Music I've Been Listening to Lately

One last Tay-Tay song for the month.

Easter Weekend and an Eclipse

It's going to be a wild couple of weekends here in Northwestern Ohio.

This weekend is Easter, and we live in the Midwest. What does that mean? Kroger was pretty much wiped out when we went to get groceries tonight. And candy is already on sale 50% off.

Don't worry. I only bought four Reese's Eggs and a bag of Reese's pieces for our little treat. I may even make creamed eggs and toast for Sunday breakfast. I surprised the hell out of my mother-in-law years ago by making it when they came down to Houston for the holiday. She hadn't had creamed eggs since she was a little girl.

I admit I miss coloring eggs with Genius Kid. And creating a treasure hunt to keep him occupied for an extra hour while DH and I slept.

The following weekend will be even more nuts with tourists arriving for the solar eclipse. RVs are already lining up in spaces on the fairgrounds for the big celestial event. The mayor and county commissioners are anticipating fifty thousand to one hundred thousand visitors in Hancock County alone.

In our case, DH and I will slap on some sunscreen and watch from the bench on our front porch. Or we might move the bench to the end of the drive, fill a couple of coolers and hang with the neighbors.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the rain moves out of the area and skies are clear on the day of this once in a lifetime event.

Are Recent Books Boring Or Is It Just Me?

I belong to several newsletters that advertise new books. I'm always looking for a new read. A new author to love.

But for the last few years, it's been weirdly difficult. It's common knowledge that trad publishing goes for the lowest common denominator. Rarely do they take chances on something different.

I truly believed with the advent of indie publishing and no gatekeeping, I'd find more different, engaging stories. Boy was I wrong. I'm seeing indie writers do the same thing as the trad publishers--they're following the herd.

Then both sides wonder why they're not making any money and sales are down.

First of all, we're in the weird recovery period after the COVID-19 pandemic. People expect things to go back to the normal they were pre-2020. It's not going to happen, folks. The post-apoc writers don't seem to realize that we spent the last three years living through a plague that killed millions of people. I honestly think that's why romcom is starting to make a comeback.

(Folks, that doesn't mean you should jump on the writing romcom bandwagon. Do it if you love the subgenre. Otherwise, leave it alone. We readers can tell when your heart's not it.)

Secondly, we in the U.S. are not getting any more stimulus checks. That means with the higher food prices, your average reader has less free cash for entertainment. Writers aren't competing with each other. We're competing with streaming and gaming. So unless writers figure a way to stand out, the general population isn't going to give a rat's ass.

Thirdly, the U.S. presidential election is this year. Setting aside the bullshit of the 2016 and 2020 elections, presidential election years have had notoriously slow sales over the last century because a good chunk of the population is paying more attention to politics. That's fine, and normal. Except the last two elections turned into a circus, and 2024 promises to be the same. Which means even fewer eyeballs are available to read out books.

Last, but not least, is the problem I mentioned above. A majority of writers, regardless of who their publisher is, are playing it safe. They're writing the same pablum over and over again. They use tropes as a write-by-the-numbers guide. It waters down their stories until you can't taste anything new and delightful.

So, if you're an indie writer seeking attention and discoverability, give us readers something new and different. I know I'd love to curl up with something new to read. Something so engaging Miss Bella can have a nice long nap on my lap while I read.

Pay to Play - One of the Ways to Fly

After decades of standing in lines for security checks when I need to fly somewhere, I bit the proverbial bullet two weeks ago and signed up for an appointment to get a TSA Pre-Check number. I drove up to Toledo this afternoon for my appointment.

Things have changed when it comes to flying. A whole lot since my first trip on a commercial airline back in 1988.

When it comes to safety issues, I don't have a problem with most airlines. I'd rather sit patiently while the Detroit Airport personnel de-ice our wings a second time, rather than plunge into the frigid waters of Lake St. Clair in the middle of January. Or divert to Austin when a violent thunderstorm rattles the Bush Airport in Houston.

What I had a problem with was paying to skip the security line. It's awesome for people who can afford the fee, but it sucks for those who can't. Frankly, I've been on both sides of the equation.

So what changed my mind about paying the fee? I turn the big 6-0 soon. It's sinking into my pea-brain that my time is more valuable to me because, let's face it, I'm on the downhill slide to oblivion. And there's people I want to visit and places I want to see (again in some cases) before I lose them.

Over the next year and a half alone, four trips are already lined up, including a class I really want to go to in Las Vegas. If I can breeze through lines with my tiny overnight bag and my backpack, that's more time I can spend with my friends, check out places on my bucket list that I want to see, and revisit my old haunts.

Yep, I know I'm damn lucky to be privileged enough to have these experiences. But like Neil Gaiman's Death say, "You get what everyone gets. You get a lifetime."

And I want to make the most of mine.

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

This needs to be the theme of a vampire movie!

Danger! Agent Alert!

It took me a while to cool down before I wrote this post. Like a couple of days. And yet, I'm still irritated despite some well-meaning friends.

There's been a rash of events scheduled this year for aspiring authors to meet and pitch to agents. Again, the well-meaning friends are sending me the links to these events.

I've published over eighty novels and short stories. I've sold five short stories to anthologies. I wrote a magazine column for four years. But apparently, I'm still a wannabe to my friends.

What's worse? When I was trying to get a trad publisher interested way back in the day, trying to get an appointment with an agent or an editor at a writer event was difficult, if not impossible. But now?

