Camp NaNoWriMo

Anyone else exited about Camp NaNoWriMo? For those who are not familiar with this writer’s version of summer camp, here is the short version of what it is:

Camp NaNoWriMo is associated with the National Novel Writing Month, which occurs every year in November, trying to aid and motivate writers to finish their books, by giving advice, and peer motivation. The associated Camp happens every year April and July, and allows writers in a more open environment do the  same, not limiting the projects to novels, but also including scripts, non-fiction or collections.

This year will be my first year, I will have time to participate. I am planning on updating the process of the work on the Camp website, but also here.

The Project For This July’s Camp Session:

The Keeper – Book One of the World Walker Series – An Urban Fantasy

A Short Synopsis Of The Series:

We are People of Magic. We live amongst you, hiding our abilities from your sight, because you choose not to see us as we are, unless you need our help.

We are much like you, some good, some evil, but we are also not the same as you. Our abilities scare you, you fear our powers, you tell stories about us, in the dark, shadowy nights, frightening your children, forcing us to hide our true identity.

Then the turmoil began.

Now it is time to tell our story, the story of The Conflict that changed everything.

Before The Conflict began, we were simply two magical families, two of many, the Historians, collectors and keepers of the knowledge of our kind and the Guardians, meant to protect us. But that role is no longer enough. Hunted by some of our own kind, hiding from those who do not understand, we changed, we evolved, we learned.

We became The World Walkers.

We have not abandoned you. We will not allow those of our kind, with bad intentions to harm you or one of our own. We will hunt them down, bring them to justice.
One after the other.

This is a war – a war we did not choose. A war that chose us.

A war we will win.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014

Are you participating in the Camp NaNoWriMo this year? What are you writing about?

 

Book Review: Silenced by Dani Pettrey

Title: Silenced
Author: Dani Pettrey
Publisher: Bethany House Publisher
Publishing Date: May 6th, 2014
Rating: 4.5/5
This is book 4 in a series called “Alaskan Courage”. While I usually prefer to read a series from the beginning, even if some books are stand-alone, I do sometimes break this rule, and I am glad I did with this one, as it had come to me to be reviewed.
Full of twist and turns, great and easy to relate characters, with romance and actions, but without being overburdened with background story, Silenced managed to hook me from the first page until the last. I really enjoyed emerging myself into the lives of what where to me, new characters – for fans of the series, I was told there has been a slow build up and many revelations to their connection.
This is not a book you want to put down. Now I am looking forward to all of the other books of the series.

Book Review: Earth Blessings by Judy Hall

Title: “Earth Blessings”
Author: Judy Hall
Publisher: Watkins Publishing
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Rating: 5/5 Stars

The new book “Earth Blessings” by Judy Hall is a must read, not only for those who work with crystals in general, but also for those who care for our planet, the well being of our fellow non-human friends, and any light-worker.
Detailed descriptions on healing grids, in its most varied forms, from grids to heal the bees, to examples on more personal healing. I always enjoy her style of writing, I own several copies of her other crystal books, it is relate-able, and not as preachy as some other books of the same subject.
The layout of the book, as well as the illustrations and pictures, are highly attractive, and beautiful. As a reference book for grids, as a book of healing, and as a book for personal care with crystals, I highly recommend this volume to everyone.

The Becoming – A Flash Fiction Fantasy

The changes where subtle at first, almost not noticeable, and for a while she thought she was just imaging things. She had always been an imaginative person, so it was easy to come to this conclusion, to pretend the truth away.
The tingling in her left hand should have been an indication, but not enough to make her to make a connection. Of course, she remembered the warning of the old woman,  but who listened to old women anyway? Rarely anyone of her tender age, even less so if that older woman looked as crazy in black as that one had.
She should have listened.
The mumbling of merging and destiny where vague, while the mixture, of fear and awe on that hags eyes were burned into her soul.
She should have listened to the instructions, on how to deal with the increasing stiffness, and how to control the merging,
Strangely, it did not hurt, there was no pain, no discomfort, but a cooling sensation as her left arm, slowly became “something else”.
She smiled, interestingly void of fear, the crystal within her growing, becoming her, merging with her, increasingly becoming One.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014

This flash fiction was inspired by Daily Prompt

 

Book Review: Knight of My Dreams

Title: Knight of My Dreams
Authors: Beth Ciotta, Cynthia Valero
Genre: Romance
Publisher: ImaJinn Books
Publication Date: March 31, 2014
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

I tend to be wary of novels that are written in collaboration. Most of the time, the two voices of the Authors tend to collide, leaving a somewhat disconnected feeling for the reader. This is not the case with Knight of My Dreams. There is flow, there are all of the aspects of a romance, even if it’s a fantastical romance, present, over all it’s a well done story.
this is not your traditional historical romance, but a paranormal romance with a historical twist, which is the premise that drew me to it in the first place. I am not a fan of historical romance, not because they are not done well, but because I just prefer contemporary romance over it. Sometimes though, when the back of the book promises a special twist, I reach for them anyway, and I am happy to find some really good novels that way.
This book will leave you spellbound.

