Oprah Movie Club Selection for May: House (Hausu)

1977 Japanese coming-of-age story

Rating: 16/20 (Mark: 16/20)

Plot: Gorgeous isn't too happy about her father remarrying following the death of her mother. She writes a letter to her mom's sister and invites herself and some friends over to her house (the titular house) for the summer. On the way [Spoiler Alert!] they purchase a watermelon. Soon after their arrival, one of the girls disappears. More and more bizarre and possibly supernatural things start happening to the girls. A suspicious kitty lingers.

Some Hausu trivia: The Japanese studio Toho asked director Nobuhiko Obayashi to make a film like Jaws. As George W. Bush would say--"Mission accomplished!"

The second half of this film is likely exactly what Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel had in mind when they invented movies way back in 1929. It starts off like an after-school special though, albeit an artsy-fartsy after-school special directed by a guy who really wants to be an Artist with a capital A and isn't shy about using every stylistic trick in his bulging back of tricks. Before the manic free-for-all Evil Dead-like horror/comedy that everybody who watches this movie will remember (the part with homophagous pianos, demented kitties, killer chandeliers, disembodied heads, dancing skeletons, mouthy eye sockets, menstruation symbolism, inexplicable bananas, aunts retreating into refrigerators, etc.), you get a gaggingly-colored "dull" melodramatic coming-of-age story, but even with that, there's a sense of foreboding and enough wackiness that you know, even if you weren't warned beforehand, that somebody would be eaten by a piano later in the movie. The dvd special features told us that Obayashi started with commercials, and with Hausu, it seems like he wanted to regurgitate every single stylistic trick he'd learned, presumably because that's what American Steven Spielberg does. It reminds me of when I took Vernon to Palestine, Illinois, for their Labor Day weekend rodeo events and we decided to raid the cabinets and refrigerator and dump every ingredient we could find into a cup so that we could dare each other to drink it, probably because that's what we imagined our hero Steven Spielberg did during his spare time. We drank it, and it was disgusting. A majority of people partaking in Hausu might also think it's disgusting, mostly because the images, although the aforementioned tricks used to create those images are familiar, aren't anything the typical viewer is used to. This is weird even by Japanese standards, and you never have any idea what to expect next. I mean both of those as compliments, by the way.

I'm still wrapping my head around what it all means. You've got some pretty obvious symbolism throughout (ripe watermelons, blood, bananas [I guess?]), and the horror, even though it's too comically over-the-top to actually be horrifying, seems to represent the horrors in a young girl's life as she has to deal with changes. My theory: The girls (intellectual Prof, creative Melody, athletic Kung-Fu, hedonistic Mac, sweet Sweet, imaginative Fantasy, and pretty Gorgeous herself) are all chunks of the same young girl, a young girl who discards of various aspects of her personality as she blossoms into womanhood. So what do you think, Oprah Movie Clubbers?

My prediction, by the way: This will be a bit more devisive than Do the Right Thing.

3,109 entries in Goodreads Giveaway of THE FAERIE RING ARC - 1 winner - is it you?

THANK YOU everyone for participating in my first Goodreads Giveaway of an ARC of THE FAERIE RING!!  I was blown away by the response - over 3,000 entries in one month!! Wow! 

But there is only one winner......and it's:

PENELOPE PLESSAS

Yay! Congratulations Penelope!! I mailed your ARC of THE FAERIE RING out today.

For those of you who didn't win - don't worry - I have another ARC giveaway planned for June, which starts tomorrow.  Go here for all the details:   http://thefaerieringcontest.blogspot.com/

As always, thanks for your interest in my book and path to publication!

~Kiki

Kung Fu Panda (2008) Review

My Rating: 8/10

Directed by: John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

Written By: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Story By: Ethan Reiff & Cyrus Voris

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Animation

Runtime: 89 Minutes

A film that certainly packs a punch

Kung Fu Panda is a great film no doubt. The story of an overweight Panda whose dream to do Kung Fu comes true only this time, it’s on a large scale. The film is delightfully animated with great voice acting, a gripping story and great characters. I loved the whole idea of the film. Despite it’s whole cliché universe of the classic Kung Fu style, it feels like a homage to the genre of Martial arts and the whole early-Chinese style and be fresh at the same time. Kung Fu Panda packs a punch and is a terrific journey for the whole family. DreamWorks have their fair share of hits, as does Pixar. So this among Shrek and How to Train your Dragon, this film remains one of their best. Lest we forget excellent voice cast spanning from Jack Black to Angelina Jolie.

