A Quick Thank You, Square Warning, & Artist's Way Update

This week I wanted to post a thank you to the folks who hosted me for my book launch the last couple months, so I'm sharing some of their recent releases below. First, I'll do a quick update on The Artist's Way. 

I took last week off from following the book, because I had a jam-packed schedule with my book launch and several appointments, including one long one in Denver that had me heading up there an hour north directly after my launch party to stay in a hotel so I could get to the early morning appointment without dealing with the awful commuting traffic.

The launch party went well! My Square wouldn't work, so my husband ended up signing up really quick and handing me his phone to use with my apparatus. (This is where I warn you to sign into your Square account if you haven't since January, because earlier that day I'd found a notice in my account that I wasn't emailed about saying they needed some information from me and deposits would be paused until I gave it. I filled out all the information. It said I could use the Square as usual, but deposits wouldn't start up again until they'd evaluated the info. But when I got to the party, every card we tried was declined. I got the approval that same night from them. So go check your Square and make sure the same thing doesn't happen to you! Because it sucked!) But I got to see some friends and chat with folks. In fact, I was so nice and busy chatting with folks that I forgot to take any photos, and never got a bite of my food until I ran home to get my suitcase that night. The only picture I have is from the owner of Lebowski's Taproom, where I had the party. (And yes, it is themed after The Big Lebowski -- it's a new place, with a great laid-back atmosphere).

Artist's Way Update: I'm in Week 6: Recovering a Sense of Abundance. This section is about questioning how you view money, considering "luxury" and self-pampering in small ways, and cutting out space for yourself. An assignment this week that I'm looking forward to is sending postcards to some friends. My artist date will be going out to find those postcards. If I'd realized what an easy week this one was for the tasks, I might not have skipped it? Okay, I probably still would have. While it's not covered in the lesson, I feel like the tasks are also helping to recover a sense of wonder, as two of the tasks are finding rocks and flowers; these tasks are labeled "Natural Abundance." It also calls for tracking your spending each day of the week to see what you're spending it on, and whether any of that spending is for things that make you happy or pamper you. So far, I've bought groceries and paid a couple medical bills, so, uh, I need to work on that, ha!

Okay, time for some books! Thank you so much to everyone to helped with the book launch!

iTunes

Amazon

B&N

Kobo

Scribd

Goodreads

Alex's Website

Universal Link

H.R. Sinclair's Website

Universal Link

Jonathan & Kristina's Website

Amazon

Sandra's Website

Universal Link

DeAnna's Website

Amazon

Patricia's Website

Amazon

Toi's Website

Amanda's Website

I hope you see a book you might like to check out!

Do you feel money stands in the way of your creativity? Do you pamper yourself ever? Did you get the same notice from Square?

May you find your Muse.

April Media Roundup

It's been a big TV watching month for some reason. I tend to float to one streaming service or another and ignore the others, but I've been as ADHD in my TV watching as I am in my daily life. In short, I've been all over the place, so I'll be naming a few favorites. 

Before we jump into those, though, C. Lee McKenzie contacted a few of us about sending our writing wishes for the year, and she collected these on the Insecure Writers Support Group blog: Author Wishes for 2022.

Here are some media I've enjoyed in the last month or so:

Books

Star Mother, by Charlie N. Holmberg

Star Mother, by Charlie N. Holmberg

This one was sent to me by a friend. It wasn't the sort of book I'd usually read, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. This is pure fantasy. A woman from a village volunteers when the Sun calls for a new Star Mother, knowing it means her death, but will bring honor to her family. But something strange happens. She delivers the star...and lives. Though the Sun is willing to keep her in his palace, she opts to go back home, only to find that things are not the way she left them.

This one had the tension of warring celestial gods, romance, the fickleness of humanity, and two people brought together to flee those hunting them. Creative and spellbinding.

The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides

I saw the movie when it came out, and remember it being well done, but the book itself was gorgeously written, though flawed. It's told from the POV of several boys in a neighborhood, who find themselves fascinated by a household with five teenage girls. Ultimately, each girl will commit suicide. This isn't a secret. The entirety of the book is about the lead up to it and the boys (only one is the narrator) examining the why and what led to this choice.

