tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61349677551211259192024-02-20T23:51:05.973-05:00 MEREDITH MORGENSTERN Quiet horror from reluctant suburbsMeredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-35810672901176434512018-05-01T10:21:00.001-04:002018-05-01T10:21:48.373-04:00The Age of MagicShortly after seeing "Avengers: Infinity War," over the weekend I got into a private Twitter convo with a friend who thought it was magical that my kids get to grow up in this a golden age of superheroes. I find it hard to disagree.<br />
<br />
I have two sons, 9 and 6 years old. The 9 year old has some anxiety issues; going to the movies is hard for him, and even watching movies at home proves challenging. He has a tough time with people in distress and with bad guys getting away with doing bad things. But my 6 year old is made of Teflon...dark, dark Teflon. Not only do most things not bother him, he kind of enjoys the myriad ways bad guys come up with to try and defeat the heroes. The worse the baddie, the more despicable their actions, the more satisfying the hero's win.<br />
<br />
So I thought, my friend is right. This is a magical time to be a kid who is into superheroes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS BUFFET OF CHOICES</u></b><br />
<br />
Back in my day, superhero choices were strictly limited. I remember watching reruns of the old Superman TV show from the 1950s and eventually the Christopher Reeve movies; Lynda Carter was Wonder Woman; Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno were the Hulk; and I had The Amazing Spider-Man and His Friends cartoon. That was pretty much it. Because I never got into comic books, I never got exposed to anyone else. In 1988 I saw Michael Keaton's first outing as Batman, but I was more impressed with Prince's soundtrack than with the movie itself.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkw9vxLIRzlW2tGhfhCtnGcC1yuHBHDva3g8vdTtrY6jw4Cw1Qh287q4rFBtQyvTCKVLtIPX4z0ETLy5THN7yamttEQaV1zCrqq7EAJB5yJHbIX32VQgl3VkKTERBQVfZWDCN0xb3GRBn/s1600/Wonder+Woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="739" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkw9vxLIRzlW2tGhfhCtnGcC1yuHBHDva3g8vdTtrY6jw4Cw1Qh287q4rFBtQyvTCKVLtIPX4z0ETLy5THN7yamttEQaV1zCrqq7EAJB5yJHbIX32VQgl3VkKTERBQVfZWDCN0xb3GRBn/s320/Wonder+Woman.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Hulton Archive/Getty Images</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
These days we are spoiled for choice in the superhero world. And while I'll always remain faithful to my goddess Wonder Woman, it's the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that has paved the way for those heroes who have never been household names outside of hardcore comic fandom. Before the movie, I had never even heard of Black Panther; if a good friend of mine hadn't already been a massive Black Panther comic book fan, I might not have seen the movie in theaters with her. But she is, and I did. I came home so excited about the movie that my 6YO insisted on seeing it himself.<br />
<br />
Thanks to the MCU and the modern golden age of superheroes, my 6YO has had the freedom to choose Black Panther as his favorite superhero. Let that sink in: <u>a 6 year old Jewish/Hispanic kid from a WASPy suburb has chosen the king of a fictional African nation as his personal idol</u>. He has the Black Panther costume. The t-shirt. The book. The mask. The costume with another mask. The action figure (to protect him in bed at night). The plastic cup for his milk in the morning. In just one movie, the MCU managed to turn my kid from someone who had zero opinions on superheroes, to hardcore Team Black Panther.<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_697334572"></span><span id="goog_697334573"></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DU5u5sUQF01eqwXYi1q53VxtJXop29Qiq9WcEpXuxs6rjIALavE4mwqct_Lhu4u1B_L_vmJufKg46bzGu7SQVNYxjOrTQqduZ5hWUM8N355XB6v7oBn85xV2Ji6jhezsMJxesd2kFR7e/s1600/29101437_10155449626705678_5520432174510250906_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DU5u5sUQF01eqwXYi1q53VxtJXop29Qiq9WcEpXuxs6rjIALavE4mwqct_Lhu4u1B_L_vmJufKg46bzGu7SQVNYxjOrTQqduZ5hWUM8N355XB6v7oBn85xV2Ji6jhezsMJxesd2kFR7e/s320/29101437_10155449626705678_5520432174510250906_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son's Black Panther action figure, apparently <br />
planking on our kitchen table. #WakandaForever</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b><u>THE GOOD GUYS ARE THE RIGHT KINDS OF ROLE MODELS</u></b><br />
<br />
And here I'm speaking exclusively about the heroes of the MCU, including the X-Men. The latest incarnations of Batman and Superman keep mistaking moodiness for complexity, unpolished for gritty, mean for dark. I don't need brooding heroes for my kids. They're boys: I expect they have enough brooding awaiting them in their teen years.<br />
<br />
The MCU is much lighter, and at first I kind of saw that as a flaw. Was everything a joke to these guys? How is that setting a good example if they are all so cavalier about saving the world?<br />
<br />
But then I sat down and really watched many of the MCU movies: all the Captain Americas, all the Thors, all the Avengers, all the Iron Mans, both Guardians of the Galaxys, Doctor Strange, and, of course, Black Panther. And what I saw was not irony or snark, or rather, not just those things.<br />
<br />
The MCU provides flawed heroes who make tough choices but ultimately wind up doing what's best. Which isn't to say they do what's <i>right</i>; Captain America's choices in "Civil War" proved as much. In fact, I think that "Civil War" might be one of the best superhero movies ever made for that very reason. When the chance to sign the accords comes into play, I would have guessed that smartass Tony Stark/Iron Man would have been the one to balk and walk away, while goody-two-shoes Steve Rogers/Captain America would be only too happy to give himself more rules. But the movie twisted my expectations: Tony Stark declares that he's already been part of a world in which power is allowed to run unchecked and he won't do that again; Steve Rogers has already seen what happens when governments try to keep a tight reign on their muscle. Each side has some excellent points and that's why it's such a good movie. Although I ultimately went with Team Cap, I couldn't fully disagree with Stark; more accurately, I couldn't fully disagree with Black Widow, who was Team Stark in "Civil War," when she said that with the accords at least they still got to keep one hand on the wheel. Stark wanted to do what was right in order to keep the Avengers together; Cap wanted to do what was best by going rouge instead of asking permission to save the world.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_JMH0pcYj2YOpZdNLA6Kxfs0CLVIYY7OYkaxysaU8PpTHeHOa5nyrWNJcRGnQDCyKgTdTSDM_xmXqCl8PmXt5Gj76Td-yCO5xFvRPc28m870BbK7FyUqav7fpIXQZnuVJobsPshfKD-n/s1600/Civil+War.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="936" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_JMH0pcYj2YOpZdNLA6Kxfs0CLVIYY7OYkaxysaU8PpTHeHOa5nyrWNJcRGnQDCyKgTdTSDM_xmXqCl8PmXt5Gj76Td-yCO5xFvRPc28m870BbK7FyUqav7fpIXQZnuVJobsPshfKD-n/s320/Civil+War.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can pinpoint the exact moment I went all-in Team Cap...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
In watching "Civil War" my kids got to see something so rare in popular culture: good guys vs good guys with no real wrong side. What happens when you disagree with your best friends on something so fundamental? In a world where it seems like every choice is the lesser of two evils, here are two sets of good guys making excellent points. Spoilers for Black Panther right here, highlight to see: <span style="color: white;"><span style="color: white;">Hell, even T'Challa, is able to reconsider his decisions for Wakanda at the end of the movie</span>, </span><span style="color: white;">providing a great example of how even the greatest of heroes and leaders can learn and grow and change their minds.</span><br />
<br />
As I said above, The Avengers aren't the only flawed good guys who present tough moral choices for my kids to grow up thinking about. My older son has, as I said, some serious anxiety issues. He has mood disorders that require special doctors and a therapeutic school. I recently showed him the first "X-Men" movie because I thought it would hit home for him. I wanted the X-Men to show my child that being different doesn't have to mean being an outcast; that what others consider your weakness can be your greatest strength; that finding others like yourself can be a form of protection in a world that demands we all conform. And then, too, by watching the movie he was faced with a moral choice: Charles Xavier thinks that Mutants and humanity can live in peace, whereas Magneto comes from a place where being different meant certain death and he will not allow that to happen again. As my son moves through the world with his special needs he, too, will have to decide over and over again how to handle others' reactions to his invisible disabilities, or whether he wants to handle them at all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>THE MCU IS STILL DISNEY</u></b><br />
<br />
I've heard some parents complain about the lack of consequences of violence in the new superhero movies, and it's true that the MCU is comparatively bloodless for a series of films that depict violence on such a massive and truly creative scale. But to me, that's fine. Kids like superheroes. Kids want to see superhero movies. I don't want to have to vet every movie that comes out just to make sure it isn't too gruesome for my kids. Call me lazy, but my life just doesn't lend itself to that kind of a time and money commitment. When I took my 6YO to see "Infinity War," I already knew it was going to be dark and upsetting, so we took some of his favorite stuffed animals and we went in with the understanding that if he wanted to leave we'd do so, immediately and with no questions asked. But he was fine.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcvg_D2NRdZIQImg9P-bqJ3I_uONOm-Fk1vPQpTmAi2rvABfRpH85iFnoV6VNmcGXpinAYOv1N2YzZ-8F9yZW3YNADjn8Mm2y0QZcXPMCfPkjjP_9YnwgRh58c164qtbNx3IhgFhm22Kr/s1600/captainamerica1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFcvg_D2NRdZIQImg9P-bqJ3I_uONOm-Fk1vPQpTmAi2rvABfRpH85iFnoV6VNmcGXpinAYOv1N2YzZ-8F9yZW3YNADjn8Mm2y0QZcXPMCfPkjjP_9YnwgRh58c164qtbNx3IhgFhm22Kr/s320/captainamerica1.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a Jewish mom, I can think of worse role<br />
models <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">than the dude </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">who punched Hitler</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I do not think that watching movies as violent as the MCU films is bad for my kids. They enjoy the highly impossible and wholly unrealistic nature of the cartoonish action scenes. They're not watching these movies to see the bad guys go through a realistic legal process for their crimes, they're watching for cool, otherwordly swords and guns and explosions and spaceships and creatures. They're watching to see the creative and awesome ways the good guys utilize their strengths and teamwork to defeat their foes. They want Thor's mighty hammer and Cap's incredible shield and Black Panther's mind-bending suit and Black Widow's expert ass-kicking. They're <i>kids</i>. They play and go to school and run and climb and fall and bump, and they get plenty of bruises and cuts and scrapes in real life; they already know about blood and boo-boos. I volunteer with Syrian refugees and my kids know their kids, have heard their stories, have listened to their history. My older one especially feels the pain and suffering of the world, has first-hand experience with how sometimes good guys are punished because the Powers That Be are fickle and unjust. What my kids want in their entertainment is escape, stuff to make the impossible <i>seem</i> real. These movies give kids a safe, fun place to live out their wildest childhood fantasies.<br />
<br />
The movies are magic.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBvKo51BgxDpomudeD61OrpPLuGrovOLJ6fMzIstPCHgfAzM9dZ-u3A4NRRsyJI0gLWBIsSF3bx5t91XNDdH33kly4IwS8Vx5pMIE1ww57QJ9unbD220YS2sJWrQabuv3q5NiBrAdIATx/s1600/701150-gorgerous-thor-ragnarok-wallpapers-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBvKo51BgxDpomudeD61OrpPLuGrovOLJ6fMzIstPCHgfAzM9dZ-u3A4NRRsyJI0gLWBIsSF3bx5t91XNDdH33kly4IwS8Vx5pMIE1ww57QJ9unbD220YS2sJWrQabuv3q5NiBrAdIATx/s320/701150-gorgerous-thor-ragnarok-wallpapers-1920x1080.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kids -- most kids -- want spectacle, not reminders of <br />
how painful life can be</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, as I said, as of "Winter Soldier," I am solidly Team Cap. How about you? Do you have a favorite superhero, and why? Leave a comment and let's discuss!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-1770640535039535032018-04-30T12:29:00.000-04:002018-04-30T12:29:16.495-04:00WisCon 42 Schedule<div class="tr_bq">
For the second year in a row I'll be attending WisCon. From their site:</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Our convention has grown up to become the annual gathering for the feminist SF community. It also functions as a vibrant meeting place for fans and professionals interested in broader themes of gender, race, and class in Science Fiction and Fantasy.</span></blockquote>
<br />
Which is exactly what I need. Last year I left my first WisCon feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready to tackle the second half of 2017 both in terms of my writing and the rest of my life. It's nice to spend a few days around like-minded geeky feminists.<br />
<br />
Even though this is only my second year attending, I'll be moderating one panel and participating in another.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Saturday, May 26</u></b><br />
<b><u>10:00am to 11:15am</u></b><br />
<b><u>Conference 5</u></b><br />
<br />
I am moderating <u>Dead, Evil, and Clueless: Mothers & Step-Mothers in Fantasy and Science Fiction</u><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">#<span style="background-color: white;">DeadEvilMothersInSFF</span></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Too often, mothers and step-mothers exist in narratives to further the main character's story, by either dying early on, trying to stop or actively harm the main character, or by being utterly clueless as to the characters' actions. This panel explores why this is, as well as shares examples of mothers as partners, teachers, mentors – or even mothers as the main characters in an adventure!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Panelists: Naomi Kritzer, Rivqa Rafael, Georgie L. Schnobrich, Heidi Waterhouse</span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Sunday, May 27</b></u><br />
<u><b>1:00pm to 2:15pm</b></u><br />
<u><b>University B</b></u><br />
<br />
I am a panelist on <u>Themes of The Last Jedi</u><br />
#ThemesOfTLJ<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">If </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Force Awakens</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> was about hope and resistance against all odds, </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Last Jedi</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> seems to have taken a dip into what hopelessness looks like in the fight against tyranny. It's a much less optimistic film than it's predecessor, but does it carry the same weight as </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The Emperor Strikes Back</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> or </span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Attack of the Clones</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">? What can we learn from these darker stories, and what turns of fate can we expect to take place in episode nine?</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">M: </span>Rosemary / Sophygurl<span style="background-color: white;">. </span>Becky Allen<span style="background-color: white;">, </span>Anika Dane<span style="background-color: white;">, </span>Christopher Davis<span style="background-color: white;">, </span>Meredith Morgenstern<span style="background-color: white;">, </span>Benjamin Rosenbaum</span></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
I'll also be looking for impromptu knitting circles again, attending a few other panels that look good, and going to the Tiptree Awards and GoH dessert salon again.<br />
<br />
Less than a month to go!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-28808385266545156902018-03-28T12:19:00.001-04:002018-03-28T12:19:08.780-04:00The Stone Age Gap is Live!<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is with *tremendous* pleasure that I announce my story, THE STONE AGE GAP, is up and live over at <a href="http://www.starshipsofa.com/blog/2018/03/28/starshipsofa-no-530-meredith-morgenstern/" target="_blank">the StarShip Sofa podcast</a>! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">(The story starts at 6:25.)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/StarShipSofa" target="_blank">StarShipSofa</a> is a wonderful podcast, the sci-fi branch of the District of Wonders, and I'm so honored to be part of their family!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As with many of my stories, this one is told in the context of a fictionalized version of my real-life family, The Perezes. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This story is one of the only - if not *the* only - piece of true science fiction I've ever done, everything else I write being fantasy or horror. This piece was written in 2013 and inspired by two things: one, at that time the Juban Princeline was 5 and going through his robot phase. He told me he wanted to marry a robot when he grew up. I got to thinking about that and wondered if that will be the new prejudice for my generation as we age. (The daughter-in-law in the story is not an actual robot, by the way, just artificially "enhanced.") Back then I was also fighting a lot with the Princeling, and it broke my heart to think about what would happen in the future if we became so annoyed with each other that we barely spoke anymore.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second inspiration is my hubby and how he's always talking about wanting to be uploaded to some digital consciousness before he dies. That sounds like my personal idea of Hell, but hubby is very serious about what happens to our mortality as technology speeds up and thinks that a global digital consciousness is the way of the future.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of the story is about the perpetual feeling of falling behind as progress moves exponentially faster forward, and how we all cope with it both as individuals and as a society.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been one of my dreams as a writer for many years now to hear one of my stories be narrated. I think that K.G. Anderson does an amazing job here, and I'm eternally grateful to StarShipSofa for taking a chance on me. And, of course, I just love hearing my name pronounced in Tony C. Smith's Scottish accent!</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enjoy!</span></div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-20829385336588643202018-03-18T08:06:00.000-04:002018-03-18T08:06:43.359-04:00New Story Up at Grievous Angel!My flash horror story, I FORGOT TO LOCK THE DOOR, is <a href="https://www.urbanfantasist.com/scifi-poetry-and-flash-fiction/i-forgot-to-lock-the-door-creepy-new-flash-fiction-by-meredith-morgenstern" target="_blank">now live over at the marvelous Grievous Angel Magazine</a>!<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.urbanfantasist.com/scifi-poetry-and-flash-fiction/i-forgot-to-lock-the-door-creepy-new-flash-fiction-by-meredith-morgenstern" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuh2jIbamkzHIxjqQW7p5ZU_qtDJbZO42dijjdpXQDFXG9BAolQr77LiecGTG7VGVj8zwkKpSLQKDzq4_XufxKijdrS0uDmx6ionR4UbIjkfsyc5aXZeZU1cP2kJmhg9YUQRYEGTmzLwIv/s320/16march18angel_orig.jpg" width="265" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.urbanfantasist.com/scifi-poetry-and-flash-fiction/i-forgot-to-lock-the-door-creepy-new-flash-fiction-by-meredith-morgenstern" target="_blank"><br /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
