Saturday, February 25, 2012

Review of ANOTHER EARTH Blu-ray



A tragic happening mixed with the wonder of a Science fiction element takes you on a journey. The pace of the film is a haunting movement of sorrow and hope. The soundtrack is one of the best i have heard since The Fountain and it really captures the mood of the film.

Shot with a very limited budget it still has the ability to draw you in without stunning special effects but with some amazing acting and story. Some of my favorite films are works of passion of their creator and this film is that. Mike Cahill Co-Wrote, Directed, and edited the film himself and Brit Marling the lead Actress also Co-wrote. This film is an Indie Filmmakers dream come true, to create a film of this level with very limited resources gives all us artist the drive to carry on in hopes to achieve the same.

The buildup in the story line will keep you watching till the last frame and I have to admit that the last shot was one that will stick with you for a long long time.





Sunday, February 19, 2012

KT Hall interview




1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?
It depends. I prefer writing at night, though. If I’m feeling really motivated, I’ll take my laptop over to the local coffee shop and work there, even though it feels like a very large cliche at this point.


2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?
I used to have a notebook where I would write out some character sketches, basic plot ideas, etc. For some reason, I’ve stopped doing that, and have just moved over to 100% usage of the computer. However, once I finish “The Night Life”, I might try and go back to at least doing some basics with pen and paper.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?
That’s a tough one, just because I feel like I draw inspiration from everywhere. For example, with “The Night Life”, my inspiration started out by wanting to create a story around Richard and Linda Thompson’s album, “Shoot Out the Lights”, just because at the time, I felt like the album was practically begging to be made into a soundtrack. However, when a teacher of mine shared a story about a woman found out by a truck stop who had no recollection of anything - who she was, why she was there, etc. - I suddenly felt as if I HAD to incorporate that into my story as well.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?
I never have, though I know that countless others do.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?
I’ve self published three large works, plus I have a preview of “The Night Life” up on Amazon right now. For “Family History”, I knew I wanted my cover art to incorporate the Family History journal, so I pretty much just went with that. For “The Dowry,” while editing, I couldn’t stop thinking “Man, a lot of people die in this story.” From there, the cover is pretty self-explanatory. ;)

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?
I’m not really sure anymore. I think it just sounded like fun as a kid, and now I’m doing it - though not quite for a living. :)

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?
My boyfriend owns a Kindle, which occasionally I do use. However, I still find myself somewhat loyal to old school paperbacks.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?
John Irving is a favorite of mine, though Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is my all-time favorite book. Though right now, I’m currently reading a friend’s ebook so that I can give it a proper review.

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?
I don’t see myself using book trailers, at least not anytime soon. I’ve never heard of them making any great impact in sales, and quite honestly, I don’t have a lot of 1800’s-esque Victorian-era photos lying around that would be good to use for “Family History”.

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?
I actually didn’t come up with the title for “Family History” for the longest time, until I started incorporating the journal and just stole the title of that for the title of my own work. “The Night Life” is actually the name of the strip club in the story, and since it plays a fairly central role in the story, I took that for the name of that novel.

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?
As you can tell, I obviously enjoy talking about “The Night Life”, even though it’s still in the editing stages. It’s my favorite story that I’ve ever written so far, which is why I love talking about it. I’m hoping to have it ready for publication by about August of this year, though it’s hard to say whether or not that’s likely to happen.








Saturday, February 4, 2012

Sylvia D. Lucas interview





1: What is the most productive time of the day for you to write?

The first half. After 2pm, I start sliding down in my chair.

2: Do you start your projects writing with paper and pen or is it all on the computer?

My hand is out of pen-and-pencil practice. I’ll use pen and paper for notes (I recently had to run for a pad of paper and pen to transcribe something from the Today Show so I could write a blog post countering their sexist and ageist position), but if I’m going to write at length, it must be on the computer. I can’t write fast enough by hand and start getting frustrated with how long it takes for the words to make it onto paper.

3: What do you draw inspiration from?

Empathy. Or, rather, a lack thereof. While writing something a couple of years ago, it hit me in a very real way how short life is, and how many of us mistreat it even in small ways. We have this chance to walk through it as happily as possible, and too many of us waste our time judging and condemning others, thereby making their one life less happy than it could be. We also waste too much time judging and condemning ourselves. So, the things I write usually try to create understanding toward others and encourage compassion for ourselves.

4: Do you set goals for yourself when you sit down to write such as word count?

Not anymore. Another one of the things I realized when I had this epiphany about how I wanted to spend my life (enjoying it and not taking it so seriously) was that writing is supposed to be fun. I write when I want to for as long as I want to, and not a second more.

5: Are you a published or a self published author and how do you come up with your cover art?

I’m both published and self-published as a writer, but the two books I’ve made available for Kindle are self-published. The cover for No Children, No Guilt was a collaboration with a graphic designer, and the cover for What Every Woman Wishes Modern Men Knew About Women was mine (but a different designer created the spine and back – and brilliantly!).

6: What drives you to choose the career of being a writer?

“Career” isn’t the word I’d use for my choice to write. I’ve been writing (without knowing I was really “writing”) since I was 12. It later became something I studied in school because it was the only thing I really wanted to spend my time doing (I went to grad school and received an MFA in creative writing). I guess the simple answer is, “I like it.”

7: Do you own an ebook reading device?

I do.

8: Who are some of your favorite authors and What are you reading now?

My favorites are the authors who write about the human condition. I like John Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood, Dorothy Parker…

9: What do you think of book trailers and do you have any plans to have any?

I think they’re a lot of fun to make, but I don’t know that the message the author tries to get across is the one the audience necessarily receives. Fun: yes. Effective: No idea. Time consuming: somewhat. But if you feel like making one, why not? No harm done. (Wait – that might not be true. If viewers get the wrong impression of the book, you could lose a sale. This is a tough one.)

10: How did you come up with the title of your latest book?

What Every Woman Wishes Modern Men Knew About Women went through a few title changes. It started out as What Every Man Should Know About Women.  Boring. Then a male friend who has a daughter and is disappointed in men suggested the title, Modern Men are Worthless. I almost went with it, because I thought it was funny, but after some reflection, I decided it was a bad idea. No one could know my feelings about men (love them sincerely and deeply) and might think I was man-bashing, and that was the last thing I wanted anyone to think. And as inflammatory – and therefore, as attention-getting – as the title might be, I couldn’t be the type of person who would be a jerk just to make sales. You know—like Ann Coulter. So, I went with the title that was, yes, significantly longer, but most true to the message. (What isn’t revealed in the title is that this is as much a book for women as it is for men.)

11: What are you working on now that you can talk about?

A recent reviewer, Geek and Jock, gave it 7/10 stars, explaining the scoring like this:
Pros: There is certainly great education for both men and women, of all adult ages
Cons: Lots of subject matter relevant to the topic remains uncovered. Do I smell a sequel?

So…maybe a sequel.




What Every Woman Wishes Modern Men Knew About Women
No Children, No Guilt