Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Are you psyched for tonight's Doctor Who Christmas Special? I sure am.

I just saw the latest Hobbit film, and I have to say, despite the fact that I still think three movies for that book is just too much and the high frame rate continues to be a bit distracting, I really enjoyed it. I know that others disagree, and I admit, I did laugh when (spoiler alert?) Bilbo managed to fell a few orcs ("bred for war!") with simple stone tosses, but whatever. Heck, maybe Bilbo should try out for a spot in the Mariners' rotation - then we could trade Roenis Elias for a halfway decent bat.

Book Two Status Update: I am now halfway through the first draft of what I feel is finally the actual version of the book, and I must say, I am pretty stoked. It's shaping up to be a really fun and exciting story, and I can't wait to share it with all of you.

Anyway, gotta run. Have a great day everyone!

Lists of Favorites

One thing that Joel and I like to discuss from time to time is our "Lists of Favorites" - i.e., a list of books, movies, video games, albums, etc. in the same series or from the same band, in order of preference from most favorite to least. Today, we'd like to share some of those lists with you.

Star Wars Films
Joel's list:
1. Episode IV
2. Episode VI
3. Episode V
4. Episode III
5. Episode I
6. Episode II

My list:
1. Episode V
2. Episode IV
3. Episode III
4. Episode VI
5. Episode II
6. Episode I

Harry Potter Novels
Joel's list:
1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Half-Blood Prince
3. Sorceror's Stone
4. Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Deathly Hallows
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Goblet of Fire

My list:
1. Deathly Hallows
2. Prisoner of Azkaban
3. Half-Blood Prince
4. Order of the Phoenix
5. Sorceror's Stone
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Goblet of Fire

Legend of Zelda Games (Top 5)
Joel's list:
1. Ocarina of Time
2. Majora's Mask
3. Twilight Princess
4. Wind Waker
5. Skyward Sword

My list:
1. Twilight Princess
2. Skyward Sword
3. Wind Waker
4. Ocarina of Time
5. Majora's Mask

Iron Maiden Albums (Top 7)
Joel's list:
1. Somewhere In Time
2. Seventh Son
3. Piece of Mind
4. Powerslave
5. Number of the Beast
6. Iron Maiden
7. Killers

My list:
1. Number of the Beast
2. Piece of Mind
3. Powerslave
4. Killers
5. Somewhere In Time
6. Seventh Son
7. Iron Maiden

Spectraland Saga Novels
Joel: Wait, what?

Random Thought Thursday

The new Star Wars trailer - epic!! Except, I don't care much for the title. Really, J.J., "The Force Awakens"? I'm not sure if you realize this, but The Force was already "Unleashed" a few years ago - twice - and now, it's going to "Awaken"? I mean, as I've said before, I'm a really forgiving fan, but c'mon...there are sooo many other options. Whatever, I guess - I suppose you know that I'm going to pay money to see your movie (probably several times) anyway.

The new Legend of Zelda is on its way, based on this new teaser video. Aaaaaggggh I can't wait!!11! Will you guys hurry up already? My Wii U is starting to gather some serious dust since I got my cats and don't really feel like playing Hyrule Warriors any more. Shooting arrows in slow motion as I'm jumping off of Epona? YES PLEASE. And by the way, nobody cares about the new Star Fox. Okay, that's not totally true, but really, I just want you guys to focus here. ZELDA

This past Sunday I attended the launch party for "Bash and Lucy Fetch Jealousy," the second book in the Bash and Lucy series by my good friend and P.R. person extraordinaire Lisa Cohn and her son, Michael. It was a lot of fun and the books are terrific - do yourself a favor and check 'em out.

Christmas is coming up quick, and you know what that means - the Doctor Who Christmas Special. I'm thinking that it's gonna be really good, and that it'll mark the end of Clara Oswald (not that the two things are related - I like Clara). In retrospect - and after multiple re-watchings - Season 8 has been nothing short of awesome (yes, even the first episode, which I now like despite what I still feel are its pretty obvious shortcomings.)

Nick Frost as Father Christmas...love it. So very cheeky.

Boots and Mittens

As if there aren't enough cat-related things on the Internet already, today I'd like to introduce the two newest members of my family: Boots and Mittens.

Kinda hard to tell where one ends and the other begins

Brother (Boots) and sister (Mittens) from the same litter, they were adopted from Second Chance Companions, a very cool pet adoption organization located in my area. They were named by the girl who originally found them, and we decided to keep their names instead of changing them to something like, oh, Destiny and Dreamer (the names of Joel and Felicity's slimebacks from Book One, in case you haven't read it yet.)

Animals play a big role in The Spectraland Saga. When I first started working on Book One, I asked my kids what they wanted to see included in it. My son said "powers," meaning magic spells or superhero-type abilities, and my daughter said "cute animals." So, that's where the idea for Sammy the silvertail came from. And he's not just a token character - he ends up playing a pretty big role in the story, and I have even bigger things planned for him in the books to come.

The inspiration for the story about Nibbles the hamster in Chapter 16 came from a actual experience with one of our previous pets, Scampers the gerbil. Shortly after we got Scampers (and his brother, Midnight), he suddenly became very ill, late at night. It seemed like he wasn't going to make it. Instead of waiting until the next day (by which time it was probably going to be too late), we searched through emergency pet hospitals in the area until we found a 24-hour clinic that treated any kind of animal, including gerbils. We took him in, he got treatment and medicine, and he was eventually nursed back to health. He ended up living a long (for a gerbil, anyway) and comfortable life.

