::CRICKETS::

 Hello? Pea friends and followers... are you there? It’s okay if you aren’t. It’s been a long while. We understand.

Needless to say, the construct of the Pod is undergoing some… changes. J and A are pursuing their visual arts. I’ve been floundering, bumping into walls, and trying to figure out what my creative and writing goals are. All in all… it has been a Pod in flux. That’s okay. Sometimes ideas run their course and what follows paves the way for new and exciting ventures. That is how we view it around the Pod. All support. Always Pea Love.

No doubt… A, J, and M will find their way back together in a new form one day—possibly even here. After all, we still have Pea sleepovers and frequent Pea dinners where we share our creative endeavors and support each other passionately. That will never change. But I want to let the few of you that are still listening, still hoping to see posts, that we’re taking an indefinite break. And until that comeback tour, which has no pending date, J and A are doing their things and I’m reconstructing my online presence in an M only format.

Gone Fishing- the Ninja Peas

I’ll be posting a few last posts in conjunction with the launch of new endeavors. I’ll be stealing some oldies but goodies from the Pod, revisiting them, and reinventing them in a new space. And I’ll be hashing out my own tributaries of interest about writing, life, and anything else which strikes my fancy. Of course, A can be found on her book blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. J is around, doing her thing via Facebook et al also. I’m sure new ventures for all of us will continue to sprout. Stay tuned into those other channels and you'll be sure to hear of them. And I will be reporting them in my news space... because that's what Peas do. Support each other.

So for now… Adieu. 

I’m tacking up an official Gone Fishing sign and we’ll hope you find us in our other venues.

Pea Love and All Best,

M, J, and A

thaishapedhead.blogspot.com
alexislampley.blogspot.com
www.jeannieholmes.com
You can also find us on Facebook by our respective names

What's In Store?

Hello, lovely imaginary readers. It's 2013! Did you notice a whole new year is upon us? I can't believe it's been a month since we saw each other last. Santa came. The ball dropped. It's been a whirlwind of a 2012 wrap-up, which barreled right into 2013. Where did the time go? It's already mid-month. Somewhere during all that, we lost touch. Apologies. We'll try not to lose you again. No fear... we're back! And we're going to get back on track. Pinky promise. For reals this time.

In the midst of all the New Year planning, there'll be an Instagram revamping.

As is the nature of the pod, we've got a lot of random planned. But I want to fill you in on what's up with the Peas since we last chatted.

A is book blogging at Witty Title Here and you must check out her typography, photos, and graphic design forays on Pinterest and Instagram. She's pretty easy to find everywhere, doodling quotes and creating art to her hearts content. She's easily distracted (ooh, shiny) but she'll never neglect the pod.

J shared sad news about her Alex Sabian books. Since she has been playing with new creative ideas and vegetables. It's quite exciting -- the creative vegetable things. There's other super secret stuff she's doing (cause J is sneaky that way) and some not so super secret stuff. So... really... not much has changed. Yay for normalcy!

Me? Dr. Buttons has a big year ahead of her. A new rewrite of the same manuscript. And a new draft of a new project. Plus... I have 7,930 Days of books to read and the pile is growing. Lots of conferences--six total (Sha! I know! What am I thinking?) A few trips (Vegas, a Cruise, a super secret spring something). But I endeavor not to lose track of you, even when I'm out of town. I will learn to use the laptop effectively. This is part of my New Year's resolution... so... yeah, I gotta. It's in writing.

Heads up! This week I have writer pal, Dean Harrison, dropping by the pod to talk about his debut horror novel, These Unquiet Bones. After that, I have some mad ramblings planned until J and A ease back into the pod as their schedules settle. Hope you are ready for 2013! The Peas certainly are.

Much love and peas, always.

 

Give me wide open outer spaces…

The Peas are randomly busy with random business this week so I'm recycling an old post about setting from my time with the Criminal Minds blog. I hope you enjoy. We'll be back with more random wackiness next week!

Space… The final frontier… These be the voyages of the starship Fortune’s Fool. Arrr five-year mission be to explore new worlds and plunder their riches, to be the most feared band of pirates in the Andromeda System, to discover the dirty bilge rat what be stealing arrr rum and keel-haul ‘em, and to boldly go where no pirates have gone before!

This week I be -- ahem -- I am talking about a setting I’d love to write about but haven’t…yet. As you may have guessed, I’d love to write a novel set in space. But not just any space novel. I want to write about pirates in space. Think Star Trek meets Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Why would I want to write something like this? Well, first of all, it would be a lot of fun. I enjoy the process of world-building and a space pirate novel would give me the opportunity to literally create worlds.

Second, and this may come as shock to some, I like pirates. However, I have an extreme phobia of large bodies of water. (So naturally I live on the Gulf Coast. Yeah, I’m still trying to figure that one out myself.) My phobia would prevent me from ever writing a novel based on the high seas. Space seems a logical alternative.

Third, it would be a challenge. In my other works, such as BLOOD LAW, even though my main character is a vampire, she is bound by certain laws of nature -- mainly gravity. In space, gravity takes on a whole new role. Some planets have less where as some have more. Stars create various levels of gravitational pull. Black holes are the universal bullies. Years of research have been conducted on black holes. If I were use one in a novel, I’d have to be certain the science (for the most part) is correct. If not, I’ll be facing a mutiny of epic proportions.

Then there are the actual ships to consider with regard to science. Do they have gravity? If so, how is it generated? If not, what are the long-term effects of zero-gravity and how might a humanoid race evolve in such an environment? Are the pirates recognizable as humanoid or are they completely alien? The possibilities are infinite.

For me, setting is playtime but is also one of the more important aspects of the story. It’s vital to get it right. When discussing setting, it’s often easier to refer to films simply because of their visual natural. Would Bladerunner be just as cool if it were set in the Old West? What if True Grit played out against the backdrop of feudal Japan? Would Darth Vader’s famous line deliver the same punch if he told Luke he was Luke’s father atop the Empire State building instead of the bowels of Cloud City?

I don’t think so. Setting, as in real estate, boils down to location, location, location. Some of us just choose more exotic locales than others. So drink up, me hearties -- yo ho!

