July 15, 2008 | Uncategorized

You’ve been reading the DA excerpt for a couple months now, so I have this to ask:

Are you liking the first person, present tense point of view or is it a little difficult? Do you think it would read better in first person, past tense?

Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

July 15, 2008 | Family Portrait, In the News, Life in General, Movie Queue, Must-See DVD, The 4-1-1 on Me, Weekend Wrap-Up

Saturday morning, I helped my parents out at an event for which they volunteered. The 2008 Backpack Giveaway Event was sponsored by ChildHelp, AZ Rod and Classic Car Club (of which my Dad is a member), M&I Bank and the City of Phoenix Parks and Rec Dept and gave away free backpacks to children of low-income families. They had free food, free water, local music entertainment and a mini-classic car show (my Dad is still looking to sell his ‘33 Ford if there are any SERIOUS takers out there). Several boxes of stuffed animals were donated by Kohl’s and me, my Mom and two other ladies helped pass them out. We were out there for 4 hrs and even though we were under the cover of tents, it was still hotter than Satan’s breath. I went straight home and took a shower.

Saturday night, the hubby and I attended a surprise birthday party for my brother-in-law. He had no idea about the party…until they pulled up to the house and saw all the cars. Duh! My sister said park whereever, but what she should’ve said was park around the corner. Or park in front of other houses. It was funny, truth be told. Eat and run. Typical black folk, y’know? Stay just long enough to exchange a few words (and hugs) with the birthday boy, eat (didn’t even wait for dessert!) and leave. LOL. Maybe it was the fact that my sister didn’t give an actual time they were bringing him home. She told people to come anytime after 3. Some people had probably gotten there right at 3 or 330 (like my BF) and they didn’t bring him around until 5 or 6-something! I shouldn’t have been surprised. My sister never was good at the time thing.

Must-See DVD pick:EASTERN PROMISES with Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts. We watched this Saturday night. If you have not seen this movie, rent it or watch it now playing on the movie channel (don’t remember which one). If you don’t like violent movies, then it’s not for you, but Viggo is fabulous in this movie. And he does a great Russian accent.

Sunday, the hubby and I had breakfast at our favorite place (the one we go to looks nothing like this, and is always crowded, but worth the wait) then went to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army. We liked it. It was directed by Guillermo Del Toro and the creatures he created in the Troll World were amazing. If you’ve ever seen Pan’s Labryinth, and then you see this movie, you’ll know what I mean. Oh, and that Prince Nuada dude? Very. Cool. Moves. Movies I’m looking forward to seeing:

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (have you noticed that Brendan Fraser’s hairdo never seems to change in these movies? )

THE DARK KNIGHT - I’ve heard Oscar nomination buzz for Heath’s role and apparently, around the time of his death, director Christopher Nolan wrote a eulogy to him in Newsweek. Did anyone catch that?)

MAMMA MIA - Love me some ABBA

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 - seeing the first one made me add Greece to my Places to Travel list.

DEATH RACE - I have a serious love jones for Jason Statham. Sorry babe.

BABYLON A.D. - Oh, how I’ve missed seeing Vin Diesel in an action flick.

THE SPIRIT - If you liked Sin City, then you’ll like this movie, too, because it’s from the same guy, Frank Miller. And it’s the sequel to Sin City.

QUANTUM OF SOLACE -I’m still reserving judgement about Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, but this one looks to be as good as the previous one. I still have no idea what it’s about, but I know it picks up from where Casino Royale left off.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 - yes, dammit, I’m a fan. Shut the hell up.

TWILIGHT - Stephenie Meyer is a hometown favorite–and she’s very nice in person, too. I haven’t read her series, but I’m interested in seeing this one.

So, what about you? How was your weekend? What movies are you looking forward to seeing this year?

Technorati Tags: 2008 Backpack Giveaway Event, ChildHelp, AZ Rod and Classic Car Club, M&I Bank, City of Phoenix Parks and Rec Dept, Kohl’s, EASTERN PROMISES, Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Guillermo Del Toro, Pan’s Labryinth, Prince Nuada, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, Brendan Fraser, THE DARK KNIGHT, Christopher Nolan, Newsweek, MAMMA MIA, ABBA, SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2, Greece, DEATH RACE, Jason Statham, BABYLON A.D, Vin Diesel, THE SPIRIT, Sin City, Frank Miller, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, Daniel Craig, Casino Royale , HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3, TWILIGHT, Stephenie Meyer

July 14, 2008 | In the News, Life in General

I got mad after reading about what happened to this teacher. When I would tell people that my major in college was English, they always assumed it was because I wanted to teach.

No. It was because I wanted to be a writer.

But it helped that I had a couple of English teachers to encourage me. After reading this article, I am once again reminded that good teachers are hard to find. And keep. It pissed me off that this teacher–who’d been teaching for a long time–had found a way to reach her students, to give them hope, only to have it ripped away from her because why? It wasn’t in the normal school curriculum? Because administrators want to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to dealing with real life topics? WHAT. EVER.