Plot

After opening with a fantastic 2D animated narrated sequence, which we soon discover is a dream Po is having, we meet our oversized friend. So straight away learn how much he loves Kung Fu, and works with his father –that shows no resemblance- at a noodle restaurant. The time has come for the Dragon Warrior to be chosen, which is in this universe, to become the ultimate Kung Fu Master. Po races to the Jay Palace where Master Oogway –the spiritual and wise Kung Fu mentor- will choose the dragon warrior. Here we meet the Furious Five, five legendary Kung Fu Masters who represent how Martial Arts moves usually represent animals. So we have Mantis (Set Rogen), Monkey (Jack Black), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross) and Tigress (Angelina Jolie). Then we have award winning actor Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, the Furious Five’s teacher. Po is late to getting the palace and tries to get in using fireworks; he falls out of the sky right in front of the Furious Five. All of a sudden Po is now the dragon warrior as Master Oogway was choosing the Dragon Warrior. Master Shifu is enraged about this, as well as the furious five and soon we discover about Ti Lung. Ti Lung was once close to becoming a Dragon Warrior, but was on the evil side. He soon escapes and Po is the only one who can stop him.

The furious five and Shifu (at front).

An Excellent Voice Cast

As well as a great story, the voice acting was superb. Jack Black brought life to the character Po and really gave him emotion. Dusting Hoffman and the furious five were also excellent cast. Don’t forget about how they have got action movie stars including Jolie, Liu and Kung Fu star legend himself, Jackie Chan. Overall they did an excellent job in casting these great people to do the voice acting.

Fresh and Vibrant Visuals

Now this is what I really liked about the film. The visuals where bright, colourful and really had the ancient Chinese feel to it, alongside the music that was often in there. It has great textures, great character design and beautiful landscapes.

Master Oogway descending in one of the films finest moments.

Homage to Kung Fu and Ancient China

What was another great thing is how the overall theme is based on Ancient China and is related to Martial Arts, but it doesn’t make fun of it. Co-director John Stevenson said “...we love martial arts movies. I wasn't interested in making fun of them, because I really think martial arts movies can be great films, they can be as good as any genre movie when they're done properly”. And right he is, I am not a fan of the genre myself, but I have seen a few. Kung Fu panda shows that a Martial Arts film can have emotion and great emotion at that.

Shifu training Po

Overall

Taking home 11 awards, which is a huge score, Kung Fu Panda is a wonderful film. Winning best animate feature and best design, it is a fantastic film that is special. It’s definitely worth checking out. The story teaches you to always believe in yourself and the whole idea of this character using his weight against his opponent’s was wonderfully original. I chose to review this now as the sequel is out which I am seeing soon, and I think this film does deserve a sequel. We only really get to see Po fighting in the final scene of the film, so it will be exciting to see him in action. Another great thing is this film doesn’t try hard at being dramatic. The final scene Po thinks Shifu is dead, but he is actually just relaxing. So while Po is screaming “no don’t die!”, Shifu replies “I’m not dying you idiot! I mean uh, dragon warrior”. That was the final moment of the film and was a great way to leave it. Overall this film is beautifully rendered with a great voice cast and characters and a story enough to keep kids entertained as well as adults.


Ratings:
Story/Screenplay: 8.9/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Direction & Cinematography: 8.9/10
Emotion: 8.3/10
Visuals & Editing: 9/10
Music: 8.4/10
Overall: 8.5/10

5 Writing Lessons from Steven Tyler

Considering the recent American Idol finale and yesterdays interview with Roni Loren aka "Fiction Groupie" I thought it might be fun to see what lessons we writers can take from the one and only, best-thing-about-Idol-this-season, Mr. Demon of Screamin' himself, Steven Tyler. Besides just "be amazing" and "be charming", I mean.

1. Be yourself. I think this is a lesson you can take from any successful artist, or anyone worth learning from. If that means crazy, wacky like Steven Tyler, that's what it means. People love the crazy wacky, and it comes with charm, hilarity and memorability. Write the best from you, and you'll find lots of people who love it.

2. Make yourself iconic. Scarfs on the mic, long shaggy hair, crazy high notes and a crazy big mouth. You know thats Steven Tyler. Ok, so its a bit easier to do that kind of thing as a rock star than it is as a writer, but we can still find ways to make ourselves and our writing stick out in peoples minds, find ways to remind them of us and make ourselves easier to remember. We don't have mics to put scarfs on, but we have pages to put words on. And they're our words. We can make our characters iconic, too. I mean, who doesn't know who I'm talking about when I say lightning scar?

