Cover to Cover books and Vintage Books

Both Cover to Cover books and Vintage Books in Vancouver, WA are now carrying copies of The Gift Giver for the holiday season. Would love to see them bought out! :)

Cover to Cover Books

6300 NE St. James Rd., Suite 104B

Vancouver, WA 98663

(360) 993-7777

mail@covertocoverbooks.net

www.CovertoCoverBooks.net

Vintage Books

6613 E. Mill Plain Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661

books@Vintage-Books.com

www.Vintage-Books.com

Fright Flight by Lisa Ard

Lisa was very enthusiastic about her book at the WW Author's fair. Unfortunately I didn't get any shot of the inside of her book because there are apparently illustrations. But you can get a glimpse of the illustrations on Amazon.com, I'm sure.

Blurb from Amazon:

Fright Flight is the first installment in the Dream Seeker Adventures series. Being twelve years old can be challenging, but add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick's need for a little self-control. A "sweet" dream devouring the world's largest ice cream sundae can end with an enormous stomachache. A fall from a bike means Patrick wakes with a broken arm. Try explaining that to the emergency room doctor! Oh wait - that would be Patrick's mom. She's a dream seeker too, as are Patrick's sister and brother. If Patrick follows the family's dream-seeking rules he can have cool nighttime adventures. But if he forgets...

www.dreamseekeradventures.com

Zeke Proper by Brad Cameron

I got some great interviews with authors at the fair last week but had problems getting them off my phone. I finally extracted them and I'm going to start putting them up here for you guys. This first is by Brad Cameron who wrote Zeke Proper. Brad used to be a high school teacher and has read his book to his students who thought it was great.

This is the copy from his website:

Something is amiss in Alder Cove. Some say that it has all happened before and that it was bound to happen again. But these are only rumors. Some say that wandering by yourself at night, especially in the surrounding hills that border the town, is suicide: there are things out there that will eat you. But, again, these are only rumors. They say the river is haunted and that swimming there, in that deep, dark, cold water is treacherous. The current is strong, true, but worse, something lives there, and she, yes, she, will grab you and pull you under, swallowing you in one, painful gulp. 

www.zekeproper.com

Market Your Fiction: Countdown to Selling a Christmas Story

Market Your Fiction: Countdown to Selling a Christmas Story: Guest blog by Paul Navarro, author of The Gift Giver Time, time, time. My biggest sin is time—I have treated it with callous disregard....

Wheels Are Up on The Gift Giver

Tuesday night's fair was a blast. I met a lot of great authors of YA and middle-grade books and I did short video interviews with the authors. I will be posting all of those interviews over the next few days.

The response to The Gift Giver was fantastic! It's already begun to sell on Amazon and Nook despite the fact that the print version wasn't available Tuesday night. And speaking of the print version, it's now up on Amazon. Get it here. I've already had people lay claim to all my proof copies and I'm getting requests for signed copies. Things are going well.

Read my guest post on Cheri Lasota's blog about my adventures in publishing HERE.

Appearance Tonight!

I'm sprucin' up, got my shirt pressed, got my shoes polished, because tonight I'll be at the Willamette Writer's Author's Fair. I'll be at The Old Church on SW 11th and Clay in downtown Portland along with various other Northwest writers. There will be refreshments and lots of interesting folks, but most of all there will be me with a great big bouquet of fake poinsettias sitting on my table. My wife put it together so my display has a nice Christmasy feel. Event starts at 7pm.

Hope you guys can come!

Finally! The Gift Giver on Lulu

The Gift Giver is up and running on Lulu. It's on Amazon Kindle right now but I forgot to reprice it. Should be .99 cents for the text only version. Doing that now. Cover looks great!

http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/the-gift-giver/18723876?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1

Really?!

Okay, I realize that being a grown man I am not exactly the target audience for the Twilight series. But neither was I the target for Harry Potter, City of Ember, or How to Train Your Dragon, and I love those movies. I finally went to see the latest Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn, and I have to admit to shuffling around in my seat quite a bit. I thought it just might be me, but when the middle-grade girl next to me threw up her hands in frustration I knew it wasn't.