This story was written towards the end of the summer in 2015, just a few months after we moved from Brooklyn to the suburbs. We knew nothing about our new town before moving here, except that the few people we met who'd heard of it said it was great for families. Low crime rate, excellent schools, people moved here just to raise their kids. Sounds good, right?<br />
<br />
But we didn't really know anyone in the town when we moved. The kids were not going to camp. We didn't have a babysitter. No daycare. Because our former landlord screwed us over, we could not afford to join the town's community pool. So that meant a summer of just me and the kids finding things to do for nine weeks. We discovered a nearby skate park and my older son picked up skate boarding. We joined the nearby science center. I let the kids ride their bikes in the street. I set up kiddie pools in the backyard. None of this kept my kids amused for very long, and by the time the first day of school arrived in September I wept with relief.<br />
<br />
I had this idea that when we moved in, suddenly families with kids would pour out of their houses on our street and my kids would be outside playing all day every day all summer long, but instead we met almost no one.<br />
<br />
Things have changed, certainly. We have friends in town, the kids have plenty of play dates, we have babysitters, we've joined the community pool in the summer, and we know which camps the kids like. Our summers are now full of friends, camp, vacations, and spending long afternoons socializing poolside. But that first summer is burned into our psyches: long, empty days full of quiet and boredom. And that's where this story comes from.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-15816203297847292442017-03-21T11:18:00.000-04:002017-03-21T11:18:02.274-04:00On Modifiers, or Specificity vs Not<div>
I'm something of a word nerd. I love the cadence and flow of certain words, I love the writerly act of choosing the exact right word to convey what I mean, I love learning new words. Depending on a single word I can create a cheerful image:</div>
<div>
<i>The <u>bright</u> yellow curtains</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or a mournful image:</div>
<div>
<i>The <u>faded</u> yellow curtains</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or a shocking image:</div>
<div>
<i>The <u>fluorescent</u> yellow curtains</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And that image will (hopefully) stay with the reader as she delves into my story.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or, I might choose to simple say <i>the yellow curtains</i> and leave the reader to fill in the blanks depending on the rest of the story, and depending on how important those curtains will be in creating a setting.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
In my last blog I mentioned the podcasts I enjoy, particularly as a fan and writer of speculative fiction. Today, I have two specific episodes that I recommend for all writers, not just those of us in genre fiction.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last week while I schlepped about, these two episodes happened to play back to back and I think they actually fit together. Both cover the theme of words and how words are absorbed. As writers, words are our tools, the medium by which we share our art. Episode 12.11 of Writing Excuses covers the <i>how</i> of words: when to be specific, when to generalize, when to use modifiers and which ones. Episode #64 of Hidden Brain digs into the <i>why</i> of words: what happens to our brains when we listen to someone speak and why we are influenced by what others think and say.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, when we write our first drafts we should focus on getting the story down on paper. As we head towards revisions, either with a chainsaw or a chisel, it's important to focus on word choice, including modifiers and when to use them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Give these two podcasts a listen. And let me know whether you, too, are a word nerd and what you think of modifiers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Writing Excuses #12.11: Diction</div>
<div>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/12-11-diction/id990871441?i=1000382601036&mt=2">https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/12-11-diction/id990871441?i=1000382601036&mt=2</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Hidden Brain #53: I'm Right, You're Wrong</div>
<div>
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-64-im-right-youre-wrong/id1028908750?i=1000382585614&mt=2">https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-64-im-right-youre-wrong/id1028908750?i=1000382585614&mt=2</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-83451459623397001562017-03-09T14:56:00.000-05:002017-03-09T14:56:48.785-05:00Podcasts for Writers, Geeks, and Other HumansPodcasts are like French fries: I started with a few (Serial, Welcome to Night Vale) and quickly found my subscription list overflowing with more podcasts than I could listen to in three lifetimes. Maybe if I were back in my pre-child, city-dwelling days when I took the subway to and from work every day, or if I had a lengthy commute in my car, I could listen to an unlimited supply of podcasts. But I don't. Most of what I listen to would cause irreversible psychological damage to the little ears I schlep to and from school each day, and when I'm home and writing I prefer music without words. My podcast-listening times are pretty much: any time I'm in the car without the kids; at the gym; putting away laundry upstairs while the kids watch tv downstairs. I'd say I have about 90 podcast-listening minutes a day on average. I have to make them count.<br />
<br />
In honor of March being #TryPod month, in which those of us devoted to our favorite podcasts share them with the world, here are the ones that have made my final cut.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>WRITERLY PODCASTS</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<a href="http://www.writingexcuses.com/" target="_blank">Writing Excuses</a><br />
A 15-minute round-table discussion between well-known genre authors on a particular aspect of writing. If you've ever wanted to dig deep on the subject of, say, POV, this is for you. I started off trying to listen to all the back episodes available on iTunes but became too overwhelmed, and now I just listen to new eps and occasionally scroll around for back episodes that seem especially interesting or relevant to my writing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://hologramradio.org/thewritegear" target="_blank">The Write Gear</a><br />
Confession time: I am not one of those writers who journals, or takes notes, or otherwise does anything longhand. My therapist keeps insisting I write down whatever is making me anxious but I just can't. I detest writing by hand, something my oldest child the Juban Princeling inherited, making him a hit with his second-grade teachers. But I love this podcast dedicated to writing tools because of the down-to-earth discussions K. Tempest Bradford has with other writers about the nuts-and-bolts of the writing life. Thanks to K. Tempest and her podcast, I also knew which gel pens to get the Juban Princeling when he started school this year.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lorepodcast.com/" target="_blank">Lore</a><br />
Any writer of dark fantasy or horror should do themselves a favor and add this podcast to their playlist. Host Aaron Mahnke, with a ridiculously exhaustive amount of research, relates real-life stories of the macabre and the origins of urban legends. It's not for the queasy-stomached or easily shocked, but it's a treasure trove of stories that will ignite the imagination of even the most blocked writers. I've never finished an episode without thinking, "I should turn this story into a novel," and in fact, during a particular episode a few months ago I thought, "No, really, this story is too good not to be a book or movie." That episode turned out to be the real story behind the inspiration for "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." At least I know I have good instincts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30cJpVSydpZ3zMVXV7pgWI8QxaNeUbXHen80-fx5MaYvNJAkjBoLZWDnXdwc6oosQdwemA3FeVxmLKIQzmF4mAI4CmJaPUiwAqbUOvXn1xrGMfp337jR08Zqs_16Lfq0DKtoCXcruyldX/s1600/Lore+Podcast+Logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30cJpVSydpZ3zMVXV7pgWI8QxaNeUbXHen80-fx5MaYvNJAkjBoLZWDnXdwc6oosQdwemA3FeVxmLKIQzmF4mAI4CmJaPUiwAqbUOvXn1xrGMfp337jR08Zqs_16Lfq0DKtoCXcruyldX/s200/Lore+Podcast+Logo.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>STORY PODCASTS</u></b><br />
I used to subscribe to every single spec fic market podcast, until I realized I'd rather read most of the short stories they publish. Here are the exceptions.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://uncannymagazine.com/type/podcasts/" target="_blank">Uncanny Magazine Podcast</a><br />
I love listening to hosts Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damien Thomas talk about their lives and convention travels before they get to that episode's short story. Each ep also includes an interview and a poem.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://podcastle.org/" target="_blank">Podcastle</a><br />
One of my very first podcasts, I started listening to Podcastle when my youngest, the Duke of Juban, was still a baby and I would take him for long walks in his stroller while the Princeling was at preschool. Back then we lived by historic Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, and listening to Podcastle's collection of fantasy stories amongst the old graves felt <i>right</i>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFOCg2NmGwL005AGb5rcN5C5LmH33Al_9DjVYXewgOhihJ4kX-LInXw3Dj9iJzig_QxVivWBmTei07Yhgwj-v-wzRNrVRB6nfH4ScIKij4-oaRhg_9ZJ6TFu2Lcozgu-mvhoRBK9k1vDx/s1600/Podcastle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFOCg2NmGwL005AGb5rcN5C5LmH33Al_9DjVYXewgOhihJ4kX-LInXw3Dj9iJzig_QxVivWBmTei07Yhgwj-v-wzRNrVRB6nfH4ScIKij4-oaRhg_9ZJ6TFu2Lcozgu-mvhoRBK9k1vDx/s200/Podcastle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pseudopod.org/" target="_blank">Pseudopod</a><br />
Podcastle and Pseudopod are part of the <a href="http://www.escapeartists.net/" target="_blank">Escape Artists</a> family of podcasts: Podcastle is the fantasy sister and Pseudopod is the horror sibling. (If you like sci-fi, check out <a href="http://escapepod.org/" target="_blank">Escape Pod</a>, and for YA there is <a href="http://www.castofwonders.org/" target="_blank">Cast of Wonders</a>.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.welcometonightvale.com/" target="_blank">Welcome to Night Vale</a>, <a href="http://www.nightvalepresents.com/aliceisntdead" target="_blank">Alice Isn't Dead</a>, and <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/within-the-wires" target="_blank">Within the Wires</a><br />
If you're one of those people who hates jumping on bandwagons and has avoided WtNV because of this, get over yourself. It actually <i>is </i>that good. Is every single episode a precious gem to hoard and gaze upon with longing? No, but then, nothing is. It's still one of the most creative, intelligent, and diverse podcasts out there.<br />
<br />
Alice Isn't Dead and Within the Wires were created by the same team behind Welcome to Night Vale. Like WtNV, AID and WtW follow a long story arc over many episodes; in the case of AID it's a young woman in a stolen delivery truck driving across America in search of clues to her wife's disappearance; in the case of WtW it's a series of "relaxation cassettes" that might not be what they seem.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://orbitinghumancircus.com/" target="_blank">The Orbiting Human Circus of the Air</a><br />
Bizarre, absurd, hilarious, tragic, and just plain weird, Orbiting Human Circus takes place inside the ballroom on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which is inside the mind of an abused janitor. It's too strange to pass up.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/" target="_blank">Hello from the Magic Tavern</a><br />
I can't listen to this one at the gym because I laugh out loud. And I can't listen to it anywhere near my children because it is absolutely filthy. Our host, Arnie, fell through a portal behind a Burger King and wound up in a suspiciously Tolkien-esque land called Foon, where he manages to broadcast back to earth his weekly show, co-hosted by a wizard and a shapeshifting badger with two buttholes. Really.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJRbBDT3mIJBe9b1o63fPhSc-FvWW0br6FYstD_O6YXqox0996NzAhZKAfU7LbxaR2LyKW7W8L3xceNGYjA_kohT8GRXXejw9447-4Wwl0vq-hwVaokZg-kazr8-6_dLmvsxM7AN9gO-g/s1600/Hello+from+the+Magic+Tavern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJRbBDT3mIJBe9b1o63fPhSc-FvWW0br6FYstD_O6YXqox0996NzAhZKAfU7LbxaR2LyKW7W8L3xceNGYjA_kohT8GRXXejw9447-4Wwl0vq-hwVaokZg-kazr8-6_dLmvsxM7AN9gO-g/s200/Hello+from+the+Magic+Tavern.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>GEEKING OUT</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.earwolf.com/show/the-room-where-its-happening/" target="_blank">The Room Where It's Happening</a><br />
Last summer, the family and I <i>finally</i> listened to the "Hamilton" cast recording and we all immediately fell in love with it. My kids have become American Revolution buffs because of listening to this. We all know all the songs by heart. The Juban Princeling dressed up as George Washington last Halloween. If you're a Hamilhead like us, you simply <i>must</i> listen to this podcast from the start.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgtrd26VPCR8MNM9ctjv6BogMZtJgTF4oN-Y-MJhSBF-ysJjdX_wP6ER5DLd2gLm4OsMQWi8r3uj0tywyXhPqUeWbuCvwMLbCux9MzL7m56s1Z71vcMw1pTy-_sIcFerFFXDhduR_gqck/s1600/The+Room+Where+Its+Happening.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgtrd26VPCR8MNM9ctjv6BogMZtJgTF4oN-Y-MJhSBF-ysJjdX_wP6ER5DLd2gLm4OsMQWi8r3uj0tywyXhPqUeWbuCvwMLbCux9MzL7m56s1Z71vcMw1pTy-_sIcFerFFXDhduR_gqck/s200/The+Room+Where+Its+Happening.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>IRL</u></b><br />
<a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/virginchronicles/the-virgin-chronicles" target="_blank">The Virgin Chronicles</a><br />
Even if my brother, Mr. Funny, wasn't one of the co-hosts of this show, I'd still plug it because it's hysterical. Comics come on and share first time stories...some sexual, some definitely not, but all hilarious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZMtWGT0AJkkGe37mkA1S68AeVfi7HQbG1jP2gxuW3YswINqcQQD8T8NwkILU-1pT7k1LgZ_ib1b-p9k9ADGi4jWrfhiEuIIWPdNFVbuePXhLWwHJoEXH9bjsLk36tIKRZbxv65SEas44/s1600/TVC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZMtWGT0AJkkGe37mkA1S68AeVfi7HQbG1jP2gxuW3YswINqcQQD8T8NwkILU-1pT7k1LgZ_ib1b-p9k9ADGi4jWrfhiEuIIWPdNFVbuePXhLWwHJoEXH9bjsLk36tIKRZbxv65SEas44/s200/TVC.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/money/" target="_blank">Planet Money</a><br />
I suck at things like money, finances, and understanding basic economic principles, so I started listening to this podcast to make myself feel smarter. By breaking down very complicated issues into personal stories, Planet Money makes me feel less stupid.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hiddenbrain.org/" target="_blank">Hidden Brain</a><br />
I love psychology, and this podcast delves into the real-life brain science behind human behavior we otherwise take for granted, like celebrity obsession, comedy, and college hookup culture.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-49597138284662784082017-02-28T13:15:00.001-05:002017-02-28T13:15:58.984-05:00Domestic HorrorDon't you hate it when people let months, even entire <i>years</i> go by without updating their blogs?<br />
<br />
Me, too.<br />
<br />
*ahem*<br />
<br />
When I moved to New York City in 1996, I never intended to leave. About a year and a half ago, the fam and I moved to a small town in New Jersey. Most New Jersey small towns within a one-hour drive of New York City are considered suburbs, and ours is no exception. With housing prices in Brooklyn showing no sign of coming down any time soon, and with my husband working in Secaucus, moving seemed like a resigned evil.<br />
<br />
So here we are.<br />
<br />
That first summer in our new house -- like, a real house with a backyard and basement and a mailbox that doesn't require a key -- the kids were not in any kind of camp or daycare, I was working from home part time, and blogging seemed like one more chore to drag down my mood.<br />
<br />
Then the kids started school and things got <i>really</i> hectic. There were issues. There was drama. There were problems. Getting us all through each day felt like a marathon. I kept waiting for that moment when everything would click into place and I'd finally feel like <i>this</i> was home, <i>this</i> was our life, and <i>this</i> was fine. Everyone kept telling me how happy I should be. So I kept waiting.<br />
<br />
I also picked up <a href="http://shirleyjackson.org/Bibliography.html" target="_blank">a Shirley Jackson book</a>.<br />
<br />
Every once in a while I go on a book-buying freeze because I find that my to-read pile has grown out of control. Whether they were given to me, I won them, or bought them and forgot, when I find I have more than two dozen unread books in my house, I force myself to read those before I buy any more.<br />
<br />
Years ago I had attended <a href="http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/" target="_blank">Book Expo America</a> and since it was the last day of the convention people were giving away free books. I picked up "Come Along With Me," a collection of Jackson's short stories and lectures. And then I forgot about it.<br />
<br />
Reading this book at the exact moment when living in small town suburbia felt more like the American Nightmare than the American Dream tapped into something deep down in my psyche that I couldn't put my finger on. Of course stories like "The Summer People" and "The Lottery" resonated with me, but what really piqued my interest were the details of Jackson's life and her personal essays. I followed "Come Along With Me" by reading "The Haunting of Hill House" and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," and I felt like, "Where have these stories <i>been</i> my whole life?" It was like finding my literary True Love.<br />
<br />
After "We Have Always Lived in the Castle," I bought and read "Life Among the Savages" and "Raising Demons," both collections of Jackson's personally essays on raising children in small-town America. And though those stories happened over five decades ago, they resonate with me today with their timeless themes of stubborn children, household chaos, and small town weirdness.<br />
<br />
Now we've settled in to our "quaint" little piece of the suburbs just fine: the kids have friends and get invited to birthday parties; my husband and I have game nights with other couples; we've been to enough restaurants to have favorites; we all have library cards. Sometimes I don't hate it here, and I'm no longer scared to drive. The summer camps are much cheaper, the schools are amazing, and I know where to find NYC-worthy bagels. But it still feels weird to me and probably always will. I'm a city girl. I feel safe in cities, with their crowds and anonymity. Growing up in Miami and living my entire adult life in New York City, I've never felt out of place as a Jew; here, I'm definitely a minority. My kids went from a school in Brooklyn where at least a dozen other children had their same Hispanic last name, to being the only ones with that name here. And though our town is known for its enormous, fancy houses, we live in a smallish house on the less-desirable end of town and on my really good days I don't feel self-conscious about that.<br />
<br />
