Amazon Reviews
I just broke below 1400 in rankings at Amazon.com this weekend. It's the closest I've been so far to the coveted TOP 1000 reviewer ranking I've wanted to achieve for the last three years.
If you have some time and want to help out, pop over to Amazon via my AMAZON REVIEWS on the links and gimme a couple votes. I'm not begging. Not...yet.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Oh Man! Atomic Zebra Is At It Again!
My good friend Don has a blog spot that is full of wit and satire. He's genius. Check out his beaver problems on his blog.
http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2007/02/beer-belly-beowulf.html
Tell him Mel sent you!
My good friend Don has a blog spot that is full of wit and satire. He's genius. Check out his beaver problems on his blog.
http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2007/02/beer-belly-beowulf.html
Tell him Mel sent you!
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Awesome SF-Navy Series: Honor Harrington
Honor Harrington is the heroine of several novels. On Basilisk Station is the first. In this book, Honor is a junior grade officer who ends up with a bad assignment because she made higher-grade officers look bad in a war games maneuver. She’s young, clever, ambitious, loyal, and not afraid of anything. I was intrigued that a woman was the main character of the novels. The genre is military science fiction, a hybrid whose parent genres usually fall into the domain of “boy” books. But the author, and Honor, pull off the duty amazingly well. When Honor thinks on the page, I never forgot that she was a woman in a man’s world, and that made her course of action all the more daunting in some respects.
After upstaging her fellow officers in the war game, Honor is reassigned to the armpit of the known universe. At least, one of the armpits. Stuck out at Basilisk Station where the Royal Mantacorian Navy doesn't really bother to enforce all the rules and turns a blind eye to some of the black market dealings there that are extremely profitable to corporations who have the ears of the royal courts, Honor feels doomed to a career of mediocrity. Fate intervenes, though, and the main flagship and the captain return for new fittings. Everybody knows, however, that the ranking officer just wants to log some downtime and leave his newest officer abandoned with the impossible and hopeless task of policing the area. Honor is left behind and placed in charge with a ragtag crew that hasn't yet learned to work together.
But no one expects Honor to attempt the impossible. She seizes opportunity by the throat and begins mounting her own campaign to be the best royal naval officer she can. And her first order of business is to emphasize the Navy’s presence in the area and shut down smugglers’ routes. She meets immediate resistance on part of the smugglers as well as local business and corporate trade ships from Haven, another star system that’s bent on reaping as many profits legally and illegally as they can.
David Weber is an accomplished military science fiction author. He's written the Honor Harrington books as well as other series and novels with John Ringo. The Honor Harrington universe has even spawned a sister series that concentrates on other characters from those worlds.
The book reminded me a lot of a Horatio Hornblower novel, and the movies put out by A&E. The same kind of political and military problems got in Honor's way, as well as similar crew problems. But Weber intentionally designed the series to echo that. The Star Court of Mantacore is basically Great Britain while the People’s Republic of Haven takes France’s place. Even the feel of the navy, the pomp and procedures, is a lot the same. But the Napoleonic War still captures the attentions of readers, and these books make the conflict enjoyable all over again.
But Weber excels in worldbuilding as well as military strategy and science fiction hardware. His military, his worlds, and his struggles felt real all through the book. Despite the fact that he based so much of his future on our past, I was hooked by the familiarity as well as the detail of his space battles and political and military jockeying. I'm looking forward to reading the other Honor Harrington books.
Another area where Weber excels so naturally is in the characters. Honor Harrington “feels” like a real person. So does her XO, McKeon. The troubles she has with her crew, figuring out what to do with them as well as how to win them over, are real and natural. Although McKeon doesn’t warm up to Honor at first and the reader will dislike him for a time, when he reveals his motivations for being so distant make him believable and likeable. Other abrasive personality conflicts, like the one with the ship’s doctor, aren’t resolved in a win-win manner. The crew, and the reader, discovers that Honor doesn’t mind playing the bad guy or getting a little blood on her hands.
Later, in the final acts of the book when Honor is dealing with every sordid and underhanded thing that her enemies and political rivals can throw at her, I was delighted to watch her calmly and precisely pull the teeth of those serpents and kick them in the butt on the way out the door. Honor isn’t just an action heroine. She’s also a thinking reader’s ideal warrior. Even when the conflict didn’t involve lasers, assault rifles, or long-range missiles, but instead focused on political powers of privilege and vulnerable political positioning, I was drawn in through those encounters and simply couldn’t stop reading.
After upstaging her fellow officers in the war game, Honor is reassigned to the armpit of the known universe. At least, one of the armpits. Stuck out at Basilisk Station where the Royal Mantacorian Navy doesn't really bother to enforce all the rules and turns a blind eye to some of the black market dealings there that are extremely profitable to corporations who have the ears of the royal courts, Honor feels doomed to a career of mediocrity. Fate intervenes, though, and the main flagship and the captain return for new fittings. Everybody knows, however, that the ranking officer just wants to log some downtime and leave his newest officer abandoned with the impossible and hopeless task of policing the area. Honor is left behind and placed in charge with a ragtag crew that hasn't yet learned to work together.
But no one expects Honor to attempt the impossible. She seizes opportunity by the throat and begins mounting her own campaign to be the best royal naval officer she can. And her first order of business is to emphasize the Navy’s presence in the area and shut down smugglers’ routes. She meets immediate resistance on part of the smugglers as well as local business and corporate trade ships from Haven, another star system that’s bent on reaping as many profits legally and illegally as they can.
David Weber is an accomplished military science fiction author. He's written the Honor Harrington books as well as other series and novels with John Ringo. The Honor Harrington universe has even spawned a sister series that concentrates on other characters from those worlds.