Did they really have to cut this book into two movies? It doesn't seem that there was enough plot to sustain two hours. How many angles can I look at Kristen Stewart on a beach before I start to yawn? I feel like I've been cheated--taken advantage of by a movie company that is trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of their franchise by putting out a poor product.

I can't be the only one. Do you think Breaking Dawn should have been two movies?

Bad Boy!

I admit, I've been a bad boy. I feel like I've been neglecting you guys. I've been working day and night getting The Gift Giver ready for publication. I began this endeavor to see what it's like to self-publish and let me tell you: IT'S HARD! Especially when you're dealing with what is basically a picture book. Let me tell you, Word and Adobe don't always play nicely together. But, I'm happy to say, after all the struggle, I've finally got the print version uploaded to Amazon successfully. I'm just waiting for the proof to come back. Now I'm struggling with the digital edition which I'm learning has it's own really big learning curve.

All that said and done, tell me what you think of the website. www.thegiftgiverstory.com.

Appearance in December

For those of you following, I'm self publishing a children's Christmas book and will be at Willamette Writers meeting in Portland on December 6th to promote. Hope to see you there! Here's all the info:

Please join the authors of Willamette Writers at our Writers Faire 12/6 Old Church 7 pm Support local authors! Infohttp://www.willamettewriters.com/1/PMeetingColumn.php

Follow Willamette Writers on Twitter at@wilwrite 

The Gift Giver: A Children's Christmas Story

I've been working hard trying to get my book ready for publication by Thanksgiving weekend. Thought I'd toss all of you a sample of the artwork. It's a grind, but well worth it.

MORE TO COME, SOON!

East India Press Writing Comptetition

Noted fantasy/scifi novelist Dave Farland has created his own publishing company called East India Press. You'll know his name from the interview I posted with him for his new novel Nightingale. This particular competition is pretty cool because if you're the winner, you'll have your short story published at the back of his book! The details are all here. I'm entering. How about you?

Movies, movies, movies

My marital bedchamber was sorely lacking in space, so about a week ago I started to build a wall unit so we could get rid of the clutter of two bookshelves and a mountain of plastic containers. If I do say so myself, it's awesome! I did the building and the wife did the painting. Looks great. Now that I have a great place to put the TV, I'm in a movie buying frenzy.

I need more funny, though. Any suggestions on comedies?

A Great Rejection!

So, every author goes through rejection. It happened when I was looking for an agent and it is bound to happen as my agent and I look for a publisher for The Incredible Misadventures of Zadora Zane. Well, I've reached a milestone: Just got my first rejection from a publisher. But it's a great letter! Editors at publishing houses can sometimes be very harsh in their rejections of new material. By my rejection letter rocks. Here's a quote from the email Tori Kosara from Hyperion sent my agent:

"Thank you for sharing THE INCREDIBLE MISADVENTURES OF ZADORA ZANE by Paul Anthony Navarro. I very much enjoyed reading it. Middle-grade is one of the things I love that I get to read as an editor, but, as you know, it is difficult to find well-written middle-grade. I think that Paul has absolutely nailed the voice, the characters, the fun details—everything I absolutely love about writing for this age group. I was sucked into Zadora's adventures from the start, and found myself engrossed in the story and connecting with the characters easily. Unfortunately, however, and with regret, I'm afraid that due to similar titles that we already have on our small list, we are unable to extend a publishing offer for this project. This is due entirely to the types of books that we already have signed up.

I'm sorry not to have better news, as I think that this author is quite talented and the story has such promise. Thanks again for thinking of me, in any case. I wish you the best of luck in finding the perfect publishing home for ZADORA, and that we will find the right project to work on together soon.

Best wishes,

Tori"

It is a little bit of a bummer because Disney owns Hyperion and I think Zadora would be a good match. But despite that, I'm encouraged. Thanks Tori!

