A Reading and Writing Roundup...with Walkers

Here's another eclectic post for you all....

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Is anyone planning on doing NaNo this November? I still haven't decided yet myself. But I am enjoying all the NaNo Prep Posts over at The Office of Letters and Light blog. I particularly liked No Plot? No Problem!: 3 Things to Keep in Mind While Brainstorming and No Plot? No Problem!: In Which a Planning Limit is Proposed (Gasp!)

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I am already a huge Joshilyn Jackson fan so the chance to get an autographed copy of her new novel, Someone Else's Love Story, would be great...and entirely possible! She's doing a Virtual Book Tour for all her fans who can't make it to her actual book tour. She'll sign and/or personalize copies of SELS through the local indie bookstore where she got her start. Oh, and did I mention there will be prizes? The more orders the store gets, the more prizes Ms. Jackson will add!

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This podcast on Author Entrepreneurs - Hugh Howey is one of the panelists - was very interesting and gave me some new things to think about regarding self-publishing. 

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Since I am both a writer and a huge fan of beachcombing, I loved this post - Writing and "Found Objects" and Beachcombing - by author Laini Taylor. Oh, and check out the amazing elephant at the end.

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Is it October yet? More specifically, is it Sunday, October 13th yet? Hey, give me a break - I haven't mentioned The Walking Dead for awhile now! I can't wait! I feel like a kid at Christmas - okay, a weird, Walker-filled Christmas but you know what I mean. 

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Planning on doing NaNo this year? Thinking about self-publishing, if you haven't already? Excited about the return of The Walking Dead or any other favorite TV shows? What are you looking forward to over the next few months?

From Blog Blitzing to The Walking Dead Comes Alive: An Eclectic Post

Here are some things you all might find interesting.... 

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Have you signed up for DL Hammond's Blog Blitz yet? 

I joined early on and it's been so much fun surprising totally unsuspecting fellow bloggers with a day of focused support and encouragement. I've met some great bloggers through the Blitz, like Dana at The Daily Dose, whose Friday posts ALWAYS make me laugh.

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Some book and writing related posts for you:

Over at Writer Unboxed, Robin LaFevers does it again - she talks about how fear affects creativity in "The Uninvited Guest" and then how we have to watch out for ruts in our writing life in "When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left."

I am a big fan of Hugh Howey's The Silo Series - WOOL introduces the silo. SHIFT is the story of their beginnings, and DUST - out this month! - will chronicle their undoing. This post, "Two Years...," shows how much a great story, good writing and a lot of hard work can make dreams a reality.

Literary agent Janet Reid's post, "The Shoe Test," is a great reminder to take out all those unnecessary words in our writing. Check out the comments, too - they're a hoot!

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And this...well, I don't know whether to cry with delight or to scream in total fear.

(The video is short and shows a bit of what went on during the last TWD - Halloween Horror Nights. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hide under the bed....)

From the AMC website:

"Fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead will have a chance to walk in the footsteps of human survivors when Universal Studios Hollywood andUniversal Orlando Resort debut all-new terrifying mazes inspired by Season 3 of the critically-acclaimed, award-winning television series at this year’s “Halloween Horror Nights” events beginning Fri., Sep. 20...

Universal Orlando is also dedicating its entire “Halloween Horror Nights” street experience to The Walking Dead – making this the first time ever that all of the scare zones throughout the park will be themed after a hit television series. Guests brave enough to walk the streets of Universal Studios Florida will encounter iconic scenes from all three seasons of the hit show — including the perilous city of Atlanta and Hershel’s dismal barn — and fleets of blood-thirsty walkers who are hungry for their next victim."

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Are you a member of The Blitz team or do you plan on joining? Are fear or ruts stalling your creativity?  Are unnecessary words bogging down your writing? Are you a fan of The Silo Series? And does the idea of The Walking Dead coming "alive" freak you out as much as it does me? 

Is the Summer Over Yet?

I am sooooo looking forward to the Fall, especially because of the books, movies and TV shows coming out then. Here's a quick sampling of what I'm looking forward to...

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Not only will Joshilyn Jackson's new novel, Someone Else's Love Story, be out in November 2013, BUT she also wrote an e-novella, My Own Miraculous (October 2013) which stars one of the characters from the new novel. It's like the appetizer before the meal, and I am pulling my chair right up to the table! (And, if I wasn't already a huge fan as a writer and a reader, these two posts about how she struggled to write the synopsis for the e-novella - "A Dirty Look Behind the Scenes" and "Why I Call You Best. Why You Are Beloved" - would've made me one for sure.)