On the one hand, the reader can't help but also be fascinated along with the boys. On the other, there's a taint of misogyny to the whole thing. What the boys are often thinking about, even after the tragedy, is how much they wanted in the girls' pants and what a shame it is to have wasted five beautiful girls. At the same time, the narrator never addresses the shallowness of the boys (or the men, when they grow up). If this were a true look back, a true attempt to analyze what went wrong, they should have also discovered it was their complete lack of viewing the humanity of the sisters instead of what they could possibly offer the boys in terms of bubble gum kisses and soft warmth. 

These girls are victims of everyone. Of the boys who watched through their windows with an erroneous sense of curiosity, but a lack of depth. Of their parents. Of their teachers. Of the people in the community. Of every single person who knew things were weird in that house and never did anything to help those girls. And I do feel the book intends to point this out. Above all else, these girls were failed. And the reader sees just how easily that can happen, how easily children's lives can go wrong when the "village" looks the other way. 

Each girl has a surface personality different from the others and beautifully rendered, which is why it took me a while to realize how shallow the narrative was. Of course these boys can't know the inner workings of the girls, so we see what they see when the girls are at school, or peering out a window, or running into the front yard to surround their ill Dutch elm and save it from the folks who've come to chop it down. We only get a slight taste of each character, because of the way the story is told. It's effective. Intriguing. And the city of Detroit is a character in itself.

Heartbreaking. Gorgeous. Whimsical. Problematic.

Crime & Passion: Three Short Stories, by Francelia Belton

This isn't novel length. It's a collection of three short stories (just as it says on the cover). They're all crime stories, not mysteries. In each, a woman deals with a crime, whether as the victim or the perpetrator. Each plot is interesting and well written, drawing the reader in to see what will happen. 

Movies

The Bubble, Netflix

The Bubble

This movie was exactly what I needed. Absolutely ridiculous. Hysterical. I knew from the cast that I had to watch it. It's rather pandemic-meta. The cast is brought back for a sequel to a cheesy creature feature, but the pandemic is on, which means they must deal with quarantine, then remain at this hotel in a "bubble" of safety so no one will bring the virus in and expose everyone else. But what happens when you trap an eclectic group of narcissists together and make them quarantine two weeks at a time in their rooms? The quarantine montages are hilarious. It gets even better when a lunatic is brought in to do security. Definitely worth a watch if for no other reason than to shut your brain off.

Siege, Shudder

Siege

This is a 1983 film, set during a police protest in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In fact, it contains real footage from the real police protest that occurred there in 1981! It's the kind of gritty, gun-filled movie you'd expect from the early 80s but what caught my attention was how severely it hit home in this day and age. Police are picketing, so a group of people intending to take over the power vacuum (calling themselves the New World Order, if I remember correctly), decide to use their newfound power to harass the folks in a gay bar. But it goes too far (of course it does) (Trigger warning for hate crimes), and the sole survivor of the slaughter escapes to a nearby apartment complex, where the residents hide him and prepare to fight back. 

What originally drew me was the ridiculous image (above). I thought it was going to be a comedic take on a siege in the city that would involve a bunch of yuppies. The photo is misleading, though, and the topics are much deeper than I imagined, even if they're presented in the wrapping of an 80s horror film. What happens if there are no police? Who will fill the power vacuum? Who will suffer the most? Who will stand up against those who abuse their power? In this case, it's on a very small scale, but I feel like it's an interesting commentary on some things that effect both political sides. And that's all I'll say about that.

Oh, and there was no one I would have classified as a yuppie in the cast of characters, so I'm still confused by the image.

Low budget and shot in 14 days in the apartment complex some of the filmmakers actually lived in, it's an interesting film. And I am, after all a child of the 80s and the gritty films of the day (cough, Dirty Harry, cough, Death Wish, cough), so I can appreciate the style.

