Writing for Sanity

I've moved!

2011-08-12T08:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've done it again--reamped my website and moved my blog.

This blog will stay put, but become inactive--please join me HERE instead!

Movie Review: Bad Teacher

2011-07-11T11:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I saw Bad Teacher with a friend. Here’s the spiel:

“Some teachers just don't give an F. For example, there's Elizabeth. She's foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiancé, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute - competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy. When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher, the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.”

Being in education, I already know there’s a LOT of things that can be funny when we’re talking about what goes on in the classroom and behind the scenes. And a lot of it was funny. Diaz’s character is only “doing time” in the classroom until she can marry her rich boyfriend, but when he discovers she only really loves him for his bank account, he breaks it off.

So we start off with a bang—not sure if we like the main character, yet there’s something about her that makes you root for her to be redeemable. In fact, you’re betting that’s what it’s all about. The cast of characters that surrounds her is AWESOME. The gym teacher, the principal, her lunch buddy, and most of all, her nemesis across the hall. Throw in Justin Timberlake as a geeky math sub and you have a ton of laughs. You really do. There’s language, and some recreational drug use, drinking and sexual situations, so not for young kids, right?

As Diaz goes through the school year, her focus is getting enough money for a boob job. So she does a Paris Hilton carwash and rips the parents off for “tutoring” money. And when she finally learns that the teacher with the highest state test scores get a large bonus, well, she finds a way to get the answers to the test and cheats to win the cash. All the while, she’s sweet on the Timberlake character, who is infatuated with her nemesis…all kinds of wrongness ensues as they compete.

Here’s the thing. She does not get redeemed. She manages to wiggle out of getting caught cheating on this state test. There are absolutely no consequences, despite what the blurb says, for her actions. She ultimately decides that the classroom is not for her (thank God), decides that she doesn’t need chase wealthy men, and decides that bigger boobs are not going to make her happy. So in the end, she’s on a better path, but there’s not much growth for the character, and if you think about her in five years…well, there’s nothing to stop her from being the same person.

I give it a 3 ½ stars. It made me laugh, for sure, but I left unsatisfied and a little unsettled given the cheating scandals going on in Georgia. Bad timing.

Movie Review: Transformers 3(D)

2011-06-30T13:41:00.001-05:00

Last night, the fam went to see Transformers in 3D. I saw the first movie, but didn’t see the second, so I was wondering if I might be out of the loop as far as the story goes. Not so, my friends, as I shall explain momentarily. Here’s the blurbage:

“When a mysterious event from Earth's past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.”

How’s that for a lot of nothing?

So the movie is nearly three hours long and here are the best parts: the visuals. As always in the Transformer series, the robots are the coolest things, the transformations are genius, and the fight scenes are amazing. All on crack because of the 3D, Roy Orbison specs you have to wear.

Ever notice how people don’t really look at each other once they have the glasses on?

There are some new bots and funny dialogue, and what I felt was a satisfying ending. However, there were some serious drawbacks to this flick. Did I mention it was nearly three hours long? It’s slooooow. And I mean they stretch this storyline out like a fresh piece of pink Bazooka. It could have been done in about two hours. I kept waiting (and waiting) for things to happen. The plot elements were also severely obvious. Even my 11 y/o knew that the rich guy’s auto collection were probably all Decepticons. By the time we got to the final battle, and each of three waves had to be painfully deployed, I was checking my watch.

Then there was the new girlfriend, with her oversized lips and undersized body. OK, that’s just me being jealous, but by the time she actually does something, people in the theatre were literally yelling at her to DO SOMETHING! They reintroduced the parents more as an afterthought than any plot-driving device, and the return of Agent Simmons provided some comic relief and served to advance the plot (slowly, of course).

All that being said, I didn’t hate the movie. As a storyteller, I thought it could be done better. If you’re looking to be wowed, and have an afternoon or evening to spend (plus the egregious cost of 3D movies), this one will work for you. I plan to try out Super 8 next week (they have 2 for 1 tickets on Fandango for Fridays, people!) and hope that’s a better story.

Meankitty Wants to Know...

2011-06-13T07:46:00.000-05:00

I belong to the Music City Romance Writers, an entity which contains several gazillion creative people. Not the least of which is Jody Wallace, the author of Writer & Cat at Meankitty.com. The focus of Meankitty is, of course, kitties, but I volunteered Angus and Stewie, my two Scottish Terriers, for a scathing interview.