Nightingale is Finally Released

I just got word from the Dave Farland camp. You can see the book at www.nightingalenovel.com Also, by tomorrow, they'll have an on-line ereader at the site so that everyone can sample the enhanced version of the novel, read the manuscript, listen to some of the 45-minute sound track, and enjoy some of the 100+ pieces of art and animations, plus video interviews with David and read his author's notes. So this is intended to be a special advancement in enhanced novels. I for one will be soaking it all up this weekend.


If you like the site/book/all the extras, go to www.facebook.com/Nightingale.Novel and "Like" it.


Have a great weekend and let me know what you think about Dave Farland's website and enhanced content.

Thor Rocks!

I finally saw Thor last night. I forgot it was even on my Netflix queue. I actually wasn't expecting much, especially after Green Lantern was just okay. I thought it would be just another okay superhero movie. I guess sometimes low expectations are good because I was totally into Thor. Action packed, great visuals, and a pretty decent story. I had no idea that Kenneth Branagh had directed until the very end and then I realized just why I liked it so much. I LOVE KENNETH BRANAGH MOVIES! I'm assuming that's why Natalie Portman signed on as well. You don't typically see her playing the damsel in distress, but hey! It's a Kenneth Branagh movie. She did a great job as well. Played it a lot differently then I imagine someone like Megan Fox would have played it--much more dimensional.

But, enough about me. Did you like it?

Nightingale and Honeymoon part 2

Spent 9 days in Florida for the honeymoon, soaking up the sun and visiting Disneyworld. We had a great time. Most of our time was actually spent in Epcot. We had only planned to spend a day but found it so fascinating that we went back several times. Best rides? Rock n' Roller-coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios and Test Track at Epcot.

Ah, yes. We also went to Universal Islands of Adventure in Orlando. Yes, we visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was awesome! Just the architecture of all the buildings, Hogwarts high on a hill ... it was a feast for the eyes. We rode the Forbidden Journey (which was cool but made us a little sick) and the Dragon Challenge. My favorite ride though was actually the Dudley Dooright flume ride. We got unexpectedly soaked but had a great time.

Our 9 days went by way too quickly but we've promised ourselves we'd go back.

In other news, the Nightingale launch date has been pushed back due to technical reasons with the iStore version of the book. I believe the date is now November 4. Keep a look out.

Nightingale and Honeymoon

Dearest Readers,

I'm ready to go on my honeymoon. The wedding was awesome and I expect the honeymoon to be a great topper. But we'll get to that when I get back.

In the meantime, I wanted to make sure I posted the interview I had with Dave Farland. He was gracious, entertaining, full of great info, and his new book Nightingale seems like it's already poised to be a hit. Our chat follows:

Me: Thank you so much for spending some time on PicLitSavvy. I know you
must be very busy with your new book.

Dave: No worries.  I'm delighted to be here!

Me: Nightingale is the first in your new YA series. Tell us a little
about it.

Dave: It's the story of a young man named Bron, abandoned at birth and raised in foster care, rejected at home after home, who begins to discover at the age of 16 that he isn't even human.  Instead, he's from a species very similar to humans who have coexisted with us for hundreds of thousands of years.
As he begins to discover what he really is, he suddenly becomes central to a struggle between his parents that has incredibly far-reaching consequences.

Me: Is this an open-ended series are do you plan on a certain number of
books?

I plan a certain number of books.  I've come to believe over the years that a "open-ended" story generally suffers for not having a goal in mind, a definitive climax, and is thus weaker than it could be.  So I'm aiming for four novels with this series, no more, no less.

Me: The character of Bron is a foster child and you paint his world with
such heartbreak. Then he gets adopted by, of all things, a high school drama
teacher who—trying not to give too much away—shows Bron just how “unique” he
really is. Do you have any experience with foster children or the theater?

Dave: My wife was raised in foster care, so she provided a lot of information.  Dare I say it, she was the inspiration for Bron?  Beyond that, we've taken in exchange students quite a bit, so we've had nearly thirty students in the past ten years.  Nearly all of them are in high-school.

Me: Do you do a lot of research before you start to write?