The book reminded me a lot of a Horatio Hornblower novel, and the movies put out by A&E. The same kind of political and military problems got in Honor's way, as well as similar crew problems. But Weber intentionally designed the series to echo that. The Star Court of Mantacore is basically Great Britain while the People’s Republic of Haven takes France’s place. Even the feel of the navy, the pomp and procedures, is a lot the same. But the Napoleonic War still captures the attentions of readers, and these books make the conflict enjoyable all over again.
But Weber excels in worldbuilding as well as military strategy and science fiction hardware. His military, his worlds, and his struggles felt real all through the book. Despite the fact that he based so much of his future on our past, I was hooked by the familiarity as well as the detail of his space battles and political and military jockeying. I'm looking forward to reading the other Honor Harrington books.
Another area where Weber excels so naturally is in the characters. Honor Harrington “feels” like a real person. So does her XO, McKeon. The troubles she has with her crew, figuring out what to do with them as well as how to win them over, are real and natural. Although McKeon doesn’t warm up to Honor at first and the reader will dislike him for a time, when he reveals his motivations for being so distant make him believable and likeable. Other abrasive personality conflicts, like the one with the ship’s doctor, aren’t resolved in a win-win manner. The crew, and the reader, discovers that Honor doesn’t mind playing the bad guy or getting a little blood on her hands.
Later, in the final acts of the book when Honor is dealing with every sordid and underhanded thing that her enemies and political rivals can throw at her, I was delighted to watch her calmly and precisely pull the teeth of those serpents and kick them in the butt on the way out the door. Honor isn’t just an action heroine. She’s also a thinking reader’s ideal warrior. Even when the conflict didn’t involve lasers, assault rifles, or long-range missiles, but instead focused on political powers of privilege and vulnerable political positioning, I was drawn in through those encounters and simply couldn’t stop reading.
If you haven't read any of these books, then -- like me -- you're about to find a treasure trove of good reading material. But start here with On Basilisk Station. This is where the action begins and Honor takes up the greatest challenge of her career.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Death Is In The Cards
Texas Hold’Em style poker took the world by storm a few years ago, and the attraction the viewing public has for the sport isn’t showing any signs of waning. Poker even featured prominently in the remake of the James Bond film, Casino Royale. Vince Van Patten, the charismatic host of World Poker Tour, the heavily syndicated weekly television show, raises the table stakes by writing a new book with professional author Robert J. Randisi.
Billed as the first Texas Hold’Em mystery, The Picasso Flop unveils an interesting cast of characters amid luxurious Las Vegas. The book focuses on Jimmy Spain, a poker player who had his streak toward greatness cut when he got sent to jail for murder. Fifteen years in prison has blunted his game, but a vicious turn of events puts Jimmy back on the firing line with the table stakes higher than he’s ever faced before.
Spain is a likeable character, with enough presence and history to hold his own in the world of high-stakes poker. I enjoyed his easy-going approach to poker as well as the investigations he makes into the murders. Despite the poker and prison backgrounds, Jimmy is the kind of guy you really get to know and root for as a reader. He feels solid and real, and he’s easily understood because he’s vulnerable and maybe a little scared of losing it all again. That’s the kind of hero I go for time after time in these kinds of books.
Fresh out of prison, Jimmy tries to get back in the poker game. Unfortunately he doesn’t quite have the bankroll to manage a buy-in. And, truth to tell, he’s not sure if he’s got his old game back. The skills have gotten rusty and the nerve is a little more frayed than it was. Not only that, but the face of poker has changed now that the game attracts millions of viewers to the green felt tables.
While he’s practicing his game at a few low-end places, Jimmy gets a phone call from an old prison cell mate. Landrigan is a powerful criminal with money to burn even while in prison. Landrigan tells Jimmy that he wants him to look out for his estranged daughter, Kat. Kat Landrigan is totally into poker and wants to be the next female superstar. She turns out to be a 22-year-old hardcase with moxie, attitude, and a vocabulary she culled from the poker tables. I found her character really offensive and obnoxious, but she grew on me.
At first Jimmy doesn’t want any part of the deal. Even after Landrigan offers to pay Jimmy’s buy-in at the next world poker tournament in Las Vegas, he’s pretty certain he’s going to turn the man down. Then Jimmy meets Kat and he sees that she is sharp as a poker player. He gets to know her and plays against her, and decides that she has promise.
More than that, though, Jimmy wants to be back on the Vegas tables playing for the kind of stakes he’s used to. When the authors write about this, even though they play it low-key, you can feel it. It’s kind of like a Rocky movie, only at a poker table instead inside a boxing ring. The challenge won me over in a heartbeat.
Reluctantly, Jimmy agrees to the assignment. In Vegas, though, the heat turns up quickly. Jimmy’s fight to stay alive at the tables is complicated by trying to keep Kat under control and alive in the game. Although the book starts off a little slow, the pace quickly increases as Jimmy has to put out fires all around him. I got wound up in just watching Jimmy try to sort out and get a handle on his life while he tried to take care of the various responsibilities he’d set up for himself.
Then the first murder occurs.
One of the high-rolling poker players ends up murdered in his hotel room. Not only that, but the killer obviously left calling cards: a jack, a queen, and a king. All three of them are face-cards (bearing pictures of individuals instead of numbers) and are known collectively in Texas Hold’Em as a Picasso Flop, a group of three portrait cards.
It doesn’t take long before the Las Vegas police find out about Jimmy’s past as a convict. As soon as they do, they immediately focus on him. To make matters worse, Kat and another female poker player both claim they spent the night in question with Jimmy, using him as their alibi. Jimmy wasn’t with either of them, and he doesn’t know why they would lie. Wanting to protect Kat, Jimmy lies for her, but he can’t help wondering where she was that she had to lie about it. Or what he’s getting himself into.
