Music I've Been Listening to Lately

The new American holiday standard! It's not Christmas without Mariah!

A Question for My Readers

I'm planning to release hardbacks for the 10th Anniversary of the Justice series late next year. The hardback with have all new covers as well, and I hope to do something bling-y like maps and painted edges.

How would you like a bling-y illustrated encyclopedia to go along with the series? I'm thinking foil trim and gilded edging in a very nice hardback collector's volume. It wouldn't come out until 2027, but I would need to start it now to have it ready in time to print by 2027.

What's everyone's thoughts on the idea? 

Monday Movie Mania - The Running Man

DH and I finally had a date night late yesterday after a month of personal chaos. Frankly, we needed it! Out of all the November releases we wanted to see, we went with The Running Man since it looks to be leaving our local theater first.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This version of Stephen King's novel hews much closer to the book that the 1987 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger. It restores Ben Richards original, and much more personal motivation--obtaining medication for his infant daughter.

2) Colman Domingo stands out from the rest of the cast as the host of "The Running Man" show. He's far slicker and scarier than Richard Dawson's host in the 1987 version. Colman brings an odd sincerity to his role.

3) Michael Cera was wildly in a league of his own as Elton Parrakis, a young man who sees an alliance with the main character of Ben as the method to extract revenge on the cops that murdered his father.

4) Josh Brolin was so damn cold-blooded as network executive Killian I half-expected him to be the masked lead hunter McCone, too.

5) The sock that reminds Ben what he's fighting for.

6) The biting commentary on our current U.S. culture.

NOT QUITE CONS
1) As charming as Glen Powell can be, his physique is way too buff for such a poor man. But he captured Ben Richards' anger perfectly.

2) This is America cinema so Ben had to kill Killian personally. I would have a enjoyed a more creative ending if the writers wanted Ben to survive. (He didn't in the book.)


The Running Man is a fast-paced dystopian movie that may hit too close to home for some viewers. However, I enjoyed it greatly! I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

If you ever have any doubts about Joan's writing talent...

A New Normal in Publishing

Amazon launched its Digital Text Platform ("DTP") in November of 2007, the same month they debuted the Kindle. It was a major game changer for e-books.

It was such a game-changer that writers, agents, and publishers went to war over the changing concept of self-publishing. It became easier for some writers to publish stories that mainstream publishing ("trad publishing") didn't want to touch. By the same token, readers had more stories in the genres and subgenres they love instead of waiting for those types of books to become popular again.

After nearly twenty years, we've hit the (relatively speaking) the new normal in publishing.

On the plus side, we don't have the nasty online flame wars online that happened in the beginning of the changes. For the most part people stay in their lanes and don't bother the other side.

The weird thing is that so many agents I used to follow back in the '00's are no longer agents. Even the readers who tried gatekeep via their blogs during the initial chaos no longer have any power. And you know what? That's okay, too.

So many of the authors I followed before the changes hit are still the same authors I follow today. And guess what? A large portion of them have gone indie.

So what it comes down to, I still love my favorite authors, and I get to read a wider variety of the books they enjoy writing. Especially on a day like this when there's five inches of snow on the ground and the temps are below freezing.

All I need is the Princess Pup on my lap, a hot cup of tea, and a damn good story. Life doesn't get any better than this.

Monday Movie Mania - A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

This is the last of the late summer/early fall movies DH and I saw at the theater. We haven't started our holiday viewing yet, though I will try to drag him to the cinema before the weekend is out to see a particular Oz-related flick.


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SPOILERS


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PROS
1) This isn't the typical Hollywood romance film. There's no grand gestures. No wild escapades. It's a bittersweet acknowledgement of the baggage we each bring into a new new relationship, and how, if we let the baggage weigh us down, it can destroy the possibility of love and happiness with the right person.

2) This is the first film of Colin Farell's I've watched that showed a softer side of his masculinity. His everyman David's desire to have a family is transposed with the magical doors showing his parents and his own failed relationships.

3) Margot Robbie's Sarah was the perfect romantic foil for David. Her desire to avoid love in order to avoid pain is also shown through the trips through the magical doors to her own past.

4) Jodie Turner-Smith was pitch-perfect as the GPS trying to get David and Sarah to see their possibilities instead of their past pain.

5) The pacing is leisurely, but appropriate, for this type of a story since it's as much about the characters working through their traumas as it is about them revealing themselves to the viewers.


