Wine Like a Kiss, Part II
This wine is exquisite. A blended red from Washington, the wine not so much swirls in your mouth, but french kisses the tongue. A heady wine rich with flavor, it reminds you of a woman who neither is teasing nor coy before embracing you for a night of sensuous lovemaking. It is the wine’s purpose. That is all she does. And after she is gone, the fruity taste on the lips remain, beckoning for more.
Cowboy Junkies, Misguided Angel
I confess, I am a Cowboy Junkies junkie. Margo has The Voice. I am constantly amazed by the Cowboy Junkies passion and poetry.
***
Misguided Angel
Margo Timmins, Michael Timmins
***
I said “Mama, he’s crazy and he scares me
But I want him by my side
though he’s wild and he’s bad
and sometimes just plain mad
I need him to keep me satisfied”
I said “Papa, don’t cry cause it’s alright
And I see you in some of his ways
Though he might not give me the life that you wanted
I’ll love him the rest of my days”
Misguided angel hangin’ over me
Heart like a Gabriel, pure and white as ivory
Soul like a Lucifer, black and cold like a piece of lead
Misguided angel, love you ’til I’m dead
I said “Brother, you speak to me of passion
You said never to settle for nothing less
Well, it’s in the way he walks,
it’s in the way he talks
His smile, his anger and his kisses”
I said “Sister, don’t you understand?
He’s all I ever wanted in a man
I’m tired of sittin’ around the T.V. every night
Hoping I’m finding a Mr. Right”
Misguided angel hangin’ over me
Heart like a Gabriel, pure and white as ivory
Soul like a Lucifer
Black and cold like a piece of lead
Misguided angel, love you ’til I’m dead
He says “Baby, don’t listen to what they say
There comes a time when you have to break away”
He says “Baby there are things we all cling to all our life
It’s time to let them go and become my wife”
Misguided angel hangin’ over me
Heart like a Gabriel, pure and white as ivory
Soul like a Lucifer
Black and cold like a piece of lead
Misguided angel, love you ’til I’m dead
While we’re here, check out this bad-ass cover version of Neil Young’s Powderfinger.
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
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| The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:Column 1 Georgia: Button Gwinnett Lyman Hall George Walton Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5 Column 6 |
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| U.S. National Archives & Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001, • 1-86-NARA-NARA • 1-866-272-6272 |
Thank you
Ever feel so relaxed you’re about to slip into a coma? The kids are keeping themselves occupied, the wife is doing her own thing, work is good, today is a day off, tonight, dinner with the guys in which we will consume garlic with token bits of chicken added.
It makes me thankful, and thankful that my 8.3 blog readers are so nice too.
For the US folks, have a happy 4th of July tomorrow.
Mmmm sun. How sweet it is.
(stretch)
(snooze)
(zzzz)
“I could stand to hear more.”
I’m back with my laptop now getting juice, oh yes I am!
Wash: “Yeah well, if she doesn’t give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting.”
Mal: “Define interesting.”
Wash: “Oh god oh god we’re all gonna die?”
Mal: “This is the captain. We have a…little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then…explode.”
Jayne: “We’re gonna explode? I don’t wanna explode.”
***
Mal: “Kaylee, this is a place of business. We can talk about Simon-”
Kaylee: “When he’s four worlds away? Or the Alliance gets ahold of him and River?”
Mal: “That ain’t my worry. I gotta finish this job, get us another one. Can’t do that carryin’ those two.”
Kaylee: “How can you be so cold?”
Zoe: “Cap’n didn’t make them fugitives.”
Kaylee: “But he coulda made ‘em family. ‘stead of keepin’ Simon from seein’ I was there. And I carried such a torch! And we coulda…goin’ on a year now and I ain’t had nothin’ twixt my nethers weren’t run on batteries!”
Mal: “Oh God! I can’t know that!”
Jayne: “I could stand to hear more.”
Best. Search. Hit. Ever.
I am sure I am a supreme disappointment to all the people who come to my blog searching for information on how to spank their little sister.
Really.