I've written three new stories in the past three months, and one flash piece before that, all with the same theme: the horror within our own families. I call it "domestic horror," and I fully admit I am inspired by the Shirley Jackson. My flash piece, "I Forgot to Lock the Door," was written during that first summer here when I kept waiting for the "good for families!" part of our new town to show itself and felt, instead, like we had made a huge mistake in moving here.<br />
<br />
So yes, it's been tough at times but it's getting easier. And yes, blogging seemed like the last thing I wanted to do for a while. At least now I feel less alone, both in my real life thanks to the friends I've made, and in my inner life, thanks to Shirley Jackson.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-11925790080818249992015-07-14T09:15:00.000-04:002015-07-14T09:15:22.799-04:00Terror Tuesday: 'American Psycho' by Brett Easton EllisWelcome to another edition of Terror Tuesday, in which I share the books, short stories, movies, and short films that have scared me the most. Feel free to share what scares you in the comments!<br />
<br />
By all means, 'American Psycho' by Brett Easton Ellis should <i>not</i> have scared me as badly as it did.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWjXF48HXhZGpszTwk8Q5mxSusUzYAQe3ry5-O-pjR14CvcPcJkx4iXuB8Y91b2phQmrucvjGRULWHS68iYaGyyJshM1KkF7WvuvuX4Sy9C42FBXZJiPBclkz3He0Qtz5S_UGnHOGm-9A/s1600/American+Psycho.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWjXF48HXhZGpszTwk8Q5mxSusUzYAQe3ry5-O-pjR14CvcPcJkx4iXuB8Y91b2phQmrucvjGRULWHS68iYaGyyJshM1KkF7WvuvuX4Sy9C42FBXZJiPBclkz3He0Qtz5S_UGnHOGm-9A/s1600/American+Psycho.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
The book itself is not scary in a "the call is coming from inside the house!" kind of way. It's more graphic and gory than macabre or psychological, and yet when I read this book back in my early 20s I immediately had to throw it in the trash can (not even the recycling!) and take out the trash and spend the night at a friend's house. I feel silly even calling this a scary book, and yet here we are.<br />
<br />
I think what happened is this: while I'm not as much of a fan of serial killer media as my brother is or my friend Nicole is, I can appreciate a good psychological mind-fuck. "Silence of the Lambs" is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I really enjoyed the first season of "The Following." But generally speaking, I'm not into the genre known as "thrillers," or mysteries, or who-done-its. I especially don't like when the victims are all young women -- which I was at the time I read this book; and I didn't like how Patrick Bateman was a normal-seeming white dude in a suit -- which is what I worked around at the time, too. I remember reading a certain nausea-inducing scene in the book right before my then-boss sent me to stand in line at the bank, in Midtown Manhattan, where I swore I was surrounded by Patrick Batemans.<br />
<br />
So maybe that's it: I'm sure 'American Psycho' is exactly the hard-core parody of 1980s American white Wall Street culture that many claim it is, but I wouldn't know because I've blocked out a huge chunk of some of the books more disturbing scenes and refuse to read it again. I guess it's not for single young women still living alone who work among the be-suited young men of Midtown Manhattan to read. As I'll be discussing in future posts, sometimes things are scary purely because of the context in which they are absorbed.<br />
<br />
<br />
What scares you?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-37280130957402647392015-06-16T12:52:00.000-04:002015-06-16T12:52:47.164-04:00Terror Tuesday: 'The Boogeyman,' by Stephen KingWelcome to Terror Tuesday!<br />
<br />
Saying that something by Stephen King is scary is a little like cheating, isn't it? Yet, most of what I've read by him -- and I've read a lot -- I don't find <i>scary</i> scary, just sort of mildly disturbing or kinda gross.<br />
<br />
Enter 'The Boogeyman,' a short from his collection 'The Night Shift.'<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzrhx12-VLoC5oVxrKpduHZvc9i0GlWL9Gzbbgfc6g0Ce0eRbXN9w_9MoXesSqNuTLG6Weqrs_fh6ZagSAemm_BghYcyfmYHkfxHXjjvmyzOdsEdoyR-IvPZdE6kOWm_Tpvhvh4qG89K6/s1600/Night+Shift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzrhx12-VLoC5oVxrKpduHZvc9i0GlWL9Gzbbgfc6g0Ce0eRbXN9w_9MoXesSqNuTLG6Weqrs_fh6ZagSAemm_BghYcyfmYHkfxHXjjvmyzOdsEdoyR-IvPZdE6kOWm_Tpvhvh4qG89K6/s320/Night+Shift.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I can barely think about this story without freaking out, so I'll keep this quick. 'The Boogeyman,' is, at its core, a story about parental fears, the fears all parents feel when it comes to keeping their children safe from harm. I've <a href="http://meredithmorgenstern.blogspot.com/2014/03/writing-from-guts.html" target="_blank">mentioned before</a> that one of my biggest fears since having children is that I won't be able to protect them from bad things happening, and I feel like this is what King explores so well in 'The Boogeyman.' In a very short story King manages to play upon a very human fear of the dark, a very parental fear of something bad happening to our children, and a deeper, darker parental fear of something bad happening to our children <i>that is our fault</i>, and turns it into one of the most terrifying stories I've ever read; and I used to be a horror editor.<br />
<br />
Would I be this scared if I had read this before having children? Maybe. 'Rosemary's Baby' gave me nightmares and I saw that movie long before I had kids. In fact, I read so much Stephen King in junior high, especially his anthologies, that I may actually have read 'The Boogeyman' many years ago and just forgot. But, I read it after having both my children and now if you'll excuse me I have to go hug them both and recheck that the video monitor we have for their room is still working.<br />
<br />
<br />
You can read 'The Boogeyman' for free <a href="http://reading-everyday.com/175/Stephen%20King%20-%20Night%20Shift_split_001.htm" target="_blank">in its entirety here</a>, though you have to scroll down a bit.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-1504161962652783892015-06-02T13:18:00.003-04:002015-06-02T13:18:56.181-04:00Terror Tuesday: 'The Lost,' by Jonathan AycliffeWelcome back to Terror Tuesday!<br />
<br />
This week I'd like to share one of the scariest books I remember reading: 'The Lost,' by Jonathan Aycliffe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ghOihOcMrm3n0DhLrxxMxMN4A07Cm3guWmWSt8YbpjK2t1uC7YOftJeAL6owazs7Mn_RpQCDlfGekzdNGNKd11TrKWYB0j2ZKYWCtLPVZpk_ECBcmRsHX9aoY965KjrzTtrCSjihNXNg/s1600/TheLost.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ghOihOcMrm3n0DhLrxxMxMN4A07Cm3guWmWSt8YbpjK2t1uC7YOftJeAL6owazs7Mn_RpQCDlfGekzdNGNKd11TrKWYB0j2ZKYWCtLPVZpk_ECBcmRsHX9aoY965KjrzTtrCSjihNXNg/s1600/TheLost.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
On the surface there is no reason why this novel should have been so scary. It's little more than an updated version of 'Dracula,' even told in the same <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/190331/epistolary-novel" target="_blank">epistolary</a> style and once again takes place in a creepy castle nestled away in the Carpathian mountains. And I've read 'Dracula' so many times that there was no way I didn't see every part of 'The Lost' coming a mile away.<br />
<br />
And yet...<br />
<br />
Once upon a time a movie director gave me this advice: don't try to tell an original story, just try to tell a familiar story in an original way. That's precisely what Aycliffe does here. Even when I went back and read 'The Lost' a second time, it <i>still</i> terrified me.<br />
<br />
Just because you know how something will end doesn't mean it won't terrify you. With 'The Lost,' the terror comes from Aycliffe's expert scene setting pacing, and subtlety. It is exactly a familiar tale told in a (quasi-) original way, and it's done brilliantly.<br />
<br />
<br />
What scares you? What is the scariest book you've ever read?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-86044975411405713272015-05-19T14:36:00.000-04:002015-05-19T14:36:20.325-04:00Introducing Terror TuesdayAw, poor blog. Between a new part-time work-at-home job and my (now) 3-year old Duke of Juban no longer gracing me with two hours of guaranteed nap time, something in my life has had to give; unfortunately that something's been this blog.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm going to try to revive it somewhat with a new feature: Terror Tuesdays!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You may have heard of the social media phenomenon Throwback Thursday, aka #tbt. So I thought, why not Terror Tuesday?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've been thinking a lot lately -- more than usual -- about horror stories and the nature of what scares us and why, partly from a listserv convo I got into over at Online Writers Workshop, and also because of <a href="https://www.instapaper.com/read/587494973" target="_blank">this article</a> on the psychology behind horror and terror fiction. As I head into the second round of revisions on my own horror novel, THE HOLLOW QUEEN, I find myself obsessed with setting and tone and things that make readers and viewers have to turn on a light or sleep with a teddy bear.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web, I'm starting off "Terror Tuesday" with a short film that has had me obsessed for the past 15 years. I first saw it on Syfy's (then The SciFi Channel) short film series, "Exposure," which showcased a few short films every week. One week Clive Barker (or was it Wes Craven? Or Kevin Smith? Oy, my memory is turning into Swiss cheese as I approach middle age) hosted an episode of "Exposure" with the theme of urban legends. I watched this in the dark, all alone. That night I slept with the lights on. What I remember most about all the shorts featured in that episode are the twists on familiar urban legends that made each of them particular scary; you think you know what's going to happen, and then SURPRISE!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What I couldn't possibly know when I first saw this was that it not only stars one of my favorite actresses, Jeneane Garofalo, but it co-stars The Man Who Would Be Merle Dixon, Michael Rooker! What I love most about this short film is that it is about 99% set-up, and that totally works here. It's all scene-setting, all tone, and that's what makes it so scary. You know something bad is going to happen, you just <i>know</i> it...but you have to wait...and wait...and wait...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Enjoy. Then let me know in the comments what scares <i>you</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2LtSENnoDhc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2LtSENnoDhc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-20683576867133976542015-01-22T09:15:00.000-05:002015-01-22T09:15:47.073-05:00Geek TV: Black MirrorI did not intend to neglect my blog for over a month. Stupid Holidays. Stupid germs infecting my family. Stupid novel that needs to be revised and is so almost done I can taste it!<br />
<br />
Wait, no. I don't think my novel is stupid. I actually quite like it today.<br />
<br />
During that lull in the TV season when "The Walking Dead" was already on its mid-season hiatus but "Downton Abbey" hadn't started back up yet, the hubby and I needed a show to keep us amused/depressed/frightened/creeped out. It's hard for us to find shows we both enjoy: he likes character-driven dramas with a lot of people talking about things, and I like <i>good</i> shows.<span style="font-size: x-small;">*</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*That's not entirely fair to him; hubby got me into "Breaking Bad." But after two legitimate efforts, I just can't get on board the "Wire" train, a show my husband loves so much that, if it were a woman, he would leave me for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<br />
We found "Black Mirror."<br />
<br />
I was in ninth grade when "America's Funniest Home Videos" exploded in popularity; shortly after, MTV's "The Real World" became the first "reality" show. I remember saying back then, "America is obsessed with watching itself." Now, I don't want to call myself a prophet, but if <i>you</i> want to say it...<br />
<br />
Much has been written on "reality as entertainment," most of it in the form of finger-wagging critique. From Stephen King's 1982 novel "The Running Man" to the more recent "Hunger Games" trilogy, the topic of complicity via passive observation is a tremendous topic of cultural zeitgeist, even as we all continue to willfully partake in it. I, too, listened to the "Serial" podcast, and I, too, talk about it with friends and have opinions on it, as if anything I think or say could ever be in any way relevant to the murder of a young girl.<br />
<br />
Enter "Black Mirror," the latest entry in the complicity-through-passive-observation canon. Each episode stands on its own; it's not a series of continuation. Each episode has an entirely different cast, characters, and world. Most of the episodes feature either a critique of a specific form of technology (that furthers our complicity and obsessions) or a critique of our collective apathy in the face of reality as entertainment.<br />
<br />
"National Anthem" (S1E1) follows Britain's Prime Minister as he's given a repulsive ultimatum by an unseen kidnapper who has taken a beloved princess hostage.<br />
<br />
"Fifteen Million Merits" (S1E2) takes place in a near-future dystopia where the working class pedal exercise bikes to provide energy to the city, and their only hope of escape is to win an American Idol-like television talent competition.<br />
<br />
"The Entire History of You" (S1E3) is about another near-future in which everyone is implanted, at birth, with a digital memory device known as a "grain," which records and stores every experience you have in your entire life.<br />
<br />
"Be Right Back" (S2E1) follows a grieving young woman as she becomes more and more obsessed with a technology that allows her to communicate with the avatar of her deceased husband.<br />
<br />
"White Bear" (S2E2) starts off with a young woman with amnesia, who wakes up to find herself stuck in a world in which everyone either records her with their phones, or chases her and tries to kill her.<br />
<br />
"The Waldo Moment" (S2E3) examines what happens when the public takes a comic character more seriously than it takes politicians.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll get to my two favorites next. Of all the episodes, I liked "The Entire History of You" the least. It took me a while to figure out why I didn't like it, and the next day I finally realized why. All of the other episodes of the show deal with Big Issues like selling out ideals and schadenfreude taken to a disgusting, public extreme. But "History" took what could be the source of a mind-blowing sci-fi examination -- digital total recall -- and showcased it in a man's suspicion that his wife is cheating on him.<br />
<br />
Now, if "Black Mirror" had wanted to stick with that premise, they still could have done so in a way that felt relevant and made the audience care. As it is, the main character is wholly unsympathetic, and not in one of those "hate to love him" kind of ways. He's basically a big baby, a paranoid and privileged white dude who, were I married to him, I'd probably cheat all the time because he's so annoying and selfish. By the end of the episode I was kind of glad he was so miserable. If we had seen the couple more in love, or seen how devoted the character was to his wife and baby, or seen him being a <i>good</i> guy, this might have worked.<br />
<br />
Off the top of my head, though, I can think of several ways to write a 45-minute episode about this topic: because people can stream events from their "grain" onto a TV for others to watch, I can't help but think of all the legal, ethical and criminal possibilities this brings up. In fact, in the episode a pretty young woman mentions that her "grain" was forcibly ripped out of her head by a black marketeer who sells them to rich older men. Right there is a rich topic for TV: the black market of "grains" being taken from pretty young women to be sold to those who can afford to pay criminals for them. And then what about the issue of privacy? At what point must parents stop demanding that their children show them their memories? Or teachers? What about employers and employees? What about hackers who specialize in "Photoshopping" your memories if you are guilty of a crime? What about multiple witnesses to a crime who all only see part of it, and from various angles?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDVokqOc6jPNUEgauYjopWHHs0ypN4SORiBmdgHR3vflZ4p3dmJ9CFCHw_nj3LzlHoJr4sL1opOFm_46Ido6mzlgHXYjqpixvzN7z8KAFLKLudUeTqUn4lRc4LmwlctoaGGpukJUppKJE/s1600/History+of+You.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDVokqOc6jPNUEgauYjopWHHs0ypN4SORiBmdgHR3vflZ4p3dmJ9CFCHw_nj3LzlHoJr4sL1opOFm_46Ido6mzlgHXYjqpixvzN7z8KAFLKLudUeTqUn4lRc4LmwlctoaGGpukJUppKJE/s1600/History+of+You.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OMG I want to punch him in the face so hard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
See, right there, off the top of my head, and yet "Black Mirror" went with an asshole who thinks his wife is cheating on him. Excuse me while I roll my eyes.<br />
<br />
Now, "National Anthem" also deals with a privileged white dude, and one in a position of extraordinary power: the Prime Minister of the UK. But I actually did feel sorry for him in that episode because he was caught in an impossible situation at the mercy of an unseen terrorist. Here was a man put in a terrible situation because of his position and not because of himself personally. Technology and his job worked against him, not his own shitty personality.<br />
<br />
My two favorite episodes are "Fifteen Million Merits" and "White Bear," both of which, like "National Anthem," deal with public access to technology and our increasing reliance on social media. In "Fifteen Million Merits," our hero Bing falls in love with a young woman named Abi while they both work the bikes in a dark, bleak, "Brazil"-like atmosphere. Bing convinces Abi to go on the show "Hot Shots" to sing her way to a better life. When Abi gets there the three judges (one of whom is played with dead-on sliminess by Rupert Everett) bully her, with the help of the audience avatars, to accept a spot on their porn channel instead of stardom through singing. Enraged, Bing works his way onto "Hot Shots" in order to rant about the state of things and bring the judges and audience to account for their terrible behavior. Instead of learning their lesson, the judges offer Bing his own show, thus using their insidious methods to undermine and co-opt the very thing he was there to undo.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldwlHjQoikkRxyyIFlHU88BGVArCp9iVL3pYVV-oC5Wl9FHQQujeEHpx8QER2pktW2Hjv7VPzLVlATtS31RgFAhgn4J9x6rpMXl7bnvYrdOky5A-eoo7epnIf9VXjtehnAcWucCUEpV1i/s1600/black+mirror+fifteen+million+merits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhldwlHjQoikkRxyyIFlHU88BGVArCp9iVL3pYVV-oC5Wl9FHQQujeEHpx8QER2pktW2Hjv7VPzLVlATtS31RgFAhgn4J9x6rpMXl7bnvYrdOky5A-eoo7epnIf9VXjtehnAcWucCUEpV1i/s1600/black+mirror+fifteen+million+merits.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're on the road to nowhere.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I love everything about this episode. I love it's slow buildup, I love the lingering moments, I love the little details in the background, I love the idea of being quite literally surrounded by entertainment at all times, I love the characters having to pay hard-earned credits to avoid having to watch commercials, I love Lady Sybil from "Downton Abbey" as Abi. I love the acting in this one: Daniel Kaluuya, whom I've only ever seen in an episode of "Doctor Who," controls his emotions brilliantly, taking the audience from Bing's resigned apathy at the start, to his lovestruck mooneyes when he meets Abi, to his screaming, sweaty outrage live on "Hot Shots." I hope Hollywood and British producers are paying attention, because this man has enough talent to light the world on fire.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4uGEfNO2Elo7CDx_AD6qVlFtiYlfn8TX-YAvYILuDdiM09fJWD7nabm9YSd4eoJNNidbZfVsF3_T84oqS9A8XqclkVtKMRvONqIssVNqhGoGWgZCi9gnDzrjoRVTqpB5lsWAYisM_sm-/s1600/Black+Mirror+Fifteen+Million+Merits.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT4uGEfNO2Elo7CDx_AD6qVlFtiYlfn8TX-YAvYILuDdiM09fJWD7nabm9YSd4eoJNNidbZfVsF3_T84oqS9A8XqclkVtKMRvONqIssVNqhGoGWgZCi9gnDzrjoRVTqpB5lsWAYisM_sm-/s1600/Black+Mirror+Fifteen+Million+Merits.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I LOVE YOU BING!!! <3 <3 <3 xoxoxoxo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Then there's "White Bear," by far the darkest and most disturbing of the episodes. I can't get into all the details without spoiling the ending, but I can give you the opening gist: a young woman wakes up in a chair in a room. Her wrists are wrapped up and there are pills on the floor. The TV is on with a strange symbol. She clearly has no idea who she is or where she is. She goes downstairs; the TV there is broadcasting the same strange symbol. She drinks water, puts on a hoodie and shoes, and runs outside. People in houses nearby stare out their windows, seeming to film her with their cameras. Then someone in a mask bearing the same strange symbol comes after her with a shotgun. She runs for her life, still confused, while members of the public joyfully follow and film her every move without saying a word.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPYY2NwMqFaJrFzun_KB1k_csLjVNJJvLyfbTy3s-Ta_DNf8f3GIQGB_PNk5kfTOcq7XRrrbawiPGVKW4Umw0QQrxvWWrmTU2kdHXQv1U_0Icy43XVhYGKvEjlBHNgFxmoxR35-fVx8O/s1600/Black+Mirror+White+Bear2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPYY2NwMqFaJrFzun_KB1k_csLjVNJJvLyfbTy3s-Ta_DNf8f3GIQGB_PNk5kfTOcq7XRrrbawiPGVKW4Umw0QQrxvWWrmTU2kdHXQv1U_0Icy43XVhYGKvEjlBHNgFxmoxR35-fVx8O/s1600/Black+Mirror+White+Bear2.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, girl...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