There’s a reason why that No Child Left Behind law was introduced. And why it’s not working.

No one seems to understand that the norm isn’t working. Teachers have to come up with ways to keep their students–at risk or not–engaged and they have to come up with creative ways to do it. Normal, educational, set standards don’t work. You wanna know why teens ditch school? You wanna know why they drop out or never graduate? You wanna know why it’s so damn hard to find teachers? It’s because of all the restrictions placed on them.

“You have to teach this subject, with only these materials and that’s it”. There’s no room for creativity, no room for growth or change. And the teachers who want to help, who actually believe that their students can go on to do better things, are cut off at the knees because they want to introduce something outside of the accepted curriculum.

I could get on my soapbox and go on forever about this, but I’m not. I see this as a simple case of a teacher trying to step outside the learning box only to have the lid slammed down for her efforts.

And the ones who suffered were her students.

Technorati Tags: No Child Left Behind

July 14, 2008 | Book One, Book Stuff, DA Series, Draven Atreides, Life in General, Miss Snitch Mondays

I had started Miss Snitch Mondays in order to introduce the public to the Draven Atreides series. I began posting the unedited version of Book One in May in honor of its release in April 2009. However, after recently attending a writing class, I realize I still have a lot to learn about writing and being a good writer. I’ll be enrolling in a writing program in September that will take 1-1/2-2yrs to complete. I want the series to be a success and I believe that taking this program will help me to achieve that goal. In light of this recent decision, I’ve pushed back the release date of Book One to April 2010. I still plan to post excerpts (which will end around this time next year) and you will still be able to sign up on the Pre-Order Notification List.

“Why would I not care?” comes the affronted response. “I care about all my clients. But you are not just a client to me, sweetling. You understand this?”

“Yeah. Understood, Chief.”

“All right, well, you will be careful?”

“Of course.”

“You will check in on time tomorrow night?”

“Yes, sir,” I say with a laugh.

“Do not forget…”

“Lock the doors, check the windows, set the alarm,” I recite. “I won’t forget.”

A sigh reaches my ears, but I can hear the smile in it.

“We will expect you on Sunday,” comes the gentle reminder.

“I’ll be there.”

“Well then, good night, sweetling.”

“Good night, Chief.”

Still smiling, I put the phone to one side and continue to type.

Oh Snap! He remembered! How coolio is that? I can feel that Evening Tea kickin’ in. Or it could be just the late hour. Corny as it may sound, after an evening of shopping with your best friend–yawn, yawn (for the shopping, not the best friend)–for an outfit that you really didn’t need in the first place, drinking a hot mug of tea on a cool night wrapped in your comfy robe is heaven to me. Party Girl informed me today that we’re going to be spending a few hours at the spa tomorrow. What a nice New Life Anniversary present. This should be interesting.

Question of the Day: Do other people have New Life anniversaries?

I log out of my journal and close the Internet connection. Getting up, I go to the bathroom, open the cabinet beneath the sink and pull a Tampax box out from behind a bucket and cleaning supplies. Going back to the desk, I sit down, open the box and dump out the small portable disk saver that I bought for my laptop. Plugging it in, I access the Portable E drive and click on the only file folder saved there: CASE #1: JEAN-PIERRE DU’LAC.

There had been no fanfare the day I received my first case. No file folder stamped CLASSFIED in big red letters. No manila envelope delivered by courier. No one on the other end calling me by my code name when I answer the phone (probably because I have no code name). No faceless voice giving me the scoop through an intercom box. No recorded message that would self-destruct in five seconds. It had arrived peacefully, like a sunrise, during my weekly visit with Ty.

It’s been an easy process so far, seeing as how I have two classes with Taffy. Somehow, she manages to bring up the spa in every conversation. The girl is truly talented in that aspect. The human subliminal messenger. Laughable for sure, even as I can picture her as the main star in a B-rate movie with the same title. I read over the notes I started writing six months ago. Dates, times, names, and any info I glean. Under my last post, made just two days before, I type in a new entry:

11 Nov: PD gets invite to Royale Treatment Day Spa Grand Re-Opening on 12 Nov. Will be attending as her guest.

#

It’s a quarter to ten as I pull into the parking lot of the Royale Treatment Day Spa. A few yards inside the main entrance leading to the Camelback Mountain Resort, the spa appears to be hidden in a forest.

“I hear the rooms are really cool. Like you’re not staying at a hotel, but your own cottage,” Poe says, pointing at the small group of buildings to their left.

“Yeah. I checked it out last night on the Internet. Definitely not your average hotel. You get a choice of mountain casitas and these spa casitas right here. They even have six private homes you can rent,” I say, sounding like a travel guide.

Poe tugs on the bill of her hat and bounces on the ball of her feet. “Wow. I should’ve looked’em up on the Net, too. I didn’t think of that. Are the rooms real nice?” she asks.

“Yeah. Real nice. The private houses are, too. They didn’t show the inside, but the outside looked pretty,” I tell her as we begin walking towards the entrance.