TV Shows

House, Peacock

House

Yes, that's right. It took me this long to watch a show that originated in 2004. Everybody kept telling me how much I'd love it, so they annoyed me right away from it. Now that no one is pressuring me (hear that, Doctor Who fans??), I've finally given it a chance, and I quite enjoy it. Though as a walking, talking medical mystery myself, the whole of them repeatedly getting the diagnosis wrong and mistreating the patient before they finally arrive at the real issue is pretty stressful. The rest of the characters make up for House being such a jerk. It's like a crime drama, but medical instead. I wonder if I paid enough attention whether it would always be the third diagnosis that's correct, just like the crime show formula that shows us the third person accused is the real villain?

Killing It, Peacock

Killing It

We're not far in yet, as a new episode is released weekly, but this show's great for some dark humor. Unable to get a loan, the MC needs $20,000 to start his dream business. An ill-fated ride in an Uber shows him a way to make a quick buck AND possibly win a contest that will bring him...you guessed it...$20,000. Hunting pythons in the Florida swamps is good money, but it's not without its challenges.

The Glades, Hulu

The Glades

Yep, another old one. I just completely missed this one. Probably because I don't have cable, and haven't since the first season of "Fringe" came out. That's all I know. Another crime show, yes, but the main character is interesting and the crimes are different, so I'm in.

The Thing About Pam, Hulu

The Thing About Pam

Based on a true crime, this is done in such a fun way. A Dateline anchor is doing the voiceover, which makes it a tad different. But the real standout here is Renee Zellweger. She is amazing in the role of Pam, a woman who *may* have murdered her friend and manipulated everyone around her into thinking it was her friend's husband. She manages to manipulate the police and the murdered friend's family so everyone is on her side. Even the DA and the judge, who are besties in the small town. Zellweger is so amazing that I had to go look up the real crime, because I was so angry. I can't put into words how excellent her acting is in this role. The character is absolutely loathsome, a complete psychopath who pulls no punches and has no compunctions about hurting anyone in her path, even if it's just emotionally. I highly, highly recommend this one. Zellweger had better get nominated for an award. Entertaining, well-paced, emotional, and a stellar cast.

What are you watching or reading? Anything in the past month that you'd recommend? 

May you find your Muse.

Sooo Many Recommendations!

One thing I've learned the last few years is that reading widely and actively seeking out diverse voices is a wonderful way to widen my horizons and find new authors to enjoy. Every little once in a while, I post on Facebook asking for recommendations, and people unfailingly come through with a wealth of suggestions.

Yesterday, I posted asking for recommendations of pulp, noir, and magical realism. I was going to use the post as a reference going forward, but realized that it would be nice to share the authors and books here so others could discover them, as well. Plus, this way I have a consistent place to come back to when I'm looking for which book to pick up next!

One thing that was mentioned when I talked about wanting to learn to write in these genres was to be careful of the cultural appropriation of taking on magical realism. That it has been used in South America in reaction to colonialism. I wanted to look more into that, but a rudimentary search showed it to be an even bigger and more complicated topic, and one that traces colonialism back further in time. It's a topic I definitely can't cover at the last minute. If you're curious, I encourage you to look into it.

Here's a list of the recommendations I received, so far:

The Corpse and the Girl From Miami - Jim Urbancik (N, P)
Jim Thompson (The Killer Inside Me was specifically mentioned) (N,P) x4
Chester Himes (N, P)
Raymond Chandler (N) x2
Comics (Detective, Martian Manhunter, The Question, Plasticman) (N)
Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island) (N-Neo-Noir)
Will Christopher Baer (NN)
Craig Clevenger (NN)
The Fighter - Craig Davidson (NN)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami (MR) Murakami x2
Caitlin Kittredge - Dreaming Darkly (MR)
Kerri Manicalco's YA Historical series (MR)
Joe R. Lansdale (The Hap and Leonard books were specifically mentioned) (N, P)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude was specifically mentioned) (MR) x4
David Goodis (N, P)
Charles Willeford (Someone specifically mentioned The Burnt Orange Heresy) (N) x2
Pulp According to David Goodis - Prof. Jay A. Gertzman (good if you want to analyze pulp)
Year One: Chronicles of the One (MR)
Don't Breathe a Word - Jennifer McMahon (MR)
Megan Abbott (Bury Me Deep, Dare Me, The Fever were recommended, specifically) (N-modern) x3
Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (MR)
Jon Bassoff (N-modern)
Alan Guthrie (N-modern)
Les Edgerton (N-modern)
Heath Lowrance (N-modern)
Woman Warrior - Maxine Hong Kingston (MR)
Bruce Taylor (MR)
Franz Kafka (MR) x2
The Eye of the Heart (anthology) (MR)
Barbara Howes (MR)
Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism (Tamara Sellman)
Alice Hoffman (MR) x2
Borges (MR)
Cheever (MR)
Ross MacDonald (N)
James Ellroy (LA Confidential was specifically mentioned) (N) x2
The Name of the Game is Death - Dan Marlowe (N)
Black Wings Has My Angel - Elliot Chaze (N)
Cornell Woolrich - (N)
Nightmare Alley - William Lindsay Gresham (N)
James M. Cain (Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice x2) (N) x2
Shella - Andrew Vachss (N) x2
Mickey Spillane (N)
Ricky Ginsburg (MR)
The Son - Jo Nesbo (N)
The Old Drift - Namwali Serpell (MR)
Imagica - Clive Barker (?)
Juan Rulfo (MR)
Italo Calvino (MR)
Yasunari (MR)
Kawabata (MR)
Kemzaburo Oe (MR)
Banana Yoshimoto (MR) x2
The Friends of Eddie Coyle - George V. Higgins (N)
The Long and Faraway Gone - Lou Berney (N)
Fast One - Paul Cain (N)
Accelerate Learning Techniques for a Budding Sociopath - Evan Hundhausen (?)
Shoeless Joe (MR)
The Best American Noir of the Century
Otto Penzler (N)
The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (P)
Isabelle Allende (House of Spirits was specifically mentioned) (MR)
Clarice Lispector (MR)
Laura Esquivel (MR)
Toni Morrison (MR)
Ray Bradbury (MR) x2
Charles Beaumont (N)
William F. Nolan (N)
John Franklin Bardin (first three novels) (N)


Okay, wow, that was way longer than I thought it was. I'll be updating as the post continues to get responses, so they're all in one place. Since I didn't do this with any of the past lists, I'll post those in the future if they pop up as memories.

MEDIA CORNER

BOOKS

This week I finished The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America, by Tommy Tomlinson.

This is a candid examination of a man's struggle with his weight. He's a journalist, and the voice in this book makes it a pleasant read. He updates his weight over the course of a year, which is honest and helpful for others struggling with their weight. Ultimately, it's an inspirational story.

I also finished There's Someone Inside Your House, by Stephanie Perkins.

This was a YA, which I'd forgotten (I bought it probably two years ago, if not longer, on the recommendation of a friend who'd also recommended You.) I didn't really connect with the story until about halfway through, when the action and tension pick up. The first half felt boring and more focused on a burgeoning romance, but the second half brought the suspense. Which is funny, because we know who the killer is about halfway through the book. Everyone does. What we don't know is WHY they're killing kids in this small, rural town.

This was billed as unflinching, with some harsh deaths, but I felt that the deaths, though they were creative, were so quickly touched on, with no suspense drawn out, that I wasn't all that compelled by them. Again, not until about halfway through. Until I reached that halfway point, I wouldn't have recommended the book. But I read the last half over the course of two days, lugging the book around with me everywhere I went.

I actually liked the diverse cast of characters. I just didn't connect with them as early as I would have liked to, and I can't put my finger on why. When I think about it, they're not multi-dimensional right away. That came later. There were some cliches employed in terms of red herrings, characters, and implication of a large event in the character's life that ended up being disappointing in the scheme of things, etc. I wasn't sure who the killer was (and looking back, I don't think there are hints laid out about it, which means it wasn't effective), but I knew who it wasn't, and was irked at the finger pointing, because it felt too obvious. There was also head hopping. Though it never became confusing as to who was thinking what, it took me out of the book as a writer. Would it have bothered me if I wasn't? I have no idea. But it did.