CONS
1) This is one of those movies you need to be in a certain frame of mind to watch. Otherwise, your lack of attention span will drive you insane.

2) Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridges roles as the comedic relief just didn't work. Both people have excellent comedic timing, but their scenes seemed forced. I have to presume the writing, directing, or editing didn't show their real chops.


Overall, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey is a poignant look at how our pasts affect our future. I give it 9 stars out of 10.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

You know it's a good song when Shrek can fight to it!

Sporadic Blogging Ahead!

My blogging has already been sporadic thanks to several life rolls this year. Just when I think I'm getting back into a regular routine, Murphy strikes again!

Last week, one of the sisters-in law (SIL #4) and her husband went to collect their daughter (Niece #4) from college in Indiana for Thanksgiving Break. They stopped by SIL #2's house since she lives in the same town, having recently retired as a professor from Niece #4's alma mater.

It turned out to be a good thing SIL #4 and family were at SIL #2's place because she fell and broke her arm. Needless to say, SIL #2 needs a little extra help. SIL #4 is there this week.

I'll be heading to Indiana on Saturday to relieve SIL #4 for a week. After that, we'll see.

I've had a broken arm. It was incredibly painful and awkward when I was nineteen. Now, that we're all on the downhill side of 50, we don't bounce back like we did in our teens.

Hopefully, I will be able to get in some words next week in between cooking and caring for SIL #2 and her three dogs. If not? Well, there's always new goals to set for 2026!

The Number of Books on Amazon

According to a recent report I saw, there are approximately 44 million book titles on Amazon right now. That's right. Two fours followed by six zeros. That's a lot of books.

Do all of them sell regularly? No.

Does it matter? Also, no.

Does it freak me out as a writer? Absolutely not.

But as a reader? The thing that bothers me is that I won't live long enough to read all of them.

Seriously.

The thing is reading trends come and go. What's hot today won't be hot tomorrow, and vice versa. Believe it or not, I love that this many books are available!

We live in a time of plenty. (Here it comes!) When I was a kid (TM), I was forced to read the same dang books over and over because there simply wasn't enough books available.

Now? Now, we're living in glorious abundance! We can find any subgenre of genre we could want. In the mood for a certain trope? It's there! Any older book you loved five, ten, fifty, one hundred years ago? You might be able to find it again! There's no limit!

So, who's complaining about the abundance? The authors who feel that readers owe them a living.

I've never really understood this.  In fact, there's a couple of well-known authors who have been and still complain about the tsunami of swill from those of us who started indie publishing from the beginning of the Kindle Age.

Here's the thing those authors don't get. As a reader, I've tried their books. They are not bad writers. It's just their stories aren't my thing.

And that's all right, too.

Just like I know my stories aren't probably their thing. It doesn't make my stories swill.

But with 44,000,000 books out there, it makes it harder for a voracious reader to read EVERYTHING.

At least in this lifetime.

You see, my idea of an awesome afterlife is a gigantic library. One where I can read as much as I want, where my tea is the perfect temperature and my plate is full of cookies. And by the time I finish the current 44,000,000 books, another 44,000,000 will have been written and ready for me to read.

Monday Movie Mania - Roofman

Don't believe the trailers! Roofman is not a romcom, but a dramedy based on a true story. That doesn't mean it's not an excellent film.

We went to see this a few weeks ago before October blew up in our faces. It's definitely cute and enjoyable.


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SPOILERS!


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PROS
1) Kirsten Dunst always delivers, and her Leigh was quite believable. But Channing Tatum was the surprise. He put a little depth in his character Jeffrey. The actors' onscreen chemistry cemented the story.

2) Lily Collins and Kennedy Moyer as Leigh's daughters were realistic, no sappiness or other annoying characteristics.

3) Juno Temple stands out in anything she does, even with her bit part in this flick.

4) Peter Dinklage rocks as Leigh's jerk of a boss. The scene were catches Jeffrey naked at the toy store was side-splitting.

5) Since the story is based on a true life criminal case, I give lots of kudos to the writers and director for not trying to give it a happy ending.

6) the end credit scenes consist of interviews from some of the real life people involved in the case. It's worth watching to understand how the real Jeffrey managed to pull off his con after he escaped from jail.


CONS
1) I can't think of a damn one!


Overall, Roofman is an funny, endearing, and sad look at what people do to survive and love in the modern world. I give it 10 stars out of 10.