May 11, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Ghoulish Song by William Alexander

Hannibal is a wiggly dog.

Why I Read It: The previous book, Goblin Secrets, was incredibly good.

Where I Got It: A review copy from the publisher (thanks!)

Who I Recommend This To: Great fun for adults and kids if you are stuck in a car for a bit.

Narrator: William Alexander

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2013)

Length: 4 CDs

Series: Book 2 Zombay series

This book takes place at the same time and location as Book 1, Goblin Secrets, but is Kaile’s story. She is the daughter of a baker and inn owner, a big sister, and lover of music. One hectic morning, on Inspection Day for bread quality, she agrees to allow a troupe of goblins perform in the main room in the afternoon. The day flies by and before she knows it, the goblins are setting up for their performance. All goes well until her mother sees the troupe and orders her father to kick them out. Curses are called down upon the family, and then rescinded when Kaile offers the troupe the best bread of the day – the bread saved for the inspector. The goblin leader gifts her with a bone flute. And this is where the true fun starts. Kaile no longer has a shadow, and her family believes her dead. She must then embark on a quest to reunite with her shadow, discover who made the flute, and perhaps help save the town from flooding.

I absolutely loved Book 1 in this series. I know, I can be a little kid sometimes. Book 2 was nearly as good and I quite enjoyed myself. Ghoulish Song gives us more of the steampunk flair, going into how the Inspector weighs and measures the quality of the bread loaves with his mechanic arms and eyes. the loss of a shadow, something we never think of, and how it throws Kaile’s life into a spin was inventive and entertaining. The enchanted flute and the monsters and wonders Kaile faces with it kept me thoroughly engaged during a long car ride. While we didn’t learn anything further about the goblins, it was nice to see them here and there throughout the story.

I enjoyed the first book slightly more for 2 reasons: the world was new and fresh to me, full of wonder; and the ending was more satisfying because not everything turned out 100% OK. With that said, this book is still worth your time. It had me laughing out loud and nudging my man, who was also stuck in the car with me, whenever a plot point was revealed. My man found this unnecessary as he was fully paying attention too. Yes, he can be lured into listening to a little kid book if it is William Alexander.

Our narrator, who was also the author, gave yet another great performance. I sometimes steer clear of books read by the author, as they don’t always accomplish both with great ability. In William Alexander’s case, he is not only an entertaining read, he is a most excellent listen. The different characters are distinct, the hushes and exclamations, the hurried phrases, and slow thoughtfulness all come through clearly with his performance.

What I Liked: Steampunk goodness; fresh baked bread; the mystery of the bone flute was chilling; the importance of arts in the health of a community; Kaile’s shadow has needs.

What I Disliked: This is a very minor point, but I enjoyed the slightly rougher ending of Book 1 more than the ending to this book. This point will not stop me from enjoying this book again in the future.

This is the season for Fantasy goodness over at Stainless Steel Droppings, who is hosting the reading event Once Upon A Time. Come get your fantasy fix and join int he fun!

May 3, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Nimpentoad by Henry Herz, Josh Herz, & Harrison Herz

Why I Read It: The cover art. Yes, I can be lured in by excellent cover art.

Where I Got It: Review copy from the authors (thanks!)

Who I Recommend This To: Great little story book for kids.

Publisher: Birch Tree Publishing (2012)

Length: 44 pages

Nimpentoad is a Nibbling and he and his buddies are the smallest little dudes in the forest, where they are picked on, bullied, and occasionally eaten by the other denizens of the woods. Nimpentoad has an idea – to travel the length of the forest to seek shelter and service with the giant Goofus. He has many chores that his size and strength make difficult to do and could use the help of the Nibblings. However, the Nibblings must face many dangers on their way, risking death half a dozen ways.

This delightful little book is full of great illustrations in each chapter that are just as beautiful as the cover. While the book only took me perhaps 10 minutes to read, I lingered over the illustrations. I believe this book will appeal to small kids for the illustrations alone, and for the silly names and adventures also. Built into the story line are lessons on various polite manners, such as chewing with your mouth closed, along with the more serious theme of bullying. I also enjoyed that the three authors are a family team in creating this story.

For me personally, as an adult in my 30s, I enjoyed how many mushrooms (delectable, not hallucinatory) that the Nibblings cooked & consumed in various ways. For each malevolent group of bullies they came across, they met the problem a different way each time, showing inventiveness and the ability to flex with the circumstances. And then there are the illustrations. I know. I keep coming back to them, but they truly are gorgeous.

If I must talk about the short comings of the book, there is only one that comes to mind. As an adult reading this, the obvious lessons in manners and on bullying occasionally eclipse the adventure story of making it safely through the woods. I myself prefer more subtlety, but this is a book written for small kids and subtlety would probably be lost on that age group.

The illustrations in this book are so great I have to mention the illustrators: Sean Eddingfield and Bill Maus.

What I Liked: Simple, easy story; all the silly names are fun to say; the illustrations alone are worth your time.

What I Disliked: A little heavy on lessons in manners for older children.