Dave: Yes.  Very often, I will spend more time researching a novel than writing it.  For my first book, I read a hundred books on science, philosophy and poetry to write just one novel.  With my most recent book prior to NIGHTINGALE, IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS, I spent a couple of years researching, but just one year of writing.

Me: Your career spans over twenty years now with dozens of projects to
your credit, like video game books, the Star Wars books, short stories,
stand-alone novels. What types of projects still get you excited after so
many years in the story-telling business?

Dave: All of them!  I love writing.  I love studying.  I love doing something new.  I just wrote a screenplay for the Runelords movie, for example.  I'd love to get that made.  I've recently been hired to create a MMORPG, so I get to devise an entire world and its magic systems.  I feel like a kid in a candy shop.

Me: You’re using Nightingale to launch your own publishing company, East
India Press, and you’re issuing both eBook and print versions of your new
novel. Why did you want to publish this book yourself and what have some of
the challenges been in adapting your career to a digital format?

Dave: The publishing world is a mess.  The publishers are losing money, so they're offering authors terrible deals--deals that I won't even consider.  While most of the publishers are offering bad deals, some of them even appear to be crooked.
Agents that I've admired for decades are now responding by starting their own publishing companies, a move that creates a conflict of interest with their authors.  This is both illegal and a terrible business practice, yet some of the top agents in the world are jumping in with both feet.
So authors, if they're smart, realize that they need to walk away from these deal.  That means that we need to publish ourselves.  But over three million e-books are to be published this year.  So the markets will be flooded.
Thus, the real issue before any author is, "How do I get noticed in the new electronic format?"
We decided that quality work--a great book with over a hundred illustrations and its own sound track, among other things--is part of the equation.
But promoting the work in new media--through social networks, for example--is just as important.

Me: The enhanced ebook edition has author’s notes and a soundtrack. What
are some other things you see coming down the pike for eBooks in the future?

I think each project will cry out for its own individual treatment.  For example, I can imagine that many books might lend themselves to film clips.  I don't think that I want to throw video games into the middle of a book in most cases--it would be too distracting for the reader--but I certainly think that there is plenty of room for musical interludes.  I like to write songs to put in my stories.
Actually, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.  Let's just say that I can think of some cool ways to create multimedia experiences that would make the novel more effective.  In other words, I want to use multimedia to "enhance" the story, not slow it down or compete with it.

Me: Finally, I know you’ve been working on producing a movie version for
your Runelords series. How are you progressing?

Dave: The press releases will begin flying in a couple of weeks.  Let's just say that we're ready to begin pitching in Hollywood.  I'm really optimistic.  I have a lot of fans in very high places in Hollywood, so I believe that we'll get a great film made.  I know that the script is great, because I wrote it myself.

Me: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on PicLitSavvy and good
luck with Nightingale.

Dave: Thank you, once again!

Dave's new book can be found at www.nightingalebook.com.

David Farland to Release Nightingale

Exciting news. Legendary author David Farland will be releasing a new YA book in mid October. It's called Nightingale and it is the first in a new series. This is the blurb from the website:

Bron Jones was abandoned as a child.
Because that's what his people do.
He looks like a normal teen.
Don't be fooled by appearances.
Now he's about to find out what he really is
Heaven help us all.


So go check out Nightingale. I have an interview coming up with Dave before the launching of the book so keep checking back here fore the post.

The Wedding is a Comin'!

I've been working very hard on a new children's Christmas story I'm publishing in August called The Gift Giver and I will have news for everyone very shortly on that project. Meanwhile, my agent is sending my book The Incredible Misadventures of Zadora Zane off to publishers at the end of this week. But wait, that's not all! I'm also getting married in less than two weeks to a wonderful woman and I've been swamped with wedding details.

I've got something burning on all burners and the future looks fantastic.

What do you guys do when things get hectic? Any advice?

Can't Focus!

Procrastination has got such a strangle hold on me today. It is the inevitable result of having way too much to do.

