Tidbits

This 'n' that...

Can you believe that Michael Jackson is 50 years old?!! Hello?!! FIFTY? Damn Sam, when did I get this old?!!!! I remember watching him as a little kid with his brothers! aggggggg!

(I thought the below photo was a good one considering that I just joined the RIP Challenge that is to read creepy books until Halloween!... this photo was when he was still a good looking guy! (before all the surgery)

oh.. and August is ending... September is beginning, along with school, which means Fall is on it's way........

I happened to catch this pic of a squirrel... he was lookin' for food to "squirrel away" for winter! heh...

Not too long ago Carl sent me to a website...

Why, you ask?

Oh please.. ask!

...because although we've never met he does know me well enough to know I would absolutely FLIP when I saw this photo...

I WANT ONE!.. or two..heh.. Gawd this photo has been driving me crazy ever since Carl directed me to it!... ohhhhhhhhhhhh how I would love this to be real and to have one for my very own!!

Remember the tiny dragons in Harry Potter when they had to choose which dragon they would face?... well, I loved them too! heh.. somehow I doubt that surprises anyone!

As anyone who watches the weather on television knows, Gustov is growing bigger everyday and headed for New Orleans again!

I have 2 friends there and sure hope things aren't like they were when Katrina hit ! I think I'd be considering a move to another state! (or way inland). Gads... the news is on here.. they are calling it a "monster storm" and "storm of the century".. this is not good news ..not good at all.

And lastly..

My brother is doing "ok". He's out of ICU (first time in 3 weeks) and has a defibrillator now under his skin. I'm not sure what's next. I know some rehab..but if there's more before that I don't know. He's been in the hospital over a month now.

I wish I could say that things look "good" but to be honest they don't. I think (think!) he may come home eventually here (a few more weeks? a month?) but I'm not sure if he will improve any of we just have a waiting game.... it's all a matter of one day at a time.

So.. that's that for now...

From Silents to Talkies

The Movies, Mr Griffith and Me by Lillian Gish

Amazon:

By today's standards, Lillian Gish's performances in silent film seem mannered--but during the 1910s and 1920s they were nothing short of revolutionary, for unlike most actors of the era Gish was determined to perform in as natural a manner as possible. In doing so, she literally pioneered screen acting technique as we now know it, and it would be extremely difficult to over-estimate her artistic impact.

Although Gish worked with numerous directors over the course of her extremely long career, she is most specifically remembered for her association with D.W. Griffith, whose pioneering silent films firmly established what Gish would describe as "the grammar" of modern cinema. As one might guess from its title, a good portion of THE MOVIES, MR. GRIFFITH, & ME is devoted to Griffith, and it offers a first-hand account of Griffith, the challenges he faced, and the evolution of film from extremely primitive one-reels into a sophisticated art form during the 1910s; those interested in film history will be particularly fascinated by Gish's accounts of the filming of two landmark silents, BIRTH OF A NATION and INTOLERANCE.

I bought this book for a number of reasons. The obvious being that I remember and like Lillian Gish movies...her last movie being right up there by the top, called The Whales of August.

The first two things I noticed about this book were both the "hand drawn cover" (by Jock von Bismark) and then the price! Back in 1969 when this second printing came out, this 385 page book was a trivial seven dollars and ninety-five cents! Now-a-day, that equals out to having to be a "Bargain Book"!

This book is aptly named, for although Lillian Gish worked for years with DW Griffith, the book is more about him and "their" movies than it is a biography of Ms. Gish. Still I found the book most enjoyable and interesting. At all times you had the feel of how things were back in the day, before talking movies.

Trivia from the book: It was Mary Pickford who introduced D W Griffith to Lillian Gish, Dorothy and their mother.

(a quote in the book. Ms Gish trying to describe DW Griffith) .....

I grope in the files of memory for my first impression of David Wark Griffith.

He looked so tall to my young eyes, yet he was two inches under six fee. He was imposing; he held himself like a king. Later I discovered that he could no more slouch than change the color of his blue eyes, which were hooded and deep-set. He was vigorous and masculine-looking. Under the wide-brimmed straw hat set on his head with a jaunty curve to the brim, his brown sideburns were rather long. His nose was prominent; his profile seemed to belong on a Roman coin, and he had the heavy loser lip and jaw of the Bourbons. It was an important face.

(DW Griffith)

(quote on making silent movies) We were encouraged to train our bodies for acrobatic pantomime, which was particularly useful when the camera was shooting from a distance. We were also called upon to perform the most dangerous stunts. None of us ever objected; it did not occur to us to object.

I do enjoy learning little things about a person or about the early days of movie making . In this book there were many little things that made the book enjoyable. For instance, at one point Ms. Gish mentions a man named Al Jennings, who taught her how to shoot a gun...

(quote) He taught me to draw and fire a gun, which he could do faster than the eye could follow. I am still a good shot; when later I played in The Unforgiven, John Huston, the director, was startled to find that I could fire faster than Burt Lancaster... thanks to my old friend Al Jennings.

(Orphan of the Storm 1922)

(Scarlet Letter)

(quote) I was upset at the changes that were taking place in our working world. Talking pictures had been born. When I returned to Hollywood, I saw that every studio was being transformed with soundproofing, which made it airtight. Under the hot lights, the poor actors had to wear rubber suits under their costumes to keep them looking dry during the filming.

(With Helen Hayes: Arsenic and Old Lace)

This was a very enjoyable book. Although it was more a dedication to Mr Griffith, Lillian Gish's career was closely entwined with Mr Griffith, and so it made perfect sense that this book would be written in such a way.

Since I am so firmly ensconced in the time when movies went from silent to talkies I have yet to finish reading books on many from that time period. I still have (and probably will for some time) a book on John Ford that is the biggest book I've ever owned..and small print! And I've sent from 2 more movie related books.... Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood by Eileen Whitfield and The Star Machine by Jeanine Basinger, which I plan on reading in between my books for the RIP III Challenge!!

Oh My! It's RIP Time Once Again!

Silly me... I knew the RIP Challenge held by Carl would begin soon. I figured ..next month, so I began one more book (The Movies, D W Griffith and Me by Lillian Gish) also figuring I'd have finished reading it before RIP began.

