I'm smiling at the counter, which now reads 992

   I have to say, I am always amazed when I come to my blog. Not only that people are reading it, but by the numbers. I know, why would it seem so odd that someone would want to read my words?
Well, its not really about that. I am a writer, of course I want people to read my words. But a blog is so much more than words, its more thoughts and opinions. And I guess I never thought I would ever have anything interesting enough to say.
But, wow! Seeing the counter on the blog every time I pop over is very encouraging, and to me shows that I'm not rambling on too much. I am so happy that people are stopping by, and it seems that some are coming back too....horray!

It reminds me in a very immediate way that I have readers and really keeps me going. Because, really, anyone who tells you that the novel writing is easy is....well....either I missed something or they're on another planet, and I'm inclined to go with the other planet theory.
Not that I am complaining, because I love it. I love the work...hell, I even love the editing and revising. And right now its keeping me balanced and sane while in the throws of recovery from a personal tragedy, as only art could. That was one thing that my Mother taught me from a very young age, to feed this compulsion and it will give you purpose and strength, as her sculpture did for her. And its there for you in a way that a human being cannot be, and its a place for you to seek personal refuge if need be. Knowing all that, I think, was what gave me the courage and pig headed ambition to keep at this no matter what, giving up is never an option. It still isn't now, and never will be.

As I write this I wonder, in a funny way I hope, that someone like me is reading this, someone who has a passion for something that they want to explore but don't have the courage, or have people in their world that don't quite 'get it', or they hide it under their bed or outside in a shed somewhere where no one would ever look. If this is a part of what you are as a person then you need to express it and damn what anyone else says!
That's why I smile at 992, because now that for the first time in, probably, my whole life I am being who I really am, my thoughts are acknowledged. Thank you all for that. Its a beautiful gift, but also humbling at the same time.

Movie Review: Brave

The plot summary from IMDb is:

Determined to make her own path in life, Princess Merida defies a custom that brings chaos to her kingdom. Granted one wish, Merida must rely on her bravery and her archery skills to undo a beastly curse.


I had wanted to see this movie anyways, but it was an added bonus to be able to take my father to see his first 3D movie since Epcot in the 80's. And I have to say, if you going to experience the 'new 3D' for the first time, cartoons are really the way to do it.
The overall scope of this movie is impressive. The visuals, not just the scenery but the attention to detail is impeccable. The tiny fine details are beautiful, creating an amazing visual experience as Pixar seemed to do incredibly well.
The mentioned Princess Merida has the most amazing head of red hair that I guarantee that you will leave the theatre wanting to do a drastic color change. And, she's a butt kicking princess. She's actually the sort of princess I've been waiting for Disney to turn out for years - they started a bit with Tangled, but truly hit the nail on the head in that regard with Merida.
The story really centers around Merida's relationship with her mother, and the expectations that are put on her as she grows up, and how the dynamic of that relationship needs to change and evolve.
The storyline is great, keeps you interested through the whole movie, and is really fun for the whole family. (Did I just say that? That's so cheesy, I'm sorry). All of the characters are great, including the three little brothers who are up to no good and never speak a word. The mother character, Queen Eleanor, did tug at my heart strings on a variety of levels.
I left this movie thinking about Scotland, and about the Scottish characters in my own work, and with how great Brave is constantly on my lips. If you are only going to take your kids to one movie this year, especially girls, Brave is it.

Beauty in the Small Things, and a little about Brave

Hello readers!

I wanted to take a little bit of time to talk about the movie Brave. I'll do a full review soon, but I'm so excited to talk about it I thought I'd say something first.
I have to start by saying, thank goodness for Pixar! Its quite an amazing achievement. Its stunning to look at, the animation is beautiful and they've done a wonderful job of creating a fictional Scotland. It was awe inspiring.
And the characters were well developed - Princess Merida is the princess we've all been waiting for! She's a butt-kicking-arrow-shooting-while-riding-a-horse sort of girl, which is right up my alley, and just what I needed while working on my edits and rewrites for Book 2. I am always on the search for inspiring women and Pixar gave me a young woman that really gave me hope for cartoons. The Disney Princesses were starting to make me sad.

And having that visual of Scotland in my head is a beautiful thing, it makes me dream of beautiful Scottish landscapes and want to write something set in that magical land. There is so much beauty and rich history in Scotland I think it would be amazing to write about, and I've really felt that way since I read Susan Fraser King's book called Lady Macbeth, a must read for historical fiction fans I might add.

Also, happy past 900 views! I can't believe it! Thank you to all of you for reading, and for coming back! I appreciate all the support. I'll have lots more content for you soon!

Movie Review: Snow White and the Huntsman

  Let me start by saying I have not been this excited to see a movie in a while.
I love the Snow White story, not just because of its connection to Countess Bathory, but because of how genuine it is. How you could take the general plot and put it in any time, any place, and it'll still work well and make sense.
This particular retelling was exceptional on a variety of levels.
Before I get into it, a bit about the plot from imdb: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

Ok, first off, visually this movie was stunning. Colleen Atwood, visionary costume designer behind Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Memoirs of  Geisha, Sleepy Hollow and many others, really outdid herself. Charlize Theron, who is already one of the most beautiful women in the world in my opinion, was transformed into the Evil Queen Raveena in the most stunning way by these gowns and crowns. The costumes only highlighted her performance, which was incredible and at times really scary! 
Theron was really the highlight for me, but I have to mention Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth as Snow White and the Hunstman. Both did incredibly well, and I thought Stewart would be overshadowed by the force that is Charlize Theron but she held her own, and it gave me a new respect for her as an actor.
The plot did not sway far from the Snow White story, with the exception of Snow White coming back in the end as a sort of warrior princess to defeat the Queen, and Stewart really delivered in that regard.
The visual effects were stunning, to the point where I wondered sometimes why the movie was not in 3D. It was a feast for the eyes in so many ways.

