I said I wanted to finish the rough draft for the remix project by the end of June and guess what, I've more or less made it. Woo! Confetti! Balloons! 80s Madonna music and pepto bismol pink fingernails for everyone - even the boys!
Ahem, ok maybe that last part didn't make all that much sense.
Let's see where we are exactly. I should finish the epilogue this evening before I go to bed. Word count at this very moment is - 53726, which is shorter than I wanted BUT the finished product will hopefully be at least a little longer. I still have some things I want to add in and change.
I'm considering writing some scenes from Chelsea's perspective. She is the secondary character from the breakfast scene I put on the blog during my last Teaser Tuesday.
At the end in particular, the story would have some better depth if we could get a window into what she is seeing, thinking and doing. If I can get three or four really good, substantial and helpful scenes from her and not murder the pace of the story, I'll do it. She already has a pretty solid story arc all her own so I think everthing will click into place beautifully. I may work on that this weekend.
Then what, you ask? Then comes an intensive edit/rewrite and then I will put the manuscript into a drawer (figuratively speaking) and step away...far away. Because distance is essential to self-editing. When I return, I want it to feel like I'm reading something that someone else wrote. Muy importante.
In the meantime, I will not be lazing about. I will finish writing AnnaBeth 2, which I think is about 30000 words in if I remember correctly.
And hence.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
quick sequel wish list
I would like to see the following movies get sequels. So if there are any movie producers out there reading, please get to it, ASAP.
1. Red - love, love, love the characters, more please.
2. The Expendables - ditto on character love
3. Ace Ventura - yes, I know there was already a sequel, but these movies never fail to crack me up.
4. Gone in Sixty Seconds - only if the cast is the same
5. Demolition Man
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. The Rundown
Go forth, Hollywood types, and do my bidding. And none of that lame-ass prequel business. Prequel is industry speak for - this movie is totally going to suck.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
1. Red - love, love, love the characters, more please.
2. The Expendables - ditto on character love
3. Ace Ventura - yes, I know there was already a sequel, but these movies never fail to crack me up.
4. Gone in Sixty Seconds - only if the cast is the same
5. Demolition Man
6. Shaun of the Dead
7. The Rundown
Go forth, Hollywood types, and do my bidding. And none of that lame-ass prequel business. Prequel is industry speak for - this movie is totally going to suck.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
photoblogging
Hey there! I’m feeling a bit on the tired side today but in a good way. I rode my bike about 4.5 miles after work, which I know might not sound like a lot to some people but for the already-tired me, it was a taxing activity. On the bright side, I only rode about 1.1 miles before I realized my helmet was on backwards.
That’s right. I am the picture of grace and sophistication. Luckily I fixed it before I saw anyone I knew.
Now for some photos. The children and I visited a somewhat local park. It’s nice. They have a carousel and miniature golf, an aquatic center, a skate park, and a transportation museum complete with trains.
I also found some awesome pictures of the canal while I was picking these off my camera memory card. I will share them at a later date if I remember.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
That’s right. I am the picture of grace and sophistication. Luckily I fixed it before I saw anyone I knew.
Now for some photos. The children and I visited a somewhat local park. It’s nice. They have a carousel and miniature golf, an aquatic center, a skate park, and a transportation museum complete with trains.
I also found some awesome pictures of the canal while I was picking these off my camera memory card. I will share them at a later date if I remember.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, June 27, 2011
movie:Faster
Faster stars Duane "The Rock" Johnson as Driver, an ex-con who, upon release, goes after the jerks who participated in his brother's murder and attempted to murder him. Also on the hunt (but for Driver) are the cops and a hit man who has some interesting mental issues.
Billy Bob Thornton plays Cop. He's one of the two primary investigators working on the murder spree case. He has many personal issues, one of which is the fact that he and his wife are both recovering addicts. This was a relatively dull character for Billy Bob.
The movie was stylish and gruesome in places. There was some action. It was a Rock movie, so that’s to be expected.
The most interesting character was Killer. He was the hit man hired to kill Driver. He’s an adrenaline junkie with some sort of unnamed mental condition. His girlfriend wants him to stop killing people. His shrink wants him to take his meds.
Regarding muscles, Dwayne is looking a tad over-inflated these days. The muscle living on his neck/upper back area looks like a meat backpack. He’s starting to look freaky.
Faster was pretty good. It was entertaining but not great. C
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Billy Bob Thornton plays Cop. He's one of the two primary investigators working on the murder spree case. He has many personal issues, one of which is the fact that he and his wife are both recovering addicts. This was a relatively dull character for Billy Bob.
The movie was stylish and gruesome in places. There was some action. It was a Rock movie, so that’s to be expected.
The most interesting character was Killer. He was the hit man hired to kill Driver. He’s an adrenaline junkie with some sort of unnamed mental condition. His girlfriend wants him to stop killing people. His shrink wants him to take his meds.
Regarding muscles, Dwayne is looking a tad over-inflated these days. The muscle living on his neck/upper back area looks like a meat backpack. He’s starting to look freaky.
Faster was pretty good. It was entertaining but not great. C
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Thursday, June 23, 2011
adventures in writing and reading
I usually try not to spend too much time looking at my reviews because I am still sensitive enough to care about those things. While I was checking to see if What the Dead Fear was still free on Amazon last night (it is), I saw this review, the beginning of which was seemingly addressed directly to me.
Here is a copy and paste for your convenience.
“Pleasantly surprised in the creative style exhibited in this novella by you Lea Ryan. 22 year old Juniper dies an accidental death and her spirit is left in Limbo. As a rule breaker, Juniper creates her own chaos in limbo as she still worries about the living and not caring about the demise of her own self. She meets Cricket who tries to persuade her to stick to the rules, unsuccessfully. The end of the novella leaves the reader wanting more and for the story to continue. Hopefully, Ms. Ryan will continue this story in the near future.”
