Dallas Mavericks Lose Game 1 To The Heat :(

Well, that was painful.

The game was close...until the second half.

I have a couple of observations that I'm not afraid to make and I really could care less if people disagree with me (sorry, I'm cranky):

1. Dear refs:  please get glasses and stop checking your ethics at the door. There were some seriously piss poor phantom calls on the Mavs...and the Heat, for that matter. ***I'M NOT SAYING THE REFS GAVE THIS GAME TO MIAMI, SO PLEASE DON'T JUMP ALL OVER ME*** I'm well aware who had more FT.  All I'm saying is this: Questionable officiating was one of our downfalls in 2006 and I really don't want to see another series, whichever way it goes, tainted by the refs.  Just sayin'.

2. Anyone I know who is a Mavs fan quite literally had to mute the game due to certain announcers constantly slobbering over their opponent. It was like this against Portland, Lakers, OKC, and now the Heat.  Only when the Mavs win do they actually get the recognition and respect they deserve and this fan is damn sick of it.  The Mavs would not be where they are, in the Finals, if they were not a damn good team. If you saw (and heard) how people down the Mavs, even though they have had a masterful playoff run...well, you'd be damn mad, too! (I'm sayin' damn too much.  Oh well.  I'm cranky!  And I'm gonna defend my team!)

I'm not trying to take anything away from the Heat--they played a helluva game tonight. The Heat's bench was flawless, they hit more 3 pointers, their defense was sound, etc.

The Mavs need to rebound better, we MUST hit more 3s, our bench needs to bring it, and we need to go back to lights out basketball--that high intensity, non-stop, aggressive, GRRRR, ya know?

Bottom Line: It's a long series. Make some adjustments and take it to 'em. 



















GO GRRRRR and we'll be just fine.  I know they don't want second place--none of us want that for them.  BUT, making it all the way to the finals is quite an achievement. So, yeah, I'm doing the Pollyanna bit here, looking on the bright side and all. 

My belief: THEY CAN DO THIS!!!! COME ON MAVS!!!! TAKE IT TO 'EM GAME 2!!!!!!!! I don't give up easily, and neither will they. The Mavs were the underdogs from the start.  I've always liked being the underdog...makes you less noticed and better poised for attack.  Perhaps the loss tonight will actually work to our advantage...hmmm.  There's a thought.  Underdogs UNITE!!!!!!!

This ain't over...it's only just beginning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO MAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTE: Sorry about the big blank space...for whatever reason, I can't delete it. Ugh. :/

Come One & All To The Overlord Award!

Disclaimer: Um, I got carried away with this one! So, I give you a fairytale of sorts, albeit a little twisted. I hope you enjoy it. *blushes*



“Hear ye, hear ye! Welcome one and all to the annual hunky blokes jousting…oops…wrong scroll.”  The shaky little man, with his bushy white mustache nervously twitching, looked at me concernedly. I simply smiled and urged him to carry on.   Dear, sweet Stumbles.  He is a devoted subject and friend, but he can be a bit scatterbrained. 

Straightening his velvet blue cape emblazoned in gold with the letters TFV, Stumbles cleared his throat and began reading the next scroll.  “Hear ye, hear ye! You are cordially invited to the royal wedding…oh dear…my mistake, your majesty.  If I may, ruling without needing a King is highly respectable today in a world so consumed with…”

“Thank you, Stumbles, now kindly proceed…with the appropriate scroll,” I said gently while adjusting my sapphire and pink diamond crown.

“Of course, my Queen, right away,” said Stumbles, rummaging through his collection of scrolls.  With a worried little whimper, he started yet again.  “Hear ye, hear ye! Our fair Queen has been granted the power of Overlord by the beloved Queen Jewels of Precious Gemland.  I now give you, our Queen,” he said, bowing so low the tip of his round red nose brushed the plush pink carpeting. 

“Thank you Stumbles.  As with any power, there are certain responsibilities I must address," I began, working to keep my voice from getting that nervous wobbly sound. 

“I must first thank my dear friend, Queen Jewels, for bestowing this power upon me. I hope to make her proud in my choices.  Second, three changes must be made to our lives.  And third, I shall bestow this power upon ten friends worthy of world domination.”

I slowly stood, glowing scepter in hand, and did what any public speaker does—I pictured everyone in the immaculately dressed crowd stark naked.  And my, my, Sir Lifts-A-Lot is looking mighty buff.  Ooh, and just look at Baroness Boobaledge trying to catch Prince Charming’s eye! Baroness, my foot—more like Temptress Trampy Trollop!

“Your Majesty,” muttered Stumbles, hiding his words in a cough.  “The changes to be made…”

“Oh!” Darn it. My first act as an Overlordess and I allow a set of muscles and a skanky alley cat to throw me off course.  Composure.  “The three changes to be made are as follows,” I said, steadying my voice into a firm, yet gentle tone. 

First, the term celebrity shall no longer be defined by the following: fifteen minutes, falling over drunk, having a limited vocabulary of swear words, lifting one’s skirt, sleeping with a married athlete or public figure, screaming, breaking things, or otherwise act in a way that makes people want to gouge out their eyes and pull off their ears. 

