J.K. Rowling and Setting a New Table for Authors

Around the House
Now that my Ebook Dark Deals is out and the Cursed Ebook is up for Pre-Order things are really starting to kick into high gear in my home.  I am also excited to say that having Paperback and Hardcovers of Cursed available has really changed the way my series, The Chronicles or Illumination, can be reach and embraced by everyone out there.  I am sitting going through the first round of notes on the second draft of Hunted, and I have seen the final cover of Hunted too.  It is very close to what I posted on my Facebook, but you never know what fun changes will happen in the months to come.

My Thoughts
So today, I am working on a variety of things in my office when I ran across an article online.  I have to say that I have a very bad habit of reading all those upcoming movie notifications and articles that they post, or those views on characters in movies and books I love.  Well today I ended up reading about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.  This made me think of how J.K. Rowling has set a new table for authors to sit at.  Her success with adapting her her works and notes into a play and now a movie has made authors wonder if there is room at the table for them as well.

Is it possible for every author to continue to control how their works are adapting by actually sitting down and writing Movies, TV, and Plays?  Why not get paid for the rights and get paid to do the work so that the final product is representative of the brand you have worked so hard to create.  The only thing I worry about, is the disconnection from the readers that J.K. Rowling is getting dangerously close too.  I look at that fact that the play and next movies are based on her notes and that the readers that brought her to fame to not have books to delve into.  We will have scripts, but the do not have the wonder and magic of a novel where the scene unfolds before our eyes in a wondrous way.  I have to wonder if her not writing novels first is a mistake, or at least after to show us what she saw in her head.  The directors and set designers views of her work have always been wonderful, but what does she see when she put that pen to paper and created these new stories.

I still wonder, would I have been disappointed with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child if I had read the novel and not the script?  Would the way she crafted the story and world sung to me in a way that made me absolutely ravenous for something new to read?  Or would I have been disappointed by the loss of magic the world of Harry Potter had always had for me.

Movie Review: Suicide Squad

Around the House
Okay, so around the house right now is quiet.  We have welcomed a new kitten to the family which has meant for a lot of sleepless nights as we are focusing on getting her acclimated to the boys.  EZ seems to be warming up to Calli faster than Henry but overall it is good.  I can't wait for my vacation this weekend.  We are going to be hitting the Epcot Wine and Food Festival.  Lets hope I fit into my clothes after this weekend!

My Thoughts
So as most of the kids of the 80's we grew up knowing more about DC Coming than Marvel thanks to the Super Friends show.  Now that the DC Extended Universe is growing, I am one of the first in line to bash them since I love Marvel Comics so much (especially the movies).  Well I have to eat my words after seeing Suicide Squad this weekend.  The modernized portrayal of the characters was fantastic.  I especially found myself thinking of the scene where an Eminem song is playing and Harley Quinn is getting dressed in her slutty gear out in the open.  It wasn't dirty, it was kind of empowering to see the way the character behaved.

The movie did a fantastic job tying it back to Batman v. Superman (which I havent seen yet) as well as introducing characters that could be long time villains into the mix in a fun and festive way.  It makes me want to yell over at Marvel and ask them where the Thunderbolts are.  DC may actually have a fighting chance now.

Rating: 4/5

(UN) Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Around the House
I am currently on the road traveling.  I am missing the family a lot tonight, since this week long trip is the longest I have been on since the Jerry and the Boyos came to live with me.  I am thinking of them a lot especially as I curl up to sleep and look at the edits for Cursed sitting next to me on the desk of my hotel room.  It doesn't help that the temperature in Houston is so unbelievably hot right now.  I do  not recommend spending August in Houston when you are not out having fun.

My Thoughts
I had to think hard about how to right this review.  Would I right a review on the play I haven't seen, the script I just read, or a book that is the next installment in the Harry Potter franchise.  That is when I thought of something my Editor said to me when I first talked about getting this book, "Shakespeare should be seen and not read."  He of course is not the only person that has ever said this to me.  I have had teachers and professors say the same.  They always recommended after reading the work in class that we watch the movie or play version that they recommended so that we could full understand what we had read.  Now I find my self thinking about the same thing as I look at the book sitting on the night stand of my hotel room.