This is the time to celebrate all that is Fantasy. Come join us at Stainless Steel Droppings’ Once Upon A Time reading event of the season.

May 1, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Coraline by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell

Why I Read It: Love Neil Gaiman’s work.

Where I Got It: The Library

Who I Recommend This To: Perhaps other Gaiman fans would enjoy it.

Publisher: HarperCollins (2008)

Length: 186 pages

This is the graphic novel based on Neil Gaiman‘s Coraline, the kid’s book that was turned into an animated movie (which was my first introduction to this tale). The gist of the story is that Coraline and her parents move to an old, large mansion that has been divided into multiple living quarters. It is a rainy summer and she wants to adventure around while her parents are immersed in their desk & computer work. She finds a secret door through to an alternate reality. Her parents and her neighbors are there, but different in so many ways – creepy, creepy ways.

Quite frankly, I found this rendition of the tale a bit boring. I haven’t read the original Coraline, but I assume this graphic novel, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell, follows it pretty closely. All the colors are pretty muted in the artwork and it definitely lacks the intensity of other Gaiman graphic novels (I’m thinking the early Sandman Chronicles). Now I love Gaiman’s work, so it is a little hard for me to say this: Coraline lacks magic. Yep. There it is. Perhaps I am, in part, saying this because I have seen the animated movie Coraline with all it’s colors and odd beauty. So, I went into this graphic novel expecting something similar. Still, with that honesty, I still say it lacks. I almost did not finish it.

What I Liked: Alternate reality; lead female; crazy, quirky neighbors.

What I Disliked: Boring; dull; lacked magic and vibrancy.

Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the fantasy celebration of the season in the reading event Once Upon A Time. Come join us for the fun.

April 28, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Stardust: Book or Movie?

As you know, Stainless Steel Droppings recently hosted a read along for Neil Gaiman’s Stardust (Part I, Part II). With that complete, some of us thought it would be fun to watch the movie and do a comparison post of the two. What follows are my babblings. There are spoilers with rude manners and no sense of when to keep themselves to themselves. You have been warned.

I love how the movie start’s with a kid’s letter questioning the stars’ interest in Earthly affairs. it really sets the whole mood for the book. Small English town, science still young and full of wonder, magic still roaming free in some parts of the world. The book took a little longer to grasp me in this way; we had to explore the market before I got the sense of magic like I do with just the opening scene of the movie. Add to that the dark humor that pervades the movie, and I am hooked.

Part of the reason I was hooked right away is the costuming. Yes, this movie dressed to impress. When we explore the small village of Wall, folks dress rather simply. Lots of natural colors are used to give it that small town feel – like your grand auntie made your vest and your ma darned your socks. Then as we get to the market, crazy clothes, rich clothes, colorful clothes are everywhere. Next Stormhold – so proper yet with lots of small embellishments such as embroidery. Then the sister witches – at first all run down in clothing and hair. That scene with Lamia (the star-hunting witch) checking out her recently rejuvenated arse always gets a giggle from me. The sky pirates, with their goggles, and Ferdy’s Office (the lightning buyer) with his crazy fuzzy hat. Each costume was well thought out in this movie, providing distinct edges to the characters.

Bernard has been a side character that has intrigued me since I first saw the movie. We first meet him tending a goat as some woman, perhaps his mum, yells at him from inside the little house. You get the feeling that this happens far too often. Next thing, he is a goat, enchanted by Lamia to pull her little 2-goat chariot. Truly, who doesn’t want to see Michelle Pfeiffer in a gorgeous dress in a chariot being pulled by two goats? then later he is the captive of Septimus, the last Stormhold brother searching for the Stormhold jewel. He gets dragged off with Septimus and his men to finally confront the Sky Pirates! When that doesn’t go as planned, Septimus, all his men dead, takes Bernard’s horse, abandoning him there. Of course, he eyes the pirate ship and I have always hoped that Hollywood would see their way clear to making a film about Bernard and his adventures from that point forward.

The sky pirates, or lightning collectors, were a big change from the book. Oh, in the book we get roughly 6 pages of time in the air with some gentlemanly lightning rustlers. During that time, a lot is suppose to happen. This is an interesting topic of discussion in the read along if you want more on it. In the movie, we get the real sense of Tristran and Yvaine gaining life skills (piano, sword play, and dancing of course) and the first glimmers of them falling in love. Of course I love Robert Di Niro as Captain Shakespeare, a somewhat flamboyant, gay man in private who has to play it strong and straight for his crew. This of course offers a lesson about not being yourself later on in the movie. I really enjoy the sky pirates, with one caveat: the repeated references to sexual violence to women. Yes, it is done in a joking manner. No, the pirates aren’t ever seen harassing any women. Still, it is the only point throughout the movie where I get a little frowny face. This aspect was not in the book.

The final great thing that does it for me with this movie is that it has one of the best sword fights ever. Yes, I am talking about that scene at the end where Tristran must swordfight the already dead, broken, voodoo-drowned Septimus. The choreography for that scene must have been challenging to say the least. With a broken arm and leg, there was not the normal set of sword fight movements. I enjoy that scene every time.