But this search term is so uber I feel vindicated. That blogging was so very very worth it. That my birth unto this world has fulfilled The Prophesy. Ladies and Gentelman, I bring you the search hit of search hits:
WOW! Somebody out there GETS IT. And she came to my blog to get it! Mine!
In ten years there will be a new ruler over Earth. And she will be The Empress.
First Seven Chapters of Monster Hunter International Posted
I have the collector’s POD version of Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International, and Baen has just published the first seven chapters for free.
I cannot begin to tell you how freak’n good this book is. The sheer awesomeness starts with the title, and then continues with the first paragraph, and then the first chapter, and it just goes from awesome to, yanno, awesomesauce.
Take, for example, this quote:
“I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him. I thought he was a pompous ass from the moment I had met him, and I felt the primal and instinctual need to beat him up and take his lunch money.”
Oh man, how great is that? I am so buying the Amazon version, just because I want to have a complete collection. Paranormal urban fantasy. With guns. And monsters. And hot chicks. And more guns! And then more monsters. I giggled like a little girl for days after reading MHI.
Just a warning. The first sever chapters are a monumental tease. Do not blame me for this. Blame Larry. Kthnx bye!
Mad World Deconstructed
Mad World History
Mad World from the movie Donnie Darko is a cover version of Roland Orzabal’s Tears for Fears 1982 single release (which Orzabal wrote at the ripe old age of 20). The 2001 cover version, sung by Gary Jules and arranged/played by Michael Andrews, a young television and film score composer, is a heartfelt piece of contemporary music that some describe as haunting.
Andrews, a string player, wanted to do Mad World on the guitar but the director of Darko insisted on a guitar and drum ban for the film, so Andrews taught himself to play the piano to use Mad World during the film’s ending; partly to avoid paying another musician, and partly because he could. He then called up his childhood friend, Jules, who lived down the street to provide the vocals, and the result was something just a bit extraordinary.
If you listen to the Tear for Fears version, the heart-tugging lyrics get lost in the pop-bubblegum synth dance track that accompanied the vocals. Bassist Curt Smith, who sang on the single, has a full and deep voice. I am willing to bet, if he sung without a mic, he could fill whatever room he was in with music. Parried together, the song is powerful (if you are into dance tracks) but ultimately off the mark, as if they were reaching out for something but just couldn’t connect with their vision.
Still a hit with fans, the single hit the UK charts at #3 and shortly saw release on their first album. Tears for Fears went on to become an international hit and you would have had to be leaving under a rock growing up in the 1980′s to not recognize the popular songs released on their album Songs from the Big Chair.
The Release
Andrew simplified Mad World’s arrangement into a piano accompaniment to Jule’s melancholy voice, with a cello adding a simple underscore during the second go-around. Rather than lyrics lost in bright and sharp instrumentation and Smith’s belting out of notes, they zing right strait into your brain. Re-released in the UK both on Darko’s sound track and Jules’ album, the single not so much crawled to the top as obliterated all the other pop songs out to become #1 for the 2003 UK Christmas Chart. Darko itself released in the fall of 2001 in the US, unfortunately not a great time for any film or other media. But the film was popular in the UK, making more money overseas in theaters than in the US.
Not entirely as popular in the US than the UK, the song made US resurgence as a #1 download for iTunes when the epic and popular trailer for the video game Gears of War released in 2006. It can be argued, the Gears of War trailer stands alone in the best video game trailer ever released, and the music highlighting just how awesome the graphics of the game actually was.
The Music
Why does Mad World connect with so many people? Much credit falls on Andrews and his raw music talent. Donnie Darko was a movie set in the 80′s, and giving the theme of the movie, Andrews picked a song from his youth which, if one didn’t know any better, was written specifically for the movie. He transcribed the original music from D Major to E-Flat Major, but arranged it in the Dorian mode from F to F rather than E-Flat to E-Flat.
The result is equivalent to a natural minor scale, but with the sixth degree raised. This is somewhat disturbing (in addition to not being standard pop fair) when paired with the chords starting in measure 20, which alternate from B-Flat to F-minor to the end of the song, never to properly resolve. This is also non-standard and the combination is unusual as it is vaguely unsettling. I am not familiar with all of Andrews’ work, but for someone who picked up the piano just to place this song at the end of a movie was the musical equivalent of winning a golf tournament by making a hole-in-one on a Par 3 18th hole.