That's where I'll end my synopsis. All I'm going to say is that this episode, too, turns the camera back on the audience in a highly critical way, making us all complicit in what happens to this woman. This isn't just passive audience; this is audience as active participant in torturing a single human being for our own pleasure. This is "National Anthem" and "Fifteen Million Merits" taken to their ugliest extremes. When the truth of what's really going on in "White Bear," and why, comes out at the very end it's a gut-punching twist-on-a-twist that even I didn't see coming. (I had my suspicions but they weren't quite on the mark, and the reality of it was far more disturbing than even I had thought. And what I had thought was already pretty damn sick.) This is the episode that lead to the longest conversation between me and my husband about what the show was saying and the truly terrible and dark parts of the human psyche we all possess. This is a case where I found the ending repulsive and every character in it truly reprehensible, and yet I thought it was a brilliant statement on our -- the public's -- sense of righteousness and moral indignation.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HqzelyYLhJMUXh_Tgod1AAUyw1Kc9sP0qzn-cPJ2AdXlf_p8_e_QVppM1bURp9MY-FX_4clq9g8__zJwcKyfrP1Oy2cTAVAoQETm1jzDiFTO-S4nr6cbcXsat8KCJ2Eg2w_bXepz1jsn/s1600/Black+Mirror+White+Bear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HqzelyYLhJMUXh_Tgod1AAUyw1Kc9sP0qzn-cPJ2AdXlf_p8_e_QVppM1bURp9MY-FX_4clq9g8__zJwcKyfrP1Oy2cTAVAoQETm1jzDiFTO-S4nr6cbcXsat8KCJ2Eg2w_bXepz1jsn/s1600/Black+Mirror+White+Bear.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just keep hiding, lady.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
And that's where I have to stop, lest I give away "White Bear's" delicious and revolting twist.<br />
<br />
In all, I did find "Black Mirror" to be very "Twilight Zone"-esque, from the way it shows us the nastier aspects of ourselves (thus the unsubtle title) to it's hit-or-miss episodes that could be rather heavy-handed at times. ("The Waldo Moment" had me until the last scene, and "Be Right Back" was just plain silly.) The show is nothing if not compelling. Even if you are sickened by certain episodes, you'll keep going back for more...which is the point. We all go back for more, we <i>all</i> do. Even when that mean black mirror is aimed right at us, we still can't get enough.<br />
<br />
If you are a fan of "The Twilight Zone," I highly recommend giving "Black Mirror" a chance. With just six 45-minute episodes it's easy to binge-watch. You'll certainly never text message, post on Facebook, or watch YouTube in the same way. Just...don't watch "National Anthem" or "White Bear" right before bed. Trust me.<br />
<br />
What do you think? Have you seen "Black Mirror?" Which were your favorite/least favorite episodes?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-65423094581883257802014-12-17T14:01:00.000-05:002014-12-17T14:01:52.182-05:00Movie Review: The BabadookThere are a few reasons why I don't see a lot of horror films anymore: my husband is not a fan of the genre, and since I see most movies at home these days that means he and I have to agree on what to watch; and I feel that, in general, there are few <i>really good</i> horror films out lately.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, both those reasons could easily be set aside when I took a day to myself over the weekend to go see The Babadook, something <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/?s=the+babadook" target="_blank">The Mary Sue called "The Best Horror Film of 2014."</a> I generally agree with The Mary Sue -- not always, but mostly -- so I trusted them.<br />
<br />
And boy, am I glad I did.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QVrF5kEMTZyUG-ewnpN3VFRumGZEDE2r5OrT7P_ohWd6D-kkHXdt2w3IP18m8gKS1v4F_LlTaPesPkoTG7-OPbTLiinOVG2ig8nygUoht8TTJZI6zZRlZ2rWECxDJLnfCTuv-hqqiNVD/s1600/babadook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QVrF5kEMTZyUG-ewnpN3VFRumGZEDE2r5OrT7P_ohWd6D-kkHXdt2w3IP18m8gKS1v4F_LlTaPesPkoTG7-OPbTLiinOVG2ig8nygUoht8TTJZI6zZRlZ2rWECxDJLnfCTuv-hqqiNVD/s1600/babadook.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now, let's be clear from the get-go: There isn't a whole lot of originality in The Babadook. Some tried-and-true horror tropes are trotted out (cockroaches to symbolize the mother's increasing madness; disbelieving police; a concerned neighbor; a creepy phone call), but they are put to excellent use. There are a few well-placed and well-executed jump scares, suspense to spare, and enough disturbing imagery to make you uncomfortable but not enough to seem graphic. The story, too, is unoriginal: a paranormal explanation for a mother's grief and anxieties (see: Rosemary's Baby; The Others). But, again, this one is done really, really well. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Most of why the movie works is the Hitchcokian style in which it is shot. There are a lot of pauses, a lot of close-ups, a lot of still shots of doors, walls, the kitchen, that, in context, go from creepy to sinister. The story is slow to unfold, and the camera work reflects that. For the first 3/4 of the film I thought to myself, "I bet this is gonna get <i>really</i> weird soon," and I was right. Like Rosemary's Baby it lulls you into a false sense of security; unlike Rosemary's Baby the climax is violent and terrible to watch. </div>
<br />
But the bulk of the reason why I like this movie so much is because it felt deeply personal for me. The story of The Babadook goes like this: Amelia (Essie Davis) is a widow still deeply in mourning for her husband even though he's been dead for nearly seven years. She is raising their son Sammy (Noah Wiseman) alone. Sammy's dad died in a car crash while driving Amelia to the hospital to give birth, therefore Sammy's existence is a daily reminder of Amelia's loss and his birthday is his father's <a href="http://www.jewfaq.org/death.htm#Mourning" target="_blank">yahrzeit</a>. Because Amelia has never dealt with her grief or put her mourning behind her Sammy is an extremely anxious 6-year old. When the movie opens, Amelia is called at her job as a nursing home caretaker to come pick Sammy up from school, where they offer to provide Sammy with a private monitor to take care of him. Amelia does not want Sammy singled out, so she pulls him out of school. Now she's home all day with her anxious son. All by herself. Sammy is obsessed with going into the basement, where Amelia still keeps her dead husband's things. Amelia tries to keep him out with varying degrees of success.<br />
<br />
One night, Sammy chooses a bedtime book to read, called The Babadook. Neither he nor Amelia have any idea where the book came from. It just sort of appeared in Sammy's room. They read the book (always a good idea to read a mysterious book right before your child's bedtime), which warns that the Babadook shows up with a friendly face that it tears away to reveal a monster who will make you wish you were dead. (Side note: I would have <i>loved</i> that book as a child.) Amelia sets the book aside, but now Sammy is obsessed. His anxiety increases exponentially until he and Amelia manage to alienate the only friends they have left. As Sammy's fears grow, Amelia's patience drains until she lashes out at her son.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF1zEHyP-OPWoSo1FGKHQNBBfzwPFqKwyT-FHqP1mBefHAHN5dlVL5tuMXtvGS1-PvHIEl2pvxCnbhGY6R3pT1AAmwbhQsXdJ8E946K1uwQozBoHZRsE2mLPHj_1otgOF-Y-amqWRlPcL/s1600/The-Badadook-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF1zEHyP-OPWoSo1FGKHQNBBfzwPFqKwyT-FHqP1mBefHAHN5dlVL5tuMXtvGS1-PvHIEl2pvxCnbhGY6R3pT1AAmwbhQsXdJ8E946K1uwQozBoHZRsE2mLPHj_1otgOF-Y-amqWRlPcL/s1600/The-Badadook-010.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Where did this scary-looking book <br />come from? You don't know? OK, let's <br />read it at bedtime."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
You can maybe see where this is going.<br />
<br />
Amelia tears up the book and throws it out; the book returns to her doorstep, pages stuck back together, and with new wording that warns that the more you deny the Babadook, the stronger it gets, with new graphic images of Amelia killing their dog, her son, and herself. Amelia burns the book then goes ahead and loses what little sanity she had left. By now even she can "see" the Babadook until, one night, it takes over her body. And that's when the movie stops being calm and starts getting really, <i>really</i> fucked up.<br />
<br />
The reason this resonates with me personally is because I suffered post-partum depression (PPD) after the births of both my children. I had some thoughts about them and myself I knew at the time were not rational but still couldn't shake. I watched myself as if from the outside, appalled at my lack of gentleness or compassion for my own babies, but helpless to do anything about it. Despite being surrounded by loved ones I felt isolated and cripplingly lonely. Thankfully, my husband recognized me as not being myself and made me get the professional help I desperately needed, but even that was an enormous amount of work: mental health is not a priority in this country, and many of the doctors I called didn't take insurance and we couldn't afford to pay out of pocket for therapy. There was also the burden of what to do with my baby while I went to therapy; I didn't have friends or family who were home during the day to watch them. I finally found a doctor through a university program who would take insurance and I took my baby with me to my sessions. It wasn't ideal, but it was a start, and I got put right away on medications I desperately needed to help balance me out and get me through the worst of it.<br />
<br />
Four years of therapy and many anti-depressants later, I can honestly say that I'm not cured but I'm better. <br />
<br />
But Amelia, in the movie, needs help and, by turns, can't or won't get it. In one scene a co-worker tells her, "It's ok to not be fine." She's so busy holding herself together by threads, though, that she refuses to admit that the fragile reality she's built for herself and Sammy is already starting to unravel. By the time she figures it out it's far too late.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDGBI-KaNFqa-bRj9qBGVirh_qwfLcpCXuZxnZ_Vdc9N6bcEvfniCA6o6LYaWYDrDp9HqYhHjBZ1K4h1RSfqVguhItDPyn3Dx0eMMaCYu9kGC6u5UBVuff0IXtnT8L5L6RzGZPM-Z0EBF/s1600/the-babadook-trailer-1-2014-sundance-horror-movie-hd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDGBI-KaNFqa-bRj9qBGVirh_qwfLcpCXuZxnZ_Vdc9N6bcEvfniCA6o6LYaWYDrDp9HqYhHjBZ1K4h1RSfqVguhItDPyn3Dx0eMMaCYu9kGC6u5UBVuff0IXtnT8L5L6RzGZPM-Z0EBF/s1600/the-babadook-trailer-1-2014-sundance-horror-movie-hd.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I do not like the new edits to this book."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Watching Amelia deal with all of this hit the nail on the head for me. That is <u>exactly</u> what PPD felt like as I was living through it: like something evil had taken over my body and was going to hurt my children if I didn't figure out how to make it go away. The Babadook looks like what I felt like, dark, evil, foreign, and utterly my own fault for not doing more to keep it from taking over. Amelia goes through a vicious cycle of anger, guilt and bitterness that I know all too well.<br />
<br />
Essie Davis does an amazing job of portraying Amelia's struggles. Even her voice changes from the beginning of the movie to the end. And Noah Wiseman is absolutely adorable as little Sammy, with his wide eyes and his floppy hair and his earnest smile. My own oldest child, the Juban Princeling, is the same age, so at times I physically cringed while watching Amelia yell at Sammy things I've though in my head, and at watching Sammy wince away from his own mother the way the Princeling does when I snap at him. (FYI, I always apologize.)<br />
<br />
So, yeah, The Babadook is one of the few horror movies I've seen lately, and the first horror film I've seen in theaters in a very long time. But it was totally worth it. I <i>highly</i> recommend.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-41119033242680471212014-12-03T13:27:00.000-05:002014-12-03T13:27:02.944-05:00#SpecFicByWomenOfColorThis year I focused the bulk of my reading on books of the speculative fiction genre written by women of color (WOC). Why? <a href="http://meredithmorgenstern.blogspot.com/2014/01/reading-project-2014-spec-fic-by-women.html" target="_blank">Here is what I posted at the beginning of the year</a>.<br />
<br />
I didn't get to read as many as I'd hoped, for various reasons: some books I started but couldn't continue because the writing was just not good; I had some reading promises to keep to others; and, then, once in a while I found something else I wanted to read that just so happened to be either not spec fic or not by a WOC.<br />
<br />
After certain recent events, I researched online ways I could support small, Black-owned businesses. On one website with a list of Black-owned online retailers, an idiotic commenter asked, "What about a list of White-owned businesses?"<br />
<br />
The answer to that is, I think, similar to the reason why I focused this year on spec fic by WOC: Because White is already considered the norm, especially White and <i>male</i>. I'm betting that anyone reading this can name, offhand and without a lot of thought, at least five White, male fantasy/sci-fi writers. I know I can.<br />
<br />
Now, can you name five women?<br />
<br />
Can you name five women of color?<br />
<br />
When you come from a place of privilege it's easy to have a blind spot when it comes to the "other." As a White woman I felt it my duty to make the conscious effort to expand my literary world.<br />
<br />
Between the hideous and utterly misogynistic "social movement" <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/gamergate-nyt/" target="_blank">Gamergate</a> and the <a href="http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/ferguson-michael-brown-indictment-darren-wilson/" target="_blank">Ferguson, MO court ruling</a>, I think that right now is the perfect time to support female writers (and all lady geeks!) and geeks of color. Female writers don't have cooties; they don't all write romance (my short stories have 0% romance in them, and only one of my novels has a romantic relationship in it, which is more of a side plot than the feature); they don't all write about periods and babies and shoe shopping. Writers of color don't only write about how hard their lives are, or how exotic their native lands are, or how much they hate White people. Certain things are universal, and that's the main takeaway I found in this project: Alienation. Longing. Acceptance. Fear. Growth. Guilt. Redemption. Regret. And yes, love. Love is not a woman thing. It's not a girly thing. Even men need love in their lives, whether it's romantic or something else...something more.<br />
<br />
Black writers do not write only for Black people. Women do not write only for women. To think so, and to go through life enjoying only books that match your demographic, is to miss out on some of the greatest, most interesting and entertaining works out there. And, that's also sort of missing the point of being into spec fic, isn't it?<br />
<br />
I'll be keeping this list in the column to the right up on my blog for the foreseeable future, and as I go forward and read more spec fic by WOC I'll add them to the list. For now, here are some resources I have been using throughout 2014 to find books to read, as well as some other links I like.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Carl Brandon Society works "<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">to help build further awareness of race and ethnicity in speculative literature and related fields." </span><a href="http://carlbrandon.org/index.html">http://carlbrandon.org/index.html</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Worlds Without End's Award Winning Books by Women Authors. You might have to dig a little to find the WOC, but they're there. <a href="https://www.worldswithoutend.com/lists_women_winners.asp">https://www.worldswithoutend.com/lists_women_winners.asp</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Nerds of Color. Just an all-around great geek site. <a href="http://thenerdsofcolor.org/">http://thenerdsofcolor.org/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
An article on Asian spec fic writers. <a href="http://carriecuinn.com/2013/06/18/list-94-asian-speculative-fiction-authors-with-links/">http://carriecuinn.com/2013/06/18/list-94-asian-speculative-fiction-authors-with-links/</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Another good all-purpose list. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction_by_writers_of_color">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction_by_writers_of_color</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This list is YA-heavy, but hey, there is some damn fine YA out there. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/36880.Speculative_Fiction_by_Women_of_Color">https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/36880.Speculative_Fiction_by_Women_of_Color</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For 2015 I will not be focusing on authors; rather, <a href="http://meredithmorgenstern.blogspot.com/2014/10/reading-project-2015.html" target="_blank">I'm going to attempt to put a dent in my rather large pile of unread books I already own</a>. Some of them might be by writers of color; some are by women of color. I'll keep you posted. </div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-73382535983858965612014-11-19T13:12:00.000-05:002014-11-19T13:12:18.316-05:00Chocolate MilkBack in my late teens/early 20s, I briefly entertained the idea of channeling my creativity into making movies. A beloved high school teacher gave me the idea. After taking his AP English class in 11th grade, I took his cinematography class my senior year, partly because I love movies and partly because I love this teacher so much. Others in my class took it as an "easy A" -- how hard is it to watch movies? -- but Mr. Hood took the art of film quite seriously, and therefore, so did I. One day after class we got to talking and he asked me, "If you love movies so much, why don't you go to film school and learn how to make them?"<br />