First of all, is there a camera in here or something? I feel like I'm being watched.
Second of all, how nice is she!?! The other people who posted reviews are equally super! I love when people say positive things. Especially about my writing because, well, it's kind of a whole lot of work.
One of the reasons I left Juniper's story so freakin' wide open was because before I finished writing it, I was already thinking about possibly returning. I really liked the characters. I'm a little attached.
I have a grain of an idea rattling around in my brain, but I have other projects first. I have two novels in progress that I want to finish at least the rough drafts on by fall. I may be able to squeeze it in after those two. I imagine that I might want a break from writing book-length fiction by then.
On a different note, I read an interesting blog post from a bookseller who refused to host a signing for an Amazon published (their imprint, not a self-publisher) author. I have mixed feelings about this issue.
On one hand, I sympathize with the independent bookstore. There is no question in my mind that Amazon has affected their business. I understand why he's angry.
However bad Amazon may or may not be for bookstores, it is really, really good for authors, especially indies like me. For the most part, bookstores do not carry self-published books.
Bottom line - a bookstore would have never given me the time of day. Amazon has enabled my writing to reach over 18,000 readers. And that’s not page views. Those are actual downloads.
Do you remember that Janet Jackson song - What Have You Done for Me Lately? That's playing in my head right now.
I feel no ill will toward independent book sellers at all, but I believe that, like some traditional publishers, they're hanging onto a way of doing business that won't work to their benefit forever.
Instead of digging their heels into the sand, they should focus on how to get people into the stores. Business is business. Would you deny something that might help keep your doors open?
They’re not going to put Amazon out of business by refusing to host those authors, but they will lose customer traffic they would have otherwise had.
Here is a link to what I read
http://seattlemysteryblog.typepad.com/seattle_mystery/2011/06/cant-shake-the-devils-hand-and-say-youre-only-kidding.html
Tomorrow is Friday. Let us rejoice. That is all.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Here is a copy and paste for your convenience.
“Pleasantly surprised in the creative style exhibited in this novella by you Lea Ryan. 22 year old Juniper dies an accidental death and her spirit is left in Limbo. As a rule breaker, Juniper creates her own chaos in limbo as she still worries about the living and not caring about the demise of her own self. She meets Cricket who tries to persuade her to stick to the rules, unsuccessfully. The end of the novella leaves the reader wanting more and for the story to continue. Hopefully, Ms. Ryan will continue this story in the near future.”
First of all, is there a camera in here or something? I feel like I'm being watched.
Second of all, how nice is she!?! The other people who posted reviews are equally super! I love when people say positive things. Especially about my writing because, well, it's kind of a whole lot of work.
One of the reasons I left Juniper's story so freakin' wide open was because before I finished writing it, I was already thinking about possibly returning. I really liked the characters. I'm a little attached.
I have a grain of an idea rattling around in my brain, but I have other projects first. I have two novels in progress that I want to finish at least the rough drafts on by fall. I may be able to squeeze it in after those two. I imagine that I might want a break from writing book-length fiction by then.
On a different note, I read an interesting blog post from a bookseller who refused to host a signing for an Amazon published (their imprint, not a self-publisher) author. I have mixed feelings about this issue.
On one hand, I sympathize with the independent bookstore. There is no question in my mind that Amazon has affected their business. I understand why he's angry.
However bad Amazon may or may not be for bookstores, it is really, really good for authors, especially indies like me. For the most part, bookstores do not carry self-published books.
Bottom line - a bookstore would have never given me the time of day. Amazon has enabled my writing to reach over 18,000 readers. And that’s not page views. Those are actual downloads.
Do you remember that Janet Jackson song - What Have You Done for Me Lately? That's playing in my head right now.
I feel no ill will toward independent book sellers at all, but I believe that, like some traditional publishers, they're hanging onto a way of doing business that won't work to their benefit forever.
Instead of digging their heels into the sand, they should focus on how to get people into the stores. Business is business. Would you deny something that might help keep your doors open?
They’re not going to put Amazon out of business by refusing to host those authors, but they will lose customer traffic they would have otherwise had.
Here is a link to what I read
http://seattlemysteryblog.typepad.com/seattle_mystery/2011/06/cant-shake-the-devils-hand-and-say-youre-only-kidding.html
Tomorrow is Friday. Let us rejoice. That is all.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Teaser Tuesday: Remix Project Rough Draft
Ok, here we go. This is a snippet of conversation in the current work in progress. If I were a more sophisticated author, I would probably wait until the project was nearer completion before I started slapping random bits of the story up on the blog. But I’m not. So I am.
The protagonist’s name is Eric. He started his young adult life out the way some people do, a little wilder than the usual. He skipped college and partied for a couple of years, basically became a loser. Then tragedy struck. He’s trying to get his life on track by enrolling in college and doing his best to lead a normal life.
In his eyes, normal = safe.
The other character is a girl he just met. Her name is Chelsea. She’s a little quirky.
Eric’s uncle, Nathan, introduces them over breakfast. This could change once I edit it properly.
-----------------------------------------
"Eggs are ready." Nathan called, then to his guest, he said, "I may not be a chef, but eggs and bacon, I can do."
Morning light blazed through the tall windows, reached past the leather sofa and easy chairs, to the dining room. The girl sitting at the table giggled.
"I don't know how anyone can sleep through that sunshine. I leaped from bed this morning."
"Maybe I should take back that coffee. I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's natural high."
"Don't you dare." She pulled the mug closer.
Nathan spooned scrambled eggs onto her plate.
She said, "I thought I would take him to the grove first because it's the best place."
Eric walked in. At the old, oak round sat a petite girl around his age. She had unevenly cut auburn hair almost to her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled sapphire blue.
"Eric, this is Chelsea." Nathan motioned to the chair next to her with the serving spoon in his hand. A breakfast plate waited there.
"Nice to meet you." She put her hand out for him to shake it.