Gary Jules’ vocals are pure melancholy and sung with honest feeling readily apparent to even the non-pop music fan. Coupled with Andrews’ arrangement of simple piano chords accompanied by the cello halfway through, the result is not so much a sad song as it is haunting. The lyrics speak out as poetry of the heart, a feeling that the rat race, which starts when we are just children, might not be a race worth finishing. Perhaps, as the song hints at the very end, we need to look beyond the race.
Follow the Money
Apparently, Michael Andrews didn’t make a lot of money off of Mad World as just an arranger. But the song was an unstoppable force.
Fans extensively downloaded Andrews’ version illegally in England until it was made available for sale in 2003, then it made a good of money as people bought legitimate copies. When the sheet music became available for printing via downloading, it shot up to #10 most download sheet music, and then hovered around there for weeks and weeks, apparently making a lot of money there too.
However, most of the funds went to the original composer Orzabal. Wealthy from dominating the 80s with his angst band, he got a very large infusion of cash starting in 2003 which flows to this day mainly from iTunes as a digital download (indeed, this is where I originally got it) and sheet music downloads (in addition to classic print). Andrews’ cover makes its way to TV shows on occasion, making more money.
Not too bad for a 20 year-old Orzabal, who looked out the window and had a sudden lyrical epiphany.
Andrews cannot be too bitter, however. The Donnie Darko soundtrack is all him and three other musicians, published under an independent label. Darko has a cult following to this day that grows over time in the US, and Andrews gets a small percentage. For a movie released in September 2001, especially a low-budget art film about a teenager and a giant rabbit named Frank (oh, and time travel), that’s pretty good.
The moral of this story: illegal downloads created a huge buzz and made Orzabal a lot of money.
Simplicity Itself
Andrews’ Mad Word is a simple song (indeed, I can play it and sing it too, as long as nobody is home at the time). But it sure does have a lot to say. Even Orzabal who originally said the lyrics were “pretty lose” and not about anything in particular, other than observations of a teenager, think of Andrews’ arrangement as simply just the way the song should be. Jules shares the credit for the popularity of this cover version. The pair are true artists and the cover version of Mad World is a great lesson in reaching out to many people with mostly talent and will.
Janet Reid Made Me Ovulate
“Fuck all that other crapola about do this /do that. Write well. The end.”
—Janet Reid in Friday Night At the Question Emporium 6
Fifteen
Fifteen years ago today, I married The Wife Unit.
Fifteen years of happiness and love, bliss and adore, cherishment and togetherness. First, we were co-workers, then we were friends, and then suddenly, like magic, we were so much more. I cannot fathom any other existence. My love, my muse, my wife—forever.
Wife Unit Literary Influences
The Wife Unit has a sneaky literary influence on me. She has a penchant for historical mystery novels, or the character-driven historical novel. She introduced me to a type of book I use to by-pass, what I now call the “Über-researched” novel. A story full of show, but you can feel the undercurrents of the setting because the author made it come alive. The details are not in your face, but oozing from the page, taking you back to the time of the setting.
I started to appreciate this type of mystery, and as a researcher, cracking open one of these gems is a special treat.
I have one word for this type of book: NOM!
When I joined Twitter, I followed a few people I exchanged email with prior, and suddenly I had several followers who in turn were following the people I was following who followed me back. Did you follow all of that?
One of these people was Gary Corby. Gary is not a heavy Tweeter, but sometimes he would say something about his work in progress or the novel he wrote previously that would peak my interest. Gary seemed like a researching, fun writer, and his blog was a hoot. I will admit, after awhile, I just wanted to read the damn book. Like now, a clear case of book lust.
Now he has an agent, and his novel I was so interested in makes its way to bookstores in 2010 as the THE EPHIALTES AFFAIR. How exciting! I plan to immediately preorder it and hand it to The Wife Unit to read. Then I can harass her proper, with “Are you DONE WITH THAT YET?” and passive-aggressive husband behavior such as walking into the room when she is reading and delivering a big sigh.