3. Be prolific. Aerosmith is one of the most prolific bands ever. They've kept going and going, putting new stuff out there and reaching out to a continually growing audience. In literaria, this is like Stephen King. The more (good work) you put out there, the more people you can reach.

4. Don't lose "it". The video below proves Steven Tyler hasn't. Keep writing, don't let yourself slack. Teach yourself new things, read as many of the good books on writing as you can get. Try new genres, stretch yourself. Try to be as "on" as Steven Tyler is when you're his age.

5. Take chances and opportunities. Aerosmith took chances with their music, and it worked. Take chances in your writing, and see where it takes you. Steven Tyler didn't have to join American Idol, and maybe got some flack for doing it, but taking that opportunity has brought him and his music to a whole new generation of music listeners. (Considering who the two finalists were, I'd say the majority of Idol watchers are in the Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber group of people, but bringing in Steven Tyler at least brought in some real music. Sorry, obviously I disagree with the results of this season. *cough* shoulda been Casey and James *cough*)

Anyway, here's the video. Man has he still got it.



Happy groupie-ing! Er,...writing.

Sarah Allen

Website now launched!

My new website is now up!!!!!

Here Is the link to the video showing the site a little:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb8jynt5Fw4
And here is the website link:
http://www.wix.com/gxmedia/gxmedia

Film Master Weekly Newsletter 30/05/11

Important News!
So Long, farewell, I hate to say goodbye
Do not fear! I am not leaving for months or anything. For the next two 1/2 weeks I will be busy with exams, so there won't be many reviews or posts going around. I will try my best to post a few things, but just to let you all know, I will be away for a short absence. When the summer fully hits, expect some kick ass reviews and other blog posts! :)


This Week:
Kung Fu Panda 2 Critical Reception:
So far the sequel to the wonderful animated Movie Kung Fu Panda is getting positive reviews all around. In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow Kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po's new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy Kung fu. It looks like are overweight panda friend has not failed to please, and it looks like a film worth seeing this year. The film opens worldwide on June 10.



Zach Braff joins 'Oz: The great and powerful'
First off I can't believe that they are making a film related to Oz from The Wizard Of Oz. For some reason, I can see it being like an action hero film and being totally ruined, or even all this bull about magic and stuff. Zach Braff is in final talks to join Disney's Oz: The Great and Powerful, the Sam Raimi-directed film for Disney. Braff will play the role of Frank, the loyal but under-appreciated assistant to Oz (James Franco), a charismatic circus magician who is treated as a powerful wizard after his balloon blows off course into Oz and the townsfolk want him to eradicate a Wicked Witch and bring peace. So even James Franco, the recently raising in popularity star will appear. The pic starts shooting in July in Michigan, with Joe Roth, Josh Donen and Grant Curtis producing and Palek Patel exec producing. Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire wrote the script, with Disney releasing the 3D film March 8, 2013. I have no idea what this will be like, but I hopefully it has some decency.


***WORST NEWS***
The Writers of Epic Movie and Date movie and Meet the Spartans make a spoof of Avatar!
Now I thought Avatar was a great film. It wasn't a ground-breaking outstanding film, but it was fantastically made. But spoofing it. I have nothing to say other than WHY DO THESE PEOPLE EVEN GET THE RIGHT TO DO THIS!!!! Writers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer have made a big mistake once again!  Here we have talentless trash deciding they are going to spoof  popular film and it's probably because they know they can't write anything good! It's almost as If they envy these films and decide to spoof them! The thing that pisses me off even more is that it's an entire film spoof. Now I am fine with spoofs. Mel Brooks did it with Star Wars with making Space balls, but these guys are talentless and the jokes are so in your face, and quite frankly AREN'T FUNNY!!! Another thing is the fact that a film takes a crew of people to do, and to think they would want to be a part of this is outrageous! But, I can't blame the people fully involved as they are just doing their jobs. It's the writers who we should be angry at. Please comment on what you think of this because I think it's a disgrace! The film is currently under the title "THE BIGGEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME 3D GOT THE TOP SPOT WITH ITS TITLE ALONE". The idea of the film all comes down to one question. Why?! This is definitely the worst news all week so please comment and tell me what you think.

Last Week:

Green With Envy- Muppets Trailer

Oh boy! The trailer for the next Muppet Movie went up last week. I loved the show and I loved that first Movie titled The Muppet Movie in 1979, and now Kermit and Co. return! For the first time I will be able to see the muppets on the big screen which is pretty cool, but let's hope this film is going to be good. The trailer looks like tis going to be good, and it's definitely on my anticipated Movie list! The film is going to be released on November 23, 2011. Like the Muppet show, there is an all-star cameo cast. Spanning from Lady Gaga to Rickey Gervais and even George Clooney and Billy Crystal! That's what I know the muppets for, putting lots of faces in their shows and films. SO let's hope for the best with this Muppets Movie!

