"Ordinary Boy" is No Ordinary Read

I've not posted anything on this blog in a very, very, very long time but I thought I'd bring it out of mothballs long enough to share a book review from Goodreads as I think this book is definitely worthy of not just reading but reviewing and recommending!

Ordinary Boy by Stacey Longo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As a rule when I think about Stacey Longo's writing I think of words like "Terrifying and scary!" but the only thing that's terrifyingly scary in her new book is how well she - as an adult female - has managed to get into the mind of a teenage boy. Even though the opening of the book tells us that Curtis Price is dead, Stacey does a terrific job of bringing him to life along with all of the nuances growing up as an outsider in the 80s entailed.

In "Ordinary Boy" you meet ordinary people who lead ordinary lives but they're ordinary people that you like, ordinary people that you don't like, and ordinary people that you've no doubt met in the course of your own ordinary life. Stacey Longo has written an extraordinary story about an ordinary boy who may have led an ordinary life but who is anything but ordinary as there is a little of Curtis Price in all of us.

Curtis is a good kid with a good heart growing up on the wrong side of the tracks (if Osprey Falls, Maine has tracks that is!) with a mother who can't afford to pay the bills, his older sister Sally that he shares a room with even into his late teens, and his beloved Nana who exits the story way too soon. Like a lot of kids from broken homes, Curtis has a dad who fails to pay his child support and barely pays any attention to the kids he left behind leaving Mom to explain about things like wet dreams and other parts of growing up male that should have been answered by dear old Dad. It's in some of Curtis' conversations with his mother that you really have to wonder if Stacey Longo grew up as a boy in another life as she's got male puberty nailed down quite well.

Growing up in The Meadows, Curtis is not one of the popular kids in school nor is he one in his own neighborhood after a brief indiscretion but he doesn't go out of his way to try to become one either. He frequents his local library (good boy!) where some of his best friends are found in the pages of sci-fi and horror novels, makes a real-life best friend in another outsider - Al - whose family has money but a lack of familial warmth, works at a local nursing home where he truly cares about the residents there, and falls in love with a girl who in turn loves Curtis for the sensitive, good guy that he is. Unfortunately though, there are adults in the book who make a lot of bad decisions which end up in Curtis' tragic death which in turn ends up showing Curtis that he was no "ordinary boy" after all.

The true hallmark of a good writer is when you want to reach into the pages of a story and shake or slap a character or two and that's exactly what you'll want to do with several of them in this book. A story that you're going to have a hard time putting down once you pick it up, I highly recommend an "Ordinary Boy" which left me with a few questions but that's good as it meant I cared about the story's characters and I think you will too.


View all my reviews

Q&A With Gale Martin, Author of "Don Juan in Hankey, PA" and "Grace Unexpected"

Just a few days over five years ago, I wrote a blog post wherein I called for others to help cheer on my blogging friend Gale Martin by joining the The Unofficial Gale Martin Novel Writing Cheering Squad  which was headed up by Frank of Foxxfyree's Honk'n'Holl'r. In order to inspire herself to spend less time blogging and more time diligently working on her novels, Gale told us ""For me blogging is like candy. It's a treat, like the one or two Swedish fish I have when I want to treat myself. In order to make myself finish my book, I'm only posting a blog entry if I've written three pages toward completing one of my two unfinished novels."

Wanting very much to see Gale's novel see the light of a publisher's office, we cheered her on in her endeavours with chants of "Go Gale! Go Gale! Go Gale!" but then it seemed that life got in the way and in spite of our very enthusiastic encouragement and cheering, things slowed down. BUT - and here's the important part - things didn't stop and last year I was overjoyed to learn that Gale's novel "Don Juan in Hankey, PA" was being released.  Granted, we had been cheering on a different novel with a working title of "Savage Grace" but that didn't matter one iota as DJ in HPA (as I've come to call it) was a wonderful read full of characters that came to life, humor, romance, and opera - something I didn't know much about but definitely learned during the course of reading about a small-town opera guild and their efforts to keep their heads above water by staging a production of "Don Giovanni".  DJ in HPA was one of those books that I just hated to see come to an end as I wanted to read more about the characters' adventures and lives and as I closed the book I thought "that couldn't possibly be it, could it??"

Fortunately for me, Gale is now working on a companion book to DJ in HPA but in the meantime, that novel that we were cheering on long ago is finally being published by Booktrope under the title "Grace Unexpected" and I couldn't be happier or more excited if I tried.  Yes, part of it is because there's a very small character in the book named after me (woohoo!) and part of it is because I am listed in the acknowledgments (what a treat!) along with Frank and other members of the unofficial cheering squad but mostly because Grace Savage has been waiting patiently to come to life full of snark and humor and sarcasm (a gal truly after my own heart!) for way too long and I am thrilled to see her finally make her debut.

I am also very, very happy for Gale who I knew was a fantastic writer long before other folks in the publishing world finally figured it out!  I'm so glad that the light finally went on for them and I hope that as more and more people read Gale's novels, they too will see that she was a talent who was undiscovered for way too long!

In the meantime, as part of this week's book launch for "Grace Unexpected", it was my pleasure to ask Gale a few questions about herself and her new novel as well as one about "Don Juan in Hankey, PA".  I hope you'll take the time to read the Q&A but more importantly, I hope you'll take the time to read one of Gale's books.  Afterward feel free to come back and tell me, "You were right, I loved the books and I want more!"

So Gale, let's get to it, shall we?

Which came first? The Shaker Plan or the main character?

The character Grace Savage preceded the Shaker Plan. It’s her essential nature - fun-loving and earthy (okay, too fun-loving) - that drives the conflict, that ramps up the stakes of the story. If there had been no need for Grace to reform - to change her ways - the Shaker Plan would’ve have been unnecessary.

How much like Grace Savage are you?

That’s a fair question. I think there’s a bit of yourself in every character and even more of you when you have a single protagonist through which you filter a tale. In some ways, Grace is my wish fulfillment. I always wanted to travel broadly, so I made Grace a great traveler though I myself am not well traveled. Same thing goes for boobs. Grace has great ones, and I . . . well . . . *author mumbles incoherently into her shirt sleeve.*

Besides grade-A tatas, you also can endow your characters with qualities you wish you exhibited more often. For instance, Grace is braver than me - I never would’ve abandoned someone like Lacy in the Nutshell. Grace is also more quick witted. Let me rephrase. I may think witty things, but I am not often inclined to share them for a myriad of reasons - job, family, decorum, hang-ups. By the way, I’m very funny when I do puppetry, too. Speaking through another persona in literature or through the medium of a hand puppet is liberating for me. These conventions allow me to let my hair down, so to speak.

Compared to most people, I believe I had an unusual reaction when I visited Shaker Village at Canterbury. While I was inspired by the order and the ingenuity of the Shakers, I thought it was a shame that generations of women bought into the myth that they couldn’t be the equal of men without sacrificing intimacy with them. Take that reaction and torque it up a few degrees for someone in her thirties who is in the prime of her mating and baby-making years, and you have a Grace Savage-scale response to the Canterbury settlement tour.