CURRENTLY READING: The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson.

MOVIES

If you have Shudder, there's a hysterical horror movie on there entitled Tammy and the Teenage T-Rex, (also billed as Tammy and the T-Rex), featuring young Denise Richards in her first starring role and young Paul Walker. This is pure, comedic ridiculousness. A teenage boy gets killed, and a mad scientist (the actor who played Bernie in Weekend at Bernie's) transplants his brain into an animatronic dinosaur, who then seeks out his girlfriend and the people responsible for his death. This is sci-fi horror. It reminded me of a non-scary Reanimator. It made me laugh and roll my eyes, but in the best way.

Also on Shudder, The Marshes was a creepy gore-fest. It's an Australian horror flick about three biologists who trek into the marshes to gather information, only to find a terrifying killer with supernatural powers. And rude, ignorant, hicks. It's funny to me to see that cliche appearing in movies created in other countries. This wasn't the best movie in the world, but it was tense and kept me interested.

Finally, my husband and I happened across a Chuck Norris movie I wasn't familiar with, called Silent Rage. It turned out to be a creepy, sci-fi thriller, which was unexpected. I grew up on Chuck Norris action flicks, and there's an element of that in this film, but I didn't remember anything like this. A trio of doctors perpetrate genetic experimentation on a man, who goes crazy and kills several people. The police shoot and kill him, but the doctors get him back and heal him. He goes on a silent killing spree, no longer able to speak, but making animalistic noises. The actor, Brian Libby, was excellent at being creepy. What he conveys through body movements, growls, and facial expressions is eerie and frightening. He was a large man who also happened to be oddly flexible. I enjoyed this both as a kickback to my childhood, watching Chuck Norris singlehandedly take out a bar full of bikers, and as a surprisingly freaky sci-fi thriller. Ron Silver, another old favorite, is also in the film.

TV SHOWS

For a feel good show, I've been watching AJ and the Queen. I'm enjoying seeing RuPaul in an acting role that feels true to him, yet stretches his acting ability. An aging drag queen ends up with a street smart, mouthy child tagging along on a trip around the south for a succession of drag shows. An ex-boyfriend of the drag queen has stolen his life savings, and now hunts him, because he turned the thief in to the police. There are several standout actors in this, but the one who has surprised me the most is Tia Carrere. I've never been a fan of hers, but her character is so out there and hysterical that I enjoy every moment she's onscreen. Available on Netflix.

For True Crime, I've been watching Nightmare Next Door about murders in small towns around America. It took me some time to get used to the narrator (maybe I expect them all to sound like the Forensic Files guy), but he got more serious, with fewer quips and lame one liners, after the first season. Available on Hulu.

PODCASTS

I don't think I've mentioned this yet. I've never been able to listen to podcasts, because I have trouble listening to someone speaking if I don't also have a visual, which makes podcasts and audio books something I don't typically imbibe in. However, I read a book put out by the two women who run this podcast, and decided to give it a try. Now I'm hooked. The way I've solved my lack of attention span is to take a bath most evenings and play Solitaire on my phone while listening to the podcast. It's called My Favorite Murder, and I listen to it free on Spotify. This is a comedy true crime podcast led by two women: Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark (sometimes jokingly referred to as KilHard or HardKil, which both work well for the subject matter.) Their fans are called murderinos, and consist of those of us who grew up fascinated by true crime (not awestruck by it, not fangirling over serial killers, but fascinated by the mentality behind it and seeking some explanation for the horrors perpetrated by these people) and freaking people out by wanting to talk about it. Their motto is "Stay sexy and don't get murdered."

No links today since this is a huge post already, but I'll see everyone on IWSG day!

Do you know much about the background of magical realism? Have any recommendations for these three genres? Read any of the recommended books or authors, and would you recommend them? Do you seek to read new and different genres outside what you're typically drawn to? Seen any of these shows or movies, or read the books? What about the podcast? Do you have a true crime podcast you'd recommend? What are you watching and reading this week?

May you find your Muse.