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_muppets/trailers/11144657



Openings this week:

• X-MEN: First Class Beginners June 1
• Prom June 3
• Mammuth June 3

Other News:
Robert Pattinson in a David Cronenberg movie
Here we have a young star who is raising in popularity by the year. A somewhat teen-aged girl 'heart-throb', but overall he isn't that much of an actor. He is 'okay', but nothing special. So news is out that the director that brought you films such as Videodrome and The Fly will include Pattinson in his production. The film is called 'Cosmopolis' and is based on a novel of the same name. The film follows billionaire Robert Pattinson (his character of course) over a 24 hour span in which he cheats on his wife, gets stalked, gets assaulted, and loses his fortune.  Hopefully, at some point, he also catches a nap because that is one action-packed day. Lets hope for the best everyone because nothing has been mentioned of release dates. 


2012 and beyond in film (Part 1):
I usually don't tend to get excited about films any further than 2 years away, because you know how Hollywood leaks are sometimes false. So we have talks of a fourth Ice Age film, if that even makes since and talks of DreamWorks films set to be released in 2014. If a 2014 release is announced now, and it is true, then the wait would be very anti-climatic. But here is some things that I have found out about 2012 (The year which I'm sure are not lies) and beyond in film.


Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3D:
Remember some time ago when it was announced the Star Wars films would return to 3D? Well in February 2012 the first episode is going to get put into 3D! It is the black sheep of all six films in the series, and I really don't favour in it much, but it's exciting to know as a rather late Star Wars fan that they are going to come out once again. I was 4 years old when this one came out so it will be pretty exciting to have it be released in 3D. Let's stay tuned and wait for Star Wars Episode 1 to hit our cinemas!






Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
With a strange title, and a strange book author what can you really say with this one? First we had The Grinch, then The Cat in the Hat live action film. After that there was Horton Hears a Who. And now, another adaption from the very strange children's book author. The Lorax according to Wikipedia is a book about: A boy (representing the reader) comes to a desolate corner of town to visit a being called the Once-ler (who is never shown throughout the book except for his arms and hands) and learns about the Lorax. After the Once-ler receives payment from the boy (consisting of 15 cents, a nail, and the shell of a great, great, great grandfather snail) he recounts on how he first arrived where they now stand, back then a beautiful forest of Truffula Trees, colorful woolly trees that were spread throughout the area and supported an ecosystem of fantastical creatures. I'm not fond of this one and it sounds like something only for the kids. Voice roles are going to include Danny DeVito and, Zac Affron! What a pair up they have their. The release date is currently March 2, 2012.

21 Jump Street:

Oh boy! A TV show that I have recently been watching and enjoying very much is going to become a film! just my luck! And, better yet, Johnny Depp is going to actually be Tom Hanson, the character he plays in the late 80's TV show. The star from 127 Hours, Dave Franco also won a role! The film is currently being filmed I believe and will hit the cinemas hopefully in March 2012. Although, I don't think the other original cast members are returning which is sad to hear.

So this newsletter isn't a foot long, part 2 of what is to come in the far off future will be in the next newsletter. Stay tuned everyone!


DVD & Blu-Ray Releases this week:

• 127 Hours June 6
• Gnomeo and Juliet- June 6
• The Mechanic- June 6
• Coco Chanel- June 6
• Sweet Grass- June 6
• True Grit- June 11
• Henry's Crime- June 6 (a lot of June 6 releases isn't there?)

Possible Reviews this Week:

• Paranormal Activity 2
• The Road
• Grease
• A Fish called Wanda
• Leave her to heaven
• Kung Fu Panda

**Not all films will get reviewed.**

Possible Blog Posts this week

• Actor Overviews: Jack Black 

**Not all will be posted.**

Interview with romance author Roni Loren

So excited to have with us today fantastic romance author Roni Loren. She wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen, has a masters degree in social work from LSU and lives in Dallas with her husband and son. Her debut novel, CRASH INTO YOU, will be published by Berkley Heat January 3, 2012!