In terms of Grace’s libidinous character, well, I’ve been married for at least two decades—to the same person. So, I was relying on anecdotal information about the sex and mating habits of unattached young people. I am always surprised when women presenters at writing conferences say things like, “Oh, I’m just so glad I didn’t have to put any *looks around nervously* s-e-x in my book for it to be published,” like sex is evil or degrades fiction automatically with its inclusion. Why sex makes for such objectionable content in fiction written by women, other than in bodice rippers, is beyond me. It’s an important part of life. And if I were young and attractive and also unattached like Grace, it would be an important part of my life, too.

Did you know a lot about anthropology before you wrote the book?

Nada. Ah, and this is one of the things I love about writing fiction. I knew nothing about anthropology. Never even took a course in college. Only ever watched Indiana Jones movies. However, I have lots more interest in things like anthropology as I get older than I did when I was younger. Believe it or not, even for writing contemporary fiction, you have to do research. I have two big fat three-ring binders full of articles I used to do research for GRACE U. I even researched hot air ballooning and romantic hot air balloon getaways to write the book. Also things like weirdo freaky car shut downs on highways, and, of course, more Shakespeare. Even English majors can study more Shakespeare.

I probably couldn't write good dialogue if my life depended upon it so how did you get so good at writing dialogue?

Thank you for noticing that. I had a contest judge tell me my dialogue was the best of any entrant’s which was nice to hear since I didn’t win the contest. My first novel had no virtually no dialogue in it - that’s the truth. It was autobiographical fiction, and I was afraid to let my characters talk -- that I wouldn’t reproduce the conversations with enough authenticity. (And now they won’t keep quiet.) Actually, I read Gloria Kempton’s book on how to write dialogue called Dialogue  (from the Writer’s Digest Write Great Fiction series), did all the exercises, and rewrote that first book. Gloria’s handbook made all the difference for me. Then I took a class from her (online) and showed her everything I learned. Now, I like dialogue so much, I think I should write plays or something. I also LISTEN to how people really talk wherever I go. I’m a huge eavesdropper, just trying to catch the authentic flavor of casual conversation.

I also learned to write other stories besides things that have actually happened to me because fictionalizing your own life can be very limiting. Often, you can’t let go of such a limiting perspective in trying (too faithfully) to record what really happened and what was said. I honestly think my best dialogue and my best stories are yet to come.

What was the hardest part about writing your new book?

I wanted Grace to be a sympathetic character but I didn’t want her to be pathetic. Or too perfect. I honestly hate too-perfect women - like all the heroines in Mary Higgins Clark’s books. (Yes, I read them because she has an effortless writing style that I admire. Yes, I hated her protagonists.) Yet, you can’t give a character too hard of an edge or your reader might not like her. Striking that balance is difficult.

While it’s easy to make a 24-year-old guy appealing, how do you make your reader believe that Grace might be attracted to a 60-something man, who is more than 20 years her senior? There is a prototype for True from real-life. When I was 34, I did a benefit with a man in his sixties. Developed a total crush on him. Yes, I was married. It was one of those crushes-from-afar type attractions. But he was so talented and suave and confident that (unbeknownst to him) he became a character in a book I wrote fifteen years later. I attempted to tap into some of the feelings I experienced upon meeting and befriending this older gentleman all those years ago. Some people you never forget.

If you could take one character from “Don Juan in Hankey, PA” and one character from “Savage Grace” and combine the two as subjects for your next novel, which ones would it be and why?

Now there’s a doozy of a question. I think I would have Arnaud meet Goody. Perhaps Arnaud would hire Goody to run the balloon store since he’s so busy with his volunteer work with the guild. It would also be tempting to put Leandro Vasquez together with Lacy McBride. The man might meet his match in that vixen. Surely such a pairing would make for steamy scenes (except that I’m not a great steamy scene writer—more like funny and steamy - with the promise of sex fizzling out by the end of the scene for one reason or another.)

Gale Martin’s humorous backstage novel Don Juan in Hankey, PA was published by Booktrope Editions in 2011. She has a master of arts in creative writing from Wilkes University. She has worked in higher education marketing for ten years and lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a rich source of inspiration for her writing. Her blog “Scrivengale” can be found on her website at http://galemartin.me.

An online book launch for GRACE UNEXPECTED continues through July 20 at Gale Martin’s website: http://galemartin.squarespace.com/grace-unexpected/. Win one of 30 different ebooks from dozens of authors, copies of GRACE UNEXPECTED, or the grand prize - a big bag of paperback books by stopping in during that week and signing the guestbook.

In addition, there are a limited number of print review copies available and numerous ebooks for early readers on a first-come, first-served basis. Simply email galemartin (dot) writer (at) gmail (dot) com to request one.

You can find Gale at:
Website: http://galemartin.me
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Gale_Martin (@Gale_Martin)
Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/GaleMartinAuthor
Email: galemartin (dot) writer (at) gmail (dot) com

Fifty Shades of No Thank You!

Every once in awhile a book comes out that I hear everyone making a big fuss about and I wonder whether I should read it or not. This feeling doesn't come over me very often as - to be honest - I'm a bit of a book snob and I really don't like to read something just because it's popular or trending. I'm not a big fan of jumping on band wagons if you will as I've got plenty of things to fill my time with so if I'm going to take the time to read a book, it's going to be a good one.

I much prefer classics like those books written by Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott, the Brontë sisters, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but that's not to say that I don't enjoy more modern authors like Janet Evanovich, Tom Patterson, Nicholas Sparks and/or Evans, Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King, and Mitch Albom.  Of course, one of my favorite up-and-coming authors is my friend Gale Martin whose first book Don Juan in Hankey, PA was a wonderful read and whose second book is coming out soon but more on her later this month when I review that book - for now I want to talk about a book that's become quite popular and which I attempted to read this weekend.

Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2011 erotic novel by British author E. L. James which is set largely in Seattle and explores the dominate/submissive relationship between the young virgin Anatasia Steele and the drop-dead-gorgeous, really young business magnate and title character Christian Grey. It's the first book in a trilogy which according to the website hype is:

"Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever."

That may be true for some people but I'm going to have to take their word for it as I simply cannot see me finishing even the first book as - just a shade over five chapters into the book - I've decided that I've had it with the poor writing, the characters that I really don't like, and the overwhelming feeling that I'm reading a story about Bella Swan's identical twin who, instead of falling for a sparkly vampire, falls for a rich guy whose past has made him a big fan of bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism.

I honestly didn't even know that the book started out as a piece ofTwilight  fan fiction which was originally titled Master of the Universe and published episodically on fan-fiction websites under the pen name "Snowqueens Icedragon" before it was rewritten as an original piece but it's quite easy to see that the main female character is very Bella Swanesque - she's uncoordinated, self-deprecating, innocent, and annoying. No doubt when they make the movie they'll cast Kristen Stewart to play her as the role is right up her awful-acting alley.

