#IWSG: Favorite Genre

Happy Insecure Writer's Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. We are rockin' the neurotic writing world!

The awesome co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox!

This month's question: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

My favorite genre is science fiction romance. When I say that to those who don't know me well, I get strange looks. Science fiction? I answer "yes!" with all the enthusiasm of a true fanatic. Romance is a bonus. Even better, the two have one big thing in common--hope. Hope for the future. With science fiction, the possibilities are endless. Traveling to the moon? Been there, done that. And beyond? Why not? Habitats on planets in our solar system? Sure. Finding Goldilocks planets (where everything is just right for humans) can't be far behind. Building our own worlds, creating our own rules? What's not to like about that?

So many things we thought were fiction back in the 1950s and 1960s are here, now. Many people who work for NASA say it was science fiction (esp. movies like Star Wars and a television shows like Star Trek) that made them see possibilities and gave them the desire to try to accomplish them. 

As I mentioned, adding romance to science fiction is a lagniappe--something extra, an unexpected benefit. Many readers enjoy relationship stories. Watching two people fall in love and create a family gives proof that humanity will continue. That we have a future. 

Whether that future is here on Earth or on a planet far, far away, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that life will continue. We have a future.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

Monday Morning Musing: Grandchildren, Covid, UFOs, & Boba Fett

How was your week? I don't know how the days fly by so quickly. We're past the middle of January already. I wish I could say they've been productive days for me. Alas, my writing tanked momentarily.

Our four-year-old grandsons came over and helped with the Christmas decorations. They took down the small nutcrackers, Santas, and stackers that were in the bookcases. Standing on stools worked for two shelves, but the top shelf became a problem--unless we let them stand on a rolling walker. That's a big no-no. Daredevils that they are, they try to get away with that. They are pretty good thinkers and it's fun to watch them figure out how to do something. They  ended up taking Hubs' extension grabber and wielded it well enough to bring down the nutcrackers. 

There's a saying that goes if I'd known grandchildren were so much fun I would've had them first. A lot of truth to that. Or maybe they are our reward for surviving our children. 

Moving on: the covid virus is rampant here in Michigan. From what I've heard, the omicron variant is highly contagious, but the symptoms aren't as severe. Nevertheless, our hospitals are full of people who have been hit hard. Hubs and I mask up when we have to go anywhere. Most of the time, we stay home, even though we've been vaccinated and gotten our boosters as has the rest of the family except for the twins. Still, it's better for us not to take chances. Cabin fever time again. Thank goodness, there are new shows on TV, not just reruns.

Speaking of new shows, have you seen The Book of Boba Fett on Disney+? Fascinating. I'd forgotten that at the end of Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi, Han Holo knocked Boba Fett into the pit where a fearsome beast (sarlacc) would slowly consume him. But then he showed up in The Mandolorian last year. Apparently, all that happened to him had to be explained to us Star Wars fans (short for fanatics 😊).

Did you know the Pentagon has launched a new UFO office? Their job will be to investigate sightings of unidentified flying objects. Aren't they a little late? The first UFO sighting (we know about) was in 1947.

Are you watching Around the World in 80 Days with David Tenant (my favorite Doctor in the Doctor Who series)? It's on PBS Masterpiece. Another fascinating show.

Time to get back to The Case of the Wedding Wrecker, my work-in-progress, which I'm sharing on weekends with the Weekend Writing Warriors. See you next week. Stay safe!

  

Happy Star Wars Day!

Did you know that today is Star Wars Day? May the fourth. Think about it. 😊

I've made it no secret that I love Star Wars. That first movie, A New Hope, led to my enthrallment with science fiction. I'm not crazy about highly technical stories that boggle my mind. Give me straight action. Add in a love story and I'm engaged. 

credit: Wikipedia

Back in 1977, I read an article in Time Magazine about this new movie called Star Wars, with a full-page spread of images from the movie. I thought, okay, interesting but not for me. Then I heard the theme on the radio. Holy smoke! John Williams' rousing music made me get a babysitter and insist Hubs and I go to see Star Wars: A New Hope. I was hooked. We took the kids, they got Star Wars figures and starships for Christmas and birthdays. 

credit: Wikipedia

When the second movie, The Empire Strikes Back, came out, I took our son and his best friend. Though we got to the theater early, it wasn't early enough because we had to sit in the first row. Oh, my aching neck. Didn't bother the boys, though. Later, Hubs and I took both our kids to see it.