Before he can figure that out, the second body falls. Literally. Into the hotel swimming pool. When the body is fished out, another Picasso Flop is found. Someone is definitely sending a message, but no one knows what it is.
The Picasso Flop is a great read. The prose sails along so smoothly you forget you’re reading and start seeing the “movie” in your head. Randisi never intrudes as a writer, and strives to simply spin the tale he and Vince Van Patten have concocted.
For the WPT aficionados, there’s a ton of name-dropping. Mike Sexton and actor James Woods both put in signature appearances. The backdrop of Vegas comes across well. And during the poker play, you can almost hear the cards hitting the felt in the final hands.
I hope that The Picasso Flop just marks the start of a series. Jimmy Spain is a great character to kick back and watch.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
I Love This Series!
The second season of Hustle just hit the stores this week. I fell in love with the first collected season just a few months ago, and now I can’t wait till season 3 is released on DVD.
Hustle features the trials and struggles of a professional long con crew, but with the British flair for tongue firmly rooted in cheek. The long con requires an investment of time and money from the confidence men and women working it. Usually the schemes are elaborate and require extensive research, but the shows are so well put together that you don’t realize you’re getting educated as well as entertained.
Each season, so far, consists of 6 hour-long episodes (a full hour, not the 42-minute versions of hours we get on American television). The episodes have truly wonderful writing, brilliant acting, and a sense of familiarity. Every time I pop a disc into the player, I feel like I’m sitting down at a family reunion to catch up on new stories with old friends.
The ringleader of the group is Mickey Bricks. His real name is Michael Stone, but everyone calls him Mickey. Played by Adrian Lester, Mickey is suave, cool, and super-competent. He’s the con artist who always plays with every angle covered and at least two backup plans.
Jaime Murray plays the beautiful and eloquent Stacie Monroe. She’s the banker for the team, meaning she usually handles their finances—and that figures into one of this season’s shows in a dramatic way, but also takes part in most of the cons.
Albert Stroller (Robert Vaughn) is the father-figure of the group. He serves as the roper, the man responsible for pulling a mark (victim) within range of the rest of the team. Vaughn’s portrayal of Stroller is outstanding. He’s so smooth onscreen I just love watching him pontificate, argue, or play to character.
Robert Glenister stars as Ashley “Ash” Morgan. He’s the team’s fixer, the man responsible for finding sites they can use to run the con, and the man who has to fabricate the objects necessary, and their electronics specialist.
Danny Blue, the young short con artist taken on by the team in the first season, is played by Marc Warren. He and Mickey are always bumping heads over work and over Stacie.
Even though the episodes are fun, filled with action and suspense, it’s the characters that really deliver the draw. After an episode or two, I just dropped into their world without any hesitation. I knew I was in good hands because the stories were clever and character interaction came from actors who knew their onscreen persona intimately. When the characters argued, it came out of their nature, not an encumbering plot hook or artificial twist. The season is as honest and forthright as it is fun and endearing.
The first episode, “Gold Mine,” re-introduces the viewer to the team and exactly what the art of the long con is. Mickey and the others are motivated to get revenge for a con man they all know who was taken down by a property manager who had been conned in the past. The interaction between the differing styles between Mickey and Danny really come to the forefront, as well as the rivalry the two have.
“Confessions” starts out when Albert blows a operation after learning about the sad death of an old associate. He’s out of sorts but manages to land another mark. The new mark is a reformed criminal turned into a chef who’s become the owner of the hottest restaurant in London. Danny ends up posing as the man’s son and gets too involved emotionally.
“The Lesson” is absolutely the best episode in the bunch. I loved it so much I watched it twice just to sort out all the diversions, red herrings, and feints. Even as versed as I was in the episodes, this one caught me by surprise. I was blown away by how everything came together in the end, including Stacie’s revenge against a bank manager who was an absolute jerk.
In “Missions,” Mickey has the crew actually pay for a comic book cover, laying out 110,000 pounds of their own money to purchase it. As it turns out, Eddie—the club owner where the crew regularly drinks—is getting squeezed by a crook cop. He tells her about Mickey and the others just as their newest con is about to come together. This episode was really well done with an elaborate set-up.
Part of Stacie’s past returns to haunt the crew in “Old Acquaintances.” Her husband, never an ex because he disappeared and never signed the papers, has turned up in London as a poker player Albert has roped in for a con. Even though Stacie and Mickey have a history with the guy, the crew decides to take him on. Part of it’s for the money, but it’s mostly about revenge for Stacie. However, the con turns awry when exposure to her husband rekindles old feelings.
Although the Crown Jewels of London have reportedly never been stolen, Mickey decides to make that the goal for the crew in “Eye of the Beholder.” This episode is an absolute stunner with all the breaking and entering they had to do, as well as how they get out of trouble with the police after having been arrested.
Hustle is one of the best television shows out there at the moment. Season 3 has aired, and Season 4 is getting ready to start airing in England. However, Adrian Lester has left the show. He’s been replaced by Ashley Walters, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the dynamic changes.
But if you’re a fan of British crime dramas and haven’t yet discovered this crown jewel, you’re in for a treat. The acting, the writing, and the sheer verve of the series make it outstanding. There’s even a wonderful music score. Hustle is a great addition to the home DVD home library or as a gift to someone you know who enjoys television that truly enterains.
Robert B. Parker's New JESSE STONE novel
Just had the opportunity to read the new Jesse Stone novel by Robert B. Parker. Jesse Stone is the police chief of a small Massachusetts town named Paradise. Stone battles alcohol and his obsessive love for his ex-wife while solving murders. The series has slowly grown on me, and I like Tom Selleck's portrayal of the character in the recent made-for-TV movies (now if they would just come to DVD!).