<br />
By then I had already gotten into college, a school with no film program. But, my academic advisor there was trying to start a film study major. I agreed to be his guinea pig.<br />
<br />
In between dropping out of that school and moving to New York City a few months later, I got a job on an independent movie crew filming in Miami. Don't bother asking what movie; even if it had ever been released, I promise you would not have heard of it.<br />
<br />
My dream of becoming the next Quentin Tarantino died when I realized I have neither the energy nor the patience to work on a movie set for the rest of my life, but not before I received some words of wisdom that have stuck with me even now, nearly 19 years later. Before shooting began, I met the movie's director and we chatted about film and filmmaking and the art of storytelling. He told me this: There are no original ideas anymore. Don't try to come up with an original idea. Just try to tell a familiar story in an original way.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzQ9NQ2stDRnN6Kk-3I6lKu44sJ1rgTklQbrkZ6_zFkQXSgvhXULpNxwkuuc6RFV4pv4O_xvuXJU5mQ5b_xFmM8TMGEypMbspnidMUC1nBQ3bRN1Hpnz8LtNT7mVCLgsF6oSOMo_YFpPN/s1600/inspirational_light_bulb_custom_poster-refaff8f6728a4a9697a42685108195f9_si2_8byvr_512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHzQ9NQ2stDRnN6Kk-3I6lKu44sJ1rgTklQbrkZ6_zFkQXSgvhXULpNxwkuuc6RFV4pv4O_xvuXJU5mQ5b_xFmM8TMGEypMbspnidMUC1nBQ3bRN1Hpnz8LtNT7mVCLgsF6oSOMo_YFpPN/s1600/inspirational_light_bulb_custom_poster-refaff8f6728a4a9697a42685108195f9_si2_8byvr_512.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I thought of this the other day when a friend of mine posted a question on Facebook: how could he come up with ideas for stories to write? I told him to just get writing, it doesn't matter what. It doesn't matter if it's completely nonsensical. You can't revise what isn't there. You can't even delete what isn't there. The only way to not write is to not write.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As a writer, I know how easy it is to psyche myself out of writing. Ideas are not what I lack; crafting those ideas into non-cliche, non-done-to-death stories is the hard part. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But writing, like most art, is like chocolate milk. If you don't put chocolate into milk, you will never get chocolate milk. There's no shortage of ways to do this: you can use Hershey's syrup, you can use fancy imported cocoa powder, you can melt a chocolate bar in a pot of milk on the stove. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zrIdqIJ4OCGSMuVZ-CKWebbyolp1fGZxSTr7BfAIjS8vG8yNTXLQXqrcmRH7sZ-tFJyl-SfF3S82QLwV-gR-lGZ-4_FmUapPO5E8RHEdg2ifwEoWzTqV8YTu6appsa_XGEYuZPrtfkZM/s1600/Milk_and_chocolate_by_macro_art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1zrIdqIJ4OCGSMuVZ-CKWebbyolp1fGZxSTr7BfAIjS8vG8yNTXLQXqrcmRH7sZ-tFJyl-SfF3S82QLwV-gR-lGZ-4_FmUapPO5E8RHEdg2ifwEoWzTqV8YTu6appsa_XGEYuZPrtfkZM/s1600/Milk_and_chocolate_by_macro_art.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What you create might be great, or it might be crap. If it's crap, you start over. If it's great, you remember what worked so you can do it again. But great or not, you have to at least put a bit of chocolate into a glass of milk. And sure, someone else can make chocolate milk for you, but then the next time you want chocolate milk how will you know what to do? If you want to get good at making chocolate milk start with the basics: chocolate syrup and milk. Go from there. The very worst thing you can do is paralyze yourself with fear: fear that the chocolate milk will taste bad. It might. So what? At least you tried. At least you *did* something. There are always other ways to try, other attempts you can make. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Don't try to have an original idea. Don't even try to do an old idea in an original way; not at first. Write it all down, and then sort it out. You can't drink chocolate milk without making it first. Just write.</div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-54413462262839442272014-11-12T11:24:00.000-05:002014-11-12T11:24:29.169-05:00Two New Acceptances!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAxhlq_ferdVViVGTvntpbUfvdKfG1GHZPJDJ22q8zJtXl5m6lSIoQ7ctZMjUnY7YiP8Zv4DWUWNPDh97cGe_GU2KrXo1tbCELZ5I6s85G_24Ssoe9QpNjmufDqXNV4NpvkTnMiFRqTsP/s1600/Balloons.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIAxhlq_ferdVViVGTvntpbUfvdKfG1GHZPJDJ22q8zJtXl5m6lSIoQ7ctZMjUnY7YiP8Zv4DWUWNPDh97cGe_GU2KrXo1tbCELZ5I6s85G_24Ssoe9QpNjmufDqXNV4NpvkTnMiFRqTsP/s1600/Balloons.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
I apologize for the delayed announcement, but my short story ATHEISTS IN THE CEMETERY, is now available as part of Burial Day Books' latest anthology, GOTHIC BLUE BOOKS IV: THE FOLKLORE EDITION! <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPCVWHY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d2_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=024PC3GPF7XCMR81MHXC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank">Buy the book in e-book or paperback on Amazon.com, here.</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPCVWHY/ref=s9_simh_gw_p351_d2_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=024PC3GPF7XCMR81MHXC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI2c8US5SMEpVWJp4qG6JdOw5AaUnKoQOyDtADwiLuujBvxzB7TnBknaGY9y3P7AQVHvW94VwWpsoqHsUezeZfQC_xv6wMksv6Fa7okI8CM6QcgOV7r3w92TVDM_gt3kkA_iD_DpMk7moA/s1600/Gothic+Blue+Books+IV.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, my short story TINY LIGHTS (formerly known as THE HEALER, formerly known as DEATH OF THE GOOD DOCTOR), has just been accepted by <a href="http://www.fictionvortex.com/" target="_blank">Fiction Vortex</a> for either their November 2014 or December 2014 issue!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
TINY LIGHTS has been out on submission for nearly two years, with sixteen rejections before this acceptance. It's had plenty of positive feedback from editors all over the genre fiction marketplace, but no love until now. I've always known it's a good story, and now my little baby finally has a home. Which just proves: determination is a writer's best friend. Believe in yourself. Remember that the only way to never get published is to quit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Red velvet cake on me, everyone! Party time!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LzwewX_YXcXAVUFzCbAIYSSeH5SQpsPB51FRFQwxk3ElwBAEzaS8_5L4tjxMgzgHVJEErNocZE1mleZ4q3IgQ8m5iQSBSOcwC9LydT9SwVnbVM8zpIouN-B5Rmv9X54M2Jr3koEmhtcq/s1600/Red-Velvet-Cake-red-velvet-cupcakes-26976038-700-700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6LzwewX_YXcXAVUFzCbAIYSSeH5SQpsPB51FRFQwxk3ElwBAEzaS8_5L4tjxMgzgHVJEErNocZE1mleZ4q3IgQ8m5iQSBSOcwC9LydT9SwVnbVM8zpIouN-B5Rmv9X54M2Jr3koEmhtcq/s320/Red-Velvet-Cake-red-velvet-cupcakes-26976038-700-700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-15534000072537727512014-11-05T11:41:00.000-05:002014-11-05T11:41:37.969-05:00Yoga For WritersI've <a href="http://meredithmorgenstern.blogspot.com/2013/09/exercise-for-writers.html" target="_blank">written before about the importance of exercise for writers</a>, especially how moving around can help the creative process. (Some of my favorite story ideas have come to me while running.) But what about the physicality of being a writer? Those hours spent sitting down, barely moving, hunched over a keyboard, elbows bent, wrists probably weak and sore?<br />
<br />
To help with the painful upper back, lower back, achey wrists, and sore elbows, I turn to yoga. Here are some specific tips and videos I use to ease the ouchies caused by poor posture over my laptop at the kitchen table, or sitting on the couch, for hours at a time. I'm neither a doctor nor a physical therapist, so follow my advice with deference to your own body's needs and limitations. I've been doing yoga for a long time, and though I lack the strength for things like crow pose or headstand, I have a lot of natural stretchiness that helps me bend and twist into things like Eagle and Child's Pose.<br />
<br />
Most of these videos are from a YouTube series called Yoga With Adrienne. After trying out a <i>lot</i> of different free, online yoga videos -- and with a good foundation from years and years of classes -- I found her videos to be my favorite. She's straightforward with her sequences, but friendly. She addresses the health problems with compassion and understanding. She's fun but not overly silly. Her videos are short and to-the-point without being brusque or confusing. I find them useful for both beginners and more advanced students.<br />
<br />
That said...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Abs</u></b><br />
Thanks to genetics, I've had a bad lower back since I was 19 years old. My mother has the exact same problem in the exact same spot that manifested at the exact same age; same with her mother. My second child, the 2 1/2-year old Juban Princeling, was so big when I was pregnant with him that he tore open my abdominal muscles and pulled on my lower back in an extremely painful way for the better part of nine months. The result was a chain reaction of problems I'm still coping with today: weak abdominal muscles, for which my lower back overcompensates to keep me upright, resulting in tight, painful hip flexors.<br />
<br />
The bottom line: Working on your abdominal muscles helps strengthen your core and improve your overall posture. When your tummy is working to keep your back straight, your back has less work to do. And when it comes to toning abs, nothing is better than Pilates. I've used this exact video for <i>years</i>. It's only 10 minutes long, you can do it every day, and it tones your entire core.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/wPbL9Xn_-0Q/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/wPbL9Xn_-0Q&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/wPbL9Xn_-0Q&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<b><u>Lower Back</u></b><br />
Still, no matter how much I try to rebuild my abdominal muscles, I will have lower back problems for the rest of my life. This yoga video has been excellent in helping relieve even my worst lower back pain, and it's only 15 minutes long.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XeXz8fIZDCE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<u><b>Upper Back and Shoulders</b></u><br />
In recent months I've developed a lot of upper back pain as well: hot soreness right between my shoulder blades, at about the bra line. This video, another from Yoga With Adrienne, has done wonders for that. It's 12 minutes long.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/d6zJkHcjbWc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
A great yoga pose for the upper back and shoulders, which you can do on its own, is Eagle arms. The legs of Eagle pose (<i>garudasana</i>) can be tricky if you are a complete beginner, but the arms are fairly straightforward and a great way to open up and stretch the muscles in your shoulders and upper back. <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/pose/eagle-pose/" target="_blank">Follow this link</a> for step-by-step instructions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Wrist-Friendly Yoga</u></b><br />
I know a lot of writers with such bad wrist problems -- including carpal tunnel -- that they can't do some of the most basic of yoga poses, like Downward Dog. <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/video/video/upwardly-mobile/" target="_blank">This video from Yoga Journal</a> presents a 17-minute flowing sequence that avoids putting pressure on wrists and hands.<br />
<br />
If, like me, you neglect your wrists on a regular basis and then once in a while go, "Ow, my wrists hurt!" then this short, 3-minute, 40-second sequence is for you. A friend of mine who teaches yoga showed me some of the wrist stretches featured in this video and I'm not kidding when I say they changed my life. I've been typing for a long, long time, and for the past six years I've also been pushing a stroller uphill, not keeping my wrists straight and worrying more about protecting my lower back than proper arm and wrist alignment. So my poor wrists suffer. They suffer because their aches and pains usually pale in comparison to the agony in my lower back and hips. This video, though, is quick, and a good reminder to stretch out those sad, attention-starved joints between my arms and hands.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/gb3_oSAGoXs/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/gb3_oSAGoXs&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/gb3_oSAGoXs&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/wrist-remedy/" target="_blank">This is also a great article</a> on specific yoga if you have carpal-tunnel syndrome.<br />
<br />
Namaste, my friends.<br />
<br />
<br />
What do you do to recover from the aches and pains of bending over a keyboard all the time?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-41642056930675192552014-10-29T12:49:00.000-04:002014-10-29T13:18:22.182-04:00Halloween Play ListLike many genre writers, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the spookiness, the creepiness, the embracing of all things <i>other</i>. I love the colors, the candy, the make-believe.<br />
<br />
With small children in the house, it's easy to get into the Halloween spirit early on. Come October 1, our decorations go up and I create a Halloween station on Pandora. This year I also created a Halloween play list on YouTube for the kids. It's totally spooky but not scary -- an important distinction, especially in my house. My 6-year old and 2 1/2-year old love spooky, but have a low tolerance for scary. What's the difference? Spooky is cute, fun, funny, silly.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VwKUFg07NPlWXA5uOeHr6sSts4AmvC-4794TRiYKhuzUax5Ns7isiujCjyJy9cjCZ2iUTlN_68yKqXqQ5x6I3hCLq_4FBQmVypHANjse_JKDVNSzxtbLG6e0lFmfwQ-y22aLBQFyur1H/s1600/Spooky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VwKUFg07NPlWXA5uOeHr6sSts4AmvC-4794TRiYKhuzUax5Ns7isiujCjyJy9cjCZ2iUTlN_68yKqXqQ5x6I3hCLq_4FBQmVypHANjse_JKDVNSzxtbLG6e0lFmfwQ-y22aLBQFyur1H/s1600/Spooky.jpg" height="279" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Child-appropriate spookiness</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Scary is, well...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E-rYwbbkKBpKw3eT8j0-sfxl7N2wkWQVukZyDVcs7__KptNm18LOAiNdyKRJ4_jrMgUqOLMkWw0nS9M_ndQ67rHdQZba9I9r0Z6ZA2_krtzkhmu9QC7zG-VCip0gcQgD0tX9V0V6UAA5/s1600/Scary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E-rYwbbkKBpKw3eT8j0-sfxl7N2wkWQVukZyDVcs7__KptNm18LOAiNdyKRJ4_jrMgUqOLMkWw0nS9M_ndQ67rHdQZba9I9r0Z6ZA2_krtzkhmu9QC7zG-VCip0gcQgD0tX9V0V6UAA5/s1600/Scary.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Are there any little children I can eat?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Since my husband and I don't enjoy staying up all night with terrified children, we emphasize spooky in our Halloween fun and try to minimize the scary as much as we reasonably can. Don't worry, we're not total sticks-in-the-mud about it: we still have plenty of glow-in-the-dark skulls and skeletons around the house.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All children have varying tolerance levels for scariness, and are scared of different things. I know my oldest can handle most of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but would be totally freaked out by the kidnapping of Santa Claus. Ghosts and most monsters he can handle; bad things happening to people, though, disturbs him beyond reason. And he loves. Santa. LOVES Santa. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Whatever your kids like, and whatever disturbs them, I hope you and your family all have a fun, spooky, and safe Halloween!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><b>The <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">L<span style="color: #262626; line-height: 200%;">ópez Family Halloween Play List 2014</span></span></b></u></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My kids love this intro. So far it's all they've seen of the movie. Some day, when the older one won't be so frightened of Santa Claus getting kidnapped by the Oogey Boogey Man, I'll let him watch the whole thing.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/xpvdAJYvofI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
This is another movie we haven't watched yet. Not because of the ghosts; my 6-year old prides himself on not only not being scared of ghosts, but actively liking them. No, it's because of the scene near the end when Dana and Louis turn into those creatures. See above, re: bad things happening to people. I know that would give him nightmares for <i>weeks</i>. They still like the video, though.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fe93CLbHjxQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
True fact: I have the Addams Family theme song as the ring tone on my phone for whenever my parents call me. I can relate to the Addams Family: they think they're normal. So does my family. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/T850_HngrBw/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/T850_HngrBw&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/T850_HngrBw&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Who doesn't love this scene from "Beetlejuice?" </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ic87SfqQAAM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
True fact: I went through a major "Rocky Horror" phase in high school. My friend gave me the cassette (aging myself!) with the entire movie on it, including all the audience Partici-Pation, and I knew it all by heart. Still know most of it. And now my 6-year old knows how to Time Warp and can sing the song. Hashtag: Geek Parenting Done Right. Damnit, Janet!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sg-vgGuTD8A?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Don't pretend you didn't watch this movie, and don't pretend you don't remember this scene. I mean, for pete's sake, Tim Curry sings about his tambourine. COME ON!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/PUhuPn8_d0Q/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/PUhuPn8_d0Q&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/PUhuPn8_d0Q&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Remember SJP before "Sex And The City?" </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nDidHzwYu3E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Another thing I won't show my kids yet: the actual "Thriller" video. But the song is still a Halloween staple.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/xIx_HbmRnQY/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/xIx_HbmRnQY&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/xIx_HbmRnQY&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
And finally, because the 6-year old has gotten a little bit into Harry Potter (we're still working our way through "The Sorcerer's Stone." I've promised him he can watch the movie when we're done.) the HP movie theme song with some random visuals.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/a7z8HGXVR80?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What's your favorite thing about Halloween? What's your favorite way of celebrating?</div>
<br /></div>
Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-71457649442867645482014-10-22T12:53:00.000-04:002014-10-22T12:53:12.084-04:00Spoilers!Spoiler alert: This post on spoilers contains spoilers.<br />
<br />
Lately I've been thinking a lot about this phenomenon of "spoilers" and what they mean to us as writers, readers, TV and film watchers, and members of social media. Three instances in particular -- a book and two TV shows -- have raised the questions: Are there "rules" when it comes to spoilers? Are there statutes of limitations, and if so, how long are they? What is the responsibility of the spoiler-er vs the spoiler-ee? And what, exactly, is a spoiler?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ylf6PUmgLzHwohJf3jqP1stqkl6OoSaR6eixmHSiYqYyi2K6znhYWJkq_h3wYMidmz6OZIlWqhuzUWI5AL_3_qWYpPIj41gcl0WMhyphenhyphen9HLgbBBlspfTAaRUcdv7S765RHzHkjRONgdIjx/s1600/doctor-who-river-song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ylf6PUmgLzHwohJf3jqP1stqkl6OoSaR6eixmHSiYqYyi2K6znhYWJkq_h3wYMidmz6OZIlWqhuzUWI5AL_3_qWYpPIj41gcl0WMhyphenhyphen9HLgbBBlspfTAaRUcdv7S765RHzHkjRONgdIjx/s1600/doctor-who-river-song.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even River Song saying "Spoilers" here might be a spoiler!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