Limitless

I finally got a chance to see Limitless this weekend with Bradley Cooper. Here's the blurb from IMDb:
A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.


It was better than I was expecting. Bradley Cooper did a great job of playing a loser with a drug problem. I didn't know he could act that well. I also loved the scifi story elements--a pill that you could take that will allow you to access everything your brain has to offer. How awesome would that be? In the mornings I feel like I'm just begging my brain to give me ten percent of what it can offer.


Here's a question, if you could take a pill that would allow you to be smarter, what do you think you'd do with your life?


Me? I'd probably still write, just be a lot faster.

Time Riders

Time Riders is a YA action/adventure/scifi from writer Alex Scarrow. It is the first in what is currently a five part series about three teens from different times who are recruited to be the guardians of history. Following is the jacket text:

Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912.

Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.
Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2029.
Yet moments before death, someone mysteriously appeared and said, ‘Take my hand . . .’

But Liam, Maddy and Sal aren’t rescued. They are recruited by an agency that no one knows exists, with only one purpose – to fix broken history. Because time travel is here, and there are those who would go back in time and change the past.
That’s why the TimeRiders exist: to protect us. To stop time travel from destroying the world . . .

Time Riders is a well crafted ride through history with plenty of surprising twists and turns. It's especially a good read for you history buffs. I particularly enjoyed the alternate timelines in which the characters become trapped. It did start a little slow for me, but picked right up towards the middle and didn't let go until the very end. I'll definitely try to pick up the other books.

But what about you? Have you read it? What do you think?

Concept Art for Zadora Zane

I've been tinkering around with ideas for the cover of The Incredible Misadventures of Zadora Zane. Take a look at the picture below and tell me what you think. Obviously, it's not a finished piece, but what do you think of the idea of Zadora crashing through the cover of the book on a horse? Have any other suggestions for the cover?

Time Riders/Artemis Rising

Almost finished with Time Riders. It's been a great adventure so far. I'll tell you what I thought in a few days.

I went to Cheri Lasota's book launch last night in Portland, OR. It was a lot of fun. Met lot's of other writers, listened to Cheri read from her book, they even had a raffle (although I didn't win the Kindle). I also met Cheri's publisher Lucas (Spirehouse Books) and he's interested in reading my book The Incredible Misadventures of Zadora Zane. It was a great night.

Look for Cheri's book at all the major outlets!
Picture of Cheri and boyfriend Steve.

You can check out Cheri's website here. Artemis Rising is available on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), and the iBookstore (iPhone, iPad, Touch). You can also check out this YouTube review of Artemis Rising from E-Book It Reviews here.

Interview with Cheri Lasota

Yes! I finally got a chance to chat with Cheri Lasota Thursday afternoon. Her debut novel is Artemis Rising and it's being released by SpireHouse Books. She was interesting, gracious and full of excitement. Here's how the interview went:

Me:  First off, I know you're very busy getting ready for your big launch. Thanks for taking the time to chat.

Cheri:  Sure thing! I love to talk shop

Me:  Let's get first things first. Tell us a little about the story of Artemis Rising.

Cheri:  At its heart, Artemis Rising is a love triangle between a girl who's in love with one boy but is destined to be with another. Eva Mare is a young Azorean islander with a pagan mother and Catholic father. Eva must choose her faith at the story's opening and she chooses paganism. Yet, this sets off a fate that has dire consequences. She accepts the name of Arethusa but learns too late that her life will mir­ror the Greek nymph’s tragic fate. When [Eva Mare’s] ship founders off the Azores, Tristan, a young Azorean, saves her. Destined to be with Diogo and aching for Tristan’s for­bid­den love, Eva must some­how choose between them, or fate will soon choose for her.

Me:  Were you hesitant at all to tackle themes of religion in what will be your debut novel?

Cheri:  Yes, I was actually. The struggle between the two faiths was not part of my original plot. But I realized I couldn't separate Eva's struggle for love with her struggle about her faith. They are intertwined as is the Catholic faith for the Azorean people. I had to delve into it whether I wanted to or not. I am not one to rock the boat or make a statement, but I realized that the theme of this book was far beyond what I had originally planned. It goes quite deeply into the concepts of belief and false belief and I couldn't shy away from it without doing a disservice to my character, my readers, and myself.