Like many of you, the first book I feel in love with and opened the door to literature for me was Harry Potter.  While unlike most it was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets since I had just seen the first movie.  I had not wanted to see the movie, but my best friend and fellow author Katrina Rue insisted that I see it.  So I finally gave in.  I remember asking her questions through out the movie until I had annoyed her so much that she looked at me and said "Just read the damn book I bought you."

Now here I am looking at that last installment and thinking about how to review it for everyone.  Like many of the world that have read the script without seeing the play, I felt a bit disappointed and lost.  I was also annoyed to see that people other than J.K. Rowling had touched my favorite character.  Then I realized that what I read is meant to be watched, so I need to look at it with new eyes.  As a reader I had to realize that we are missing what makes the world of Harry Potter so wonderful, Rowling's fantastic way of describing the world through the eyes of the character we have loved.  We truly got to see inside each of the characters.  As I realized this I remembers something I read about the play, "Based on an original story written by J.K. Rowling."  Now I want to see where that story is, what it says, and how it meets with the play, because the way she writes a world is what we need for the final tale of Harry's adventure.  We need to see how all the characters work to bring the story together that we don't get from watching the movie, reading the script, or watching the play.  We need to see it through the words as they flow from her.

So I find that I can not rate this book as I would any other.  I must rate it in the media that it is.  As a script, I can see how this is an amazing story that like the rest of the books touch parts of the story that we thought did not really matter.  We see a return to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the weird relationship Voldemort had with his followers, and the use of a magical item that is unexpected since Granger was always such a good girl.  The part of the story that truly touched me the most was the theme that even a good character is flawed and a bad character isn't just evil they are real people.

As a reader I am going to reach out to J.K. Rowling and ask for the following, please give us the book or three that the Cursed Child is meant to be.  Bring us deeply into the world of Hogwarts and the Ministry again by having us meet the characters we love, see with in their heads, and feel what they feel through how you have them react to the most beautiful scenes you craft.  When adding to the Wizarding World in the future with the new movies on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, remember we want the story in the way you would have told it on paper and ink.  Give your devoted readers what they desire most.  A book to wrap out hands around and hold though out the day and night.

Rating: 3 out 5 (script)

TV Show Review: Orange is the New Black Season 4

Around the House

I am nearing the end of processing the edits from my new editor on Cursed and Dark Deals.  I am looking forward to getting these complete.  I look forward to seeing what everyone things about the updates to the books as well as the new stories.  Additionally, Twisted is about half way done finally.  I have some great new characters coming out.  I can't wait to see what everyone things of them.

My Thoughts

I have watched Orange is the New Black since it first appeared on Netflix.  I was so fascinated by the story of Piper that I actually looked into the original Piper to see what the story was about.  I found the story of a woman who made youthful indiscretions ending up in prison for 15 months to be very interesting.  The first three seasons was captivating, but now that we have gotten to the fourth season it seems that the show has lost some of its sparkle.  

The story has moved away from the story of Piper and her family and is focusing more on the prison as a whole.  While that can be interesting it feels like something is missing from the joy of the show.  The show is also getting to be a bit unbelievable on the time line.  With a 15 month sentence that Piper only served 13 months, you have to wonder about the time line of the show.  Even if every episode is a week at prison to ensure the story telling that would only leave Piper with 4 more episodes in prison.  While I enjoy the the back stories and what happens next of the characters in lockup, I want to see what would happen next for Piper's story.  How she goes back to her normal life and tries to put her life back together after her stint in prison.

But that is not what the season is showing us.  It is showing us a lost group of women where we are not really getting deep inside of them.  We are just getting a glimpse at the life and crimes of each of these in woman in a way that is supposed to make us feel bad for them as opposed to showing a variety of crimes.  Additionally, learning more about the guards lives feels contrived, since we do not want to feel sorry for them as a watcher.  We want to despise them for the treatment of the inmates.  I am tired of the story of the guard staff.

