Blogetary (Weblog + Commentary = Blogetary)

Book Review: The Scent of Shadows

Earlier this year, on the strength of a friend’s suggestion to support another writer whose urban fantasy series was premiering this spring, and based on the descriptions of said series on Amazon.com, I pre-ordered Vicki Pettersson’s The Scent of Shadows and The Taste of Night.  Shortly thereafter I began reading Vicki Pettersson’s blog and was drawn into her wonderful train-wreck-worst-date contest, where the winner would receive signed ARCs (Advanced Readers Copy) of both books.  While I had already ordered the books, it was still fun to enter the contest and read all the awful date stories (who doesn’t like sharing those stories over a cocktail or two!). 

If you, or anyone you know, is or has been involved in a domestic abuse situation then know you are not alone.  You might like to read this article by one of the editors at SheVibe:The Clitoral Truth.

There are people who can help.

Well, someone likes my writing.  If you’re interested in reading some of my poetry, I have two poems (Spirit Lover and Oil and Wine) up at SheVibe.com.  If you get a chance, check them out.  Hope you enjoy them: http://shevibe.com/current/html/erotic_ink.html

From Realms of Fantasy Magazine – AGAIN.  Different story, same form letter.  Maybe I’ll try again with another story.  Third time’s the charm they say, or it could just verify that they hate me.  Yes, there are other periodicals out there, but I have so wanted something published in ROF.  I remember when they first started publication.

Oh.  Well.  I’ll try going through this story again and see if I can find a home for it somewhere else.  I still think it’s a good story.
I was able to pay for my cats special food and insulin today, so that puts me in the plus column of life, at least.  Now, I’m going to have a nice comfortin’ cuppa with a friend.

It’s cold and rainy out.  I THINK I have an umbrella with me. 

It’s getting busy at work.

I started a book called Dark Moon by David Gemmell and it’s really good.  He kinda writes like Tim Powers and I loves me my Tim Powers. Then Vicki’s book, The Scent of Shadows, came in and I really wanted to read that.  So, I’m putting down Gemmell for a little while in favor of Vicki.  They both have a lot to teach me in the way of writing (I’ve been reading The Tough Guide to Fantasyland as well and they both break a few stereotypes), but I’m in the mood for a female protagonist right now.

Didn’t do any writing on anything.  Did I mention my eyelid is twitching?  Never a good sign and hard to settle down when it gets like that. 

And if you’ll notice, I’m just not in the mood for inserting links.

Well.  Onward and Upward.  I’ll try again later.

Yesterday, I got quite a bit written for Chapter 5 in my little Mead Notebook, but there are something bothering me from the first four chapters that I want to fix. So I sat down at the computer last night and stared at the first page of Chapter 1 before closing it and opening up a short story I want to submit somewhere. Then I worked on that short story and decided to reread the guidelines to make sure I was in keeping with those. Then, got all discouraged because I’m not sure I’m at all doing what I need to do. So I switched the computer off and tried to go to bed early, hoping I could do more work today.

Today, I overslept and messed around and I was not very productive at work, let alone with my own writing. I feel like a slug.

On the bright side, I started a book I have been meaning to start and got Vicki Pettersson’s book in the mail today as well. I read a Critique Partner’s (CP) short story and was really impressed. I need to write her now with a critique. Spoke with a friend of mine last night who wants me to help him with some writing in the future and that may help pay for kitty litter, which is good since Kiko’s insulin is just about used up and I need to get some more.  Came up with the hint of an idea for an anthology that my sister is working on.  Really excited about that.

But for now, I just feel useless.

Well, tomorrow will be another day.

Okay, this is just going to be a blatant post to support my cousin Simon. I was inspired by Chandra’s post about supporting fellow writers who are trying to get going in the publishing world, though he is trying to get going in The Biz. When I Googled him this morning I got a hockey player, a French director, and an actor from the 40s. So, I would like to help rectify that.

Simon Olivier has been writing for a number of years and I believe even has a degree in production. He’s worked in radio as well as in film and tv. Based out of London, he does treatment-writing and visual references for commercials and music videos as well as short film and feature screenplays written, developed, re-drafted and analyzed. While he doesn’t have a website or blog set up (yet – though I’m hoping he will soon so I can link him up), he does have an email address: scriptsimon@gmail.com.

I met Simon on his visit to LA a little while ago and if you’re looking for a young, hip, intelligent screenwriter with British/Common Wealth sensibilities, sharp sense of humor, he’s your guy.

What fun!