Second, Lady Luck and I shall duel, wherein I will win.  You see my friends, Lady Luck, believed to be a generous mystical bringer of positive energy, is really a subjective evil shrew, descending from the depths of she-devil hell. No more will she shower undeserving ghouls and wenches with copious amounts of good fortune! No more will you good people suffer from rotten luck! Lady Luck will, henceforth, cast good luck upon everyone equally.”

“In an effort to promote truth and acceptance, my third change involves a series of enchantments designed to protect the innocent and teach the wrongdoers a memorable lesson:

-The Spew & Sniff: From now on, all women will know when a man is b.s.’ing them, for they will smell it from a mile away. To all men who relish in feeding women b.s.—for every utterance of b.s., you will smell like the rear end of a cow after eating too much chili chow.  And to the teasing ladies who do the same to men…same goes for you. 

-The Bully Backfire: No one will bully, tease, or demean someone for their life’s choices.  Should you attempt physical violence upon another, your fists will swell to five times their size and turn upon you.  You will, in effect, bully yourself, and hopefully knock some sense into your otherwise puny little brain.  Should you verbally attack another…your mouth will betray you.  It will yell at you, ridicule you, and spill your darkest, most humiliating secrets for the world to hear. 

“Lastly, my friends, I am to bestow this power upon ten of you.  Please know how terribly difficult this task was for me. In fact, I added a few extra deserving friends.

















“I know each of you will use this power wisely. Thank you all,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief.  

Now, I really must pick up my glass slippers, retrieve my talking clock from the clockmaker, and plan a ball, where all eligible bachelors are to attend. 

The End. 






Hooking Your Characters

Who could ever forget the line of house-elf heads adorning the walls of Grimmauld Place?  Cut off and mounted on plaques when they could no longer carry a tea tray, these beheaded elves who served the Black family faithfully provide a visceral introduction to Sirius Black's home and family.  Readers will not easily forget this strong image nor the portrait of the screaming woman who insults everyone she considers beneath her.  Sirius' mother, and the long line of Blacks who came before her, have been effectively hooked as people who treat those who serve them as animals fit only to end life as a wall trophy.  And it's all economically done with a couple of phrases.

JK Rowling works with a huge cast of characters.  Even in the first book, the shortest, the reader encounters at least 50 individuals (including ghost, animals, and pictures) to meet and enjoy.  And yet, despite this large cast, readers find each one interesting and memorable.

How did JKR introduce these delightful characters without having turned Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone into the length of the later books?

One method is by giving each character a hook.  Hooks serve various purposes, but one is to provide a useful tool to help a reader remember your people when first getting acquainted before character development takes over. 

A hook can be a physical description (Hagrid is a giant of a man), a manner of speaking (Quirrel's stutter), a quirk of personality (Snape's obvious hatred of Harry), a role in the story (Dumbledore as the wise, old, mentor), or, as in the mounted elf heads above, a visual result of an entire family's bigotry.



In fact the list of ways to provide a hook is as diverse as the characters themselves.  But what is crucial is that the hook help to develop that individual as well as cement them in the readers' minds to be better remembered when next introduced.

Here's a list of more characters and their hooks:

Character -- (Hook)
Aunt Petunia -- (horsey face, clean freak)
Hermione -- (know-it-all)
McGonagall -- (cat animagi)
Hagrid -- (size, manner of speech)
Nick -- (nearly beheaded)
Bloody Baron -- (silvery blood stains)
Fred & George -- (each other as twins, joked)
Wesley Family -- (red hair)
Luna -- (reading Quibbler upside down, odd behavior)
Tonks -- (changing appearance, clutzy)

Neville is an interesting case because he is essentially given three hooks.  Not only is he awkward and clutzy, the uncool kid of the bunch, but he has a strong memory problem.  And to highlight both aspects, JKR gives the reader the active image of Neville's continuously lost frog.  As is usual, the more important the character, the stronger the hooks.

This list above is only a beginning.  And while JKR does have considerable freedom with her types of hooks due to the nature of her fantasy world, we can all tax our own worlds to the extreme when creating our characters and giving our reader something onto which to latch their memories.

What other characters and hooks can you think of from the series?  What hooks have you used in your own work?

Blood Red Road by Moira Young: Review

Blood Red Road
By: Moira Young

Format: E-Book
Published: June 7, 2011; Margaret K. McElderry
Source: Received E-Galley from publisher
Challenges: Debut Author Challenge; E-Book Challenge; Dystopia Challenge


Summary (from Goodreads): Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

My Review: I couldn't believe that this was a book by a debut author. I kept looking around, sure that she had other books out somewhere. The writing quality is amazing, and is reminiscent of a more experienced author.

The summary mentions a poetically minimal writing style. There are no quotation marks, and the words are spelled phonetically. This gives an element to the story that will turn some people off, and others will love it. I loved it. Which is saying something, because prose or different formatting will sometimes turn me off to a story. I didn't find the writing style distracting, but found it a very unique way to show a part of Saba's character. She is uneducated, but is very smart.

