Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Collection or obsession?

The energy in the theater had a life of it's own. Movie patrons were bursting at the seems with excitement. People were laughing, munching popcorn, seats were sparse and it was only 10:00 am!
Like millions of others, my anticipation could barley be contained, yet a dark cloud kept creeping over my head. The realization that is has finally come to an end.

Part two starts off with the exact scene that ends part one, then dives into action without missing a beat. I've read The Deathly Hallows twice but the technique in which the movie was filmed kept my anticipation at a high. I was amazed at how captivated the audience was, no one stirred or fussed or got out of their seats.

I went to the first showing, opening day because that is when all the die hards go. I knew that every person in the theater was just as excited as me. We laughed out loud, clapped, cheered, and several times I heard sniffing as people dabbed the tears in their eyes. Yes I was one of the tear dabbers.

About half way in I realized something. It's not only the story that I covet and love, it's the feeling that I get when watching.  The directer slipped in a few tributes to the first films, that reminded me of how I felt when it was all new. For me this film was a roller coaster of emotion and a ride I never wanted to end.

Now in my opinion, the person who really stole the show was Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. He did not get  very much screen time but he owned that role. The flashback scene was ripping and Mr. Rickman showed Snape's tragic and undying loyalty to the one and only person he ever loved, with expertise. This movie is epic. If you skip it you'll be missing out.

There is one last thing I need to do to finally put my Harry Potter obsession to rest. That is to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando Fl. I plunked my first quarter into the "Send Kriston to the Harry Potter theme park" fund.

The Menacing and the Magical

Having just seen The Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides, I found my inspiration for this post.

Mermaids


Mermaids are like beautiful maidens form the waist up, with the tail of a fish below. They carry a comb and a mirror, they are to be seen combing their long beautiful hair and singing with irresistible sweetness on a rock beside a sea. 


But mermaids have a darker side. They lure young men to their death and their appearance presages storms and disasters. According to such beliefs they not only bring misfortunes but also provoke them, and avidly seek human lives, either drowning men or devouring them.
(From The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures


So what is the moral of this story? Things may not be what they seem. What do you take from it?

Book review....Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Flap copy description

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.


So I have to admit, I have never been drawn to "dystopian" stories. There's no magic, faeries or demon slaying and the thought of a dismal future in a post apocalyptic/anarchy setting has never been to my liking. But recently there seems to be a number of them popping out at me and an employee at my local Borders recommended it. I originally bought Divergent from Audible to listen to on my iPhone. I love it. In fact I love it so much I went back to Borders and bought the book to add to my collection of favorites.  I am reading it now to make sure I didn't miss anything and wanted to recommend it as soon as possible.

This book is written in first person, present tense which is something I have not come across a lot. Coming from that point of view really gets you deep into the characters head and in the "now". I think it helps add an urgency to the events as they happen.

Tris is a  great character. She is strong and independent (I love strong female leads!) and very likable. I found myself cheering for her from beginning to end. Coming from a person who is afraid of everything, it was fun reading of her daring feats and bravery. I would not say this is a love story but there is a romantic story line weaved through the chapters in which I enjoyed. Parts of the story were a little hard core and the romance gave it a good balance.

Now be warned, there are a few violent scenes, nothing offensive according to my standards, but there was one thing that I found unnecessary. There is also a scene toward the end that contradicts a couple of previous scene's that are pretty major. I don't know if I just missed something but it left me a tad confused. But I enjoyed the story so much it was easy for me to over look.

Over all, I love this book and Veronica Roth has spun a tale to be proud of. The character growth and pace of the story are spot on. Pay attention to her folks, I have a feeling she's going to have a lot to offer.

Live Your Legend

Mother Earth

dancing with veils

My sister after the Circle Dance

My faun friend's

Melissa Marr

It was a gathering of the mythical and magical to celebrate the sun, solstice and song. I introduce you to Faerieworlds.

