April - 04/01/2011 TO 04/30/2011
For all of the areas you can reach here (except for the main blog) the new schedule format will hopefully go this way - unless material is not available from the author. Each blog site features a different author each month!

Week 1 - Authors tell us how the events in their lives encouraged them to be writers!

Week 2 - Authors answer some fun questions about their lives - geared toward different aspects of each month!

Week 3 - Authors answer questions about their writing and the process

Week 4 - Authors present a blurb and excerpt of whatever book(s) they are promoting that month!

Sci-Fi Video of the Moment
Cosmic Castaway by Electrasy
Monday, October 26, 2009

Welcome!

Sleep Chamber from Alien

Anime, Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Lovers!

This section is for you. Besides Romance and YA novels, I happen to love Science Fiction and Fantasy. This is where I'll discuss books and movies that won't fall into the romance genre, but they do fall into Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and/or the Horror genre and will have an area dedicated to Anime, another love of mine.


I plan to start with some of the following movies and TV:

Zombieland

Where the Wild Things Are

Saw VI

V - The new series vs. The original series
Sunday, October 25, 2009

Horror

Welcome Horror Lovers!
Grim Reaper 2

This section is still under construction, but it is for those of you into horror and suspense!



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Fantasy

Welcome Fantasy Lovers!
Dragon Image


This section is currently under construction, but our goals here will be to keep you updated on fantasy genre related news!

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Hard Wired

Welcome Hard Core Sci-Fi Fans!

Torchwood CastYes, this tab is finally active! What better way to start than to share with you some very interesting news being twittered about! According to Rick Porter at Zap 2 News and Buzz, there are rumors that FOX is considering a U.S. version of BBC's very popular hit TV series spinoff of the Dr. Who series, Torchwood!

Word has it that the creator, Russell T. Davies, and some of the cast, John Barrowman was mentioned, would also be involved. I hope that, instead of remaking it with different actors playing the same characters, since I do love the current cast of Torchwood, it's a parallel branch of Torchwood in the U.S. with different characters. Then it would be very cool to have "crossover" episodes where the Cardiff and U.S. teams have to work together.

Where to base the show out of? Well, instead of some big city in the U.S., or Roswell for that matter, I would rather see them operated out of some small town where all of the people living there are employees of Torchwood.

Why do I want some small town? Because most shows always take place in big cities and it's becoming old and commonplace. We need a show taking place in a small town that no one would expect, and thus help Torchwood keep its secrets. But that's just my opinion.

This page is where news updates will be posted, so please keep checking back for other new insights!
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Reading Anime in Another Language

This feature is coming soon!

The author of this post just returned from a long stint in China,
so I wanted to let him get settled
before I start clobbering him for the post.

Welcome to Anime Seekers!

I have been a fan of anime for years and never knew it!

Some of my favorite cartoons growing up were G-Force, Voltron and Transformers. Yep, the Transformers falls into the category of Japanese anime because, well, it originated in Japan and the cartoons were made with different methods than U.S. cartoons.

So, when I began to realize that all of my original favorite cartoons, from the time I was in kindergarten through my high school years, were considered Japanese Anime, I figured there was something special here.

Didn't watch those? What about Sailor Moon, Yugi-oh, or Pokemon? Yeah, they're all anime series as well that can still be found in the Manga as well as on DVD today.

If you haven't watched them, you might want to take the time to sit down and watch them, so you know exactly what you're kids are watching.

DON'T say that, "They're just cartoons, same as all the others!"

Far from it.

How so?

Besides the actual sophisticated, layered-animation style, the content is very different. Sure, there are young people involved, and some slap-stick comedy from time to time, but if you really pay attention to the overall intricacies of the plotlines and the complexities of the characters, you'll find that Japanese anime is a world away from your everyday American cartoon.

In anime, there will be graphic displays of violence, and in some rare cases rape or allusions to sex (but they're usually part of the drama), and some versions have harsh language. These are gritty stories told in anime format and are available in Manga as well (most of them). The language issue doesn't occur on the Japanese side, but in the English dubbed versions, so you need to be sure to get PG-13 rated versions for younger viewing audiences.