Book Review: Embrace Your Magnificence By Fabienne Fredrickson

Title: Embrace Your Magnificence
Author: Fabienne Fredickson
Publishing Date: July 1st 2014
Publisher: Hay House

Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Some self-help books easily pull you into their narrative, while others fail to connect to the reader on a deeper level. Embrace Your Magnificence, never managed to connect with me, leaving not only a lack of the promised assistance, but also a stale feeling that the Author might even doubt the depth of her promise herself.
While the premise is cute and thoughtful, directed toward her daughter, and written with that in mind, it is important to remember the wider audience as well, which was entirely not accomplished. In the vast field of self-help books, where quite a few very good volumes are present, this book is not worth the time, simply because the others have so much more to offer. I was hoping, just because of the premise, that I would have come across at least a pleasant read, but would not offer this to anyone who is looking for an efficient book of this magnitude.

Grudge Match – A Film Review

In those rare occasions that both my husband and I have a Saturday afternoon off, we tend to watch a movie together, that we have not had a chance to see at the theater. This week we finally managed to see “Grudge Match”, a film starring Sylvester Stallone (Razor) and Robert De Niro (The Kid) , as two older gentlemen, former talented boxers, who never got the chance to fight that re-match, De Niro’s character was always hoping for.

Here is the trailer:

We truly enjoyed this movie, not because it was really clever, or had many plot twist, but because it was funny, and took a serious stab at the main actors, who seemed to enjoy making fun of their past roles, while still embodying these characters with graze and depth.

Training Scene:

With the addition of Kim Basinger in the mix, as well as Jon Bernthal as Robert’s characters son, and a few scenes with L.L. Cool J. and you have an entertaining mix, that is worth a watch.

Book Review: Magic City: Recent Spells (various Authors)

Title: Magic City: Recent Spells
Publication Date: May 7th 2014
Publisher: Diamond Book Distributors
Author: Various Authors, edited by Paula Guran
If you enjoy stories that contain magic, wizardry, in an Urban setting, this book is for you. A short story collection that does not disappoint, containing stories by Jim Butcher, Simon R. Green, Holly Black and a few more celebrated Authors who are all delivering well crafted, short tales, that make you want for more. Readers of Fantasy will find this book charming, the different tones of the individual authors complementary, but refreshing in their differences. Read it in sections, if you can, or like I did, devour the entire collection in one setting.

The Woods – A Flash Fiction

“It’s a true story.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, it really happened.”
“No, it didn’t you are just making stuff up again, I am going to tell Grandma.”
“Don’t Steve, please don’t she won’t understand!”
“That you made up another one of those crazy stories about the woods behind the field? Come on, I knew you where lying.”
“I am not lying. She, she, just..”
“She, what? Man, spit it out already!”
“She told me not too go close to woods.”
“Of course not, you’ll just get lost in there. It’s dark, that’s all.”
“That’s not all.”
He laughed, as he turned away from a his little brother and toward the dark, thick rows of ominous trees, the thick shrubs between them, making it impossible to see further then a foot, two, at most.
“I’ll show you, that its only dark.”
“No!”
Stepping further into the thickness, Steve’s eyes widening with surprise, and fear.
“I’ll be damn.”, he whispered, just before cold, and dark hands wrapped themselves around his neck.

Copyright Claudia H. Blanton 2014

 

Alexander (The Movie) – A Review

 

Movie: Alexander

Release Year: 2004

Director: Oliver Stone

Rating: 5/5 Stars

I have always been fascinated by Ancient History. It was my favorite subject in school, and is my favorite subject to teach. Out of this reason, and many others, I decided to watch Alexander, directed by Oliver Stone, in its extended cut version, today.

While of course this is a movie rather then a documentary, produced by an epic, and larger then life director, it is essentially the story of a great man. There are sure ways the execution of it could have been done better – rather then switching back and forth within the time line, it could have been done linear, but the care it showed for each individual character was superb. As a fan of Jared Leto, I was drawn to his performance, which was as I expected exceptional, as the best friend, and essentially true love of Alexander. Colin Farrell gave an charismatic, emotional and convincing performance, even if it was considered controversial, and I have a feeling not well received because of that. Glad, that I had only heard of a hint of the controversy about the movie and its main characters relationship with two males, to whom he was closer then any woman, I saw only the depth of their relationship, rather then the dissatisfaction that others have expressed about the film, because of it.
The fight scenes where epic and grant, nothing less is to be expected by an Oliver Stone project. Sometimes the gore was much, but war is not pretty, and should not be described as such, and back then it was even more personal and therefore more explicit. Maybe it also hinted on stereotypes when it expanded to include the people of Asia, but it is after all a movie from the view of a limited worldview, of the times of the beginning of exploration, rather then after it.

In all I really enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed the care of portrayal of each characters, the emotion, the visual execution, and its depth. Having one of my favorite actors, and musicians in its cast (Jared Leto), was the icing on the cake.