Seeing our kids' enjoyment made every movie a must see. 

credit: Wikipedia

After Return of the Jedi (1983), I thought that was it. The story arc completed. And I was happy with that. I was even happier when all three movies came out on video. Wow. We could watch them any time. Again and again. (I still have those VCR tapes, even though we don't have a player.)

In 1999, we got a big surprise. The prequel. Like so many Star Wars fans, we hit the theater. I can't say I'm enamored with the Episodes I - III (especially III, Revenge of the Sith), but they do add to the backstory. Again, I thought: end of story. 

Hahaha.

A new set of movies, beginning with The Force Awakens in 2015. And a plan for two more. To say I was thrilled is putting it mildly. Now, we had grandchildren to share our enjoyment with. (Never mind they had already become fans thanks to their parents.) Years ago, we bought the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game. With the avid fans--son-in-law, daughter, granddaughter (13), and grandson (10)--we could play. The 10-year-old must have a steel-trap memory. You definitely want him on your team.

credit: Wikipedia

To tide us fans over in between the episodes, we were treated to two backstory films: Rogue One (my favorite) and Solo. I'll bet there will be more. There's a fan base that is sure to make each new film a success.

credit: Amazon

Last December had us at the theater once again for The Rise of Skywalker. The circle was complete. The series began with young Luke standing on a ridge looking ahead at the double moon on Tatooine. It ended with young Rey in the same spot. Perfect. Good had triumphed once again over evil.

Will the saga continue? If so, we'll be at the show enjoying one more episode.

May the Force be with you!

Star Wars, Christmas Program, & Friends

The title of this post was our weekend. Busy and fun. We met friends for lunch on Saturday, finally getting together in over a year. I can’t believe it’s been so long. The good/bad aspect of retirement is we have time. Time to travel, to play with/visit grandchildren, to write, to do all kinds of things. We would agree that “we have to get together” then not set a date. I’m ashamed that I didn’t. My vow for 2018 is not to neglect my friends.

Our granddaughter (10-year-old) is a dancer. Saying she loves to dance is an understatement. Her enthusiasm is evidenced by her big smiles as she dances on stage. This weekend was the holiday program by her dance studio. In years past, they performed “The Nutcracker.” This year they combined dance numbers with little skits. We saw another side of our g’daughter. An actress. In one scene, she scolded some children. She explained later that she was channeling her mother scolding her brother. Very effective. Proud grandmother here.

Yesterday, we saw Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi. Nothing is more fun than watching a movie with fans—daughter, son-in-law, g’daughter, and grandson (almost 8). Did you know that fan is a shortened word for fanatic? Oh, yeah. We are a family of Star Wars fans. I’d heard raves about this episode. Even if it had met with disgruntled reviews like Episode VII, I still would have gone and enjoyed. Without spoilers, I'll say this movie had several surprises, cliffhanging scenes, and great lightsaber fights interspersed with humorous one-liners. The most poignant, though, was seeing Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and knowing she was gone.

After the movie, we went to dinner and talked and talked about the movie. G’son, who never sits still unless he’s playing with Legos, didn’t move during the movie. He barely ate any popcorn, and then only before the movie began. He sat next to me, transfixed by the action. During dinner, he bounced on the bench in his excitement to talk. I knew he’d read several Star Wars books and watched the TV shows. I didn’t realize how knowledgeable he’d become. Wow. Not sure I want to play Star Wars Trivial Pursuit against him. SIL is very observant. He mentioned things I totally missed. Not unusual for me. I focus so intently on the main action that I often miss what’s happening (or is shown) off to the sides. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I have to watch a movie a couple of times before I catch everything. (side note: I had to watch Inception five times before I got it all. I think.)