In any event, at the very least, I shall enjoy finding a genre specific book in the Wife Unit Category before she does. These little one-ups keep me slightly ahead of the curve.
Lastly, if you like historical mysteries, bank on Mr. Corby. Five minutes in his blog will leave you drooling for more.
Behold! The Power of Cheese!
NOT YOURS
What is that? Not into chocolate love? Well then, I have this little dish to tease you.
I am all about the big tease.
This is Garlic Chicken Cheese Enchiladas La Crema. This is what gets stuffed into the tortillas.
Looks good, does it not (that is me stiring this fine cheesy concoction)?
Yeah, that is my recipe. Not one that has been in my family for generations blah blah blah. The one I perfected after years of study in the kitchen.
It is so good, that I am keeping the recipie to myself. A form of currancy, if you will. If you want Garlic Chicken Cheese Enchiladas La Crema, you must get it from me direct. From the source. There is no exchange of cheese dishes. There is only the worship of cheese, and the application of appropriate bribery to Anthony. And if Anthony deems your bribe unworthy, then it is off to Taco Bell for you.
I Kiss You!
While I am immune to the meme going around, guilt-ing blog authors into revealing seven things about themselves on their blog, I do find myself wanting to share my little secret to success in life.
I am one hell of a cook. Let me explain.
Let us first form the basis of our little session, shall we?
Start with strawberries. Now, fresh ones are best but frozen will work because when we are done the mere strawberry will simply be a foundation to greater things. It is important that it is not dripping with water, and that it has a stem.
If you can get them, Washington strawberries are the best. Buy the organic ones. Strawberries are susceptible to chemical intrusion, as I will reveal shortly. A pound of these beauties will do.
Next, you will need dark chocolate, 70% to 90% pure cocoa. I use a snobby baker’s bar with French names I cannot pronounce. It is good. It is naughty, and it is just about to get naughtier. You will need sixteen ounces of this baker’s chocolate.
Now you need butter: salted butter. Why salted? You need to add salt to chocolate to bring out the bittersweet goodness. You can accomplish this with good butter. Three tablespoons will serve you well.
Not shortening. Not butter-substitute. Butter. From a cow. Soft butter at that.
Next, you will need a liqueur, Grand Marnier to be specific. A lot goes a long way. I suggest drinking some while cooking up your little slice of chocolate heaven. This is up to you.
You have your cast of characters, but now you need the tools of your trade to set the stage.
A saucier or double-broiler setup to melt the chocolate—If you are not experienced with melting chocolate, a double-broiler setup will work just fine. I use a stainless steel saucier, specifically designed to spread heat out, but then again, if I have been drinking the Grand Marnier, I get less punchy and simply heat water with a metal bowl floating on top of it.
You will need cookie sheets and standard wax kitchen paper.
Then, for the esoteric portion of this recipe of chocolate heaven, you need a syringe with a hypodermic needle. One will do, but you might as well buy a package of four or five.
You can get these at a pharmacy. Ask for syringes with a 21 gauge, 1 1/2 inch needle. Do not worry, they will not think you are a drug abuser, but they might think you are diabetic. If they do not carry that size, ask for something similar. These things are also orderable off the web.
Now we are ready to go for broke on the cooking! Time for prep: You will need paper covered cookie sheets, Grand Mariner in a shot glass, and a syringe.
Melt half the chocolate, a little bit of the time, in your double-broiler pan setup, and add two of the butter tablespoons.
Turn off the heat and let the liquid melt the rest of the chocolate. Heat, rather than accidental water, is usually the cause of chocolate freezing up. You can add cream to unfreeze chocolate and slowly melt it all again, but why bother? Chuck it and start over. This recipe, you see, must be perfect. The heat in the first half of the chocolate is more than enough to melt the second half of the chocolate.
Once melted, add the last of the butter and notice the chocolate as it takes on a dark, glossy color.
That means yum, by the way.
Quickly dip each strawberry into the dark chocolate love and put it on the wax paper. You can get fancy by using toothpicks and placing them upside-down on styrofoam, blah blah blah. We are not concerned with such things here.