What is your writing schedule like?
My son goes to preschool four hours in the morning now, so I try to get most of my writing (and blogging) done during that time. This is a relatively new development. My first book was written whenever I could snatch a bit of time, which often meant I was writing steamy love scenes with Barney on TV in the background. Very sexy. :)

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always had an elaborate imagination. When I was eight, I spent like six months sleeping on the couch instead of my room because I was convinced my room was haunted and my stuffed animals were possessed. But I really took a true interest in writing when I hit high school. I was super shy and my dating life left a lot to be desired, so I started channeling that angst into stories. At fifteen I wrote a full length novel. It was horrible. All the male characters were named after members of New Kids on the Block and the heroine was named Love—because subtlety was my strong suit. But it was fun and kept my brain occupied when I was bored in class. I even remember buying a copy of Writer’s Market to find out how to query it, lol. I never did, but it was a good learning experience nonetheless.

How do you typically come up with ideas and develop them into a story?
This is always a tough question to answer. I’m not sure where the ideas come from. The littlest thing can spark that muse. I know for the book I wrote before CRASH INTO YOU I got my inspiration after going to a Buckcherry concert and deciding I needed to have a (fictional) affair with a rockstar, lol. (That book, for the record, is still under consideration with a publisher so not out anywhere yet.) For CRASH, I think I pulled a lot of my inspiration from my social work background and experience working with a few clients who’d suffered traumatic experiences. (My heroine in CRASH is both a social worker and a rape victim.)

What is the story behind getting Crash Into You accepted for publication?
While I was waiting for a publisher to get back to me on the rockstar story, I decided to try my hand at an erotic romance idea that had been nagging my brain. I really was doing it on a let’s-see-if-I-can-pull-this-off whim. I didn’t really think it would be THE book. So I wrote it with less restriction than I had given myself for previous books. I mean, what did it matter? No one would probably ever see this. I broke all kinds of rules. For instance, every other chapter in my book happens ten years earlier. It’s literally two stories being told—one about these this couple’s past and the other about their present. So *gasp* half the book is (shh..don’t tell) backstory. But anyway, I had fun, I finished the book in about six months and then I started thinking I could actually query this baby. I was proud of it. The story was good. I loved my characters. So I decided to go for it. Now I had to decide who to query.

A few months before I had finished it, I had been contacted by a friend (Natalie Bahm) who I’d met through blogging. She had sent me an email letting me know that her agent was looking to take on more romance authors and Natalie had seen some of my excerpts on my blog so she “knew I could write” and had thought of me. She told me that she’d be happy to give me a direct referral to her agent, Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary. Another of Sara’s clients, Miranda Kenneally, who I’d met through Twitter also offered to refer me. Well, at the time, my book wasn’t ready and though I could’ve rushed it, I didn’t want to blow my chance sending something that wasn’t there yet. So I told her that I didn’t have anything ready right now, but would in a month or two. Natalie said she’d give me the referral whenever. So when the time came, she did. I sent Sara my query and first 3 chapters and less than a week later, she asked for the full. A few days after that, she emailed me with all her notes she had for what she’d want changed and then asked how I felt about those. I loved her notes and we set up a phone call to discuss representation. I immediately could tell that we had a shared vision for the book, so I accepted her offer. Two major revisions later, we went out on submission to ten editors. Two weeks after that, Kate Seaver at Berkley Heat/Penguin made us an offer! They were my top choice and I was over the moon. Negotiating happened (and I learned why it is VITAL to have an agent) and the rest is book deal history. J

Who are the authors that inspire you, and what have they taught you about writing?
Oh, too many to list. But I can say that my 5th grade teacher read Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time to us and that was the book that made me want to be a writer. I loved the idea that you could be swept into a whole new world.

What most attracts you to the life of a writer?
So many things. Besides the obvious things like working from home in my pajamas, I love being my own boss and setting my own schedule. Most of all though, I feel blessed that I’m actually getting paid to do something I adore. I get to follow my dream every day and that is the most amazing thing I can think of.

What do you consider the hardest thing about being a writer, and how do you deal with
it?
The hardest thing is that it’s a solitary venture much of the time. Blogging and tweeting and going to writers’ meetings help with that, but being a writer can give you cabin fever sometimes. I also think it’s a job where you have to know how to manage your money. It takes a while to build up a career that fully supports you. The process is slow, the money is slow, so you have to be in it for the long haul and accept that (except in rare circumstances) it’s not an overnight or even over months/years kind of thing.

What's the best writing advice you've ever gotten?
I don’t know who said it to me first, but I think the best advice I’ve gotten is to be fearless and to trust my instincts. I tend to lean on the nitpicky, obsessive side (we’ll call it conscientious), so I can overanalyze things to death. And when I do that, I risk pulling back in my story, trying to play it safe. But every time I’ve done that, the feedback I get is “why didn’t you do this here” or “you need to amp this up here” and it’s always what my first instinct was—the choice I talked myself out of. In fact, I almost didn’t write CRASH INTO YOU because I had never written something erotic and I was like—ooh, I don’t know, what will people think and can I pull this off and yadda yadda yadda. Well, I went with my gut and that ended up being the story that landed me the agent and the book deal. So be fearless. Follow the muse and your gut.