A "spoiler," basically, is when you learn a twist or ending you usually didn't want to know about, usually before you've read/watched something you enjoy. Posting publicly the details of a last episode of a series, or the major twist of a movie, is a spoiler.<br />
<br />
But what about that grey area -- people's reactions without details? I'm talking specifically about last week's "The Walking Dead" season 5 opener. Because we don't have cable, my husband and I watch TWD a day late. I know that a lot of my friends on Facebook watch TWD the night it airs, and so I was wary of going online last Monday, lest my eyeballs accidentally see a "spoiler" one of them may have posted. While I didn't see any details that would ruin the episode for me, I did see a lot of "OMG!" and "Best season opener ever!" and "Way better than I even expected! You outdid yourself, Walking Dead!"<br />
<br />
Do those count as spoilers?<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oBy4sy9T6XBENJugCMXJLbucdGsbHb7DuJcx6H6zsxATtvoBHXc4OhxoWDaUrKZpsi2_XX_GEMeDgA0TdOfaqKFa50zLtWQgViJnlk1S2LIELvw1w68BdfnCRDlzpAipuG1WWvWsee-F/s1600/the-walking-dead-5x01-no-sanctuary-4-minutos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oBy4sy9T6XBENJugCMXJLbucdGsbHb7DuJcx6H6zsxATtvoBHXc4OhxoWDaUrKZpsi2_XX_GEMeDgA0TdOfaqKFa50zLtWQgViJnlk1S2LIELvw1w68BdfnCRDlzpAipuG1WWvWsee-F/s1600/the-walking-dead-5x01-no-sanctuary-4-minutos.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This image from the season 5 opener, "No Sanctuary," was <br />
all over the internets long before the episode aired, leading <br />
many diehard Deadheads to wonder if it was, in fact, a giant<br />
spoiler, and with a legion of Daryl Dixon fans threatening<br />
to riot if he was killed off the show.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I say no. Anyone familiar with the show knows that each episode is white-knuckley to a greater or lesser degree, and that most episodes contain some sort of twist or surprise. I knew the first episode of season 5 would be epic, and so my friends' reactions in no way ruined my enjoyment of seeing that episode for myself.<br />
<br />
What about responsibility? Does everyone online have a responsibility to post "spoiler alert!" before posting details? How long can that go on? For TWD's first episode, I gave everyone I know, who may not have seen the episode yet, the benefit of the doubt and listed some questions I had under the heading "spoiler alert," with some space between that and my questions so that they'd be hidden to anyone who didn't want to accidentally read them.<br />
<br />
After that I think it's fair game. If I take my time watching a show, I'm grown-up enough to know what I'm getting myself into when I go online. Beyond a reasonable grace period -- a night or two for others to catch up, longer for first and last episodes of a season -- I think posting spoilery details should be fine. If you are that afraid of your eyeballs accidentally seeing something -- a comment, a Facebook or Twitter "trending," or something on a forum or message board -- then it's easy enough to avoid those spaces. We all have reasons why we might not watch a show live, or the next night, but that doesn't mean the whole rest of the online world has to wait for you to catch up. If I'm too busy to watch my favorite prone-to-spoiler shows, then I'm probably too busy to spend a lot of time online, as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLchd7zjQfNkddwjR_BXPs7UOUcu_Qd-IIXcwKDxUakfp964EWLbaBuvq0DkfGF0x4SQ5PO-O4W82-jeLvuuA3xzhKHWXHO9W3Yb-aQ9j8i_DDjD6pjRMDCR_qGmaBSZTUsGQtQV92cnbH/s1600/Rick+and+Judith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLchd7zjQfNkddwjR_BXPs7UOUcu_Qd-IIXcwKDxUakfp964EWLbaBuvq0DkfGF0x4SQ5PO-O4W82-jeLvuuA3xzhKHWXHO9W3Yb-aQ9j8i_DDjD6pjRMDCR_qGmaBSZTUsGQtQV92cnbH/s1600/Rick+and+Judith.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spoiler? I don't care. Cute as fucking hell.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
What about another grey area of spoilers? I read all of the Harry Potter books before the movies came out; I also read all of the Hunger Games books. My husband read neither of those series, but we were already coupled up when I read the last of the HP books and the entire HG trilogy. As I read, I'd tell him what was happening in the books; what I liked about them; what I didn't like; what I agreed with; disagreed with. I'd tell him plot details. I'd tell him the endings.<br />
<br />
Did this ruin his enjoyment of the movies? Not at all. I'd say that unless you are a die-hard fan of something, knowing the outcome in advance does not ruin your enjoyment of the work. Sometimes the journey, the getting there, is the important part. Did anyone think that Harry would <i>not</i> defeat Voldemort? Did that make the final battle less exciting? Were the deaths of some of our favorite supporting characters any less heartbreaking? Does knowing that Katniss <i>must</i> win the Hunger Games in the first book make her story any less amazing to read?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkndOs5oyOA-jV2pN42ejOUF84xKObNPoSEDvHrLQ3kysApWJNsR4xkkB4iThtPcnRG5PQcWLpwvi5Ji4DI5DLdv1ogRY4YsnV9ml5gaJDI93bJxedeVS5R6NgiK7SolODH83VrPeQCsyP/s1600/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-premier.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkndOs5oyOA-jV2pN42ejOUF84xKObNPoSEDvHrLQ3kysApWJNsR4xkkB4iThtPcnRG5PQcWLpwvi5Ji4DI5DLdv1ogRY4YsnV9ml5gaJDI93bJxedeVS5R6NgiK7SolODH83VrPeQCsyP/s1600/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-premier.jpeg" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You'd have to be living under a rock not to know what was coming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
In other words, which is more important: wondering whether or not Frodo will destroy the One Ring, or reading three books/watching three movies that chronicle his journey, and the other events taking place in Middle Earth?<br />
<br />
I came late to the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" world: I didn't start watching the show until seven years after it went off the air. Going in, I already knew certain major show events: I knew about Angel and his soul, I knew about Buffy's mom, I knew about Buffy and Spike, and I knew about Willow. Even knowing all those things going in, I can honestly say I did not like the series any less. In fact, I loved it quite a lot.<br />
<br />
Which brings me to historical fact. As a fan of historical fiction, sometimes the outcome of a show or book is already well-known. I'm currently reading Helen Hollick's wonderful novel, "I Am The Chosen King," about the famous 1066 Battle of Hastings. I already know the outcome of <i>that</i> event; and anyway, 1000 years is well beyond even the most liberal statute of limitations on spoilers. The ending of the book will not be a surprise for me. What I'm interested in are the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings. The politics, the machinations, and especially the people. The real people behind the famous names. The Battle of Hastings did not happen out of the blue. It did not come out of nothingness. In this case, no spoiler alerts needed.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXBc5uzQY_VkY5qPB0qq6v6TV-CXJfQNBNzbT0TZ_O8llsO__26D7-M4xvWxwulxbPLD8EixzMDFXxeHxxCMDfOfuv8uDyEyIrRxhAINsnsIxUZIs8jEKu8MHdpTAlPIB7S9YIf93sj0h/s1600/bayeaux+tapestry.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXBc5uzQY_VkY5qPB0qq6v6TV-CXJfQNBNzbT0TZ_O8llsO__26D7-M4xvWxwulxbPLD8EixzMDFXxeHxxCMDfOfuv8uDyEyIrRxhAINsnsIxUZIs8jEKu8MHdpTAlPIB7S9YIf93sj0h/s1600/bayeaux+tapestry.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1000-year old spoiler courtesy of the Bayeaux Tapestry, circa 1080ish.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
What about slightly less well-known history? My husband and I recently watched all three seasons of Showtime's "The Borgias," a family he and I know very little about. In this case, despite the passing of more than 500 years since the events depicted in the show, we had to avoid looking up any real-life Borgia family member to avoid show spoilers. But had we accidentally come upon some historical fact that might give away a meaningful event in the show, well, how angry could we get, really? It's been 500 years!<br />
<br />
<br />
What do you think of spoilers? Do you post details on social media? Do you label them? How long do you give others before saying, "Not my problem anymore?"Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-24049226732508833122014-10-15T14:10:00.000-04:002014-10-15T14:10:02.359-04:00New York Comic-Con 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Another year, <a href="http://www.themarysue.com/new-york-comic-con-2014-attendance-numbers/" target="_blank">another NYCC done</a>. This year it was just the Juban Princeling and myself. We managed to get there shortly after the doors opened and stayed until just before they closed. That's a <i>lot</i> of Comic Con!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YTAAaXo5tV7fRnWFvBE_-bZK3uivOehQbHEWmIr5XjOd1CVLt5W-y399YH0AkbzcQzNbvyt8VWAy1BFG6-7mlrJi3Sa766zS69pSryxwycsGHPmrTF7YyjyXEUQc1plHttICXqiNc822/s1600/10731190_10152445897050678_3176444588799177044_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8YTAAaXo5tV7fRnWFvBE_-bZK3uivOehQbHEWmIr5XjOd1CVLt5W-y399YH0AkbzcQzNbvyt8VWAy1BFG6-7mlrJi3Sa766zS69pSryxwycsGHPmrTF7YyjyXEUQc1plHttICXqiNc822/s1600/10731190_10152445897050678_3176444588799177044_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This is not a democracy anymore!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRmduC9Vhmou6oLUQYVrLIyzN3EubwizH5VzASq1XjcTjVheS2bn0RHuukx0EE-SdgXMGu9GvUpx3kRdwrXKcxaVrQA13dOhBHOSBJ0XqYfrzlK0SrmWoNFOdUVrKcUf47QJkAapPobOv/s1600/10712722_10152444177475678_6800793358413692585_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRmduC9Vhmou6oLUQYVrLIyzN3EubwizH5VzASq1XjcTjVheS2bn0RHuukx0EE-SdgXMGu9GvUpx3kRdwrXKcxaVrQA13dOhBHOSBJ0XqYfrzlK0SrmWoNFOdUVrKcUf47QJkAapPobOv/s1600/10712722_10152444177475678_6800793358413692585_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What the prep for my costume did to my hands. This photo was taken after 7 washings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmspkbPNIkHRDRRZjSndpxrcqJEpHjw1aKSytBKzxQ0qAIrXl30bznnYESfkTWo8GACcoqklbTUEqjx4W-ae60gZNzvN8ww7IW3Jt8djD1SYssVRxfaUJX-zzcL9KctcSxRBPwTI1knW3/s1600/10670170_10152446737060678_6174405589584534368_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmspkbPNIkHRDRRZjSndpxrcqJEpHjw1aKSytBKzxQ0qAIrXl30bznnYESfkTWo8GACcoqklbTUEqjx4W-ae60gZNzvN8ww7IW3Jt8djD1SYssVRxfaUJX-zzcL9KctcSxRBPwTI1knW3/s1600/10670170_10152446737060678_6174405589584534368_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Princeling generously donated some "grass stains" to my costume.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The Princeling's inspiration for his own costume was Sled, a boy winter fairy from "Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings," a movie that is on so much in my house right now I'm pretty sure we went through it three whole times in one day last week. (To be fair, my 2 1/2-year old, The Duke of Juban, is in love with that movie, too. It's the first thing he asks for every morning when he wakes up, right after "chocolate milk.")<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkwJQ_F6gTCNbWC6JD6UjaBpsqqeqdPEtzN2yE954BY6hRW1CYqUITY_KwBW2-x0a9dbcsY_rsQVGNqNTzJuEPgHljaHi0Y7KndMtarvjdiDwKQtgL4xqFft3-uzzfmJ9y0ynYc3iFNcy/s1600/Sled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkwJQ_F6gTCNbWC6JD6UjaBpsqqeqdPEtzN2yE954BY6hRW1CYqUITY_KwBW2-x0a9dbcsY_rsQVGNqNTzJuEPgHljaHi0Y7KndMtarvjdiDwKQtgL4xqFft3-uzzfmJ9y0ynYc3iFNcy/s1600/Sled.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Sled, the boy winter fairy, second from left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Since I am no seamstress, and since the Princeling informed me two days before Comic Con that he wanted to go as Sled, I had to improvise a costume on the fly. I used some fake orchid leaves from IKEA, sewed them with a few stitches to a light blue shirt, cut off the shirt's sleeves, used one leg from some pre-teen size purple leggings as the belt, and trimmed some shiny blue leggings. And, of course, bought some fairy wings. Thank goodness Comic Con is in October, when the pop-up costume shops are open!<br />
<br />
Now that the Princeling is in first grade, I've started reading him the first Harry Potter. Because of this, I promised to buy him his own wand at NYCC, which we managed to score just in time for the <a href="http://www.meetup.com/TGTSNBN/" target="_blank">Harry Potter NYC</a> Presents: The Art of Wand Dueling lesson in one of the family rooms.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTTOqYXyOW2azN5EnHYTJWgg2lK3NkxM0gnLFfizjxk0RbaqXju298KDm5H3RvQXl7bKf_qMu7kaUzOTUjkVmC9FKw3pFoAz1bpDv6ZBlQSBo2QlV3KYobYiEVxD3WLx01q5N5bn10hAl/s1600/1471366_10152446210385678_4166333864830831986_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTTOqYXyOW2azN5EnHYTJWgg2lK3NkxM0gnLFfizjxk0RbaqXju298KDm5H3RvQXl7bKf_qMu7kaUzOTUjkVmC9FKw3pFoAz1bpDv6ZBlQSBo2QlV3KYobYiEVxD3WLx01q5N5bn10hAl/s1600/1471366_10152446210385678_4166333864830831986_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Princeling, in the wings, ready to take his new wand for a test drive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
The Princeling may not have reached the part in the book with <a href="http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Sorting_Hat" target="_blank">the Sorting Hat</a> yet, but you can believe that, when asked which house he belonged to, <i>my</i> child answered without hesitating, "Ravenclaw." Blue and gold pride, w00t w00t!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2VNMI1veUHwfcL2l9hmO2u3i_0JrGjpZx3If95HSmDrp-Tv7mov8WRpgBGBk2RS4gcN765FEhatD_z6NbVnCXFwJ0m1-ZzMAcSH5PjeXSZUiqCwbnn1qmodiryjdk7brvTsAMjm6MaId/s1600/shield_rav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2VNMI1veUHwfcL2l9hmO2u3i_0JrGjpZx3If95HSmDrp-Tv7mov8WRpgBGBk2RS4gcN765FEhatD_z6NbVnCXFwJ0m1-ZzMAcSH5PjeXSZUiqCwbnn1qmodiryjdk7brvTsAMjm6MaId/s1600/shield_rav.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House pride, y'all!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After lunch, in which I had to eat standing up because there were, literally, no seats available, we scoured the show floor and I bought him yet another light saber to add to his collection at home, because really, you can't have too many of those. He also had a great time at the <a href="http://www.writopialab.org/" target="_blank">Writopia Lab</a> "Create Your Own Superhero" booth, which warmed the cockles of my writer's heart.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqSRRo6JmvLhQtdAIshX_D1xWZD8DGDZ1Uj56AWTiSwKIsBB1Wvhr_xGB19ujEwFq9BeUw5CfYurS4lJQ_p0VpyXCY2bCk5mgX4K8NqVN7UIFpKMweDurQrYIV_9gLjvdDsMJBUCRUXcI/s1600/10349063_10152446581010678_5881299599665452760_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnqSRRo6JmvLhQtdAIshX_D1xWZD8DGDZ1Uj56AWTiSwKIsBB1Wvhr_xGB19ujEwFq9BeUw5CfYurS4lJQ_p0VpyXCY2bCk5mgX4K8NqVN7UIFpKMweDurQrYIV_9gLjvdDsMJBUCRUXcI/s1600/10349063_10152446581010678_5881299599665452760_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Princeling also discovered the Mutant Mania booth <br />so hard we stayed there for 15 minutes. This is my "Let's wrap <br />it up and do, literally, ANYthing else" face.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We wrapped up with the <a href="http://www.joshuajay.com/#home" target="_blank">Big Magic For Little Hands</a> demo downstairs, which gave the Princeling another chance to show off his new HP wand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5wwIYujFZCRhA3lIm52FlAcYnkdjxSOlMiPBeiac3fHfSdI19mjJQ29giRWR2FWgIvhTh4Mhth3lM1j5syhW8Oor8TodQ2whWurMoX22SsWe4ROqS72XUTDZPeUd94DJUgxYVqZULm06/s1600/10712771_10152446724745678_3804944336331450950_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5wwIYujFZCRhA3lIm52FlAcYnkdjxSOlMiPBeiac3fHfSdI19mjJQ29giRWR2FWgIvhTh4Mhth3lM1j5syhW8Oor8TodQ2whWurMoX22SsWe4ROqS72XUTDZPeUd94DJUgxYVqZULm06/s1600/10712771_10152446724745678_3804944336331450950_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy. Love it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Lots of really good cosplay this year, as usual. Special shout-out to this young lady I found taking photographs at the wand dueling lesson, who should win some sort of award for Best TARDIS ever. Note the wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey detail on the skirt.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHEMgSg-TMCW2eSRT4X8vVlVz-Aa10gSIn4VRk-tMWuAQUBbg9O-V7DQ46kTXX-1yqcdEn2xu-c79SsgWQigWlsKZcTEwq64Q4u292JxISopm_VeuWSZ0dtIWwwccG8fW6ppvb4cFqBb3/s1600/10710553_10152446542855678_7697869925285832552_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUHEMgSg-TMCW2eSRT4X8vVlVz-Aa10gSIn4VRk-tMWuAQUBbg9O-V7DQ46kTXX-1yqcdEn2xu-c79SsgWQigWlsKZcTEwq64Q4u292JxISopm_VeuWSZ0dtIWwwccG8fW6ppvb4cFqBb3/s1600/10710553_10152446542855678_7697869925285832552_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is the queen of TARDIS cosplay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
And, that's how you know you're Geek Parenting right: When you're at Comic Con dressed as a character from The Walking Dead, with a light saber in your bag on your back, holding the hand of your six-year old son who is himself in costume as a minor character from an obscure non-theatrical movie and carrying a Harry Potter wand.<br />
<br />
Me and my kid at New York Comic Con FOR THE WIN.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-91250645082523191872014-10-09T13:27:00.000-04:002014-10-09T16:26:23.051-04:00Geek TV: The Walking DeadI wanted to wait a while before posting about The Walking Dead. I wanted to work my way up to it, save it for a special occasion. But the new season starts THIS SUNDAY!!!!, and I JUST. CAN'T. WAIT. SQUEE.<br />
<br />
It took me a long time to realize that TWD is my favorite show on television. Like, ever. Ever, ever. For most of my life, if someone asked me what my favorite show was, I'd hem and haw and give several answers. I had a favorite comedy, a favorite drama, a favorite this show a favorite that show, and these would all change year by year as new shows came on and old ones went off the air.<br />
<br />
Now, though, I can finally say with confidence: My favorite television show of all time, of all genres is The Walking Dead.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m-yVmUdaopIuZShixqktlSx87FNy9ItR8MrFn8BL6UrF39SKhyphenhyphenhbxIce8eszkM1wpQUe2vpi82fMOj2tpUq0Vg1Eq1L1FbPE3s__FIoTH-QqtDre8EDgBsawyCbalG1u7HyFs-r5UHjX/s1600/TheWalkingDeadPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8m-yVmUdaopIuZShixqktlSx87FNy9ItR8MrFn8BL6UrF39SKhyphenhyphenhbxIce8eszkM1wpQUe2vpi82fMOj2tpUq0Vg1Eq1L1FbPE3s__FIoTH-QqtDre8EDgBsawyCbalG1u7HyFs-r5UHjX/s1600/TheWalkingDeadPoster.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Here's why.<br />
<br />
(Spoilery goodness ahead.)<br />
<br />
<br />
(No, srsly, you've been warned.)<br />
<br />
<br />
(Last chance.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Dystopia</u></b><br />
<br />
Well, duh. As a genre fan, and as a fan of dystopias, the zombiepocalypse nightmare in this show is right up my alley.<br />
<br />
The exact time of TWD is never made clear -- maybe it is in the graphic novels? -- but it's obviously either the present or the not-too-distant-future. I love that, it makes the whole thing much more immediate, and terrifying.<br />
<br />