Anyway, pop over to Amazon.com for a short review if you'd like.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Plotting Tips
Currently in my classes I'm discussing plotting. One of the things I've pointed out to students is that the best way to learn plotting is to put their hands on the plots of other people. Keep a journal of the books you've read, the movies you'ves scene, episodes of your favorite television shows, and even the action in video games you play.
All of those mediums have plots. Some are more apparent than others. Some television shows, such as a favorite of mine, HOUSE, are similar from week to week. HOUSE is especially formulaic, and the writers have even poked fun at it in different episodes. The thing is that the plot works each and every time.
As you read through the books, watch movies and television, and play your video games, make notes of where the action starts. What does the character have to achieve in the beginning? How does it become worse as the story progresses? Does the resistance the characters face increase? It should. Do the stakes grow ever higher? They should.
Map the plots you find in your entertainment. Make yourself aware of how the writers boosted your interest level (or lost it!).
You might be surprised at how many plot devices are similar. Most people worry that they're being predictable, but some stories have to head in certain direction and cover familiar territory. The trick is to do some sleight-of-hand, offer surprises, and create characters the reader cares about.
Learn plots, then figure out how to be innovative. It's hard to be innovative when you don't know what's gone on before.
Currently in my classes I'm discussing plotting. One of the things I've pointed out to students is that the best way to learn plotting is to put their hands on the plots of other people. Keep a journal of the books you've read, the movies you'ves scene, episodes of your favorite television shows, and even the action in video games you play.
All of those mediums have plots. Some are more apparent than others. Some television shows, such as a favorite of mine, HOUSE, are similar from week to week. HOUSE is especially formulaic, and the writers have even poked fun at it in different episodes. The thing is that the plot works each and every time.
As you read through the books, watch movies and television, and play your video games, make notes of where the action starts. What does the character have to achieve in the beginning? How does it become worse as the story progresses? Does the resistance the characters face increase? It should. Do the stakes grow ever higher? They should.
Map the plots you find in your entertainment. Make yourself aware of how the writers boosted your interest level (or lost it!).
You might be surprised at how many plot devices are similar. Most people worry that they're being predictable, but some stories have to head in certain direction and cover familiar territory. The trick is to do some sleight-of-hand, offer surprises, and create characters the reader cares about.
Learn plots, then figure out how to be innovative. It's hard to be innovative when you don't know what's gone on before.
Amazon Reviews
Help! I've been stuck on the same number of votes at www.amazon.com for three days. Something's gotta give. It's weirding me out. Blame my OCD.
If you have a couple minutes, go to Mel's Short Reviews on my links and gimme a couple of votes. Just to break the logjam.
Help! I've been stuck on the same number of votes at www.amazon.com for three days. Something's gotta give. It's weirding me out. Blame my OCD.
If you have a couple minutes, go to Mel's Short Reviews on my links and gimme a couple of votes. Just to break the logjam.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
My Son's Science Experiment
Chandler, my 9-year-old, thinks outside the box more than anyone I know. Including me. And I get paid for it.
Tonight, on the way home from martial arts, it was so cold we could see our breath. Chandler borrowed a Dry-Erase marker from my school bag and uncapped it. I had no clue what he was doing.
He started waving the marker in front of his face while he was breathing out. I said, "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to color my breath," he said.
I laughed at him, not believing it.
"Hey," he griped at me. "It was a science experiment. I wondered if I could color my breath."
Only my child.
*Addendum: Just to redeem myself and prove that I CAN think outside the box, I figured out a way to color Chandler's breath. In the morning I'm going to have him breathe out while I sprinkle colored chalk dust into the path of his breath. His breath will pick the color up and swirl it around. Taaaa-daaaa!
Chandler, my 9-year-old, thinks outside the box more than anyone I know. Including me. And I get paid for it.
Tonight, on the way home from martial arts, it was so cold we could see our breath. Chandler borrowed a Dry-Erase marker from my school bag and uncapped it. I had no clue what he was doing.
He started waving the marker in front of his face while he was breathing out. I said, "What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to color my breath," he said.
I laughed at him, not believing it.
"Hey," he griped at me. "It was a science experiment. I wondered if I could color my breath."
Only my child.
*Addendum: Just to redeem myself and prove that I CAN think outside the box, I figured out a way to color Chandler's breath. In the morning I'm going to have him breathe out while I sprinkle colored chalk dust into the path of his breath. His breath will pick the color up and swirl it around. Taaaa-daaaa!
Don McCue Strikes Again!
Don is a friend and fellow writer. But he's also got one of the most cutting senses of humor I've ever seen!
I read an earlier posting of his about the goose invasion of his neighborhood (http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-i-lost-great-goose-war.html), but that looks like merely Nature's pre-emptive strike. Terror is once more loose in Don's backyard. Read about Big Angry Beaver here!
http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2007/02/big-angry-beaver.html
Don is a friend and fellow writer. But he's also got one of the most cutting senses of humor I've ever seen!
I read an earlier posting of his about the goose invasion of his neighborhood (http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2006/12/how-i-lost-great-goose-war.html), but that looks like merely Nature's pre-emptive strike. Terror is once more loose in Don's backyard. Read about Big Angry Beaver here!
http://atomiczebra7.blogspot.com/2007/02/big-angry-beaver.html
Monday, February 12, 2007
University of Oklahoma's "Short Course on Professional Writing"
Years ago, after I just got started in the writing business, I was invited to speak at OU's writing retreat. At that time, the "Professional Writer's Short Course," as it was known then, attracted a large group of interested writers from all over the state. The talks featured writers, agents, and editors from around the United States.
I went to others over the years. I enjoyed them all. During that time I got to meet writers and editors I eventually worked with on various projects, and my agent, Ethan Ellenberg (www.ethanellenberg.com).