A mere 68 pages into the book with nary a sex scene to be read (so you can't call me a prude!), I've decided that I've read far enough and the book is going back to the friend that I borrowed it from so that she can lend it to the others who have asked her for it.  After all, I see no sense in holding up someone else's chance to read a book they might enjoy when I'm pretty certain that even if I were to read another 68 pages or the entire 514, I'm not going to like the characters any better.  Heck, I'm not even interested enough to get to the first sex scene (and I certainly don't mind reading steamy sex scenes if I'm being perfectly honest) but I've just go NO interest in either of the book's characters.

Maybe I'm too old?  Maybe I just don't like poor writing?  Maybe I just don't have the time for this sort of book when there are so many other really good ones out there to be read?  Ah well, no matter what the case may be, it's fifty shades of no thank you for me and when Hollywood makes the movie you won't see me in the theater either - not unless they somehow manage to cast Robert Downey, Jr. as Christian Grey! 

Trying My Hand Out as a Casting Director

The other day I did a short book review for my friend Gale Martin's recent novel, "Don Juan in Hankey, PA". Even before I had finished reading her very funny story of a small-town opera guild doing their best to put on THE best version of Mozart's Don Giovanni ever in order to keep from going under, I was wondering who might play who in the movie when Hollywood finally gets their hands on it.

After reading a blog post at Operatoonity by a guest blogger with her imagined cast list, I thought it might be fun to put my own cast together so I did just that with no thought to a casting budget or the possibility of temperamental artistes! Of course Amanda would accuse me of perhaps throwing a few of my own favorites in here but hey, if you can't develop an imagined cast list using the people you like then where's the fun in even developing one?  Exactly!  So, without further adieu,my choices for Gale's Dramatis Personae of "Don Juan in Hankey, PA" - ladies first of course!

Deanna Lundquist, A Community Organizer and Socialite, Recently Divorced: Diane Lane 

Vivian Frantz Pirelli, The Heiress to the Frantz Ketchup Fortune, Famously Divorced: Michelle Pfeiffer

Oriane Longenecker, Hankey Native and Amateur Opera Singer: Jennifer Garner

Mary Rohrer, Richard’s Late Wife, A Ghost of Saintly Demeanor: Susan Sarandon

Paylor Frantz, Vivian’s Mother, a Lonely Widow: Cloris Leachman

Jeannie Jacobs, A Wealthy Widow, Originally from Hankey: Helen Mirren

And now on to the men ...

Dr. Richard Rohrer, A Retired Physician and Widower: Richard Dreyfuss

Carter Knoblauch, Impresario born in Cincinnati: Gary Sinise

Leandro Vasquez, A Dashing Professional Opera Singer of Dissolute Habits: Orlando Bloom

Arnaud Marceau, Local Balloon Entrepreneur and Clairaudient Medium: Carson Kressley

Maestro Schantzenbach, Diminutive Conductor of the Hankey Opera Company and Lover of Dachshunds: Hector Elizondo

Donny of Donny’s Catering, A Metrosexual Caterer: Christian Bale

Donato Bianco, Aging Professional Baritone Whose Star Has Lately Dimmed: John Cusack

Picking out who should play each character was almost as much fun as reading the book as I changed my mind a couple of times thinking which role would fit each actor and vice versa before I came up with my final choices. Trust me, if I had been able to work RDJ and Colin Firth in here as well I certainly would have but alas, I'll just have to wait for Gale to write another book to work them into the movie! Either that or she could write a sequel and I'll work them into that!

So ... go ... read the book and tell me if you like my casting choices! Personally I think I'm pretty spot on!

HOLD THE PRESSES! Since I wrote this post I've made one small casting change based on a comment from Jean and the fact that this person somehow or other managed to skip my mind when it came to casting for Leandro, the to-die-for Argentinian opera singer for whom all the women melt. I don't know WHAT I was thinking but obviously the best man for the role would be none other than the very sexy man with a golden voice and molten eyes ... Hugh Jackman!

Swoon! Thanks, Jean, for the reminder - I don't know where my head was yesterday but it was obviously not in the right place! I do hope that Jamie can forgive me!

Even If You Know Nothing More About Opera Than I Do, You'll Really Enjoy This Book!

What I know about opera has been primarily restricted to an old Rice Krispies commercial from the late 1960's featuring a famous tenor aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's 1892 opera Pagliacci:


...as well as the 1957 Looney Tunes classic, What's Opera Doc? - an animated cartoon parody of 19th century classical composer Richard Wagner's operas, particularly Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) and Tannhäuser as well as music from Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman).

Widely regarded as cartoonist Chuck Jones’ greatest masterpiece and topping many Top Ten lists of the Greatest Animated Cartoons of All Time, the six-minute short features Elmer Fudd taking on the role of the demigod Siegfried (the central character in the Völsunga saga) while Bugs performs the role of the beautiful Brünnhilde (a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie in Norse mythology) - though beautiful may be up for debate in this case!  Yep, leave it to Saturday mornings to give us kids a little bit of culture back in the day!

The only other thing I really knew about opera was that my long-haired James Taylor/Carol King-loving Uncle Bill - who back in the early 1970's told me to keep an ear open for some guy named Elton John who was "going to make it BIG" - also enjoyed going to the opera when he lived in San Diego.  Huh?  Seriously?  Well, if Uncle Bill liked it then opera had to have something good going for it as Uncle Bill was the cool uncle in the family!

Even with knowing nothing more than that about opera, right now I've got to say that what opera has going good for it is a new book that I recently had the pleasure of reading that was written by a lovely lady whom I met through blogging several years ago, Gale Martin.  DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA is Gale's recently published novel which I was fortunate enough to win a signed copy of through a contest give-away that Gale was having on Facebook. Had I not won the book I certainly would have bought it as the reviews have been fantastic and I knew that if Gale wrote her novel at all in the style that she used to write her blog then I was going to quite enjoy it as Gale's got that snarky sense of humor that I so love in a writer.

I received my signed copy of Gale's book in the mail early in the week and thanks to Amanda accidentally giving my laptop charging cable to a friend when she mistakenly thought it was hers, I had the opportunity to sit down and do some reading whilst my computer was dead as a doorknob (to quote one of Gale's characters who somehow manages to butcher sayings even more than myself!)

It says on Gale's website, for readers of the book "Prior knowledge about opera is optional. Love of laughter, absolutely essential." which worked for me as I love books that make me laugh while the only thing I knew about Mozart, the composer who wrote Don Giovanni based on the Don Juan that appears in Gale's book title, is pretty much limited to the 1984 film Amadeus - the fictional story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by Tom Hulce) who tells the King that "I am a vulgar man but I assure you, my music is not."

The movie is told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), a Venetian classical composer, conductor and teacher and it probably would have been a good chance for me to expand my limited knowledge of of opera except for one thing .. Even though the movie won eight Oscars out of the eleven that it was nominated for, I couldn't stand Mozart's laugh so a lot of the opera featured in the movie zipped right past me while I anxiously waited for the movie to end so I could get the heck out of the theater.  If the opera Don Giovanni was at all featured in the film, you couldn't prove it by me!

