Thursday, August 29, 2013

The Thief, Some Science and a Couple of Contests

I don't know about you all, but this has felt like one loooooong summer to me. I am so ready for Fall! But, before we say goodbye to August, I wanted to share some things you might find interesting....

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I am a HUGE fan of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. I read it years and years ago, fell in love with it, then promptly sent Mr. Zusak a gushing, geeky fan email to which he very kindly responded. So, when I heard TBT was going to be turned into a movie, I was nervous, torn between wanting to see it and not wanting to see it...until I saw the movie trailer and fell in love with it all over again. I don't even care if it's different than the book - the movie looks amazing in itself.



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Kate, over at My Next Life, is running a custom art contest. She just finished up a project and she's "dying to create something else." Lucky for us! You've got some time - winner announced on September 25th - but don't wait too long. Head on over and check out how to enter. (No worries - it's really easy!)

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Lisa Cron wrote a fantastic post, "6 Ways to Make Sure Your Reader's Brain Syncs with Your Protagonist's Brain," over at Writer UnBoxed. I've been trying to apply her Wired for Story to my WiP but her book is so meaty that I think I'm just going to sit and read it through, absorbing as much as I can first. 

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Did you know that literary agent Janet Reid runs flash fiction contests? I'm not sure when her next one will be, but keep an eye out. The contests are a lot of fun and a real creative challenge. I love seeing what everyone comes up with - the talent out in the blogosphere is amazing!

And under the "toot my own horn" category, two of my entries received recognition: 

For "A Dangerous Fiction" Contest = Special Recognition for Entries that had a Wonderful Line

For the "Gone Fishin'" Contest = Not Quite A Story But Just Glorious Imagery 

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Are you ready for Fall? Do you plan on reading - or re-reading - The Book Thief? Will you see the movie? Going to enter Kate's contest? How about Ms. Reid's next one? Have you read Wired for Story?

26 comments:

  1. I will definitely see this movie! I wonder if I have time to read the book before the movie comes out? And YES I am definitely ready for fall! It's my favorite time of year :)

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    1. I think the movie comes out in November, and the book isn't huge in terms of the number of pages. I would definitely try to read it first - I might give it a re-read myself. :)

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  2. I'm always ready for fall! Cooler weather and football.
    Hope the movie version of The Book Thief doesn't disappoint you!

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    1. I can't wait to walk on the beach - and not sweat to death - when everyone else is walking through snow! :)

      And fingers crossed for The Book Thief....

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  3. Oh, I fell in love again too! I love that book and the idea made me nervous but it DOES look great! Perhaps we're sharing a brain!

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    1. I'm getting better at not getting so upset when the book and movie don't match up. I'm trying to look at them as two different entities, each enjoyable - or not - in their own way. But TBT looks like it's going to be awesome in both respects. :)

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  4. We has such crappy weather this spring that I'm not ready to see summer leave just yet, so I hope it sticks around a little longer over here. The trailer looks great, but I guess they always do. Hope the movie doesn't disappoint. And thanks for sharing the links, lots of good ones to check out. :D

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    1. I hope you enjoy those links, Elise. Definitely some good stuff there. :)

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  5. I LOVE fall! My favorite time of the year by far. I always love turning the calendar over to September. :)

    Yay for tooting your own horn. :D I'm not surprised at all that your stories were recognized, they are always so good.

    Happy weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Julie! Maybe give it a try yourself next time? :)

      Happy weekend to you, too!

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  6. Congrats on getting your stories recognized! I am also SO ready for fall and envious of all the reading you're doing. I've been pretty disconnected from the uber talented blog-o-sphere lately and it's good to be reminded that there is so much going on that people like ue could (and should) participate in.

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    1. Thanks, Beverly!

      I find the wealth of information on the Internet so overwhelming, and I always appreciate it when someone narrows things down or points out something particularly fun or useful. I hope my posts do that for others. :)

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  7. I'm 1/2 way through The Book Thief, and the movie preview motivated me to get through it quick. It's such a lovely story, but definitely not one where you feel compelled to flip pages as fast as you can. So beautifully written...

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    1. It's so hard to not hurry through it because you want to see what happens but the writing is so lovely you want to slow down, too. :)

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  8. This is all good stuff. I didn't know the book thief was going to be a movie! The trailer does look fantastic. Off to read Lisa's post...

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Lisa's post is fascinating - I hope you enjoy it.

      Enjoy your weekend!

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  9. I love THE BOOK THIEF and I didn't know it was being made into a movie. Thanks for sharing the trailer. Just watching it brought up all the emotions I felt while reading the book.

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  10. I'm not quite ready for fall, but it's coming fast. I'm looking forward to seeing one of my fave books, Ender's Game, made into a movie too . . . although I'm sure it will be different from the book and the way my imagination portrayed the characters.
    I haven't read Wired for Story yet.

    Congrats on your story recognition!!! Way to go!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy Ender's Game when it appears in movie form. :)

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  11. I do need to read that one; I've heard good things. Congratulations on the positive feedback! I always enjoy your stuff.

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    1. Thanks so much! I would definitely read The Book Thief - it might even be a good one for your students.

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  12. There's something about autumn that gets me in the writing mood. Thanks for all the tips and links, and congratulations on your story recognitions.

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    1. Thanks! I hope the cooler weather inspires some great writing for you. :)

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  13. Tooting your own horn is always good - congratulations on the recognition.

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