I hit the road with my sister and nephew on an unforgettable road trip to Eugene Oregon. As we traveled mach-five down the freeway corridor we could only guess at what we were about to experience. I must tell you Faerieworlds completely exceeded our expectations, we weren't there for longer than an hour when we were already making plans for next year.

We started off the festival with a ceremonial tribute to the Fea. We listened to a chant, watched a fire and participated in a Circle Dance of celebration.

I stood hand in hand with my sister, Julie, on one side and a new acquaintance to the other. The music started, the inner circle of people, facing us, began first. They pranced round and round to the beat of the celtic music and we waiting in anticipation for our circle to begin. After a quick moment I looked to my right to see my circle start its rotation. We started with  tiny steps, mostly marching in place, as the music picked up tempo so did we. In the blink of an eye we were consumed in a whirlwind of winged creatures and dancers of young and old.  Our two circles become three or four, maybe more, as we dodged on coming faerie wings, horned creatures and hurdled tent stakes it was hard to tell. Running hand in hand, laughing and screaming with glee, I looked back to my sister to notice I was no longer holding her hand but someone else's. How'd that happen? When the song ended we jumped and cheered, I think I started hugging random strangers. 

We walked among vendor tent's, ate wonderful food, watched a play in the cool shade of the Neverworlds and had a drink on the bow of a pirate ship. But the music, oh the wonderful music called to our souls, luring us to a stage adorned with waving flags, set along a line of leafy trees.  I danced, took pictures and almost collapse from heat exhaustion, I can't wait to do it all again.

Now I save the best for last. I am a huge fan of Melissa Marr, the best selling author of the Wicked Lovely series. Knowing she was there, I kept and eye out for her throughout the day. When I was recovering from my heat exhaustion I tweeted about how I wish I could find her. A short time later I received a tweet from Melissa telling me her location. My sister  pointed out that we were at the exact location. I described Melissa to my sister and the search was on. After a few frantic minutes, I was afraid that I had missed my chance, but I did not.

 When I have met authors in the past it is usually at a signing where there is a line of people behind me waiting their turn to speak or get a book signed, but that was not the case here. Melissa was very sweet and took the time to chat with me for a minute. I could of taken my time to tell Melissa all the things I love about her novels, but in my excitement I could not even recall a single name of any of her characters.  I didn't  tell her half the things I wanted to.  As you can see from the above picture I at least had the sense to get the camera out. So if by the off chance Melissa ever reads this blog post I want to say thank you. Thank you for Aislinn & Seth, and Rebekkah & Byron and sharing their stories with all of us.  Authors are the Rock Stars of my world and your talent inspires me. 

Happy Father's Day

painting by Darrel Clark

painting by Darrel Clark

As a tribute to my dad on Father's day, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pieces of art work he recently put to canvas.

My dad has taken up painting only a couple years ago and I am so proud of his accomplishments. He is self taught and his creativity, dedication and practice have proved themselves beyond measure. I draw inspiration from that every time I sit down to write. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Thank you mom and dad for everything you do for everybody.

 Thank you for giving us a happy, functional home to grow up in. Thank you for letting us be who we wanted to be and never judging what we did, God knows the crazy ideas my sister's and I have come up with over the years. Thank you for letting us make the mistakes, for some reason all kids make, and forgiving us when we finally realized what we were doing, raising three girls could not have been easy. People like the two of you make this world a better place.

Book Review.....Illusions by Aprilyne Pike

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble

"I don't do patrols, I don't go hunting, I just stick close to you. You live your life. I'll keep you safe," Tamani said, sweeping a lock of hair from her face. "Or die trying."
Laurel hasn't seen Tamani since she begged him to let her go last year. Though her heart still aches, Laurel is confident that David was the right choice.
But just as life returns to normal, Laurel realizes that a hidden enemy lies in wait. Once again, Laurel must turn to Tamani to protect and guide her, for the danger that now threatens Avalon is one that no faerie thought would ever be possible. And for the first time, Laurel cannot be sure that her side will prevail.

