A moving article by Jeffrey Davis, Fathoming Black Lives, is so worth spending a few minutes reading. And hours, days, years contemplating. I think his idea of imagination--the ability to consider the plight, the feelings, emotions, history of "other"---or the inability, for many, is a dividing line that needs more exploring.
Imagination: the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
Empathy requires imagination. Reading, writing, and being pulled into fictional worlds requires imagination. A 2013 study by Castano and Kidd showed that reading literary fiction increases one's empathy. They conclude that, because literary fiction requires more mental processing than genre fiction or nonfiction, "readers of literary fiction are tasked with interpretation, or critical thinking. Literary fiction, they posit, has the power to “disrupt our stereotypes”; what’s more, it is full of “complicated individuals whose inner lives are rarely easily discerned but warrant exploration.”"
Another study conducted by Keith Oatley and Raymond Mar found that reading activates neural "that measurably help the reader better understand real human emotion — improving his or her overall social skillfulness."
In another study by the same researchers in 2006, 94 subjects were asked to guess the emotional state of a person from a photograph of their eyes. “The more fiction people [had] read, the better they were at perceiving emotion in the eyes, and…correctly interpreting social cues.”
In 2009, wondering if “devouring novels might be a result, not a cause, of having a strong theory of mind,” they expanded the scope of their research, testing 252 adults on the “Big Five ” personality traits — extraversion, emotional stability, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness — and correlated those results with how much time the subjects generally spent reading fiction. Once again, they discovered “a significant relation between the amount of fiction people read and their empathic and theory-of-mind abilities” allowing them to conclude that it was reading fiction that improved the subjects’ social skills, not that those with already high interpersonal skills tended to read more.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is critical to really comprehending the world around us. No, I can never be a black man. I can never fully know what it's like to be an undocumented immigrant, but I can imagine and feel the stress and the terror that is a part of their lives every day. I can also empathize with those who cause that stress and terror--not sympathize, but I can attempt to get into their head and imagine what they're feeling and why. And no. That doesn't make me sympathetic to them. It makes me angry.
It makes me wish they'd read more fiction as a child.
Author Lynne Hinkey blogs about life, the universe, and everything ... oh, wait, that's been done. OK, about space, the final frontier ... oh crap. Nevermind. It's my blog and I'll write if I want to!
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reading. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Fathom the Depths of Imagination
A moving article by Jeffrey Davis, Fathoming Black Lives, is so worth spending a few minutes reading. And hours, days, years contemplating. I think his idea of imagination--the ability to consider the plight, the feelings, emotions, history of "other"---or the inability, for many, is a dividing line that needs more exploring.
Imagination: the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
Empathy requires imagination. Reading, writing, and being pulled into fictional worlds requires imagination. A 2013 study by Castano and Kidd showed that reading literary fiction increases one's empathy. They conclude that, because literary fiction requires more mental processing than genre fiction or nonfiction, "readers of literary fiction are tasked with interpretation, or critical thinking. Literary fiction, they posit, has the power to “disrupt our stereotypes”; what’s more, it is full of “complicated individuals whose inner lives are rarely easily discerned but warrant exploration.”"
Another study conducted by Keith Oatley and Raymond Mar found that reading activates neural "that measurably help the reader better understand real human emotion — improving his or her overall social skillfulness."
In another study by the same researchers in 2006, 94 subjects were asked to guess the emotional state of a person from a photograph of their eyes. “The more fiction people [had] read, the better they were at perceiving emotion in the eyes, and…correctly interpreting social cues.”
In 2009, wondering if “devouring novels might be a result, not a cause, of having a strong theory of mind,” they expanded the scope of their research, testing 252 adults on the “Big Five ” personality traits — extraversion, emotional stability, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness — and correlated those results with how much time the subjects generally spent reading fiction. Once again, they discovered “a significant relation between the amount of fiction people read and their empathic and theory-of-mind abilities” allowing them to conclude that it was reading fiction that improved the subjects’ social skills, not that those with already high interpersonal skills tended to read more.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is critical to really comprehending the world around us. No, I can never be a black man. I can never fully know what it's like to be an undocumented immigrant, but I can imagine and feel the stress and the terror that is a part of their lives every day. I can also empathize with those who cause that stress and terror--not sympathize, but I can attempt to get into their head and imagine what they're feeling and why. And no. That doesn't make me sympathetic to them. It makes me angry.