However, even with my limited operatic knowledge and aversion to Mozart's laugh, I had certainly heard of Don Juan who is probably the most famous fictional rake of all time; a rogue and a libertine who takes great pleasure in seducing women (preferably virgins) and then fighting their men. The Don Juan legend was thought to have first been written about circa 1630 in the play El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra (The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest) by Tirso de Molina. However, no matter how many other people wrote about Don Juan, the most influential version of the legend was Mozart's two-act opera Don Giovanni (Don Juan in Italian), first performed in Prague in 1787. The opera contained an Italian libretto (the text used in an extended musical work like an opera) by Lorenzo Da Ponte which was billed as dramma giocoso, a term that denotes a mixing of serious and comic action.

Just as Mozart's Don Giovanni blended comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements into the story of the most famous womanizer of all time, so does Gale's DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA - the story of a slightly dysfunctional small-town opera guild and their attempts to produce a version of Mozart's famous opera in the hopes of saving the Hankey Opera Company from financial ruin.  From the first pages of the book straight through to the last, Gale writes a story filled with comic twists and turns, intrigue and mystery, longing and lust, and characters that make you think "Hey, I know someone just like that!"  I honestly found myself really laughing out loud while reading the book as well as quite unable to put it down until I finished reading it at 2:00 in the morning.

Now maybe I don't know much about opera or Mozart but I'm pretty sure I know a good book when I read one and DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA is definitely a good book!  Of course, you don't have to take my word for it, you can check out the reviews on Amazon.com or the reviews at Gale's opera-based blog Operatoonity or visit Gale's website and learn more about the book there.

Actually, if you visit Gale's website now or check out her video, you can get a peek at the fantastic prizes that she's offering during the novel's upcoming Online Launch Week starting on November 28th.  There's some really good stuff there including two tickets to a 2012 Glimmerglass Festival Production in Cooperstown, NY along with two tickets to Verdi's Oberto presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia as well as signed copies of DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA which I think is the best prize of all!

Thank you, Gale, for being a padrona magnifica with the written word; DON JUAN IN HANKEY, PA was truly a wonderful read filled with fun characters that literally jumped off the page. I'd like to also offer an additional personal thank you for not harming any ambulance personnel with large Bobbin' Robins falling from the sky! Molto buon, lo amavo!

Now to wait for the movie along with your next novel to come out!

A Baltimore Book-Signing

As planned, Amanda and I left Norwich yesterday morning at just about 4:45 a.m. and had a rather nice (as well as uneventful) drive down to New Jersey where we picked up Darci and continued on our way to Baltimore through the rain and increased traffic that you just can't seem to avoid on I-95 here in the Northeast Corridor. Still, we got to our intended destination in plenty of time to hang out and wait for the much-anticipated-by-Amanda book-signing by her very favorite illustrator and inspiration for a lot of her own work, Gris Grimly.

I was rather surprised to see that the venue was a rather tiny independently owned bookstore in a northern neighborhood of Baltimore and was wondering if perhaps the shop used Time Lord technology - aka "bigger on the inside than on the outside" - but nope, it was a cute little book shop in a cute little neighborhood.

We had plenty of time before the signing but not wanting to try to get through the mess that was downtown due to the annual running of the Baltimore Marathon, we more or less camped out at a Starbucks right around the corner from the bookstore and killed time until the book-signing was slated to start -

Finally the designated hour arrived and we, along with about 20-25 other people, gathered in the back room of the bookstore to listen to Mr. Grimly's presentation as well as ask him any questions we might have had. Now, because it's in the Parental Contract that we are required to embarrass our children whenever the opportunity presents, I took that time to ask what advice Gris might have for an aspiring illustrator (as I pointed to Amanda whom I was standing behind as she sat on the floor along with everyone else who was limber enough to do so).

Of course Amanda couldn't see me point her out but it became rather evident as the answer to the question was directed right at her while the others were all laughing a bit and she later accused me of "outing her" but I think perhaps in some small way she was glad that I had. Oh, and for other aspiring illustrators out there, the answer to the question was to draw as much as you can and get a lawyer!

Following the question-and-answer period, books were signed and photos were taken and I think I may have embarrassed Amanda again a time or two but I was simply living up to my parental contractual obligations!

Amanda also received a very nice poster from Gris for having come all the way from Connecticut to attend the book signing (a poster that others were paying $20 for); a promise that he had made to her via Twitter yesterday and that he didn't forget!

Oh, and lest I forget, the reason that the book-signing was being held at The Children's Bookstore rather than at a Borders or Barnes & Noble is that Gris prefers to support the independent and smaller stores rather than the big "box" stores. It's his way of giving back some and I think it's a great way for readers of his books and fans of his illustrations to meet him.

All in all, I was quite impressed with Amanda's "role model" and am looking forward to the eulogy that he'll be delivering at Edgar Allan Poe's funeral today which is the next "big thing" on our trek to Baltimore. I'll be sure to keep you informed!

Jack O' Lanterns, Apple Crisp, and Funerals

You know it's October when you come home from work to find a Jack O' Lantern burning cheerily away on your kitchen counter wafting that aroma into the air that only burning pumpkins have! Boy, does that always bring back a bunch of childhood memories!

Amanda loves October - loves, loves, loves it - and she couldn't wait any longer to carve one of the two pumpkins that she got when she and our friend Amy went apple-picking a couple of weeks ago. I told her there was no way it would last until Halloween but she figures she'll have time to carve plenty more before now and then. I just bet she will!

Speaking of October and aromas in the air, I baked a couple of apple crisps yesterday afternoon as I needed to use the apples I had before they went bad plus it sounded good even though I didn't have any vanilla ice cream or whipped cream in the house to go along with it. When my friend Andrew came over to remove the air-conditioners from the windows for me and my bad back, the apple crisp had just come out of the oven and he got the first bowl as a thank you for his help. This picture is of a second smaller batch that I made to maybe take to work with me later today - maybe!

Speaking of work where I've been putting in some extra-extra hours lately, I'm actually going to take a few days off this coming weekend and next week so that Amanda and I, along with her friend Darci, can head back down to Baltimore to attend the way-past-due funeral of Edgar Allan Poe. I'm sure that sounds downright strange but I guess by now you folks should be used to that with me!

Poe's Funeral is the crowning event of Baltimore's Poe Bicentennial Celebration with two services being held on Sunday - one at 12:30 and one at 4:30. Actor John Astin, best known as Gomez in the TV series The Addams Family, will be hosting both services which promise to be quite interesting! We'll be attending the 4:30 service but plan to definitely be on hand for the 11:30 funeral procession which will bring Poe's body from his former Amity Street home to Westminster Hall via an antique horse-drawn hearse. Unfortunately no pictures will be allowed at the funeral but I'll be sure to get some of the procession.