Somewhere in there, though, the Short Course disappeared. Its absence has left a huge hole in the Oklahoma writing scene. Many writers came up through the Professional Writing program at the University. As of this semester, I'm an adjunct there.
This past weekend, I met Will Prescott and Jocelyn Pedersen. Together with Elizbeth Childers, Will and Jocelyn are pushing to ressurect the Short Course back into the area.
If you're interested in more information or possibly helping making this happen, check out the Professional Writers Annonymous at http://oupwsa.blogspot.com.
The next PWSA meeting will be Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 pm in the PW lounge in Copeland Hall. They will plan bringing back the PW Short Course and starting the first book club.
If you have any questions they've generously provided phone numbers:
Elizabeth 405-650-7390
Will 405-343-4096
Check it out. The Short Course was awesome. Those few days provided a ton of opportunities and chances to meet working professionals.
Years ago, after I just got started in the writing business, I was invited to speak at OU's writing retreat. At that time, the "Professional Writer's Short Course," as it was known then, attracted a large group of interested writers from all over the state. The talks featured writers, agents, and editors from around the United States.
I went to others over the years. I enjoyed them all. During that time I got to meet writers and editors I eventually worked with on various projects, and my agent, Ethan Ellenberg (www.ethanellenberg.com).
Somewhere in there, though, the Short Course disappeared. Its absence has left a huge hole in the Oklahoma writing scene. Many writers came up through the Professional Writing program at the University. As of this semester, I'm an adjunct there.
This past weekend, I met Will Prescott and Jocelyn Pedersen. Together with Elizbeth Childers, Will and Jocelyn are pushing to ressurect the Short Course back into the area.
If you're interested in more information or possibly helping making this happen, check out the Professional Writers Annonymous at http://oupwsa.blogspot.com.
The next PWSA meeting will be Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 pm in the PW lounge in Copeland Hall. They will plan bringing back the PW Short Course and starting the first book club.
If you have any questions they've generously provided phone numbers:
Elizabeth 405-650-7390
Will 405-343-4096
Check it out. The Short Course was awesome. Those few days provided a ton of opportunities and chances to meet working professionals.
Monday, February 05, 2007
New Music: K T Tunstall "Suddenly I See"
The song has haunted me for a couple weeks now. Caught my attention and just wouldn't let go. The line, "Her face is a map of the world," just filled up my thoughts.
So I did what writers normally do when they find a new passion. I researched her, found out what her name was, discovered she was just as cute as could be, and got her newest CD. Fell in love with the song all over again.
K T Tunstall provides cuts of R&B, bluesy riffs, and some slower ballady stuff that just washes over me while I'm working. I love music I can work to.
If you haven't heard of her, listen for the "Suddenly I See" song on the rock/pop stations. If you get truly curious, check out her site at http://www.kttunstall.com.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!
From Publisher's Weekly
Last seen in Odom's Lord of the Libraries, the hobbitlike Grandmagister Edgewick "Wick" Lamplighter (aka "The Rover") and his protégé, Juhg, hunt for rare books for their library, unearth enchanted armament and barely survive their respective brushes with the evil Goblinkin in their rousing fourth outing. Grandmagister Juhg (promoted after Wick went walkabout at the end of the previous book) goes in search of three encrypted journals that belonged to Wick as well as treasure Wick describes in these journals. In a tricky literary maneuver, Juhg reads through the journals that depict Wick's quest to find all three of the magical weapons lost after the battle of Fell's Keep as if he himself were Wick. Filled with talking beasts, including a cat and a donkey, and quests that have a thousand years of history, this latest addition to this popular series is sure to tickle the fancy of high fantasy fans. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Publisher's Weekly
Last seen in Odom's Lord of the Libraries, the hobbitlike Grandmagister Edgewick "Wick" Lamplighter (aka "The Rover") and his protégé, Juhg, hunt for rare books for their library, unearth enchanted armament and barely survive their respective brushes with the evil Goblinkin in their rousing fourth outing. Grandmagister Juhg (promoted after Wick went walkabout at the end of the previous book) goes in search of three encrypted journals that belonged to Wick as well as treasure Wick describes in these journals. In a tricky literary maneuver, Juhg reads through the journals that depict Wick's quest to find all three of the magical weapons lost after the battle of Fell's Keep as if he himself were Wick. Filled with talking beasts, including a cat and a donkey, and quests that have a thousand years of history, this latest addition to this popular series is sure to tickle the fancy of high fantasy fans. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Order At Amazon
Wow! This Is Good News!
The book doesn't come out till March 20th, but they've evidently gotten their hands on advance copies--and they liked it!
Battlestar Galactica Rocks!
I've heard a lot about this show, and even ordered the first season on DVD. My wife and I usually watch a lot of mystery shows and enjoy those a lot. Lately, wanting something different, I popped in a disc and we watched the opening movie that set up the series.
I watched the original series when it came out in the 1970s and enjoyed it. But this series has grown up a lot. I got hooked early, and Sherry put up with it for a while, then got hooked on the characters.
The characters and the situations feel familiar, and they should because Ronald D. Moore (the show's developer and one of the primary writers) also wrote for Star Trek. I've already ordered Season 2.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Speaking Engagement At Rose State College February 2, 2007
Writers who are wondering about how to take the next step to get their work published can ask those who have done it during a writing seminar called, “Pen Pals: How to Get Published,” which will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 in the H.B. Atkinson Theatre on the Rose State College campus, located at 6420 SE 15th St. in Midwest City, Okla.
The seminar is sponsored by the Rose State College Friends of the Library and is free and open to the public.
