It's been a while since I've been back to the blog. December is well, December.
I'm pleased to announce my story, "Getting Lucky," in the "Lucky or Unlucky" anthology.
It's available at Amazon and Smashwords, and reviews can be posted at GoodReads.
I enjoyed reading all the contributions, but I think my favorite is "Fold" by Charlotte Ashley. The fast-paced, fun story is an inventive take on the number thirteeen.
You can also check out:
Good Luck, Bad Luck, What's the Difference?
Tis the Season of Giving
Can you believe my luck?
Friday, December 13, 2013
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
More on the TV season
Maybe it's because the last few seasons have had some solid successes in the Fantasy and SF genres. I'd expected more as others learn from their example.
I've knocked more timers off my PVR now, and all, it seems, for the same reason. Everyone seems to have gone to the same school, but I'm not sure who's teaching. Whoever it is, I'd like to assure them that jumping around like a frog on a hot plate is not a good way to claim my interest. I don't pretend that my tastes are universal, or even in the majority, but I can say that no one in my family had any objection to saying goodbye to several new shows.
The "Witches of East End" was our latest casualty. After watching the first episode jump around between sisters, friends of sisters, mother of sisters, sister of mother, and other incarnations of both mother and sisters, I paused to see just how long the episode was. When I discovered I was only twenty-five minutes in, less than halfway, I deleted it. Then I took out the timer.
I've knocked more timers off my PVR now, and all, it seems, for the same reason. Everyone seems to have gone to the same school, but I'm not sure who's teaching. Whoever it is, I'd like to assure them that jumping around like a frog on a hot plate is not a good way to claim my interest. I don't pretend that my tastes are universal, or even in the majority, but I can say that no one in my family had any objection to saying goodbye to several new shows.
The "Witches of East End" was our latest casualty. After watching the first episode jump around between sisters, friends of sisters, mother of sisters, sister of mother, and other incarnations of both mother and sisters, I paused to see just how long the episode was. When I discovered I was only twenty-five minutes in, less than halfway, I deleted it. Then I took out the timer.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
The new TV season has started
Every fall, my PVR is kept busy recording the season's new shows. And every year, after the first episode or so, most of those timers are deleted.
It appears that Sleepy Hollow will be the first casualty of this season. It's a shame--I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the plot is like swiss cheese and the pace of the first episode could only be described as frenetic.
The result came across as disjointed, with too many characters and subplots, and no time to get more than a drive-by past any of them. We found parts of it hilarious, but not in a good way.
I love that TV has finally discovered the world of spec fiction and is exploiting it for all it's worth. But I wish they'd learn the lessons taught by the successful productions. The lower echelon has been siphoned off into the world of reality shows. The rest of us want intelligent, well-written plots with strong characters, rich back story and depth in the presentation. We don't want stuff chucked at us as if it was on steroids.
It appears that Sleepy Hollow will be the first casualty of this season. It's a shame--I had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the plot is like swiss cheese and the pace of the first episode could only be described as frenetic.
The result came across as disjointed, with too many characters and subplots, and no time to get more than a drive-by past any of them. We found parts of it hilarious, but not in a good way.
I love that TV has finally discovered the world of spec fiction and is exploiting it for all it's worth. But I wish they'd learn the lessons taught by the successful productions. The lower echelon has been siphoned off into the world of reality shows. The rest of us want intelligent, well-written plots with strong characters, rich back story and depth in the presentation. We don't want stuff chucked at us as if it was on steroids.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Finally broke down - and watched The Hobbit
I procrastinated, I put if off, I told myself I'd wait until the DVD was out. And then I put it off a little longer.
Why? Because I'd heard not-so-positive reviews. And while I take such things with a grain of salt--I want to form my own opinions--it wasn't encouraging news.
The remember the first time I read The Hobbit. I was a child, maybe eight or nine. I'm not sure of my exact age. But I do remember that I loved it. It quickly became one of my favorite books. In fact, it took me about a year before I could get into Lord of the Rings. Initially, I was disappointed, because it wasn't about Bilbo.
When I heard that they'd turned the Hobbit into three movies, I hoped they'd done similar things as they had with the extended versions of LOTR, which I find less choppier than the shorter versions.
My daughter suggested there would be a lot of epic walking.
Well, I guess someone else was concerned about that. It looked to me like they tried to address the problem, but didn't really understand their audience.
They did some things really well. Where they expanded on existing back story, it worked.
And for the most part, they handled the dwarfs with taste and dignity, making them characters, not caricatures. But then they failed to capitalize on what they'd built.
They had a great opportunity to explore these characters, to make us really care about Bilbo and his new friends. Instead, we got too much unsupported action, with an unnecessary villain, a fight between mountains inserted where it really didn't make sense, and endless scenes of CGI-fueled conflict.
It was as if someone had taken one of those dreadful, car-chase-and-blow-everything-up movies, and transported it to a fantasy setting.
I was disappointed, enough that I don't know if I'll even bother with the next installment.
Why? Because I'd heard not-so-positive reviews. And while I take such things with a grain of salt--I want to form my own opinions--it wasn't encouraging news.
The remember the first time I read The Hobbit. I was a child, maybe eight or nine. I'm not sure of my exact age. But I do remember that I loved it. It quickly became one of my favorite books. In fact, it took me about a year before I could get into Lord of the Rings. Initially, I was disappointed, because it wasn't about Bilbo.
When I heard that they'd turned the Hobbit into three movies, I hoped they'd done similar things as they had with the extended versions of LOTR, which I find less choppier than the shorter versions.
My daughter suggested there would be a lot of epic walking.
Well, I guess someone else was concerned about that. It looked to me like they tried to address the problem, but didn't really understand their audience.
They did some things really well. Where they expanded on existing back story, it worked.
And for the most part, they handled the dwarfs with taste and dignity, making them characters, not caricatures. But then they failed to capitalize on what they'd built.
They had a great opportunity to explore these characters, to make us really care about Bilbo and his new friends. Instead, we got too much unsupported action, with an unnecessary villain, a fight between mountains inserted where it really didn't make sense, and endless scenes of CGI-fueled conflict.
It was as if someone had taken one of those dreadful, car-chase-and-blow-everything-up movies, and transported it to a fantasy setting.
I was disappointed, enough that I don't know if I'll even bother with the next installment.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The World Didn't End - But all is not lost!
If you're already missing the heady thrill of having the world come to an end, the bad news is, it's just the beginning of another Mayan age.
The good news is, you can get your fix for free. My friend Nila White has released her first anthology, The End--Visions of Apocalypse.
The good news is, you can get your fix for free. My friend Nila White has released her first anthology, The End--Visions of Apocalypse.
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