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I have a feeling Stephen King's Dr. Sleep (September 2013) will keep me awake long into the night....

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If you're in the mood for a movie this Fall, check out the trailer for Catching Fire...

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But, to be totally honest, I am most looking forward to Season 4 of my favorite TV show, The Walking Dead. Argh, October is so far away!

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Are you looking forward to the Fall? Why? Excited about any - or all! - of these books, movies or TV shows? 

Fun Finds

An eclectic post for you. Enjoy!

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For fans of the late Maeve Binchy - don't despair! Her last book, A Week in Winter, will be available in the US in February 2013. For more information and a brief synopsis, check out this post on The Book Case. I can't wait to read it!

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I can't let the week go by without mentioning the amazing Season 3 premiere of AMC's The Walking Dead this past Sunday. Loved. It. And do you know what else I love? AMC is running the entire episode online! Only for a limited time, though, so don't wait too long if you want to check it out. (Keep in mind that if you miss it, they do tend to run the previous week's episode right before the new one on Sunday nights.) Here's the Season 3 Comic-Con Trailer for a taste:

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Have you all seen the movie trailer for Yann Martel's Life of Pi? I might actually have to get myself to the theater to see it instead of waiting for DVD.

What's on Your Apocalyptic Bookshelf?

"If I had known the world was going to end, 

I would've brought better books." 

(Dale, from the TV show, "The Walking Dead")

Besides making me laugh, this line got me thinking - what books would I want with me if the Super Flu hit or the zombies ruled or the whole deserted island thing happened?

Surprisingly, the woman who waffles over pretty much everything - including whether or not to have waffles for breakfast - knew right off the three books on her apocalyptic bookshelf, followed quickly by two more additions. 

The Stand by Stephen King  (Oh, the irony!)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Any of the Calvin and Hobbes collections by Bill Watterson

Yes, I know - the smart thing would be to choose books about surviving, but since I'm pretty sure I wouldn't last all that long anyway, I'd rather go down reading some of my all time favorite books. They all have a depth and a heart that draw me back to them over and over. The characters are old friends yet the stories offer something new with each re-read. All of the books ground me yet take me somewhere else - a plus when you're hiding from vampires or werewolves or whatever is roaming around out there waiting to eat you.

What books would be on your "end of the world" bookshelf and why?

Living, Breathing Characters . . . in a World of the Undead

If I can learn about character development, then I am there. Even if there are zombies. (Okay, especially if there are zombies.) I am a huge fan of the TV show, "The Walking Dead." Partly because I love a good zombie show/movie/book, but mostly because I'm intrigued by how these complex characters survive in a world where right and wrong is no longer black and white.

Take the character of Daryl Dixon (played by Norman Reedus.) Daryl is a cranky, racist redneck who struggles between being a loner and being a part of the group. In one scene, he's wearing a necklace of zombie ears. In another, he's risking his life to save an African-American member of their group. In a recent online article, Reedus says, "Daryl is this guy who needs a hug, but if you try to hug him, he'll try to stab you. He doesn't want to talk about his feelings, but you can tell there's a lot of feelings bottled up."

Former small town sheriff, Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln,) is the "everyman" who struggles with doing the "right" thing in this new world where doing the right thing could get himself, and everyone he cares about, killed. How do you justify that? How do you choose? His best friend and former partner, Shane Walsh (played by Jon Bernthal,) believes there is no longer a choice: you do what you need to do to survive and you take care of your own. That's it. And yet, you can see the struggle, see a little bit of who Shane used to be die each time he goes down that road.

Look at the "walkers" (zombies) themselves. They were once people - neighbors, friends, family. Early in the first season, a man points a gun at what used to be his wife. He knows he should pull the trigger, put her - and himself - out of their misery. But he can't. He still sees his wife in the zombie lurching in front of him. 

Excellent characters can be found anywhere and everywhere. In this case, it's a testament to the writers and the actors: they've created living, breathing people in a made-up world full of the undead.

Are you a fan of the show? Who's your favorite character and why? Who are some of your favorite characters from books/TV/movies? What makes them so vivid, so real to you?