You can simply leave the chocolate covered strawberries out to cool at room temperature. The chocolate purity and its melting point, coupled with the butter and lack of other liquids, will cause it to harden.
Once hardened, take the syringe, fill it with Grand Mariner, and inject a strawberry through the top near the steam. Do not put in so much that it squirts out the top, but do try to put in a good amount. In strawberries, there is a little cavity in their center. This is what you want filled with Grand Mariner goodness. It only takes two or three tries to get the hang of it.
Repeat as needed.
You can store these in Tupperware containers in a cool room. If you put them in the fridge, they may sweat and not look their best. Eat them on the same day.
This is where we come to the good part. These strawberries need no other decorations or fancy dribbling of white chocolate to form cutesy-pooh patterns. For this is a strawberry of bliss. The dark chocolate, the richness with the butter, the strawberry and the orange heady taste of the Grand Mariner all combine to give you a kiss. It is a chocolate kiss, a kiss from me to you; the sensual taste of it all in your mouth will make you close your eyes and think of a loved one as he or she kisses you. It is personal and intense; it is chocolate magic at its best.
Food may not be love, but sometimes it can be—naughty.
Yello – Call It Love
Never has a pair of musicians stood the test of time in my music library like the hip, funky Swedish duo Yello. They translate feeling into music and sound in such a dynamic way, I find myself listening to their music even after all these years. It is a timeless sound.
Call It Love
Yello
~
For all these years
I’ve been rushing and running away
I have seen the cities
The bars and the beaches are full
To keep away from you
I know I’ll meet you
One day, for a lifetime
I’m scared
One thousand years I could live on your smile
I’m scared
And run away forever
For all that time I’ve been crazy
There is no escape
Come back to the city
Come back in the hotel and wait
The city waits forever
To keep away from you
I know I’ll meet you
One day, for a lifetime
I’m scared
One thousand years I could live on your smile
I’m scared
And run away forever
WHO IS THE MAN?
Me! That is who!
Mah Dinnah!
Let’s review shall we? I think the phrase we want is NOT YOURS.
NOT YOURS.
Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers
This book review is for writers, specifically novelists. For general book reviews on Courtney Summers’ debut novel Cracked Up to Be, seek ye to Google. This review is spoiler free; the actual book jacket says Parker, the main character, made a bad mistake. And yes she did.
Let me warn you right now, this review starts with a tangent.
Here we go!
There is an old maxim in advanced situational training; specifically training for self-defense, firearms, law enforcement training and what have you. This is training that deals with the totality of a situation, where the dynamic flow of multiple inputs meets the processor, your brain:
“If you’re not making any mistakes, you’re not learning anything.”
Sounds simple, does it not? Simplicity aside, this is an advanced training concept. Those who push the envelope and place themselves in situations where failure is not only likely but also expected, learn a great deal. This training sharpens the mind and teaches a person how to apply one lesson learned to other things, not just their particular area of study.
It is effective because it works. If you are not making any mistakes, you are not learning anything.
Summers’ book is a keen study in this area. The plot of her book is this: Parker was a perfectionist. She carefully built a world of her choosing. You know the type—wound so tight that they snap under their own drive or reality intrudes on these people and breaks them.
And Parker is so very broken. As the book relentlessly marches along, one comes to realize, even before the revelation of what caused Parker to snap, that the real world did not just come and bite her on the ass, but ripped out chunks of her heart.
I have a minor quibble with Cracked Up to Be, but nothing that deters my glowing recommendation of this book for any teen, adults, writers and certainly novelists going after the young adult audience. As I have stated before, if you want Fair and Balanced, go watch mainstream news. Here, I am going to gush. If I do not feel like gushing, I leave the book off my review list (which, by the way, has ten books in the queue).
I hate to say it, but I would not have picked up this novel at the bookstore. Why? Because it falls into the section of the bookstore that houses a lot of crap written for girls—novels specifically tailored to entice girls to buy them because girls are a great source of book buying dollars. What makes those books crap?