On the death of loved characters, especially the loved Poussey, is hard for us to deal with since we are made to love her and her death seems unwarranted.  To kill a characters for an emotional pull is not what the show needs to keep us invested.  It needs us to want to be involved in the stories and only have death for a reason.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Movie Review: X-Men Apocalypse

Around the House
I am excited as the final touches are coming together for the Second Edition of Cursed.  It is going to feature two new stories that help to tie everything together.  My editor is so excited.  We have now approved the Cover Art and are trying to find that perfect release date.  We are thinking some time this fall or the holiday season.  Are you ready to get Cursed?  I know I am.  I am looking for a few people that would like to preread the book and write a review online.  Let me know if you are interested.

My Thoughts
For those of you that do not know, I am a huge fan of Marvel Comics, and I grew up reading X-Men comics of the 90's.  I was first introduced to the X-Men like many other people through the cartoon.  I quickly became obsessed and had to have it all.  Well since the 2000's I have moved away from the comics and enjoyed the movies.  I still enjoy a read of the database to see the changes, but other than that I do not play in the land of comics outside of the TV and Movie worlds.

Now, I was excited to see the changes to the universe that Fox rolled out.  It was their chance to give them a fresh start.  Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe that are still have trouble making one concise universe that the comic fans can be proud of watching.  Unfortunately, X-Men Apocalypse falls into that bucket.  I have two main issues with the movie.  The first is that for the length of the movie they do a very pour job introducing new characters or highlighting why they are where they are.  It is one thing to bring in Phoenix, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Cailban, Psylocke, Angel, and Storm, but you need to give them some type of back story and explanation of their powers.  While they did an okay job with Storm and Nightcrawler they failed to really dive into the depths of why they are at the school.  Additionally, they never properly explained the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse which has been a major X-Men story arch repeatedly.  It is one thing to start a fresh take on the universe which they are doing a good job of, but it is another to have a wonky timeline where the changes don't make sense - like Cyclops being the younger brother of Havok or how we have a Nightcrawler without Mystique knowing it is her son.

Overall, I say the move was fair.  For a 2 hour plus movie we needed more action and growth from the characters to really love them.  The whole seen with Wolverine didn't feel like it made sense for the storyline, and where are the characters we love from the original movies that should be popping up if we have Jubilee - Rogue, Iceman, Colossus, and Shadow Cat (Kitty Pryde).

Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars

Check Deadpool which was a great movie though!

Product Review: Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two

Around the House
So the new covers are finally ready to go and book two is coming along.  I came up with a new type of character that will be debuting at the end of book two, and I am very excited to see what everyone things of it.  I have to give the fiance credit for this ones inspiration.  Driving home from a Memorial Day party and it came to us.  We laughed so hard in the car just thinking about this character.  I hope you love Rakuum as much as I do.

My Thoughts
As you can tell by this blog I am a bit of a Marvel Junkie.  In my kitchen I have no less that 10 boxes of comics sitting in there.  Well recently I found this awesome product at Amazon.  It is the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2 Box Set.  I can't wait for it arrive.  I love the way Marvel Studios has taken its universe and revamped it for the modern area.  So when I saw this Phase Two Box Set with another Infinity Gem I knew I had to have it.  Plus you cant beat the price and the display quality.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Unwritten Word

Around the House
Well life for the most part is good right now.  I have a great partner that loves me. I look at my ring and think of him every day.  Now, he has me motivated on my next books.  I am working on a Guide Book/Role Playing Book as well as the second volume of The Chronicles of Illumination.  Unfortunately, life doesn't always work the way we want it.  I can't wait for my books to start selling well enough so that I can make that my career, but as every other struggling artist can tell you is that we also are struggling to make it.  We are pushing forward through holding a day job and pushing to forward with our work.  I just hope it all works out the way we want it.

My Thoughts
Wish I could edit my own work.  I hate that I can't proofread what I write, but like most authors we auto-correct our own work.  The good part is that I am now working on my next book and have two that need first round edits.  I can't wait to get the second editions out to the world.  I am glad for having the support of those in my life my fiance, my family, and my friends who are their helping me through the process of seeing my dreams come true.  I hope some day to help other writers that are in the same place as I am.  Just a kind word, a statement, or a comment and turn an unwritten word into a book that everyone has to have their hands on.  I hope some day I am able to help others get to that place.