Blink and You'll Miss It

Happy New Year!

Oh wait, that was five months ago.

Oh well. So, how is everybody doing? Good? Great? Less than stellar? Freakin' Fantastic?

Me, I'm doing well. Spring is coming (bouncebouncebounce) and I adore spring! I want to plant flowers and go for rambling walks through the forest (I'm in Tahoe, so I can do that) and I want to go swimming and have picnics in the mountains and just immerse myself in the weather.

(Yes, I am a fairy, why do you ask? Or a unicorn. It really depends on the day. And the magic.)

Some good things happened this month(s). I went to Barnes and Noble middle of March and spent hours there browsing, which I haven't done in ages. I found the last few seasons of a couple TV shows for a real cheap price and BOUGHT them. I got Ally Carter's book, SEE HOW THEY RUN. (Ally Carter, FYI, is fab. She writes so well and I adore her!) I got coffee and a croissant from the B&N coffee shop, because it was freaking B&N and I was going to ENJOY MYSELF! So there. (Yes, the coffee and croissant were delicious. I have no regrets.)

Then, about a week ago, I received Josh Groban's STAGES LIVE from two adorable sisters when they went to Barnes and Noble (without me, I might add. I had to work, which was RUDE! but the STAGES DVD was a nice consolation prize) and we had an enjoyable evening where we watched Il Volo's WE ARE LOVE concert, followed by Josh Groban's STAGES concert. (Guilty confession: I could watch videos of people singing all day. Unfortunately, I don't get paid to do that. Sigh.) Both Il Volo (consisting of the three adorable Italians, Piero, Gianluca, and Ignazio) and Josh Groban (consisting of himself) are TONS of fun to watch. They are funny, awesome singers, and they give a great show. (Next up, movie/musical binge night, featuring Il Volo in LIVE FROM POMPEII and Josh Groban in AWAKE LIVE.)

Also, I checked out books from the library and they didn't all suck! That was such a surprise for me. Usually I check out so many books, and I go skimskimskim, and then I return all those books to the library, feeling melancholy and sad that there wasn't a single book I liked. This time, out of the six or seven I checked out, I actually liked three or four of them! Surprising, yes? (Funny how most of my good things have to do with books, bookstores and libraries. Shhh, no one mention how many books I have in that closet... or under that bed... or in that house... or on those bookshelves.)

OH! Another good thing that happened - I discovered the remake TV series of Hawaii Five-0, which I LOVE! (and it got renewed for a season 7, which I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT!!!! So, my good stuff doesn't revolve ENTIRELY around books, I guess. I like TV shows, too.) It was a good time for me to find H50, 'cause all my other shows were burning and crashing and dying. So I decided, I don't care if Hawaii Five-0 sounds like a silly show, it's recommended for me on Netflix and I shall watch it. And I did. And I was like, Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang Daniel! (And Steve. Oh m' gosh, Steve! You are a sweet, sad puppy and I love you.) So, I was hooked and watched the five seasons streaming on Netflix in 3-1/2 weeks or less. I swear it was at least three weeks. Treskie seems to believe it was two. I don't think I watched them THAT quickly.

Then I did have some crappy things happen. Like, I didn't make it to confession last Sunday, which means it will be four weeks before I can actually go. To quote Captain Haddock, "You don't know what that means." You feel soured with life. You feel mean and small. Kind of like Gollum. Sort of thin. Stretched. Like butter scraped over too much bread.

Then, I have gotten a couple more agent rejections. I know it's just business, but still. You feel unhappy getting those rejections. Kind of small. Sad-like. (I believe in you, Dragon! One day, your story will be told, and not just to my sisters and my writing group. I promise!)

Last, and most depressing of all, the fourth book in a series I have adored since book one, and which I have been waiting to be released since I finished book three in April last year, ended up making two of the best main characters gay. Since one was a Catholic (and honestly, freakin' HAWT), I was pretty upset that happened, and I'm thankful I didn't end up reading book four. (My sister Treskie did that for me, and when she told me, I went into a grieving state which I'm still not quite over.) I think the thing about this book that makes me so depressed is that, from the beginning, there is this quintet consisting of four boys and one girl, and they are nothing BUT friends. There is a slight romance between the girl and one of the boys, which later transforms into a deeper romance between the same girl and a DIFFERENT boy, but the the boys themselves are like a foursome of brothers. There was nothing romantic in there at all. So to see the author (whom I have loved and adored for the past five years, and now feel utterly betrayed by) obeying the trend of the world and writing two of the boys as gay (when they are both honestly too manly and moral to do that) infuriated me. I was like, "What's wrong with just being friends? What's wrong with just being BROS?! Don't people like bros anymore!?" (Note to self: Write story about BROS. Emphasize the BRO-ness. Steve and Danny bro-style.)

So, that upset me. Depressed me. Made me cry. Utter lamentations. Rewrite the book in my head. Turn to Diana Wynne-Jones for comfort. (I can always count on her to make me feel better!)

Anyhoozle, that's what's been going on for me. Tonight, as it is May the Fourth, Treskie, Panda and I are going to watch The Force Awakens. Pandy has not seen it (Shhhhhhh, don't tell her about the really shocking thing that happens!) and as it was the one Star Wars movie I liked perhaps as much as A New Hope, I'm excited to rewatch it.

May the Fourth be With You!!

Cheers!

Le Cat

Music Recommendations from the Escapist. (That's me. :-)

Today I'm going to share MUSIC!!!