Well, true to form (for me) I have NOT finished my book by Lillian Gish, and Carl HAS begun the RIP Challenge! *sigh*

I am trying very hard NOT to do what I know happens to me when I commit to something... even a reading challenge... and that is to try to relax and enjoy the book I am reading before jumping into Carl's "Halloween-ish" reading challenge.

Here are the official challenges: R.I.P. III runs from September 1st through October 31st, 2008. But I’m no stickler, start reading now if you feel so inclined.

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

Peril the First: Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Peril the Second: Read Two books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

Peril the Third: Read One book of any length from one of the subgenres listed above.

I'm choosing to do Peril the First.

Surprised?? I am! heh.. I am not into vampires or blood and gore etc but I have found, since reading The Thirteenth Tale, that I do enjoy a mystery with the gothic feel... and.. and.. I also enjoyed a vampire and werewolf when written with humor as A Lee Martinez did in Gil's All Fright Diner! So.. it's surprise to me that I am attempting this once again!

I will list the books I have available to me, in my tbr list, for this challenge.. although....... although.... I don't promise to read all of these! I have found that once reviews start coming in that there are books out there I might enjoy MORE than the ones I have.. and so, I do what all of us do and order the books and read those instead! heh.. anyway.. there's also a chance that all my choices MIGHT be the ones I already have! (wouldn't that be original?! lol) So here's my list.................

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
A Namless Witch by A Lee Martinez
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (reread)
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
Kept by D J Taylor
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

More than likely I have a few other books on my TBR list that would fit one of the descriptions that Carl has for this challenge but for now I'll settle for the above list.

True to form, Carl has some suggested books at his website and one of them has already hit my wish list! The Ghost Writer by John Harwood.. I will check into this book a bit more and then decide if I am sending for it! It wouldn't be the first time that Carl has suggested a book that I doubted I would like. Last year one of his suggestions was The Thirteenth Tale and that book was soooooo good, that I keep watching for the author to come out with another book! (unfortunately, so far, she hasn't).

Anyway... with Fall around the corner, and my brother (even if temporarily) is on the mend, I am going to jump in this and hope things stay on an even keel so that I can enjoy the whole experience that Carl always puts out there for us!!

Come on! Join in ! I know you want to !

Book Two Does Not Disappoint!

The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) by Michael Scott.

Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (June 24, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0385733585

Amazon, Product Description
After fleeing Ojai, Nicholas, Sophie, Josh, and Scatty emerge in Paris, the City of Lights. Home for Nicholas Flamel. Only this homecoming is anything but sweet. Perenell is still locked up back in Alcatraz and Paris is teeming with enemies. Nicollo Machiavelli, immortal author and celebrated art collector, is working for Dee. He’s after them, and time is running out for Nicholas and Perenell. For every day spent without the Book of Abraham the Mage, they age one year—their magic becoming weaker and their bodies more frail. For Flamel, the Prophesy is becoming more and more clear.

It’s time for Sophie to learn the second elemental magic: Fire Magic. And there’s only one man who can teach it to her: Flamel’s old student, the Comte de Saint-Germain—alchemist, magician, and rock star. Josh and Sophie Newman are the world’s only hope—if they don’t turn on each other first.

This is book 2 for Michael Scott. I began this series with The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel about a year ago. The book was released in May of 2007. That book started off in present day time in California, where two kids (twins), Josh and Sophie are spoken of in a prophecy, and thus begins an adventure wrapped around magicians and Elders that sets their world upside down.

I totally enjoyed book one and so when book two came along I sent for it. I did a bit of other reading from my tbr pile before I got to it but boy oh boy, once I opened it, it was hard to put down! This book not only picks up where book one ends but it takes of at great speed and doesn't let up !!

The second book of most trilogies tends to disappoint many people, but if you have read The Alchemyst, I can tell you that book 2 will not disappoint! Michael Scott surely did his homework to bring many of these characters to life in a way that makes you unable to put the book down. Characters such as:

John Dee
John Dee (July 13, 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was a noted English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He also devoted much of his life to alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy.

Nicholas Flamel
Nicolas Flamel (traditionally c. 1330 – 1418) was a successful scrivener and manuscript-seller who developed a posthumous reputation as an alchemist due to his reputed work on the Philosopher's Stone.

Scáthach ("Shadowy")
Scathack is a figure in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. She is a legendary Scottish warrior woman and martial arts teacher who trains the legendary Ulster hero Cúchulainn in the arts of combat.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) was an Italian diplomat, political philosopher, musician, poet and playwright.

Count St. Germain
Count of St. Germain (fl. 1710–1784) has been variously described as a courtier, adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and amateur composer, but is best known as a recurring figure in the stories of several strands of occultism – particularly those connected to Theosophy, where he is also referred to as the Master Rakoczi or the Master R and credited with near god-like powers and longevity.

Next up for Michael Scott will be book 3, The Sorceress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) I am only sorry it will take another year for that to appear!

What's It Like to Make a Movie?

Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: Vintage (March 19, 1996)
ISBN-10: 0679756604

Amazon.com
It's well known that a vast number of people work on any given movie in roles as varied as writing scripts, choosing locations, dressing sets, costuming the players, lighting scenes, manipulating the camera, directing actors, editing film, working on sound, advertising the finished product, and screening it to an audience. Have you ever thought about how these components are collated? Or why the director is most often considered the author of a film? Wonder no more, because Sidney Lumet's Making Movies is a terrific journey through each stage of filmmaking that is overseen by the director. Lumet, the veteran director of Twelve Angry Men, The Pawnbroker, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Verdict, and many other fine movies, knows the ins and outs of American filmmaking as well as anyone. In this excellent, personable account, Lumet tells what he's learned about making movies in the course of the last 40 years. He shows why fine directors need to have strong imaginations, extraordinary adaptability, and skill in many different fields. His enthusiasm for his life's work, particularly his love of actors, is evident on every page of this book. As Herculean as the labors of film directing are, Lumet takes great pleasure in his work, almost guiltily admitting that the film director's job is "the best in the world."

It isn't only those hoping to one day be a famous director that gets curious about what it really takes to make a movie. I can't really say it was way up there on my list of things to do, find out what it's like to make that movie I liked so much. ... but at times, I did wonder just how difficult it was.