Why do you blog? What advice would you give to other author bloggers?
I started blogging because I’d heard that’s what you were “supposed’ to do. I honestly never thought I’d stick with it. I’m the girl with stacks of journals with two entries in them. I had never really committed to something the required such a regular writing schedule. But then I started blogging and, miraculously, people started reading and I met these amazing writers who were going through the same things I was going through. Meeting other writers was like finding natives from my home planet. So I think those connections are what excited me to continue doing it. Now I’ve blogged for two years. I blog five days a week: three at Fiction Groupie where I focus on writing topics and two days on my website (www.roniloren.com) where I have a little fun posting pictures of hot men (i.e. character inspiration) and talking about things more related to romance. I’ve gained a nice following and have gotten a lot of exposure and as you saw in the earlier question—blogging helped land me my agent, so I’m a big fan of blogging, lol.

What are the themes you tend to write about, or genres you tend to write in?
I’ve written YA, contemporary romance, and now erotic romance (with suspense elements), so I’ve been a bit all over the place. But every story I’ve written has been a romance. I really don’t think I’ll stray from that. It’s the heart of what I want to write and what I like to read. I also tend to deal with themes of forgiveness, redemption, and finding one’s true self. My background and degree are in psychology/social work so I can’t seem to resist writing emotionally complicated characters with psychologically difficult backgrounds. I like to explore the darkest corners of people.

What do you hope readers will take away from your books?
Wow, that’s a loaded one. I want my readers to feel like they’ve been on a satisfying emotional journey—one that tugged at their hearts, made them laugh a little, and got them to go hunt down their significant other and say “How you doin’?” I want them to walk away from my books and have my characters stay with them because that’s what my favorite books do for me. I rarely remember specific plots, but when I can remember a great character (Jamie in Outlander, Eric in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood books, Rose and Dmitri in The Vampire Academy series) then I know that book is a winner.

Thanks to Roni for a fantastic interview, she's given us some great ideas and advice. Make sure to check out her blog and we wish her the best with the upcoming book!

Sarah Allen

p.s. I'm guest blogging today at Pimp My Novel, in case you wanted to check it out. It's an article I posted here a couple months ago called '5 Tools to Carry in a Conspiring Universe.

Javert, Ben Linus and Severus Snape

Yesterday a group of us went to the Broadway touring production of Les Miserables. I won't go in to huge details, but suffice it to say, I really liked it. The majority of the cast was great, and production wise they did a great job for a revamped, smaller, tour-only version of such a huge play.

Here's the thing: on the way home, my sister and I were talking about types of characters, and I said that Javert in a way reminded me of and then at the same time we both said Severus Snape. They both seem to be characters that have this negative, rigid, basically unlikeable exterior, but then in their moments of exposure you realize their true intentions, how bad they've had it themselves, or at least how misunderstood they are. Benjamin Linus also falls in to this category. I have probably written about all three of these characters before, but when they stick in your head as much as they do in mine its worth finding out why, and how to write characters like that in your own work. Javert hasn't exactly made the horrible choices that Ben and Snape have made, but all three of them are what you could call "villains-but-not-really."

There are not very many other types of characters that I like as well as these. In fact, I have a hard time writing them because I sympathize with them too much for them to have a true "villain" feel. But I'm working on it, because they're my favorites. I love how complex they are, how you have to peel away the sharp, rude, mean, antagonistic exterior to find the lost, scared little boy underneath, and how special and intelligent and needed it makes you feel as a reader or audience member that you're the one whose found what they truly are on the inside. Don't we want to do that in real life, and have it done for us?

Do you like these near-villain, anti-hero type characters as much as I do? What do you think makes them so intriguing? What other character types do you find fun to find and write about?

Sarah Allen

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The Story of a Cheat

1936 fictional biopic

Rating: 17/20

Plot: The titular cheat pens his memoirs from his tragedy-tinged childhood damned by mushrooms to the wild affairs and various criminal ventures.