"Nice to meet you too. So, you live in the tower?"
Nathan left them alone in the dining room, winking at Eric as he walked out.
Chelsea pointed to the ceiling, "Two floors above you. I still live with my parents because I like to. I would miss them if I left. I think they would miss me too." She spoke between eagerly shoved forkfuls of egg into her mouth. "I learn so much from them all the time. Dad's a curator. Mom writes marketing copy for catalogs and websites, mostly for flower bulbs." She paused to drink her coffee.
"Are you in school?" Eric asked.
"No, but I want to be a veterinarian."
"I’m pretty sure you have to go to school for that."
"I know. That's the only drawback." She sighed wistfully.
"Drawback? How would you know what you were doing without going to school?"
"Sometimes people just know things by nature. You're studying photography at Restin, right?"
"Going to, yes."
"Do you know how to take a photograph now?"
"Of course."
"Do you need a teacher to tell you what kind of photograph you find aesthetically pleasing?"
"Well, no, but there are technical aspects to the process - proper lighting and shutter speed -"
Chelsea pointed at him with a slice of bacon between her thumb and forefinger.
"So you don't think that you could go into the world and make art without a teacher's idea of how you should proceed?"
"I never thought of it like that before."
"Formal education can be a shackle. Don't let them get the best of you." She spoke with her mouth full.
"Them as in who?"
"The doubters. The purveyors of convention. I can't go anywhere with you until you promise me you won't sell out."
"No one offered to buy me."
She laughed, "Very good. You are a funny one. Bring that camera of yours, and I might let you take a picture of me." She closed her eyes, laced her fingers under her chin and made a mock kissy face.
--------------------------------------------
Some of it is awkward, I know. The conversation will likely expand or contract or may even be deleted and rewritten entirely, but that’s what it looks like at this very second.
Word count update: 49735
boom shack-a-lacka
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
The protagonist’s name is Eric. He started his young adult life out the way some people do, a little wilder than the usual. He skipped college and partied for a couple of years, basically became a loser. Then tragedy struck. He’s trying to get his life on track by enrolling in college and doing his best to lead a normal life.
In his eyes, normal = safe.
The other character is a girl he just met. Her name is Chelsea. She’s a little quirky.
Eric’s uncle, Nathan, introduces them over breakfast. This could change once I edit it properly.
-----------------------------------------
"Eggs are ready." Nathan called, then to his guest, he said, "I may not be a chef, but eggs and bacon, I can do."
Morning light blazed through the tall windows, reached past the leather sofa and easy chairs, to the dining room. The girl sitting at the table giggled.
"I don't know how anyone can sleep through that sunshine. I leaped from bed this morning."
"Maybe I should take back that coffee. I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's natural high."
"Don't you dare." She pulled the mug closer.
Nathan spooned scrambled eggs onto her plate.
She said, "I thought I would take him to the grove first because it's the best place."
Eric walked in. At the old, oak round sat a petite girl around his age. She had unevenly cut auburn hair almost to her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled sapphire blue.
"Eric, this is Chelsea." Nathan motioned to the chair next to her with the serving spoon in his hand. A breakfast plate waited there.
"Nice to meet you." She put her hand out for him to shake it.
"Nice to meet you too. So, you live in the tower?"
Nathan left them alone in the dining room, winking at Eric as he walked out.
Chelsea pointed to the ceiling, "Two floors above you. I still live with my parents because I like to. I would miss them if I left. I think they would miss me too." She spoke between eagerly shoved forkfuls of egg into her mouth. "I learn so much from them all the time. Dad's a curator. Mom writes marketing copy for catalogs and websites, mostly for flower bulbs." She paused to drink her coffee.
"Are you in school?" Eric asked.
"No, but I want to be a veterinarian."
"I’m pretty sure you have to go to school for that."
"I know. That's the only drawback." She sighed wistfully.
"Drawback? How would you know what you were doing without going to school?"
"Sometimes people just know things by nature. You're studying photography at Restin, right?"
"Going to, yes."
"Do you know how to take a photograph now?"
"Of course."
"Do you need a teacher to tell you what kind of photograph you find aesthetically pleasing?"
"Well, no, but there are technical aspects to the process - proper lighting and shutter speed -"
Chelsea pointed at him with a slice of bacon between her thumb and forefinger.
"So you don't think that you could go into the world and make art without a teacher's idea of how you should proceed?"
"I never thought of it like that before."
"Formal education can be a shackle. Don't let them get the best of you." She spoke with her mouth full.
"Them as in who?"
"The doubters. The purveyors of convention. I can't go anywhere with you until you promise me you won't sell out."
"No one offered to buy me."
She laughed, "Very good. You are a funny one. Bring that camera of yours, and I might let you take a picture of me." She closed her eyes, laced her fingers under her chin and made a mock kissy face.
--------------------------------------------
Some of it is awkward, I know. The conversation will likely expand or contract or may even be deleted and rewritten entirely, but that’s what it looks like at this very second.
Word count update: 49735
boom shack-a-lacka
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, June 20, 2011
This is not a real movie post. It is instead three almost-random items.
We didn't really do an official movie viewing this weekend. This DVD was just kind of hanging out around the house because my daughter checked it out from the library. Here’s a quick bit on it.
The Roommate
Sara (Minka Kelly) goes to college. Gets roommate named Rebecca (played by Leighton Meester) who is a little stalkery. Things get weird and ugly. This movie was like so many before it. The plot has been done to death. There wasn't much freshness. However, the acting wasn't bad, so it was tolerable to watch. C-
On to a second subject
I’m thinking about putting a short excerpt from the remix project on the blog sometime this week. There is nothing really plot-revealing (because the remix project is so very secret) but the conversation between two of the characters amuses me. Whether I post it will depend on what it looks like, as far as editing, when I go back and read it.
Ok, one more.
