On Slacker-dom and the Things I Will Soon be Reading

Hello, readers! It's me, Marie, here once more, writing a blog post when I really ought to be doing other things. I won't make any promises, because I tend to be a mildly irresponsible person, but I hope to post at least once a week. Most likely, it will be on the weekends, but I like to shake things up, so, I may still post on the weekdays once in a while. I like to keep things interesting.
I feel very ashamed to say this, but I'm not actually reading anything right now (and I call myself Marie the Reader?), but I will soon be correcting this situation. I'm going to pick up the first book in a young adult fantasy series called The Gateway Chronicles, The author of these books is a woman named K. B. Hoyle, and in fact, it was she who approached me about participating in the Work-In-Progress blog hop. I just so happen to have rare, autographed first edition copies of her first two books lying around somewhere in my house...
I also, despite having enjoyed the Hunger Games, have not even touched Catching Fire. Call me a disloyal fan if you will! I may not read it in the immediate future, but I'm sure I'll have it read by the time the movie comes out. As a rule, I don't prefer to watch any kind of novel-based film without having first read the book. Of course, there are always a few exceptions, like Fried Green Tomatoes. However, I try to keep to that rule, which means that I have to read Les Miserables by Christmas. (In case you didn't know, there will be an amazing movie adaptation of Les Mis, based off of the musical, in which the actors are singing directly to the camera, rather than pre-recording and lip-synching, and includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and many other talented actors. Squee!) I also need to read Great Expectations, since there is an upcoming film adaptation featuring my all-time favorite actress, Helena Bonham Carter, as Miss Havisham. (She's also Madame Thenardier in Les Mis. Yay!)

If you want more information about either of the movies above, go to moviepilot.com. They have a large chunk of their website dedicated to upcoming movies-to-film, and they're quite reliable.
Also, please show some love to Ms. Hoyle, the author of The Gateway Chronicles. Her blog is at nightnark.blogspot.com, and she updates regularly.
Also find her on Twitter and Facebook:
@kbhoyle_author
http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-B-Hoyle/155377154576880

Until next time! Love, Marie

Week 9: The Next Big Thing

So I was recruited to take part in this Work In Progress blog hop, by Ms. K. B. Hoyle, author of the young adult fantasy series, The Gateway Chronicles. You should read her books, because I said so. 

However, you came to this page to learn about my little writing escapades, so here are my answers to these ten thought-provoking questions. Enjoy!

What is the working title of your book?

Well, because I am terribly undisciplined, I’m working on two novels at once…Don’t be like me, young writers! I’m a terrible example!

The first one is called Princess Layla, and the second is called Jonah’s Story right now. I realize they’re both silly titles, but they’re called working titles for a reason. If you’ll excuse a bad pun, I’m “working” on it.

Since I’ll be talking about both of them at once, I’ll abbreviate the first PL from here on out, and the second JS.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

Well, PL was inspired by fairy tales, particularly ones by The Brothers Grimm, but I don’t have a specific story that I’m drawing it from. The film Tangled, also, was a big inspiration to me- although there’s not quite so much humor in my story, and not to mention, my novel is more of a current day fairytale, since the story starts in March 2011.

I’m not even really sure how I got the idea for JS. It’s just a little story about a boy who meets a girl in high school, and they become best friends, and when they’re in college, they fall in love and get married, with a bit of a suspenseful twist toward the end, but ultimately a happy  ending.  I guess years of listening to sappy love songs from Journey and Reo Speedwagon finally came to fruition.

What genre does your book fall under?

Probably, both would be considered young adult romance. I would like to think that the political setup in PL is far-out enough for it to be considered at least part-fantasy, and I would also like to think that my books have potential to appeal to adults as well as lovesick teenage girls, but I don’t know.

Which actors would you choose to play the characters in your book?

Hmmm…that’s a difficult one. Anybody that knows me knows that I love Johnny Depp- he’s my favorite actor of all time.

As far as PL goes, the two male leads (yes, I, too, have fallen into the trap of the love triangle), are radical opposites. One of them, Alec, is tall, svelte, and charismatic. He could easily be played by Johnny, as well as perhaps Tom Hardy, though he has a lighter complexion than I pictured Alec having.

