Cover Love: Pete Hautman's THE OBSIDIAN BLADE

So. I'm a serious sucker for book covers. 

Actually, not just book covers. Album covers and movie posters also tend to do me in.

But today's post is all about book cover love. You see, there's this book I want to read, and this is what it looks like: 

And this is what it's about:

The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned thirteen. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished — only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear.

Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing — one right on top of the roof — hold the answer to restoring his family. And when he dares to step into one, he's launched on a time-twisting journey — from a small Midwestern town to a futuristic hospital run by digitally augmented healers, from the death of an ancient prophet to a forest at the end of time. Inevitably, Tucker's actions alter the past and future, changing his world forever.

If you'll excuse me, I must go stare at ze pretty cover and rush out to buy The Obsidian Blade, which is in stores now!

Tell me: are you suffering some cover love this week? If so, which ones caught your eye? 

Movie Trailer Monday: LOOPER

Yep, Movie Trailer Mondays are BACK. No. I can't believe it either.

Okay. For today's edition, I'd like to share with y'all the awesomeness that is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Not only is he super talented and nice to look at, but his character is... well... just see for yourself.

Check out the trailer for Looper, which hits theaters on September 28th!

Now tell me: have you seen any awesome movies lately? Recommendations are always welcome! :D

The Legend Of Korra And CHEMISTRY

So. There's this new show on Nickelodeon called The Legend of Korra. 

I am absolutely in love with it.

You see, I never watched the first Avatar series, which is what paved the way for Korra's story. But since plenty of writers gushed about Korra and how the characters/writing/worldbuilding was flawless, I decided to give it a shot. While I'm in awe of those very things, I'm also drawn to something else: Korra and Mako's chemistry. 

I've already expressed my views on how I prefer romances in books, and believe me, Korra and Mako are moving along at my favorite pace. When these two meet during the second episode, Mako's in his zone, super focused on an upcoming task. Korra, on the other hand, is super excited about discovering a world she's been forbidden to belong to. She's all energy and he's all zen. 

And they don't exactly get along.

BUT the tension between them? Holy bananas. They never cross the line into cruel and spiteful territory, but their back and forth suggests that, eventually, these two will warm up to each other. Sure, they're total opposites, but they have a few things in common. And the more they spend time together, I think those similarities will win out over the differences. 

*crosses fingers*

So there you have it. I have found another thing to fangirl over. As if I needed any more, right?

If you watch The Legend of Korra, what do you think about Korra and Mako's chemistry so far???

(Worldbuilding) Rules Are Meant To Be Broken

HELLO, blogging buddies!! It has been A WHILE since I've been around. *slaps wrist* No worries. This week, I kick off my return to ze blogging world! I'm aiming toward a 3-day a week blogging schedule, so let's see if I stick to it. *crosses fingers*

So. Today, I'm here to talk a bit about a movie I saw last week that ruled. My. World. And it did so by breaking ALL the rules. 

Folks, this movie is brilliant. Yes, it's a horror movie, complete with your cliche characters and frequent  (at times cheap) scares. But WHOA. It's not your average gorefest. The film, co-written and produced by the uber-awesome Joss Whedon (Buffy! Angel! Firefly! Dollhouse!), is so, so clever. You think the premise sounds familiar, and you think you know exactly what's going to happen.

You are wrong.

Why? Cabin In The Woods is that type of movie that's aware of the genre it belongs to. So aware, in fact, that it takes its rules and conventions, then twists them in a way that's never been examined before.  In appropriating the rules and conventions of the horror genre, Cabin In The Woods creates its own rules and conventions, the kind that no other horror movie's ever had, or probably ever will. 

This is why I liken it to writers worried about the next hot trend and whether they should pursue it or not. To me, you can chase after any trend you want, but if you spit out the exact same thing with different character/place names, nothing will come of it. You want to stand out? Snag an agent and editor? Study the rules and conventions of the genre you're writing in, then turn them upside down. Don't just challenge yourself as a writer, challenge the genre as a whole. Push it toward new, uncharted directions. That, to me, is what makes a successful story.

Now tell me: have you seen any movies/read any books that challenged their genre lately??? Recommendations are always welcome! 

Happy Monday :)

Blog Chain: In Which I FEEL THINGS

For this blog chain round, Kate wants us to tackle the following topic:

Post pictures, songs, movie clips, poems, or novel excerpts that make you feel. Feel what, you ask? Feel anything. Happy. Sad. Angry. Nostalgic. Hopeful. Hopeless. Jealous. Joyful.