Scampers

Anyway, it's very possible that you will see some new animal characters inspired by Boots and Mittens in an upcoming entry in the Saga. So stay tuned!

Thanks

One of the major themes of Secret of the Songshell ("Book One") is the concept of appreciation and being thankful for the things that you already have. As Art says on page 5, "You can simply choose to be happy with life the way it is, rather than chasing after things you don't have." So, in the spirit of today's holiday, I've asked some of the Book One folks to tell us one thing that they are thankful for. Have a great day everyone!

Taylor: "My Nintendo 3DS."
Darkeye: "Knowledge, which translates into - hic - power."
Alison: "My wonderful kids, Joel and Taylor."
Greenseed: "..."
Suzi: "Health."
Chief Raintree: "A good meal and a nice hot cup of lifepod wine. Well, I suppose that is two things."
Art: "Everything."
Suntooth: "My fellow villagers."
Julio: "This awesome band that I just discovered."
The Queen Lightsnake: hssssssssss
The Heathwraith: "THE ARRIVAL OF THE ONE WITH THE SIGHT."
Nineteen: That I am alive and well.
Chief Fourfoot: "World domination!"
Fireflower: "The Aura."
Marshall: "Rock stardom."
Felicity: "Diet soda."
Joel: "Um...music, I guess?"

More Bad Guy 101

As I mentioned in a blog post from back in January, it seems like most fictional villains all go to a school called Bad Guy University (BGU), where they learn how do to things that eventually lead to their own defeat.

Here are a few more recent examples (spoiler-heavy, so they're hidden under the jump). It's good to see that BGU is still churning out quality graduates!

Liveblogging With Felicity: Doctor Who Season 8 Finale

I've watched "Death In Heaven," the Doctor Who Season 8 Finale, a couple of times already, but since we haven't done a liveblog in a while (and since I can't stop thinking about the episode), I'll be watching it once more with Felicity, who you all know and love as Joel Suzuki's co-star in The Spectraland Saga. So, here we go! (obviously, spoilers to follow)

F: U know that I've never watched this show before, right
B: Ur kidding
F: Why would I be kidding
B: You've never seen any episodes of Doctor Who, at all?
F: I just said that
B: Ok well I think you'll really like it
F: How do you know
B: Hold on it's starting
B: That's cool and hilarious how they put Clara's eyes in the intro
F: If you say so
F: So she's Doctor Who?
B: Well, no
F: I thought it was this old guy
B: It is
F: Confusing
B: Just keep watching
F: Those things are like Iron Man
B: They only just started flying in this episode
F: Oookay
F: Hey Joel can do that and he doesn't have OCD
B: he has the Sight
F: Right
F: Why did they stun the old guy Doctor Who
B: You'll see
F: So the rain turns dead people into Iron Men
B: Yeah basically
F: Okay then
F: Ima grab a soda
B: Come back quick
F: Whatever
B: Hurry up commercials are over
F: I assume you understand what they're talking about here
B: Actually I had to look up a couple of the references
F: Shame on you
F: Turn in your nerd card
B: Ha
F: Old Guy Who is kind of a jerk
B: Now ur getting it
F: President of Earth? Seriously?
B: Just play along
F: I assume they'll explain why one Iron Man just killed the other ones
B: Correct
F: How did fake Doctor Who get into that graveyard
B: That's actually kind of a good question
F: I like that lady
B: Missy?
F: I guess
B: Yeah, she's fun
F: It's Hey Mickey, not Hey Missy
B: Right
F: Really? glasses girl is gonna go over there? That's like so classic horror movie stupid
B: I know I know just go with it
F: okay, what is the deal with those guards??? did she freeze them beforehand or something??
B: Yeah ok this part is a little strange i'll give you that
F: that bugs me
B: Just keep watching
F: So I guess Danny is her bf
B: Yup
F: Why is this monk dude answering the phone
B: That's the Doctor
F: I thot the old guy was the doctor
B: I'll explain later
F: y would she just throw her phone away, those things are expensive
B: Ha
F: Wait, is old guy who her bf too or something? its like a love triangle
B: Why do you say that
F: Seems like Danny Iron Man is jealous
B: No, it's complicated
F: This whole show is complicated
B: Just keep watching
F: Hey u have one of those screwdriver things on your desk
B: I do!
F: You get ur nerd card back
B: Thanks
F: Mary Poppins? Really?
B: It's funny! and subversive!
F: If you say so
F: Shouldnt Mickey have made more of an effort to get her remote back
B: Yeah I thought so too
F: Shouldnt michey try to get her bracelet back while danny iron man is yelling
B: Yes yes I know
F: Shouldnt she run away or something while they're deciding who's gonna kill her
B: I suppose, but there's more to it than that
F: Of course there is
F: hey that blue color means she's not dead
B: You caught that!
F: Joel's not the only one who can notice stuff like that
B: I'm impressed
F: Whatever
F: Who is this guy now
B: The Brigadier
F: The what
B: I'll explain later
F: I need another soda
B: help yourself
F: I"m actually kinda digging this unhappy ending
B: I kinda figured you would
F: Oh wow his reaction to her special thing reminds me so much of Joel
B: Yeah
F: Santa Claus? Seriously?
B: Sure why not
F: So are they gonna have Einstein and Sinatra too?
B: Wait, what did you say?
F: Nothing
B: So you have been watching the show!
F: Ur out of soda again