While Una lacked kittycat ears, and there was no little hairy man to teach Tristran about crapping in the woods, and Dunstan went on to join Tristran and Una in the land of Fairie, I still greatly enjoy this movie for all it’s differences from the book. If anything, this one of those rare examples of a movie that I enjoy slightly more than the book.

Now I will leave you with a few tidbits that made me laugh, quirk an eyebrow, or guffaw.

The innkeeper goat Billy was perfect! I have goats, and they rarely hold still, especially in a new environment or if something odd is going on. ‘Odd’ is defined by the panicked goat and could include a landing duck, a human with a wheelbarrow, or the sudden start of a sprinkler.

Remember that scene with Primus soaking in the tub and he sees the Stormhold jewel on Yvaine? But he stays in the tub, demanding she bring it to him. Really? Dude, if that was my stone, I would be up and out of that tub and across the room. But full frontal nudity probably would have gotten a different rating on this movie.

Una gives them a Babylon candle at the end of the movie. Of course, everyone else only gets to see an oblong box. She tells them it is for you both. Now this big affair is kind of like Tristran’s coronation and his announcement to the world of his commitment to Yvaine (wedding perhaps?). So, the little devil in me always snickers at this scene because everyone else, at least those with little devils of their own, are probably guessing, based on the shape of the box, that Una just gave them a ‘marriage saver’.

Some favorite quotes:

‘Murdered by pirates, heart cut out and eaten, meet Victoria. Can’t quite decide which would be worse.’

‘You look great. You’ve had your feet done.’

‘…You smell of pee and you look like the wrong end of a dog.’

‘You want to grow up and get over yourself.’

Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting the reading event Once Upon A Time, a celebration of all that is Fantasy. Come join us!

April 27, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Giveaway & Guest Post: The Black Shard

Please welcome Victoria Simcox back to Dab of Darkness. You may remember her earlier interview where we talked about C. S. Lewis, talking animals, and cover art. Here she has returned to talk further about the second book in her juvenile fantasy series, The Black Shard. Also, we have a giveaway of winner’s choice of her two books, so make sure to check that out at the bottom of this post.

Goodreads blurb on The Magic Warble:

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz. In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she’s honored as “the chosen one,” the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz’s control. But it’s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous “Magic Warble,” in its final resting place. She must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen’s “zelbocks” before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, and an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

Goodreads blurb on The Black Shard:

Kristina’s stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it’s all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester’s cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it’s actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can’t refuse. Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends … and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn’t get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the “Black Shard,” Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it’s in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

Both questions and answers were provided by Victoria Simcox.

On your blog you state that your teenage daughter inspired Kristina, but who inspired some of the other characters, like Werrien and Hector? (Hopefully, no one real inspired Davina or Hester ;D)

Yes, Kristina, in the book was inspired by my daughter, and even though I named Kristina my character after my daughter, the two are different personalities. Werrien came from different personality traits of people I know. I have a teenage son, and I took some traits from him, as well as his friends and other teenagers I have encountered. Hector, I created from my imagination, at least I can’t pinpoint where I got him from. Davina’s and Hester’s personalities came from kids I knew when I was in grade school—bully type peers. Even though they were annoying, hurtful and even scary when I was young, now that I’m an adult I find it quite fun to use their character traits in my writing.

This book has some beautiful illustrations. I know you teach art, so I was curious as to whether the cover or any of the images inside were your drawings?

Yes, I teach art and have been doing so for 11 years, but the illustration and cover were not done by me. I have a different style of drawing and painting than what is in my book. An artist by the name of Amanda Swanson did all the art work inside the book as well as the cover. She specializes in fantasy art and I am very happy with what she has created.

Bernovem seems to be such a beautiful place. Is there any place that you’ve been to or read about that inspired it?

I was inspired to create Bernovem from different places that I have been, like the Hoh Rain Forest in WA. I love hiking through its densely green, moss laden trails. There is definitely something magical about it. Hemlock Valley Mountain, in BC Canada, is a place I have been skiing at since I was a youth. It is a majestic yet peaceful place. I was in Tahiti and Hawaii some years back and enjoyed the beaches, aqua-blue waters, and tropical forests. I created Finimus Island from my experience at these two paradises. My mother and father are immigrants from Europe and throughout my lifetime I have had the opportunity to visit Austria, Germany and other places, like the beautiful city of Prague. These places have influenced me in creating the city Ezeree as well as Salas.

What inspired you to be a writer and to write the Magic Warble series?

I remember I was sitting in the movie theater watching the first Harry Potter movie when I envisioned my main character Kristina walking down a snowy sidewalk. At the time that was all of the story I had. I went home that night and wrote my first page not knowing where the story would go.

So the ending of The Black Shard often leaves readers in total, utter suspense – can you tell us when to expect the third installment of this amazing series?

I was hoping Book 2 would leave readers wanting to read more and I’m so glad it did. I am in the process of writing the 3rd book and when it is finished (I don’t have a set date yet) I will definitely let all my Magic Warble fans know.