There were also directors that I have admired over the years, Lucas, Spielberg, Jackson and Howard, among some of them, but I only mention those because they are names that are spoken so often everyone knows them. If I asked you who directed Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon, or who was the lucky person to have directed all those fantastic stars in Murder On the Orient Express, you probably couldn't name him. (well.. unless you really looked at the photo above..heh)

But other than your favorite movie you probably don't know or remember the name of the director or producer or the writer. That's probably normal... those names are more important to those either IN the industry or wanting to be in the industry in one way or another.

Naomi of Here In the Hills, suggested this little book by Sidney Lumet to me. I believe the word she used was fascinating. Since I've been doing a lot of reading on movies I thought I'd give the book a try.

Was I going to make a movie one day?.. ahhh, not hardly, but as soon as I began reading this book I felt comfortable. Which made it obvious it wasn't just a text book!

Right away you get the feeling that you are sitting next to Mr Lumet, asking questions and listening to him tell you just howhe went about making some of his movies. He covers things such as: just where all the money goes, what it's like working with some of the stars?, just how important are those cameramen?, are writers really that important?, what it's like to actually shoot the movie, and more!

It's hard to believe he squeezed all of that into a book that's only 218 pages long, but he did it.. and did it in a way that made the book not only informative, but enjoyable to read!

So, even if you don't plan on making a movie, but you have always enjoyed movies and have ever wondered just how a movies happens... this book is for you.

Here's a quote from the chapter of the book called "Shooting the Movie":

The varying physical characteristics of the actors may also necessitate changes. Sean Connery is six feet four, Dustin Hoffman isn't. Trying to get them in a tight two-shot presents some problems. I tend to shoot everything at eye level, but I'm talking about "my" eye level. And I'm Dustin's height ( 5ft 6). For example: "Sean, give me a Groucho," That means : Will you start lowering your body before you sit. As Sean comes toward us, the camera has to pan up to hold his head in the frame. Because of his height, this can mean that the camera is seeing over the top of the set, shooting into the lights. We don't want to move the lights after all that work. And unless we want a ceiling for dramatic reasons, we don't want to put one in. Sean does the Groucho. Most experienced actors can do it without breaking their concentration. "Give me a light banana on that cross from left to right." That means: As you're crossing, arc slightly away from the camera for the same reason that you gave us the Groucho. Otherwise we'd be shooting off set.

And one more from the chapter: Rushes

At Technicolor in New York, on the second floor of a ratty building surrounded by porn shops, there is an ugly little screening room. It seats about thirty people. The screen is no more than fourteen feet wide. Very often the light from the projectors is hot in the center of the screen and falls off on the sides, giving you an uneven picture. The sound system is to sound what two tin cans and a string are to telephones. Morty, the projectionist, has been complaining for years, but to no avail. When the air-conditioning clanks on, the hum is so loud that all dialogue is inaudible. If the air-conditioning hasn't been turned on for a least a half hour before we come in, the smell of food gets mixed with the odor of the chemicals for the lab upstairs. The food smell wafts up into the room from the restaurant on the ground floor.

This is truly the everyday life of a director Making a Movie.

The End of a Trilogy

In the Coils of the Snake by Clare B Dunkle

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (December 26, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0805081100

From School Library Journal
In the final volume in the trilogy, the action moves to the next generation. Marak, the goblin king, is dying, and his son, Marak Catspaw, is taking over the throne. Miranda, the human girl whom Marak has raised to be Catspaw's wife, has come to the underground goblin lands eager to start her role as King's Wife. When a new elf leader arrives and offers Catspaw an elven wife, Miranda's destiny disappears. She escapes the goblin kingdom and is captured by the elf leader, Nir. Meanwhile, elven Arianna, Catspaw's new Wife, is deeply unhappy with her underground life. In the end, both girls play a role in choosing a new life for both elves and goblins. Dunkle has created a tightly drawn fantasy with a pair of strong, independent female protagonists striving to find their places in new societies. The author's themes of the need for tolerance and her exploration of the often-superficial differences between races are continued from earlier volumes and add meaning to the text. Because of this book's focus on the elf and goblin worlds, less attention is given to the alternate Victorian England of the humans than in earlier volumes. Dunkle's language and plotting help build the mood and move her suspenseful story through its twists to its satisfying finish.–

I have to say, this was a really excellent trilogy.

The world and characters that Clare B Dunkle made became quite real. (well, as real as a Goblin and Elf can become!) I found these books to have a very original story (stories?) which even became a piece of their own history.

I would also say that this trilogy goes up there in enjoyment with a few others that I know I can't quite get out of my head. I hope that someday soon Clare B Dunkle can come up with another story as good as this one was.

Again, I want to thank Cath for sending me book one and kinda pushing the books to the top of the TBR pile lol... They had to be really good to be able to help take my mind off of real life lately. (thumbs up!) Excellent choice Cath!!

(is it just me or is blogger working oddly? when I put my mouse over things like "publish post" it doesn't give me a "hand" or "arrow" indicating i can click, I still click and it seems to work, but it's sure not right.)

Update

Aside from book reviews (which have been pretty pathetic) I have been pretty quiet lately... and there's a reason for that.

For most, who don't know, my brother has been back in the hospital for 3 weeks now. He went in with cellulitis (which he seems to go in for about once a year). Then he began not breathing well.

Then he kept getting hit with "bad news".. enough to upset him so much he was rushed into ICU because of his breathing.

Days passed and we learned not much except that his cellulitis was improving.. but his breathing was not. He was put on breathing treatments. Finally we were told they were trying to get his breathing under control (water near the lungs) and then they intended to send him to yet another hospital because they said his heart was "weak" and needed a new valve.

Then one night we went there and we were sent to the visitors lounge to wait.

He had "an episode"... he stopped breathing. They zapped him with a defibrillator and got him back. Tubes down his throat and nose etc and they sedated him to oblivion.

Next evening when we went they said he had had 2 more "episodes". Things are not going well.

It's been 2 more days now.. no new episodes. Some of the 8 things going into him are off. We are down to 4 or 5. He's still sedated. They said they were going to take him off the respirator, but they hadn't. Needless to say I jump out of my skin if our phone rings. I doze at night (not sleeping well) expecting the phone to ring in the middle of the night.. so far, so good. But at this point I'm not sure I know what is good.