Me:  That's very courageous.

Cheri:  Yes! Considering I never talk about my own views on religion and faith in public generally.

Me:  You mentioned the Azorean people. The Azores Islands play a significant part in the story. Have you always had a fascination with that part of the world, and history in general?

Cheri:  Ever since I fell madly in love with classics like A Tale of Two Cities and Moby Dick, I've loved historical fiction. It takes me away to another time and place that I'll never have access to in real life. I'm fascinated in where we've come from and how it can direct how we live today. The Azores, ah...My favorite place in the whole world. I lived there for two glorious years, and I wanted to share with the world how magical those islands are. I hope I did them justice. I miss Terceira Island every day.

But no, I've not always had a fascination with the Azores. Until I moved there, I'd never heard of them. They are a group of nine islands 800 miles off the coast of Portugal. In other words: the middle of nowhere!

Me:  Will you set other books in the Azores?

Cheri:  No. I thought about doing a sequel to Artemis Rising, but I felt Arethusa and Tristan's story was complete as is. And besides, researching the Azores was the most difficult part of writing this book. Historical materials from those islands are very scarce. But I had an old short story idea about a lighthouse on the Oregon coast that recently blossomed into my second novel. I'm about halfway done with the rough draft. This one is insanely fun to write and plot.:)

Me:  I know that your journey to publishing Artemis Rising was not an easy one. What are some of the hurdles you had to overcome?

Cheri:  My writing journey just took damn long! I decided to write a novel in third grade but it was years of fits and false starts before I had a handle on how to really write a good story. It wasn't until after I left the Azores that I decided to set the novel there. Sigh That meant that all the research materials I could have collected while there were no longer available to me. As I said, researching the history and setting took ten years. And frankly, it took that long just to fit the puzzle of the plot together too. A reader can read this book on two levels. There's the love story. But there is so much more going on underneath the romance, a whole subtext of mythology and the theme on belief. It was the most difficult and satisfying project I've ever undertaken. And if I try writing anything remotely that difficult again, just shoot me. :)

Me:  I know you're releasing it as an ebook. Any plans for a traditional print version? Hardcover maybe?

Cheri:  I'm a bit obsessed with the ebook revolution at the moment. I strongly believe that even the most diehard paper book fans are going to fall in love with ebooks and ebook readers, or at least be converted whether they want to or not. But I'm actually test marketing right now with the ebook format. I want to stretch its limits and see what it can do. I also want to figure out my target market--both teens and women in their 20s to 40s seem to really like this book--before I worry about setting the book in a more permanent format. A hardback I'm not interested in, but a future paperback of Artemis Rising isn't out of the question.

Me:  Finally, any advice for young artists out there who someday want to tackle writing a novel?

Cheri:  Oh yes. Too much to go into here. But I'll give you a short version:

1. Read widely, join a writers group, and decide on a genre BEFORE you start a new novel.

2. No matter where you are in the process of writing, start learning the marketing side of the business. Research, read, ask questions, and don't be lazy.

3. Don't skimp on professional editing. It will save you from being vilified by your readers in their reviews. Trust me.

4. Focus on writing a story that excites the hell out of you. Think outside the box. Don't shy away from tackling the hard questions and putting your characters through hell.

5. Have fun with the process and never EVER give up.

Me:  All words to live by.

Cheri: :)

Me:  Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule. It's been great.

Cheri:  Sure thing! Thank you so much for asking me. I'm honored!

You can check out Cheri's website here. Artemis Rising is available on Amazon (Kindle), Barnes & Noble (Nook), and the iBookstore (iPhone, iPad, Touch). You can also check out this YouTube review of Artemis Rising from E-Book It Reviews here.

Artemis Rising

I just had a short chat with author Cheri Lasota earlier today. We will be getting together for the interview tomorrow afternoon. I'm very excited. Can you feel the energy?

