So, things are different now and we don't do the TV gabfest around here so much, but I feel the need to create a spoilery haven for discussion of the movie (which we just watched on Amazon streaming, and I will probably watch again later!), if people want to.
Ye olde Veronica Mars Talk returns.
Let me know what you thought in the comments, if you're so inclined.
Didn't mean to vanish here, but winter and deadlines and did I mention the WINTER? (Someone please appease George R.R. Martin with a suitable offering to make it stop--I expect the White Walkers to show at any time otherwise.) And surely today is our last snowstorm of the season, she said, with a tiny measure of hope. When I'm not here, you can almost always still find me tumbling random things and on twitter, of course.
Lots of quietly exciting things have been happening. I just turned in a draft of secret project, the first new book I've finished this year (obviously, since it's only three months in!). I got to see some possible cover looks for Girl on a Wire and they were AMAZING; I can't wait to see how the final version turns out. I just broke down and made an exception to my long-time Groucho Marx, non-club-joiner policy to join SFWA, because so many people have been doing such good work the past few years to change it and keep it relevant and I want to support that. I taught a group of amazing teen girls about SFF over the weekend, and since so many people pitched in great exercise ideas over on facebook I'll try to do a devoted post about that and share some of those. What else? Christopher also finished a novel draft last month (very exciting). Oh, and I had some new author photos taken, which I'm sure I'll be showing you soon.
Right around New Year's C and I started watching Person of Interest, after seeing it recommended by many, many trusted sources as an excellent science fiction show--most notably the io9 recs, and those from Molly Gloss, Ted Chiang, Chris McLaren (source of its excellent nickname Hobo Batman), and Adam Christopher. They were right. Though it took us a while to fully commit, and I definitely think there are some skippable episodes in the first season. That said, I'm glad we didn't skip them. It truly is one of the most excellent, provocative SF shows around, with sharp, thoughtful writing. We'd have so caved and started watching earlier if you'd told us there was a dog. We're suckers for a dog (especially Bear, above). And we're now all caught up with the current season, which is a little woeful, because it was so nice to feel like there was an endless supply of episodes.
Anyway, I'll be back later this week with a round up of recent reading and many accumulated links and fewer excuses. Probably.
Today's fun toy. Make your own--because, really, who can resist? Also, yay return of Game of Thrones.
Otherwise: Revising, juggling other work, trying not to flail, the usual.
Back soon.
With things.
Promise.
Yesterday I had a nice long conversation about YA and Blackwood and related topics with Louisville public radio station WFPL's ace arts reporter Erin Keane (who is also fabulous writer--highly recommend both her poetry collections), as a preview to the Writer's Block Festival where I'll be panel discussioning about YA (and signing) on Saturday. The resulting story is here.
And, if you didn't know (gaspALARM), tonight is...
...the return of The Vampire Diaries.
In honor of this momentous fall occasion, here's a teeny not-spoilery snippet from a scene between Miranda and Phillips in Blackwood:
Happy Thursday, y'all.She blinked, but he couldn't tell if it had worked until she said, "You snooped in my room?"
He had her.
"I had to help pack your stuff." He wrinkled his nose. "You have a thing for brooding vampire brothers?"
"You've seen it?"
Keep her talking. He shrugged. "Study lounge has a TV. Doppelgangers are hot. I'm not proud."
And tonight's episode is:
For Fanny. An unexpected occurence puts Michelle at odds with her new mother-in-law; Fanny's students prove to be an inspiration.
The Facebook discussion thread is right here.
Unrelated personal nattering: For those keeping a grossness tally of C's week away at le workshop (okay, that's just me, but I'm going to inflict it on you too), so far I've had to dispose of THREE dead birds from the back yard. Tragic bird family--seriously, they are the Okies of bird families, the back yard is the Dust Bowl, and Emma is the Steinbeckian wrath--keep building their nest where babies get washed out when it storms... Sadness. Especially when you have to intercept a half-golden retriever, half-basset hound who apparently got the retrieving gene loud and clear. Don't let her innocent mug fool you.
Anyway, come over later and talk TV (and things that are infuriating said in interviews).
*Did I ever post Christopher's story about the teacher who told his seventh grade science class that: "Dogs are cold-blooded. How else are they able to sleep outside during the winter?"
Lalala, is my hair on fire or does it just feel that way? It just feels that way, I think. Whew.
Most of my week was spent writing a lengthy essay about one of my favorite book series, about which more once the TOC is public (and I find out if the essay turned out acceptably, of course). This involved much flipping around in copies of said beloved books, and a passel of post-it noting that is going to be a pain to remove when I finally get around to that. I like reading on my Nook fine, but I must admit more than once this week I thought that I couldn't even imagine trying to do the same sort of thing if I didn't have hard copies at hand.
And the rest of the week was eaten by pecking away on the draft of the gods book, which it's my Sworn Intention (before you, my sacred witnesses) to finish next week while Christopher's off in the mountains of North Carolina at Sycamore Hill and I'm a workshop widow. It shall be done, etc. Add to all this a sudden hospitalization in the family and a random act of vandalism last night where some jerk smashed the driver's side window of our car while it was parked on the street across from our house and...this has not been the soothing week of soothingness.
At all. But so it goes.
The one bright spot, however, was a sun appearing on the horizon of summer's barren TV landscape: Bunheads. It's early yet, and it could go the path of suck, but I fully loved the first episode. If you haven't heard about this show, it's by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and it's a major return to form. Yes, it shares commonalities with GG, but one) that's not a bad thing and two) I believe it'll grow into something very much its own. (The Bunheads of the title are ballerinas.)
Anyway, long-time blog readers may remember ye olde Gilmore Gossip Circle, in which we'd gather to gab in the comments after episodes. It was great fun. There have been other attempts made for other shows, but they tended to wane. Karen Meisner and I were chatting about Bunheads on Facebook (as we recently did during the ANTM finale, too) and decided to try and give the old analytical TV stop a revival...but since we've been doing the chats at Facebook and it's so much easier to comment there, I'm thinking that's where they'll be. I'll put up a public post there with a description of the week's episode on Monday evenings and link to it from here. If you're a Facebook hater (smart), then feel free to just comment here, though I suspect it will be rowdier over there.
So, if you're so inclined, join in next week's:
And if you missed the premiere it's up online.
These days, The Middleman is one of the only shows that fills me with glee--most especially among the ranks of science fiction shows. It is, of course, on the precipice between renewal and cancellation. But what can I do about that, you ask?
You can go read the lovely and whip-smart Genevieve Valentine's "Eight Reasons You Should Be Downloading the First Season of 'The Middleman'" over at Fantasy magazine, and let her convince you to do as she says.
See also: Justine's endorsement and themiddleblog for all the low-down on the referentialness.
(Give it two episodes, before you decide and I bet you'll decide it's awesome.)
A writer on the high wire of life.
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