So.. that's my story. For the moment I am ok, but I know that's only because the phone hasn't sounded. I am trying to keep my mind occupied when not at the hospital, so I am appreciating all the blogs I read right now, more than usual... and I am thrilled that the Olympics are here to keep me distracted!

As for my reading.. I am almost thru book 3, "In the Coils of the Snake" by Dunkle. My reading has slowed down.. hard to concentrate, but I need the distraction right now. And I had sent for and received 3 used books. (One day I will find someone selling used books that I can get more than one book from...grrr.)

I finally got the last 2 Mary Russell books ( Sherlock Holmes wife) by Laurie R King and to continue on with my newest obsession (not really new, just revitalized) I found a used copy of a book by Lilian Gish (silent/ and talking movie star) called, "The Movies, Mr Griffith, and Me".

Who the Hell's In It?

Who The Hell's In It: Conversations with Hollywood's Legendary Actors by Peter Bogdanovich.

A name that doesn't exactly roll off your lips... He's a man who acted in some 32 movies, wrote 10 screen plays and directed 30 movies, among them, The Last Picture Show 1971, What's up Doc? 1972, and Nickelodeon 1976.

So why did I buy this book? I'm not a hundred percent sure why I had sent for this book .! I know I like biographies but the review of this book didn't read as one... so I don't know what made me send for it, but I'm glad I did.

This is a very interesting book! It's refreshing to read views of actors that is NOT a biography. But still by someone who worked with actors for many years. In this book Actor, writer, director, Peter Bogdanovich gives his thoughts and memories of actors he met along his own path of life.

Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (October 25, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0345480023

Product Description
Peter Bogdanovich, known primarily as a director, film historian and critic, has been working with professional actors all his life. He started out as an actor (he debuted on the stage in his sixth-grade production of Finian’s Rainbow); he watched actors work (he went to the theater every week from the age of thirteen and saw every important show on, or off, Broadway for the next decade); he studied acting, starting at sixteen, with Stella Adler (his work with her became the foundation for all he would ever do as an actor and a director).

Now, in his new book, Who the Hell’s in It, Bogdanovich draws upon a lifetime of experience, observation and understanding of the art to write about the actors he came to know along the way; actors he admired from afar; actors he worked with, directed, befriended. Among them: Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, John Cassavetes, Charlie Chaplin, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Henry Fonda, Ben Gazzara, Audrey Hepburn, Boris Karloff, Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, River Phoenix, Sidney Poitier, Frank Sinatra, and James Stewart.
Bogdanovich captures—in their words and his—their work, their individual styles, what made them who they were, what gave them their appeal and why they’ve continued to be America’s iconic actors.

On Lillian Gish: “the first virgin hearth goddess of the screen . . . a valiant and courageous symbol of fortitude and love through all distress.”

On Marlon Brando: “He challenged himself never to be the same from picture to picture, refusing to become the kind of film star the studio system had invented and thrived upon—the recognizable human commodity each new film was built around . . . The funny thing is that Brando’s charismatic screen persona was vividly apparent despite the multiplicity of his guises . . . Brando always remains recognizable, a star-actor in spite of himself. ”

Jerry Lewis to Bogdanovich on the first laugh Lewis ever got onstage: “I was five years old. My mom and dad had a tux made—I worked in the borscht circuit with them—and I came out and I sang, ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ the big hit at the time . . . It was 1931, and I stopped the show—naturally—a five-year-old in a tuxedo is not going to stop the show? And I took a bow and my foot slipped and hit one of the floodlights and it exploded and the smoke and the sound scared me so I started to cry. The audience laughed—they were hysterical . . . So I knew I had to get the rest of my laughs the rest of my life, breaking, sitting, falling, spinning.”

John Wayne to Bogdanovich, on the early years of Wayne’s career when he was working as a prop man: “Well, I’ve naturally studied John Ford professionally as well as loving the man. Ever since the first time I walked down his set as a goose-herder in 1927. They needed somebody from the prop department to keep the geese from getting under a fake hill they had for Mother Machree at Fox. I’d been hired because Tom Mix wanted a box seat for the USC football games, and so they promised jobs to Don Williams and myself and a couple of the players. They buried us over in the properties department, and Mr. Ford’s need for a goose-herder just seemed to fit my pistol.”
These twenty-six portraits and conversations are unsurpassed in their evocation of a certain kind of great movie star that has vanished. Bogdanovich’s book is a celebration and a farewell.

If I may.. I have a few parts of the book to share also:

A little something he says about Jerry Lewis:

Men are taught to keep their deepest feelings always in check. How refreshing if more guys copped to being scared: there is humility to that. Which is why Jerry was so appealing to women- they recognized his vulnerability in themselves. At his peak, Lewis was often referred to as a spastic, a retard, The Idiot; never admitting that the reason you laugh at his openly expressed fears is because you've felt them, recognized his reactions as ones you've had inwardly yourself. That's why the Lewis laughs were often so gut-busting: Jerry's behavior touched some true identification. Yet who would own up to it?

About Jimmy Stewart:

Although I never saw Stewart working on a picture, I did actually direct him one afternoon when we shot an interview in his Beverly Hills backyard for "Directed by John Ford-1971), a feature-length documentary I made for the American Film Institute. We had audio-taped a long conversation about Ford in October 1968: this was transcribed and then I pulled out the sections I wanted Stewart to tell me on camera, and gave those pages to him on the day we shot, about a month later. Since I filmed Wayne and Fonda for this work, too, the major differences between the three actors were noticeable, all having to talk spontaneously-though knowing which stories they would be telling- but without any set script. Both Wayne and Fonda stumbled here and there, lost of flubbed their words a bit, repeated themselves, but Stewart was absolutely flawless.

On James Cagney:

He was different from most of the great stars of the golden age in that he often played villains-even late in his career- comically in "Mister Rogers" (1955), with unsentimental pathos in "Love Me or Leave Me" (1955), with complicated and disturbing psychopathic ambivalence in "White Heat". His essential persona was as fixed in the public's consciousness as Bogart's or Cooper's or Gable's but- being a more resourceful and versatile actor- he could express ambiguities in a character even if they weren't written into the script or featured by the direction. Because he was innately so sympathetic, his heavies created an intriguing, even alarming, tension in the audience.

This book was really an insite to some very talented people that you probably would not read about in Biographies or Autobiographies, and I found them interesting. Many times how a person responds to things tells you more about the person than what they might actually have said.