Everyone loves music. Best thing about one song too, is how short it is. A book takes a good couple of hours (at least) to finish. Same with movies. A single song can be listened to in two to six minutes. Sometimes less, sometimes more. But 'round about that much time.

So here are my recommendations!!

Featuring Music:

1.) BRAVE, BY JOSH GROBAN - Inspirational

This song is rich, inspirational, with a driving kind of sound that makes you want to be brave, even if you feel like you aren't. This song is my pick-me-up song when I'm feeling down. It's one of those, "You don't think you can get through this. You're just an ordinary person. There's nothing special about you. But don't you see, that's why you are special. You don't think you can keep going, but you do. And that makes you brave," kind of songs.

Source

I ADORE it. I like to blare it in the car and sing to it loudly. It helps make you feel oh so much better. Of course, he's got the most amazing voice too, which makes it *that* much better. :)

Source

-----------------------------------

2.) STARLIGHT, BY TAYLOR SWIFT - Romantic

This song... well, all I can say is the second verse REALLY reminds me of me, especially if I'm the person who is getting talked to. :) And the bit where she says, "We could get married, have ten kids and teach them how to dream," well, that just made me cry. Still does, actually, if I'm in *that* kind of mood.

Source

I love the idea of dancing like you're made of starlight. This whole song kind of has a nostalgic, dreamy kind of feel, as though daring you to dream. I love it so much, you guys!

Source

-----------------------------------

3.) CELLO WARS (STAR WARS PARODY), BY THE PIANO GUYS - Instrumental, humorous

If you have never heard of the Piano Guys, here you go. You're welcome.

Source

All of their videos are amazing. The Piano Guys mainly consists of one Piano Guy and one Cello Guy, with the Video Guy, Audio Guy, and another Video Guy occasionally making appearances. Their parodies, like this one, is hilarious, and they have an amazing talent for blending popular songs with classical songs. Give them a look on Youtube. They have two CD's available now! (I own them both. They are BRILLIANT musicians!)

Source

-----------------------------------

So there you go. Your music for the week. I hope you enjoyed that. A little Brave, a little Starlight, a little Star Wars... something for everyone, right?

God bless!

Cat

Today is Saturday: On Everything Else

All rights, peeps, I'm setting myself a blog schedule. That's right, you heard me! From now on, come h--- or high water, I'm going to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. (Did you like my discreet edit of that actual word there? I try to keep it clean. :-)

Monday will be my "On Writing" day, where I talk about all things writing, whether it be my writing, a friend's writing, or a learned author's recommendations on writing.

Wednesday will be my "On Reading" day, where I talk about all things reading, whether it be my stuff I've read and what I've learned, a friend's writing and what I learned from them, or just a book I'm reading and what I've learned or come away with.

Saturdays will simply be about everything else under the sun, such as the snow that fell last week, the way the sun is shining, the new book I found at the bookstore. I may possibly insert such anecdotes into my other posts, and I may occasionally add a bonus post or two (or three or four, depending on how motivated I am during a week) that are simply about life, but the above schedule is my intended resolution.

So today is Saturday: On Everything Else. On to the fun stuff.

Well, I have to tell you, I'm a real music lover. I've decided that the best way to get someone into a happy spot (after food, the all time happy spot finder) is through music. Today, I bought one of those nature sounds CD's that usually play piano or instrumental melodies set to the background sound of ocean waves, wind, or rain. I love those CD's... I don't know why. Actually, yes I do. Those nature sounds CD's put me in a happy place, in a place of relaxation and rest, where I can actually let go of my mind and think.

When I sit on a couch (or at my desk, or on my bed, or curled up on the floor in a blanket) and write, I love to have some sort of instrumental music playing. It blocks the noise from the world, and lets me settle into my zone. Usually I have soundtracks, but nature CD's seem to work even better. There's something about the nature sounds, I think, that can let my easily deluded mind visualize an outside place, some sort of primeval landscape, a forest stream, maybe, where my thoughts go straying.

While we're at it, I like to have a cup of tea, too. With honey. And some lovely whipping cream. Mmmm. Maybe I should add a cupcake. Chocolate. After all, chocolate is a natural anti-depressant, and after I re-read a chapter of my story, whichever I'm working on (I know, I oughtn't to re-read. Bad, bad Cat!), I can be depressed. Hence, the chocolate.

I'm set, I think. Let me just plug in...

Aaaaah. Listen to that thunder roll. I'm in my happy place. Let the ideas flow!

Whoops. That's okay. I can make more tea later. I can clean that spill later, too. Right now, the words are all that matter.

Music and Words

All right, I'm taking a poll.

Okay, not really.

But seriously now, how many writers NEED to listen to music while they write? Hmm? Hmm? Raise your hands. C'mon, get them up there.

Okay. How many listen to vocal music while writing? How many listen to soundtracks? How many listen to classical, opera, country? What's the music you need to listen to in order to get your thought processes going?

I love to listen to soundtracks. There's something about soundtracks that let me visualize scenes, settings, and dialogue of my story through the the crescendos and rifts of the soundtracks. I can't really do vocal music, since I end up singing with the music and concentrating on my vocal delivery rather than on what I'm writing. Neither can I do opera, since I end up trying to imitate the sopranos and giving myself a bad case of the giggles. I love country music, too, and the same problem happens, where I just sing and sing instead of write and write. So, soundtracks are my thing.

Now that I've posed my question, I'm going to turn on my Voyage of the Dawn Treader soundtrack and bury myself in my WIP, Whisper Mansion.

God bless!