You can see it HERE.

Stewie and Angus also have their own FB Fan Page HERE.
If they get 25 fans, I can name their page correctly.

Enjoy!

Movie Review: Something Borrowed

2011-05-23T11:03:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, I went with a couple friends to see a chick flick, Something Borrowed. Before I rant and rave, here’s the official blurb:
Rachel is a talented attorney at a top New York law firm, a generous and loyal friend and, unhappily, still single as her engaged best friend Darcy is constantly reminding her. But after one drink too many at her 30th birthday party, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in bed with the guy she's had a crush on since law school, Dex, who just happens to be Darcy's fiancé. When Rachel and Darcy's lifelong friendship collides with true love, it leads to unexpected complications and potentially explosive romantic revelations. Meanwhile, Ethan, who has been Rachel's constant confidante and sometimes conscience, has been harboring a secret of his own, and Marcus, an irrepressible womanizer, can't keep his mind out of the gutter or his hands off any girl within reach.

SPOILERS LIE AHEAD!

We have these two ‘best friends’—one is always in the spotlight, the other exists in her shadow. I hate it already. Rachel (I forgot her name halfway through the movie, that’s how forgettable she is) makes a bold move when she spends the night with Darcy’s fiancé. Oops—what a pickle. But it’s OK because she’s always crushed on him, and now she finds out he’s felt the same way, so this infidelity is somehow a good thing.

Through a series of mousey maneuvers, Rachel had managed to pass off the one man she’s truly been interested in to her BFF, and has only herself to blame. Now, she crosses her fingers and hopes that Dex will do the right thing, break her friend’s heart, and live happily ever after with her. When he does absolutely nothing (for fear of breaking his family’s heart) Rachel tries to make him jealous by flirting with other men, and letting him believe she’s sleeping around.

Meanwhile, Ethan pines for her. He’s the only character with any redeemable qualities. Why he wants Rachel, I don’t know, but he does. He forces Rachel to fully confess her love to Dex, who still does NOTHING! Ethan moves to London and Rachel goes to visit, and this man declares his love for her. Silly man. She does not love you, and has zero problem telling YOU as much.

Then Darcy confesses to Rachel that she has cheated on Dex! Gasp! This magically makes Dex cheating on her acceptable! But still, no one does anything to escape this impending marriage, so the torture continues in the form of more secrets and lies. Rachel and Dex spend a holiday weekend together, which is ruined by Dex’s father intuiting that his son is catting around and STOP IT RIGHT NOW! So he does, and starts looking for a house with Darcy.

The madness only ends when Dex FINALLY calls the wedding off—but does not tell his bride-to-be that there’s another woman. So Rachel STILL cannot get what she wants. While Dex is at her place telling her the good (?) news, Darcy shows up to drop the bomb that she’s pregnant from fooling around on him anyway, so whatever—and what’s Dex’s suit jacket doing at your apartment???!!! Summon the righteous indignation and anger as all the secrets come out. As though by now either of them has a right to be angry. In the end, Dex can have his passive trollup but the best friends are no more.

I so didn’t care. With all the bending of decent morals and values in this flick, I ended up not giving one tiny hair on a rat’s behind what happens to any of them. Then, the last scene in the movie, the former besties run into each other on the street and have an awkward conversation. Things are a little smoothed over as Darcy insists she’s happier. After convo, Rachel calls her man and goes around the corner to meet him. I WAS SO HOPING HER MAN WAS NOW ETHAN! Because that would be redeeming. But no, disappointed again. If these people are friends and treat one another so poorly, I’d hate to see what they do to people they don’t like.

D at best. The acting is pretty good.

Brenda Novak's On-Line Auction 2011

2011-05-10T13:57:00.002-05:00

I'm pleased to once again participate in Brenda Novak's On-Line Auction for the Cure of Diabetes. I know I'm "small fish" compared to some of the offerings in the auction, but I've got a couple really nice packages up for auction!

Both packages include personalized, autographed copies of both The Knot and All in Good Time. Each package also includes two pieces of vintage-style jewlery, courtesy of Designs by Mandi Boutique. Mandi is an alum of one of the college I've worked out, now lives in my hometown (Go Bucks!) and is delivering affordable, trendy accessories at incredible prices.