Yesterday has to have been one of the best get togethers I have ever had at my place. Seriously. It wasn’t much. No alcohol; fancy cocktails, beer, wine weren’t around. Neither were there any fancy schmancy appetizers or food. No fancy dress or theme. It was just simple: popcorn, water, tea, rootbeer, candy and some frozen veggie pizza – all contributed by everyone there. And what we did was simple. We watched fun movies and chatted about what we love best – stories and storytelling, writing and writers, movies and books. At one point someone said, “You can take the people out of the Critique Group, but you can’t take the Critique Group out of the people.”

It was so relaxing (and energizing) to be around people who have the same passion I do about writing and stories and storytelling. I’ve known people in the past who said they were writers or wanted to write (such as the Troll next door), but usually those people didn’t REALLY want to be writers. They liked the idea of being a writer, but like any dilettante, only played at it until something else caught their fancy. Though they liked the idea of writing, the need and desire to communicate, no matter what, to place words on a page for themselves, even if no one else read them, be they in a journal using pen or pencil or on a screen using their laptop? They didn’t have that need or desire. But the people I spent time with last night do.

Hey, everyone has their dreams and passions and I know I need to remember that we don’t all have the same dreams and passions. And I want to be supportive of my friends dreams and passions just as they are supportive of mine. I am just so tired of thinking I have found people who share this writing sickness, only to be let down by them. It feels like they lied to me or betrayed me. It’s nice to finally be around people who share it.

Movie Reviews?

Blade Runner – I suppose, after that spiel, I should really give a review of the movies we watched. First on the docket was Blade Runner (1982) and that was fun. The original book, by Philip K. Dick was called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. If you don’t know it, the tale is set in the future. The earth is dying, and most humans have found a way off world if they can do it. Wildlife, even rats, is nonexistent. All animals are protected. It’s considered a sign of status to even own an android animal. People have mood enhancing machines to place them at the mood they desire. Androids are slaves and considered dangerous and not allowed on earth, away from the mining colonies where they work. However, many androids have developed a desire for self-determination and could be considered sentient. They rebel and then security people, called Blade Runners, are sent after them to hunt them out and “retire” them or exterminate them. Many of these androids have memories as if they really were 25 years old, say, instead of maybe 2 years old. They also have a built in control where they are only supposed to last so long – I believe up to 4 years.

Deckard (Harrison Ford’s part) is assigned to retire four androids that have escaped from a shuttle. The entire time he is hunting them, he fights the feeling that he is nothing more than a hired hitman sent out to kill sentient beings for no other reason than they want to exist. Yet, the androids are dangerous, and are not faultless, so Deckard works hard to achieve his objective, even while falling in love with an android. It is an interesting tale and commentary on who should be considered to be “human.” While I like the book better because of the detail that Dick infuses into his tale, I really do enjoy Ford’s portrayal of someone who is asking himself all these questions.

Sword and Sorcerer – Next up was the movie Sword and Sorcerer (1982), with Prince Talon protrayed by Lee Horsely. Joe Regalbuto, from Murphy Brown, is also in this film. This was a fun movie! For some reason, even though it came out the same year as Blade Runner, it looks more dated. To be fair, it was a very low budget film. We had a great time listening to the double entendres in the dialogue, getting grossed out by the demon, and wondering how the heck one carries and sheathes a three pronged sword (and how do the prongs come back? Do they grow back?).

The story is fairly simple. A young prince loses his entire family when an usurper takes his father’s throne. The prince escapes to become a great and fair (and cute) mercenary commander. While he doesn’t seek the throne of his father’s kingdom himself, he does step in to help the rebellion that is trying to grab the throne back from the evil usurper. One of the best bits is that Talon keeps running into nearly naked women. One of the best scenes is when all his men from his unit happen to be enjoying themselves in a “house of pleasure” and discover he’s been captured and vow to get him back. Of course, they end up getting captured, too, but that’s just all part of the story. I really enjoyed this one.

Army of Darkness – I think of all three, I enjoyed this one the most. Starring Bruce Campbell, it had the Raimi/Campbell/Tapert sense of humor and style that I enjoyed so much with Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules:The Legendary Journeys. There are even scenes where Sam Raimi snuck in his brother Ted (Joxer of Xena fame). The Army of Darkness (1992) was actually made in the 1990s and we were supposed to stick with movies from the 1980s for this movie night, but somehow it got on the list and from there got voted in. And I’m glad it did. I loved it. I think I’m going to have to own it. Really.

The story is that a man with a chainsaw for a hand goes back in time 600 years to fight a “Big Bad” as they often said on Buffy. Think “Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” with a really fun twist. Mark Twain would have enjoyed this movie, I think.

Next time …

After watching the movies we all chatted and had a great time. I think it was decided that Ray Harryhausen will be our next movie night, though I can’t remember which movies we settled on. I’ll have to ask someone. So next month, possibly the third Saturday of the month, I’ll let you know how it goes.