“Bet they’re expensive to rent,” Poe remarks, skipping ahead to check out the empty tennis courts.

“Look at where we are. Of course they’re expensive,” I yell out.

The parking lot looks like a foreign car dealership. The three limos lining the back wall are a not so subtle reminder of the type of people that frequent this place.

“Hurry up, would ya? I don’t want to be late,” Poe calls over her shoulder as she runs up the ramp and disappears out of sight around the corner.

I quicken my step, round the corner and see Poe looking up at the canopy of trees and turning in a slow circle.

“God, isn’t this fantastic? It’s like being in a nursery,” she says.

“Yeah. It’s pretty cool,” I agree, catching a glimpse of the gym and the boutique hidden amongst the foliage. “C’mon. Let’s go in.”

The building’s architecture is modern with Asian influence. The lobby is sparse, with just the front desk and two chairs in front of a large window partially covered by two huge brick slabs; a scented candle burns on the end of the check-in counter. To the left is a light wood door with a frosted glass insert labeled MEN. The man and woman behind the counter smile as we approach.

“Hello, and welcome to the Grand Re-Opening of The Royale Treatment Day Spa. Did you receive an invitation?” the woman asks with a kind smile.

“Oh. Yeah,” Poe replies, digging in her purse. She pulls it out and hands in to her.

“And your names?” the man inquires, rolling his chair up to a computer monitor.

“Poe Danziger and Draven Atreides,” Poe states.

He rapidly taps on the keys. “Ah, yes, here we go. Okay, it appears that you both signed up for the sixty minute Dragonfly Facial, a thirty minute Bamboo-Lemongrass Scrub Body Treatment, and a sixty minute Acupuncture consultation. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

~ Get to know Draven beyond the book by checking out her blog.

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July 8, 2008 | Book One, Book Stuff, DA Series, Draven Atreides, Life in General, The 4-1-1 on Me, Weekend Wrap-Up

Hope you all had a great and safe July 4th holiday. In some parts of the valley here the fireworks were cancelled due to rain. I’m sure that was a major disappoint for some children, but what with it being so dry here right now, I’m thinking that was a good thing. I can just imagine all the fires that would’ve been started. And we really needed the rain. Last Thursday, the day before the holiday, me, the hubby, my sister and her husband went to The Improv to see Michael Winslow. Y’know, the dude from all those Police Academy movies who makes those sound effects? He was really, really fantastic. He does a great impression of Jimi Hendrix and he nearly brought down the house when he rolled a movie clip from Star Wars #4 and did the sound effects for EVERYTHING: explosions, gunfire, Chewbacca, interaction between Luke, Han Solo and Leia (he made her lines real funny)…OMG he was so great we gave him a standing ovation at the end. It’s just amazing all the sounds he can make.

Friday, I had a business breakfast with my BF at La Grande Orange. Their organic coffee was faboo. We talked a little about business, but we needed to be someplace quiet, with no distractions. I don’t think we wanted to cover half the stuff we wanted to, but we knocked out some ideas. After that, we went to go visit a mutual friend who’d had a baby. Deacon is now 5 months old and the cutest little boy. Saturday, the hubby and I went to see Hancock. It didn’t get really good reviews, but I usually trust what Roger Ebert has to say, and I agreed with him this time: B. It was an interesting take on the superhero thing (even when his costume resembled one borrowed from the X-Men set), but there was the whole “So, where are you from? Really?” I hate when I want to know more and they don’t give it to you. Or you’re left to figure it out for yourself. And, unlike all those other superhero type movies, the so-called villain really wasn’t much of a match for Hancock. It was good, but I think I’m ready for another action flick from him. Something along the lines of Bad Boys. He’s a good action hero.

Sunday, the hubby and I worked on the book cover again. I have the idea in my head, but for some reason, it’s not turning out the way I want it to. Something’s missing—or not working out right—so we’re letting it stew. I don’t plan to get outside opinions, so don’t get your hopes up about me asking you all. LOL. Speaking of input, I want to thank everyone for their opinions regarding the business site. It was all very much appreciated. I do plan to announce when it goes live, so you’ll be able to see the finished product.

As you all know by now, I’ve pushed back the Book One release date to April 2010, instead of next year. The program I was referring to yesterday is called Crafting the Character-Based Novel taught by Pamela Goodfellow of Goodfellow Publishing. It’s a 3-Level course (Crafting, Polishing, Publishing) that will take 78 weeks to complete. A former university professor, when Pamela taught this program, it was a 3 yr gig. Obviously, she’s either going to be cramming a lot into her sessions or she’s going to be leaving stuff out. Either way, I’m looking forward to honing my craft and making the DA series the best they can be. I might even have to go back to my first two books and do a little overhaul.

So, enough about me. How was your holiday weekend?

Technorati Tags: The Improv, Michael Winslow, Police Academy, Jimi Hendrix, Star Wars, La Grande Orange, Hancock, Roger Ebert, X-Men, Bad Boys, Crafting the Character-Based Novel, Pamela Goodfellow, Goodfellow Publishing