Geekerella

I could not resist a title like Geekerella. Geekerella is full of the most amazing geek references. I sat reading it and every time the novel referred to some awesome geekiness, I yelled it out to my Hubby. When I commented on a reference to The Princess Bride, he asked me to stop, because he might read this book now. I loved seeing all this geekiness, all these different fandoms represented. The "geek" part of Ashley Poston's story takes two different forms. First, there's Starfield, a sci-fi series with a serious cult following. I had been kind of thinking of it as a combination of Star Trek and Firefly, with a splash of Star Wars, and some of Poston's own uniqueness. In the story, there is the original Starfield, the movie remake, and ExcelsiCon, which was started by someone who loved Starfield (Elle's father). The other geeky aspects of the book are more subtle. It's where all the fun references come in. Just in conversation, like a bad person being called a Dalek or a group of people being called the Fellowship. Technology, social media, and blogging, are all big parts of the story too. Geekerella is definitely set now. It is present and I think it's relevant.

I was beyond entertained. There were parts of the story where I thought I might cry. I loved Elle. She was looking forward, moving forward, even though it would be so easy to slip into despair. She was a modern Cinderella, but with an opportunity to find a best friend, instead of just a fairy godmother. Sage was just fantastic. I really enjoyed the glimpses of her home life with her mom. The twist with Cal was great. The people at the Con were great. They were so loving and excepting. I don't go to a lot of cons, but I've been to FanExpo and it is a great time. The cosplay contest and the ball were just amazing scenes I could read again and again. Geekerella is definitely a book I could read more than once.

There's something about Danielle's step-mom though, something underneath her "meanness". I think she really did love Danielle's father. I also think she doesn't see herself as the bad guy. I wouldn't mind knowing more about her, what she's thinking, and why she makes her decisions. Chloe is just an entitled brat though.

Darien Freeman is fantastic. He felt so real throughout the whole novel. I loved Danielle's story, and I loved his too. Darien is not just a nameless prince with a pretty face. His story is important too, taking up just as must space in the novel. It is the connection Darien makes with with Elle than anchors the story.

I can't say enough nice things about Geekerella. The geek stuff is great. The story is interesting and heartwarming, the characters are engaging. Geekerella is everything I could have wanted from a story with the title, Geekerella

It's Been A Long Time Since I Finished Something New

Not counting blogging, of course, but even that has been affected lately. It took me a month just to finish this post.

Fiction-wise, I haven't finished a new short story since my most recent job began, and I had decided that all my spare creative energy was going into my novel-in-progress. That's not finished either. I feel like it could be, if I just had the brain-power to fit all the pieces together.

So, I haven't finished any new fiction in a long while, and what do I decide to do? NaNoWriMo. 

I thought to help myself along, I would create an outline. I already had the idea for this story for a while. Characters and scenes have played out in my head. This is a story that has been asking to be told. I hope that it's the perfect story for my first NaNoWriMo. I hope that I finish it too. Not just with NaNoWriMo, I want to finish more stories, more posts, more. I want to stick a fork in it and say, I'm done.

Thoughts Before NaNoWriMo

Mostly one big thought, "Should I do it?"

After deciding that I will do it, "Am I crazy?"

I have never participated before. I've had small children, a full time job, and other responsibilities (and excuses). This past year however, I've gotten more involved in my writing community. The children are older. Do I have more free time? It doesn't feel like it, but I've been writing more in the last year, so maybe that's where my "free time" has gone. I have a supportive family as well... and my Hubby thinks this is a good year to give it a try. His support has really helped me move forward with different projects and endeavours. Also, he's going to picking up a bunch of parenting tasks once November starts. 

I went on to the NaNoWriMo website and was reading, with a renewed interest, the information they provide. Honestly, I wanted to see what would be considered cheating. Now, I feel like I'm behind in terms of planning. I looked at the badges and that sort of made me feel better. There are "Planner", "Pantser" and "Plantser" badges. I think I'm the third... The more I think about participating in NaNoWriMo, the more excited I am.

The 2018 Worldwide Counts map kind of blows me away. There are people participating EVERYWHERE! Writing is such a solitary exercise, but really, the writing community is global. Even though I know I might not "win", I'm glad to do this, to make this concentrated focus on finishing a novel, along with the writers I know in my community, as well as the writers in the global community.

If you want to be my "buddy", my user name is LoniC. That's all you need, right? Also, I'm going to need to decide on a widget for my blog before November 1. I like watching my progress with reading, so watching my writing progress will totally be exactly the same.

So, ya. Excited. Crazy. Ready to go.

Wonder Woman: Bones

Wonder Woman: Bones is the sixth volume in The New 52: Wonder Woman series. It was fun, exciting, and just what I needed to get me out of my latest slump. I LOVE Diana. She's strong, intelligent, brave, and full of love and compassion. I really can't get enough of her. I also really liked the coming together of the characters they've visited throughout the series. Hephaestus is pretty amazing. So is Demeter. All of them. I wish there was more Orion though. I'm hoping that he and Diana get to spend more time together. There are three more New 52 books after this one.

The ending was pretty spectacular. There were some surprises I didn't expect, especially the one about Zola. I did not see that coming at all. Sometimes I forget that all these gods are siblings, especially with the offer First Born made to Diana, but then they call each other "brother" or "sister" and it comes back to me. 

I'm left wondering what will happen next. Bones is the end of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's run on Wonder Woman, so it makes sense that this is the end of the First Born arc. I have really enjoyed their work over the last six volumes. I have appreciated the way Chiang draws Wonder Woman with strength. I enjoy the faces of all the characters, there is so much expression, contributing greatly to the story. That's what has kept me reading. The story. I know DC likes to rework and rewrite its heroes and villains. I watch the shows, I've watched the movies. When it comes to DC, I'm not really worried about cannon. I want a story that engages and surprises. Wonder Woman has done that. I'm looking forward to see what the next New 52 has in store.