Pen Pals will feature two writing professionals; Merline Lovelace (www.merlinelovelace.com), who has written a number of books in the romance market including the “Code Name Danger” series; and Mel Odom, who has authored hundreds of books in multiple genres including novels set in the “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” universe, as well as the "Apocalypse" trilogy for Tyndale House Publishers, which was a spin-off of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’s popular “Left Behind” series.
Other authors who are slated to attend include Carl Sennhenn, former Oklahoma Poet Laureate, and Rose State College professors Gary King, author of “An Autumn Remembered: Bud Wilkinson's Legendary '56 Sooners,” and Tim Tharp, author of “Knights of Hill Country.”
Joshua Pace, author of “Scrying Glass,” a first-time novel written under the pseudonym J.D. Stiver, organized the event.
For more information, contact Pace by calling 733-7400.
Writers who are wondering about how to take the next step to get their work published can ask those who have done it during a writing seminar called, “Pen Pals: How to Get Published,” which will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 in the H.B. Atkinson Theatre on the Rose State College campus, located at 6420 SE 15th St. in Midwest City, Okla.
The seminar is sponsored by the Rose State College Friends of the Library and is free and open to the public.
Pen Pals will feature two writing professionals; Merline Lovelace (www.merlinelovelace.com), who has written a number of books in the romance market including the “Code Name Danger” series; and Mel Odom, who has authored hundreds of books in multiple genres including novels set in the “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer” universe, as well as the "Apocalypse" trilogy for Tyndale House Publishers, which was a spin-off of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins’s popular “Left Behind” series.
Other authors who are slated to attend include Carl Sennhenn, former Oklahoma Poet Laureate, and Rose State College professors Gary King, author of “An Autumn Remembered: Bud Wilkinson's Legendary '56 Sooners,” and Tim Tharp, author of “Knights of Hill Country.”
Joshua Pace, author of “Scrying Glass,” a first-time novel written under the pseudonym J.D. Stiver, organized the event.
For more information, contact Pace by calling 733-7400.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Armored Knight Takes Flight Today!
Marvel Comics introduced playboy Tony Stark back in the 1960s. Every comic buff worth his salt knows the story. Stark was in Vietnam surveying some of the weapons he’d invented while they were in action. While there, he tripped a trap and got blown up. When he recovered, he was in enemy hands and had shrapnel dangerously close to his heart. He and another prisoner, Yin Sen, invented the gray suit of armor that Stark for wore into battle against the Vietnamese warlord.
Iron Man is one of my favorite characters. He’s had a troubled life, constant women problems (some who were lovers who became enemies, and some enemies who became lovers), a severe bout of alcoholism, and (in one of the most confusing bits of retconning ever) turned back into his teenage self.
Lions Gate Home Entertainment paired up with Marvel Comics for what is apparently going to be a four-movie deal, with all of the product being released as straight-to-DVD animated movies. The first two were Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2. Doctor Strange is currently in production.
If Iron Man’s original origin had been kept, he would be in his sixties at least by now. Marvel Comics dropped the Vietnamese connection as they retconned the character so that he could stay at a perky age.
The Invincible Iron Man starts over from scratch, keeping much of the Tony Stark character in place. He’s still a rich playboy with a keen inventor’s mind. But he’s remiss in his responsibilities to work outside of inventing and in his friendships. The Lions Gate film also presents the character of Jim Rhodes. “Rhodey,” as he’s known, went on later to become a more militant version of Iron Man known as War Machine. The pairing works well on the screen and gives Tony someone to play off of.
With the announcement of the live-action Iron Man movie coming out in 2008, I’d really expected Lions Gate to go all out on their animated feature since it would get a lot of push from the other movie. I’d figured that Iron Man would square off against one of his technologically advanced enemies – perhaps the Crimson Dynamo, or Stane, or even a military-based foe created expressly for the movie.
I wasn’t expecting the Mandarin, but once I wrapped my head around the idea, I thought it was pretty cool. The Mandarin was one of Iron man’s principal enemies from the comic series. Weirdly enough, and I’m really interested to see how this pans out, Jon Favreau’s live-action Iron Man movie is also going to feature the Mandarin as the villain. Fans are going to get their choice of treatments it seems.
The original Mandarin was supposedly a descendant of Genghis Khan. He discovered ten technologically advanced rings in a crashed alien spacecraft. The rings gave him tremendous powers, based on Makluan science. In The Invincible Iron Man, the Mandarin’s rings are powered through magic.
I loved the interface at the beginning of the movie that showed all the gears working together. It looked very cool, very high-tech, and it got me properly primed for the viewing experience.
The story opens up in China. Jim Rhodes is working at a dig site where Stark Enterprises is trying to raise an ancient sunken city before an underground river destroys it. The dig crew’s efforts are plagued by a band of desperate men who call themselves the Jade Dragons.
I have to admit, I wanted a different beginning. I wanted to see Stark in the suit, blowing through action sequences for a while, then remembering how it all began in a flashback or simply covering the origin in a bit of conversation.
Still, the opening sequence captures the viewer’s attention satisfactorily and moves along at a quick clip. After we meet Rhodes, see some appropriately cool science stuff involved in raising the sunken city, we also meet Li Mei, the daughter of an important member of the Jade Dragons. China has a history of being hard on women, and that’s definitely shown here as Li Mei gets harassed.
An attack on Rhodes’s supplies leaves the dig site crippled again. Stark finally gives in and decides to go there to see if he can straighten things out. While he’s in China he barely survives an attack that leaves him in medically bad shape. He and Rhodes have to build a device that will keep his weakened heart beating.
They also build the first Iron Man suit: the clunky gray suit that still make my heart beat a little faster every time I see it. The scenes where Iron Man steps out of the shadows to confront the abusive guards is really well done. Iron Man looks creepy and menacing when seen in this light, and the sequence is played out for everything it’s worth.