They are so dishonest. They are preachy, pretentious and filled with fake angst that makes me want to puke. Teens who have sex die, get an STD, pregnant or are cast out from society (or all four!). Boys written to be either shining examples of people who do not exist, or are passive-aggressive abusers. Stereotypes and stilted dialog. Someone dies just so the main character can feel what it is like to experience grief. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. All the consequences of every single action are there for the author to preach.
I certainly stopped buying those books, and now secretly wonder where the writers who grew up with Judy Blume went. There are exceptions, but I will assert these exceptions are not exceptional.
Until now. For Cracked Up to Be is awesomesauce.
The fact that Summers’ book is going to be smooshed in that prior mentioned section just pisses me off, but I have been on a Young Adult pissy rant for like ten years now, so that is just part of who I am. Cracked Up to Be is a book so honest its hurts. That is a primary reason I recommend this book for anyone writing for the young adult market. I felt vaguely uncomfortable reading it. Parker’s hidden pain was on the same level with her mistake, and with the first-person point-of-view narration you are sharing that understated pain. Despite the fact that Parker was a total bitch, who either needed to be slapped or fucked silly (I could not decide which), I held a deep sympathy for her because Summers wrote her so raw and honest—it was heartbreaking.
“If you’re not making any mistakes, you’re not learning anything.” Does Parker learn from her mistake? Ah such a good question, not to be address here! Go read the book.
More unapologetic gushing follows.
Oh oh, oh, the voicing! Summers writing voice through her minimalist prose is relentlessly good, relentless because that is what Cracked Up to Be is. The unrelenting pacing and tension built bit-by-bit was awesome. The voicing and the pacing alone is worthy of study.
The voicing played well in other areas. Summers took me back to high school. There were no over-done descriptions. She assumed the reader remembered (or, actually was in) high school and just went from there. The lack of over-done and forced setting descriptions was a breath of fresh air. You could say I am in love with her voicing.
Novelists should also take a meta look at Cracked Up to Be. I first heard about the novel via Janet Reid’s blog, which pointed to Courtney’s blog. Her whimsical, playful entries, sometimes even silly, cracked me up. Give me silly over pretentiousness any day! I became a regular reader. When she posted the first two chapters of Cracked Up to Be, man I was hooked. Doomed. I had to have the book. Thus, I arrived at Cracked Up to Be via word of mouth through the great and mighty Interwebs. Fascinating stuff.
That Cracked Up to Be is a debut novel is awe inspiring. Her agent should be doing a little dance right about now. I await her next novel with joyful anticipation. More please!
Finally, Cracked Up to Be is a morality tale, accomplished without preaching, forced circumstances, one-dimensional characters or through a false reality. How did Summers do that? Why, she simply told an entertaining tale with believable circumstances through the eyes of an all-too-real main character. She wrote the world as it is, not what she wished it to be. She told the truth.
Stick that in your Young Adult novel writing pipe and smoke it. Please.
White Christmas… and books!
Just under two feet of snow.
Whew!
I got a slew of books this Christmas, which was great. My wife and I have yet to exchange gifts because we’ve been snowbound for OVER A WEEK. The kids, however, had a grand old time with their Wii. I’ve been around the block a couple of times to know it’s always a good idea to get the kids presents first, and worry about the other details later. Yanno, just is case something happens like two feet of snow when normally we get around two inches.
Meanwhile, the Christmas Roast is in the fridge, waiting for the thaw and the in-laws to arrive. Then we shall FEAST. FEAST I SAY!
I’ve been playing with the kids, napping (really, I took a nap), and reading all day. Right now I have just finished Courtney Summers’ Cracked Up to Be and found it a really marvelous teen book.
I’ll review Cracked Up to Be later this week. Truly, a debut novel dipped in awesomesauce. I was so caught up in the story I forgot to be in awe just how well it was written. It is that good.
And in strange eons, even Christmas may die.
Timmy looked out the window to where the neighbor kids were playing with their new ponies or flying around on rocket sleds. “You suck Grampa! Christmas killed my entire family, and I still get a friggin’ rock. I hate Christmas FOREVER!”
Grampa raised his fists to the sky and theatrically shouted, “NOOOOOOOO!” kind of like Darth Vader at the end of the last Star Wars movie, but without so much reverb. Then he died.
