GOD SPEED ANDY

Andrew Olmsted. Words escape me. Thanks to AngieW. for the link that lead me to Andy's blog.

FIREFLY

Thanks to online fans of this series and its star, the captain of the Firefly, Nathan Fillion, I purchased the entire series for some ridiculously low price in a bin sale at my local Target. I think I got the four series DVDs in a boxed set for $18.99. What a steal!

Let me just say I don' t know how I missed this when it was on TV. Okay, I do know because I don't watch much TV, but it's too bad. My only wish when I finished these DVDs was for the TV series to have had more episodes. We did go and rent the movie Serenity which helped with some of the sting of the series being over, but I was still left with wanting more. I'll definitely be looking for the movie to buy so I can complete the collection. When I watch the series again it just won't be complete without the movie.

Kudos to Whedon and Tim Minear for a great series, imaginative scripts and characters. You can find out about all things Firefly here. You can buy it here, or look for it on sale and score it like I did. You won't be sorry.

BTW, I'm not the only one who thinks Firefly kicks ass. Other admirers are AngieW, Zeek, Bam...oh and these guys. Does this mean I'm a nerd?

To get more Firefly I guess I have to buy a graphic novel. I've purchased these for my sons but never for myself. Crikeys a whole new world is opening up. Can my wallet stand it?

You Gotta Have Friends...

A couple of blogs discussed friendship today. Holly talked about being a true friend in her post and to a degree this was also the subject of AngieW's post today as well.

This is what I commented at Angie's blog:

"A friend who can be honest without motive, personal gain or to hurt you, who genuinely just wants to help because they love you. Hang on to them…hang on tight. I have sisters, so ’nuff said, they thrill to grill me all with a kiss and a hug. But my closest friend who choses to be in my life as I do in hers…well, she’s a treasure beyond measure. "

I guess I'm sort of cynical because while several people at both of these blogs commented on their personal friendships, I have found both honesty and loyalty in short supply in real life. In fact, I talk to my two sons about personal integrity all the time. There simply aren't that many people with the courage to be honest, loyal and true...all things I think you need to be a real friend.

No offense to Holly, but I can't put telling a girlfriend her new blouse is unattractive in the same category as telling her she needs to go to rehab, or that a boyfriend is a lying, cheating scum, or her kid is a bully, or her daughter is a klepto. Try telling your parents you aren't going to another holiday if they are going to be drunk and have the rest of your family, who feel the same way, get mad at you for rocking the boat.

The thing is...it's hard to be honest. It is even harder if you absolutely know that what you say or do is going to hurt someone and that your only motive is to help someone you love and care about. Perception is everything. What if the family member or friend you are honest with thinks you suck for your honesty? It happens. People say they want the truth, but I've found that's not always the case. Being honest ain't for wimps. It's hard after the dust settles not to point to oneself and say...see me I did the right thing and everyone is pissed at me! No one wants to hear that or acknowledge it. You have to be ready to accept the consequences of being a good friend and sometimes that might mean the relationship is never the same, but the friend gets better or out of a bad situation. It's effing hard!

Honesty and integrity aren't things you employ when it's convenient. I think they have to be a part of everything you do. It's not just being the bringer of the news, sometimes you are the person receiving the news. So when a friend or family member is there in the trenches with you, holding your hand and supporting you no matter what the situation, that is everything. Forgiveness is huge with any friendship or family because as sure as there is sun in the morning everyone screws up sometimes.

As for the talking about people behind their backs, I've found that walking away from a conversation about some bitch or bastard that I'd love to add my two cents worth is hard. Being fair to people you don't like is even harder. The Golden Rule is easy to live by with the people you care about, but not so much for the guy who has no teeth (I kid you not!), reeks of BO, is rude and wants to rent an RV site for the night. So, not participating, even just by listening, has been hard for me. Stuff like that happens in the work place all the time. But I've found that I really got sort of poisoned just by listening to all that negativity. So now, nosy as I can be, I "just say no"! Well, to be "honest" I mostly say "no!" *g*

So while I have many acquaintances that I love and enjoy in my life, besides my husband, I have my sisters with whom I'm mostly honest (you know who you are) and one...one true friend that is all the things I've talked about here. I feel incredibly blessed for the abundance. They are all the more dear for their uniqueness.

BTW, I don't mean to imply I did any or all of those things listed...some are real life experiences and some are just examples. God forbid you all think I'm out there being a little Miss Fixer or Co-Dependent. Ack!!

A Book Review and a New Job

TO FIND YOU AGAIN by Maureen McKade

FROM THE BACK COVER

It has been seven years since Emma Hartwell's capture by a tribe of the Lakota Sioux. But her recent rescue by the US Cavalry feels like anything but salvation. She has been forced to leave behind her beloved child, and return to the family who can't accept her, only to be shunned by the townspeople as an outcast. Emma is haunted by her life with the Elk tribe. She sets off on a dangerous journey, fueled by a fierce love of her son and fears for his safety, in an effort to find the tribe and reclaim him.

Only Ridge Madoc stands in her way. A former army scout with a keen tracking sense and a keener sense of justice, Ridge has been sent by Emma's father to bring her back--a task that will give him the chance of reclaiming some of the land that was rightfully his. But, he never expected a woman as determined and courageous as Emma. Now, Emma must appeal to Ridge to help her with her desperate quest, and Ridge must struggle with his desire for a woman who no longer has a place in his world...