Stark and Rhodes quickly make their escape and return to the United States. When they arrive, they find S.H.I.E.L.D. agents waiting to take them into custody. Stark and Rhodes break free and run for it.
Later, they arrive at the secret base Stark has built to house his Iron Man project (though it’s never mentioned by name in the movie that I could remember). Nowhere throughout the film is the name “Iron Man” even mentioned. In the comic book series, Stark maintained his secret identity by claiming that Iron Man was his personal bodyguard.
In short order, Stark learns that raising the city also free four Elementals (earth, wind, water, and fire). They’re seeking the Mandarin’s five rings (and it was really weird to think there were only five rings – one of them a bracelet, even) instead of ten.
One of the best things the animated film did was feature several of Stark’s Iron Man suits. It was fascinating to see how the writer, director, producer got around having an “origin” story while having Stark in possession of several dozen sets of armor.
The fight in the deep-dive armor was awesome. I can still remember when that golden suit was introduced in the monthly comic. The action in this sequence gets the viewer totally involved.
The action was the highlight of the movie. It didn’t significantly start up until the middle of the movie, which is a tad bit too long for those of us hanging out at the theater to see Iron Man come to the big screen. After that, the action moves along at a brisk pace, but there’s little emotional involvement required by the rest of the move.
The Mandarin was off-screen far too much to make it as a powerful villain in the movie. Li Mei’s attraction for Stark seemed to come out of left field. I don’t even know what language they would have been speaking. There was no mention that Li Mei knew English, or that Stark knew Chinese. Also, there were a number of spots where there was no dialogue and the lack became noticeable.
Overall, The Invincible Iron Man is another fine production by Lions Gate Home Entertainment. It will sit nicely on the shelves with the other animated movies about the Ultimate Avengers. The movie is a definite buy for the comics geeks out there, and is recommended for the kiddos – except there are some scenes with masked nudity some parents might question. This movie would be a treat on family night when everyone wants some light entertainment.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
I've Been Waiting For This Book!
I’ve been a fan of Robert Crais’s Elvis Cole private eye series debuted in The Monkey’s Raincoat back in 1987. The thing that immediately caught my attention was the mirror sunglasses on the cover that showed the unmistakable image of Jiminy Cricket standing next to a double-edged razor blade. On Stalking The Angel, the second book in the series, it was the silhouette of Mickey Mouse holding a gun.
Robert B. Parker and Raymond Chandler permanently warped my mind for the wicked retorts and one-liners Spenser and Philip Marlowe (the authors’ respective characters) were fond of. I can’t help myself. I love detectives who get caught between the bad guys and the cops to save a client who isn’t quite innocent but doesn’t deserve to be given up to the devil.
Elvis Cole, the self-proclaimed World’s Greatest Detective, is irreverent, witty, driven, and self-assured. More so in the beginning of the series than in recent books after tragedy has hit him again and again.
Every private eye from the 1980s onward, though, has to have a combative second, a darker side who will do things the private eye won’t do. Someone who will unflinchingly step over lines and rules the private eye has set for himself/herself.
Spenser has Hawk. Harlan Coben’s sports agent Myron Bolitar has Windsor Horne Lockwood III – “Win.” Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, Dennis Lehane’s detectives, have Bubba.
Elvis Cole has Joe Pike, his invisible partner who can be counted on to help Elvis pick up the pieces every time an investigation goes south or turns bloody.
For much of the thus far ten-book series, Joe Pike has largely been an enigma. We saw part of him step onto stage in L.A. Requiem and The Last Detective, but we’ve never really gotten a true look behind those mirror shades Pike wears even at night.
We know from the books that Pike, like Elvis, is a veteran of the Vietnam War, an ex-Marine. He’s an ex-cop from the Los Angeles Police Department that all the other cops hate. He’s a trained mercenary. He owns different business interests that no one knows about. He’s fastidious. He doesn’t let anyone into his life, and even Elvis only gets his friendship and not much of Pike’s history.
He wears sweatshirts with the sleeves hacked off. He has red arrows tattooed on his deltoids. The arrows point forward. Because Joe Pike never backs up.
I love Elvis Cole, but Joe Pike is the guy I really want to get to know. He’s quick and dangerous. He kills without hesitation or remorse. He fights for the underdog and leaves everything on the field, never holding back.
In L.A. Requiem readers discovered that Pike had an abusive father. It was that relationship that set the tone for Pike. He became autonomous and complete on his own. Unfortunately he also became an island, a no man’s land that people could visit but could never stay. Even Elvis Cole, the best friend that Pike ever had, can’t get in all the way.
But Crais is generous in his newest release, The Watchman. It’s labeled “A Joe Pike Novel,” and readers have to wonder if there will be more. Readers who pick it up and finish it – probably in a single sitting or two – will hope that it’s just the beginning of a new series, even though Elvis Cole features in the book as well.
Pike’s history interweaves with an assignment he takes because of a promise he made to a man named Jon Stone, an associate from Pike’s mercenary days. Stone calls Pike in, asking him to bodyguard a young woman named Larkin Connor Barkley, who was unlucky enough to have a traffic accident that involved a man she identifies as a top cocaine baron. The FBI wants her to testify against the man, but in order to do that, she has to stay alive.
Larkin’s father calls in Bud Flynn, the man who trained Pike while he was with the LAPD. The man who became, for a time, the father Pike never had. Flynn wants Pike to protect the girl after an attempt is made on her life.
Pike, though, has his own way of dealing with the would-be killers. After two more attempts are made on her life while she’s in his care, Pike knows that someone is leaking information on Larkin’s whereabouts. Unable to remain hidden forever, with no one outside of Elvis Cole to rely on, Pike resolves to handle the situation in a way that’s uniquely his own: he’s going to track down the killers and kill them all.
