A Holiday and a Date Night

DH had Presidents' Day off so after sleeping in, we went to a matinee. The first time we've been to the cinema since the week before Thanksgiving of 2022. So there will be a movie post next Monday.

Then our theater has the re-release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, so I'm dragging DH to see that one tonight. Also, I stayed up on Sunday night because TNT was having a Marvel movie marathon. I watched Ant-Man and the Wasp as a refresher, then Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

I don't care what anyone says. I loved the 2005 and 2007 FF movies.

Anyway, it may not seem like I needed the break this week because my readers don't cross the series streams, but I've been writing like crazy since January 1st, plus working on tax stuff since February 1st. So, yes, I definitely needed a break.

At least, I finally talked to my CPA. Yay! The first good news is I don't have to claim my Kickstarter campaign funds as income until I completely distribute the rewards. The second good news is that the taxing of estate-related wealth hasn't changed too much since I stopped practicing probate and estate planning law. I feared a gigantic amount due to the IRS, but I think we'll be okay.

But it means I need to redo some of my reports and figures before sending off the paperwork. So tomorrow, I'll be back on the grind.

And lest you think I did nothing writing-wise, I've been sprinting with some writer friends for 2-3 hours each day. Heck, I even got up early (for me) to sprint, which is why I didn't do my blog until now, and I'll write some more after DH goes to bed tonight. But, gosh, I needed to fill my creative well!

Coronavirus Pandemic Day 524 - Will Monday Movie Mania Ever Come Back?

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a regular feature on my blog where I reviewed whatever motion picture DH and I had seen at the local theater over the weekend.

Back in the early days of our marriage, Friday was date night. We hit a local restaurant and went to see a movie. EVERY Friday. When Oscar nominations came out, we'd viewed nearly every nominee. Those we hadn't seen yet? Well, that was the mission--see them before the actual awards broadcast.

Once GK was born, we had to back off on trips to the theater until he was old enough to go with us.

I was thrilled when 2020 rolled around. There were lots of things scheduled for release I wanted to see. GK was off being an adult. And DH and I started off with Birds of Prey.

That turned out to be the last movie we saw in the theater. When I returned from a writers' workshop, we discussed seeing Bloodshot at the theater. I didn't feel comfortable going since I tend to pick up every germ in a ten-mile radius. The following Monday, Governor DeWine shut down Ohio.

We've resorted to watching new or recent releases on one of the various streaming services we subscribe to. Granted, it's not the same as being in a theater with greasy popcorn and a zillion mouthbreathers.

However, I don't know if the change in venue is affecting my perceptions, or if the movies I would normally love have truly gone downhill.

Wonder Woman '84 could have been better. Bloodshot was boring even by Vin Diesel standards And don't get me started about The Suicide Squad.

Stellar cast, stellar director, and a what-the-holy-fuck script.

I know things won't be the same after the pandemic, but I'm damn well going to deliver better entertainment in my books than the crap I've been watching lately.

You people deserve it.

Scenes That Would Never Work in a Book

When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorites movies ever. Just as there are books that don't translate well to movies, this is a movie that could never be accurately translated to a book.

Showtime, Synergy?

If you read my blog, you know I've been jonesing for Hasbro to give Jem & the Holograms the same big screen treatment they have for Transformers and G.I. JOE. Well, I might be getting my wish.

Director Jon M. Chu is casting for a live-action Jem movie! He did G.I. JOE: Retaliation. (I still haven't forgiven Jon for killing off Duke at the beginning of the movie, but that's not the point of this post.) Currently, he's looking for (1) fan support and (2) auditions.


For additional information, check out jemthemovie.com

So what do y'all think?

[Edit to add: Good Goddess! This post is up for less than a minute and it's already got a couple of pings.]

How Do You Define Success?

Lately, I've had people say things about me hitting  the New York Time Best Seller List. Or signing TV or movie deals. Or in the case of DH, making enough money we can pay cash for a little bungalow in Waimea, Kauai.

But these are other people's definitions of success. They are not necessarily mine. Why? I know how some of this stuff works and they don't.

1) Best Seller Lists

First of all, in cases like the NYT and USAToday, the books that make a bestseller list mean that they sold more copies relative to the millions of books available for sale in a given week.

What a lot of people don't realize is that most bestseller lists are manipulated. For example, the NYT separated adult and kids' books when the Harry Potter dominated the charts ten years ago. They separated hard covers/mass market paperbacks/e-books decades ago for the same reason.

During the erotica boom in 2012, Barnes & Noble weighted their best seller list so erotica books didn't show on their Top 125 unless they were published by a trad publisher.

Also, a bestseller can be bought--if you have six figures to spend and you know which stores the list makers pull their numbers from.

So if there's so much manipulation, is my book making the bestseller truly a success?

2) Movie/TV Deals

The odds of a book being turned into a movie or TV are astronomical. I know several writers who have sold options on their books. (A option is an exclusive license to purchase the right to make a movie and/or TV show based on your story.) Not one of the book authors I personally know has had a movie or TV show filmed yet.

Even bestselling authors don't always have their stories turned into film right away. Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire traveled around Hollywood for two decades before the film starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt was finally made. At one point in that eighteen-year journey, Cher was considered for the role of Lestat.

So the odds of one of my books being adapted is next to nil at this point.

3) Money

I'm not going to deny that having extra spending money is very, very nice. I've had it; I haven't had it. But I have learned it's not the end-all, be-all. Yes, the bungalow in Waimea is our dream. If it happens, great. But I've not going to drive myself insane or work myself to death to achieve it.


Each person needs to define what success is to them. Maybe one of these three things defines success to you. If so, more power to you. I hope you find what your looking for. Just don't let other people decide what your success should be. Trust me; it's a sure way to make yourself miserable.

Plot Device

This is just so effing wacky and warped that I had to post this.  Thanks to Stacey Purcell for the link!

Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.