In addition to Poe's funeral, we have another reason to be heading back down to Baltimore and that's so Amanda can attend a book-signing on Saturday at The Children's Bookstore by her favorite illustrator and inspiration for much of her own art - Gris Grimly. Grimly will be autographing his latest work, Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Death and Dementia, so its only appropriate that he be in Baltimore not only for the book-signing but also as a speaker at Poe's funeral. It's been said that "Grimly's deliciously malevolent illustrations are the perfect compliment to Poe's stories" and I'd have to say that I couldn't agree more. Amanda is, of course, both excited and nervous at the prospect of meeting Mr. Grimly and no doubt getting her hands on an autographed copy of his newest work.

Speaking of Gris Grimly's work, this is the piece that Amanda would like to have done as a tattoo someday. It's called Goddess of the Creeps - appropriately! I'm not so sure it's something that I would want as a tattoo as the detail work would have to be really, really painful but I guess I wouldn't be surprised to someday see Amanda sporting this - once she's over the age of 18 and can pay for it herself!

Amanda's friend, Sami, has been trying to encourage Amanda to draw something to give to Mr. Grimly at the book-signing but she's just not sure what to draw and worried that he wouldn't like it. The kid has no confidence in her own talent sometimes even though one of her teachers, after seeing her Poe portrait, asked her to do several more paintings of American authors for Writer's Ink, an anthology of stories and artwork from students at NFA. Personally I think she should do something but she doesn't think he'd want it so I'm guessing she won't. I have to give her credit for wanting to respect other people's "space" but I still think she should do something even if it was small. Ah, but what do I know?

Anyhow, there will be a lot more to this trip than just a jaunt down to Baltimore but I'll fill you in on that later in the week. For now I'm going to go debate some more as to whether or not that second apple crisp is going to make its way into work with me or not!

The Bookworm Award

Emmie from Emmas Dilemmas & Great Expectations bestowed this award on my English friend, Akelamalu who, in turn, was kind enough to bestow it on me. Whereas I think this is a really cool award and I'm honored to have received it, I've got to say that looks like one extremely uncomfortable position to read a book in! Woman - get a comfy chair and put on a pair of sweats for crying out loud!

This award came along with a set of rules that I am apparently supposed to adhere to but they look pretty easy so I think I can handle them -

Rules: Pass it on to five other bloggers, and tell them to open the nearest book to page 46. Write out the fifth sentence on that page, and also the next two to five sentences. The closest book, not the coolest, or the one you think will sound the best. THE CLOSEST

Truth be told, I have two books sitting right next to me on the couch but in deference to keeping to the rule of opening the closest book I will grab the one on top which just happens to be Dark Lover by J.R. Ward. Now, let's see what page 46 has to offer, shall we?

"Calling the meeting in the daylight was also important, as it would ensure they weren't ambushed by the brotherhood. And he could easily pass it off to the academy's human employees as a seminar on martial-arts technique. They would hold the gathering in the large training room in the basement and lock the doors so they wouldn't be intruded upon.

Before he signed off, he posted an account of his elimination of Darius, because he wanted the slayers to have it in writing. He detailed the kind of bomb he'd used, the way to manufacture one from scratch, and the method for hardwiring the detonator into a car's ignition system."

At this point, you've probably read as much of the book as I have as I'm currently reading the book that was sitting under this one - The Eight by Katherine Neville which was recommended to me by our own Lois. Speaking of our own Lois, I'll be passing this award on to her along with four other bloggers who are very likely to have a book sitting close at hand - oh, and if you're a guy - don't be offended by this award, I bet you all look real cute in a jacked-up skirt and garters, too!

In addition to Lois of Lowdown from Lois I'm going to pass this award on to Rob of In Times & Out Goals as I'm sure he's got several books sitting close by; Morgen of It's a Blog Eat Blog World because even though I know he doesn't like tags, I'm having such a good time picturing him in that outfit that I couldn't resist!; Jamie of Duward Discussion as I'm sure she's got something really good close at hand; and Erik of The Fire Insider for pretty much the same reason I'm passing this on to Mo!

Now - go forth and have some fun!

On Books and Love

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in the library and have always enjoyed reading. I remember reading The Wizard of Oz way back when I was in second grade and it seems that it was then that I developed my love for good stories. I love a book whose pages you can lose yourself in, whose characters become real, whose final page you're sorry to turn, whose story you remember long after the book has been finished.

I had gotten away from doing a lot of reading over the past few years but I've been making more trips to the library lately and currently have five books lined up and ready to be read; books that have either been recommended to me or that I stumbled across on the Internet which sounded good. It's a joy to be reading again even though my eyesight isn't what it used to be and I either need the large print edition or a pair of reading glasses stuck on my nose in order to see the words before me. Come to think of it, I'm starting to need the same thing for the computer!

I recently finished reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer, a book that I wasn't entirely sure I was going to finish when I first picked it up. Stefanie is more famous for her four-book Twilight Series, books that I've written about myself on this blog and whose first book, Twilight, comes out in movie form at the end of this week. Twilight is the love story between a teenage vampire and a teenage mortal and it appealed to the hopeless romantic in me. Who knew that The Host would do the same thing?

The Host is a science fiction/romance novel and tells the story of an alien species called 'souls' who take over Earth because they believe humans are too violent to each other. Wanderer is one of those souls and this is her story as she finds Melanie, whose body she occupies, resistant to being taken over by an alien.

I had been warned by Darci, Amanda, and Cate that the book wasn't very good and that I probably wouldn't like it and, for the first ten chapters, I was afraid they were going to be right. It was pretty slow-going but somewhere along the way, the story finally took hold and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next and how things were going to resolve. I found myself immersed in the story of Wanderer, Melanie, Jared, Ian, and Jamie and I even found myself crying a time or two - a sure sign that I have been sucked into a story.

There was something about Stephenie Meyer's writing in New Moon, the second book of the Twilight Series, that really spoke to me, as if this woman and I shared a lot of the same thoughts on love and heartbreak and how it can completely and totally debilitate your entire life if you aren't careful and when I came across the following passage in The Host, I again marveled at Ms. Meyer's insight ...

"I knew the human exaggeration for sorrow - a broken heart. Melanie remembered speaking the phrase herself. But I'd always thought of it as a hyperbole, a traditional description for something that had no real physiological link, like a green thumb. So I wasn't expecting the pain in my chest. The nausea, yes, the swelling in my throat, yes, and yes, the tears burning in my eyes. But what was the ripping sensation just under my rib cage? It made no logical sense. And it wasn't just ripping but twisting and pulling in different directions."

Being a bit of a skeptic growing up, I had always scoffed at the idea of a "broken heart" myself because it just didn't seem to make much sense that you would feel the pain of an emotion anywhere near an organ that was designed to pump blood through your system. Sure, you might feel a broken heart in your head, which is where all thoughts and emotions originate but certainly not anywhere near your chest, right?

Then my own heart was broken and holy smokes, did I find out that I was wrong. I can still remember clutching at my chest in the spot where I knew without a doubt my heart was as I could feel the actual cracking and breaking as small pieces of it came loose and floated off, never to be found again. It was as much of a physical pain as any other I have ever had and I was totally shocked as, like Wanderer, I never expected it. It made no logical sense and yet there it was.