Peas out!
J

A Healthy Level of Insanity

Okay, loyal readers, you've read our individual views of genre. It's a complex topic and as you've seen, even the Peas have similar yet differing opinions. Every writer will have his/her own view of genre and, indeed, of fiction as a whole. However, one issue that fiction often presents garners a nearly unanimous agreement: Fiction, regardless of genre, must be believable in the eyes of the reader. There's just one tiny problem with that statement. Fiction, by its very definition, isn't real. How can you make something that is wholly unbelievable seem believable? It's a paradox that drives authors insane. Fortunately, it's a healthy level of insanity so (for the most part) the Straightjacket Brigade stays far, far away.

Thomas C. Foster, in How to Read Novels Like a Professor, says this about the Un/Believable Fiction Paradox (a label I totally just made up on the spot here):

"...the essential artifice of the novel [is that i]t is a made-up work about made-up people in a made-up place. All of which is very real. We are asked to believe in and treat as potentially real a space that is manifestly imaginary." 

Think about it for a moment. Have you ever read a book set in a contemporary time/place that seems far-fetched even for a novel? Maybe the author failed to explain a crucial piece of world building, such as why a person suddenly takes on the appearance of a disco ball after joining ranks of the undead?* Writers, even science fiction and fantasy authors, constantly walk a tightrope between what is believable and what will cause a reader to stop reading. This tightrope is best summed up in the Law of Bogus Locales, as again stated by Foster: "Places in a work of fiction are never real but must behave as if real."

Essentially, the Law of Bogus Locales means that any real-world, identifiable locale in a novel is a fictionalized version of itself. A small Washington state town isn't the real town. Cincinnati, Ohio is a shadow of the real city. The same is true for St. Louis, Louisville, New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London, Tokyo, and any other place that can be located on a map or through a Google search. The version you read in a book exists only in the author's imagination. But...there's still that annoying bit about believability. Someone familiar with the area around Grand Central Terminal in New York will know there's a restaurant called Pershing Square tucked beneath the Park Avenue Viaduct and that the Chrysler Building is to the left when exiting Grand Central on 42nd Street. If a writer places the Chrysler Building to the right, a reader who knows that area may stop reading. To have any reader stop reading your book before the end is a death knell for a writer. These are the issues that drive authors crazy, give us nightmares, keep up us awake at night, and force us to double--triple--check every fact before we send a book to the publisher. And even then we worry.

So what do we do? Well...we cheat. We're kids with Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs; we build and we destroy. We add our own bits of flair. We fiddle with geography to suit our needs. We leave out certain information and trust our readers to fill in the gaps. Yes, we still get called out from time to time by readers who want to know why we did/didn't mention X, Y, or Z. The answers vary from author to author, but the main reason usually falls along the line of "X, Y, or Z didn't fit with the story I wanted to tell so I added/deleted it."

The truth I'm trying to convey here is that all writers suffer from some level of insanity, but it's a healthy level of insanity. We chose to walk the tightrope. We accepted the challenge issued by the Un/Believable Fiction Paradox. We do it because we love the thrill. We do it because we can't not do it.

Until next time...

Peas out.
J

* This is in no way a slam or slight against such an author. Merely a well-known example used to illustrate a point.

Genre is in the Eye of the Reader

This week the Peas are taking a look at genre. As I write this article I have the first of Ridley Scott's Alien movies playing in the background. I know we're writers and I should really focus on genre as it applies to books but I think Alien is a good example of my chosen topic.

With regards to Alien, a debate has raged since its first theatrical appearance in 1979: Is it science fiction or is it horror? Strong arguments are made for both genres. Obviously it's science fiction since it features a futuristic setting full of murderous aliens running amok on space ships. However, an often cited tag line associated with the film is "In space no one can hear you scream." That is a straight-up promise of horror. When you truly analyze the film you realize it's a haunted house in space. The hapless humans are trapped with a greater-than-human foe in an inescapable location and with limited resources at their disposal to combat the threat. Alien is an almost perfect blend of sci-fi and horror. And yet, the debate continues as to its genre despite the evidence pointing to its hybrid nature. So why does the debate continue? The simplest reason is also the topic of my post: Genre is in the eye of the viewer/reader. We see what we want to see in books and film.

What is the point of genres if we're just going to argue a work's placement in a particular category? There is no easy answer to this question. Genre, at its heart, is a subjective label. Books often cross the boundaries of genre. Diana Gabaldon's Outlander is a prime example. It's a time traveling fantasy as well as a historical romance. In my wanderings through countless bookstores, I've seen Outlander shelved in general fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and romance. Why? Because it appeals to readers of those genres. Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire series are often shelved much like Gabaldon's and appear in general fiction, romance, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery sections. The same is true for authors like Kim Harrison, Laurell K. Hamilton, Anne Rice, and Stephen King.

Genre is a useful tool for booksellers, publishers, and authors. It provides a common ground between "us" and readers. It's a contract between "us" and the reader that basically states you can expect a certain type of story. If you, the reader, picks up a book in the romance section, you expect two people to fall in love. Yes, they will face challenges but ultimately true love triumphs. If you pick up a book from the fantasy section, you expect to find epic landscapes, fantastical creatures and/or magic, and a hero's journey. A mystery involves a crime that must be solved. But if this contract is breached, then the reader will feel cheated. If a book is labeled a romance but the couple doesn't live happily ever after at the end, then no amount of challenges and triumphs will make up for the frustration felt by the reader. However, another reader may pick up the same book and read it as a thriller or suspense novel and love it for that reason. The romance is secondary to them. This is when genre becomes the slippery subjective label that is both the life's blood and bane of the publishing (and film) industry.

Be sure to some back next week when M tackles the murky world of emerging genres in the rapidly growing young adult market. Until then...

Peas out.
J

Licorice-flavored Brain Slugs and Faulkner

*Warning: This week's post is NSFW due to language. (In other words, it's J's turn!)

I have the Pod to myself this week. A is off giving a tour of an uncharted world. M has a queue of characters lined up for therapy. So this week you, dear readers, have to contend with the Resident Evil. Muwahahahahahaha!!!

What shall we discuss? Autopsy procedures? Crime scene screw ups? Sadistic serial killers and the women who love them? My hatred for the color pink? All of these are worthy topics but I'd actually like to offer up a bit of an explanation behind something that has been mentioned a few times on the blog already. If you read A's post in which she bared her writerly soul (and you should), then you undoubtedly read the following quote from yours truly:

"Pull your head out of your ass. Trust the story. Trust yourself, and WRITE, damn it!"