The other, Joey, is kind of a nerd. He’s spindly, skinny, and yet still very attractive. It’s a shame, really, but Macaulay Caulkin is the only fellow I can think of who could really suit the role- if he’d shave off that scruffy beard.

Layla, the female lead, is blonde and has a tiny stature. Emily Browning is my top choice for the role. I’m unsure of her height, but Evan Rachel Wood, also, could fit the bill pretty well, that is, if she’s under 5”4.

There are two maids, also, who play large roles in the story. One of the two maids is named Saige, and I could picture Amandla Stenberg from the Hunger Games playing her.

The other, Tabby, is a bit goth/punk/scene/whatever you want to call it, but is one of the most interesting characters in the novel, and my favorite-other than Alec , that is. She’s said a million times, on Twitter and on her blog, that she won’t go back into acting, but Mara Wilson is all grown up, and totally beautiful, and has more than enough wit to pull off the part. Not to mention, I would love to see her with blue highlights in her hair, like Tabby. Too bad she doesn’t love me. (Kidding. She doesn’t know me. It would be weird if she loved me.)

JS would be difficult to cast, because it shows the characters in high school, and later in adulthood. Jonah is the male lead, Kate is the female lead, and they have a mutual friend who plays a huge role in the story named Mary Anne. All these actors would have to be young, like mid-twenties or so, who can easily by virtue of makeup and different styles of dress, can be made to look young, and then older. Jonah could be played by Channing Tatum, but I’m a little prejudiced, because I find him wildly attractive. I don’t know of an actor that really looks like Jonah, so I’ll just stick with the hotties. Kate also is very unique-looking. I could picture her being played by Emily Browning (if she had brown eyes), Emma Watson maybe, or some other pretty actress. I would want Mary Anne to be played by Jennifer Lawrence, as cliché as that might sound considering her jump to fame via The Hunger Games, but I really like her. She’s talented, she’s cute, and she is so capable of depicting all the subtle nuances of Mary Anne’s character.

(In case you can’t tell, I really liked this question.) 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Hmm, that’s a difficult one. I don’t even know what to say about PL, but JS would go something like this, “Jonah and Kate have been meant for one another all along, but will they be torn apart by one unfortunate incident?”

I know it’s vague, but I don’t want to divulge too many plot details.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Right now, there is no plan to publish either of my books. I would love to, but I’m not a full-time writer, I’m a student. I hope to publish them later on, but the emphasis there is on “later.”

How long did it take to write your first draft of your manuscript?

I finished the first draft of PL in about six months, but, the thing is, I didn’t even finish it. There were so many problems with the plot that after starting the fifth chapter, I dropped it, and since then, have been refining my ideas for the story. I have not yet finished the first draft of JS, but it’s coming along swimmingly.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

…That’s a good question, really. Hmm. I don’t read many young adult romance novels, because they’re all very risqué.  So, I have no idea.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I said in an earlier question, PL is heavily influenced by fairy tales, particularly Rapunzel, the “beautiful princess locked in a tower” thing.

JS, however, as corny and artsy-fartsy as it may sound, just came to me one day. It just showed up in my mind, and there it was, and there it stayed, and there it still is.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Well, neither of my books contain the kinds of graphic sex scenes that are found in most romance novels, for one thing. I despise Twilight, I refuse to even mess with 50 Shades of Gray, and all this “paranormal romance” stuff in the young adult section makes me sick. I’m trying to redeem the romance genre. My goal is to write stories that show women being treated with respect, and valued for more than just shallow sex appeal.  I also want to show men stepping up to the plate and being willing to fight for their  families, wanting to be the hero for their wives and children- particularly though Jonah’s Story.

 I’ve seen and known many young girls who have grown up without fathers, and it’s taken quite a toll on all of them, in different ways. My generation (in case I hadn’t said so earlier, I’m a teenager myself) has been referred to as a fatherless generation.  I am more fortunate than many, since my father has consistently been a part of my life, but I know the pain of hearing him say, “I love you,” and not proving it. Also, PL deals with how divorce and infidelity in marriage wound all involved parties, though that’s only a side note, really.

The bottom line is that I want to write books that parents will approve of their teenagers reading. That’s that. Wish me luck! - Marie

I'm Back (Finally)!!!

Hello there, guys... and girls.... and any ultra-intelligent talking animals that may be reading this post.

Well, life got busy in a number of ways, but here I am, picking up the blogger's pen after a long hiatus. I really ought to be writing a paper right now, but here I am, writing my first post in several months, listening to Billy Joel, and wondering what I should eat for dinner.

I've been on a writing spree lately, working like crazy on one story in particular, and then all of a sudden, poof, writer's block. When I get writer's block, though, I keep writing. It's just that everything I write from that point on becomes worthless garbage that I will have to rip apart, strangle, torture, and otherwise maim when I finally finish what I'm writing and start the editing process.

I'm taking part in this peculiar little Work-in-Progress blog hop thing, and so, guess what? I'll be answering ten questions about the two novels I'm working on on August 22nd! Yay! I'm not sure what purpose that serves right now, since I have zero followers, but I'm narcisstic and like talking about myself. :)

Hopefully, I'll see somebody then!

Much love, Marie

On The Hunger Games Film Adaptation, Among Other Things

At the end of my last post (which was a review of The Hunger Games), I promised that I would give you an update sometime this week, featuring my opinion on the movie, which I saw with two of my friends last Friday night.

I enjoyed the movie, though it was a little long, and a tad bit devoid of emotion. Honestly, I got a childish sort of amusement from taunting and babbling to one of my friends throughout the movie. Every time Cinna came onscreen,  I’d start singing “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” or I’d make some stupid comment like, “He is looking good in that gold eyeliner. Do you think they sell it at Sally’s?” Not to mention, when the Games started, I began to call said companion Foxface, since she’s an agile, adventurous redhead, and she was very annoyed with me because of it. I’m convinced, though, that nobody else heard me, because the group of eleven or twelve obsessed teenage fan-girls sitting in front of me were even louder than I was. They all burst into applause when Thresh killed Clove, and I was rather disappointed. In my head, I said, “Aww. Bye-bye, Esther. It’s been fun.”

As I Tweeted a couple of days ago, I’m reading two different books at once- John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone.  Paradise Lost is less for pleasure, and more because it’s assigned in a Literature class I’m taking. It’s lovely, but quite ponderous, to say the least. I’m more of a prose reader, as it were. The Moonstone, however, is entirely for leisure.

I’ve had quite an odd little affair with the Moonstone, as it happens. About four or five times, over the past couple of years, I’ve picked it up, and never even gotten to the theft of the Moonstone from Rachel’s boudoir. (No offense to Gabriel Betteredge, but his personal narrative lasted for entirely too long.) About a month ago, I sped through 430 pages of it, and found myself unable to put it down- until a friend of mine lent me a copy of the Hunger Games, and I abandoned poor Sergeant Cuff and Franklin Blake in favor of Haymitch Abernathy and Peeta Mellark. Now, though, I’ve picked it back up for the last few pages. I’m not sure about a review, per se, but I’ll tell you what I thought of it later.

Those of you who have Twitter accounts, feel free to follow me, and tell me about any books you’ve been reading lately, at @marie_reader.

Expect to hear from me sometime next week. Much love!  -Marie

The Hunger Games Review (of sorts)

I am going to write my review of The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins. In a very choppy fashion. Using fragmented sentences. Like this. Very redundantly, too. Because this is how Katniss Everdeen chooses to speak. For 374 whole pages. And it annoys me.

No, I can’t write like this. It goes contrary to everything I ever learned about writing, and I refuse to encourage the current trend of painfully short, and sometimes, not even complete sentences in young adult literature. I sometimes speak in abrupt, three-word sentences, but, when it comes to a novel, I wouldn’t dare write that way outside of quotation marks. However, if I start writing in three- word sentences and other such colloquialisms in this blog, please forgive me. I write fiction far better than I write anything else.

Anyway, I am in a very conflicted position when it comes to this particular novel. I love the story (so much that I finished the book in two days), the characterization, and the similarity to the concept of a set of gladiatorial games. I strongly dislike the writing style Collins uses, for two chief reasons.

1)      Having the book written in such a fast-paced manner almost denies the reader of the chance to absorb the lovely imagery, and almost encourages you to rush through the book without soaking in any of the plot. In fact, I found myself forgetting various details of the story until they were mentioned again, because you don’t really have time to notice things. This is why some people are so upset about the whole deal of Rue being black and getting killed in the movie- they read the book, and didn’t notice that she was black, because they were rushing through it, because the book is written in such a way that you rush through it.

2)      This is one of the most widely-read pieces of young adult literature of recent years, having spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list, last I heard. It is encouraging young people that writing poorly structured sentences is alright- that they can use the excuse that ‘they’re doing it to make a point,’ or ‘it makes the novel more fast-paced’. What kind of teacher would allow a high-school student to use these kind of fragmented sentences in a research paper, whether it’s for ‘emphasis’ or not? Yes, I have the intelligence to reason that fiction and nonfiction are two different spheres of writing, and should be treated differently, and I have no doubt that you, my reader, can determine the difference as well. However, many high-schoolers of today do not have that kind of understanding, and will write in a way that is similar to what they read. If they eat, sleep, and breathe The Hunger Games,  where will that leave them?

Also, I think it might turn into overkill if I start talking about how angry the ending made me. I’ll just say that it was a cheap trick to make the ending so awful and unfulfilling that you must read the sequel. Even Twilight, which I strongly dislike, had a better ending.

However, the story is so intriguing, the imagery is so lovely, and the characters are so authentic, that I can’t help but to be a fan-girl. Gale is heartless, and Peeta is slightly effeminate, in my opinion, but, since I have to pick one for the sake of any obsessed teenage fans who may be reading this post, I choose Team Peeta. I’m a hopeless romantic, so I feel poignantly for him- I just wish he hadn’t confessed to loving Katniss on live TV. No wonder she thought he was faking it.

I’ve made plans with a friend of mine to go see the film this Friday, now that I’ve read and enjoyed the book. So, last night, I went on Google to see who was playing my favorite character, Cinna the gold-eyeliner-wearing stylist, and saw a picture of Lenny Kravitz. I’m not sure how that will work. I can’t stop picturing him taking Jennifer Lawrence’s hand in his, and saying, “Katniss…ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY?!” He did a remarkable cover of “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” on the Chimes of Freedom album, by the way, if there are any Bob Dylan fans reading this who haven’t heard it.

Scary movies are a guilty pleasure of mine, I must admit, so I’m looking forward to seeing Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan) and Elizabeth Banks (The Uninvited), since they are the only two actors in the film that I’m very familiar with. I haven’t seen Josh Hutcherson in a movie since Zathura, and haven’t lost a bit of sleep over it.

Anyway, I’ll tell you what I thought of the movie at some point next week. I hope you’ll come back to hear me rant some more. Whenever I read Catching Fire, I’ll tell you how that goes.J

My First Blog Post!

Hey there! I'm so glad to be posting on this fantastic blog!

Well, I have to explain to you what I'm doing, don't I?

My name is Marie (well, not really, but that's what I want you to think), and as you can tell by my screen name and profile pic, I love reading. :) I also love to write, take pictures, play computer/video games, and put together adorable outfits.
I'm going to use this blog to talk in detail about the things that I'm reading, the things that I'm writing, and occasional other things, but mostly reading and writing.

I have recently fallen in love with the singer Birdy. But that's besides the point.

I read all kinds of things- I particularly love crime novels, manga, and anything old-school. I'm going to list some of my favorite books as of right now, so you understand how broad my literary horizons are.

1. Drood by Dan Simmons
2. The Faerie Queen, part 1, by Edmund Spenser
3. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
4. The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
6. Curtain by Agatha Christie
7. anything by Edgar Allan Poe.
8. The Bible <3

I am going to get a Twitter really soon ( in a couple of days), and will feature a link to this blog in my profile. I'm halfway through The Hunger Games right now (yes, I have fallen prey to the craze), and will have a review up by the end of this week. I have an idea of what I'm going to say, and it will be pretty witty. I'm also most of the way through The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, and my thoughts on it will follow soon after.

Much love to anyone who reads this!! ~~~~Marie