24 Hours of Madness

This weekend, my husband was gone for 24 hours. So, for all intents and purposes, I had 24 hours to get in as much trouble as possible. 

To be honest, my idea of trouble varies. And this weekend, “trouble” really is all about trying to do as much as I can -- things I can’t always get done with him around.

So, here’s the plan:

Hour, by hour, I’m going to do a little of something else. Things, I haven’t been able to get to in a while, since, as this was a holiday weekend, I’ll have the time. I hope.

Here’s the list:

• Finish the baby blanket for a friend’s shower next weekend
• Go through the winter and summer clothes -- pack away the summer stuff and put out the winter stuff (and get rid of things I’m never going to wear again)
• Finish up projects I started for Christmas and Birthdays (a lot more knitting, but some jewelry making)
• Watch my programs -- I have a lot of TV to catch up on. Weekends are usually my time, but we’ve been off and running for several weeks now. I have A LOT of shows I haven’t seen.
• Get some exercise.
• Most importantly: Writing. I have several …. let’s call them projects... that need finishing. and without my darling dearest, it gives me a good chance

Shall I share with you the results of my insanity?

What I’m Reading and Drinking: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

Recently I read most of the Millennium series, starting with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo—I’m on the last book now. And I love Lisbeth Salander as a heroine. One of the reasons I picked up these books is that I’m writing my own bad-ass woman-warrior heroine in a fantasy project—and I feel I have a lot to learn from Stieg Larson.

Tough, stoic warriors of Lisbeth Salander’s type are hard to write. Lisbeth is withdrawn and antisocial—to the point where other characters in the book speculate she has Asberger’s Syndrome. It’s hard to draw a reader in when writing that kind of character. You need a foothold for the reader to relate to her—and start to care about her.

Larson does this through action. Lisbeth is a scary person in a lot of ways—she makes Katniss Everdeen look like a cuddly baby sloth. But you also see some terrible things happen to her. Some of these scenes can be tough to read.

There’s a really graphic rape scene in the first book, and for that alone I wouldn’t recommend this series for a YA audience or even squeamish adults. But that’s an important scene. It establishes Lisbeth’s vulnerability early on. She’s bad-ass, yes. But terrible things also happen to her. She can’t always protect herself. This is a great way to make readers care without drawing us into the character’s emotional life.

Salander expresses herself through action, not a reflective voice. Despite her innate reserve, she makes the story come alive. She drives the plot forward. Whenever we see Lisbeth, she is acting, not reacting. She’s unpredictable. That makes her exciting. And while she’s not introspective, her voice is very human when we do hear it.

The female warrior in my project, who is quite different from Lisbeth in a lot of ways, is also withdrawn and stoic. I’ve struggled to make readers care about her as a character while keeping that stoic personality. I want her to function like Lisbeth—fuelling the plot forward every time we see her, like the burning heart of a freight train. Notes I’m taking from Stieg Larson: Make her an actor, not a reactor. And make her vulnerable in what happens to her—don’t be afraid to show her losing.

As for what to drink while I read this book—I’m thinking port. It’s blood-red and heavy. Like this book, it catches up on you slowly—but when it does, there’s no stopping it. And it’s a little old-fashioned, matching perfectly with the restrained language of the translation.

So: Enjoy!

Zombie Survival Plans at the Ready . . .

The World War Z trailer is here!

If, like me, you read the brilliant book (I loved the book so much) then you'll have been eagerly awaiting this trailer. I'm not sure what to make of it to be honest. The book is episodic and told from the point of view of a UN reporter who is travelling around the world, post zombie apocalypse to get the first hand accounts from survivors of how the epidemic started. This isn't quite what I pictured when I read the book. But Brad Pitt + Zombies = I know where I'll be June 2013!

In the meantime I'm just going to revisit my Zombie Survival Plan . . .

Just in case.

You never know . . .

Jane Austin Chiffon Cupcakes with Green Bean Cranberry Frosting (?!)

Okay, this is just too sweet not to share:

I've become a ... well, lets say rabid fan wouldn't be too far off. I am a HUMUNGOUS Austen fan and I love quirky takes on classics, so this is right up my alley. This version of Elizabeth feels ... right in the modern setting. And I love the bit about the green-bean-cranberry jello (watch them all, you'll see what I mean).

Things have been heating up. Last Monday, Darcy (!) finally made an appearance at the end as a teaser and even though anyone who has read the books knows what's coming next, I was biting nails until this one came out:

AND THEN, this Monday, we have this:

::sighs:: The Letter.

SQUEEE!! (I don't do that often, by rule. That and I hate loud, high pitched noises, but I reserve them for goofy things like this. ;) )

So please enjoy this cupcake of Austinesque goodness.

Genn, Jenny, what do you think? See you Friday, Jenny!

Nerditude!

I’ve never been called a geek, so it’s a bit tricky to write a ‘Geek Manifesto.’ I’ve been called a nerd. A lot. I’ve been told the difference between nerds and geeks is something to do with a love of the sciences vs. a love of the humanities. I am not sure I believe this at all, but I’m just relaying the highly inaccurate facts as they’ve been laid out to me.

So, this is more of a Nerd Manifesto for me. Which, in a way, feels more right.

Pour Me Another: Moon Over Soho

I’m in the middle of reading Moon Over Soho, a book by Ben Aaronovitch. It’s the second book in his Rivers of London series. I swear I’m hearing strains of Sting’s Moon over Bourbon Street as I read this story. And no, I’m not finished reading, but the way I’ve been going after it, I’ll probably finish by early next week. Not that it’s a popcorn read, just that it’s really, really good, and I love the voice PC Peter Grant has. I devoured Rivers of London, so of course I recommend this one.

What I’ve been drinking -- or thinking of drinking -- while reading this book has been a snakebite. Sweet, meaty with a sudden sharp bite. It’s a book that goes down quick and easy, so quick and easy that, like a snakebite, you find you’ve come to the end only to realize that going so quickly, you missed something and it’s going to come back to bite you.

Recommend: Moon Over Soho and Snakebite (½ pint hard cider, ½ pint lager)

Popcorn for the soul

Confession time, I love Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter series.  Love it. Though some of the later books have been a bit of a let down for me, the early books are fantastic. Well, fantastic in that guilty pleasure read way. But, maybe I should start at the beginning.