Yes, I said this. Yes, I stand behind it. I even have a version of it taped to my laptop as a reminder. While the meaning behind the statement is obvious, I still feel the need to explain how this simple phrase has become the unofficial official motto of the Ninja Peas.

It all started about a year or so ago when M was having a minor meltdown as all writers have from time to time. We all reach a point in a project where we hate everything we've written, everything we're currently writing, and everything we're going to write. In short, self-doubt slithers in like an alien slug, crawls undetected up our spines and burrows deep into our brains until we wake up one morning and question everything we've ever done, thought, planned, or plotted, and all we have left is a sudden and inexplicable love of elevator music, licorice jelly beans, and Faulkner. (If you know me then you know I detest all three. Yes, a former English major doesn't like Faulkner. Oh, the horror.) In an effort to help my friend and writing partner, I offered the best advice I could give...in my own way, of course. She has since passed this along to A and thus the unofficial official Ninja Pea motto was born.

Motto on J's laptop

Now this may sound like a bunch of self-aggrandizing bullshit. It's not. I'm fully aware of my insignificant place in the publishing world, and in the universe as a whole. However, I do know a thing or two about self-doubt and how it can kill a writer. So I'd like to offer up a little bit of hard-earned wisdom, not because I feel the need to stroke my own ego, but because if I can soften the blows for someone else (especially my Peas) then I will. No one can spare any writer the hard knocks. Those come with the territory and must be experienced. That's reality. But that doesn't mean you have to face them unprepared.

1. Pull your head out of your ass. Basically, as writers who actually want to see our names on bookstore shelves, we can't afford to have an obscured view of the publishing world. We can't have romanticized ideas of what it means to be a writer. We don't lock ourselves in a room for a few hours and fart out a manuscript. We write. We edit. We rewrite. We break down. We cry. We wail and gnash our teeth. We curl into blubbering balls of goo. It's normal. Writing is work...and yes, it's fucking hard work. It's not easy to live in your own head with imaginary people in a fantasy land for hours, days, weeks, months, or even years. But it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of plotting, character arcs, and world building and forget to actually move the story forward by throwing words at the page. We have to pull our heads out of our asses and remember why we do this to ourselves so that when the self-doubt slugs creep into our brains and start doing the Electric Slide to elevator music we can blast them with AC/DC. Self-doubt slugs hate AC/DC.

2. Trust the story. The story knows where it needs to go. It's your job as the writer to guide it and make sure it's hitting certain check points. This is where the fucking hard work comes into play because you may not know all the check points. Yes, you've planned them out in advance but as often happens, the story wants to go in new directions. Don't fight it. Let it happen. Everything can be fixed in the rewrite phase, which by the way is more fucking hard work. Let the story do the Macarena. Unleash the screaming monkeys. Just don't stop throwing words at the page.

3. Trust yourself... This is the hardest part for many writers, thanks to the self-doubt slugs. Those little buggers feed on licorice jelly beans and leave slimy black residue in their wake. This residue eats away at the brain and causes the writer to question her ability to not only tell a story but to even form a coherent sentence. The slime cripples. Every writer has a different way of combating the slime. For me, walking away is the best defense. When the slime reaches critical mass, I shut down the laptop and walk away. I close up shop and spend a day or two on the couch either reading or watching Disney movies. Self-doubt slugs hate it when we read. Books are salt and it shrivels the slugs and dries the slime to a flaky and easily vacuumed powder. Disney movies are also great for this and not as big of a time investment as a book for when you're in a deadline crunch. Oh, deadlines...slugs love them. Have a liberal supply of salt handy.

As I Lay Dying
(Oh, dear gods, kill me now.
Don't make me read this crap!
Salt! I need the fucking salt!)

4. ...and WRITE, damn it! This is self-explanatory. Throw words at the page. They don't have to be good words. Those come in the rewriting phase. But you can't rewrite what you don't have. The self-doubt slugs are going to try to turn you into Faulkner. They will try to make you write like this:

"The path runs straight as a plumb-line, worn smooth by feet and baked brick-hard by July, between the green rows of laidby cotton, to the cottonhouse in the center of the field, where it turns and circles the cottonhouse at four soft right angles and goes on across the field again, worn so by feet in fading precision." - (As I Lay Dying 3.2)

Do. Not. Listen. To. The. Slugs. They. LIE! This is not good writing. This is the work of an overrated hack. (Yes, I said hack.) Just write the path is straight, worn by years of foot traffic, and cuts across the cotton field. BUT only if it's important to the story! Move the action. Move the characters. Move the story forward. Don't get caught up in the minutiae.

The first draft should be dirty and gritty and raw. You clean and polish and cook it later. The best way to combat the slugs is to write quickly and not give them time to burrow into your brain. Once they've become entrenched, they're hard to get out.

So... Pull your head out of your ass. Trust the story. Trust yourself, and WRITE, damn it!

Peas out,

J

Daddy's Girl Weekend 2012

That's right! This past weekend was the Carolyn Haines Annual Daddy's Girls' Weekend Writer and Reader Party...er...I mean...Conference. This year the gathering was at the Malaga Inn in historic Mobile, AL. A beautiful venue shared with a lot of wonderful people. And the Peas were in attendance.

On the roster was, of course, our own Carolyn and the wonderful Sarah Bewley--cohorts in crime. In addition, Urban Fantasy Author Anton Strout, Penguin Group Editor Michelle Vega, Agent Marian Young, Tyrus Editor and Publisher Ben Leroy, and authors T.R. Pearson, Dean James, Will Irby, as well as, some other Urban Fantasy author named Jeannie Holmes (wink) and many, many others.

As usual, it was great fun and Big Daddy was in the house. Dean James graciously passed the baton to John Hafner as this year's Big Daddy and I'm quite sure Anton Strout was scandalized by a lap-dancing belly dancer. There are no rules of engagement when it comes to Big Daddy or winning prizes from them for the outrageous Jitty costumes people wore. Yep... that's how Carolyn rolls. Aren't you upset you missed it? I'm so glad I didn't!

The laughs and stories were many. For accounts and photographic proof of all the shenanigans check out the D. g. Weekend Facebook Page and Katie Wood Ruffin's Blog post. And I'm sure You Tube videos will surface whether people want them to or not.

In short, there were some great workshops and panels on process, screenwriting, and the industry. What's more--there were even better conversations to be had in the courtyard as we caught up with old friends and made new connections. Until next year! We can't wait.