I've had my heart broken more than once over the course of my life - three times by the same guy who to this day would be capable of breaking it for a fourth time should he ever choose to do so - and I learned very well that a broken heart is not at all an extravagant exaggeration but a very real truth that can knock you to your knees and change the whole course of your life. Apparently Stephenie Meyer knows this, too, as she's written about my heart in not just one now, but several of her books.

Even though I had gotten up at 4:45 on Friday morning to be into work early, I stayed up after getting home from work at 11:00 p.m. that night and read until almost 3:30 in the morning so that I could finish The Host; so that it would end the way I hoped it would; so that I could once again have my faith in true love restored.

I wasn't disappointed. I went through a lot of tissues and was glad I was reading at home and not at work as I just couldn't seem to help the tears but I wasn't disappointed.

I wonder what Stephenie Meyer is going to write for me next?

Manic Monday - Bounty

If you've clicked by here from Roger's Creative Photography Contest blog looking for my entry for the week, there was a minor mix-up with Mr. Linky and you can find that post here if you'd like! If you really wanted to read about Janet Evanovich's great books then please read on!

The Manic Monday word for the day is "bounty" and even though I think this is supposed to have something to do with Thanksgiving, the first thing that came to mind for me had nothing to do with Turkey Day as I immediately thought of Stephanie Plum - my very favorite fictional bounty hunter!

Stephanie is the creation of author Janet Evanovich and is the protagonist in 14 books starting with "One for the Money" and currently ending with "Fearless Fourteen" as well as four novellas that are written "between the numbers". She's been described as a combination between Dirty Harry and Nancy Drew with out of control curly brown hair, a fast metabolism, a penchant for something sweet when things start to go wrong, and a family that is even crazier than she is! In short, she's a true Jersey Girl!

Living in an apartment complex full of elderly neighbors in Trenton, New Jersey with her hamster, Rex, Stephanie is definitely what one might call a "crap magnet" as she finds herself in more impossible situations than you would ever think possible and yet they're all so darned funny that I constantly find myself laughing right out loud. Having lived in New Jersey myself during part of my time in the Air Force, I can easily picture the scenes in the books and think I even know which mall it is that Stephanie loves to go to when she's in need of some therapeutic shoe-shopping!

A lot of the comedy in the books comes from Stephanie's sidekick in the bounty hunting business, Lula - a plus-sized former hooker who constantly attempts to shove her size 16 body into size 10 spandex - generally with some sort of animal print! When she isn't helping Stephanie screw up an apprehension or threatening to shoot someone, Lula is working as a file clerk at Vincent Plum Bail Bonds which is owned by Stephanie's slime-ball cousin Vinnie who hired Stephanie on as a bounty hunter when the secretarial position she originally wanted was already taken by Connie. With her car about to be repossessed, Stephanie really needed the job even though she had no idea how to chase down the people who had skipped out on their court appearances and Vinnie needed back so as not to lose his bail money. Funny thing is, throughout all of the books, Stephanie never really gets better at being a bounty hunter but the situations get funnier and funnier.

There is no shortage of adventure, laughter, and hot men in the Stephanie Plum series and with any luck there might actually be a movie out before too long. From what I can gather the front runners for the role of Stephanie are Sandra Bullock and Ann Hathaway with the role of Lula being perfect for Queen Latifah; unfortunately I wasn't able to find out who they might be considering for the roles of Joe and Ranger though I'm sure there's a poll or two out there somewhere with fans asking that very question!

If you've never read these books, I highly recommend them as it's an excellent series and very fun to read. Just don't blame me if you find yourself craving Tasty Kakes or donuts while you're reading!

Don't forget to check out the rest of the Manic Monday Minions and have a great day!

Manic Monday - Bite

How convenient that Mo picked this week's Manic Monday word to be 'bite' as it gives me the chance to do another post on the series of books I just finished reading. After all, the word 'bite' regularly comes to mind when thinking of vampires and regular visitors will know that I've been reading the very popular Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer; the young adult books which tell the love story of Bella Swan, a mortal teenager, and Edward Cullen, a teenage vampire in the small town of Forks, Washington.

After more or less plowing through the first two books in the series, Twilight and New Moon, I jumped right into the next two books, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, finishing the last book yesterday evening. I think I got to book four as fast as I did because Bella managed to annoy the heck out of me once again in book three and I wanted to make sure that things worked out right in the final book! I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing when you want to reach through the pages of a book and strangle one or two of the characters but I was ready to do that with both Bella and Jacob constantly throughout book three and wasn't sure which one I was more irritated with! I don't know how many times I told Amanda that Bella didn't deserve Edward while she complained to me that Edward was too perfect. Huh? Too perfect?!? Is she nuts?!?

As I've said before, though, I don't want to give too much away to those who haven't read the series yet but are thinking about it even though I feel like I was probably one of the last people on earth who hadn't read it! I'm sure there are probably two or three people out there who haven't read the books but that's hard to believe when you look at the amazing fan-base for the books and the number of people who are chomping at the bit for Twilight the movie to be released next month. Yeah, yeah, you can count me in on that one! I am intrigued to say the least!

It's funny, I had never given much thought to vampires until I read these books as I was never a big Anne Rice fan, but now I'm beginning to think it might not be the worst thing in the world to be bitten by a vampire and become an immortal. After all, they have incredible strength so I'm sure I would no longer have back problems; they don't eat per say so that would cut way back on the grocery bills as well as time-consuming trips to the store; they're incredibly beautiful which would be nice to be for once in my existence; they can run like the wind and never get one of those annoying stitches in their side or feel like they're sucking pond water after about an 1/8th of a mile; and they don't need sleep so I wouldn't be tired all the time and would have a lot more time for blogging! Granted, there are a few downsides like that whole bloodsucking thing but there are apparently ways around that. Overall it sounds to me like the advantages outweigh the disadvantages!

Of course, the biggest advantage to becoming a vampire would be the possibility of finding my one true love and soulmate and sharing a bond that could never be broken. That would certainly be worth a bite on the neck, right? Though with my luck when it comes to love, I'd probably find myself wandering eternity all on my own wondering where that soulmate was and how to find him. Hmm, I wonder if vampires have their own sort of eHarmony or Match.com? Perhaps Vampire Singles Dances?

I don't know ... maybe this is sounding too much like my current mortal life ... do I really want to do that for all of eternity even if I could leap over tall buildings in a single bound? Hmmm ... Well, there is still that 'more time for blogging' thing to think about!

Don't forget to see what other people took a bite out of over at Manic Monday while I see what else the library has in stock for other vampire novels. Now that I've been bitten by the vampire bug I need to read more - but no Anne Rice, please. Her books scare me!

Manic Monday - Moon

I haven't done a Manic Monday Meme in quite some time but how I could possibly resist this week's theme of "Moon"?!? I just couldn't, especially considering that I just finished reading Book 2 in the Twilight Series that I mentioned last week. New Moon is the follow-up to Twilight, the young adult fiction story that Amanda and her friends thought I should read before the movie version is released on November 21st.