The weekend before this one that just past, we rode our bikes on the canal in White River State Park in downtown Indy. We really love the canal. There are great views and several waterfalls and a lot of art and some cafes, etc. Going there is almost like taking a little vacation.
There are several types of vehicles you can rent in that area like paddleboats and segways. We discovered that you can also rent a friggin’ gondola!!! How awesome is that? I took a picture of one and the guy with the oar was singing in a somewhat operatic fashion.
The Roommate
Sara (Minka Kelly) goes to college. Gets roommate named Rebecca (played by Leighton Meester) who is a little stalkery. Things get weird and ugly. This movie was like so many before it. The plot has been done to death. There wasn't much freshness. However, the acting wasn't bad, so it was tolerable to watch. C-
On to a second subject
I’m thinking about putting a short excerpt from the remix project on the blog sometime this week. There is nothing really plot-revealing (because the remix project is so very secret) but the conversation between two of the characters amuses me. Whether I post it will depend on what it looks like, as far as editing, when I go back and read it.
Ok, one more.
The weekend before this one that just past, we rode our bikes on the canal in White River State Park in downtown Indy. We really love the canal. There are great views and several waterfalls and a lot of art and some cafes, etc. Going there is almost like taking a little vacation.
There are several types of vehicles you can rent in that area like paddleboats and segways. We discovered that you can also rent a friggin’ gondola!!! How awesome is that? I took a picture of one and the guy with the oar was singing in a somewhat operatic fashion.
That's all I have for now.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Friday, June 17, 2011
yogurty rant
I read something today that really irked me. Apparently people think that a Yoplait yogurt commercial encourages eating disorders.
Have you seen it? It features a woman standing in front of a refrigerator, trying to decide whether to eat a slice of the largest raspberry cheesecake ever. She runs through some options in her head - exercising to compensate for calories, etc. Another girl walks up and takes a yogurt instead.
Not a big deal, right? Wrong-o! People who I imagine are on a never-ending quest for something to be offended by have decided that this will somehow trigger an eating disorder. Yoplait has pulled the commercial as a result.
How stupid has our culture become? Someone deciding not to eat a freakishly oversized dessert is automatically suffering from dire food issues? That is the most riggoddamndiculous shiz I've read in quite some time.
We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have many, many food choices. Giant raspberry cheesecakes are a trip to the nearest grocery store away. We face choices like this every single day of our lives.
Just because someone stops to think about whether they should eat a giant dessert does NOT mean they have an eating disorder. It means they actually care about what they're stuffing into their mouths.
And shame on Yoplait for pulling that commercial. There wasn't a thing wrong with it.
For anyone who complained to Yoplait about a frickin' yogurt commercial, I offer the following advice: Get a life. Live in it. Move on.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/does-this-commercial-encourage-eating-disorders-video-2497971/
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Have you seen it? It features a woman standing in front of a refrigerator, trying to decide whether to eat a slice of the largest raspberry cheesecake ever. She runs through some options in her head - exercising to compensate for calories, etc. Another girl walks up and takes a yogurt instead.
Not a big deal, right? Wrong-o! People who I imagine are on a never-ending quest for something to be offended by have decided that this will somehow trigger an eating disorder. Yoplait has pulled the commercial as a result.
How stupid has our culture become? Someone deciding not to eat a freakishly oversized dessert is automatically suffering from dire food issues? That is the most riggoddamndiculous shiz I've read in quite some time.
We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have many, many food choices. Giant raspberry cheesecakes are a trip to the nearest grocery store away. We face choices like this every single day of our lives.
Just because someone stops to think about whether they should eat a giant dessert does NOT mean they have an eating disorder. It means they actually care about what they're stuffing into their mouths.
And shame on Yoplait for pulling that commercial. There wasn't a thing wrong with it.
For anyone who complained to Yoplait about a frickin' yogurt commercial, I offer the following advice: Get a life. Live in it. Move on.
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/does-this-commercial-encourage-eating-disorders-video-2497971/
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
and now for some geekinese
I replaced my Playstation hard drive a few days ago. The actual hardware replacement wasn't difficult. The pain in my rear came in the backing up of the restore data - game saves and updates, etc.
Playstation can do this relatively easily through the menu BUT you need a FAT32 formatted disc to do it on. Windows won't format a drive over 32gb as FAT32. Thank you, Sony! I love your obsolete system requirements for backing up restore data.
My super nice brother loaned me an external hard drive to transfer the data, but it was 100gb. I tried to partition it to 32gb (or what I thought was 32gb), managed to get it to format FAT32 once and the playstation told me there wasn't enough space.
Many bad words were spoken. So back to the computer, bigger partition, the computer kept telling me that the new bigger partition was already formatted FAT32 when it wasn't. The computer mocked me. I reassigned drive letter. That didn't work.
More bad words, this time directed at the computer.
I finally bought a flipping 32gb usb flash drive. That worked.
This was the short version of the story. It was a two-day, many-hour project. So much irritation. But perseverence sometimes pays off.
The moral of the story is, if you buy a playstation and plan to hardcore use it, you might want to upgrade the hard drive right away.
The good news is that I learned things. Let's have a list.
1. How to replace a hard drive in a ps3 (obviously)
2. What a hard drive enclosure is and how to use one
3. Also an old playstation hard drive can be used with a PC once you place it in a hard drive enclosure and clear off the playstation stuff. Recycling! Wheeee!!
4. Husband sometimes makes useful suggestions but may also use the lid of a hard drive enclosure as a drink coaster if I leave him unattended.
5. How to partition a hard drive and reassign drive letters in Windows 7
I also learned that if you ask the employees at Best Buy technical questions, they get a little nervous. The one I talked to was very helpful, but when I inquired about the recommended rpms, he started blinking a lot and hurried to his computer.
All ended well. Fin.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Playstation can do this relatively easily through the menu BUT you need a FAT32 formatted disc to do it on. Windows won't format a drive over 32gb as FAT32. Thank you, Sony! I love your obsolete system requirements for backing up restore data.