I love discussing movies. Books, too. One of the reasons I belong to a book group is to get others’ take on what we’ve read. It’s so much fun to delve into the reason behind a scene or subtle hints with others.

The holidays are upon us. No surprise there. Our grandkids had a snow day last week, the day we were babysitting Toddler Girl. The three cousins helped decorate. (With releasing Romance Rekindled, I’m still so behind.) The older two had fun standing on the kitchen counters to put my nutcracker collection on top of the cabinets. TG helped by handing them up to the older ones. She was fascinated by the stackers I only put out at Christmas time. (She’s played with the plastic Star Wars set that I keep out all year.) Between the three, our house is about half decorated. TG is coming over today. Maybe she can help put ornaments on the tree. LOL Thank goodness, the tree has lights or it would look very bare. Where does the time go?

My New Release Alert (newsletter) went out last week. Did you get your copy? Be sure to sign up so you don’t miss getting it. You get a free short story when you sign up. Use the signup in the top right corner above.

Here’s the link to read the latest. http://mailchi.mp/97b6c4bfa19c/a-new-release

I hope you and your family enjoy the holidays. 

Movie Remake Blog Fest

Today, I join  Alex J. Cavanaugh and Heather M. Gardner in a fun blog fest. With all the movie remakes lately, we're sharing our favorite remake: movie (or television show into movie and vice versa), song, or book – or all three! I'm sticking to movies. 

Star Trek
Yes, some remakes suck. Some are okay. Others are terrific. As a die hard Star Trek fan, I wondered if J.J. Abrams would do it up right when he rebooted the franchise in 2009. Of course, he had great writers, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. I'm happy to say Abrams brought a freshness (and youth) to a legend.

The crew of the original Star Trek (TV series plus movies 1 thru 6) had great camaraderie, especially after working together for years. The new crew meshed well right from the start--though that can't be said for Kirk and Spock's relationship. With three movies under their belts and a fourth in the making, they have an even better sense of comradeship than the original crew. 

What makes a good remake? To me, it's the characters and the screenwriters.

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
I'm sure some on this blog fest will say SW-7 is on their "it sucks list." Not me. Again, I'm a big fan of the series. Maybe it's hearing my grandchildren (another generation of fans) excitedly talk about that movie that endeared me to the movie even before I saw it. They were enthralled. Like the Star Trek reboot, the filmmakers used incidents from the original then gave them a new look or twist. If the new movie is as good or better, than I applaud J.J. Abrams for bringing legendary films to a new audience.



Would you like to see what remakes others enjoyed? Go to Alex J. Cavanaugh's website then scroll down for the Linky list.

What's your favorite remake?

Halloween, Baseball, and Politics

It’s the end of October. I have a hard time believing how quickly 2016 is passing. Actually, the next week can’t pass quickly enough. Don’t know about you, but I am so sick of the political ads. I was sick of them months ago. We, in the U.S., should copy the Canadians. Six weeks of campaigning, and they’re done. Election time. All those millions of dollars spent on campaigning could be used to pay down the national debt. Next Tuesday can’t come soon enough. 

Remember to vote. If you don't, you can't complain about the outcome.

How about those Cubs! If my Detroit Tigers or Mom’s St. Louis Cardinals can’t be in the World Series, then the Cubbies are my choice. We lived in Chicago for two and half years, so I can claim them. Last night’s game, #5, had me on the edge of my seat. Some people say watching baseball on TV is as exciting as watching paint dry. I say they’ve never watched a cliffhanger like last night’s game. Go, Cubs, go!

Halloween is such a fun holiday. Kids in costumes is my favorite part. I wonder how many Reys or Kylo Rens we’ll see this year.