Saba's struggle is made evident early in the book as she searches for her brother after he is taken by cloaked horsemen. She doesn't know where to begin looking for him, and she's never ventured outside her home, but she shows remarkable courage in her determination to find him. No matter the cost.

That doesn't mean that Saba is without her faults. She despises her younger sister Emmi, and does not want her tagging along. However, throughout the book, their relationship develops, and Saba learns to forgive Emmi for many of the things that she (wrongfully) holds her responsible for.

With all of these inner conflicts, there are many external forces trying to rip Saba apart as well. I was absolutely glued to this book, and had to know how things worked out for Saba. Her journey is terrifying and romantic all at once. And, in reference to romance, be advised that our love interest is not introduced until much later in the story.

This is a title that I think many who love dystopian fiction will love. If the actual formatting on the page and spelling doesn't work for you, I'd suggest giving the audio book a try. I listened to the first couple chapters on Simon and Schuster's website, and the narrator is very good.

If you've read the book, let me know what you thought of it. Does prose bother you when reading a book?

My Rating:

Games Wallpapers 2011 HD Collection Part - II




































Wide & Original High Resolution HD Collection:
DOWLOAD LINKS:
http://uploading.com/files/ea7baa89/Game-HD-Part-II.rar/




What I learned at BEA

I'm not going to do a recap of BEA, since I think that my videos from the past week will suffice. If you haven't had a chance to watch them, they are all listed below:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Book Expo America was an absolutely insane experience. Like many other people, I got hardly any sleep. I woke up early, and went to bed late. I met some wonderful bloggers, authors, and publicists. I also witnessed some pretty crazy drama. But, in a nutshell, this is what I learned:

  1. Publishing is ready to accept bloggers. At every event I went to during the week, bloggers were treated like royalty. Our questions were answered. We were thanked for generating buzz. Authors were incredibly grateful and kind.
  2. Bloggers need to accept the responsibility we've been given with professionalism. The vast majority of the bloggers that I met last week were incredibly professional and kind. However, there were a few incidents that made me want to hide under a rug. As a group, bloggers make up an important part of the publishing puzzle. But, those that want to be successful need to forgo the nasty, biting comments and gossip. Whether you have 50 followers or 5,000 followers, you have an audience and a voice. I firmly believe that no one blogger is any better than another, and that only by working together can we influence publishing in a positive manner.
  3. Authors are my rock stars. I met too many authors to name, but every single one was amazing. It was so great to see long signing lines for authors that may not be huge names, but that we are all excited about.
  4. I <3 Bloggers. As I mentioned before, there were a few cringe-worthy moments at BEA and BBC. However, I met some really amazing bloggers. When I lost my phone in the Javits center on the first day, I had a whole team of people helping me out. People lent me cell phones, made sure I wasn't alone, and generally made what would have been a very stressful time much easier. I stayed with a group of other bloggers in a house in Brooklyn, and many nights were spent talking, and laughing. I really made some fantastic new friends.
  5. I have so much to improve on my blog. I didn't just come home with a ton of books, but I've got a bunch of great ideas to make this blog better. And, if you just started following me this week, welcome! I'm happy to have you.
Did you go to BEA? If you did, leave a link to your wrap-up post in the comments and I'll stop by!

If you didn't go to BEA, don't be sad. I've got a ton of books and swag to share with you.

In My Postbox #37

In My Mailbox idea from Kristi @ The Story Siren, and all links take you to Amazon UK.

So yeah, this is late... apologies. But it's bee a busy and tiring weekend! Anyway, better late than never. And this week should officially be The Works and WH Smith are amazing week!


REVIEW:

Double-Cross by Sophie McKenzie.
I've never actually read any of Sophie's books but this sounds good so I might just have to give them a go! Thanks S&S!

BOUGHT:

Like I said at the start of this weeks In My Postbox, The Works and WH Smith were full of awesome and I spent more money than I should, and kind of regret it as everywhere is selling Wii's for £99 and mine is broke. Oh well. Payday tomorrow so it's all good. Will get one then! :D

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
All 7 books in 1. And for £3.99. What a freaking steal?! Never read them all. Read the first 3 and loved them. Need to read them all!

The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan.
Never got around to getting this despite wanting to! Then I saw it in The Works and knew I'd regret not getting it!

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown.
I read this a few years ago and really enjoyed it and saw this hardback collectors edition with illustrations all throughout. I couldn't help but grab it!

Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia by Christopher Paolini.
Again something I've wanted for a while. Something to increase the excitement for the final book in the series!

Dreams by Leona Lewis.
I like Leona and this was only £1.99 so thought I'd grab it just to have a ganders! 

The Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.
And again, another book I've wanted for a while. Cannot wait to get around to this.

And finally I got some musical and visual goodies too!


Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Brilliant album. Listened to pretty much nothing else all week. Has some addictive songs on there. Fave at the mo has to be either Government Hooker or Heavy Metal Lover!

Am halfway through this now and loving it. Probably the best season yet!

So there ya go. That's what I got this week. What about you guys? Hope you all have a great week, and Happy Reading! :)