My super nice brother loaned me an external hard drive to transfer the data, but it was 100gb. I tried to partition it to 32gb (or what I thought was 32gb), managed to get it to format FAT32 once and the playstation told me there wasn't enough space.
Many bad words were spoken. So back to the computer, bigger partition, the computer kept telling me that the new bigger partition was already formatted FAT32 when it wasn't. The computer mocked me. I reassigned drive letter. That didn't work.
More bad words, this time directed at the computer.
I finally bought a flipping 32gb usb flash drive. That worked.
This was the short version of the story. It was a two-day, many-hour project. So much irritation. But perseverence sometimes pays off.
The moral of the story is, if you buy a playstation and plan to hardcore use it, you might want to upgrade the hard drive right away.
The good news is that I learned things. Let's have a list.
1. How to replace a hard drive in a ps3 (obviously)
2. What a hard drive enclosure is and how to use one
3. Also an old playstation hard drive can be used with a PC once you place it in a hard drive enclosure and clear off the playstation stuff. Recycling! Wheeee!!
4. Husband sometimes makes useful suggestions but may also use the lid of a hard drive enclosure as a drink coaster if I leave him unattended.
5. How to partition a hard drive and reassign drive letters in Windows 7
I also learned that if you ask the employees at Best Buy technical questions, they get a little nervous. The one I talked to was very helpful, but when I inquired about the recommended rpms, he started blinking a lot and hurried to his computer.
All ended well. Fin.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Weekending and Such
I hate how slow I write. And edit. I'm seriously like 3 years out on book idea notes in various stages. I wish someone would lock me in a hotel room for like a month and deliver my food, so I could write and not have to leave for anything.
You know what I need? I need Annie Wilkes from Misery. I think she was a good motivator.
I didn't write anything this past weekend. I guess I was somehow making up for the freakishly productive weekend before that.
We went to the Black Keys concert on Friday, and that bitch was HOT. I don't mean hot like so-cool-it's-HOT way. I mean that when we got there, we had to stand in line on a city street, under the brunt of the 90+ degree evening sun for an extended period of time.
Nicole Atkins of the first opening act said it best when she commented that the weather was "hot as balls". I agree. It was hot as satan's balls on the fourth of July.
That first cold beer inside the concert venue was like Heaven.
The temperature improved significantly once the sun went down. Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea were pretty awesome. The second guy (missed the first part of his act) was a band from the 80's according to my husband. They were kind of blues-y. Really good, but I wasn't as into them.
Of course, the Black Keys rocked the hizouse. At first, it was just the two brothers - one guitar and a set of drums, a la White Stripes style. Other musician types entered the stage later when they started playing songs from Brothers.
The crowd seemed pretty economically diverse, although not ethnically diverse in the least. There were some preppy types and some not so preppy types. College kids. A few dumbass guys who looked as though they were trying to start a mosh pit, of all things. At a Black Keys show? It's not even close to that kind of music.
I think that a concert crowd should be allowed to vote to eject assholes from the venue. Yes? A little democracy? I think I would even pay a few dollars extra for that.
Also, if you plan to attend an outdoor concert at which portable toilets are utilized, I would like to offer a piece of slightly germaphobic advice. Do not wear a flowing hippie skirt. The very smallness of the interior of the portable toilet does not complement a full skirt. Unless you plan to hike your skirt up before you enter, it will likely brush against every urine soaked surface south of the equator.
I am not speaking from experience. I'm strictly a pants or shorts girl 99.9% of the time. I'm just saying...
Here is a pic from the show. The husband took this on his phone.
Today I have a link to an article about an art show of video game art. Art. I really like the idea of these artists getting more cultural cred. For people who don't play games, it's easy to overlook how brilliant they can be.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/05/the-2011-into-the-pixel-collection-celebrates-the-finest-in-video-game-art/
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
You know what I need? I need Annie Wilkes from Misery. I think she was a good motivator.
I didn't write anything this past weekend. I guess I was somehow making up for the freakishly productive weekend before that.
We went to the Black Keys concert on Friday, and that bitch was HOT. I don't mean hot like so-cool-it's-HOT way. I mean that when we got there, we had to stand in line on a city street, under the brunt of the 90+ degree evening sun for an extended period of time.
Nicole Atkins of the first opening act said it best when she commented that the weather was "hot as balls". I agree. It was hot as satan's balls on the fourth of July.
That first cold beer inside the concert venue was like Heaven.
The temperature improved significantly once the sun went down. Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea were pretty awesome. The second guy (missed the first part of his act) was a band from the 80's according to my husband. They were kind of blues-y. Really good, but I wasn't as into them.
Of course, the Black Keys rocked the hizouse. At first, it was just the two brothers - one guitar and a set of drums, a la White Stripes style. Other musician types entered the stage later when they started playing songs from Brothers.
The crowd seemed pretty economically diverse, although not ethnically diverse in the least. There were some preppy types and some not so preppy types. College kids. A few dumbass guys who looked as though they were trying to start a mosh pit, of all things. At a Black Keys show? It's not even close to that kind of music.
I think that a concert crowd should be allowed to vote to eject assholes from the venue. Yes? A little democracy? I think I would even pay a few dollars extra for that.
Also, if you plan to attend an outdoor concert at which portable toilets are utilized, I would like to offer a piece of slightly germaphobic advice. Do not wear a flowing hippie skirt. The very smallness of the interior of the portable toilet does not complement a full skirt. Unless you plan to hike your skirt up before you enter, it will likely brush against every urine soaked surface south of the equator.
I am not speaking from experience. I'm strictly a pants or shorts girl 99.9% of the time. I'm just saying...
Here is a pic from the show. The husband took this on his phone.