Please click the links to see each package:
Package #1
Package #2

Take a moment and click around to see what fabulous things are being auctioned--agent and editor critiques, signed books by some of your favorite authors, e-readers, laptops, and BIG STUFF. Celine Dion has donated tickets to her Las Vegas show with backstage passes. If you're looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for someone special, I'm certain you can find something here.

Bid early and often! Good luck!

Movie Review: The Conspirator

2011-04-25T15:01:00.001-05:00

On Good Friday, The Boy and I went to see Robert Redford's latest release, The Conspirator. Both Civil War buffs, we were interested in seeing the treatment of post-Lincoln-Assassination politics and intrigue. Here's the official blurb:

In the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, Vice President, and Secretary of State. The lone woman charged, Mary Surratt, owns a boarding house where John Wilkes Booth, and others met and planned the simultaneous attacks.

Against the ominous back-drop of post-Civil War Washington, newly-minted lawyer, Frederick Aiken, a 28-year-old Union war-hero, reluctantly agrees to defend Surratt before a military tribunal. Aiken realizes his client may be innocent and that she is being used as bait and hostage in order to capture the only conspirator to have escaped a massive manhunt, her own son, John. As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life.

This film focuses on Mary Surratt, charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination as the owner of the nefarious boarding house in which the plot was hatched. This is NOT a feel-good movie. In fact, if you know anything about the Lincoln assassination, you know how this ends, and it ain't good for Mary. Robin Wright did an excellet job as a long-suffering Mary Surratt, a woman who is in chains because her son is not. Also doing admirable work is James McAvoy, who portrays Surratt's lawyer, Frederick Aiken.

What's good: the setting and costuming is stunning. The message that comes across is not heavy-handed, but you uncover it along with Aiken, who comes to understand that the trial is only a show. There are more forceful political players at work, and he is fighting an uphill battle to defend this woman. On one hand, she does not wish to betray her son, who she reasonably believes may have been involved in the plotting. On the other hand, she also knows she will never get a fair shake in a military court as a Southerner and a Catholic. She's right--and the argument that she should be tried before a jury of her peers is the heart of the movie. Would she have been convicted in such a trial in that national climate? We'll never know. After much political maneuvering, she is found guilty and hanged.

What's bad: I would have liked a little more backstory. The movie assumes some knowledge of the events following the assassination of Lincoln, and I'm not sure most people have delved that deeply into it to understand fully the scope of the movie. As the movie is a courtroom drama, I understood there wouldn't be a lot of "action" but a little more would have been nice.

Overall grade: 4/5

Here's the Situation:

2011-04-14T09:25:00.002-05:00

I don’t just have what people call a “book of my heart”—the one book you just poured everything into and will completely die if it doesn’t see the light of day. I have a whole parnormal series. When I sat down and mapped it all out, it amounts to five or six books to tell the entire story. Three of the stories are written. Two of them are written well.

Of course, they can’t be the first two books in the series. It’s the first book. It’s not that it sucks. It was a learning experience. It was akin to vomiting up this giant idea and trying to pare it down. Here’s what did not work:

1. Hero does NOT come off heroically--he turns out to be a bit of a (lovable) wuss
2. Not enough conflict between H/h (there’s plenty with the villain)
3. It’s neither hot enough nor scary enough

That’s a LOT to “fix”. I also discovered/created new things when I wrote the next two stories, so some tweaking will also apply. I now have a genealogy chart and medical files, timelines and verses of poetry (and I am not a poet!). Previous attempts to fix the story have not worked, I think, because the issues are too large. I’ve started and stopped several rewrites but get caught up in what the story used to be and end up going in the wrong direction.

So I’m going backward ONE MORE TIME. I am actually deleting the original manuscript from my files. I do not want the ability to go back and look at it, filch from it, or grab some detail. I’m heading back into character development and GMC, and going to outline this thing once and for all. It’s only the series opener. It only has to grab the reader from the first line and make them want to read how-ever-many books complete the series.

No pressure.

A Comic A Day...

2011-04-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

The Emotions of Writing & Tweeting

2011-04-11T16:56:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've become more active on Twitter (M_K_Chester). There is a LOT going on over there. I had to make lists last week. Lists! And one of the things I've noticed is that there's a lot of emotion flying around as well.