—Christmas Noun, by Larry Correia
Bernie Taupin – Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me
Don’t Let the Sun go Down on Me
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
I can’t light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I’m growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
I can’t find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don’t discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
Monster Hunter International now on Amazon for presale
Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International is now available for presale on Amazon.com.
I have the pre-Baen version (which is now a collectable). It’s an outstanding debut genre-stretching novel. One could classify it as military urban fantasy, or near-future science fiction. I loved it thoroughly. Loved loved loved.
The novel has a great voice and the characters are wonderfully developed and three-dimensional. I could go on, but just buy the thing.
Give the gift this year in books. Anyone who likes the great contemporary monster story, this is the cat’s meow.
Buy it. Now. And then wait, knowing that a lucky few got a POD version before Baen found this gem.
Heeeeeee.
Have a Happy BAZZZZORRRMMMM Thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful that I am not on the wrong end of the Wave Motion Gun.
In this clip, we have an important lesson in power dynamics.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
My book reviews are targeted towards novelists (my prior book review can be found here).
Neal Shusterman’s Unwind is a near-future science fiction horror tale that can be summed up in one word: delicious. Quite simply, Shusterman goes where few dare to tread. If you have a love of edgy Young Adult fiction, then look no further. This book belongs on your shelf for several reasons, one of which is the intense questions that get asked, each one more thought-provoking then the last.
For an older gentleman like me, Neal Shuterman’s Unwind can be compared to a John Christopher novel written by Steven King.
The plot goes like this: abortion is illegal… on unborn children. During their teen years, parents can decide to send their child away to be “unwound” where 99.44% of their body is harvested.
The book centers on three teens that are now “unwinds”:
- Connor, chosen to be unwound because he is a rebellious teen
- Lev, who was born to be unwound based on his parents religious beliefs of tithing
- Risa, chosen by the state to be unwound simply because they decided that they could not afford to keep her alive
These three escape their fates in a fortuitous freeway pile-up. Now all they need to do is survive until they are eighteen, when they no longer can be unwound. Capture means not death (so they say), because all the parts are reused, the unwind is divided into parts for a cheerfully waiting populous where the art of doctoring is rare but surgeons rule the health scene.
Sound positively hellish? Well it is. The undercurrent of unstated horror is relentless in Unwind and then BAM! It goes from the unstated to the all too real like a punch in the gut. Literally, I felt vaguely ill at the end of the novel. The subtleness of the cruelties with smiles suffered on these children builds to an epic crescendo that cumulates in one of the most terrible bits of sheer creep that I have ever read.
If you care to write edgy fiction, then look to this horror novel because that is what it is. There is little gore in Unwind worth mentioning, oh no. Like a Japanese horror movie, there is a sense of malevolence running through this sick and twisted society that looks so much like our own—yet is so different.
Or is it?
Consider if you will, the teens that were dumped at Nebraska’s hospitals. The mirrored reflection is not a dark twin of our light. Far from it, the parallels in this dystopia are sometimes all too familiar, and all too normal. And that is what makes it a chilling read for teens and adults.
For the Young Adult novelist, this study of unrelenting intensity warrants your attention. There is more here to scrutinize, than just pacing, atmosphere and plotting.
Unwind asks tough questions rarely found in a book targeted for teens. What is the beginning of life? When exactly does life end? What is the nature of consciousness? What are the consequences of anarchy when the law is so very flawed? In a world of villains, who is the true villain?
What are the ethics of compromise?
This, my friends, is a book that never talks down to the audience it was designed for, as the questions posed above compose a heady literary wine. You will be hard-pressed to find an action-packed book filled with such teen reflective goodness.
Another important part of this book is the voicing. Written in the third-person present tense, the word-smiting lends a flare not often encountered. The way the book is crafted lends itself to a sense of urgency; I was dubious going into it, but Shusterman pulls it off with his screenwriting experience shinning through.