Today I have a link to an article about an art show of video game art. Art. I really like the idea of these artists getting more cultural cred. For people who don't play games, it's easy to overlook how brilliant they can be.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2011/05/the-2011-into-the-pixel-collection-celebrates-the-finest-in-video-game-art/
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Monday, June 13, 2011
movie: Red
Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) seems to have a boring life. He retired from his job at the CIA, and his days are mundane. His happiest moments are spent on the phone with his pension caseworker, Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker of Weeds). His quiet life is interrupted when a team of assassins breaks into his house and tries to take him out.
He is forced to run, save Sarah from the people who are hunting him, and ends up reassembling his old CIA team. The other members are also being targeted for the same reason he is.
The cast in this movie is to die for: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss. Crazy awesome! The action was pretty much non-stop. There was a very A-Team vibe, the banter and the love and the drama, past and present in the story.
I love it when older people kick ass. That’s the best.
Red is very entertaining. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind watching it again.
A
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
He is forced to run, save Sarah from the people who are hunting him, and ends up reassembling his old CIA team. The other members are also being targeted for the same reason he is.
The cast in this movie is to die for: Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Richard Dreyfuss. Crazy awesome! The action was pretty much non-stop. There was a very A-Team vibe, the banter and the love and the drama, past and present in the story.
I love it when older people kick ass. That’s the best.
Red is very entertaining. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind watching it again.
A
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Friday, June 10, 2011
Playstation Apologies
A short while back, I complained about the Playstation Network being down. It didn't function for quite a while, which was a bit frustrating. I’m not a premium member. I use the free access, so really what did I have to complain about? Hey, give me my free thing back? How does that sound?
Anyway, so the network appears to be completely back up. I had to change my password, which I finally did.
Sony sent an email a week or so ago with some apology gifts and wow, what they are offering is far more than I would have expected.
We get 100 free items on Playstation home. That’s their online community of gamers. You walk around and play games and talk to people and you have a house in which you can place furniture, etc. It’s pretty cool. The free items were clothes and some furniture and a couple of houses.
We also got two free games to download from the Playstation store, like actual full-length games. There are four to choose from. I haven’t gotten mine yet because I’m having a serious harddrive space problem. I need to upgrade my hard drive within the next couple of weeks or I am going to miss out.
Two free PSP games, also downloads. I don’t have a PSP but we were thinking about getting the boy one for his birthday. I would assume there is some way to transfer the games from Playstation to PSP.
30 days premium membership. I haven’t really played around with this too much. I know you can download game demos, which I can’t do, also due to hard drive problems.
Really, I didn’t expect Sony to do much of anything. This offer is so above and beyond. The sad thing is, it won’t be good enough for some people. Such is life and the way of our world.
Hey guess what! I’m going to a Black Keys concert tonight! WOO! It is outdoors. Hopefully I won’t have to dodge any bolts of lightning.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Anyway, so the network appears to be completely back up. I had to change my password, which I finally did.
Sony sent an email a week or so ago with some apology gifts and wow, what they are offering is far more than I would have expected.
We get 100 free items on Playstation home. That’s their online community of gamers. You walk around and play games and talk to people and you have a house in which you can place furniture, etc. It’s pretty cool. The free items were clothes and some furniture and a couple of houses.
We also got two free games to download from the Playstation store, like actual full-length games. There are four to choose from. I haven’t gotten mine yet because I’m having a serious harddrive space problem. I need to upgrade my hard drive within the next couple of weeks or I am going to miss out.
Two free PSP games, also downloads. I don’t have a PSP but we were thinking about getting the boy one for his birthday. I would assume there is some way to transfer the games from Playstation to PSP.
30 days premium membership. I haven’t really played around with this too much. I know you can download game demos, which I can’t do, also due to hard drive problems.
Really, I didn’t expect Sony to do much of anything. This offer is so above and beyond. The sad thing is, it won’t be good enough for some people. Such is life and the way of our world.
Hey guess what! I’m going to a Black Keys concert tonight! WOO! It is outdoors. Hopefully I won’t have to dodge any bolts of lightning.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
book working
I did some major writing this past weekend. Over the course of three days, I wrote somewhere between 3000 and 4000 words, which is a lot for me. The husband worked some overtime. The daughter was gone all weekend. In other words, there was more quiet time than usual. The boy was around but he’s pretty quiet when his sister is gone, no one to fight with, I guess.
I had some good ideas for the remix project while I was writing too. I had a character telling a story about an event that happened to her years prior. As I was writing, I decided that I wasn’t feeling what she was saying. There was emotion, but it wasn’t powerful enough.
I cut all of that out. Instead of having her tell the story, I’m going to take a chapter or maybe two and actually develop and write out the whole story as a sort of flashback. I think it will be more vivid that way.
I’m listening to classical music as I’m typing, and my son just informed me that the music sounds like “George Washington songs”. LOL
Remix current word count - 44413
If I can keep writing at this pace, I may be able to finish the rough draft by the end of June, if not then, definitely by the end of July.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
I had some good ideas for the remix project while I was writing too. I had a character telling a story about an event that happened to her years prior. As I was writing, I decided that I wasn’t feeling what she was saying. There was emotion, but it wasn’t powerful enough.
I cut all of that out. Instead of having her tell the story, I’m going to take a chapter or maybe two and actually develop and write out the whole story as a sort of flashback. I think it will be more vivid that way.
I’m listening to classical music as I’m typing, and my son just informed me that the music sounds like “George Washington songs”. LOL
Remix current word count - 44413
If I can keep writing at this pace, I may be able to finish the rough draft by the end of June, if not then, definitely by the end of July.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
movie: Drive Angry
Hellloooo! I'm so sorry to be away yesterday. I spent the entire evening figuring out how to and rooting my husband's Nook. It worked out reasonably well. No innocent electronics were killed or maimed.