This was a good book and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading information about actors and actresses, the likes of which we will never see again.

Close Kin

Close Kin by Clare B Dunkle

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (December 26, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0805081097

From School Library Journal
Years have passed since the events of The Hollow Kingdom (Holt, 2003), and Kate is happily married to the Goblin King, Marak. As a human who has always thought of goblins as exciting and exotic creatures, her younger sister, Emily, enjoys spending her days with the many goblin children in her care. She has no thought of marriage until she unintentionally rejects the awkward proposal of her best friend, Seylin. Devastated, he decides to leave the kingdom to search for his elf ancestors. Once Emily realizes that she is the cause of his departure, and how much she cares for him, she sets out to find him, accompanied by the curmudgeonly goblin, Ruby. As in the previous book, the different characters discover that appearances do not necessarily reflect inner attributes, but this story delves deeper into examining the xenophobic attitudes held by the goblins, dwarfs, elves, and humans. The narrative draws readers into a multifaceted world of strong, compelling individuals. The final chapters come across more as a group of appendixes with a lot of explanatory information than as a true conclusion. Still, the background detail creates a compelling saga for fantasy fans. For maximum satisfaction, the books need to be read in order.

Book 2 is more the story of Seylin, the goblin who is mostly elf and because of his beauty he is deemed ugly by Goblin standards. Seylin leaves the underground because he believes Emily does not love him and will marry another. He sets out to find his "own people, the elves."

Emily follows him out when she realizes that he was serious when he mentioned marriage but Marak won't let her out to find him without a Goblin to watch over her, so he assigns Ruby, a teacher, who Emily thinks she hates.

Once they are all outside of the caves they all learn their own lessons. Seylin finds some elves and they are not what he believed them to be. Emily discovers that she really doesn't hate Ruby, and Ruby discovers her adoration of humans.

I totally enjoyed this book... almost, as much as book one. I can't help it... Marak was such a great character in book one that it will hold the top spot to this trilogy I am sure. Marak is in book 2 also but not as much of his personality is shown.

I am looking forward to reading book 3.... which I am sure won't take me too long to read either. (which amazes me considering 2 hrs of my evenings are spent at the hospital and the rest is spent watching the Olympics! **go Phelps!!**

Thank You Turner Classic Movies

Only the other day I mentioned to David a little fact that there was a commercial on television, that had Jimmy Durante singing "Make Someone Happy" (voice only, no visual) .... I was wondering if anyone besides the older generation even knew who Jimmy Durante was.

For anyone even remotely interested, this is Jimmy Durante. AKA: The Schnozzola

Comedian, composer, actor, singer and songwriter ("Inka Dinka Doo") Jimmy Durante was educated in New York public schools. He began his career as a Coney Island pianist, and organized a five-piece band in 1916. He opened the Club Durant with Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton, with whom he later formed a comedy trio for vaudeville and on television. He appeared in the Broadway musicals "Show Girl", "The New Yorkers", "Strike Me Pink", "Jumbo", "Red Hot and Blue", and "Stars in Your Eyes". By 1936, he had appeared at the Palladium in London. Later he had his own radio and television shows, and was a featured headliner in night clubs. Biographer Gene Fowler wrote his biography, "Schnozzola". Joining ASCAP in 1941, he collaborated musically with Jackie Barnett and Ben Ryan, and his other popular song compositions include "I'm Jimmy That Well-Dressed Man", "I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway", "I Ups to Him and He Ups to Me", "Daddy Your Mamma Is Lonesome For You", "Umbriago", "Any State In the Forty-Eight", "Chidabee Chidabee Chidabee", and "I'm Jimmy's Girl".

...Then, when I turned on TCM today a movie called Jumbo was coming on, and low and behold... Jimmy Durante was in it.

Jumbo.. 1962

Pop and Kitty Wonder are the owners of the Wonder Circus and because of Pop's addiction to gambling they are constantly in debt and the creditors are very close to foreclosing on them. Their main attraction is Jumbo, the elephant and it seems that their competitor, John Noble wants Jumbo and is luring away all of their acts leaving them with virtually nothing. Then all of a sudden a mysterious man named Sam Rawlins joins them as a wire walker and Kitty is taken with him, what they don't know is that he's Noble's son.

Doris Day ... Kitty Wonder
Stephen Boyd ... Sam Rawlins
Jimmy Durante ... Anthony ('Pop') Wonder
Martha Raye ... Lulu
Dean Jagger ... John Noble
Billy Barty.... circus performer

Starring Doris Day ...

Her first starring movie role was as "Georgia Garrett" in Romance on the High Seas (1948). The next year, she made two more films, My Dream Is Yours (1949) and It's a Great Feeling (1949). Audiences took to her beauty, terrific singing voice and bubbly personality, and she turned in fine performances in the movies she made for Warners (in addition to having several hit records). She made three films for the studio in 1950 and five more in 1951. In that year, she met and married Martin Melcher, who adopted her young son. In 1953, she starred in the title role in Calamity Jane (1953), which was a major hit, and several more followed: Lucky Me (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) and what is probably her best-known film, Pillow Talk (1959). She began to slow down her filmmaking pace in the 1960s, even though she started out the decade in a hit, Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960).

The 1960s weren't to be a repeat of the previous busy decade. She didn't make as many as she had in that decade, but the ones she did make were successful: Do Not Disturb (1965), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? (1968) and With Six You Get Eggroll (1968). Her husband died in 1968, and Doris never made another film, but she had been signed to do her own TV series, "The Doris Day Show" (1968). That show, like her movies, was also successful, lasting until 1973.

......and the gorgeous Stephen Boyd

In 1956 Boyd signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century-Fox. This led to his first film role, as an IRA member spying for the Nazis in The Man Who Never Was (1956), a job he was offered by legendary producer Alexander Korda. William Wyler was so struck by Boyd's performance in that film that he asked Fox to loan him Boyd, resulting in his being cast in what is probably his most famous role, that of Messala in the classic Ben-Hur (1959) opposite Charlton Heston. He received a Golden Globe award for his work on that film but was surprisingly bypassed on Oscar night. Still under contract with Fox, Boyd waited around to play the role of Marc Anthony in Cleopatra (1963) opposite Elizabeth Taylor. However, Taylor became so seriously ill that the production was delayed for months, which caused Boyd and other actors to withdraw from the film and move on to other projects.