I’ve always thought my sister was a little nuts for buying clothes for her dog. But the costumes people put on their dogs for Halloween make me laugh.

Here in West Michigan, the weather will be great for Trick or Treating. A little chilly but no rain. Yay! Hubs and I will sit out in our driveway with a huge bowl of candy guaranteed to rot kids’ teeth. LOL When my kids were young, Trick or Treating went on most of the evening. I love living in small towns where it’s limited to from 6 to 8 pm. We can turn out our porch lights at 8 and enjoy the rest of the evening. Inside.

Have fun tonight, but please watch out for the kiddies. They won’t be watching out for you.

Disconnected by Disney

I’d like to blame Disney Cruise Line (DCL) for lack of internet service for over a week. The truth is, I could have paid beaucoup bucks for the privilege. But, alas, I’m married to a Scotsman. Actually, I rather enjoyed being disconnected while on a cruise with my family. Here’s a picture of our boat.

Oops. Wrong picture. Here’s the right one.

While aboard, my computer sat in a drawer. I saw it every time I pulled out my socks, which wasn’t too often. Sandals were perfect for Caribbean weather. Sandals at the beginning of April while snow fell back home. Mother Nature’s April Fool’s joke on West Michigan.

Cell phone service was also available. Again, at a high price. However, DCL has a neat service for travelers. With an app, we could text each other at no charge. Now that was cool. Daughter and I were able to meet up when we needed to, arrange for the kiddies’ adventures, and lots more. They also had “wave” phones—portables connected to the stateroom that family members could use. Unfortunately, Hubs and I had a hard time figuring them out. I felt like an absolute ignoramus.

What was the best part of the cruise? (Besides being with family on a terrific vacation?) One day was “Star Wars at Sea.” Can you imagine me turning down a chance to hobnob with SW characters?

I should have taken pictures of the storm troopers that marched along the outside deck, threatening all that didn’t comply with the First Order, but I was laughing too hard. All day, John Williams’ Star Wars' soundtracks played through the speakers and on the stateroom television. Concluding with a spectacular fireworks display to the triumphant march from the end of Episode IV, A New Hope. The costumes people wore all day were amazing. Many, many Princess Leias, several more Reys, storm troopers, ewoks, and sandpeople. Of course, a certain Princess Leia and Darth Vader captured me heart.

I’ll be back next week with more tales of our cruise. You never know. Maybe some of those details will appear in a book someday soon.

Movies and the Oscars

Do you enjoy movies? If you're a regular reader, you know that I do. IMDB (Internet Movie DataBase) is my friend. I’ll be watching a movie and see a familiar face. Immediately, I want to know who s/he is and what movie or TV show I know them from. I love the ease with which I can find the information. That aside, I enjoy movies.

When I was growing up, we saw lots of movies on television. I saw few movies at the theater. When I did, it was a real treat. We did go to the drive-in. Dad would pile us all in the station wagon with bags of popcorn we made at home. No running to the concession stand for us. We brought our own refreshments.

Fortunately, I married a guy who enjoys movies, too. He introduced me to James Bond and I introduced him to The Lord of the Rings. I fell in love with action adventure. I can’t say the same for him with fantasy. Even so, he indulges me by sitting through The Hunger Games and Divergent series, and I watched Mad Max. One movie genre we both enjoy is science fiction. Together, we eagerly awaited the seventh Star Wars movie plus all the Star Trek movies.

So last night, we watched the Oscars. Sorry to say, a lot of the movies nominated were unfamiliar. And many movies we did see weren’t even nominated. Oh, well . 

We get a phenomenal amount of enjoyment from a couple of hours in a darkened theater with a shared box of popcorn and a soft drink. Or at home in our living room. Gotta have that bowl of popcorn. 

I know a book lasts longer. I love it when a book I’ve enjoyed is turned into a movie. I’m always skeptical that the movie won’t live up to the book. Most don’t disappoint.

I hope you enjoyed the Oscars. Did you see any of the nominated movies? What about the winners?