And Now For Something Completely Different...

"All right ... all right ... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order ... what have the Romans ever done for us?"

* BOOK NEWS *

Carol Denbow shows us how paperbacks are made at A Book Inside

Katie at Babbling About Books and More! discusses one writer's gutsy and questionable moves.

More writing tips from The Old Silly

* MOVIE NEWS *

DAYBREAKERS
I love a good, bloody vampire flick. (Like Underworld.) This one had a great premise and good start. It flaked a little at the end though. I thought the potential for humans taking back the world fell flat and the characters missed a prime opportunity. But, one of the better horror films out there.
B-

HARRY POTTER & THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
We finally caught this on NetFlix. (July was a bad month for us last year, so we didn't see it in the theatres.) This installment was far better than the last. But I felt it really lacked a strong storyline. It seemed like a middle child. There was so much going on with the relationships, but it didn't feel real. These are teens! They'd be talking to one another and everyone would know how everyone felt.
For me, it will take the next two movies to achieve a resolution to this one.
B-

* MUSIC REVIEW *

Stream of Passion - The Flame Within
Arjen Lucassen helped found this band to showcase Marcela Bovio's incredible voice. And I do mean incredible - she has what I call a 'voice of glass,' smooth, clear, and beautiful. He has since left the band and this CD is their second effort.
And this is why one should never judge a CD based on 30-second snippets. I'd listened to it on Amazon and thought it was okay. (It came out last fall.) Well, it was a Christmas gift, so I finally got to hear the whole CD. After several listens (it's prog rock, so it takes a few listens to fully absorb) I was like, wow! Why didn't I pick it up sooner?
This CD is overall better than the first. There's only a couple really slow songs, something that made the first one sag a little in the middle. The two that stand out to me are Games We Play and Street Spirit. They are not called Stream of Passion for nothing, as it's the emotion, especially in Marcela's voice, that carries the songs.
For those not familiar with prog rock, this is a good place to start - not too heavy!
Visit the band's site at Stream of Passion
Solid A


* PHOTO OF THE DAY *

Rocko thanks you for your comments on her Tuesday post.
She's available for interviews and sings & dances as well!

The Thursday Excerpt - Ronald E. Hignite

Today I welcome poet Ronald E. Hignite!


POEM FROM “REFLECTIONS OF THE SOUL”

Where Simple Mortals Go

From the depths of woman’s soul,
Life ushers into man
To begin his mortal trip
In a far and distant land.
He travels down a crooked road
With no warnings for its curves,
And if his sight is keen,
His journey lingers on.
Through peaks and valleys,
Never knowing,
He steers his helpless course;
Then suddenly,
Somewhere,
Somehow,
The road abruptly ends,
And he is sent
Without control,
Where simple mortals go.



ABOUT “REFLECTIONS OF THE SOUL”

“Reflections Of The Soul” by Ronald E. Hignite is a book of poetry which includes 57 poems. These poems reflect on the themes of life, war, religion, family, and romance. A variety of poetic forms are employed to convey the author’s feelings. They include free verse, rhymed verse, sonnets, refrains, couplets, and haiku. “Reflections Of The Soul” will inspire and provoke thoughts and vivid images in the minds of its readers. The readers will also relate many of the poems to their own lives.

AUTHOR BIO

Ronald E. Hignite was born in North Carolina and grew up in Indiana. He returned to North Carolina with his family to attend East Carolina University in Greenville, NC. There he received his BA Degree in Spanish and English and an advanced degree in administration.

Following college, he taught English at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia, and then moved back to northeastern North Carolina where he has spent most of his educational career.

His interest in writing poetry was sparked while in college in his readings of the English poets, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. He has written a number of poems for Poetry Contests that have been published.


To purchase Ron's book, please visit AuthorHouse, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble

Author James Landis & The Last Day

This week, the  Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing
The Last Day
Steerforth; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
by James Landis

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Warren Harlan Pease, the young narrator of this spellbinding novel, returns to his native New Hampshire from the Iraq War and spends an entire day with Jesus visiting and contemplating hi own life with fresh eyes, and a willing heart. He examines his relationships to those he loves─his girlfriend, his best friend, his father, his dead mother, his daughter ─ and grapples with the pain he has been carrying since the death of his mother when he was still a boy.

While in Iraq, armed with his sniper’s ‘s rifle and his deeply held faith, Specialist Pease traveled across ideological borders and earned an appreciation for his enemy’s culture and for what connect us all as human beings. He also learned how to kill and taught others to do the same. “War doesn’t test your faith in Jesus,” Warren comes to realize. “It tests your faith in yourself.” The Last Day answers some questions and asks many more. It’s a powerful meditation on religion and war, love and loss.

This work of compassion and healing grace will resonate with skeptics and believers, be shared and discussed between friends and among families. It is a book for our time, and forever.

The book link is: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586421654
 

Thank You Secret Santa!

I participated in this past season's Book Blogger Holiday Swap and yesterday my secret santa gift arrived!

Is this not cool?

I have a new book to read and some really cool scents. I am a scent junkie. My husband says we'd be rich if he owned stock in Bath & Body Works!

Thank you to my secret santa, who revealed herself as I Heart Monster

Please go visit her great blog when you have a chance!!!!

I also received the Happy 101 Award from Missy’s Book Nook - thank you, Missy!

The instructions are for me to list 10 things that make me happy, then tag some other bloggers with this award.


What makes Spunky happy?

My awesome husband and spending time with him.
My two black kitties, Rocko & Spunky.
Time to do nothing but write.
Roller coasters!!!! The more loops the better.
The sound of rain or a flowing river.
A really moving song.
Taking photographs.
The joy of friends and time spent enriching (and being enriched by) others.
Dunkin Donuts and coffee.
A long foot massage - I'm a sucker for those!

I tag anyone reading this post - what makes YOU happy?

And a special thanks to Just Jemi for the Honest Scrap Award! This is twice now I've received this award and I appreciate it.