Since most of the people I follow are connected to the writing biz, I started thinking about the emotions of the writing game when matched with Twitter. I've seen a writer get a bad review and lose her ever-loving mind, pelting commenters on her blog with f-bombs. Today, I read a blog by a self-proclaimed angry writer, who finds the whole query-to-sale process too tedious for words. Well, she had words, so maybe too tedious for something else. Another posted a string of venom aimed at pirates (not the ARRGH kind, but the kind that steals e-books and resells them, denying the author profit). There isn't anything wrong with venting on Twitter, but I'm pretty sure the pirates do not follow her, so she's preaching to choir. On the other hand, I see the fun, the good emotions, the camaraderie. Over a sale, over hitting the best-seller list, or over having finished a few pages. The support side is thriving. Information sharing at its best.

Writing is an up and down gig. From the process we go through, feeling the emotions of the characters, of the story. We work hard to make it all very embroiling and torturous. Then, we have to switch gears and query and wait and query and wait and that's a whole different roller-coaster ride. There are rejections and high hopes and near misses and hopefully, one day, The Call. I tend to wear my emotions close to the vest, and, kind of like the cat in the picture, it can be difficult to tell what I'm thinking or feeling. My husband tells me so all the time. I wish I knew how to make it easier for him, the poor guy.

There's an argument to be made for being yourself--and getting to know others this way. Relationships do happen on Twitter, I've heard the stories. It's fascinating to consider just letting the fur fly. You can single yourself out, showcase your distinctive voice. Let others know what you feel is important (like piracy, which is an admittedly important issue to writers and pubs alike).

Will you be held accountable if you offend? Yes. Again, I have to ask, what kind of image do you want to portray? If this is just me blowing smoke with my friends, great. Blow smoke. But if you're a professional--or you want to be someday--putting it ALL out there with agents and editors and other hopeful (and seasoned!) writers can be, well, just plain interesting.

Sign of the Apocalypse

2011-03-31T08:27:00.002-05:00

I had to post this. I mean, this has to be a sign of the coming end of days...

(Click to enlarge the image) Um...can I get a cut of that? LOL!

Do you hear what I hear?

2011-03-24T16:13:00.007-05:00

Probably not. I've heard many writers say that they create soundtracks for their writing adventures, or for each manuscript. I am solidly in that camp. From an early age, I have used music to help me study and/or otherwise enhance my mood. I write paranormals, historicals, and vintage era stories, all of which require a different twist on the playlist.

So who are some of the staples on my iPod (which, by the way, is THE original iPod--the one that you can feel moving? That one.)?

Vintage: I love the Road to Perdition soundtrack. I'm a soundtrack kind of girl, as a matter of fact, but this particular soundtrack has some really haunting melodies that work for me. Add to that some Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Etta James and you have the start of something good. Throw in some mild folk like Eastmountainsouth for a little regional flavor.

Historical: Historical, for me, has meant the ancient world. I have a couple westerns hanging around, but all in all, we're listening to soundtrack-o-rama for this genre. My favorites include the soundtracks from 300 (Tyler Bates is awesome), Gladiator, Troy, HBO's Rome, and Kingdom of Heaven. I'm itching to get my hands on the Spartacus soundtracks.

Paranormal: This is the one that's a little harder to define. I write about angels, so anything that might have a mention could be there (a la Sarah McLaughlan's "In the Arms of the Angel"). Evanescence goes without saying. Soundtracks from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and artists like Garbage, U2, Alice in Chains, as well as more pop-sounding artists like Train, Rob Thomas/Matchbox Twenty, and Maroon 5 provide staples.

The Grammar Situation

2011-03-11T10:06:00.003-06:00

Recently, I was asked to proof a colleague’s website. There were not only text entries, but also videos with written verbiage to review. While the owner of the site had control over the text (through Word Press), the videos were a different matter—and they were riddled with errors.

My colleague paid nearly 3k for this site, including the production of three videos. Upon digging into the WP back office, we discovered that much of the work had been outsourced to places like India and the Philippines. The errors recorded in the video text were clearly of the sort that occur when the typist does not speak English as their primary language. Tenses were incorrect, the spellings of things like “their, they’re, and there” were off. I was appalled that this developer did not proof his own work before posting the videos LIVE on the website.