Boyd made several films under contract before going independent. One of the highlights was Fantastic Voyage (1966), a science-fiction film about a crew of scientists miniaturized and injected into the human body as if in inner space. He also received a nomination for his role of Insp. Jongman in Lisa (1962) (aka "The Inspector") co-starring with Dolores Hart.

Doris and Jimmy. Jimmy gives Jumbo a run for the title of the Great Schnozzola!

Doris, Jimmy, and the hysterical Martha Raye. AKA: The Mouth.

Martha began performing at a young age with the family and sang with bands throughout high school. Her first film appearance came in a band short entitled A Nite in a Nite Club in 1934. In 1936, Paramount brought her on board and easily and immediately established her screen character in her feature debut, starring Bing Crosby, entitled Rhythm on the Range (1936). Martha burst onto the silver screen as a boisterous, outspoken physical comedianne eager to please her potential suitors. She attacked musical numbers with the same zeal and professional fervor with which she executed a pratt fall or a comically muddled, inaccurate dance step. It was this intelligent, tough, second-fiddle charm and her impeccable attunement to comedic timing which initially won her the hearts of America and would eventually aid in easing the homesick frustrations of thousands of U.S. soldiers.

Over the next 26 years, she would go on to make nearly two dozen movies, regularly cast alongside such comic greats as Joe E. Brown, Bob Hope, W.C. Fields and Abbott & Costello before being cast in her final great feature role in 1962, opposite Jimmy Durante as the second leads in the musical circus comedy, Billy Rose's Jumbo. Nearly indisputably, Martha's proudest role came alongside Charlie Chaplin in his dark comedy, Monsieur Verdoux, a story of a woman unwittingly escaping her husband's several attempts at her murder. Her final movie, Airport '79 - The Concorde, was a sequel to the original Airport movie. She was hilarious in her comedic cameo, an accompishment of which she was extremely proud.

From 1954 to 1956, Martha hosted her very own variety show, "The Martha Raye Show", performing skits, musical numbers and intricate, high-energy comedic dance routines with guests such as Eva, Magda and Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rocky Graziano, and Caesar Romero, to name only a few.

Comfortable with prime time television, over the years Martha would also make cameo appearances on some of the better known programs in the history of TV, including "The Love Boat", "The Andy Williams Show", "The Judy Garland Show", two Sid & Marty Krofft vehicles, "The Bugaloos" and "Pufnstuf", "McMillan and Wife", "Alice" and "Murder, She Wrote".

Martha was also an active supporter of the U.S. military, and in addition to starring in numerous feature films, hosting a television show and making dozens of prime time TV appearances, she selflessly volunteered a substantial portion of her time and talents to entertain U.S. troops overseas throughout World War II, The Korean War and the Viet Nam conflict. She has been cited with dozens of awards from the U.S. military and was the first female recipient of theJean Hersholdt Humanitarian Award. Among countless prestigious commendations and several presentations of honorary military status, Martha received The Woman of the Year Award from the VFW, as well as from the USO, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest commendation of a civilian. She has also been recognized by Hollywood, including the Outstanding Acheivment Award from the Screen Actors Guild. She also has three stars along the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

It's hard for me to believe there are such great actors and actresses that many people never even heard of because they don't enjoy movies enough to watch older movies.

It was a time when even the character actors were worked so often you knew their names as well as the "stars".

So much talent and creativity that should not be missed by anyone who can say the words, "I love movies".

...And Then there are Goblins

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B Dunkle

Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (October 1, 2003)
ISBN-10: 0805073906

Amazon:

Kate and her younger sister, Emily, are orphans, sent to live with great aunts at remote and mysterious Hallow Hill. Hugh Roberts, their guardian, is a surly and somewhat sinister cousin. One afternoon, the girls come upon some strange people and an abnormally huge cat in a clearing. One of these folk, Marak, is a goblin king. He needs Kate to be his human bride, for goblins may not marry their own kind. When Emily disappears, Kate assumes that he is responsible and agrees to marry him in exchange for her sister's freedom. Once in the goblins' vast underground kingdom, Kate is sure she will die from not being able to see the stars. But she does marry Marak and assumes her life as a queen. At this point the plot takes an unexpected turn. A sorcerer attacks Marak, and Kate discovers some surprising things about herself and her relationship with her husband. This is an interesting fantasy world with well-realized characters. Hugh Roberts is a true villain and Kate is a feisty heroine. Marak is frequently described as an ugly monster, and he definitely comes across as something other than human. However, he has a good nature and a sense of humor as well as a great love for his chosen wife. The goblin kingdom itself is beautifully described, as are the strange creatures that inhabit it. The story moves a bit slowly in places, but overall it should attract readers who like magic and adventure. Kate is surely a heroine to be reckoned with, and girls will relate to her predicament.

I just took the photo for this post and as I sit and look at it I am shaking my head with a slight smile on my face. Let me tell you something... the way things have been going the past 2 weeks it's not easy to get a smile from me.. but this book did it!

Some time ago I read the Bartimaeus Trilogy and came away shaking my head and smiling and saying, "how can I like a demon so much?" Today I finished The Hollow Kingdom and I am shaking my head and smiling and saying, "How can I like a Goblin?" I never really thought about it before, but as memory serves... aren't Goblin's always the bad guys?

Clare B Dunkle has taken a whole new look at Goblins in general ! From the start, for unknown reasons, I liked Marak (King Goblin). He had a sense of wonder and humor. (a goblin?! hmmm) And when Dunkle takes you beneath ground to the home of the Goblins you lean that all goblins do not look alike. In fact... they look nothing alike!

What an absolutely fascinating look at Goblins! You may never perceive them as you once did again. This was a really enjoyable read! What great characters she made! I was pretty much hooked immediately and read this book in only 3 sittings! I am really glad I sent for (and have) the other two books before I began this one!! Now I can continue on and see what's next for Kate and Marak and her sister Emily!

I'll tell you what.. I enjoyed book one so much I went to amazon to see what else she has written!... and I haven't even finished the trilogy yet!

I can't begin to thank Cath for sending me such a great book !!!... but I'll try: thank you, thank you , thank you.... thank you Cath!!