Mother Goose and Other Lovable Sidekicks

I was watching Top Gun the other day and thinking how I always liked Goose way better than Maverick, and it got me thinking on lovable sidekicks in books and movies. It's an often used trick in a book or movie, going way back. It's become a requirement in Disney movies, with the sidekick typically being an animal of some sort. My daughter loves Pasquale in Tangled, for instance. In fact, we found a stuffed chameleon at Rainforest Cafe and she just had to have it to carry around, as she aspires to grow up and be Rapunzel (sigh).

Before Disney there was Sherlock's Watson, probably one of the most well known literary sidekicks around (a relationship, in fact, copied in a Disney movie: The Great Mouse Detective). Watson acted as a bit of a foil to Sherlock's eccentricities. He also provided a bit of heart in contrast to the somewhat cold Sherlock.

Now, maybe it's just me, but Goose is one of the first sidekicks that pops into my mind. He was well written and played, lovable, warm and funny. While Maverick was, well, a maverick, Goose was dependable, loyal and sensible. He was a husband and father who sometimes egged Maverick on and sometimes tried to rein him in. Goose, in a word, was awesome.

So how does one write a perfect sidekick that hits all the right spots? What are the rules of sidekicks? They frequently get killed off when not a part of a series. If they're well written their death serves as a type of emotional blackmail to elicit sadness from the reader and willingness to root for victory on the part of the main character. Examples of this are Goose, of course, and Sid from An Officer and a Gentleman. *(I'm trying to use older movies here so I don't give anything away in a more recent one). Both are killed, and both breed a new determination in the protagonist.

The first rule seems to be that a sidekick must be likable. The audience wants to root for this person. I imagine this is the most necessary when the protagonist is not necessarily the most likable person. Maverick is a bit of a juvenile, Mayo is a bit of an ass, etc. Sure, we still root for the protagonist, but how much of that is due to the sidekick who we'll do anything for? If you take Goose out of Top Gun what are you left with? The only relief from a bunch of cocky guys is a light moment where we get to see those same guys shirtless and playing volleyball. Otherwise, the movie is strictly testosterone driven.

Frequently, the sidekick is also amusing, whether they're the class clown or just sarcastic. They bring levity to books and films that may be a bit heavy, dark or serious. They lighten things up, give us a laugh, and transition us into the next heavy scene.

They also tend to be a foil to the protagonist, someone who is their opposite. This causes a pleasant sort of friction between the characters, which can work in differing ways to control or encourage the protagonist. Sometimes it even leads to a fight or a break in the partnership, but they always eventually come back to each other. This opposition often includes the likable and amusing requirements, as their ideal protagonist is somewhat hard to like, as well as very dark or serious.

Finally, they are usually the same sex. Not always, but more often than not. At this moment, I can't think of an example where they're not both male or both female, but I'm sure one will pop in my head later. This makes them better able to be good buddies without relationship woes getting in the way. It also makes it so the sidekick may be more accepting of the protagonist's flaws. They know the protagonist better than anyone else, yet they love them anyway. A male and female might clash a bit more and be less accepting of the other's issues.

On a quick note, I've seen some examples in recent years of the protagonist being the one who is goofy, sarcastic and klutzy, always making stupid mistakes, whereas the sidekick is the serious ass kicker of the pair. I would have to say that I see this more often in female pairs than male, but that may just be because I read more within those parameters. Kim Harrison's main characters fit this bill with the protagonist Rachel Morgan, a witch with many flaws who makes mistakes, and her faithful sidekick Ivy, the serious and dangerous vampire. These books have also broken the no relationships rule, as there has been sexual tension between the two in parts of the series. To top it off, there is also a male sidekick named Jenks, who is a pixy. He provides some of the comic relief and is a lovable family man (he's also far too tiny to have a sexual relationship with). She just broke all kinds of rules, but it works.

Of course, these rules are more guidelines than actual set rules. Their presence may be common, but it most definitely does not appear in every book or movie. Sometimes the protagonist is their own comic relief, their own foil, and/or they are likable. The true first rule is that there are no set rules in writing.

Who are your favorite sidekicks? Are there any rules/guidelines you think I left out?

Happy Writing!