The Twilight Series was written by Stephenie Meyer, born here in Connecticut yet raised mostly in Arizona, and Twilight was her first ever novel which has obviously achieved huge success and a major following of teenage fans plus at least one 50-year old as I am totally hooked! Having finished Twilight last week I had to wait for Darci to bring New Moon with her from New Jersey for me to read as I couldn't get my hands on it at my local library due to the overwhelming demand by other avid readers.

The four books in the Twilight Series tell the story of Bella, almost your typical American teenager, and Edward, your definitely not-so-typical teenage vampire - two souls who find themselves completely and totally intertwined with each other after they meet in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. As a complete and total sucker (no pun intended) for a good love story, I find myself really enjoying the books and am totally looking forward to the movie's release next month.

Having admitted to getting a bit annoyed with the character of Bella in Twilight, Amanda warned me that I was going to like her even less in New Moon but that turned out not to be the case at all. Not to give away the story to anyone who hasn't read them yet but does want to read the books, in the beginning of New Moon Edward leaves Bella for what he thinks is her own good as obviously being involved with a vampire has its down sides. Bella is understandably devastated and acts accordingly.

After finishing the book I asked Amanda why I was supposed to be more annoyed with Bella and she said that it was because of the way that Bella handled Edward's leaving. She thought that Bella overreacted but Bella's reaction was something that I could completely and totally understand having been there - done that - eventually survived that with a broken heart of my own that I thought would never heal. As I tried to explain to Amanda, until you've lost someone that you love more than life itself, you probably couldn't understand the hole in her heart and her life that Bella was obviously experiencing and that Amanda saw as an overreaction. Teenagers!

Unfortunately I could totally relate and perhaps that's why Bella had my whole understanding and sympathy and why the book had my almost undivided attention (well, in between phone calls and radio dispatches at work) and I was able to finish it on Saturday! Thankfully Cate brought books 3 & 4 - Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - with her this weekend so I am able to continue following the love story without interruption this time. Well ... expect for those darned phones and radio transmissions at work as well as needing to take time to sleep, eat, shower, and maybe blog a bit!

Even though the Twilight Series is categorized as Young Adult, I would really have to recommend it to anyone who loves a good romance with or without a supernatural twist. Oh, and if f you aren't into vampires there are some werewolves thrown in for good measure in New Moon. I'm quite curious to see what else shows up in Eclipse!

Finally, as a last touch for this Manic Monday Meme, I just had to post one picture of the moon taken during last month's Rhode Island beach vacation. Kinda looks like something a vampire might like, doesn't it??

Be sure to pop on by the new home of Mo's Manic Monday Meme and check out the other entries for this week, too!

"Twilight" Calling

Due to a shift swap with one of my co-workers I only had to work until 3:00 p.m. yesterday so it was my intent to go out and take some pictures of the leaves that are just starting to turn so that I could participate in this week's Manic Monday Meme theme of "Leaf". However, the weather didn't want to cooperate and clear up like the forecasters said it would so instead I came home from work and curled up in bed with the book that Amanda's friend Cate had given me to read - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

If you're a teenage girl - or know one - you've probably heard of this book which is the first of the four books in the Twilight Saga, currently some of the most popular books written for young adults with sales exceeding 50 million copies worldwide since Twilight debuted in 2004 and over 7.7 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. Twilight is being released as a major motion picture on November 21st and both Amanda and Cate have promised to drag me off to the movie when it comes out.

Beyond knowing that the book is about a teenage girl who falls in love with a teenage vampire and that Robert Pattinson, who is best known for his portrayal of Cedric Diggory in the fourth installment of the Harry Potter movie series, plays the role of Edward Cullen (rrowr!) in the movie, I didn't know much about it at all. Well, unless you count the fact that Amanda, Cate, and Darci all loved the books and can't wait for the movie to come out.

I've been trying to get back into doing more reading so I figured what the heck, I'd read the book before the movie came out to find out what all the fuss was about. Cate gave me the book Saturday afternoon around 3:00 and I had it finished by Sunday evening - the fastest I've read a book in a long time! Now I'm anxiously awaiting Darci's arrival on Wednesday with book #2, New Moon, as I can't get it at the library due to the long waiting list and it's the one book in the series that Cate doesn't have. Dang! Darci, however, does have it and is bringing it with her on the train when she comes up to visit Amanda this weekend.

Even though Twilight is targeted towards teenagers/young adults and the writing isn't as sophisticated as some other books I've read, I really enjoyed the story in spite of the fact that I was none too enchanted with the book's female lead character - Bella. There's just something about her that gets on my nerves and makes me want to reach through the pages and strangle her but Amanda assures me that's a common feeling amongst readers! She warned me that Bella will get on my nerves even more in the second book but I'm willing to risk it as I'd like to see where this saga is going and whether or not Bella can ever talk Edward into turning into a vampire so that she can be with him forever. None of the girls have spoiled it for me and have promised that they won't!

As for the movie, I'm going to guess that like all books turned into movies it isn't exactly going to follow the story as well as it should and there will be lots of embellishing along the way but what I've seen of the trailer has intrigued me so far and I'm looking forward to taking the girls to go see it - or are the girls taking me? Either way, I admit to loving a good romance story and if the movie by any chance has a good soundtrack - all the better! The only thing I know about that so far is that the band Paramore has two songs on it and there's another by Muse, a band whose song "Knights of Cydonia" kills my hand on Guitar Hero III but who is a favorite of the author.

I don't know, maybe it's because I've been out of the dating scene for a very long time now but would someone please tell me that I'm not the only 50-year old who thinks that vampires are sexy! And where's Darci with that second book?!?

Oh, and the trailer gives a release date of 12/12 but it was advanced to 11/21 just so's ya know!

I've Got a Question - You've Got an Answer

I'm heading out to breakfast with my Mom here in a few minutes but wanted to toss a quick question at everyone before I left ...

What are you currently reading?

I've been attempting to read Duma Key by Stephen King now for the past couple of months and even though I am really enjoying the book, I seem to be getting nowhere fast with it! Somehow only reading a page or two every few days just doesn't seem to cut it. Maybe I need to set up a specific reading time? And I mean a reading time other than blog reading!

How about you folks? What pages are you turning these days?

The Book Meme, Part II

My blog-friend Connie from BrainFoggles tagged me for the Book Meme which, even though I did it once previously, I don't mind doing again at all because it's quick, it's easy, and it's about books and I do love books, even though I haven't been reading them anywhere near as much as I used to and would like to (damn this addictive computer!). My supervisor handed me a copy of the latest Stephen King book, Duma Key, the other day that his wife had just finished reading so I'm hoping to actually read it shortly provided I can tear myself away from reading everyone's blogs instead!

In the meantime, for purposes of this meme, the book that just happens to be sitting here on the computer desk is Amanda's copy of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It was required reading in her English class this year which I was actually rather happy to see as I know that there are some schools out there that have banned it. Personally, I just don't get that at all. The book was written accurately for its time and is not at all mean-spirited like some might think.