Not A Big Winner

Dragons: The Greatest Stories- Edited by Martin H Greenberg

Hardcover: 307 pages
Publisher: MJF Books (August 1997)
ISBN-10: 1567311660

Cover art by: Don Maitz

Ever since Annie reviewed this book for Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge I've wanted to find the book for myself. Much to my dismay, the book seems to be out of print for I can only find it "used"...

That is....

..until...

..I happened into B. Dalton's book store who was going out of business. Low and behold... there sat this book! Needless to say I grabbed it up, even though I knew it was short stories, which are not my favorite thing.

I thought for sure since all of the stories were about Dragons I'd have to like the book! Mmmmmmmmm, well... not so much. Probably the best thing about this book is the cover! Well, no.. that's not true... there are 2 or 3 good stories in the book, but overall it's still a disappointment.

The Best in the book is a short story by Anne McCaffrey called The Smallest Dragonboy. It seems when it comes to dragons and McCaffrey, she never goes wrong. This story is about Keevan who is a young man who, like all the other young men, hope to become a dragonrider by being chosen at a hatching by a newborn dragon. He is teased constantly about how small he is, that a dragon will never choose him... and tricks are played on him in which he winds up being hurt. But hurt or not he struggles with all his might to get to the hatching when he hears it is happening... I won't tell the ending... just in case, ya know.. you read it some time!

The second best story was by Orson Scott Card, called: The Bully and The Beast. This is basically a story about a giant of a man who is made fun of, called stupid and clumsy and from when he was young, called Bork the Bully.

From first sight Bork falls in love with the Princess, but the King will do anything to be sure Bork has no chance to win his daughters hand. He sends Bork on "impossible tasks", such as sending him out alone to win a war, promising him he'd make him a Knight. When Bork stops the war the King is forced to make him a Knight. Another task he sends Bork to is to save the Princess from a dragon, a task that no knight has come back alive from. Bork is the only one to return alive from the dragon... but he did not get the princess.

Of course there is much more to the story but again.. just a teaser of what it's about.

A few stories were "eh, ok" such as ST Dragon and the George by Gordon R Dickson and some not so good.

This one is hard for me to recommend or not recommend because with so many short stories to choose from it's hard to say what you might like or not. For me, it was only a so-so book.

J. Scott Savage & Farworld

FAR WORLD: Water Keep by : J Scott Savage

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Shadow Mountain (September 12, 2008)
ISBN-10: 159038962X

Amazon Product Description
Marcus is no ordinary thirteen year old. He knows he has some special gifts. In fact, he might be the only kid on Earth how can turn invisible when his life depends on it. And sometimes that comes in handy for a kid who's confined to a wheelchair and picked on by bullies.

Then there's Kyja. She's anything but extraordinary. At least, that's what she thinks when she compares herself to her magical friends on Farworld. Kyja has tried to learn the magic her friends know, but sometimes it feels like she's from a different place- a different world.

Earth and Farworld have a special link, and Marcus and Kyja are about to discover a secret that binds them together- a secret that protected and perserved both of them. But the time has come for them to reconnect and fulfill their destinies.

Together, they discover their weakness are really their strengths as they search for four elemental beings- Water, Land, Wind and Fire- to help them save both worlds from an evil enemy.

There's a lot that could be said about this up and comming new Young Adult book, but I've got to be careful not to give away more than necessary, so that when you buy this book (and you really should!) you'll have plenty of surprises!

J. Scott Savage has the beginning of a really excellent series here.

Why do I think it's good? Well for one (and as far as I'm concerned the most important), are the characters! He has taken what is normal in many YA books and managed to put a new twist on them. They aren't just orphans or runaways as many YA books are... these kids are special. They have adversities to overcome.

Marcus, one of the lead characters, has a leg and an arm that are twisted and pretty useless. He gets around in a wheelchair. The kids at school call him a freak.

Kyja is a young girl on another planet. A planet of much magic. The problem is: she can't do magic! She thinks of herself as an outcast, a person of no abilities.

Nothing like giving the leading characters more than their fair share of difficulties to deal with eh?!... but deal they do! Thankfully they get a little help from Master Therapass, a wizard on Kyja's planet, who just happens to know about both of these kids, even though they don't even exist on the same planet.

Then there's Kyja's little sidekick Riph Raph. Riph Raph is a Skyte. He deems himself as large and mighty... but when he's on earth he becomes a chameleon! (not so big.. not so mighty) ..and a different time he becomes... a chicken! (yes, you read it right! A lowly chicken!) Needless to say Riph Raph doesn't think much of Earth!

Then there's the bad guys. It wouldn't be an adventure without the bad guys! There's Bonesplitter (not a nice fellow at all) and his cast of horrors... big (really big!) black snakes and the undead. Yuck, trust me.. no one you'd want to meet in a dark alley... or anywhere else!

As for their Quest? Oh.. well, all they have to do is seek help from someone or something from each of the main mythical Elementals—water, land, air, and fire—and convince them to open a drift between Earth and Farworld.

Simple right? ahhh well... I think Marcus and Kyja would think differently!

J. Scott Savage has created two interesting and very likeable protaginists and an equally adventurous story line to go along with them! As you can tell by the title of book 1 Far World: Water Keep, this one concerns the element of Water. And if I count on my fingers correctly, there are three other elements, before he can write his final installment. ( He has said on his blog there would be 5 books)

I enjoyed this book.. it is filled with interesting characters and a good story, and written in a manner that is very acceptable to adults, I might add! And although I hate waiting, (and will probably curse him quite a bit over time) I do believe his future books will be worth waiting for!

I will certainly purchase the hard back, when it's released, to give to my grandson. (my arc is autographed so you can't pry that from my hands!)

As for a recommendation? Well, if you should choose to read this book (and I recommend you do!)...you won't be disappointed.... I certainly wasn't!

*******************************************************

I have been granted an interview with J Scott Savage... so, now it's time to get to know the Author!!.....

It has been such a pleasure getting to know J. Scott Savage. I was visiting his blog regularly when I discovered that at one (young) point in his life he lived in the very same little town that I grew up in! That made me feel even a little closer to him... but as I said, I was already a regular. And so when he offered the ARC of his book and to be available for interviews, I knew I wanted to help him as much as I could.

Unfortunately, I don't have a huge amount of folks that read my blog, but for those nice folks that do, I hope you enjoy this interview, and that you enjoy Far World: Water Keep when it is released on September 12, 2008.