Victoria lurks in various fantastical and common Earthly places on the web:

Her Blogspot

The Magic Warble Webpage

Goodreads Facebook Twitter

Now for the giveaway. To enter, simply leave a comment on this guest post – and an email or twitter handle. For additional chances to win, fill out the rafflecopter below. Good luck!

Giveaway of 3 ebooks – winner chooses Book 1 or Book 2 (International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 26, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Why I Read It: Stainless Steel Droppings was hosting an awesome read along.

Where I Got It: Own it.

Who I Recommend This To: Looking for an inordinary fairie tale? Check this one out.

Narrator: Neil Gaiman

Publisher: Harper Audio (2006)

Length: 6 hours 27 minutes

Tristran is a fairly average young man on the surface of things. He lives with his family in the small town of Wall, works part time at the local catch-all shop, and moons after the loveliest lady in town, Victoria Forrester. She has next to no interest in him, but can’t help but toy with his affections. So, when a star falls one night as they stroll together, Tristran makes the vow to find it and bring it back to her, in exchange for her hand in marriage. She laughingly accepts, expecting he will fail at the task. Off Tristran goes, through the man-sized crack in the wall to the land of Fairie.

There he meets many half human and non-human beings that help or hinder him as is their want. He also discovers he has this ability to tell what direction something is in, allowing him to never truly be lost. When we first meet the star…well the star isn’t what we expected – a cussing young lady with a broken leg. There’s also the Stormhold family, having recently suffered the death of their patriarch and the surviving brothers having been tossed into a competition for the jewel of Stormhold that denotes rulership. Witches also abound, each desiring a star’s heart to restore their youth and strength. Yeah, creepy.

Each time I tink Neil Gaiman is going to follow a well traveled story arc, he deviates here and there until you end up with something original and magical all on it’s own. He doesn’t disappoint with this book. In some ways, it is a coming of age book, both Tristran and the star growing and changing by the end. There’s trickery, ships of the sky, and a unicorn. The tale is also sprinkled with every day stuff, such as Tristran taking a shovel with him into the woods to make a little deposit. Such little things help to make the characters, and the experience, real.

As much as I love Gaiman’s work, I do have 2 small issues with this book. Obviously, they don’t break the book for me as I have read it multiple times. It’s good to love some flawed things in your life – aunties, vases, yourself, and books. So much growing up happens between the lines, and much of it within 6 pages where it isn’t really described. So, while I get to know Tristran as a young man bumbling through life, and then I see him as a young man having made up his mind about several things and gained the confidence to follow through, the in between stuff was left out. The second point is a mild SPOILER: the star goes from being captured by Tristran, to being obligated to be by his side for an unforeseeable amount of time to loving him. I never really got the sense that she fell, totally, utterly, head over heels in love with him. Rather, what started as an intolerable obligation later became a tolerable arrangement. END SPOILER

Neil Gaiman was a fun narrator. You could hear his enjoyment of reading his own work, or making his characters come alive. While his female voices weren’t particularly feminine, his pacing was good and his enthusiasm infectious.

What I Liked: Magical story full of odd and interesting characters; things die (Gaiman doesn’t cut any corners on that); the characters were flawed, making them real; the unicorn; the odd market full of curious things.

What I Disliked: Gaiman’s female voices lack femininity; the scenes where ‘growing up’ happens kind of lack the description of growing up; the star’s motivation for certain choices weren’t as fleshed out as I would have liked (see Spoiler above).

Tis the season for fairies, goblins, and dragons. To meet that end, I am celebrating everything fantasy with Stainless Steel Droppings during the Once Upon A Time reading event. This even ends in June, so there’s plenty of time for you to join the fun.

For more detailed info on the book, check out the read along posts:

Part I

Part II

April 25, 2013 by nrlymrtl

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

The back of Pico’s head…and a good book.

Why I Read It: Robin McKinley has long been a favorite.

Where I Got It: The library.

Who I Recommend This To: While I found it in the YA section, this book has lots to offer fantasy quest lovers of any age.

Narrator: Roslyn Alexander

Publisher: Recorded Books (1992)

Length: 9 CDs

We start with a young Aerin and her world of magic, dragon hunting, and castle politics. In fact her near cousin manages to poison her with a magical plant and it takes her years to recover. During her recovery, she spends time with her father’s lamed war horse, Talet. Talet’s rear haunch was sliced deeply while in battle and the King brought him home where he was treated and put to pasture. With time, both Aerin and Talet find friendship and healing. As she grows older, she delves into the herbal secrets of mythical paste that can protect tender skin from dragon fire. Eventually, Aerin will go on one quest after another, each time more insurmountable. Each time she must give up a little more of herself to accomplish the task.

There were so many things to love about this book. First off, our young hero-in-the-making doesn’t suddenly come into magnificent powers. No, she has to work for it, and overcome several obstacles such as poisoning, the hatred and distrust of her father’s people for her dead mother and her people. Over time, she bonds with the lamed war horse, Talet, and he becomes such an integral part of the story with his own personality. Equine lovers will especially enjoy Talet being treated as a full character in this novel.

