Blogging Off

I'm going off my ether through New Year's. May all of you enjoy a safe, fun, and happy holiday season. Cheers!

Happy Solstice Day - Go See Avatar

How's that for a segue? :) -- check out Laura's post for a more in depth rundown. If you're looking for a Ferngully meets Smurfs (supposedly a Smurf movie is coming sometime next year)  meets Thundercats meets Aliens meets Dances with Wolves meets Speaker for the Dead, you can't beat this movie. Seriously, though, if you love epic movies (e.g., LOTR, Braveheart, etc.), you'll love Avatar. You don't need to see it in IMAX or 3D (though these will amplify the experience), you just need to see it.

Best movie of the year. Man's answer to New Moon (though, in unfairness, New Moon appeals primarily to you crazy double Xers, whereas Avatar appeals to everybody. It's a romance after all -- a romance w/ some ass-kicking wyverns, gunships, and a few good men (along with a few hundred gung-ho jarheads)).

Heck, it's even Robin Hood: Prince of Thievesish. If I have one minor nit, it's the fact that the smurf/thundercat hybrids are a bit too Native Americanish (w/ Mr. Indian himself, Wes Studi, playing one of the tribal leaders). Cameron could have gone a bit more imaginative on that front, but  that's digging deep to find a flaw.

Check it out.

He chortled, I cringed.

Chortled, guffawed, snickered (sometimes). These words make my skin crawl and my teeth itch (teeth itching -- WTF?). Not exactly sure why (probably my irrational dislike for extreme emotions ;), but I just don't see people doing these things. People laugh, but how often do they throw their heads back and 'roar with laughter?' To some extent, we want to embellish the realities within our stories to make them grander than reality, but the aforementioned words (to name a few) normally pull me away from the story b/c I'm thinking (what's wrong with this person? -- only bleedin' nutters guffaw). Everything in proportion, I say.

What about you? Are there words/phrases that make your blood boil (not a huge fan of this one either, unless we're talking literal, serial-killer style)?

If you wear hoop earrings, I apologize in advance.

I was watching an episode of Friday Night Lights on DVD a few weeks back and my wife comments to me (with a knowing grin) something along the lines of: "oh, she's a whore" about one of the characters. Now, this probably could have been gleaned from her outfit or makeup, but my wife tells me her dead giveaway:

It wasn't b/c the girl resembled a Kardashian, it was because of the large hoop earrings. Who knew!? Evidently, unbeknownst to moi, the size of one's hoops is proportional to one's likelihood to engage in the horizontal mambo. Now, I'm not exactly sure where the moralistic intercept is on the whore to earring-size graph, but every time I now see a woman w/ hoop earrings, I can't help but think of my wife's blithe words.

Are there any silly stereotypes (common or uncommon -- this earring thing seems uncommon to me, but perhaps ye of the fairer persuasion can enlighten me) that you can't help but think about when you observe them?

Do you need a Cheerleader?

No, not these type of cheerleaders. (and, if anybody's in the know, what's the big scuff up between rally girls and cheerleaders?)...






I mean this sort of cheerleader:


This is Tony Horton, from P90X, a world-class fitness trainer, and someone who annoys the hell out of me. He's constantly yammering through these workout videos, "motivating" us to push for more ("do your best, and forget the rest" is the platitude of choice). Now, I imagine, some people appreciate this little kick in the pants, but I can normally do without it.

What about you? Do you need a cheerleader (spouse, blog buddies, chocolate, whiskey, etc.) to propel you, or is your inner-drive usually strong enough to get you through the tough spots? Don't get me wrong. Sometimes it's necessary to have somebody to lean on, but I'd like that person to be sh**-eating grin free.

Free The Princess.... and sell the wench to the highest bidder.

Curses on Matty D for "tagging" me. I thus tag Christine (who, unlike moi, has some pretty sweet poetry), Renee (who, unlike me, remains optimistic through it all), Steph (who is much bolder than ole Bane when it comes to traveling outside his/her comfort zone), and Laura (the straightest shooter I know).

 PS - I apologize for the extra black background... blogger's gone a bit facocked on me. POS.

1. What's the last thing you wrote? What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
Last thing: the first paragraph of my next novel, Kissing Dragons. The first thing (on my current laptop) is a quasi-memoir I wrote for my father's birthday in 2003. I haven't read it in awhile, but when I do, it makes me realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful father (crazy as he may be ;)

2. Write poetry?
Hell No! The last piece of poetry I did was for a senior high school project. My poem: "Why Poetry is Pointless." The class loved it; the teacher, not so much. For a good poem, check out Christine's blog.
3. Angsty poetry?
Skip