DesLily: So that we might get to know you personally: tell us 5 of your favorite movies and 5 of your all time favorite books.

Scott: Nothing like starting me with a hard one. Okay, assuming I can count trilogies as one:

Movies:

Indiana Jones Trilogy

Ladyhawke

LOTR Trilogy

Rocky 1-3 only

And Heart & Souls as my romantic pick

Books:

Thomas Covenant Series by Donaldson

The Stand by King

Shadowlands by Straub

Enders Game by Card

And as my off the wall pick the collected poems of Robert W Service

(Wow! Thomas Covenant?? I have all the books! Love them! … I love Saltheart Foamfollower!)

DesLily: What are your other passions besides writing?

Scott: Number one is my family. We have this weird thing at our family where the highest form of flattery is laughter and so everyone is always trying to make the other family members laugh. I love just hanging out with the gang.

Number two has to be reading. I know I would never have been a writer if it wasn’t for my love of the written word. I can’t remember the last time I went to bed, got on an airplane, or went anywhere requiring a wait without a book in my hand.

Three would be the outdoors. I don’t care if it’s the beach, the mountains, the desert. There is just something so cool about experiencing the early morning with only the world in sight. No people.

And last—although there are lots more I could list—let’s go with anything Disney.

(I should probably mention my faith as well. And it would go much higher on the list, but that’s such a personal thing for each person that you kind of have to skip it without risking offending someone.)

DesLily: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Scott: When I got the phone call saying, “We want to publish your book.” I know that sounds weird, but up until someone actually offered to pay me for a piece of work, I didn’t believe I could be a writer. I mean, I knew I could write and that I loved to do it. So I guess I always was a writer. But actually calling myself a writer and identifying myself as a writer—I always thought those were people that had something I didn’t.

DesLily: If you weren’t a writer, what would you like to be?

Scott: Cranky? Hmm, is Bard still a viable option these days? Well, I really like creating things that make people go, “Wow!” My youngest brother and I were very big into making haunted houses, and rides consisting of pulleys, wheels, boxes, rope, and often surprise breakdowns. So I’d have to say a Disney Imagineer.

(Oh cool!)

DesLily: With so many YA books being made into movies do you find your writing starting to lean towards how your story would look on film?

Scott: What, you mean just because I included all those super heroes and named my main character Tom Hanks? No. I really don’t. I definitely see the story clearly inside my head. I can picture every scene and character so clearly it feels like I have watched it all as a movie. But when I’m writing the story, I never think, “Oh, this would make a great movie scene.” In fact, I was told that Marcus’s disability might make it more difficult to make this series into a movie. But for me, that’s so far down the list it’s not even a consideration. I wanted to write the best story I can, and if it gets made into a movie that would just be icing on the cake.

DesLily: Although, both are important to a book, which do you enjoy more, character building or world building?

Scott: Royalties. Definitely royalties. Just kidding. I start with characters, because that’s the way stories come to me. Then I drop them into a world and see what happens. I think that the world can be the coolest thing ever, but if you don’t have characters you truly care about, nothing else matters. On the other hand, once you have good characters, you can have a ball by placing them into unexpected worlds.

DesLily: This is probably a dumb question, but is the character of Marcus named after your brother Mark?

Scott: Ha! You are insightful. No one else has asked me that question. As I mention in theacknowledgements,my youngest brother Mark has always wanted me to write a fantasy novel. When he and my kid sister, Kathy, were little, I read to them all the time. And I madeup lots of stories for them. Farworld was originally a story I made up just for Mark, so I made the main character Marcus, even though the two of them don’t have a lot in common. But I liked the name, so it stuck. See, not a dumb question at all!

DesLily: Was there ever a time while you were editing your own writing that you felt like, if you changed one more thing it wouldn’t be the story you started with?

Scott: There wasn’t a time when I didn’t want to edit anymore. I love editing. I love seeing something not quite right become good, and something good become even better. But occasionally you run into a situation where the editor wants one thing, but as a writer you feel strongly that it would hurt the story. The nice thing is that there is almost always a middle ground that everyone agrees with.

DesLily: Expand a bit on your choice to give the two main characters of Marcus and Kayja such difficulties to overcome.

Scott: I was just discussing this with my ten year old son the other day. He had gone to a track meet for the first time without any kind of training, and came in last in one of his races. I asked him what he thought he could take from said. Of course he said something like, “I suck at running.” Then I pointed out to him many famous people who started with a weakness and turned it into a strength. If he had come in first or middle of the pack, would he feel as strong a desire to excel?

It seems to be lately that a lot of books are about kidswho start out with a setback but discover they are the best at. . . magic, superpowers, summoning monsters, or whatever. Of course we love to see someone bereally good at what they do—especially when they have always viewed themselves as outcasts. But what about the person who faces extreme odds without being the best at what they do? That’s a lot more like we most of us face. And in my opinion it’s that much more exciting when the bad guys have the strength and the numbers. It will be interestingto see how the disadvantages Marcus and Kyja face can become their biggest strengths or their biggest weakness.

DesLily: Didyou have all the (proposed ) 5 books written indraft before you tried to sell book one? Or did you only have book one done and maybe an outline for the others???

Scott: Just in my head. But I do have some very detailed plans for each book. It’s great to write a book knowing you are setting things up for down the road. That’s a luxery a lot of authors don’t have, because they don’t know for sure that there will be a next book.

DesLily: Is there a question you wantedto be asked that hasn’t been asked yet?

Scott: No one has asked about my most embarrassing moment or anything like that, which is good. But I’m also more surprised people haven’t asked more questions about specific aspects of the book. Why does this happen? How does that work? Either I did a good job at explaining, they don’t care, or they’re afraid of creating spoilers. I’ll hope it’s the first.

DesLily: How long does your publisher give you to have the next book ready for publishing? (in other words: just how long do I have to wait for the next book??? )

Scott: The goal is to turn in the first draft of book two by the time book one comes out. I think we are looking to have one book a year at about the same time. But that could change.

Thanks for the great questions!

DesLily: The pleasure is all mine! Now that we are such good friends I feel I can talk to you.... so... What are you doing reading this when you should be writing?!!! I am ready for book 2 !! Don't make me borrow Indiana Jones's Whip!