Now, a lot of people are so over zombies. I'm not -- and probably never will be, because zombies are awesome and totally not scary -- but that's not why I like the show. In fact, after the first few episodes, the show is only a little bit still about zombies. First, like Rick waking from his coma, we get used to the new world around us, one overrun by zombies created by some sort of fast-spreading virus. As the season goes on and as the show grows into subsequent seasons, the general story becomes less about the zombies/walkers/geeks/biters (name depends on who you ask) and more about the survivors: what they do, how they live, how they go on, what and who else they encounter in this world. It's a show about people, so much so that the zombies become almost background noise. Sure, it's called "The Walking Dead," but it's not about that. Really.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL19m7I0pgkqjs0fr6yjVunfbB-v8CGAzVomm1Fz6SzHksYexqHp0zfMI-DqdZh6QeqeIPrt_gQ8csg2m2WlQ0xif6MnmjZFGY3Dhg3RKbpqQgUa9RReRRhyphenhyphen4nXGyNfUmAhRyQfRc_WZW3/s1600/Rick+and+Co.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL19m7I0pgkqjs0fr6yjVunfbB-v8CGAzVomm1Fz6SzHksYexqHp0zfMI-DqdZh6QeqeIPrt_gQ8csg2m2WlQ0xif6MnmjZFGY3Dhg3RKbpqQgUa9RReRRhyphenhyphen4nXGyNfUmAhRyQfRc_WZW3/s1600/Rick+and+Co.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I don't hear anything. Why do you ask?" - Rick, at his arguable hottest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Moral Ambiguity</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
When it comes to dystopias, or post-catastrophic worlds, it's very easy to have Good Guys and Bad Guys. Though I love "The Hunger Games" trilogy, there are very clear heroes and villains in Panem. Even the "Mad Max" movies have a "Man vs Society" theme running through them. TWD is much more subtle than that, though.<br />
<br />
Not all survivors are good. Not all survivors are bad. Nearly every character on the show grapples, at some point or another, with their conscience. This is because in the fight for survival, the zombies -- or "walkers" -- aren't the only enemy. Some survivors are not all about helping others. Some survivors have resorted to their baser instincts. Some survivors are simply not trustworthy or good-hearted. This is best exemplified in the three questions former sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, de facto leader of our group of survivors, asks other survivors he meets in season 4: "How many walkers have you killed? How many people? Why?"<br />
<br />
With those three questions, Rick hits the moral ambiguity nail on the head: of course, most survivors will have been expected to kill some walkers: that's simply a matter of human survival in this world. But he then asks how many people someone has killed...and why. Was it for survival? To protect your own people? Or was it for greed, or selfishness?<br />
<br />
And, for that matter, what is "selfish" in a world with such moral ambiguity? In season 2, Shane sacrifices Otis to the walkers so he can escape with the medical supplies Hershel needs to save Carl. Though Shane -- one of the show's shadier "heroes" -- did what he thought was right in order to save Carl, even he has to grapple with the consequences of his actions. In this case, he was injured and they were being persued by an enormous group of walkers. He could have given the supplies to Otis to take back to Hershel's farm, sacrificed himself to the walkers, and gave Otis an escape. But he doesn't. Instead, he shoots Otis, lets the walkers have him, and returns to Hershel's farm as the hero. He never tells Otis's family the truth of what happened, but the torment of it clearly eats at Shane from the inside as we see him glare at himself in the mirror and shave his head -- a possible reference to days past when prisoners were shaved before being executed.<br />
<br />
Why did Shane do this? Does it harken back to the days when Rick was still in his coma and Shane became Carl's new "dad?" Is it some sort of misguided way of redeeming himself for his behavior toward Lori at the CDC? Who knows?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6vP_nbrBjUKnGn7FEUGaPOKWknsScu3fYOf0ewHYpIIl3_clbCIYXmnNUnPX26WkumBF7rPpGzzqeZeVHJDgvqJfqvs4XfVSB_bXWDNy0KG2c8GHkOnkgfZL7LildD20syfkRknF8wrb/s1600/Shane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6vP_nbrBjUKnGn7FEUGaPOKWknsScu3fYOf0ewHYpIIl3_clbCIYXmnNUnPX26WkumBF7rPpGzzqeZeVHJDgvqJfqvs4XfVSB_bXWDNy0KG2c8GHkOnkgfZL7LildD20syfkRknF8wrb/s1600/Shane.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I look totally innocent and good guy now. Everything's coming up Shane!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
As a graphic example of the show's descent further and further into a world of grey areas, the group's moral center, Dale, dies a horrible death at the end of season 2, taking a certain goodness with him. There aren't a lot of <i>clearly</i> right answers on the show, and not a lot of <i>clearly</i> wrong. That makes for quite intelligent entertainment.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Character Development</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
All the characters still around in season 5, who have been there either from the beginning or almost from the beginning, have undergone enormous transformations in personality. <i>Enormous</i>. Rick has gone from archetypical hero, to scary dictator ("This is not a democracy anymore!"), to battle-weary veteran, to victim, to Superdad. Andrea went from kind of a badass to kind of a pain in the ass. Shane went from quasi-good guy to total bad guy. Daryl's heroism has risen to the surface and made him one of the show's most beloved characters. Even the Governor tried to change for the better, but could not win the battle against his lesser nature.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-UdvxRYFNm7EaF3cC1sqK7KxubRCUdD13gos5INJYHC74ldPDR4k2kJ7MdtjVA7zIVgzVL2e0a69qTLjs_SG6bDDVseBYxQvANGP5Wbyp_rh68oyWZ34cWRB1oYvMG9mj3GBn3UUtg7B/s1600/The-Walking-Dead-Finale-Governor-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-UdvxRYFNm7EaF3cC1sqK7KxubRCUdD13gos5INJYHC74ldPDR4k2kJ7MdtjVA7zIVgzVL2e0a69qTLjs_SG6bDDVseBYxQvANGP5Wbyp_rh68oyWZ34cWRB1oYvMG9mj3GBn3UUtg7B/s1600/The-Walking-Dead-Finale-Governor-3.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This morning I woke up and I said to myself, I said, 'Self, today you are NOT going to be<br />
a homicidal, psychopathic, manipulating fascist.' Ooopsie."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The three characters that have undergone the most significant changes though, in my opinion, are Carol, Glenn, and Hershel (RIP).<br />
<br />
Let's start with Hershel Greene.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHiVXfaPjd0W4d_ZJXOigAfy3RTowGGWDJZ1TejbKjaE6x0iAe0yjRA4NwlC_mVA0MXC5_FP8-GNON0oXVX_peDBqi92s_TAXpv8hDBe3w3t-lO9viNetmUevC6h4DUx3KDQw3sxmH7dp/s1600/Hershel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHiVXfaPjd0W4d_ZJXOigAfy3RTowGGWDJZ1TejbKjaE6x0iAe0yjRA4NwlC_mVA0MXC5_FP8-GNON0oXVX_peDBqi92s_TAXpv8hDBe3w3t-lO9viNetmUevC6h4DUx3KDQw3sxmH7dp/s1600/Hershel.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When god closes a Dale, he opens a Hershel.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
When we first meet the unassuming veterinarian farmer, he's understandably protective of his family. He won't allow Rick's group to stay inside his house and only reluctantly allows them to stay on his property while he attends to Carl, who has just been shot. Even with a dying little boy on his hands and two frantic parents, Hershel is wary of Rick, Lori and the others. So far the plague that's affected the rest of the world has mostly left them alone, and he's fine with that. His theory is that there is safety in seclusion, and he's mostly right: things seem pretty OK for the Greene family when we meet them. As time goes on and events unfold, Hershel is forced to come to terms with what's happening in the outside world. Whether he likes it or not, this is the new reality. He can either fight it, or die. By the time season 4 rolls around, Hershel has stepped up to his duties to his family. He's joined Rick's gang and taken on the responsibility of group doctor. His no-nonsense personality has finally made the shift from denial to acceptance, and his death was one of the most heartbreaking on the show.<br />
<br />
Then there's Carol Peletier.<br />
<br />
When we first meet Carol, she's a mousy abused wife. Once her bullying bastard of a husband is [correction] beat to a pulp (by Shane, in the first of one of his many, many morally grey-area incidents), and then killed by a walker, Carol blossoms into a much more developed character. She speaks up. She makes decisions. She becomes part of the group.<br />
<br />
In season 2, when Carol's daughter Sofia goes missing, it would have been very easy to turn Carol into a hysterical worrywart. And of course, any parent would worry themselves sick over a missing child under any circumstances. Carol, though, eventually puts one foot in front of the other. She delves deep down and learns to keep her life moving forward, even while she tears herself up inside with anxiety. In what I think of as one of Daryl's greatest storylines, he goes off to search for Carol's missing daughter while Carlos stays with Rick's gang at Hershel's farm. When it's discovered that Sofia is one of the walkers being kept inside Hershel's barn -- because he is certain there will be a "cure" for the zombie plague and everyone will be able to go back to normal -- Rick steps up and puts the poor child out of her misery. Carol has to watch.<br />
<br />
So, not only did her daughter go missing, but Carol's worst nightmares about her fate have come true. And they've come true in front of her. She's not presented with some sad proof of Sofia's death. She doesn't hear about it secondhand. She sees her daughter as a walker, and sees her shot in the head to be put to rest. That's...a LOT for a parent. And, rightfully so, it changes Carol. It changes her HARD. She not only becomes protective of all the other children who join the group, she takes it upon herself to teach them, in secret and against Rick's wishes, how to defend themselves with weapons. This, of course, will come back to bite her in the ass in season 4, in one of the show's all-time most emotional and hard to watch scenes. But it's honest, and it's truthful, and it's a pretty realistic idea of what a woman like Carol would go through under these circumstances.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjum9qq0rF9hnnorkXrc2qwqr5rM1n4BIyHaz5BBxFM6nuy6n8AJrIJS83hUGa9oQ58ZQSwEth94DW4YI57SvZOKAjo89-UxfgbqKaYG1rcOPzyoF1RCwpCSGl0-Uho6ZXDmMRcvifmo_Ff/s1600/keep-calm-and-look-at-the-flowers-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjum9qq0rF9hnnorkXrc2qwqr5rM1n4BIyHaz5BBxFM6nuy6n8AJrIJS83hUGa9oQ58ZQSwEth94DW4YI57SvZOKAjo89-UxfgbqKaYG1rcOPzyoF1RCwpCSGl0-Uho6ZXDmMRcvifmo_Ff/s1600/keep-calm-and-look-at-the-flowers-23.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need a poster of this. Srsly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Finally, we get to Glenn Rhee.<br />
<br />
I've said to my husband that I think Glenn has the most character development on this show, and maybe most shows in existence. He starts off as kind of a stereotype of the "helpful, nerdy Asian," complete with baseball cap. We first meet him in the show's first episodes as he guides Rick out of the army tank and into the safety of the department store. He's set up to be almost like the comic relief because of his one-liners ("Nice move there, Clint Eastwood.") and because he's just so <i>silly</i>. He distracts the walkers by setting off a car alarm -- and then going for a yelp-filled joyride in a sports car. Cute.<br />
<br />
In season 2, Glenn finally comes into his own. He meets Maggie, Hershel's daughter, and in the context of the world they live in he bypasses the sweet infatuation stage with her and falls in love. And it's not some rom-com unrequited love, either: Maggie really falls for him back. Hard. As their relationship grows, Glenn also takes on some of the leadership role in the gang, like Carol -- making his voice heard, making his opinions count. He's done with the bullshit. He's done being passively ordered around. He's done being the errand boy, the comic relief, the fallback guy. He grows and matures, over one season, from a little kid to a grown-up. By season 3 he's realized his hero potential in time to take on a walker WHILE TIED TO A CHAIR and escape the Governor. That's pretty badass.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqDPDwbZyfyNxhz83s-rYUIzKNRHWaJvL7FgvxYhn5TdX16Q0gdgb5kBLzVaPPYR-mGQwVAsA-choYawHFLXvvEjOqzvjnBivgUBIYQcWhHkRrcrBOOZqjlhnOX7Zb6NJoDueVHquMI4V/s1600/Glenn.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqqDPDwbZyfyNxhz83s-rYUIzKNRHWaJvL7FgvxYhn5TdX16Q0gdgb5kBLzVaPPYR-mGQwVAsA-choYawHFLXvvEjOqzvjnBivgUBIYQcWhHkRrcrBOOZqjlhnOX7Zb6NJoDueVHquMI4V/s1600/Glenn.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"This is my angry face."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I'm in awe of Glenn, and of his and Maggie's relationship. No matter what, they never doubt their love or one another. They stay together in the face of ridiculous odds and find each other with a single-minded relentlessness when they're separated. Their love is so optimistic in such a bleak world that you just can't help but root for them.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Fully-Realized "What If?" Situations</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
I've saved one of my favorite elements of the show for the end. What's great about TWD is all the different "what if?" situations our group comes across in their journeys. As I said above, we have Hershel -- and probably others like him -- who are convinced this whole thing is a sickness that can, and will, be cured, and are waiting for that to happen. For these people, walkers aren't enemies to be put down, they are patients in need of quarantine until the cure magically appears.<br />
<br />
There are people in the group who do not get along. There are people in the group who are *toxic* to the group. What do you do with them? In the second episode of season 1, Rick handcuffs Merle to the roof of a building and leaves him there; Merle, a redneck, racist, sexual harasser that no one likes ("No one's going to be sad he didn't come back,"). Was Rick right? Wrong?<br />
<br />
What do you do if a new outbreak happens in your group?<br />
<br />
What happens if you make it to the Center for Disease Control, only to be told by the last survivor there that there is no cure, you're all fucked, and he's about to blow the place up?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHGAkOAeNrCUnomqMk5ZvR7zYD_lkRckj2PsOyGzzSWVU5_7BSZ9DkmK-4FrNMFCiHYkC5VsOgOTqmLlgAFn6V1VJi4SZDdJm0sR0Ov20nQkEYkr_QJQkqNJeipFwU9faJaSA0NfWsIH6/s1600/CDC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHGAkOAeNrCUnomqMk5ZvR7zYD_lkRckj2PsOyGzzSWVU5_7BSZ9DkmK-4FrNMFCiHYkC5VsOgOTqmLlgAFn6V1VJi4SZDdJm0sR0Ov20nQkEYkr_QJQkqNJeipFwU9faJaSA0NfWsIH6/s1600/CDC.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least everyone got a shower. And wine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There are thieves and rapists, taking advantage of the anarchy and chaos to feast on the weaknesses of other survivors.<br />
<br />
There are con artists, like the Governor, who rally other survivors behind him in a misguided attempt at a "new normal" life for everyone, but who are really just control freaks looking for more and more power.<br />
<br />
There are weirdos like the woman early on in season 4, who kept her walker husband's head and wants to join him.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9W79YWjwDJbWfzQR891YaShKTRWyAc90sEAbEeH-efNOtm8J40dpGXAQMI-DY2o5E8xsBAKOeI5a03NTdnxDad7XtBVk31o4YM_3Wmyzi2HwjwTOn0tYGgZ2kYS4E7g_rduX93xWvX1M/s1600/S4E1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9W79YWjwDJbWfzQR891YaShKTRWyAc90sEAbEeH-efNOtm8J40dpGXAQMI-DY2o5E8xsBAKOeI5a03NTdnxDad7XtBVk31o4YM_3Wmyzi2HwjwTOn0tYGgZ2kYS4E7g_rduX93xWvX1M/s1600/S4E1.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's going to get way weirder from here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
There are fierce warriors like Michon.<br />
<br />
There are optimists like Beth.<br />
<br />
There are children.<br />
<br />
There are babies.<br />
<br />
There are people whose motives are unreadable, and decisions that have to be made at a split-second regarding what to do about them.<br />
<br />
In a morally ambiguous world, nothing is clear-cut, and the show does an amazing job of showing us the endless ways in which people will cope with the unthinkable, what taboos they will break, what lengths they will go to in order to survive and to protect their loved ones.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCeymh9jKrxDsgIUPAcPRvvXIk3ml2k5_yIus64mB7G4VcKraBx2yRqms0DmivHAerLcXOJgdb4sk5e_oMIcFcjYvVHsT2mTT5VE1Lzlm6ey7eu1vb1eB2GW0f9lJhSBTa-ISmLbb6j_h/s1600/Season+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCeymh9jKrxDsgIUPAcPRvvXIk3ml2k5_yIus64mB7G4VcKraBx2yRqms0DmivHAerLcXOJgdb4sk5e_oMIcFcjYvVHsT2mTT5VE1Lzlm6ey7eu1vb1eB2GW0f9lJhSBTa-ISmLbb6j_h/s1600/Season+5.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello, darling. Have you missed me as much as I've missed you? I still love<br />
you and all, but can we please talk about the hair? And beard?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I love this show because every single episode is a good one. Some are really, really great. Some blow my mind. All of them make me think, make me wonder, make me gasp with joy and horror and surprise. I'm never bored of the show. I never wonder when it will end; I hope it never does. I think about it constantly when it's not on. I count down to when it comes back. Most shows reach a point where they become either hollow parodies of themselves ("Glee," "ER,"), or have traveled so far away from their origin point that they are unrecognizable as the show I once loved ("Mad Men," "Sex and the City"). The Walking Dead has managed to avoid either of those fates by giving each character depth, fully realized details, and thoughtful storylines, and by upping the moral and ethical stakes with each season.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICU2PFPO-0ImcxjKMip4kz4q43qfCnPB6r7-vv8-65u0uxx4suczJ_97If82K6klQYMqPqBlLZpzR45udzrRDvBK2aIHMIBZ8sRa6zTKwAFxnRrrzo5EKd0hRbZxawr0kM3vanWuLSQvz/s1600/Daryl-Beth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICU2PFPO-0ImcxjKMip4kz4q43qfCnPB6r7-vv8-65u0uxx4suczJ_97If82K6klQYMqPqBlLZpzR45udzrRDvBK2aIHMIBZ8sRa6zTKwAFxnRrrzo5EKd0hRbZxawr0kM3vanWuLSQvz/s1600/Daryl-Beth.jpg" height="250" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YES x infinity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Now, I've never read the graphic novels on which the show is based, and at this point I probably won't ever. I just can't read the source material once I've seen the show/movie. At least, this is my general rule. For The Walking Dead, I might have to make an exception.<br />
<br />
<br />
Do you watch The Walking Dead? What do you think about it?<br />
<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-13198359726539940462014-10-08T12:21:00.001-04:002014-10-08T12:21:39.997-04:00Happy Birthday, Juban Princeling!We'll return to our regularly scheduled blog tomorrow, but today I want to use this space to wish a very happy 6th birthday to one of the two best things I've ever created.<br />
<br />
Hashtag: Mushygushyproudmama<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmd1TS2KyeSVPWvx6AHz4oCZCudyQ6SX-uTmvCP6kfjjcItq3_dEDHJWhRkBDvftpEh3fnVl0AMyMHKZHuUBa3OHlGCv6QKqYFu_vknT67n2rLFJ0e2_DMGcMG3eVTb3B6kGKKYvJglCz/s1600/2008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmd1TS2KyeSVPWvx6AHz4oCZCudyQ6SX-uTmvCP6kfjjcItq3_dEDHJWhRkBDvftpEh3fnVl0AMyMHKZHuUBa3OHlGCv6QKqYFu_vknT67n2rLFJ0e2_DMGcMG3eVTb3B6kGKKYvJglCz/s1600/2008.jpeg" height="232" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 8, 2008</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-6562984564076982322014-10-01T12:01:00.000-04:002014-10-01T12:01:11.688-04:00Reading Project: 2015A few years ago, my husband decided to dedicate an entire year to a specific theme in his reading. His first reading project was to choose a book from each decade of the 20th century. Some books he enjoyed; others he did not. Either way, he was glad to have chosen a theme in which to pick his books, and he opened his mind to some of the great works of the last century.<br />
<br />