Peas Out.

The Hunger Games: Book vs Film

J's Take

Whenever I hear of Hollywood adapting a book for film my first thought is usually "Yay! Good for the author!" My second thought is usually "I hope they don't screw it up." In the case of The Hunger Games, I can say Hollywood did not screw up.

I admit The Hunger Games was one of the first YA books I read (outside of the Harry Potter series) that I really enjoyed. Suzanne Collins doesn't waste a single word in the book. Every word, every phrase, every action has a purpose. Yes, the plot seems straightforward: In a post-apocalyptic world, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place in a violent, death match "game show" and inadvertently starts a rebellion. However, once I read the book, I discovered the plot isn't nearly as clear I wanted to believe.

Character motives are suspect. The politics ruling the games are murky at best. Loyalty is as rare and precious as diamonds.  Collins packs so much into her writing that I sometimes had trouble following all the threads, but she tied up all the important ones for Katniss by the end and left several to trail into the second book. In short, I loved the book.

So how does my love the book translate to the film? I really enjoyed the film. The writers, producers, and directors took great care in adapting the major points and following the characters' development. They showed restraint in keeping the gore and on-screen violence minimal but the sheer brutality of the Games isn't lost. The film captures The Hunger Games in all its so-called glory, from the beautifully shallow pageantry to the heartbreaking depths of sacrifice and sorrow.

Unfortunately, some of the more subtle nuances of the book's plot and character development are lost due to the constraints of time. The Hunger Games film already tops 2 hours in length (2 hours and 22 minutes, according to Fandango.com) and adding these subplots and lengthy character developments would've sent it spiraling into multiple installments. Does this mean its inferior to the book? Absolutely not. It's a great adaptation and companion to the book. If you haven't read the book, have no fear. You'll understand exactly what's taking place. (My husband hasn't read the book and loved the film.) If you have read it, I think you'll find it enjoyable with only a few minor changes.

My best advice: Read the book. See the movie. Enjoy them both.

Alexis's take

This over-word-count fangirl moment brought to you by five pages of notes taken during my second viewing in four days.

Yep. That's right. This movie was so good I saw it twice on opening weekend. And I'll tell you this, even my husband {a... *gasp* ...non-reader} has read the book and not only seen the movie, but actually matched my own eagerness leading up to its release. In fact, he was so eager to see the movie, that he only shook his head lovingly when I went to stand in line at 7:15 for our 8:50 showtime.

I read The Hunger Games {and Catching Fire} about three years ago, at M's recommendation, and I fell instantly in love. No one else that I knew had read it, and I wasted no time telling them all it was a must-read. Sadly, most of my non-writer friends are also non-readers, and until the previews for the movie surfaced, only the handful of readers I knew had taken my advice {and also fell in love with the series}. But it was something of an experience itself, watching the bandwagon roll into town and pick up nearly all of my coworkers, who, despite not listening to me for three years, gave me the credit for getting them to read the books. I took it, proudly. Every day, one or three or five of them would run up to me and say "Oh, I just read this part! Holy crap!" ...or something similar. I hadn't read the books since Michelle and I's infamous lack-of-sleep-sleepover on the release day of Mockingjay {in which we'd reverted to nerdy thirteen-year-old-girls and stayed up all night reading it aloud to one another}. Because of the sudden rush of new readers, I got to experience the entire story over and over again. And honestly, it really added to my own excitement for the movie. Which is what I'm supposed to be talking about...

So, having seen it twice -- with a couple days between to discuss it with anyone and everyone who'd listen -- I was able to see a couple of the "issues" I'd had during my first viewing with fresh eyes and a more open perspective. And I'm very glad I did. Because for the most part, my opinion changed. When it didn't, I was at least able to pinpoint exactly what was bothering me about the particular scene.

If you haven't read the book yet... {and seriously, where have you been all this time?} then you might wanna read it before this review. If you haven't seen the movie, but are an avid fan, you might gain some insight and keep yourself from that all-too-familiar book-fan-wants-movie-to-be-identical-to-book disappointment. I will be thorough.

OVERALL COMMENTS:

First, I want to say that Jennifer Lawrence was incredible. I had my doubts about some of the casting, initially, but not her. Aside from her, I hadn't pictured many of these characters like the actors chosen to play them. Like many readers, I tend to bend descriptions to fit the images in my head. {My favorite was President Snow. I pictured him as a short, lean, snakey, middle-aged Asian man. It took me a long time to rearrange the image to fit that of Donald Sutherland  -- who is decidedly not short, lean, snakey, or Asian}. Others I was confused/concerned about leading up to the movie included: Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Lenny Kravitz. {I have my reasons. All of them as weird as the one for President Snow}.
But, damn. Did they make a fan out of me. Not a single actor cast in this movie felt like they hadn't been those characters all their lives. Now I don't know how I ever pictured anyone else.

Second, I have to say how impressed I am with the music choices in this movie. Leading up to it, I mislead myself to believe that the companion soundtrack {which was amazing, save for one song} was the music used in the actual film. Instead, there were only instrumentals that pulled you in the exact directions of emotion needed for each moment. A particularly genius and quite daring move was the, in many cases, lack of music. I say daring because there are bound to be critics who latch onto this. I say genius because it is mentioned many times in the book how absent music is in Katniss's life, and it therefore echoes the tone of the book. In fact, in the lining-up-for-the-reaping scene, the lack of music was downright haunting. All I can say is, the sound guys paid attention to detail, stayed true to the tone of the story, and I have literally ZERO complaints. 

Third, the filming of this movie was both smart and stunning. The Hunger Games is written in first person, which means we are in Katniss's head the entire time. It means we feel close to Katniss, and that her experiences are very personal. And while we get to see so many other point of view moments in this film {all great additions to the fleshing out of the story, which are otherwise lost without Katniss's inner-dialogue} the entire thing retains the close, personal feel of the novel. I will dive into my favorite examples of this in the highlights, but overall, it was truly well done.

HIGHLIGHTS {the good (+) and the bad (-)}  

Unless I want to explain in a way the notes do not, I'm simply going to write exactly what I wrote in my notes as I watched the film. These will be in pink.

(•)I'm glad I knew ahead of time that Madge and the Avox backstory were going to be cut, because it didn't bother me in the slightest when I saw the movie, because I was prepared for it.