So, I took a little break from serious reading and writing and angst-filled mulling to reread Mary Poppins. It’s been re-issued recently and I received a copy for Christmas this year. After reading it, I remember now why I loved it so much as a kid and read the other books after it. And now, I want to rush out get the other books in her series and read them, too. I love Mary Poppins!

First off, the book is, and is not, like the movie. Yes, the Banks need a nanny and appear to have difficulty keeping their own. Yes, the wind blows Mary Poppins in and she remains until the wind changes. Some of the same characters and scenes are in the book as in the movie as well, however, the book has a quality that the movie doesn’t (and I loved the movie).

As a reader I noticed several things about the story that were engaging. As cranky and vain as Mary Poppins is, she is always there for Jane and Michael (and John and Barbara, the Twins). Though they have parents, those parents are, like parents worldwide, often preoccupied with money and bills. After all, Mr. Banks told Mrs. Banks she had to choose between a comfortable home with a new coat of paint and fresh wallpaper or four children. Luckily for them, she chose the children (she thought she’d rather miss them if they were gone). And now it is up to Mary Poppins to care for them since Ellen the maid, Mrs. Brill, the Cook, and Robertson Ay the handyman, have other things to avoid doing. This is good for the children as the more time they spend with Mary Poppins, the better they become and the more they learn. Each lesson comes with the gift of wonder. Each person they meet opens the world a little wider for the children to see and understand. I was filled with delight and received respite from my worldly cares every time I picked this up and read a chapter.

As a writer, there are several other concepts I noticed that made me ponder whether I could use them in my own writing. The immediate thing I noticed was the tone, the voice of the narrative. Although Mary Poppins is a fantasy, it is a children’s fantasy and expected to be read aloud at some point. The very distinct tone of the narrative implies this and makes the storytelling even stronger and the world even more real. It is the narrative that draws the reader into the story. In a regular fantasy, the narrative often has no real personality, unless told in the first person. I think people often want the narrative to disappear and have the action or the characters pull the reader in. One big exception is Naomi Novik’s Temeraire trilogy. Her narrative has a definite tone, though written in the third person, and she uses it to draw the reader into her world.

Something else that is intriguing is that while there is a beginning, a middle, and an end, this story is not written in a linear fashion; rather, it is written episodically. Each chapter is its own little tale or adventure or its own arc and story line. Each chapter can be read on its own to a child (or to oneself) before bedtime. This is very refreshing. Everyone is so concerned with the great grand arc of their story and all the subplots and characters and crap, that it’s refreshing to just read something nice for once.

One of the other things I noticed is that Travers never tried to explain how all the magical things happened. They just happened. Part of the state of wonder is just enjoying it, not trying to figure it out or question it. In fact, Mary Poppins often got quite cranky when either Jane or Michael tried to question or examine too closely the wonder they had just experienced. Mary Poppins didn’t fall into a trance and call upon any forces or ley lines or natter on about whether the magic was for personal uses or the common good. In fact, there wasn’t even a big baddie that had to be fought or some big obstacle that needed to be overcome. Mary Poppins came. Jane and Michael (and John and Barbara, the Twins) learned lessons from her. Magic happened. The Wind changed and Mary Poppins left (perhaps to return another time). It was delightful. I highly recommend it.
Now, time to prepare for that movie marathon.

I never win anything.  Well, the last time I won something was in 1998 an then nothing before that, so that tells you something.  So, Vicki Pettersson had a contest on her blog on who has had the worst date.  And the winner would get signed ARC copies of The Scent of Shadows and The Taste of Night.  Pretty cool, huh?  What was even better was the list of stories.  The person who won the two copies actually had the worst honeymoon ever and will now be consoled by Vicki’s books.

However, in the mean time, Vicki had two extra copies and did a lottery picking by random number generator to see who would get those.  And I got one! YAY!  I’m looking forward to it as I actually have both the above books on preorder  through Amazon and have been looking forward to it.  Someone else I know has read and written a stunning review of The Scent of Shadows.  So, like I said, I am looking forward to it. 

After a week of trying to scrape and save and figure out how I’m going to pay rent, buy my cat’s insulin, get medical things taken care of for me when I have no medical insurance and the medical community is not very helpful in getting me appointments or medication, this was a bright light. 

By the way. 

Planned Parenthood is very helpful. 

Los Angeles Free Clinic is NOT helpful at ALL.

LA Dept. Public Health I’m still waiting to hear from.

Dr. Harold Peart and Dr. Paula Bailey Walton, though they did nothing wrong, are not very helpful as doctors.  At least they weren’t very for helpful for me.