It was a different time and a different world back in 1884 when Mark Twain wrote this book and maybe people weren't quite as enlightened as they are now but there are a lot worse books out there by a long shot. I read this book when I was even younger than Amanda and it certainly didn't affect the way I thought about people of different colors or race at all. It was a great adventure and no one could bring characters to life quite the same way as Mark Twain.

I even quite enjoyed the Broadway play Big River which is based on Twain's book and features both bluegrass and country music written by Roger Miller, who was one of my Mom and Dad's favorite singers. As a matter of fact, I just found out that Goodspeed Musicals is planning a revival of the play this fall to be performed at the historic 1877 Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam which is not too far from where I live. Perhaps I'll be able to catch a performance as it's been quite some time since my cousin and I saw it at a dinner theater outside of Washington D.C. in April of 2000.

In the meantime, it appears that I have gotten somewhat sidetracked from the meme! Okay, first the rules for anyone else who might want to participate (I'm not going to tag anyone but if you haven't done this one or have done it but want to do it again, feel free to jump right in and just let me know so I can go check it out!).

The Rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

The Book:

The Next Three Sentences:

"When we got to the house, the street in front of it was packed, and the three girls was standing in the door. Mary Jane was red-headed, but that don't make no difference, she was most awful beautiful, and her face and her eyes was all lit up like glory, she was so glad her uncles was come. The king he spread his arms, and Mary Jane she jumped for them, and the hare-lip jumped for the duke, and there they had it!" - Chapter XXV

I would love to have posted a video from the play Big River but alas, there didn't seem to be anything good out there that I could find. Maybe Jamie can find something - she's so much better at finding good play clips than anyone else out there!

Fifth Sentence Book Meme

One of my very favorite bloggers, Jamie @ Duward Discussion tagged me with the Fifth Sentence Book Meme last week and I am at long last getting around to it in my usual inimitable couldn't-get-to-it-very-quickly style! Of course, having seen Ms Maggie Moo's interpretation of this meme, I figured that the rest of us might as well just bow out graciously and give the honors of doing this meme strictly to her! Whoa ... !!

Anyhow, first the rules and then my boring - compared to Ms. Moo - results!

Here are the Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.

"In the last few years there have been rumors that her post-marital sexual tastes have switched. I don't care if they have or not. She is a fine peace officer and a hard-core member of the Circle."

It's been so long since I've read this book that I don't really remember exactly what it was about except that it's centered around a small bed & breakfast in Ebb, Nebraska and a handsome stranger who comes to town selling games of chance who manages to solve everyone's problems using nothing but common sense and three simple arguments. Heck, I can't even remember where those three sentences are going in the big scheme of the book but this was a fun meme and easy to do!

For that reason, I tag Ralph, Patti, Joan, Pinky, and Connie! If you've already been tagged then I apologize - like I said I'm late to the party on this one!

A Book and A Brain

Whilst making my blog rounds today I happened upon a quick little link called The Book Quiz at Blue Pyramid over on Maddy's Alien in a Foreign Field blog so, of course, I just had to check it out! With only six questions to answer and over sixty-four possibilities as outcomess it sounded pretty good to me. Besides, you know how curiosity tends to kill the cat on a fairly regular basis!

So, six quick and easy questions later this is what I got ...



You're Love in the Time of Cholera!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Like Odysseus in a work of Homer, you demonstrate undying loyalty by sleeping with as many people as you possibly can. But in your heart you never give consent! This creates a strange quandary of what love really means to you. On the one hand, you've loved the same person your whole life, but on the other, your actions barely speak to this fact. Whatever you do, stick to bottled water. The other stuff could get you killed.
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
O ... K ... With sixty-four possible outcomes that's what I got?? You're kidding, right? Is it because I said "no" when asked if I liked Oprah? The only reason I have ever even heard of this book is because it's the book that Sara (Kate Beckinsale) writes her name and phone number in before disappearing on Jonathan (John Cusack) in Serendipity, a 2001 romantic comedy that I just happened to watch on TBS this past Saturday. Now tell me watching that movie recently and then getting that very book in this quiz is not serendipitous! Hmm, perhaps strange things are afoot at the Circle K?

If you're not familiar with the whole concept of serendipity, it's the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for - in other words, a happy and unexpected turn of fate or fortune. Which is sort of what the whole movie Serendipity is about. To be honest I didn't particularly like it the first time I saw it but it had John Cusack in it and I love me some John Cusack so I watched it. I wanted to reach through the screen, grab Sara and throttle her at times because you don't just have a fantastic night with a guy like John Cusack (oh, okay, his character Jonathan) and then just take off in the hopes that fate will bring you back together. Good God, woman, what were you thinking?? But at the same time, I am a firm believer in fate so after giving it some thought and a second viewing, I decided I did like it after all. Sort of. Almost. Kind of. I definitely liked John Cusack!

I've also sort of kind of had John on the brain this week as I had watched another John Cusack movie with Amanda this past Friday night. She insisted I watch 1408, a scary movie which is based on a Stephen King short story, and then she has the nerve to tease me about liking John Cusack! Funny how she can go all ga-ga over her various rock stars and yet if I like a movie star or two I get razzed about it. Doesn't seem quite fair, does it?

Speaking of having things on the brain (nice segue, eh?), I am honored to have received the following award from Lee at Tar Heel Ramblings today -


To quote from Lee -

"Linda ... has written an excellent post that got me thinking, and for that, I would like to award her the Brain Building Blog award.
This post, which was in response to a challenge from Morgen’s Manic Monday to blog on the word heart, evolved into an essay on what love does to the heart…especially when that love fades and the heart is broken.
I have experienced the phenomena of a broken heart, both as the one doing the breaking, and as the one who’s heart has broken. To be honest, it isn’t a pleasant experience to be in either role.
Linda has shared from her life and experience, putting the wounds of broken relationships on display for all to see. In doing so, she helps all of us examine our relationships with an awareness that our own feelings and thoughts are only part of the equation.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing your heart with us. With reflection, perhaps our relationships can be healthier and happier, and the pain of a breaking heart can be avoided.

Well, shucks and golly - thank you so very much, Lee! I'm so glad to have written something that spoke to another and got that person to thinking. Broken hearts, I feel, are something that a lot of us have experienced and join us together as human beings. Whether you're the breaker or the breakee, it's never a pleasant experience but it is one that you can learn and grow from. What you do with a broken heart can define the remainder of your life in that it can scare you off of love completely or it can show you that you're stronger than you think and perhaps make you a better person. Or perhaps not.

In my case I would like to set the record straight on one thing that maybe I wasn't clear on in writing yesterday's post ... even though I still wish that things had turned out differently with the guy who grape-stomped on my heart three times - which I alone allowed him to do - I am not pining over him. My heart healed years ago and no longer sports a gaping, open wound that pains me with every single beat. Sure, there are things that will stop me in my tracks every once in awhile - a bit of a song, a phrase in a movie, a hint of a scent, a piece of a dream, a line in a book - but the debilitating gut-wrenching, drop-to-my-knees pain is simply another part of my life's history.

As Simon & Garfunkel once sang ... "If I never loved, I never would have cried." And as My Chemical Romance also sang, "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay now." Trust me.