(+)The title sequence is a simple, no frills explanation of the state of the world, and the reason for the games. Brilliantly, "The Hunger Games" simply lingers, white type on a black background, while the explanation fades. It's powerful, straightforward, and seems to say: "This is what I am. Take it or leave it." Much like Katniss's personality.


(+)The movie opens with Caesar Flickerman discussing the games with Seneca Crane {Tucci and Bently were absolutely fantastic in their roles}. They are in this glittering world of television and glamor, and after Flickerman asks Crane what his signature style is for the games, in a dead-on answer, the scene cuts to the poverty-stricken backwoods of District 12 and the hauntingly powerful scream of a young child {Prim} waking from a nightmare about the games.

(+)Buttercup... glad you made it into the film.

(-)A few times throughout the movie, my friends' husbands would have to ask questions to parts that, while explained enough for those of us who've read the books, were not fleshed out enough for non-readers to understand. It is mentioned in passing that Gale's name is in the reaping ball 42 times, but not how or why {until later, when we aren't paying attention to that vague detail} his name got in more than others.

(+)Gale. Aside from being maybe a little too gorgeous for the part, Liam Hemsworth played it well. I had no trouble believing him as Gale for a moment. His part in these books is tricky, as he doesn't have much actual screen time. But what little he's given he's able to bring across the fiery spirit behind his calm facade. It was very well done.

(+)The Reaping. Initially, I was displeased with how long Katniss's stunned silence lasted. However, on the second pass, sitting in the theater next to my sister {whom I'd always equated to Prim, being an older sister myself} the timing was perfect. The way Katniss tells Prim "I'm sorry," made me ache. The way she told her mother "Don't cry," said everything her character had thought in that moment in the book. And man, every time Willow Shields cried out, it broke your heart.

(+)Love the addition of the "movie" at the Reaping. A nod to the ones Katniss talks about watching in school, in the book. 


(+)Peeta. Josh Hutcherson was never the right actor for this part, for me, until I saw his face at the Reaping. That boy is an incredible actor. The stunned look on his face when Effie called his name was... well... it shut up any doubts I had about him playing Peeta. Sure, I pictured his build differently, his face maybe not so young... but the emotion that boy put into even just a wiggle of an eyelid... incredible. I felt everything he felt. Joy, fear, shock, regret... everything.

(+)Effie. Awesome. Elizabeth Banks was a definite surprise. I didn't know that much about her, as I hadn't seen much of her work. But she struck a perfect balance between humor and seriousness, absurdity and reality. She felt real, even in all the costuming, makeup, and wigs. I'm certainly a fan of her now.

(+)Haymitch. Opening scene... that collar. lol


(+) Haymitch. Oh. My. Lord. Woody Harrelson was SO good. He made that character so real for me. Just like in the book, I laughed at him, I wanted to punch him, I grew to like him. He was so believable. His motives so clear. He told us everything about Haymitch's backstory and his character with, oftentimes, a simple look or gesture. And getting to see him in action "behind the scenes" during the games was a great bonus to the story.

(+)Katniss knifes the table between Haymitch's fingers... Effie, scandalized: "That is Mahogany!" great moment.

(+)Cinna. Lenny Kravitz took perhaps my favorite character in the series and made me love him all over again. He was truly perfect. All my doubts erased the moment he spoke to Katniss about being brave.

(-)The Tribute Parade. In the first viewing, I got hung up on the special effects of the flames. While I loved the makeup, hair, and costumes, I thought the flames looked too obviously CGI. However, in the second viewing I found I had no issues whatsoever with the flames. In fact, what I'd mistakenly found "cheesy" became the best part. The crowd reactions, when the film cut to closeups of their faces, felt like extras in a movie who were trying too hard. Their faces were plastered with excitement and happiness, but their eyes didn't sell me. So they all looked like clowns. To aggravate me further, Peeta and Katniss don't simply hold hands in defiance, they lift them up and smile excitedly, as though they've already won, playing into that cheesiness I was feeling toward the crowd. I wanted them to be more subtle. I think it would have made the disparity between them and the crowd even greater, and made that moment feel more real to me.

(+)Training. Seeing the Tributes' characters flesh out here was really nicely done. I immediately felt fond of Rue when she stole a Career's knife. Thresh was exactly the character I hoped he'd be. He was strong, intimidating, and yet, as he joins in Katniss, Peeta, and Rue's silent laughter at the Careers fighting over the missing knife, he's immediately likeable.

(+)Peeta shows his painting skills. Awesome.

(+)The Individual Evaluation. Aside from Katniss going before Peeta, and the gamemakers laughing at her first missed shot, this scene was so spot on to the book. The music, the camera work, Katniss's reaction... all of it was exactly what I wanted to see. And it was easily one of my favorites.

(+)Haymitch in the scores scene. Funny!

(-)Wish they'd have explained what those scores meant the way Katniss did in the book. Too happy about hers. 

(+)The addition of scenes with President Snow talking to Seneca Crane. These were a great insight into Snow and a really great way to flesh out these characters.

(+)Caesar Flickerman intro -- OMG. The faces in the background. HAHAHA!

(+)The crowd reaction being this roaring hum when Katniss comes onstage really plays into the movie feeling so close to her and so personal. Like when the music drowns out Effie in the car after the Reaping to show that Katniss and Peeta have tuned her out. 

(-)Though I wish the dress had been jeweled like in the book, I didn't mind the way they did the flames. I guess I understand why they did it this way, but I miss the jewels.

(+)Peeta's interview. Perfect.

(+)Katniss shaking during the last few moments before the games begin, with Cinna doing his best to keep her calm, was an incredible moment. I felt her fear.

(+)Transition to the light the way Katniss would see it as she enters the arena. 

(+)Seeing the Gamemaker's Control Room.

(+)Cut to Gale in silence during the countdown was fantastic.

(+)Music in bloodbath. Haunting. Bloodbath itself was done perfectly.

(+)Katniss mouthing the count of first fallen. Well done.

(+)Seeing the camera in the tree knot.

(+)The sci-fi "mechanics" of the Gamemakers was really neat.

(+)The camera work and smoke during the fire -- kept it personal feeling.

(+)Katniss treed by the Careers was well done.

(+)When she cuts down the hive I was so anxious for her, even more than I was in the book, because I could actually see how far along she'd sawed into the branch.

(-)I wish they'd have explained how the Tracker Jackers track whoever they think disturbed their nests. They say everything else, but it was important to why they mostly went after Glimmer and why they don't sting Katniss more when she drops from the tree. This was lost on the non-readers with our group.