Even though you can find reviews of these all over the internet, I still plan on offering you my take on many of the different Japanese Anime that I have watched and enjoyed or not enjoyed. My goal is to help you get your feet wet, share an anime experience with your child, or choose the anime that's right for you and/or your child. 

Anita Blake
Blue Seed
Classics
Ghost in the Shell (Regular and Stand Alone Complex)
InuYasha
Karas
Naruto
Now and Then, Here and There (newer series)
Pokemon
Sailor Moon
Saiyuki (Original, Reload, Gunlock)
Spiral (Search for the Blade Children)
Transformers
Voltron (entire series)
Yugi-Oh

Here's another fun topic I hope to add - Reading Anime in Another Language

Keep checking back as this list will be updated with new anime that I discover!

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

InuYasha

Updated - December 30th - Hulu is a great place to watch the latest episodes of InuYasha.  I am really impressed with the true connection between Sesshomaru's sword Tenseiga and InuYasha's sword Tetsusaiga.  However, from the way things are going, it's not going to create the outcome that their father was hoping for.  

Updated - December 15th - I have watched up through Episode 11 of Season 8 which aired December 13th.  I really like how this last season is wrapping up all the loose ends that existed at the end of season 7.  The could have left it to be one of those Scooby-Doo kind of environments where no one gets older and the conflict continues, but they didn't.  It's nice to see Kagome and InuYasha advance in abilities and strength.  I'm also glad that Shippo won't be like the Simpsons' Maggie, the eternal child.  

I was elated when I discovered that InuYasha would be continued for season 8 because I felt like there was just so much left undone!

It's now coming full circle, or so it seems so far.

So, why InuYasha? Because it covers many different aspects of real life that people have to deal with but they're cleverly disguised in the confines of Feudal Japan.

KagomeFirst aspect is the fact that Kagome is the granddaughter of a priest shrine keeper, in a long line of shrine keepers, making her a priestess by birth. As she's fifteen years old when it all starts, she thinks that most of what her father yammers on about is just unnecessary bluster and not worth listening to until an amazing thing happens to her - she falls down into the shrine's bone eaters well and is transported back in time to the feudal era in Japan, before there was a Tokyo and when demons walked the earth and mingled with humans. In this journey through the past, she realizes that there is some useful information hidden amongst his ramblings and that she needs to learn to pay more attention to him.

InuYahsaSecond aspect of real life is that InuYasha is a half-demon. Shunned by demons and disrespected because he is just a, "half-breed." His demon father, the great dog-demon, died before he was born, and his human mother died when he was very young. He grew up being an outcast wherever he was, constantly being chased by demons in their effort to rid the world of the "imperfection." For that reason, he fostered a hatred of demons. His mother's love, for the brief time he had it, kept him from hating humans, but he still remained on the outside of life. For years, he kept to himself, until a young priestess named Kikyo, caught his attention. They developed a friendship, even a relationship. However, even though he cared deeply for Kikyo, it is evident in what happens to them, that even though he learned to care about someone, he never learned to truly trust anyone.

FriendsThird aspect of real life - friends. Friendships are so important for many reasons. But for InuYasha, his friendships mean so much more because it is only through the development of these friendships that he becomes a strong fighter. He learns that it's okay to runaway if it means that everyone survives to fight another day because no fight is worth risking the life of someone he cares about. He also learns that not everyone does evil by choice. Some creatures and people are forced to do so, and they are still worth saving because everyone deserves a second chance. Along the way, Kagome and InuYasha collect Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. But there are others they meet along the way, but these are ones that make up the core traveling party.

InuYasha and KagomeFourth aspect - the difficulty of relationships when you're in high school. Kagome is only the second girl that InuYasha has ever spent time with, and at first, he only spends time with her because she can see the shards, but after awhile, it becomes more than that. They become connected in ways that neither one of them can handle. The strength of their bond excites, infuriates and scares them. Through their journey, they fight with each other, run away from each other and comfort each other.