With time and training, Aerin becomes an accomplished horse woman, sword master, dragon slayer, and herbalist. Yet, this is not enough. Her quest to save her father’s kingdom takes her far, and she looses much. She’s not invulnerable and when she is hurt, she is truly hurt, requiring mending and time before she can go out adventuring again. This tale was not about one single quest, but rather about several challenges a young lady faces as she comes of age.

The narrator, Roslyn Alexander, was an excellent voice for this story. She had the perfect auntie story-telling voice. I could almost see her with knitting needles in a comfy chair by the fire spinning me a yarn.

What I Liked: Lead female; when the characters were hurt, they didn’t miraculously mend in a night; Aerin had to earn her talents over time; Talet is a favorite character.

What I Disliked: The cover – for reals. That cover is not exciting.

The magic is thick in the air over at Stainless Steel Droppings where Carl is hosting the Once Upon A Time reading event, cerebrating everything fantasy. Join us in the fun!

April 24, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Giveaway & Interview: Guy Hasson, Author of The Emoticon Generation

Folks, please welcome Guy Hasson back to the blog. Recently, I enjoyed being part of The Little Red Reviewer’s blog tour featuring Guy Hasson’s The Emoticon Generation. If you missed my review, check it out over HERE. Today, we have a great interview with Guy, followed by his generous giveaway of 10 ebook copies of his book The Emoticon Generation. The giveaway is open international – scroll to the bottom to enter.

Without further ado, here is Guy Hasson:

1) This year you have published two novels, The Emoticon Generation and Secret Thoughts, both collections of stories. The first focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and the second on telepathic women. How did you go about developing these stories as the two subjects are so very different?

The Emoticon Generation is filled with stories about Big Ideas and what they mean to us and to the characters in the stories. For example, the story that gave the book its title, Generation E: The Emoticon Generation came to me when I realized that emoticons are actually words that are too small to say. For example, if instead of using a smiley, you would say, “Hey, I like that” you would give too great an emphasis to whatever it is you wanted to put a smiley on. It’s not the same. Smileys are words that are smaller and shorter than written or spoken words.

So once I had that idea in my head I asked myself, What’s the tinniest tiniest word that could ever be? The answer’s in the story, of course. And out of the answer came all the situations and all the characters that you meet there.

In Hatchling I figured out a new way to create a human being. The result is the most human and touching story in the collection.

In Freedom Is Only a Step Away I tried to suggest a new way to teach kids everything they need to be taught in school in a way that doesn’t limit their imagination and feeling of freedom.

So The Emoticon Generation is a story about Big Ideas. Just like the science fiction I grew up on.

Meanwhile, Secret Thoughts is about delving deep, deep, deep into our own brains. If telepaths, capable telepaths, ever exist, wouldn’t it make sense that their understanding of us, and themselves, would be so much greater than our own? If someone could delve into the depths of everyone they see, wouldn’t that give them knowledge about what we are and what they are? I wrote the book’s first novella The Perfect Girl imagining a world in which telepaths exist and there are experts at what they do. These experts teach the newbies about the secrets of our minds. It was a chance to go exploring our deepest places and the dark crevices we never allow ourselves to see. I wrote The Perfect Girl back in 2005 as a stand-alone. It won the Geffen Award for Best Short Story of the Year. I never meant it to be anything more. But even as I was writing it, I knew I was creating a world, and that there could be dozens of stories written about it. Part of what makes The Perfect Girl story rich is that I hint in it to about six other stories about telepaths I could have written, but never did. The world feels like it has so many possibilities.

Years passed, and I kept returning to that world. I had crazy ideas about what real telepaths would do. For example: Telepaths connect by touch. What if a telepath got pregnant? She would feel the baby growing in the womb. She would feel not its thoughts, but its first half-thoughts, its first half-formed emotions. She would feel the brain that isn’t yet human, but is half human, a quarter human. She would sense what it’s like to become human, step by step. That’s the story of the last novella in the book, Most Beautiful Intimacy. Now, if you had ideas like these, could you resist writing them and putting them in a book?

2) You also work in film and will be releasing an independent science fiction short film soon, The Indestructibles. Care to give us a little tease and temptation on what this film is about?

Ah, this is fun. The Indestructibles is an idea I had for a film. The budget? A mere $600 million. The story was carved out, I knew everything that was going to happen in it, and I had the first twenty minutes written.

And then I stopped. I’ve already written big budget scripts on spec. They’re still waiting for Hollywood to glance in my direction. But why should I wait for Hollywood? Even if producers bought my scripts, my scripts would not survive the experience the way I had intended them to be. So… Why can’t I do these films at home? I already had a low-budget feature-length SF film under my belt, which I had written, directed, shot, and produced. So I knew I could shoot a professional film, guerilla-style. If I could find a way to rewrite the script so that it fit my budget, why, then… I have a camera at home, I know great actors, I could limit the number locations, I could write it for one-shots which would almost eliminate the need for an editor, and I’d shoot and direct it myself for free… It could be done!