(+)The Hallucination scene was my absolute favorite of the entire movie. It was so well done. From the jitter of the camera movements, to Caesar Flickerman talking about the Tracker Jackers while walking in the woods {hahaha} to the beautiful filling-in of backstory about Katniss's father and how her mother tuned out. The way Katniss begs her mother to snap out of it and say something was full of real emotion. Beautifully done.

(+)I absolutely love that Rue's 4-note trill they talk about in the book is used as the "main theme" of the Hunger Games in the same way that "Hedwig's Theme" is the iconic music associated with Harry Potter.

(+)Watching Cato flip out and snap that boy's neck after Katniss explodes the supplies. Whoa. Intense and scary.

(+)Seeing what Rue sees as Katniss sings her to "sleep." Beautiful.

(+)The face Rue makes when she asks Katniss to sing... so sad. But Perfect.

(+)At this point int he movie, I had let a few tears fall at the Reaping and the Rue scene... but when they cut to District 11 and the riots {a great setup for book 2, I thought} I completely lost it. I had tears just streaming down my face. I still don't know exactly why this particular scene was so powerful for me... maybe it was seeing what had to be Rue's dad make the first move. Or seeing the whole district return the salute Katniss gives them, but it was powerful. Fantastic. Another favorite scene.

(-)I wish she'd have said Peeta's name after the announcement like she does in the book.

(+)Love how she tracks Peeta like game and how well he hides.

(+)Nice pan to Gale in kissing scenes. Homage to the book and how Katniss's mind strayed to him in those moments. 

(+) Battle with Clove. Majorly intense.

(+)Berries scene: Katniss calling for Peeta really makes up for what I missed when she didn't call his name earlier. Her emotion here is exactly what it needed to be and it struck a cord. Very well done. Best show of emotion for her so far with Peeta.

(-)Wish Thresh had died a different way.

(+)That dog was supposed to be Cato! Scared the sh*t outta me.

(-)I miss the bloody X. It was by far Peeta's most badass moment in the book. It was good here but... it wasn't a bloody X.

(-)I wish they'd have drawn out the last scene and had the characters struggle a bit more internally with what they were about to face, having Katniss come to the decision to eat the berries just a bit slower. It felt rushed.

(+)Seneca. That room. That bowl. All I'm saying.

(-)Wish the crowd's reaction {ooh ahh awww} was more pronounced.

(-)Split the crowns, dammit!

(+)Snow's amazingly ominous ending.


In short, GO SEE THE MOVIE. The book is amazing and the movie brings it to life. No, it's not a duplicate of the book. But the movies never are. Details change. But overall, you will not be disappointed.

Due to zombie plague infection M's review is postponed. {But Alexis picked up the slack} Check back for her take later in the week along with news of her first "public appearance" as an "author".  *raises eyebrow*

Next week, we have that flash fiction we promised a couple weeks ago planned. But... you all know how our plans go. *grin*

Peas Out.

Author Interview: Diana Rowland

Today the Ninja Peas are pleased to welcome fabulously talented author Diana Rowland to the Pod! (She's our first official published author interview. How cool is that?) If you aren't familiar with Diana and her work--and why aren't you?!--you should be. In addition to being a former police officer, morgue tech, and all-around awesome person, she writes both the Kara Gillian and White Trash Zombies urban fantasy series. A couple of things you, dear reader, should know about Diana before we continue...

1. Before pounding the keyboard for a living, she was a bartender, a blackjack dealer, a pit boss, a street cop, a detective, a computer forensics specialist, a crime scene investigator, and a morgue assistant.

Author Diana Rowland

2. She won the marksmanship award in her Police Academy class and has a black belt in Hapkido.

What does all this mean? Well, frankly, it means she can calculate the best angle and trajectory from which to completely kick your ass in a state-approved manner, and then to show there are no hard feelings, she can mix up a great drink and deal you into a friendly game of blackjack...just don't get caught cheating.

Now that you know a little about the author, you need to know a little about her writing. For those who aren't familiar with these series, here are the cover copies and cover art for the first book in each series. More information can be found at Diana's website for subsequent books.

Book 1 of Kara Gillian series

MARK OF THE DEMON

When Homicide Detective Kara Gillian finds traces of arcane power on a body, she quickly realizes that this is no ordinary murder. The serial killer known as the Symbol Man is a nightmare that Beaulac, Louisiana thought had ended three years ago, but now he's back for an encore and leaving every indication on the flesh of his victims that he is well-versed in demonic lore.


However, Kara is a Summoner of Demons, and may be the only cop on the city's small force who can stop the killer. Able to see and interact with a world most people can't, Kara must draw on her skills as a police officer and master of the arcane to stop the Symbol Man from killing again and possibly summoning something even she can't control.


But with a demonic lord of unearthly beauty and power haunting her dreams, and a handsome yet disapproving FBI agent dogging her waking footsteps, she may be in way over her head....

MY LIFE AS A WHITE TRASH ZOMBIE

Book 1 of White Trash Zombie series

Angel Crawford is a loser


Living with her alcoholic deadbeat dad in the swamps of southern Louisiana, she's a high school dropout with a pill habit and a criminal record who's been fired from more crap jobs than she can count. Now on probation for a felony, it seems that Angel will never pull herself out of the downward spiral her life has taken.


That is, until the day she wakes up in the ER after overdosing on painkillers. Angel remembers being in an horrible car crash, but she doesn't have a mark on her. To add to the weirdness, she receives an anonymous letter telling her there's a job waiting for her at the parish morgue--and that it's an offer she doesn't dare refuse.


Before she knows it she's dealing with a huge crush on a certain hunky deputy and a brand new addiction: an overpowering craving for brains. Plus, her morgue is filling up with the victims of a serial killer who decapitates his prey--just when she's hungriest!


Angel's going to have to grow up fast if she wants to keep this job and stay in one piece. Because if she doesn't, she's dead meat.


Literally.



If you're a regular reader, you may remember that A, M, and I discussed cover art a few weeks ago. While our opinions were varied and strong, I thought it would be fun to get another author's perspective on the matter. My first thought was to grill--uh, interview Diana because, as you can see, she has truly mind-blowing covers. Here's what she had to say on the subject:


Jeannie: Readers may often decide which books they want to read based solely on the cover. As an author, how important is it you that the cover art reflect the story you've written?

Diana Rowland: Cover art can be a very touchy subject with both authors and readers. For my part, I would definitely push back if I had a cover that depicted the story or characters in a way that I felt was radically different from how I’d written them. However, I also believe that a cover’s primary purpose is to sell the book. To that end the cover should be eye-catching, attractive, and give the reader a solid sense of what sort of story this is, e.g. if there’s a spaceship on the cover, the expectation is that it’s some sort of science fiction. That being said, I don’t think that a cover needs to illustrate the book down to the slightest detail, and it’s more important that it capture the overall feel of the book. The woman on the cover of the White Trash Zombie books doesn’t look exactly how I’ve described Angel, yet somehow those paintings perfectly capture who she is. (And yes, I LOVE my cover artist, Dan Dos Santos!)

J: Series covers can change over time as characters change. However, you had the experience of changing publishers with your first series. Has the difference in covers affected the Kara Gillian series? What is some of the reader feedback you've gotten about the difference (if you can share)?

Book 4 of Kara Gillian series

DR: The change in covers hasn’t affected the story or writing of the series, of course, but I think it’s changed the marketing. DAW very much wanted this series to be marketed as urban fantasy (which it is!), whereas I feel that Bantam wanted it to be marketed more to the paranormal romance side of things. I’m more comfortable with it being marketed as urban fantasy, not because I have anything against paranormal romance at all, but because this isn’t paranormal romance, and I think those readers would have grown frustrated over time with the lack of a major romantic plotline.

That being said, yes, I would have liked for all of the books to match, but in the long run I do think that the newer covers reflect the true nature of the series much better. But, oh, the reader feedback!! The reactions have run the gamut from cautious approval to virulent hatred, but I think that if the series had started out with the Dos Santos covers no one would have batted an eyelash. The majority of the less-than-positive feedback has been because the series as a whole doesn’t match, and I can certainly respect that avid readers could be disappointed in that.

J: You have a new "white trash" zombie series which sports some spectacular artwork from Daniel Dos Santos. Can you tell us a little about how these covers were created? Is he given a description of Angel and a basic outline for each book?

DR: I am the luckiest author in the world because I actually get to talk to my cover artist! For both of the White Trash Zombie covers, I’ve had extended telephone conversations and email exchanges with Dan where we’ve discussed the overall themes of the books, possible scenes, her appearance in general as well as specifics of how rotten she could be. Dan always asks me if I have an idea for the cover, I tell him that I have zero visual artistic sense and go ahead and give him a sample scene idea, and then he (thankfully!) ignores my suggestion and paints something a thousand times better. :-D

J:  The cover for EVEN WHITE TRASH ZOMBIES GET THE BLUES is definitely "trashy" but in a good way. What was your initial reaction to seeing it?

Book 2 of White Trash Zombies series

DR: SO. MUCH. LOVE!!!  Seriously, this is the perfect example of a cover capturing the feel of a book. Funny thing is that Dan and I had this particular cover discussion while I was at a Chik-Fil-A with my daughter. She was playing in the climby-playground thing while I was on the phone with Dan merrily describing rotting body parts and gunshot wounds and grungy, nasty settings… It wasn’t until I hung up with him that I realized that a woman and her two small children had been sitting behind me that whole time. Oops!

J: In addition to being an author, I know you're an avid reader. What are some of your favorite books covers, past and present? How important is the cover to you as a reader when choosing a book?

DR: A cover that’s obviously cheap or a bad photoshop job will turn me off of a book, simply because I tend to think that a sloppy cover will likely mean a sloppy book as well. (And, yes, I know this isn’t universally true.) I’m certainly drawn to covers that are striking (in a good way) or exceptionally creative or attractive, but beyond that I tend to use cover art as a guide to genre, and will gravitate toward the “look” that I’m in the mood for at that time.

Some of my favorite covers include the Jane True books by Nicole Peeler, and The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey, simply because they both have cover art that is interesting and striking, that perfectly conveys the tone and concept of the books.

J:  And now for every author's favorite question: What's next for Diana Rowland?

DR: I’ll be starting White Trash Zombie Apocalypse fairly soon, and at this time it looks as if that will be the end of that series. I have some other possible projects on tap, but nothing solid yet.

But, for the Kara Gillian fans, I can tell you that I’ll be working hard on the Demon series for a few more years. After all, there’s still a ways to go to finish up that whole story. We’re just now getting to the really good stuff!

J: Awesome insights, Diana! Thanks for hanging out with us. :-)

That's all, folks. Be sure to come back next week when we dish on...*drumroll*...The Hunger Games: Book vs. Movie! Until then...

Peas out.

Book Review: Warm Bodies

I have the Pod to myself this week. *drops buckets of black paint* A is feverishly working to polish her manuscript. (Go, A!) M is off celebrating 15 years of wedded bliss. (Congrats!) Unfortunately this means flash fiction has been postponed, but here's a book I think our dear readers will enjoy...and don't mind me...I'll just be over here...with some busy work. *grins and picks up paint brush*

WARM BODIES by Isaac Marion


Synopsis: R is a young man with an existential crisis—he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

Review copy purchased at Barnes & Noble.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between.

First lines: "I am dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it."

J's Thoughts: I have a few criteria for picking up books in a store: 1) eye-catching cover art, 2) intriguing cover copy, 3) a killer first line. WARM BODIES has all three. Add an author bio sporting the phrase "first novel" and a tag line reading "Soon to be a major motion picture," and I was sold.

It's no secret that zombies are low on my dark fantasy/horror list of favorite creatures. In fact, they're number two on my list of Irrational Fears. (Spiders and bad weather tie for the number one spot.) Even though WARM BODIES seduced me by meeting my bookstore criteria, I was sceptical that I'd enjoy -- much less identify with -- a first person zombie story. However, Isaac Marion proved me wrong because I loved every page.

R is a completely sympathetic character. Zombies are normally portrayed as mindless brutes hellbent on their own survival. But Marion shows the "life" of zombies outside the hunt for brains. When not riding the escalators or hanging out with his best friend M, R tries not to draw the attention of the Boneys, skeletal beings who sit firmly at the top of the Undead food chain. Unfortunately for R, he's in the middle of an mid-death crisis that only worsens when he meets Julie.