Great News!

The new book Artemis Rising will be published in early September and next week I get to interview the author, Cheri Lasota. I've been friends with Cheri for a few years, she's extremely passionate about what she does and I'm very excited that she's taking time out of her busy publishing schedule to have a chat. The entire thing will be posted on my blog, of course! But until then, check out her website and the trailer for Artemis Rising.

http://www.cherilasota.com/

Still Reading

It's been a busy week reading "soon-to-be-published" books. I've been trying to keep up with reading Time Riders, but I've also been reading some really good stuff from friends of mine. My pal Amber has written a book called Night of the Victorian Dead and my Australian friend Rowena has written a detective novel called From the Shadows. Both are well written with great stories and I'm sure you'll all be hearing about them soon!

To See, or Not To See?

Okay, the recent remake of Conan has got me curious. I really didn't expect much (being a dedicated fan of the original movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger), but the reviews don't seem to be good. I guess I'm looking for an excuse to see it. Can anyone say anything good about it? Give me a reason, please!

Conan the Barbarian on IMDB

P.S. Do we really need the Barbarian in the title? With the poster featuring Conan's bulging muscles, are we really wondering if he's a talk show host?

Time Riders

I'm currently on Chapter 8 of Time Riders. It's showing a lot of promise.

Anyone else read it?

http://www.time-riders.co.uk/

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

If you've ever seen the original five Planet of the Apes movies, you know that the production quality goes down with each movie. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes was, I believe, the third movie in the original series and really wasn't bad, although some of the background ape makeup was not so well done. The new movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, roughly follows the Conquest story line and no expense was spared when creating the main character, Caesar, the leader of the ape rebellion.

The movie was pretty good. Caesar is a chimpanzee who is given a drug that makes him very smart and we follow his growth from precocious baby chimp to the leader of the ape rebellion, and each step along the way we are made to understand and sympathize with every decision Caesar makes, including killing a few humans. The only thing that doesn't make it for me is that Caesar is almost all CGI. There's still something about computer animation that doesn't capture reality. Caesar is incredibly well done, but I still look at CGI characters and think there's something just not right here. But, it doesn't distract from the story very much because the movie is well done. See it if you can!

Your thoughts?


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/

Finished My Blood Approves

It was a really long way to travel for that ending. Yes, it is written for female teens and I'm not a female teen, but I've read plenty of books that I loved that have a young, female protagonist. My own book is about a 13-year-old girl! But this one, it just wasn't there.

So, why did this sell so many copies? Was it that e-readers were fairly new and people were just searching for content, or is there really something I'm missing in these stories? Should I read a different Amanda Hocking book, or is My Blood Approves a good example of the type of writing she does?

Halfway Through My Blood Aproves

I have to say, it's not grabbing me. I get why some may like it, but it's not the most original story or the best told. It's moving really slowly. What do you like or not like about it?

My Blood Approves

I was wondering what the hubbub around Amanda Hocking was--you know, sold millions of dollars worth of self-published e-books. So, even though she's like on her tenth or twelfth self-published novel, I decided to start with her first title, My Blood Approves.

The rumors were correct: she desperately needs an editor, it's really, really dumb, and for some very odd reason, I can't put it down. I'm on page 59 and I'm forcing myself to stop so I can do some of my own writing. It's a pretty quick read, thank goodness because it's five-hundred and sixty-seven pages long! Geez!

So, I'm enjoying it up to this point. Anybody read it? Comments?

Captain America

I'll admit, I wasn't expecting much from Captain America. In my opinion, with the exception of Harry Potter, it's been a pretty disappointing summer for movies. Mostly because no one seems to put characters on the screen that we care about. But we definitely care about Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as a 90 pound weakling that wants nothing more than to help others. He's honest, hardworking, and courageous without the muscles of a superhero. He's really easy to root for and I can't wait 'till the movie comes out on DVD so I can check out the special features and see how they made him a weakling--the special effects were awesome!

But what do you think? Were there any other movies this summer that really made you feel something?