So I rewrote the script. I turned an epic SF tale that spanned centuries and contained scenes with dozens and hundreds of superheroes – I turned that story into a 45-minute film that was shot for $250.

I already shot the film, it’s been edited, and right now we’re going back-and-forth on the soundtrack. If all goes well, it’ll be ready in a few weeks. At which point I will release it for free on the web and let the story find its audience.

I really don’t want to say anything about the content of the film, because everything in it is a spoiler, except that it’s a classic superhero tale turned on its head two times over, to create something you’ve never seen before.

If you want to be updated when it comes out, follow my blog.

And the most important thing is: Now that it’s done, I know I can do it by myself, without a studio. I can tell almost any SF story I want in film… By myself. At home. With my little camera.

3) You also have a serialized fairy tale fantasy, Tickling Butterflies, on your blog. What drew you to attempt to capture 128 fairy tales in one story?

This is turning out as a confessional for how my pieces are made. Works for me.

Here’s how Tickling Butterflies was created.

At first, I wanted to create a story that’s such an explosion of imagination the readers would be thunderstruck. The original concept was to create some kind of encyclopedic map of a magical fairy tale land and have the book be a dump of story ideas. Well, that idea died quickly. If it doesn’t have a story that runs through it, I can’t write it.

So I found a story about King John the Cute. John is born with a prophecy hanging over his head: That this little farm boy will become king at the age of 18 and would die at the age of 20, having saved the fairy tale land. We follow John through his adventures, which, as a side benefit, take us through all the fairy tales of the land. It begins innocently enough with the fairy tales of his childhood up to the point where he becomes king. Then, forced to discover the secrets of the land, John explores it. It begins with regular-themed fairy tales (like the Happily Ever After Home for the Married, where all the romantic fairy tales go to live), but then twists to discover an island where all the funny fairy tales go (The Land of No Respect), and then to The River Red Continent where all fairy tales for adults exist. With John we go through fairy tales about the secrets and origins of magic, through legends about a land of storytellers, a land that has no magic, no happy endings, and no fate. And then the story gets really crazy…

It’s all done through fairy tales that are seemingly independent, but actually form to create an epic story involving all the threads of fairy tales we’ve seen along the way.

Writing Tickling Butterflies also gave me a chance to explore a writing technique I’ve never used before. I discovered how to write beautiful stories. Not just good stories or fun stories or interesting stories or wow stories, but stories that give you a feeling of beauty. Every few fairy tales, I would insert a beautiful tale, while in the fairy tales themselves I would slowly explore the nature of beauty.

As I wrote it, I realized why something is considered beautiful. So I created the solution to the big mystery in the book in such a way that it isn’t just a wow ending, but also a breathtakingly beautiful ending.

Don’t believe me? Read the book.

Tickling Butterflies is being translated to Hebrew and will published in Israel later this year. I’m also in talks with a European publisher that I can’t name yet. And after 45 agents in the US and the UK refused to look at it, I decided to serialize it online. A new fairy tale is being published every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at my website. Here’s a page with the links to all the Tickling Butterflies stories that have been published so far.

4) You are also a playwright. What are a few of the key things you keep in mind when picking your medium to tell the story?

To me, every medium is about something else. Prose is about exploring a story, a plot, and ideas. The theater is about either comedy or the most gut-wrenching dramas. Film is about looking into the eyes of the actors/characters and seeing their souls.

A big thank you to Guy Hasson for adding a few more books to my towering To-Be-Read pile!

THE GIVEAWAY

Entering the giveaway is simple. Leave me a comment on this post about the interview or about Guy Hasson’s works or his webpage. For greater chances to win, enter the rafflecopter below. Guy Hasson is generously giving away 10 ebook copies of The Emoticon Generation (see blurb below). This giveaway will be open for 4 weeks, closing on May 22, 2013. The giveaway is open international.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

From Goodreads:

Guy Hasson’s The Emoticon Generation features seven stories about life-changes brought about by our new electronic generation: stories that blur the borders between our world and science fiction, stories that make you ask, ‘Has this already happened? Is that actually true?’

In this collection you’ll find a man who, after losing his fiancée to a terrible accident, seeks to learn if true love really exists; a girl, hardly a teen, who searches for her father only to learn a terrible truth about herself; a man who wants to immortalize his genius but ends up tricking himself out of it; an old hero whose entire life unravels when the truth about his heroic act is revealed; a harmless birthday gift that triggers a profound search into the depths of a young couple’s relationship; and more.

Guy Hasson is one of the freshest new science fiction authors out there, with a knack for finding the human heart in the biggest ideas.

April 20, 2013 by nrlymrtl

Around the Sphere April 2013

Yes, it is that time again. Time for me to be social. Which usually means snarking on things. In this case, other folks have already put together the snark for me. Enjoy!

I love making fun of Disney heroines. Mostly because they are not particularly heroic. Or rather, running through the woods, cleaning house, or reading a book all while looking gorgeous is heroic for the female form. Sigh….