I have read in several different places that YA novelist John Green said of his latest novel, The Fault In Our Stars that he wants to make his readers "Feel All The Things." I would love that someone could go through this blog chain and through what we all choose to post have that same Feel All The Things feeling.

So. Things that make me feel.

Le things:

Photo taken after earthquake hit Japan in 2011 (source)

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

Older students are allowed to roam until the bell, but ninth-graders are herded into the auditorium. We fall into clans: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Big Hair Chix, the Marthas, Suffering Artists, Thespians, Goths, Shredders. I am clanless. I wasted the last weeks of August watching bad cartoons. I didn't go to the mall, the lake, or the pool, or answer the phone. I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don't have anyone to sit with.

I am Outcast.

--Excerpt from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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

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

Outtake from Supernatural episode, "Yellow Fever" (bonus points: JENSEN ACKLES)

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

Dogs + Babies = Awesome (source)

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

"What is there but a dream? You can't trade in your dream for another dream. [...] And I have a special, special note to the kids in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and Segway Institute of Learning in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to dream big, and dream fierce."

--Viola Davis's winning speech at 2012 SAG Awards for her role in The Help. 

There you have it! Some of the things that make me feel. *feels a lot* Make sure to stop by Abby's blog to see her entry, and stay tuned for Sandra's post tomorrow!!

And remember: tomorrow is Operation Awesome's Mystery Agent contest!!! :)

Game Of Thrones + Season 2 Trailer = AWESOME Monday Morning

If you saw Season 1 of HBO's Game of Thrones, you know that show is O_O

Last night, the trailer for Season 2 was released! 

Le trailer:

April 1st cannot come soon enough.

*dies*

Now tell me: do you watch Game of Thrones?? Have you read G.R.R. Martin's books?? (I haven't, but it's on my to-do list!). Are there any other shows you're excited about???

Chemistry: The Adorable Edition

Confession: I am OBSESSED with Once Upon A Time. No joke.

For those of you who don't know, it's a TV show on ABC. And it is awesome.

Anyway. I won't dwell on all the reasons why I think it's awesome, BUT I must point out something that's been on my mind since the show's third episode. You see, there are these two characters who are destined to be together: Snow White and Prince Charming. 

On the show, they look like this:

So. That's them as their true fairy tale selves. This is them in the real world setting, where they're both victims of an evil curse that's wiped their memories:

In the real world, they have NO IDEA they're Snow White and Charming. At all. That's not the saddest part, though--David (Charming in the real world) is in a coma when we first meet him. Mary (Snow) reads to him in her spare time, even though she doesn't know him. Her big heart keeps her coming back to the hospital, spending time with someone who's never had any family members visit. He's alone, and she doesn't want him to feel lonely.

When David wakes from his comatose state, things get reeeeally interesting. I knew he'd wake up eventually. I also knew that he'd be grateful to Mary for how she treats him, and that he'd want to get to know her. I also also knew there would be STUFF that keeps them apart. The romantic tension quota is HIGH, my friends. Oh, so high...

Which leads me to why I wrote this post about two people who are in love on a TV show: the chemistry between Snow/Mary and Charming/David is adorable. It's not the ohmyGodIwantyousobadletsmakeout chemistry. It's not the I-have-always-loved-you-and-now-you-are-mine-forever chemistry. It's just... beautifully awkward. In the fairy tale world, they're enemies who later work together to get out of a bind, and fall in love. In the real world, they're strangers who share a deep connection, but they're so not equipped to handle that connection. They both struggle with accepting why they're drawn to each other, and neither feels comfortable with the idea of being a couple just because there's something between them. STUFF needs to be dealt with first. It's all that STUFF that adds fuel to the awkward fire. They're even adorable when they argue. 

What does this offensively long post have to do with writing, you ask?

Think of your main character and the love interest. Hopefully, you've created enough tension, romantic  or otherwise. Now look at them again and ask yourself: what do they admire about each other? The minute you have your answer, ask yourself another question: how can I make my characters feel uncomfortable about the traits they initially admired in each other? Snow cannot stand the fact that Charming's such an honorable guy, and yet that's one of the reasons why she loves him. Charming cannot stand the fact that Snow does whatever she wants, even if it means risking her life, and yet that's why he loves her. Denial is what makes their relationship awkward to me. Sweet, funny, and beautifully awkward. 

So. Once Upon A Time. Watch it, swoon, and learn something :)

Now tell me: any other fake couples you think are adorable/awkward/awesome??