The event I saw for Ohio later this summer (no, I will not link to it) had nearly thirty agents. The organizers are begging for people to attend. Why the hell are all these agents making the trip to the Midwest?

Because they're desperate. Since several retailers have opened their doors to indie publishers, these agents aren't getting the slush pile they used to, much less the income from having a full stable of writers. Now days, most agencies are damn lucky to have a couple of ponies in the back yard.

Again, I know my friends mean well, but what is an agent going to do for me that I'm not already doing for myself? I have three excellent and lovely cover artists when I don't want to make the covers. I have a wonderful formatter. And the last thing I want or need is a corporate editor young enough to be my granddaughter dumbing down my stories.

Seriously, a lot of books I see on the market are repetitious and boring. And the trad houses don't get that's why they're losing so many sales. Even worse, I'm seeing a huge amount of indie writers making the same mistakes as the trad publishers.

Granted, there's no perfect method to becoming a career writer, but each writer needs to find the path that works for them. And what I'm doing right now works for me.

Regardless of what my friends think.

I Miss Craig Ferguson

Someone clicked on my post from ten years ago when I learned Craig Ferguson was leaving the now gone The Late Late Show on CBS. I sometimes wonder what his thoughts on current events would be in the political chaos of the last decade.

When I'm down, I go to YouTube to play his theme song from TLLS. It still cheers me up!

A Very Late Monday Movie Mania - Dune 2

I'm not going to do a SPOILERS warning on Dune 2. For one thing, the book by Frank Herbert on which it's based will turn 60 next year. For another, this isn't the first film adaptation of the book. Nor am I going to compare this version to the previous versions.

Director Denis Villeneuve did the smart thing by splitting the sprawling novel into two separate films. The story is simple two massive for one two-hour movie. While Villeneuve stayed fairly true to the book in the first movie, he massively strayed from the story in Part Two.

If Villeneuve does adapt Dune Messiah as Dune 3, how is he planning to fix the problems he's created by altering some of the major storylines in Dune 2?

Problem #1: Paul's sister Alia is the one who kills Baron Harkonnen in the original Dune book. This leads to the Baron possessing Alia, which causes a lot of problems in the two sequels.

Instead, Paul is the one who kills the baron in Dune 2. Alia isn't even born before the end of the movie. Does this mean the baron has possessed Paul in the Villeneuve version? What does this mean for Alia's personality and actions if Villeneuve turns Dune into a long-running movie series?

Problem #2: Paul and Chani's first son Leto isn't born in Dune 2. The baby's death is one of the motivating factors for both Paul and Chani in the attack on the city of Arrakeen.

Again, Leto isn't conceived in Villeneuve's Dune 2, so he isn't born, much less dies. This change doesn't build the bond between Paul and Chani, one of the few things that keeps Paul grounded. In fact, Chani abandons Paul out of anger and frustration at the end of Villeneuve's Dune 2. So, how is Villeneuve planning to get them back together? The Chani he's written isn't going to just walk back into Paul's life, saying all is forgiven.

It's Paul's love for Chani that spikes Irulan's jealousy in Dune Messiah, and sets into motion another series of events. Does this mean Leto II and Ghanima won't be born in Dune 3? Their survival is the reason Paul renounces his throne and disappears.

Nitpick #1: While I'm glad Villeneuve worked in why Gurney hates the Harkonnens, I prefer seeing Rabban getting ripped apart by the civilians of Arrakeen. It's not that I would deny Gurney his revenge, but after the cruelty Rabban inflicted on the populace, it's a more satisfying ending to me.

Generally, I don't have a problem with minor changes or the removal of subplots in movie or TV adaptations of books. However, these a couple of major alterations that will have ripple effects in any subsequent sequels.

Part of me looks forward to seeing how Villeneuve handles the story with such major revisions. Another part worries Dune 3 will suck because Villeneuve didn't think his changes through.

Overall, the stunning visuals and performances still elevate Dune 2 above many other movies in current release at the theaters. I give it 9 out of 10 stars,

Music I've Been Listening to Lately

The ultimate breakup song for people of all ages!

Sad, Sad Moment at the Oscars

This made me cry angry tears last night. So many of DH's work colleagues used to live in Kyiv.

Music I've Been Listening To Lately

The first time I really listened to Taylor was during my move back to Ohio ten years ago. This song was playing often on the radio, no matter what state I was in or the radio station I was tuned to. And I still play it whenever I get a nasty review.

Silence Falls...

...during the U.S. Tax Season.

Yep, I'm trying to get the dang taxes done. The worst part is reconciling all the medical stuff. I try to keep up every year, but invariably, what the Flex Spending Account says we spent and what Quicken says we spent are two different things.

So, don't expect a whole lot from me for the next 5-7 days. DH and I did see Dune 2, so I'll try to put up a review on Monday. Initial thought--the cinematography is fabulous! Definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Music I've Been Listening To Lately

The world seems to be going crazy over Taylor Swift for a multitude of reasons. I have to agree with her. Folks need to calm down.

Fri-YAY!

I'm glad it's the weekend. I need a little bit of stress relief.

Scratch that. I need a lot of stress relief.

I'm not getting any alone time. Unless I'm asleep. Even then, I have other entities in bed with me.

Anyone know of any car shows I can send DH to for a week? Or even a long weekend?

Or maybe I can send him overseas with GK.

Goddess, I miss the days when DH was gone for months at a time because of his job!