He just has to keep himself and the girl alive long enough to do it. And in the process, his own problems and secrets spill out over the ones Larkin is keeping hidden.
Crais is truly a phenomenal writer. His characters, even a superman like Joe Pike, are real and flawed in truly human ways. The prose in this novel crackles with energy, and the plot twists hammer the reader again and again as the author reveals the surprises he has in store. The dialogue is dead-on, funny and insightful, and so real it feels like you’re sitting in the room as the people have their conversations.
The Watchman is a great book. I finished it in two sittings and would have finished it in one, but my stamina just didn’t hold out. The pages turn with seductive ease, and I found myself fully engaged with the story at all times. Even knowing that Pike would doubtless survive, and probably Larkin as well – I hoped – Crais gave me plenty of other characters to worry about.
Even if you’ve never read an Elvis Cole book before, you can pick up The Watchman and rest assured that you’ll get the whole story. If you’ve read all the Elvis Cole books before, this is one you’ve been waiting on for years.
Robert B. Parker and Raymond Chandler permanently warped my mind for the wicked retorts and one-liners Spenser and Philip Marlowe (the authors’ respective characters) were fond of. I can’t help myself. I love detectives who get caught between the bad guys and the cops to save a client who isn’t quite innocent but doesn’t deserve to be given up to the devil.
Elvis Cole, the self-proclaimed World’s Greatest Detective, is irreverent, witty, driven, and self-assured. More so in the beginning of the series than in recent books after tragedy has hit him again and again.
Every private eye from the 1980s onward, though, has to have a combative second, a darker side who will do things the private eye won’t do. Someone who will unflinchingly step over lines and rules the private eye has set for himself/herself.
Spenser has Hawk. Harlan Coben’s sports agent Myron Bolitar has Windsor Horne Lockwood III – “Win.” Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, Dennis Lehane’s detectives, have Bubba.
Elvis Cole has Joe Pike, his invisible partner who can be counted on to help Elvis pick up the pieces every time an investigation goes south or turns bloody.
For much of the thus far ten-book series, Joe Pike has largely been an enigma. We saw part of him step onto stage in L.A. Requiem and The Last Detective, but we’ve never really gotten a true look behind those mirror shades Pike wears even at night.
We know from the books that Pike, like Elvis, is a veteran of the Vietnam War, an ex-Marine. He’s an ex-cop from the Los Angeles Police Department that all the other cops hate. He’s a trained mercenary. He owns different business interests that no one knows about. He’s fastidious. He doesn’t let anyone into his life, and even Elvis only gets his friendship and not much of Pike’s history.
He wears sweatshirts with the sleeves hacked off. He has red arrows tattooed on his deltoids. The arrows point forward. Because Joe Pike never backs up.
I love Elvis Cole, but Joe Pike is the guy I really want to get to know. He’s quick and dangerous. He kills without hesitation or remorse. He fights for the underdog and leaves everything on the field, never holding back.
In L.A. Requiem readers discovered that Pike had an abusive father. It was that relationship that set the tone for Pike. He became autonomous and complete on his own. Unfortunately he also became an island, a no man’s land that people could visit but could never stay. Even Elvis Cole, the best friend that Pike ever had, can’t get in all the way.
But Crais is generous in his newest release, The Watchman. It’s labeled “A Joe Pike Novel,” and readers have to wonder if there will be more. Readers who pick it up and finish it – probably in a single sitting or two – will hope that it’s just the beginning of a new series, even though Elvis Cole features in the book as well.
Pike’s history interweaves with an assignment he takes because of a promise he made to a man named Jon Stone, an associate from Pike’s mercenary days. Stone calls Pike in, asking him to bodyguard a young woman named Larkin Connor Barkley, who was unlucky enough to have a traffic accident that involved a man she identifies as a top cocaine baron. The FBI wants her to testify against the man, but in order to do that, she has to stay alive.
Larkin’s father calls in Bud Flynn, the man who trained Pike while he was with the LAPD. The man who became, for a time, the father Pike never had. Flynn wants Pike to protect the girl after an attempt is made on her life.
Pike, though, has his own way of dealing with the would-be killers. After two more attempts are made on her life while she’s in his care, Pike knows that someone is leaking information on Larkin’s whereabouts. Unable to remain hidden forever, with no one outside of Elvis Cole to rely on, Pike resolves to handle the situation in a way that’s uniquely his own: he’s going to track down the killers and kill them all.
He just has to keep himself and the girl alive long enough to do it. And in the process, his own problems and secrets spill out over the ones Larkin is keeping hidden.
Crais is truly a phenomenal writer. His characters, even a superman like Joe Pike, are real and flawed in truly human ways. The prose in this novel crackles with energy, and the plot twists hammer the reader again and again as the author reveals the surprises he has in store. The dialogue is dead-on, funny and insightful, and so real it feels like you’re sitting in the room as the people have their conversations.
The Watchman is a great book. I finished it in two sittings and would have finished it in one, but my stamina just didn’t hold out. The pages turn with seductive ease, and I found myself fully engaged with the story at all times. Even knowing that Pike would doubtless survive, and probably Larkin as well – I hoped – Crais gave me plenty of other characters to worry about.
Even if you’ve never read an Elvis Cole book before, you can pick up The Watchman and rest assured that you’ll get the whole story. If you’ve read all the Elvis Cole books before, this is one you’ve been waiting on for years.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Rogue Angel: DESTINY AUDIOBOOK Now On Sale!Yep, it's true. The adventures of Annja Creed have now come to audiobooks. You can get them at: http://www.graphicaudio.net/. If you haven't had time to read it, now you can listen to it in a full-cast presentation.
Graphic Audio does a great job of capturing books and making them come alive in audio. Visit the website for samples of the work they do.
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