Sacha Guitry wrote, directed, and starred in this classy little gem of a movie. I'm trying to think of a way to describe its style. Airy? Compared to most movies from the 1930s, this feels fresh and new, ironic since Guitry borrows heavily from the silent era. It's got virtually no dialogue and a voiceover narration (also Guitry) from top to bottom. But although it covers an entire guy's life, it's only eighty minutes long and paced in a way so that it seems like only half that. I'm not the biggest fan of narration in movies unless it's noir (almost necessary) or apparently a French film. Guitry's voiceover in this recalled Amelie for whatever reason. Maybe it's just the language though. At any rate, the tone is a playful one, and Guitry seems to have creative juices to spare, evident right off the bat with the cute title screen and introductions of the composer, the cinematographer, the actors, the set design folks, etc. I also liked his sense of humor. Writers didn't kill off entire families like Guitry did until the Coens came along. Breezy and (dare I say it?) whimsical and brisk, this is definitely worth a chunk of an afternoon.

Shaolin vs. Evil Dead

2004 kung-fu zombie movie

Rating: 8/20

Plot: Something about the star of Kill Bill and a pair of sidekicks fighting evil and giving the dead proper burials. It involves voodoo papers. His brother's turned evil and fights against him every step of the way. There are hopping zombies all over the place, too.

First off, I want to find the guy who played Buck (Michael Bowen) in Kill Bill Volume 1 and put him in the kung-fu sequel to The Diary of Anne Frank that I plan on writing and directing some day. That way I'll be able to put "From the star of Kill Bill 1" on the top of my dvd box and make a little extra cash despite having dialogue as bad as the dialogue in this movie:

Master: Take a piss!

Kid: What? Now?

Other Kid: You heard the master. Do it.

Kid: [Pisses]

Other Kid: Master, why did you tell him to take a piss?

Master: I need virgin's pee.

See, sometimes it's poor translating combined with poor dubbing that makes it all sound much worse than it actually is, but I'm not sure that's the case here. Maybe with the later "Where do you come from, devil? How dare you invade my little brother?" is the result of the translation/dubbing combo though. This whole thing's a lot of nonsense. Why do the zombies hop? What's with the ad nauseum chanting? Why's that kid keep slamming his groin into a wall? Does a suddenly materializing Mike Tyson tattoo really give a person special powers? Why so many references to whizzing? What the hell are voodoo papers? There are a few moments when this movie almost looks good, but for the most part, it's one of those modern kung-fu flicks injected with some horror that isn't very scary and some humor that doesn't fit at all. The special effects are the scariest part of this, a kind of CGI nightmare. The Shaolin vs. Evil Dead story isn't even completed in this movie which is really frustrating. Clips during the credits promise a sequel, and it looks like they've found a way to make the special effects even uglier. I have no interest in sitting through the sequel to figure out what the hell this one was about.

Yr A - Proper 8, 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 26, 2011)

As we move into Ordinary Time there are two streams of Old Testament readings.  My current plan is to work in the “semi-continuous” stream, possibly dipping into the other when the texts there are “better” for children.  That plan could be flexible.  So, if you follow the “complementary” stream and would like it included, leave a comment to persuade me.

Genesis 22:1-14



From The Family Story Bible,
by Raph Milton. 
Used with permission.



This story may be the scariest story in the Bible for children.  They hear it from Isaac’s point of view and ask, “Would God ask my parents to kill me and if God did would they do it?”  God looks really threatening.  Pondering this question makes it almost impossible for children to get to a positive message about trusting or obeying God.

If you must read the story in worship, introduce it as the scariest story in the Bible and promise a happy ending.  Even suggest that parents and children hold hands to hear it.  IMMEDIATELY after reading it, FORCFULLY point out that Isaac was never in danger.  God had other plans (there was a ram hidden in the bushes).  In fact, in those days other religions insisted that parents sacrifice their first child to their god.  God, however, does not, never did, never will.  Given that, this scary story is actually a wonderful, happy story.  Invite parents and children to give each other hugs and the whole congregation to say “alleluia!” or the usual congregational response (e.g. The Word of the Lord!  Thanks be to God!) with great joy.

Preachers generally use this story to explore the importance of trusting or obeying God.  There are better stories to do this with children, e.g. the Hebrew slaves walking away from slavery through the sea and into the desert with Moses or David facing Goliath trusting God. 

Psalm 13

Spend some time with this psalm as it is read.  Choose The Good News Bible (TEV).   Before reading it, introduce the complaint “how long?” citing times we say it today, e.g. when waiting for our turn, when waiting for a child to stop whining about something, when waiting for anything you don’t like to end, etc.  Note that this is a “how long” psalm with the psalmist asking God how long all the bad stuff will last, then asking God to help, and finally remembering that God does help us when there is trouble.  Invite the congregation to join you and the psalmist saying the “how long’s” like you mean them and reading the ending like you do remember that God is with you in the tough times.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Psalm 13

All:                   How long

Leader:            will you forget me, Lord? Forever?