If it seems like I am gushing, I guess I am. I do have some minor faults and quibbles with the novel, none really I feel necessary to drag out for the sake of being fair and balanced. If you write Young Adult fiction, it’s a must read simply because it does something rare: For the reluctant teen reader, it is a novel that will draw him in and leave him wanting to read more—because the type of entertainment given by Unwind can be found nowhere else. For the already fan of outstanding Young Adult fiction, it is euphoric lifeblood for the mind. There is not a bit of fluff betwixt its pages.
That’s a win-win combination of awesomeness that deserves your purchase and study. For what better result could there be for an author of Young Adult speculative fiction?
Answer me these questions three
Mighty Kiersten asks:
What’s the recipe for Awesomesauce?
Answer:
Awesomesauce is subjective, and how it is used depends on the context. The answer, of course, is simply found via Google.
Kiersten the Great asks:
My husband was commenting on my comments the other day, and said, “And who’s that guy, the one who relates everything to girls and dating?”
To which I laughed and told him you’re a married father of two in your late thirties.
So, my question is, what does The Wife Unit think of stuff like that? I’d like to think I’d be cool with it, but in all honesty, it’d probably hurt my feelings if Hot Stuff was posting on the Barista girls.
(And this isn’t critical–I’m genuinely curious what The Wife Unit thinks, because obviously she has to be cool to be married to you in the first place.)
Answer:
Ah ah ah, just because you cherry pick which posts to reply to does not equate to me relating everything to girls and dating!
This definitely is the wrong place to go for topics about dating. I’ve been married longer than I have dated. Way longer. I can just see the Hack Writer Dating Advice post:
Hey Anthony, can I get some dating advice?
Sure. Is she nice?
Yes, but what I want to know is…
Do you think she is pretty?
Well ya she’s hot but…
Do you think she would make a good mother to your children?
Of course but that isn’t…
WELL THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You don’t need dating advice you need to get your HEAD out of your ASS and marry the woman!
Okay that’s pretty funny. Sorry, that whole dating comment had me laughing.
Now it is true I talk about girls and women. That’s because this is a blog about writing and the discovery process through writing. Since I deplore political correctness, if some 17 year-old bra-less nubile tart is flirting with me at the coffee shop (true story), I am going to so blog about that because that is so going in a book. A whimsical book scene for $1.90 (plus tip). I win!
The Wife Unit on the other hand, keeps me in line. She likes romantic fiction with the occasional juicy, sensual scene, and lo, I can write that. To be able to write that I have to be able to explore human sensuality. That she lets me do this is a testament to her confidence in me. I am thoroughly smitten with her even after all these years; I adore the woman.
Without her support and encouragement, my writing is nothing.
Kiersten, the Only Blog Reader Who Loves Me, asks:
[...] what is your first memory? And is it *actually* your first memory, or have you fabricated it based on pictures, video, or stories from your parents/relatives?
How can you be sure?
Answer:
I have researched the subject of memory and keep current with the latest findings, studies and theories. This was necessary to write Bunny Trouble but also in part because I have an extraordinarily gifted long-term memory. I can remember as far back as when I was a toddler.
“Memory fabrication” is a simplification of recall and emotional states. We all have a memory filter that can be unconsciously modified or, in some circumstances, intentionally set aside to get at the raw data. In times of stress, our perception of events can (and almost always will) narrow, and then when we attempt to recall those events our mind fills in the blanks. It is an extraordinary complex system and utterly fascinating.
Is that a fabrication when that happens? I do not believe so. It’s just how the mind works. There are ways one can examine a memory to see if it is something true or something you wish to be true. One way to do this is to think about the other senses rather than sight. What is your recollection of the sounds you are hearing? A key focus is what you smell. If you can remember something with an associated smell, that is a powerful memory. It’s probably about as true as you can get.
With all that said, I am not going to answer your question—unless you really want me to. I am very sure of my first memories, and I am very sure they are not fabricated. They are unpleasant and raw and it has been my experience talking about it makes people sad and depressed. On the other hand I am perfectly willing to talk about what I can recall. When all is said and done, I saw much worse later. Much worse.
There ya go. Now Kiersten can go to the other 7.3 readers and go “Ptththththtt! Your NaNoWriting made you miss the Hack Writer Q&A. No “A” for you. You come back in 300 posts!”