Here is a really cool article about the what ifs of drawing female superheroes fully clothed. I love the idea and I think a competent, mostly clad superhero (of any gender) is far more attractive than stepping out to fight crime in a bathing suit or highheels and thong-bustier combo.

http://www.geeknative.com/38733/drawing-the-impossible-fully-dressed-superheroines/

Remember Mr. Smith (Hugo Weaving) from The Matrix? Yeah, I do. Here he is again in the GE commercial. If all ads were this cool, I would spend more time rotting my brain watching them. Are you ad companies paying attention?

Cracked.com is a great place to visit if you need to kill some time waiting for the bus, that last load of laundry, or you’re stuck at work and can get away with it. Not that I would ever encourage folks to be slackers. Not me. This particular article is on real life places that could be sets for science fiction or fantasy movies. I wish some of these places made up my lawn art.
http://www.cracked.com/article_20357_7-modern-ghost-towns-that-look-like-sci-fi-movies.html?utm_source=thechive.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=7-modern-ghost-towns-that-look-like-sci-fi-movies-pics-article

I’m sure you have seen this trailer by now, but hey, it stars two of my all time favorite actors – Jodie Foster and Matt Damon. So there is no way I was not going to plague you with this trailer one more time.

Ever wonder how to make that superhero Aquaman sexy, useful, and manly all in one go? Well, yeah, I hadn’t actually spent much time thinking about Aquaman either. I mean, who does? Here a cool pic of Aquaman, medieval style. It does the trick.

http://www.ilyke.net/i-thought-this-deserved-to-be-seen-by-more-people–batman–aquaman-medieval-garb/25303/?utm_source=u212&utm_medium=p212137&utm_campaign=aff

Confession time. I love the Riddick movies. I have watched Pitch Black like dozens of times since I first caught on the once appropriately names SciFi channel. When The Riddick Chronicles came out, I hauled my main man off to the theatres to watch it. It was great. Now, a third movie is nearing completion.I know, some of you….perhaps most of you, are quirking your eyebrow at me. I’m OK with that, because I am picturing you all in The Next Generation combat leotard. You look smashing.

This last video is Honest Reviews. Now I love me some Harry Potter – books first, movies second, trick jelly beans third. This video covers all the movies, so beware of spoilers, if you care about such things. Had me chuckling out loud.

Finally, stuff about me that you may or may not care about. I care, and that is good enough. First, I gave an interview over at the Book Store Book Blogger Connection. If you haven’t heard of this, it’s a great site where you can provide little snippets about books you love. Then bookstores, usually small, independent ones so far, print off those snippets and place them on their shelves to entice book browsers to pick up the book and perhaps take it home. Genius. (both the site and my interview).

http://bookstorebloggerconxn.com/2013/04/03/bloggers-who-win-dab-of-darkness/

Almost finally, David Lee Summers, an author, scientist, blogger, and all around fun guy, passed the WordPress Family Award on to me. This is my first bloggity award and I am still figuring out what to do with it. The rules with this award are simple – chat about some other blogs that you enjoy. I assume from the title of the award they are suppose to be WordPress blogs, but I am not one for rules really. I think rules, as well as recipes, are really just guidelines. In some cases they really only denote some end goal and how you get there is up to you.

So, let me take a moment to talk about a few blogs that have been in my life recently. On Starships and Dragonwings has one of the snazziest looking blogs around – not too much glitter or flash, and plenty of dragons. If you love your YA SFF, that’s the blog to check out. We recently wrapped up Book 2 of The Wheel of Time series and we’ll shortly be starting Book 3 (The Dragon Reborn). The Little Red Reviewer, who is also the power and master mind behind the Book Store Book Blogger Connection I mentioned above, has always got something SciFi good going on. I recently participated in her The Emoticon Generation blog tour. Stainless Steel Droppings is running his annual Once Upon A Time reading event that runs the duration of spring and is a celebration of anything fantasy (mostly books and film). It is a wonderful, fun event. We just finished up the Stardust Read Along this past week. Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers has been joining me on all my crazy read alongs, including The Shadow of the Sun Read Along which goes to the end of the month. Barbara Friend Ish is giving away digital copies of her book on her site (just follow the read along link to download yours). Let me just say that Sue from Coffee, Cookies, & Chili Peppers always has such great comments. She really takes the time to read the post and leave meaningful comments. Lynn’s Book Blog has been teaching me UK words, like numpty. Lynn has also been a big participator in recent read alongs. And what is a read along if you ain’t got nobody to play with? Yes, I left the bad grammar in. Yes, I can see you wincing. You’re cute when you wince. There are many more to name, but I think I will save some for the next bloggity award or the next time I am feeling social. Yes, you may very well be on that list. It’s better than being on the Other List.

And just yesterday, Lynn from Lynn’s Book Blog awarded me the Liebster Award. So, I had to come back in here and edit because this was the perfect place to stick this. She gets a wicked chuckle from me on timing alone. First, she has these questions I am suppose to answer. She says I can’t say ‘both’. But she also says rules are for breaking. Hehehehehehhe.

Beer or Wine - Chocolate milk stout or muscato dessert wine. But not both together.
Dogs or Cats - I have to say both as I live with both and if I picked one, the other would find out and kill me in my sleep. For Reals.
Fantasy or Sci Fi - This is a cruel, cruel question. How about Scitansy? The best of both worlds.
Book or Film – Book. Except for The Hunger Games trilogy. That is one series I hope the movies end better than the books did.
Star Wars or Star Trek - Star Wars for the women and star trek for the bald headed men.
Batman or Superman - Batman all the way. There is nothing sexy about a grown boy scout in a blue and red unitard.
Anime or Manga - Manga
Gaiman or Tolkien - Gaiman for the everyday. Tolkien for the once a decade read.
Reading or Music - Reading. But you knew that already.
Chocolate or Cheese - Chocolate. Unless there are fresh local cheese readily available.
Morning or night - Morning. Shit needs to get done in the morning.

On top of that, I am suppose to reveal 11 things about myself. Well, I already told y’all about my Riddick fascination above. That should really count for 2. My favorite bookmarks are the ones my aunt made several years ago. We live on a small farm and I rather clean chicken houses than fold laundry. Alas, folding laundry happens like every other day, and cleaning the chicken houses happens likes 3-4 times a year. Yes, I do wear a respirator when doing that. I often salt my icecream. I know you want to also. Oh you think it might be weird, but I bet you love other sweet & salty food. I have two addictions in my life – my man and Dr. Pepper. I once hit a puppy with my car on a dark night. I broke it’s neck, but it was still alive. I took it home and my man helped me grant him mercy. He is buried near the apple tree. I have a consuming fear of ladders. No, shaking the ladder while I am on it to prove how stable it is DOES NOT help. Just being clear about that. I have been with the volunteer fire and emergency response for 6 months now and seen two fatalities. The only girly thing about me is my super secret cutsy wutsy collection of My Little Ponies. I have been peed on by a cat more than once. No, I am not on speaking terms with that cat. I have spent quality time in a public place with one boob hanging out of the bra (still covered by shirt). Lots of odd stairs went my direction, but no one took me aside and chatted about wardrobe malfunctions.

This last part is where I torture others. But I am going to mix it up (see rule breaking previously in this post). Instead of nominating 11 others and posing 11 questions to them, I am going to leave it open to you, my dear readers. Leave your answers in the comments.

1) I love interviewing folks, digging into their lives, etc. Would anyone like to do a real interview on my blog? Leave your email or twitter handle, and I will get in contact.

2) If you took the main characters from Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Trilogy, and Brent Week’s Night Angel series and stuck them in a gated, locked grove, who would come out in the end?

3) Honestly, are the fig leaves really necessary?

4) Should they have a third go at turning Dune by Frank Herbert into a movie?

That’s all I got folks. This turned out to be a longer post than expected, but for anyone who makes it to the end, leave me a raspberry in the comments!

April 18, 2013 by nrlymrtl

A Hat Full Of Sky by Terry Pratchett

Yes, Stout really is that sweet.

Why I Read It: Tis a favorite, and there was this read along

Where I Got It: Own It.

Who I Recommend This To: Anyone who enjoys humor, sheep, creative swearing (PG rated), or cheese.

Publisher: HarperCollins (2005)

Length: 407 pages

Series: Tiffany Aching Saga Book 2

In this installment of the Tiffany Aching saga, Terry Pratchett has her battling an ancient malevolent enemy, meeting other young witches her age, learning to ride a broomstick, and bonding with adult witches. It’s her first real trip off the chalk as Tiffany sets off to go be the assistant to Miss Level in the mountains. Now Miss Level is interesting in and of herself, having once been part of a circus. She also has milk goats and is daily down at the local village seeing to their needs. Tiffany takes on learning how to make a proper shamble, dealing with another bullying girl, and facing some of her deepest, but perhaps not best, desires.

I truly believe that these books, the Tiffany Aching saga, are Terry Pratchett’s best Discworld books. In fact, you don’t really need to know anything about Discworld in order to enjoy these books. The Feegles, or Wee Free Men, that we met in Book 1 are back in Book 2, causing mayhem, misdirection, and the occasional questionable humor. I believe the humorous and serious notes of this book are even better balanced than Book 1, The Wee Free Men. Tiffany is 11 in this book, and her grandmother has been dead and buried for some years, yet she still has a strong presence in Tiffany’s mind. Mistress Weatherwax, who showed up at the end of Book 1, has a much greater role in Book 2, and there is even bonding over pickles and voles. Indeed, Tiffany has a lot to learn and this adventure takes her up against the wall to find out how strong she is.

What I Liked: The cover; the humor; the serious parts; this book made me feel, and feel all sorts of things, and that is why it has a permanent place on my book shelf.

What I Disliked: There was one chapter that ended abruptly and then the next starts in a completely different place – it fools me every time and I keep thinking the editors must have taken something important out.

There’s this cool on-going reading event focused on fantasy over at Stainless Steel Droppings, called Once Upon A Time. Check it out and join the fun.

If you would like a more in depth discussion of this book, check out the read along posts:

Dab of Darkness

A dab of darkness in us all

Category Archives: Fantasy