So I created a list of the errors and they were forwarded and supposedly fixed. Except that they weren’t fixed. So the list was sent again. I guess the third time was the charm, because now we are down to only one error per video. And they’re all new errors—which is weird unless the developer scrapped the whole thing and started over from scratch. I’m not sure how these things are created (maybe editing is not really an option).

On this last round of reviews, the question came up whether “cuz” is a suitable word to be included in a professional video and/or website. My opinion is NO—yet there it was. While it may be suitable for texting and instant messaging and even an email between friends, it does not belong on a professional person’s website. Would you put it in a message to your boss? What image are you trying to portray? Who are you trying to be? Do you want one word, on an otherwise grammatically correct site to say…almost, but not quite?

It seems to me that the developer may have asked a 13 year-old to write the videos (who else uses “cuz”?), but even if he did it himself it’s not right. What is his excuse for doing subpar work when he’s already been paid and already been through edits? If it were me, I might be looking for a refund, some recourse, or offering my services to his company as a master proofreader.

Scratch that last. I couldn’t work for someone like that.

Movie Review: The Eagle

2011-03-01T14:56:00.004-06:00

My family saw The Eagle about a month ago. Of course, I am into anything Roman these days, and my son likes military action, so we dragged my husband with. Here's the synopsis:

In 2nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure The Eagle is directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Jeremy Brock has adapted the screenplay from Rosemary Sutcliff’s classic novel The Eagle of the Ninth.

In 140 AD, the Roman Empire extends all the way to Britain – though its grasp is incomplete, as the rebellious tribes of Caledonia (today’s Scotland) hold sway in the far North. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) arrives in Britain, determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, Flavius Aquila. It was 20 years earlier that Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius and carrying their golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth, marched north into Caledonia. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Angered, the Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered the building of a wall to seal off the territory; Hadrian’s Wall became the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire – the edge of the known world.

Driven to become a brilliant soldier and now given command of a small fort in the southwest, Marcus bravely leads his troops during a siege. Commended by Rome for his bravery, yet discharged from the army because of his severe wounds, Marcus convalesces, demoralized, in the villa of his Uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland), a retired army man. When Marcus impulsively gets a young Briton’s life spared at a gladiatorial contest, Aquila buys the Briton, Esca (Jamie Bell), to be Marcus’ slave. Marcus is dismissive of Esca, who harbors a seething hatred of all things Roman. Yet Esca vows to serve the man who has saved his life.

Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Marcus is galvanized into action, and sets off with Esca across Hadrian’s Wall. But the highlands of Caledonia are a vast and savage wilderness, and Marcus must rely on his slave to navigate the region. When they encounter ex-Roman soldier Guern (Mark Strong), Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

The Ninth is a long-lived and legendary legion, and when one looks into the history, you can only hyphothesize what happened to this storied legion. From it's inception under the leadership of then-general Julius Caesar, to the battle of Actium, from one side of the empire to the other, the Ninth didn't falter until the invasion of Britain. The legion was defeated by a woman in 61 A.D., and band-aided back together. They are next reported as disappeared in 117 A.D., but even that is in doubt, as names from the legion appear in history after that date, and some records indicate the legion was moved East before disappearing.

The film is about 90 minutes long, and does not follow in the bloody footsteps of Gladiator and 300. This is a more emotional character study about Marcus (they're always named Marcus), his relationship to his father, and how he deals--or does not deal--with being injured and discharged from military service. It's high on the theme of loyalty, but you start to see the tarnishing of Roman gold along the way. As Marcus and Esca journey further north, their roles become reversed, and the conquerer gets to see the damage and terror Rome has inflicted upon the rest of the world through his new perspective as a 'slave'. To my intense relief, it does fall short of outright apologies for imperialism.

I give it three out of five stars, mostly for not having any kind of love story. 'Cause at the end of the day, I write romance novels. Throw me a bone (so to speak).