As this is book three in a four part series, I recommend you read Wings and Spells as this story is not complete on its own.

Illusions takes place a year later in Laurel's life and is joined by her faerie protector, Tamani, at her high school in the human world. This creates a problem with her loving and loyal boyfriend David as Tamani interjects himself into their day to day lives. Laurel is forced to finally come to terms with her feelings towards the two of them while trying to decide if she wants to continue to college in the human world or return to the faerie realm in Avalon, her birth place.

In addition to her day to day struggles with her future, Laurel is confronted and asked for a favor by Klea. Klea was introduced in book two and we do not know if she can be trusted. Laurel is asked to keep an eye on Yuki; who Klea suspects is a dryad. Without revealing that she can sense Yuki is actually a faerie, Laurel accepts the request in efforts to find out more about this mysterious new comer.

This book was a delight to read. Tamani is a great character and we get plenty of him in this installment. The tension between him and David has risen to a new level and the romantic tension between Laurel and Tamani is escalated as well.

This tale does not come without it's down falls. Laurel was a little immature in some of her decision making and it made me feel like the author took the "easy way out" to forward the plot. The mystery surrounding the new character's was interjected well through out the whole book but left me with an unsatisfied feeling for the ending. The story continued on at an anti-climantic pace until the very end. About ten pages from the end we get the climax dropped in our laps and a cliff hanger for the next book.

The reason this upset me was because the climax and the cliff hanger are very good and I wanted it to be longer. But it comes out of no where then stops cold in its tracks.

Overall I still recommend the read but I think you should wait closer to the release of the next book.

Vampires by Tucker Johnson

Vampires

by Tucker Johnson,  12 years old

I THINK that I shall never need
A pet that's of the vampire breed.

Always wearing a big black hood,
Vampires are evil, and not good.

Using lots of Vampire might,
He goes out for a late night bite.

He flies all around in the dark,
He's a bat, not a meadowlark.

Slicking all their blonde hair back,
They don't look the part to attack.

But when they do, your in trouble
You better run on the double.

So keep running through out the night,
Until you see the morning light.

For all you children, here's the deal;
Those wretched vampires are all real.

Faerieworlds

Do you ever dream of walking among the fae? Have you ever wanted to live life among our winged & mischievous friends? Well I tell you now that you can. I embarked on a perilous journey that took me to the the four corners of the world (wide web) and I found a way to cross into a fantasy filled faerie realm.

Faerieworlds in Eugene Or. is a three day art and musical festival dedicated to the whimsical world of faerie's. Please take a moment to view the website and watch the video. If you are reading this at work, turn down the volume on your computer, otherwise enjoy the tune.

Not only will you be delighted with song and dance but check out the workshops you can attend.

FRIDAY JUNE 17TH
2:30 pm Fortune in a Cup - fortune reading
4:15 pm Dance with the Wings of the Fey
5:30 pm Meet Your Faerie Guardian

SATURDAY JUNE 18TH
12:30 pm Tarot and the Turning of the Wheel
2:00 pm Group Drumming Class
4:00 pm The Art of the Rapier Sword
5:30 pm Discover the Inner Fae -Goddess in Dance

SUNDAY JUNE 19TH
12:30 pm Special Presentation
3:00 pm Pirate and Gypsy Fusion Dance
6:15 pm Folkloric Dances - of the Near and Middle East


You can believe this or not, but the weekend adventure serves a dual purpose. I have a pivotal scene in my novel taking place at a festival that kicks the events of act three into motion. (We have a confession of love, a kiss that never should of happened, mystical music from an elven realm and a show of fire) So this is actually research. *winks eye* This will be an ideal venue to observe group dynamics at a real life event that could apply to the setting in my book.


Plus to top it all off I can totally stalk Melissa Marr.


There will be several author's and artist's attending to meet and give autographs to fans. Costume's are expected so don't be shy. My biggest problem is deciding if I want to be a good faerie or a dark faerie. Oh the decisions.