Julie, a Living girl, fascinates R and he fascinates her. They soon develop a unique relationship that's centered around brains. Julie, however, doesn't know that the brain in question is that of her former boyfriend, Perry. The mystery surrounding R's difference, and what it means, only deepens as he and Julie grow closer and struggle to find their way in a world ravaged by war and social decline.

Filled with humor, action, and thought-provoking narrative, WARM BODIES is only the second zombie book to find its way to my Keeper Shelf. (The first is PATIENT ZERO by Jonathan Maberry.) I loved the dark humor. I loved R's questioning but laid back nature. I loved Julie's free spirit and determination. But mostly I loved that this wasn't your average zombie book. Marion adds his own spin on the genre and does it with a lot of style. One particular bit of flair I enjoyed was the use to old medical diagrams for chapter headings instead of numbers. It's a small thing but it was a touch I found especially interesting.

If you're looking for a good read and a new twist to zombies, definitely check out WARM BODIES.

Join me next week when I interview Diana Rowland, author of the Kara Gillian and the White Trash Zombies series. Until then...

Peas out.

One Pea Short of a Pod: Part Two

A Weekend at Oak Alley with J and M… continued

Day Two:

The mansion and oaks -- stunning.

There’s a certain kind of quiet one will experience whilst sleeping in an old quarter-house situated alongside the pastoral landscape of the Mississippi River Road. And at its heart, Oak Alley A.K.A. Bon Séjour -- even in all her glorious grandeur -- is merely a not-so-small country home. I’d forgotten how eerily quiet a country home could be.

I woke with a start in the middle of the night to a mysterious creak coming from the next room. The living eyes of the child’s portrait -- dusted in the sick yellow glow of a nearby security light -- hung over my bed and glared down on me. I shivered. The fractured images of the dozens of people that must’ve died on the grounds over the estate’s long life flickered through my mind. I heard another creak. My palms sweated. My heart raced against an inexplicable mounting fear.

The child's photo over my bed.

Then, with a hiss of breath whispering from the next room, I remembered the mysterious voodoo dolls J had acquired the day before. I felt my body grow cold, rigid.

Not really.

The truth? J’s bed was incredibly squeaky and it caused me to giggle like a child at a sleepover every time she adjusted herself under the covers. And… it was crazy cold! I think our first night in Cottage 6 might’ve been the coldest January night in Valcherie, LA (sound familiar). As you may recall, we did have central heat and air, but M wasn’t getting out of bed to crank up the thermostat at 3am. Brr.

A few hours later, as daylight broke, I heard another creak, a frantic rustle of fabric, and a low groan. I peered around the door to spy J, shuffling off to the kitchen with a sheet over her head and mumbling something that sounded a bit like, “Goffeeeee...”

That was my only undead sighting of the Pea-treat.
J wakes early for a voodoo-doll-wielding-vampire.

We followed through with our plans to tour the mansion. Off to breakfast we ambled -- knowing more coffee (ie: liquid life) awaited us at the cafe. We were seated near a few tables of excited travelers, snowbirds from the north, and J and I did what we do best. We eavesdropped while noshing on our eggs and crispy bacon

Old typewriting in Cottage 6 -- fitting

After breakfast, we toured the house. With the clang of the bell, the doors opened and a period dressed lady met us. We went room by room, learning the history of the former residents since 1839 – the Romans, the Stewarts, and what little is known of those that came in between. Afterward, standing on the portico of the mansion, we sipped our icy lemonades as the winter wind whipped around us. We said to one another, “I don’t know about reclaiming our Mojo but this iced drink thing was a pretty ridiculous plan.” So we bundled our frostbite phalanges into the pockets of our coats and headed to the cottage for hot tea, lunch, and an afternoon of writing.

Having consumed a lovely broccoli cheese soup and sandwiches, which we cobbled together in our cottage kitchen, J set up her voodoo dolls and laptop at the bar. I settled onto the couch where I promptly emailed J -- formally requesting her participation in an interview for Court Street Literary Collective. (grin) “Really?” she said to me, unamused.

By late afternoon we’d consumed liters of tea and coffee, and were in need of an outing. Out the door we went -- but this time I had my fancy camera in tow. We wandering the grounds until after the tours closed for the night, snapping dozens of photos. Only the two of us and one other passive-aggressive photographer -- who we couldn’t decide whether he followed us because he wanted us to leave or he was frightened to be alone but too shy to say as much. Either way, the miraculous method in which he juggled his large camera whilst talking on his mobile will forever be remembered and may, or may not, be recorded for all time as a character trait in some future story.

Sunset reflections in a sugar kettle at Oak Alley

By dark, we were hungry and we headed back to the cottage where I offered to cook and promptly tried to burn the building to the ground. (Perhaps, a mild exaggeration?) Well, see… what had happened was… I left the Panko crusted fish under the broiler for a tad bit longer than intended. As I tried to rectify my folly, J entered the kitchen and said, “Um… Chel. It’s kinda smoky in here.” Not bothering to look at her, because I was fiercely scraping the burned bits off the top of the fish, I replied, “Yeah, I know. I know. The fish was a tad over broiled-” Silence. Then J said with a sternness that I’d not ever experienced before, “No! You don’t understand. It’s smoky in here…look!” So I did. As I looked above me, into the fifteen-foot ceilings of our quarter-house, I saw thick black smoke blotting out the ceiling light like an eclipse. Then, I watched it roil under the door casings into the adjacent dining and living areas like an evil Louisiana swamp fog. We looked at one another and promptly darted in opposite direction to open all the windows and doors before the fire alarm went off.

It was a crisis averted, until I sat down with my fish and inhaled its Panko crust into my lungs. The sting of fresh burnt Japanese breadcrumbs raked against my organ walls with each breath I took and I realized it was time to lick my wounds, curl under the covers, and call it a night. The fish was determined to get me one-way or another. I was convinced. Before the lights switched off, J said to me, “Maybe we need to go back to the gift shop and buy you one of those health warding voodoo dolls...”

One of the newer oaks by twilight.

Touché.

Tomorrow, one final installment of One Pea short of a Pod and my love affair with old trees exposed. I promise... it's almost over. I've fallen into a mire of gluttonous overwriting. It can't possibly last much longer. Better here than my manuscript. (grin)

Then, on our next featured Tuesday, Alexis will be a Pea in the Pages with some suggested reading and perhaps a review or two. She's been mad reading these days and I can't wait to see what books she's had her nose tucked into.