All:                   How long

Leader:            will you hide yourself from me?

All:                   How long

Leader:            must I endure trouble?

All:                   How long

Leader:            will sorrow fill my heart day and night?

All:                   How long

Leader:            will my enemies triumph over me?

Leader:            Look at me, O Lord my God, and answer me.

Restore my strength; don’t let me die.

Don’t let my enemies say, “We have defeated him.” 

Don’t let them gloat over my downfall.

All:                   I rely on your constant love;

I will be glad, because you will rescue me.

I will sing to you, O Lord, because you have been good to me.

                                    Based on Today’s English Version

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Romans 6:12-23

This is Paul at his long, complicated, repetitive, best.  Children are quickly lost as it is read.  But, Paul IS speaking to them.  They will however depend on worship leaders to present Paul’s message in a way that they can understand.

Paul’s bottom line is that people have to make choices between serving the good and serving the evil.  Their choices have consequences.  It is the old “choices lecture” that kids hear repeatedly this time on a cosmic scale. 

All fantasy literature (e.g. Narnia or Lord of the Rings) are built on heroic characters choosing to ally with good against evil.  Harry Potter is the most currently popular fantasy saga among older children.  Two boys Tom Riddle and Harry Potter are born with the same wizarding powers.  Tom chooses evil and becomes the monster Lord Voldemort.  Harry chooses good and becomes a hero who saves people.  In these stories evil and good are clearly forces with great powers at work in the world.  Each person must side with one of them.  Choices matter – a lot!  The challenge is to suggest to children that good and evil are as real in our world as they are in Harry’s world.  Just as it was sometimes hard for Harry and his friends to know who was on which side (Professor Snape constantly puzzled people), it is sometimes hard for us to know what is good and what is evil.  And, it is just as important that we recognize and choose to side with good.  As examples, try

Clothes, food, games are advertized to us as things we MUST have to be OK.  When we buy into that, we become greedy and jealous and spend our whole lives worrying about what we have and wear.  That is a bad choice and is a way of siding with evil.

If the crowd is cutting someone out, calling them cruel names, and treating them badly, when we go along telling ourselves “it does not matter,” we are siding with evil.  On the other hand if we stand up to the crowd, we are siding with good.

Matthew 10:40-42

The Contemporary English Version provides the translation that makes most sense to children.  (NIV is a close second.)  Before reading it, tell listeners that Jesus was speaking to his disciples sending them out on a mission trip.  He has given lots of instructions, then says….

^40 Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me. ^41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person. ^42 And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will surely be rewarded.

In context this is comfort for disciples taking on a big task, i.e. the people who welcome you will be welcoming me, those who give you something as little as a cup of cold water will be rewarded.  In worship, however, these verses are often used to explore the possibility of seeing Christ in other people and treating them accordingly.  Work with this by

Ø  Projecting faces of people from around the world while reading these verses – or even just verse 40.

Ø  Instead of projecting pictures, give each worshiper a picture of a person to hold and think about as you talk about the verse.  Challenge them to see Christ in that person.  Urge them to keep the picture and pray for that person this week.  (Portraits, by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry, is a soft bound book of hundreds of postcard size photographs of people.  It is easily cut apart into a collection of individual portraits, each a prize winner.)

Ø  Or, instruct worshipers to look at the faces of people around them as you read verse 40.  Next ask them in their minds to recall the face of each person in their family before reading the verse again.  Finally, ask them to think of the faces of people they will see at work or wherever they will go this week before reading the verse a third time.

Ø  Go to Anna's Hossanas for a script for a children’s time which explores what it means to see God in another person.

In a lighthearted spirit, read verse 42.  Offer all worshipers (or children gathered at the front) a small cup of cool water.  After drinking the water and savoring it, point out that nice as that was, Jesus wasn’t telling his disciples to give people cups of cold water to drink, but to provide what they need.  Then, introduce the ministry of hospitality.

Identify a variety of hospitality ministries in which your congregation shares, taking care to cite some in which children participate.  In my congregation those would include:

Ø  Volunteers provide lemonade, coffee and cookies after worship services so people can get something to drink and so they can stand around and visit with each other.

Ø  The deacons organize the delivery of meals to people who are sick or have other problems that make it hard to get meals on the table.

Ø  All the churches in the community take turns hosting homeless people during the winter months.  Dinner and breakfast are served, beds provided, even laundry done.  Church members (including families with children) spend the evening talking, playing cards, and getting to know these guests.

Ø  Food drives for the local emergency food bank and an international disaster relief offering include children in giving “cups of cold water” in Jesus’ name.