KogaBut the fun with Kagome and InuYasha is the relationship drama that surrounds them both. First, Kikyo, InuYasha's first love, is brought back from the dead. Then Kagome meets Koga, the leader of the Wolf Demon tribe and he develops a thing for Kagome to the extent that he kidnaps her and pledges himself to her (or actually claims her as his woman) in front of his entire clan, to which she rebuffs him in front of all of them. He must really like and respect her because none of the violent fallout everyone expected did not occur.

Hojo AkitokiNot only that, but all the made up illnesses bring one of the most popular boys at Kagome's school to her doorstep - Hojo Akitoki. First he brings her all kinds of remedies from his mother's shop for her many ailments. He is so kind, sweet and utterly clueless. He actively pursues Kagome even after she tries unsuccessfully to break up with him. I say unsuccessfully because she really tried to let him know that it was okay for him to date this younger girl if he wanted to, but he took it not as a kiss off but as an indication that Kagome was jealous, which made even more in love with Kagome. To be honest, I'm not really sure how that whole thing really works out. I'm still trying to figure out if Hojo really got the clue that InuYasha was Kagome's boyfriend.

Outside Kagome's ClassroomThis leads me to the fifth aspect of life - InuYasha's foray into present day Japan with Kagome. There are so many fall on the floor moments when InuYasha shows up at her school and just sits outside the classroom window looking at her. Okay, for us romantic people we might think that sounds cute, but you have to remember that he he's half dog-demon, which means he has silver dog ears, sits like a dog, scratches himself like a dog and sniffs the ground like a dog to pick up people's scents. Kagome is 15 years old - talk about an utterly embarrassing situation. InuYasha has some very fun and interesting moments in the present, but he also has some dangerous ones too. Like when Kagome and her brother Sota are in danger from an ancient mask (that had a jewel shard embedded in it and survived into the future) and it's Sota's job to bring InuYasha to the present, but he doesn't know how.

SesshomaruThe sixth aspect is sibling rivalry. The biggest problem in InuYasha's life, other than Naraku, is his brother, Sesshomaru. They have the same father but different mothers. Sesshomaru despises humans. My guess for this is that their father left Sesshomaru's mother for InuYasha's human mother, so Sesshomaru seems to have a lot of resentment for humans and InuYasha especially. The biggest part of their rivalry happens after Sesshomaru learns that their father leaves Tetsusaiga (a demon sword that can kill 100 demons in a single stroke) to InuYasha and Tenseiga (a demon sword that can save 100 lives in a single stroke) to Sesshomaru. The problem is, Sesshomaru is jealous because he can't wield his sword, while InuYasha can wield Tetsuseiga.

Cultural FestivalThere are so many great moments but my favorite of InuYasha's adventures in the present has to be Season 6 Episodes 1 and 2. This is where Kagome has time to actually come home and spend time in school. However, it turns out that it's really a cultural festival going on and Kagome has to do all kinds of things from cooking food to singing in a choir to acting in a play. InuYasha doesn't need to worry about his appearance because many people are wearing odd costumes. This particular episode pays homage to many of the great anime that have gone before it by having people dressed as characters from anime like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and other shows. This pair of episodes is a very comical break between the very serious battle with the Band of Seven and the next terrible incarnation from their enemy Naraku. Much of the humor comes from InuYasha's annoyance with the whole thing and his jealousy over Hojo. The play at the end is super hilarious because InuYasha is so clueless that he has no idea that he is really participating in a play and Hojo is completely clueless to the fact that there really is a live demon (that just happens to look like a giant watermelon) on stage. I will not say any more than that because I don't want to ruin the best parts!

I will warn you, if you try to search for InuYasha images and information, you have to be careful because there are all kinds of fan fiction sites and images out there because not only has it been around for some time, but it is extremely popular! A lot of the sketches you'll find are not official images but pure fan fiction. There are a lot of talented artists out there, so it can be tricky because some of them look so authentic and if you aren't an aficionado, it can be damned hard to tell fan art from the real thing. However, I did find this particular fan art quite amusing because I'm almost sure this never really happened even though we'd like to think it did.



Fluffy