This book confirms it. I'm definitely in a western frame of mind. Nothing else in my towering TBR appealed to me but this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While I can't say it was as an emotional read as her book A REASON TO LIVE, it was still very satisfying.

Ms. McKade does not write wimpy women or women who do the TSTL things that drive us all crazy. Emma Hartwell is very much a woman of her times who is coping the only way she knows how with the circumstances she is in. My heart was in my throat when she had to make the decision whether or not it was in her son's best interest to be raised by her or the Lakota tribe he knows and is accepted by. If you knew you would be bringing your child to a place where he would be shunned, not allowed to go to school, spat upon and hated would you still take him back to your world? Or, would you leave him some place where you knew he was loved and adored and would never be judged as being "half"? Could you do it even if you couldn't stay and raise him yourself? What would you do?

Ms. McKade did a great job presenting this dilemma and all the realistic arguments pro and con a mother would be making before a choice is made. That sequence in the book is wrenching and emotional.

Ridge Madoc is just the sort of self contained and stoic man of the west I enjoy reading about most. He is very reminescent of Louis L'Amour heros. While a tough man of his times, he not only is respectful of Emma as a woman, but respects her as a person who has survived very difficult circumstances and who deserves and has earned the right to make her own choices.

So I finish this great historical that was published in 2004 to read this post at AngieW's site that included parts of a letter from author Brenda Joyce about the state of historical novels in the romance genre. It made me wonder when did we readers stop buying them? I don't remember making a conscious choice not to buy historicals. I have noticed there haven't been as many to choose from.

I hadn't read a good western in some time until Wendy spoke about Maureen McKade and it sent me to the bookstore to buy the recently released A REASON TO LIVE. You just don't hear about or see many historicals on the store book shelves any more. Wendy's comment today was that we need diversity. Amen to that! I'll never understand any industry...music, books, TV, movies glomming to whatever is hot at the moment and dumping everything else. Is it that complicated to be diverse?

A final note...I've taken a part time job. Yeah, who knew? I thought I was retired too!! It's just two days a week and that's all I want right now. So my first day is tomorrow. Then since my son is on fall break we will be taking off a few days so I probably won't be around much this next week. Don't you just love the Fall?

FURAN SAN - Or How I Discovered Ninja Art

The plan was to do a post to tell all the Gold Rush players not to come here any more. Yeah, that works. NOT!

Anyway, somehow in my browsing (how does this happen to me!) I was checking out to see if Racy Li had made any progress with her web site. AngieW had posted this week asking us to nudge Racy to finish her site. I linked to it and thought it was a pretty cool site, so back I went today for a more thorough looky-looky. BTW, I'm intrigued BIG TIME about your WIP about the ninja. So hurry up Racy...would ya!

So, there I am at Racy's site and I decide to click over to her blog. While reading her back posts I come across one with a link to Deviant Art and some really kick-ass cool ninja art by a young woman in Puerto Rico...Furan San. All I can say is Wow! I went through her whole gallery and really liked what I saw. In fact, I'll probably be trolling over frequently to see what she adds and what she's up to. The Nosy Nora coming out in me again.

(This part is boring background so you might want to jump ahead). I come from a big family. There were nine kids in all. Yeah, NINE. I was the oldest. Immediately following me in birth order are four boys. To say I was a tom-boy is an understatement. I competed really hard with my brothers until I got boobs. When I say I got boobs, I mean I got BOOBS! Those boobs ruined life as I knew it. I say those boobs because I eventually got a breast reduction...but I digress. That's a post for another day, or, better yet a visit to a therapist. I actually never thought much about this until recent years. The one thing I could still share with my two (closest in age) brothers after the boob explosion was comic books. Our family was stationed in Japan at the time and the three of us would wait expectantly each month for the comics to arrive at the Base Exchange. We would pool our money and go buy the most recent Spiderman, X-Men, Superman or Batman comics. I swear those were the roots of my romance reading. Tortured super hero, unrequited love. *sigh* I have lots of great memories tied up with comics.

So with this love of comics from my youth and Hollywood's venture in putting comic book heros on the big screen, my love of the super hero has sort of been reborn. I haven't actually purchased any comics yet, but I do indulge my sons' from time to time. You can't believe how many discussions a family of four can have about Batman, Wolverine and the Green Lantern.

Back to this morning when I clicked on that link in Racy's blog I was ripe, I was ready...I was fascinated! I really was. Furan San is very good. It sort of makes me want to check out manga. Anybody a manga fan out there? Where would I start? What would a total rookie pick up for the first time? Any recs? I'm very curious at this point. Help me!

Because, you know, what I need right now? Another hobby to feed! Here's one of my favorites from Furan San. Thanks for the link Racy...I really enjoyed this.



-Holy Order Frederick- by *furan-san on deviantART

Nalini Singh & the Incredible Wonderful Blog Experiment

When I saw this contest posted on KarenS and then AngieW blogs I knew I had to participate. I'd read Rosario's post about reading Ms. Singh's book and was intrigued enough that I went to my used book store and bought all her already released Silhouette Desire books. I've read a couple already and was sufficiently drawn to the writing to put her Sept 5 single title release, SLAVE TO SENSATION on my "To Buy" list. Read on about the incredible wonderful blog experiment.

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at Dear Author. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

$200 Amazon gift certificate
Signed copy of Slave to Sensation
New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh
ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION
Nalini Singh Berkley / September 2006

Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.
Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.
Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt