All journeys, so they say, begin with the first step. This journey to America for the first time in 21 months began with new shoes.
Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The more I think about it, the more I have a problem with the Ben Stiller remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Forget that it misses the point of Thurber’s original short story and isn’t as whimsical as the 1947 Danny Kaye/Virginia Mayo version, that’s not really what matters here. Instead, what matters is the overall message, and for me, that message sucks.
To back up a second…the plot centers around Walter Mitty, a middle aged, milquetoast of a man who escapes into an incredibly rich fantasy life, often causing him to lose contact for a brief period with whatever reality had inspired the fantastic hallucination to begin with. In various incarnations, what Mitty does and how he does it changes, but the basic premise remains the same. Continue reading “Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
Review: The Bible Repairman and Other Stories
The Bible Repairman and Other Stories by Tim Powers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There’s something wonderfully unique and strange about the imagination of Tim Powers
The Assets
So, a few months back I told you about filming this project here in Lithuania. Well now details can be revealed – and a I can let a little bit of my geek flag fly.
As you can see from the picture to the left and the title of this post, the title of the project is The Assets, an 8 part “limited series” airing on ABC starting… well it started last night at 10pm (that’s 22:00 for my European friends)! This is a surprise as I thought it wasn’t airing until summer and they just finished filming a few weeks ago. Continue reading “The Assets”
DAVID • Think: Linor’s Story
This month’s piece in David (click the cover for the complete issue) feature’s a former Israeli beauty queen who survived a brutal attack and has not only survived, but is thriving as a lawyer and victim’s rights advocate. Linor Abargil‘s story is amazing and inspiring (and just for fun, she has a Lithuanian connection as well – her ex is Šarūnas Jasikevičius)
Additionally in this issue is the work of Gerda Liesiene, a Lithuanian journalist who’s piece on setting good habits is a fun way to start the year.
Enjoy the magazine and Happy New Year!
Word tracker – start the year off right!
As a writer, I love knowing how much I’ve written every day, week, month and for the whole year! Svenja Liv has written a great little Excel spreadsheet which does all the work for you, once you put in the digits. And it’s free!
Review: Ex-Heroes
Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It would be great if this book was written with the least bit of irony… with some notion that Peter Clines
Five Mistakes KILLING Self-Published Authors
After you read this, you’ll think this is all common sense (which it is). But how nice of Kristen Lamb to put it in such a great, easily read format so everyone can understand what NOT to do when considering self publishing!
When I began writing I was SO SURE agents would be fighting over my manuscript. Yeah. But after almost thirteen years in the industry, a lot of bloody noses, and even more lessons in humility, I hope that these tips will help you. Self-publishing is AWESOME, and it’s a better fit for certain personalities and even content (um, social media?), but we must be educated before we publish.
Mistake #1 Publishing Before We Are Ready
The problem with the ease of self-publishing is that it is, well, too easy. When we are new, frankly, most of us are too dumb to know what we don’t know. Just because we made As in English, does not automatically qualify us to write a work spanning 60,000-100,000 words. I cannot count how many writers I’ve met who refuse to read fiction, refuse to read craft books, and who only go to pitch agents…
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Review: The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons
The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons by Lawrence Block
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are times during The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons
And yet… Lawrence Block manages to address both issues at the same time and does it brilliantly. Continue reading “Review: The Burglar Who Counted the Spoons”
Pay it Forward
A few weeks ago I decided to try something.
I’d been hearing about the various “pay it forward” events which had been happening all over America, people buying coffee for the people in line behind them, paying off layaway Christmas presents for families in need at Target, covering the toll for another car… all these kinds of things.
Review: Death from a Top Hat
Death from a Top Hat by Clayton Rawson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
As someone involved in both the world of magic and the world of literature, I’m surprised it took me this long to come around to Clayton Rawson’s “Merlini” books. These are widely considered classics of the “locked room” mystery genre and with Death from a Top Hat
Continue reading “Review: Death from a Top Hat”
How to Gift an Ebook
Not that I’m hinting about anything (although my own wish list is here) but for anyone who might like a book for the holiday this is a great way to go!
‘Tis the gift giving season, and a question we’re getting asked by family and friends is how do you give an ebook as a gift? You can’t pop it in a box and wrap it. You could give a gift card, sure, but what if you want something more personal or precise? What if you want to give someone a copy of this one great book you just read?
It’s easy: there’s a button, we tell our loved ones. And our loved ones look at us skeptically and consider revoking their previously bestowed title of She-Who-Is-An-Expert-In-All-Things-Book-and-Ebook.
So we’re here to back up our statement with the following image-heavy tutorial: There is a button on almost all major ebook retailers’ sites, and many of them offer you the option of emailing the recipient immediately with their gift, or on a future date of your choosing, or of retaining and printing the…
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Review: Divine Misfortune
Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The idea of the gods interacting directly with mortals is not a new one for modern fiction. Neil Gaiman tackled it in American Gods and now A. Lee Martinez does it in Divine Misfortune
Review: Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster
Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster by Terrance Dicks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I will freely admit that while I’d heard of Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor and I could identify the scarf a mile off, I hadn’t ever seen an episode of his. I came to the Doctor during the Russell T. Davies reboot era and I certainly love me some David Tennant. But this past summer, when I was in Scotland, there was a few book stores and one of them was having a sale and I came across a slim paperback of Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster
Review: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the nice things my Audible subscription is doing is giving me the opportunity to catch up on a lot of the classics I never actually read. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Getting the Hang of Thursdays 