4. Favorite genre of writing? 
Fantasy, sci-fi, horror.
5. Most annoying character you've ever created?
Probably Rik from The Lost Children Chronicles. But, hey, at least he doesn't sparkle.
6. Best Plot you've ever created?
I like my Divine Flux plot -- the ultimate game of the Gods --> chess w/ 2 children as pawns.
7. Coolest Plot twist you've ever created?
Again, have to go to Divine Flux -- incorporating and intertwining myths. Very fun.
8. How often do you get writer's block?
Rarely. Usually just have writing spurts and starts.
9. Write fan fiction?
No.
10. Do you type or write by hand?
The only U (for unsatisfactory) I got in grade school was in Handwriting. I do occasional random notes by hand, though, and try to decipher them later. Usually it's a cross between cursive and print, which is supposed to be indicative of psychosis -- go figure.
11. Do you save everything you write?
Yes.
12. Do you ever go back to an idea after you've abandoned it?
No, not yet, but I do leapfrog from a previous idea.
13. What's your favorite thing you've ever written?
The Goblin Prince. For those who read TLCC, it's a very similar premise, but written for an older audience w/ a much darker, more somber tone.
14. What's everyone else's favorite story that you've written?
Stealing Matt's answer: That remains to be seen.
15. Ever written romance or angsty teen drama?
Double steal: God no. I've included romantic subplots in my stories, but that's about it. And angsty teen drama bores me to tears (especially when things sparkle in the sun).
16. What's your favorite setting for your characters?
Well, I've had tunnels in every book (and Kissing Dragons will also have tunnels despite my best intents), so it must be tunnels.
17. How many writing projects are you working on right now?
Mostly in the fermentation phase for Kissing Dragons as I query TLCC
18. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
Nope.
19. What are your five favorite words?
I like Rick's answer. Other words: eldritch, aqualine, marmoreal, evanescent, abattoir.
What character have you created that is most like yourself?
From TLCC, probably something of a combination of Kevin, Prince, and Jenson.
21. Where do you get ideas for your characters?
Usually in the shower :)
22. Do you ever write based on your dreams?
Nah, my dreams are far too crazy for stories.
23. Do you favor happy endings?
I like realistic endings, though for MG stories, happy endings are better.
24. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Always.
25. Does music help you write?
Sometimes, but usually it just fades into the background.
26. Quote something you've written. Whatever pops into your head.

Um, nothing pops into my head, so I'm going digging. Here are the last few lines from The Goblin Prince:

Though I am nothing more than a wretched goblin dying in the shadows of your world, I want those forsaken children who disappeared from their beds in the middle of the night to know that I’m doing my best to ensure that I am the last of our kind.

And to the children of the morrow, if you see shadows in your closet or hear creaks in your attic, there’s a good chance it’s Max and me stopping by to check on you.

Smile; we’ll see you.

Say hello; we’ll hear you.

But whatever you do, don’t come looking for us.

We’re doing our best to keep you safe, but there’s a chance that the shadows you see belong to Blins on the Harvest and the creaks you hear come from Pyrrics on the prowl.

Stay in your bed and say your prayers. We’ll try to protect you.

Random Cool Stuff

So, was doing some shopping for my bro and his wife, who just recently got a PS3 to watch movies. They don't play games on it b/c, well, they're Mormon... nah, just kidding. They are Mormon, but they don't play games on it b/c they'd rather rot their minds watching movies :). Anyhoo, I know they don't like typical platform games, but they might enjoy puzzle games. Unfortunately, most PS3 puzzle games are network only (i.e., you've got to download them... and digital gifts are kinda cruddy, IMO -- one drawback of e-books, yes?). But, while doing some research, found a very cool game for the Engineer/Artist in all of us:

While doing some more "research" for my SIL, my wife came across this glorious website. Our favorite was that one -->

though there were plenty others (many of them crude -- I love the one that starts 'You say Tomato') that are too precious.

Finally, if you're eagerly awaiting L.T. Host's Mad Lib Friday, I've got something to tide you over.

Congrats to The Ducks - Winners of The Ugly Bowl

So, I'm not a native Oregonian, but if I were, I would have been thrilled by the national sports spotlight directed toward the Pacific NW last night. You see, the fearsome yellow and green Ducks were playing the ravenous orange and black Beavers for a trip to The Rose Bowl in the 113th Civil War (which probably half the states name their games between in-state rivals, independent of sport or import). The general populous was in a Texas-size fervor that bordered on mania on Monday and plunged into complete ridiculousness last night (yes, that's a giant Donald Duck impostor crowd surfing -- Ohio State, be afraid, be very afraid).

So, are there any events that cause people to dress like this in your neck of the woods?


Happy Friday, everyone. Stay warm, and remember to breathe.

This One's For Laura

I want to thank Bridget (i.e., J.B. Chicoine), Laura, Steph, and Anita for their recent generosities. And, in general, I want to thank everyone for their continued support and good-naturedness. I'm not sure who I'd pass the awards on to, so I might have to come up with my own and start a new endless loop :)

Now, to appease Laura to some extent, I've included a picture of me to the left (hint: I'm not the girl :). This is my preferred attire, though sometimes my wife forces me to dress up (though I wore neither tie nor suit to our wedding, bless her soul).

Not too much interesting about me that I didn't mention here.

One other piece of information that will surely make the gents roll their eyes and probably make the lasses go 'Awww': I married the first woman I dated, and while we can fight like pit-bulls sometimes (add Aries to Taurus and whaddya expect?), I couldn't imagine my life without her.

Okay, 'nuff of the sap, back to my regularly scheduled smart-assedness (this is the product of being the middle child... at least I'm not a BSC anorexic like my sister or a zealous Mormon convert like my brother... I'm just a crazy wannabe writer :)

Will leave you with this Jack Handy quote:

“Just because swans mate for life, I don't think its that big a deal. First of all, if you're a swan, you're probably not going to find a swan that looks much better than the one you've got, so why not mate for life?"

Greater Exposure

Except for my fanship w/ the Lakers, I'm usually a fan of the little guy.

So, if there were an author (other than yourself :) who you wished had more publishing exposure, greater market share/influence, who would s/he be?

When The Saints Go Marching In

In Synopsis Hell right now (FFS -- i.e., For ****'s Sake -- why would an agent ask for a damn synopsis :), but wanted to give a shout out to Laura's New Orleans Saints, who S.M.O.K.E.D the Patriots. Though I'm happy for the Saints (b/c I like underdog organizations), I'm even happier that pretty-boy Tom Brady (who ranks up there w/ Scottie Pippen as one of the most overrated athletes of all time) and the Pats go their clocks cleaned (yeah, the phrase doesn't make any sense, but it sounds damn good)