Making Sausage

2011-02-17T16:11:00.004-06:00

Being a writer is a weird gig. People often want to talk about it, but I really don't. While I'm not saying there are NO outgoing and gregarious writers, we are stereotypically shy, introverted types who have better lives going on inside our own minds than in the outside world. I'm not a big talker about my writing, or even about the books I've sold. For me, writing is an extremely personal process, and to discuss how it's done is a bit like knowing how sausage is made. You like the end product, but getting there can be a little *ick*. Especially if I have to talk about it. After all, I'm not alwasy able to articulate how I managed to get from point A to point B

However, I work around all sorts of creative people--artists, designers, engineers, you name it. And I love it, I use those relationships to fuel my creative endeavors. So, when the instructor of our Creative Writing class asked me to guest lecture, I was alternately grateful and freaked out. I appreciated being known as creative type rather than just a pencil pusher (day job), but talk about writing? Out loud? Thankfully, I had just attended a workshop offered by the Music City Romance Writers (local RWA chapter), and used some of that structure to prepare. So I did a little something on the Hero's Journey and GMC, talked about the romance genre and industry, did a Q & A, and then listened and offered feedback while the students read their first pages. It was a ton of fun, and I got this little note from the instructor of the class:

Marty:

You were a TERRIFIC guest in my EN 210/Creative Writing class this afternoon--both for our students and for me. You taught the students a lot about the craft of creating characters and stories, and also offered me valuable insights into how I can improve as a leader of student fiction writing work shops. As a working fiction writer, your opinions, thoughts, and comments came across as especially credible and authoritative; I've already received several positive comments via email and phone.

Although I participated in numerous fiction writing working shops in graduate school, the concentration of my MFA was always poetry (partly, I'll admit, because I found fiction intimidating---write a novel? Me? No way!!!). But your talk today took a lot of the fear out of the process, and inspired us all. I felt especially proud to be your colleague.

So--thank you, Marty. I hope you'll come back at the end of the quarter when the students share their final projects. I'm sure they'd like that. See you tomorrow,

Mark

VWD 2.7.11

2011-02-07T14:17:00.002-06:00

Interviewed by Jackie Collins today! No, not that Jackie Collins--a better one. My good friend and colleague killed some time with me during our lunch break...

Spartacus! Spartacus! Spartacus!

2011-02-02T10:04:00.001-06:00

So I'm a little late to the Spartacus party (even though getting the word last year from my BFF). However, definitely better late than never, right? I don't typically subscribe to pay-per-view channels, and I probably won't as long as Starz keeps rolling the episodes out on in-demand.

Season One: Blood and Sand concentrates on the Thracian warrior who abandons his commitment to Rome when he learns they have no intention of keeping their word. He is then taken as a slave, separated from his wife, and survives a 4-man execution squad in the arena. He then strikes a bargain with his master, a trainer of gladiators, to lift his house to prominence so long as the master continues to search for Sparty's wife.

Season Two: Gods of the Arena is a prequel to Blood and Sand, and shows the characters before the arrival of Spartacus, with plenty of drama. The series is done in a "300" style, and as always on Starz, there's some gratuitous stuff (language and sex). What I like about the series is 1) hot men in leather underpants and 2) the political intrigue--every action has more than one consequence, and spurs more action.

I don't think it's as well-written and carried off as HBO's Rome, but although they are similar ideas, the story lines call for vastly different things. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars, which isn't to say it's bad, just that it could be soooo much better.

Video Diary - How I Got Started

2011-01-19T10:09:00.002-06:00

And wow, do I have some kind of lispy thing going on or what? Awesomeness in a box, LOL!

Video Writing Diary on YouTube

2011-01-10T18:21:00.001-06:00

I said I was gonna, and I have!

Until next time...

Book Review: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

2011-01-03T11:57:00.003-06:00

"Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness." Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

"When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

"While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

"Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation." (Amazon.com review)

I have not had so much fun with vampires since Buffy, and so much fun with history since Michael Shaara's last book. If you're looking for an uber-serious treatise on how Honest Abe was really really fighting a vast vampire comspiracy, this is not the book for you. If you are, however, looking for a fun, fast romp through both history and the world of the undead, here you go.

The idea that an "unseen" battle has been raging for centuries puts a new spin on world history and puts the battle against slavery in a different light--we're talking about the slavery of ALL mankind here. It was fun for a few hours to imagine Lincoln as a slayer, and Grahame-Smith does a good job of entertaining his audience. I can overlook the use of a convenient literary device and some liberty with history (especially photographic) for fun. It's not for everyone, but it certainly was for me, as it hits of my interests at once. Will I read his earlier Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Probably not--but I will read this one again!