Inspired, I've spent this year reading genre books by Women of Color. Not exclusively, but still making an effort to include as many as I could find. In fact, had I not taken a break from my project to read "Sword & Sorceress 29," I never would have discovered Rabia Gale. Some books were easy to get: Octavia Butler is a pretty big name in speculative fiction. Others were tough: I still have "The Bone Whistle" on my to-read pile, and so far it's the only spec fic by a Native American woman I've been able to get my hands on. Other books were a pleasant surprise, like the recently read "Rainbird" by Rabia Gale.<br />
<br />
Other books, which I will not name, I started and could not finish because they were just not good, and my desire to support non-white female authors within the speculative fiction genre was not great enough to overcome the truly awful writing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72e0Rpz8PO-ja9KkKCgcIYflRrecGVXAY519xOTeXpRGoP5aIs4Jfb6GET34se-2l369NwNE7_ofdUSshXiAiUpJ9iW8DAvg7WLOLtl1uoXPDcoSGaXKgRS4t7vUstJCFsTjT_QHe-Tn7/s1600/matisse_woman_reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72e0Rpz8PO-ja9KkKCgcIYflRrecGVXAY519xOTeXpRGoP5aIs4Jfb6GET34se-2l369NwNE7_ofdUSshXiAiUpJ9iW8DAvg7WLOLtl1uoXPDcoSGaXKgRS4t7vUstJCFsTjT_QHe-Tn7/s1600/matisse_woman_reading.jpg" height="214" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Now that we're into the last quarter of the year, my thoughts have necessarily turned to my reading project for 2015. For a while I considered read genre and historical fiction outside my comfort zone. In genre, I gravitate towards urban fantasy, magic realism, paranormal, and dark fantasy/light horror. In historical fiction, I tend towards British Dark Ages/High Middle Ages (5th-12th centuries), the Japanese Samurai period, and early 20th century American. My idea was to branch out into other subgenres -- steampunk, space opera, alien invasion, high/epic fantasy -- and other time periods -- the Wild West, ancient China, pre-history, the American Revolution.<br />
<br />
Then yesterday something caught my attention: several books in my bookcase I hadn't read yet. When I went through the shelves I discovered five print books I own, which I had not yet read. They've been on my shelves for at least a year. I then dove into my e-reader library and discovered twelve more unread books. That's <b><i>seventeen</i></b> books I own which I have not read.<br />
<br />
Seventeen.<br />
<br />
Ok, three of those -- one print and two e-books -- are part of my Spec Fic by Women of Color project. But even if I read those this year, that leaves over a dozen unread books in my to-read pile. Fourteen! Even taking a break to read other books, I should be able to finish those by the end of 2015.<br />
<br />
The unread books on my shelves both virtual and physical break down as follows:<br />
<br />
7 genre/spec fic<br />
6 non-fiction (including a memior by Joan Rivers)<br />
4 literary/classic fiction (including The Count of Monte Cristo)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_iPZ0I8iFVQ9EwFCFRbca2WsJ5Z1RyBZJkjW97dqyItRH1pY7FDDiqlyAckg2iNkxeraQNZ8irKz5N7Nw9C8AM64It5GQG9AN5mG4krnR7_qtKc_Eoe_WAYT87rUCc7IELQ4UGJhPWw9/s1600/very-old-books-640x480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_iPZ0I8iFVQ9EwFCFRbca2WsJ5Z1RyBZJkjW97dqyItRH1pY7FDDiqlyAckg2iNkxeraQNZ8irKz5N7Nw9C8AM64It5GQG9AN5mG4krnR7_qtKc_Eoe_WAYT87rUCc7IELQ4UGJhPWw9/s1600/very-old-books-640x480.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Challenge accepted! My reading project for 2015 will be to read all the books I own which have languished unread in the ethers of my nook and the dusty shelves of my big bookcase. I vow to put myself on a book-buying freeze until I either finish them or declare them unreadable after the first three chapters/50 pages, whichever comes first.<br />
<br />
Random collections of ghost stories, humorous essays on parenting, and ARCs I won from a "Fantasy & Science Fiction" magazine contest, here I come!Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-83502505932602655452014-09-25T11:21:00.000-04:002014-09-25T11:21:15.433-04:00RevisionsHaving finished my second novel, THE HOLLOW QUEEN, and having let a few months pass, I've now started the excruciating process of revising it. I have to go through and do this at least once before I'll let my critique partners read it. When they're done critiquing, I'll go through it again. And again. And maybe one more time before I let them read it a second time. And then I'll revise some more. And maybe more after that.<br />
<br />
The first draft, of course, is terrible. Awful. I hate it. HATE it. I wrote it as quickly as I could and paid little mind to good grammar, active voice, and sentence structure. I also wrote it for the purpose of <i>getting the story out</i>, not necessarily <i>telling the story well</i>.<br />
<br />
Since this is only my second novel, revising is still a major process for me. However, there are a few things I learned from my first novel, which I am putting into practice this time around to make life a little easier on myself:<br />
<br />
1. Don't let anyone read the first draft. ANY. ONE. I already have a page full of notes I made as I was writing the first draft, of things I need to change. There is a huge continuity error in the middle. Names change halfway through. Characters' entire religions and ethnicities change, and I have to fix all so it at least makes some kind of sense to human beings.<br />
<br />
2. Don't let anyone other than my three critique partners read the second, third, or fourth drafts. Too many cooks, and all that. By the time I let my loved ones read my work now -- even short stories -- I'm pretty much at the point where the piece is ready, or very nearly ready, for submission. This way they get to experience the work the way I want other readers to experience it.<br />
<br />
3. Make notes. Lots, and lots of notes. Like I said, I have a page full of them: things I wanted to remember to add earlier on in the story, names that have to be changed, points I need to look up and clarify.<br />
<br />
4. Use <a href="http://www.wordcounter.com/" target="_blank">this resource</a> to identify overused words, and change them.<br />
<br />
5. Do a search for the following, and change them: "-ly," "that," "seemed," "tried," "began," "felt," "knew," "it," "was."<br />
<br />
6. Comb each chapter for character motivations. Since this novel is multiple POV, make sure each character has a distinctive voice.<br />
<br />
<br />
Only when all of this is done, will I feel comfortable sending a draft to my crit partners. Even then, I know the manuscript will not be the best it can be...yet. I'll get their notes back. Some I'll agree with, and make changes. Others I'll disagree with and leave alone. I'll revise yet again, and probably think of a few new things to add or remove from the ms. Then I'll send out a draft again. And then I'll keep revising until I feel like the only real "changes" left are small, insignificant ones. That's when I know it's ready: ready to query to agents, ready to pitch on Twitter contests. Ready to be read by my husband and other loves ones.<br />
<br />
But that journey is still a thousand miles from where I am right now. I'll get there, and hopefully this time around I'll get there quicker than the three years it took me with my first novel. Until then, I try not to beat myself up too much, and just focus.Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6134967755121125919.post-4605036143580787262014-09-17T12:07:00.000-04:002014-09-17T12:07:23.774-04:00Influences, Part IIIA while ago, <a href="http://meredithmorgenstern.blogspot.com/2014/03/influences-part-1.html" target="_blank">I talked about the books that influenced me to become a writer, from Judy Blume to Marion Zimmer Bradley</a>; I then discussed t<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6134967755121125919#editor/target=post;postID=7804615199244005818;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=14;src=postname" target="_blank">he works of speculative fiction I feel most influenced that aspect of my writing life</a>. Today, I'd like to discuss the flip side of that: historical fiction.<br />
<br />
After spec fic, historical fiction is my favorite subgenre. Non-fiction tends to put me to sleep; sadly, most of what I know about history probably comes from fiction.<br />
<br />
My love for historical fiction began in two ways: first, my mother has always loved Arthuriana, and she passed that on to me. I found that "The Once and Future King" wasn't enough for me, and it didn't take long to find works of Arthuriana more rooted in the history of Dark Ages England than in fantasy. Second, my ninth grade world history teacher once assigned us to read a work of historical fiction; influenced, once again, by my mother, whose favorite book growing up was "Exodus," I read the 400+ page book in two weeks, at the age of 14.<br />
<br />
And that's all it took. I fell deeply in love with historical fiction.<br />
<br />
About 90% of what I read falls into the speculative fiction, historical fiction, or historical fantasy categories. The other 10% tend to be feminist theory or what's known as "literary fiction" recommended to me by my husband. The most recent of the latter was "White Noise" by Don DeLillo, which I found seriously lacking in dragons and/or zombies.<br />
<br />
Here, then, are the works of historical fiction I have found to be most influential in my writing life.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42697.Exodus" target="_blank">Exodus</a>, by Leon Uris<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxB1boP6IQhh4bm81xPBZzDQGg-uRP83XWXHOXkxIr9sshwaOfq11NU7MukjK-MdCFDVIRXQ9Bk72U5vvRKinYtKdl0GtPIdhsBubWoOPeAVbKximZlFHMYnNuTjonmTlQ233yDcLwmf-/s1600/Exodus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxB1boP6IQhh4bm81xPBZzDQGg-uRP83XWXHOXkxIr9sshwaOfq11NU7MukjK-MdCFDVIRXQ9Bk72U5vvRKinYtKdl0GtPIdhsBubWoOPeAVbKximZlFHMYnNuTjonmTlQ233yDcLwmf-/s1600/Exodus.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You know when you read a book, and you love it so much that you pretty much never stop reading it, even when you're with friends, and you tell your friends about the book so much that even <i>they</i> can't wait to hear what happens next, and for years and years later and probably the rest of your life scenes from the book will just pop into your head? Yeah, that's "Exodus" for me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For my mom, who grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school for 12 years, reading this book at the age of 13 helped her make the decision to convert to Judaism when she was 20 years old. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When my husband and I first met and began dating, I gave him this book (and another, below) as gifts, and even <i>he</i> loved it. I loved it so much I read it again, 12 years after I first read it in junior high.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Exodus" centers on Israel's struggle for independence, a topic which resonated strongly with me fresh off my Bat Mitzvah and my first trip there. It was also the first book I remember which was told in multi-person POV with long, lingering flashbacks. This set the stage for a lifetime of appreciating stories told from a wide variety of character points-of-view.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also? The movie version has a young and hot Paul Newman in it as our moody, flawed hero (<i>swoon!</i>) Ari Ben Canaan. So, there's that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHmOTE7VQXR-PAcSy-GP1Rnum_XX8K1XAA8k6mz7dzZkF1CDmV8vpdn_vEmDGY1rawL7Gt_6PIhRW-7KsIVQi3mhGyS6b9kzH27o_5u8pONcOe5FFNskBAguKFlAl0IY8_FJByw2WAmQc/s1600/Paul+Newman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmHmOTE7VQXR-PAcSy-GP1Rnum_XX8K1XAA8k6mz7dzZkF1CDmV8vpdn_vEmDGY1rawL7Gt_6PIhRW-7KsIVQi3mhGyS6b9kzH27o_5u8pONcOe5FFNskBAguKFlAl0IY8_FJByw2WAmQc/s1600/Paul+Newman.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, come ON!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77449.Here_be_Dragons?from_search=true" target="_blank">Here Be Dragons/Welsh Princes Trilogy</a>, by Sharon Kay Penman<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4p1GDN3f_p4tiCDxiV4EjaVeH53BAq0iOo8b_-EJki26LL1MDypZftIP_DJHFHXcfJ5jNpONdKdz2fqHu4OeVYeeGgk5H-8oDP7DaJsaa51Kdt14PD_rsWVUtjI_mrIwu2hXR6i7h5hJk/s1600/Here+Be+Dragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4p1GDN3f_p4tiCDxiV4EjaVeH53BAq0iOo8b_-EJki26LL1MDypZftIP_DJHFHXcfJ5jNpONdKdz2fqHu4OeVYeeGgk5H-8oDP7DaJsaa51Kdt14PD_rsWVUtjI_mrIwu2hXR6i7h5hJk/s1600/Here+Be+Dragons.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I bought this book because I liked the title; it has the word "Dragons" in it, and that was all it needed to catch my attention. When I read the back cover summary and discovered it took place in 12th century England and Wales, I was reeled in. And when I started reading it, I was a smitten kitten.<br />
<br />
If you'd asked me before I read this book, sometime in the late 1990s, whether or not I was interested in reading an entire trilogy devoted to the history of Wales, I probably would have said, "Put it in my to-do list." But I started reading the book anyway...and had to rush out to buy the next book in the series, "Falls the Shadow," and the last book, "The Reckoning." Once again told in multiple POVs, full of rich historical details without info dumps, and absolutely sweeping in medieval military strategy, I've never been able to hear the title "Prince of Wales" the same way again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92862.Dreamland?from_search=true" target="_blank">Dreamland</a>, by Kevin Baker<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5hPVYeDnPW3FGziue0MHcSwSUK6M3gBjzYLiT90MjStNTeQulcz-nELvSKTRUBiOYU0SwLBunrzvcEwNtA0G-v1zBiPPKZmCLB4K9HB0FX0zWo7BoOmmZ9OKRg9Wl8TvzPhftuq3laHk/s1600/Dreamland.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5hPVYeDnPW3FGziue0MHcSwSUK6M3gBjzYLiT90MjStNTeQulcz-nELvSKTRUBiOYU0SwLBunrzvcEwNtA0G-v1zBiPPKZmCLB4K9HB0FX0zWo7BoOmmZ9OKRg9Wl8TvzPhftuq3laHk/s1600/Dreamland.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I cannot overemphasize the influence this book has had on my entire life. Not just my writing life, but my <i>life</i>. I read it during a period in the early 2000s when I was unemployed, single, and pretty much spent my days alternately writing and reading and watching Yankees games. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Because my own family history includes Eastern European Jews arriving in New York through Ellis Island in the late 1800s/early 1900s, this book captured my imagination in a very real way, and never let go. Fourteen years after I read it, I still can't ride the Cyclone at Coney Island without thinking of Esther Abramowitz, and her wild ride. I took a class at NYU in the former Triangle Shirtwaist building where she worked, and some of my father's family lived in the same Lower East Side neighborhood where many of the book's scenes take place. How could I not be inspired?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I met my to-be husband, I gave him this, along with EXODUS, and he loved it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More recently, this book helped inspire me to write my own tribute to the immigrants who came through Ellis Island, THE HOLLOW QUEEN. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Long live DREAMLAND.</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67.The_Known_World?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Known World</a>, by Edward P. Jones<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_BG65jmnM2eYA7LqaNnbNaIgYr3M1r8X8kpEzPFzaTXWBdEJTpehF1n-SPVcvAmyf9tDsVbKF4BWiR1n6pSrg20VrrSmDobw-Q80z_pJzIpizM5T9U7COjV6JH2-mv2afMlk5sK6wv_P/s1600/The+Known+World.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_BG65jmnM2eYA7LqaNnbNaIgYr3M1r8X8kpEzPFzaTXWBdEJTpehF1n-SPVcvAmyf9tDsVbKF4BWiR1n6pSrg20VrrSmDobw-Q80z_pJzIpizM5T9U7COjV6JH2-mv2afMlk5sK6wv_P/s1600/The+Known+World.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are three specific reasons why I have to include THE KNOWN WORLD on this list.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1. This book beautifully combines what I consider the two parts of writing: craft and story. Some writers are more about "craft," trying to be clever with turns of phrase and tight prose. Others focus on story. I can forgive a <i>lot</i> of bad writing in the name of a good story. Thankfully, with this book I got both. Really excellent writing, and a truly mind-blowing story that kept me hooked from start to finish. It's pretty much a perfect book.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
2. The story blew my mind. I'm the product of a pretty half-assed public school education, and so I never knew that there were black slave owners in America. I found Henry Townsend's story by turns horrific and hopeful. It does what I love most about historical fiction: highlights a little-known sliver of history that, once you know about it, you wonder why it isn't considered a bigger deal.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
3. I read somewhere that it took Jones ten years to write this book. TEN. YEARS. Whenever I feel slow, or lose hope, I remember that, and remember how it was all worth it -- at least, for me, the reader.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/938087.The_Kingmaking?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Kingmaking/Pendragon's Banner Trilogy</a>, by Helen Hollick<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhO-oGVjckPgLq0nnvZNymuwh4eOftD6eq8hV_QceSacnIakAK637H60EMFuHmDtzBl-lHxW_0OPVPIpv95P9b0V9eXvOxLcYC4479GuELEWZxFTNKiZthe2RLEoe5N3gKeMVfqNXzzVC/s1600/The+Kingmaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhO-oGVjckPgLq0nnvZNymuwh4eOftD6eq8hV_QceSacnIakAK637H60EMFuHmDtzBl-lHxW_0OPVPIpv95P9b0V9eXvOxLcYC4479GuELEWZxFTNKiZthe2RLEoe5N3gKeMVfqNXzzVC/s1600/The+Kingmaking.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
I've mentioned before that my mother and I are deeply into Arthuriana. We're always looking for a good King Arthur story to read together. For a very long time we coped with books that didn't quite scratch that itch for us. I won't name names, but it included, among others, at least one entire series that we stuck with only because it involved an enormous amount of historical detail. Maybe too much detail. (I've since spoken with others who agree that this particular series could have easily been done in a book or two.)<br />
<br />
Then, shortly after my oldest child was born, I saw this book on display at Barnes & Noble. I texted my mom, we both bought it...and were both in love.<br />
<br />
Helen Hollick has a talent for building her world by highlighting the ways in which Dark Ages-era Britain was so similar to today's modern world, while including plenty of gritty details illustrating how very strange and foreign it was, too. She's a writer who has done her research and knows when to add detail, how to set a scene, how to make the 5th century come <i>alive</i>. Arthuriana is hard to do. These characters are so well-known, it's easy to fall into hyperbole or caricaturization. In this trilogy, Hollick brings the humanity to Arthur and Guenivere, following them from childhood to old age. There's no Lancelot. There's no silly love triangle. Arthur is a flawed hero with an amazing amount of depth: he's a philandering son-of-a-bitch who is too smart for his own good and too cunning for any enemy stupid enough to stand in his way. He loves his family beyond belief, loves Guenivere even though he has a pathological inability to stay faithful to her. Guenivere is strong-willed, proud, intelligent, and stands up for what she knows is right. She confronts her own rapist. She loves her children. She cannot help but forgive Arthur, again and again. These are real people, living real lives, told in a seamless tapestry of asides, POVs, and historical detail. This trilogy is the very definition of when we call writing a great lie, and in the middle of that lie is the truth.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What are your favorite works of historical fiction?Meredithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08508302421134951238noreply@blogger.com2