How do I feel about the movie overall? I thought it was great. Really well done on so many levels. The writing was nothing ground breaking but still good, and I think this movie could be enjoyed by lots of different people. (I went with an 8 year old boy and he seemed to enjoy it).

Me and Abraham Lincoln

A few months ago, I finally gave in and bought a copy of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
I'd been hearing good things about this book since it first came out, and loved the premise behind Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the first of the mash up genre and by the same author, Seth Grahame Smith, so I figured that it would be alright. It has vampires, and its a twist on alternate history, so I thought it would be right up my alley.

And I'm not writing this because its not, or because I hate it. I'm writing this because I've had to stop reading it. Because of recent events in my life, that book is just not something I can dedicate my time to right now. I"m a little over half way through the book and its started to get more violent and I can't stomach it.
So I guess for all the vampire loving uber violent folk it'll be right up your alley, but I can't give a real review of this book right now. Hopefully no one was waiting for my review, and I'm hoping I'll be able write a full review at some point, but for now I'll just give my initial impressions.

I don't know anything about Abraham Lincoln other then that he was a U.S President. I've seen images of him, the iconic ones of him in the big hat with the beard that most people are aware of. So I went into this book knowing little to nothing about the details of the subject matter.
Do I think that matters? No, not really. I don't think these sorts of books are written for people who don't know anything about the real story, and most of the reviews I'd read are from people who know Lincoln's story rather well.
What I will say is that the format that the author decided to write the book in, at some points, tended to drag. The concept behind how the book came to pass is very creative and well thought out, but because of the format it was slow at times and didn't always keep my interest.
And when I had to stop was where it started to get more violent, and I suppose where the book picked up. Its sad that it was the point that I had to put it down.

If you're in to these sorts of books, I suggest picking up The Secret Diary of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer by Lucy Weston. The concept of the book and how it was put together was brilliant, and Ms Weston's is a character herself and following her online makes it that more interesting.

Movie Review: Dark Shadows

   It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that I'd want to see Dark Shadows.
Tim Burton and vampires? I'm in!

I walked into the movie having a slight idea what I was getting into, knowing a little bit about the soap opera from the 70's that the movie was based on.

So, let me give you the set up:
Dark Shadows centers around Barnabas Collins, a man who pissed off the wrong woman in the 17th century and was cursed to become a vampire and locked in a coffin for 200 years. In 1972 the coffin is discovered by accident and opened, and Collins returns to his ancestral home to find the world a very different place and his descendants in need of his help.

I thought this movie would be funny from the way it was advertised. The trailer spins this movie like its a comedy, and I can assure you that it is not. It is very much a drama, and does not have any of the camp that the original tv show had (it least that's how I remember the show).
The casting is good, Johnny Deep does well with what he's got and the amazing Eva Green really turns it out as the 'pissed off wrong woman', who is in fact a witch and the one who created the vampire curse.
Visually its an attractive movie, typical for Burton and will be appealing to his long term fans. The script was done by Seth Grahame Smith, the writer behind some of the most popular monster mash-ups Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (which I am currently trying to read), and I found it a bit dull and dragged in some spots. I'm not sure if this was Smith's first movie script, but it needed some pizazz that just wasn't there.
Overall the movie itself is a bit dull and drags in some spots. The visual effects are really well done, and the 'big fight scene' between Depp and Green was amazing, but it was only one of several glowing parts of a movie that feels like its missing something.

So, all you Burton fans out there, you'll probably see it anyways, so let me know what you think. Everyone else, if you're interested in this as a drama, not a comedy, its worthwhile watching.

The Dark

     I won't get into personal details, but I very recently suffered a great loss. It's part of the reason why I haven't posted much of anything in a while, but I sat down today in front of the blank screen and I realized something.

My entire life writing has been a point of refuge. When things have got too much for me to deal with, I retreated into my fictional world, or I'd simply put my thoughts to paper. Why hadn't I been doing that until now?
When something bad happens, sometimes its hard to put it on paper. Because actually seeing it written down like that is almost too much to bare. And, as many writers will tell you, there comes a time when you realize how truly inadequate words are when you reach the point at which you have something really important and meaningful to say. So my place of refuge has become a little empty and lost because I simply do not have any words right now.
And that's why I decided to write this blog post, to try to express, even though they are edited for internet, some of those thoughts. Even though I may not find the words, perhaps saying anything will clear my head enough that I can start finding the right words, and at some point they'll stop feeling cliche, or silly, or totally inadequate. I'm a writer and this is how I express myself, and I think this will be the way I am able to recover from all this madness.

Even though its going to be a process and something that will never truly end. Grief does strange things to a person's mind, and for creative types the world begins to spin in the most insane ways, bringing things to the forefront that you thought you were not capable of thinking. Even the fictional world you have created starts to take a darker turn - so, in a way, the darkness that already surrounds me is just getting darker. I'm excited to see how that comes out in my writing, because so many things for me have come from the dark, not just fear but my characters...the list could go on for days. I've come to the conclusion that I am made up of darkness, a product of it. I can't imagine that there aren't a lot of others who feel the same way.
Some people the darkness in their life takes over their existence and makes them into something monstrous, something intolerable to other human beings. I think my darkness has become an integrated part of my person that even though it scares me, its my home. Its where I feel like I belong.