but that’s because it just wasn’t as interesting as anything else. It’s pretty obvious that they are going to cause trouble for him so it’s just watch and wait at this point. Also Jessica’s three episode affair with her dead trucker is very grating. It’s like, come on already. We get it. He’s dead and rotting, and she’s grossed out. Move on. However I do like Pam’s role in Jessica’s development. Love her dry sarcasm and unwilling “motherly” role, which is the antithesis of what she is.
So first of all, what is with the vampire royalty turning up everywhere? There’s a king and queen of every state? Plus a sheriff? That’s a lot of law for a lot of underworld lawlessness going on! Like kidnapping poor Bill. Not sure I like the king of Mississippi and his annoying consort, Talbot. The jury’s also out on the new slimy looking vampire who seduces Tara (she’s so dumb!) to get closer to Sookie.
But I do like the fact that Arlene is pregnant with Terry’s kid – because I KNOW that something good is coming out of that one. I mean fast-growing fetus? Oh yes, Mr. Terry is no ordinary human is my guess. I would even venture to say that he’s a werewolf. Speaking of werewolves, LOVE that Joe Manganiello (Owen on One Tree Hill) is playing Alcide. Hot!
Definitely looking forward to this Sunday’s episode if only to see more of him!
The last thing I need to mention is the sex scene between Bill and Lorena. Now that was awkward to even watch. Ouch. Guess he really, really hates her. From the previews of the next episode, looks like Bill only succeeds in pushing Sookie closer to Eric. Flame on peeps! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned by her vampire lover!
Ok, so it’s been back for a few weeks but if you’ve been following my blogging, you would know that I have been in Europe where True Blood is barely in its infancy, conception stages even. Either way, I very smartly DVR’d True Blood while I was away and am now about to embark on a lovely mini-marathon. The best thing about my 3 episode extravaganza? No waiting between episodes! Woohoo!
Episode 1 – Bad Blood aka “Conscience off, Dick on”
OMG #1: Eric naked
OMG #2: Stackhouse naked
OMG #3: Eric naked. Um, sorry, got distracted.
Not a bad first episode to the new season at all, especially with the introduction of the werewolves. Tara is as annoying as ever, and I am still waiting for Lafayette to get his spunk on. I enjoyed seeing more of Pam – I find her a very interesting character. She’s got some nice sass. I must admit I felt a wee thrill when she got up in Lafayette’s face, and said, “I am no hooker. That was a very…very long time ago.” Classic.
So far, I am also really enjoying the dynamic between Eric and Sookie. I love the little undercurrents between them, and it’s nice to see Eric’s…um…sensitive side. Jessica is cool too and I am excited to see what happens with her.
I do have to say that when I saw the werewolves, I felt disappointed. I mean they were just plain old wolves. That’s been done. In Twilight, the wolves are just basically giant wolves. In Blood and Chocolate, they were plain wolves as well. Call me old school, but when I think of werewolves, I think of half-man, half-wolf creatures. Lycans all the way. But I will give props to the director for including the 5 minute Post Mortem at the end – solid move, especially since they explain why they went with the plain wolves as the were-form, and the fact that they use real wolves on set is cool. Plus, Stephen Moyer’s (Bill) accent was so hot, that I think I would have loved anything he said about those wolves period!
So on this past weekend’s trip to the romantic oasis of Lugano nestled in the south of Switzerland in the Swiss Alps, I got hit with a hot bolt of inspiration – I am going to write Lena’s story.
Lena is one of the supporting characters from my novel Bloodspell, and she is an intriguing bit of work, especially since she was my main male character’s first love back in the eighteenth century. In Bloodspell, Lena is standoffish and powerful, but she came from somewhere…she was a vulnerable girl once. I want to write about that. At the very least, I’ll jot down some notes, but I’m definitely feeling it.
Although it is now known as the Monte Carlo of Switzerland because of its range of jet-set visitors, Lugano (resting on the shores of the magnificent Lake Lugano) has been populated since the Stone Age, and has been claimed by the Italians, the Swiss, and the French all at some point during its long history, making it great food for thought…and writing this story!
Being inside a glacier is no joke. It is breathtaking and awe-inspiring! My journey to the glacier high in the Swiss Alps began on a tour bus in central Zurich that wound its way down to Lucerne through lush countryside and gorgeous mountains until it came to a stop at the base of Mount Titlis. It took three sets of cable cars and various stages of ear-popping to get to the very top of the mountain, where the light rain had turned to snow and the temperature dropped from 70 degrees to a bone-chilling 24.
10,000 feet above, I stood outside my jacket clutched to my neck, the wind gusts tossing around heavy drifts of snow like clouds of talcum powder, and I stared down the mountain awed. I was at the top of the world. For a brief moment, I wished I had a pair of skis pointed downward, and then as a wind gust slammed into my body like a WWF champion, I had a change of heart. I made my way inside, cowed.
It was time to head into the belly of the beast. I made my way along a narrow platform and pushed open the makeshift doors that led into the glacier. The walls were varied hues of gray and white with shimmering pieces of ice here and there, and cold to the touch as you would expect. What I didn’t expect was the sheer size of the caves that twisted into smaller caverns and winding tunnels until they merged into the darkness beyond. In some areas, I stood in total darkness! Freaky! I was inside a giant ice-cube! I even saw some ice blocks carved into the side of the glacier, like the ones that would build an igloo.Of course, man-made but still very cool.
What an incredible experience! And a boatload of story inspiration and ideas, which of course as you know by now is my M.O. Stay tuned, maybe one of these days, I’ll link back to this post.
The Lion of Lucerne is a memorial sculpture in Lucerne, Switzerland commemorating the 760 Swiss soldiers killed during the French Revolution in 1792 while serving Louis XVI. It was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen, and sculpted out of the sandstone rock in 1820/1821 by Lucas Ahorn. The monument is dedicated Helvetiorum Fidei ac Virtuti – To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss.
The dying lion is portrayed impaled by a spear, covering a shield with marked with the French fleur-de-lis (symbol of the French monarchy). Beside the lion is another shield bearing the Swiss coat of arms. The inscription below the sculpture lists the names of the soldiers who died.
Mark Twain spoke of the fatally-wounded lion saying that it was “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”
I’m a couple weeks late after the newest Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows trailer came out but I only saw it when I went to see Inception. It looks like it’s going to be phenomenal! I do have to say though that this whole splitting the last book in a series into two movies is just wrong. Harry Potter, Eclipse…I mean come on…we’ve bought and read all the books, we’ve gone to all the movies, we’ve bought the DVDs…do you have to stretch the beejezus out of the last one? Come on!
