"The Glades: Sunny With a Chance of Homicide"

The Glades by Clifton Campbell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Any fan of Carl Hiaasen, Randy Wayne White, Elmore Leonard, or Tim Dorsey will love A&E's new tv series. I was hooked after reading this pilot script!



View all my reviews

"Librarians are Awesome"

Wil Wheaton's latest blog post is titled "Librarians Are Awesome." He emphasizes the value of libraries and the importance of reading.

Make it so, Wil!

Back from the End of the Universe

After a rather prolonged absence from the blogosphere, I've decided to make a New Year's Resolution (it's not to late to do so, is it?) and try to write *something* in my blog every day. Why?

1) After attending (well, hosting actually: cf. Writers LIVE! 2011) a very inspiring talk by author Michael Koryta, I decided one of his writing tips would be very helpful in keeping me motivated to write. My fellow librarian, Mimi Curtis, who is an aspiring Young Adult author, also attended his talk and agreed that his writing tip would be useful. What was his tip: "Write 1500 words a day." Don't set time limits, he said, but try to write a designated number of words as your daily goal. Okay. So maybe 1500 words for a blog post might be a stretch, but at least I can try for a bit more than my few 140-character-Tweets that I've been tweeting.

2) I came across some interesting and unique blogs recently in my quest to expand my online community and share ideas with fellow Sci-Fi fans. Ones that are not affiliated with a major website like syfy.com or bbcamerica.com, and the like.

These are cool:

The Last Wordslinger

Allyn Gibson

And while I'm at it, I should mention my fave amateur sci-fi blogger: GameCouch (Full disclosure: GameCouch is a buddy and fellow co-worker, but I know good writing when I see it)

I'm counting on my followers (all three of you!) to help me stick to this resolution. (Tweet me @literarylattes).

Thanks!

Namaste.

Flash Forward to no "Flash Forward"

ABC's "Flash Forward" is supposedly being cancelled after one season. Having invested hours of time watching this compelling sci-fi drama and following the twists and turns of its intricate plot, I am left wondering why we bother watching new television series on network TV if these programs are never given a chance to develop an audience (such as ABC putting "Flash Forward" on hiatus for three months). According to the network, the show received poor ratings. Yet, there is a big online following, such as on the fan page of Facebook and on the official ABC site. Maybe the Nielsen system needs to be disbanded? Networks can instead get input from the show's dedicated fans via online social networking sites and the like.

Namaste.

Walking in Circles

Some days all I feel like I have been doing is walking in circles: in tackling my daily chores at home, my assignments at work, my plans for the future, my path in life. I even walk in circles when it comes to writing. My blog is an obvious example, having not written an entry in months. Same goes for my print journal. Yet, it's not that I haven't written at all: I've tweeted (Follow me on Twitter @literarylattes), I've updated my status on Facebook, I've met my deadlines for my Library Journal book reviews, and I'm writing publicity for the events we are planning at my library. I've even achieved a major writing goal: I'm getting a chapter published in a forthcoming book (one with "real" editors and a reputable publisher, too). Stay "tuned" for more exciting details!

For the past few months, though, one area of my life in which I am trying to not walk in circles is my quest for the elusive "Ideal Body Weight." (See "Healthy Weight Chart"). One of the tools I'm using on my journey is, in fact, writing. I'm keeping a Food Journal to track my thoughts, feelings, what I eat and drink each day, and how much physical activity I do. It's hard work, this journal. It's time-consuming, it's emotional, it's eye-opening, but ultimately, it's a writing-related activity that is very much worth my time, my facing my emotions, my achieving awareness of how I treat and care for my body.

We are starting a 12-week health challenge at work, so I've joined up for extra motivation. I am growing my circle of support among my friends and co-workers, one of whom has started her own weight-loss blog (See Yvette Morales' inspirational Seriously Seeking Skinny).

I'm even finding snippets of humor to help me "get over myself" and just enjoy my journey:

"Of course, this is what writers do when they're not writing, they walk in circles around food an decide whether or not to eat, as if taking a bite will somehow make a bit of dialogue work or help create a missing scene (it never does). This is why the Weight Watchers meetings at Fourteenth Street and Ninth Avenue are packed with women writers, including Kit, who has reached her goal weight twice in the last year. Eating and writing are the husband and wife of creativity." --from the delightful novel Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani.

The best advice I can share from all this is to just stop walking in circles. You never know what you may achieve if you don't.

Namaste.

The Big Bang Theory and Wil Wheaton

The much-maligned Wil Wheaton will be making a guest appearance on the ultimate show for geeks, "The Big Bang Theory." Okay. I think Wil Wheaton is a good actor, and I *liked* his character Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." As a proper geek, I even have an original Wesley Crusher action figure. Actually, I have two: one in a mint-condition package and one that I opened and which I've kept in my car since 1993. It's the only tchotchke I keep in my car other then my plush VW Beetle Daisy. It serves as a talisman to keep my warp drive, I mean my engine, running smoothly.

The Big Bang Theory

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I just read an article about Mr. Wheaton's appearance on TBBT tonight. It mentioned that he has over 1.5 million followers on Twitter. Of course, I *had* to immediately go to my twitter account @literarylattes and follow him @wilw. I also see that he has a blog: WWdN:In Exile
It looks interesting.

If you haven't checked out TBBT yet, you are missing a treat. Even non-Geeks that I know like the show. It's one of the few comedies on network television that is worth giving up 30-minutes of your time.

Namaste.

TheNovelWorld: It's My Birthday Book Giveaway

How exciting! Nari, author of "The Novel World" literary blog, is hosting a book giveaway, and I am one of the winners! Thanks Nari!

Please visit her blog:

http://thenovelworld.com/2009/09/16/its-my-birthday-book-giveaway-winner-2/#comment-2015

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