We watched Drive Angry this weekend. A guy named Milton (played by King of Bad Hair, Nicolas Cage) returns from Hell to hunt down the satanic cult that murdered his daughter and kidnapped his baby granddaughter to use as a sacrifice to the devil.
In need of a ride, he finds Piper (Amber Heard) at a diner. She happens to be driving a badass '69 Charger. They get into some drama with her boyfriend and take off together.
A complication to the granddaughter retrieval mission is a man who calls himself the Accountant (William Fichtner!!). He is pursuing Milton (Cage) to take him back to Hell because, well, Hell's management doesn't really like it when the kiddies go wandering.
Fichtner's portrayal of The Accountant is the best part of this movie. You might remember him from Drowning Mona or more likely from Prison Break. The Accountant character is somehow serious and hilarious at the same time. He does the wildest, weirdest, cruelest things with this forever calm demeanor.
Drive Angry has a few cringe-worthy gore moments, some of them pretty darn cheesy. There's a lot of gunplay and sex and of course, abuse of the '69 Charger. The movie was entertaining. It gets a B-.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
We watched Drive Angry this weekend. A guy named Milton (played by King of Bad Hair, Nicolas Cage) returns from Hell to hunt down the satanic cult that murdered his daughter and kidnapped his baby granddaughter to use as a sacrifice to the devil.
In need of a ride, he finds Piper (Amber Heard) at a diner. She happens to be driving a badass '69 Charger. They get into some drama with her boyfriend and take off together.
A complication to the granddaughter retrieval mission is a man who calls himself the Accountant (William Fichtner!!). He is pursuing Milton (Cage) to take him back to Hell because, well, Hell's management doesn't really like it when the kiddies go wandering.
Fichtner's portrayal of The Accountant is the best part of this movie. You might remember him from Drowning Mona or more likely from Prison Break. The Accountant character is somehow serious and hilarious at the same time. He does the wildest, weirdest, cruelest things with this forever calm demeanor.
Drive Angry has a few cringe-worthy gore moments, some of them pretty darn cheesy. There's a lot of gunplay and sex and of course, abuse of the '69 Charger. The movie was entertaining. It gets a B-.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Sunday, June 5, 2011
gratuitous Moo
I have a cat. His name is Max. I sometimes call him Moo because he's black and white and his name starts with "M" and I like to give him nicknames. Here are some pictures of him.
I call this series - "Agh, hold still!"
I will now go type words.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
I call this series - "Agh, hold still!"
I will now go type words.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Friday, June 3, 2011
movie: Dragon Hunters
The kids and I watched a movie called Dragon Hunters. When I saw the title on the Netflix streaming menu, it looked like a How to Train a Dragon knockoff. I decided to compare the release dates and discovered that Dragon Hunters actually came out before How to Train Your Dragon. If anything How to Train your Dragon took cues from Dragon Hunters.
Here’s the description from Amazon: “Zoe is a little girl who believes in fairy tales. In order to help her uncle Lord Arnold get rid of a terrible dragon, Zoe decides she has to find some heroes. When she meets Gwizdo and Lian-Chu, a couple of two-bit, fly-by-night dragon hunters, she decides that she s going to believe in them and set out on an adventure to bring peace to the land.”
This is one of the best kids’ movies I’ve ever seen. It is so beautiful and surreal. Their world is literally falling apart. Chunks of it float into the sky throughout the film. The characters react to the instability with more sadness than fear most of the time.
Forest Whitaker lends his great baritone voice for the calm Lian-Chu. The other characters balance Lian-Chu with their enthusiasm – Zoe with her cheerleading and Gwizdo with his direction. There are no dull moments in the story. It is funny and filled with action.
This movie is seriously amazing. I don’t know how it snuck in under my radar. A
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Here’s the description from Amazon: “Zoe is a little girl who believes in fairy tales. In order to help her uncle Lord Arnold get rid of a terrible dragon, Zoe decides she has to find some heroes. When she meets Gwizdo and Lian-Chu, a couple of two-bit, fly-by-night dragon hunters, she decides that she s going to believe in them and set out on an adventure to bring peace to the land.”
This is one of the best kids’ movies I’ve ever seen. It is so beautiful and surreal. Their world is literally falling apart. Chunks of it float into the sky throughout the film. The characters react to the instability with more sadness than fear most of the time.
Forest Whitaker lends his great baritone voice for the calm Lian-Chu. The other characters balance Lian-Chu with their enthusiasm – Zoe with her cheerleading and Gwizdo with his direction. There are no dull moments in the story. It is funny and filled with action.
This movie is seriously amazing. I don’t know how it snuck in under my radar. A
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
Thursday, June 2, 2011
indie review: Strength of a Giant, Tony Passarelli
Strength of a Giant, written by Tony Passarelli.
From the author: “Strength of a Giant is a short story about the enigmatic Son of God Emanuel and the Archangel Raphael. Will they be able to fight the evil plot of Jovian, who is an amalgamation of fallen angels, or has time run out? The final battle takes place within the Milky Way and our solar system will never be the same again. . .”
The quality of the writing is decent. The interesting concept, unique setting (angels in space!) and quick pace hold the reader's attention for the duration of the novellette. Given the length of the story, Emanuel's character was pretty well-developed.
The only issue I had was that I thought there could have been a more thorough setup to what was happening in the story, maybe some more elaboration on the angels as aliens business.
Also, there was a reference at the beginning of the story to The Book of Biden. I didn’t know what that was until I reread the e-mail from Tony with his About the Author (below). Before rereading his e-mail, I googled The Book of Biden and all the links that came up were about the US Vice President’s book.
All in all, it was a unique and enjoyable read.
About the Author
Tony Passarelli lives in Nottingham, England.
He spent many years working as an
independent film-maker. In the process he
wrote a number of film scripts which kindled
his interest in becoming a novelist.
'Strength of a Giant' is his first completed work.
Tony is currently working on his fantasy novel
'The Book of Biden'
Strenth of a Giant available to buy on amazon.com Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Giant-Tony-Passarelli/dp/1446600297/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300113504&sr=1-5
Strength of a Giant Kindle US
http://www.amazon.com/Strength-of-a-Giant-ebook/dp/B004O6MSTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1303654652&sr=1-1
Strenth of a Giant available to buy on amazon.co.uk Paperback
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-Giant-Tony-Passarelli/dp/1446600297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299675053&sr=1-1
Strength of a Giant Kindle UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-of-a-Giant-ebook/dp/B004O6MSTW/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&qid=1299675053&sr=1-1
Strength of a Giant available to buy in paperback and pdf download at lulu.com
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Tone
From the author: “Strength of a Giant is a short story about the enigmatic Son of God Emanuel and the Archangel Raphael. Will they be able to fight the evil plot of Jovian, who is an amalgamation of fallen angels, or has time run out? The final battle takes place within the Milky Way and our solar system will never be the same again. . .”
The quality of the writing is decent. The interesting concept, unique setting (angels in space!) and quick pace hold the reader's attention for the duration of the novellette. Given the length of the story, Emanuel's character was pretty well-developed.
The only issue I had was that I thought there could have been a more thorough setup to what was happening in the story, maybe some more elaboration on the angels as aliens business.
Also, there was a reference at the beginning of the story to The Book of Biden. I didn’t know what that was until I reread the e-mail from Tony with his About the Author (below). Before rereading his e-mail, I googled The Book of Biden and all the links that came up were about the US Vice President’s book.
All in all, it was a unique and enjoyable read.
About the Author
Tony Passarelli lives in Nottingham, England.
He spent many years working as an
independent film-maker. In the process he
wrote a number of film scripts which kindled
his interest in becoming a novelist.
'Strength of a Giant' is his first completed work.
Tony is currently working on his fantasy novel
'The Book of Biden'
Strenth of a Giant available to buy on amazon.com Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Strength-Giant-Tony-Passarelli/dp/1446600297/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300113504&sr=1-5
Strength of a Giant Kindle US
http://www.amazon.com/Strength-of-a-Giant-ebook/dp/B004O6MSTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=A7B2F8DUJ88VZ&s=digital-text&qid=1303654652&sr=1-1
Strenth of a Giant available to buy on amazon.co.uk Paperback
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-Giant-Tony-Passarelli/dp/1446600297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299675053&sr=1-1
Strength of a Giant Kindle UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Strength-of-a-Giant-ebook/dp/B004O6MSTW/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=A3TVV12T0I6NSM&qid=1299675053&sr=1-1
Strength of a Giant available to buy in paperback and pdf download at lulu.com
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Tone
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
the birds have left the building
Everything seems to be slowing down a touch for Summer.
The baby birds on our porch have moved on, thank the heavens. I'm all for baby birds and live and let live and all that, but they turned out to be some rather messy tenants. They left a dead brother or sister behind, mushed into the framework of the nest, poor little thing.
The mourning dove disappeared, leaving behind two pretty pink eggies. They're gone now too. We have no more birdies in the yard, with the exception of the ones just passing through.
The kids will be off school soon, which means no more girl waking me up at 5:30am with her getting-ready sounds. She isn’t loud or anything. I just wake up mainly because someone is moving around in the house.
Let’s see where I am on the primary writing project. I planned to write a LOT this past weekend. I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to because of a little bit of dumbassery on my part.
I upgraded my Windows last week from XP to 7, which apparently is a traumatic experience for a computer. You can’t really just do an “upgrade” in that case. You have to do a new installation, which nukes all your files on the desktop and pretty much any and all software that is not Windows related.
I backed up everything…almost. I backed up some cover art images for the remix project (horror novel), which triggered this idea in my mushy brain that I had backed up the book itself. Alas.
At first, I thought I lost 66 pages of hard copy edit transfers. That is about 3 weeks’ worth of pain in my ass evening work. When I checked my backup file (an older one), I figured out that I actually only lost about 16 pages. Still, I spent most of my holiday weekend redoing changes. Not fun!
I did eventually get back to writing. Current word count is – 38558.
I like how everything is coming together. I’m confident that the finished product is going to be the best thing I’ve written yet.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
The baby birds on our porch have moved on, thank the heavens. I'm all for baby birds and live and let live and all that, but they turned out to be some rather messy tenants. They left a dead brother or sister behind, mushed into the framework of the nest, poor little thing.
The mourning dove disappeared, leaving behind two pretty pink eggies. They're gone now too. We have no more birdies in the yard, with the exception of the ones just passing through.
The kids will be off school soon, which means no more girl waking me up at 5:30am with her getting-ready sounds. She isn’t loud or anything. I just wake up mainly because someone is moving around in the house.
Let’s see where I am on the primary writing project. I planned to write a LOT this past weekend. I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to because of a little bit of dumbassery on my part.
I upgraded my Windows last week from XP to 7, which apparently is a traumatic experience for a computer. You can’t really just do an “upgrade” in that case. You have to do a new installation, which nukes all your files on the desktop and pretty much any and all software that is not Windows related.
I backed up everything…almost. I backed up some cover art images for the remix project (horror novel), which triggered this idea in my mushy brain that I had backed up the book itself. Alas.
At first, I thought I lost 66 pages of hard copy edit transfers. That is about 3 weeks’ worth of pain in my ass evening work. When I checked my backup file (an older one), I figured out that I actually only lost about 16 pages. Still, I spent most of my holiday weekend redoing changes. Not fun!
I did eventually get back to writing. Current word count is – 38558.
I like how everything is coming together. I’m confident that the finished product is going to be the best thing I’ve written yet.
_________________________
Hey, want some free reading? Check out the fiction freebie page on this very blog!
There you shall find links to two free ebooks on Smashwords and novel excerpts on Scribd.
Other places to find me:
http://www.LeaRyan.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LeaRyan1
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