It makes me wish they'd read more fiction as a child.
Imagination: the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses.
Empathy requires imagination. Reading, writing, and being pulled into fictional worlds requires imagination. A 2013 study by Castano and Kidd showed that reading literary fiction increases one's empathy. They conclude that, because literary fiction requires more mental processing than genre fiction or nonfiction, "readers of literary fiction are tasked with interpretation, or critical thinking. Literary fiction, they posit, has the power to “disrupt our stereotypes”; what’s more, it is full of “complicated individuals whose inner lives are rarely easily discerned but warrant exploration.”"
Another study conducted by Keith Oatley and Raymond Mar found that reading activates neural "that measurably help the reader better understand real human emotion — improving his or her overall social skillfulness."
In another study by the same researchers in 2006, 94 subjects were asked to guess the emotional state of a person from a photograph of their eyes. “The more fiction people [had] read, the better they were at perceiving emotion in the eyes, and…correctly interpreting social cues.”
In 2009, wondering if “devouring novels might be a result, not a cause, of having a strong theory of mind,” they expanded the scope of their research, testing 252 adults on the “Big Five ” personality traits — extraversion, emotional stability, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness — and correlated those results with how much time the subjects generally spent reading fiction. Once again, they discovered “a significant relation between the amount of fiction people read and their empathic and theory-of-mind abilities” allowing them to conclude that it was reading fiction that improved the subjects’ social skills, not that those with already high interpersonal skills tended to read more.
Empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, is critical to really comprehending the world around us. No, I can never be a black man. I can never fully know what it's like to be an undocumented immigrant, but I can imagine and feel the stress and the terror that is a part of their lives every day. I can also empathize with those who cause that stress and terror--not sympathize, but I can attempt to get into their head and imagine what they're feeling and why. And no. That doesn't make me sympathetic to them. It makes me angry.
It makes me wish they'd read more fiction as a child.
Saturday, June 25, 2016
Welcome back! Today, I continue with interview number 4 of our nine character interviews, one each day leading up to the day 10 (July 1) release of The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods. After you get to know a little bit about Captain Eddie Corredor (very little, actually!) be sure to head over to the contact page on my website. Send a message to enter for today's drawing for a free book. No worries about privacy: the message comes directly to me, so no one else sees your name or contact information, and I don't share the info with anyone. Do be sure to stop back every day since you have to register each day for that day's drawing.
LMH: Good to know.
Now, about that job. Law enforcement is dangerous work. It has to be awfully
stressful on your loved ones. How does Rafi deal with the constant worry?
 |
| The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods Coming July 1 from Casperian Books |
Introducing Captain Eddie Corredor
Eddie Corredor has been with the Puerto Rico Police
Department for over twenty years. He'd just started on the force when the
chupacabra appeared for the first time back in the mid-90s. Twenty years later,
he and his (work) partner, Hector Ruiz, discovered the truth behind the
reported chupacabra sightings and mayhem those caused: the mayor had been
donning a costume to instill fear into his constituents as a means to drum up
votes and customers for his business, Monster Safaris, Inc. Their work earned
Eddie and Ruiz promotions, and a bit of notoriety.
LMH: Welcome, Captain
Corredor and congratulations on the promotion. It must be very difficult being
an openly gay police officer in Puerto Rico, so I'd imagine the recognition for
your good work is appreciated.
Eddie: Why is
that? Shouldn't good work be rewarded and the recognition appreciated,
regardless of race, age, creed, or sexual orientation? Good work is good work.
LMH: I just meant,
well, not to offend you, but given the reputation of the PRPD? Not known for
their honesty and trustworthiness, you know. They have a pretty bad and
well-earned reputation for corruption and abuse of authority. It seems such an
odd fit--everything about you contradicts what the force has come to represent
on the island.
Eddie (shaking
his head): A few bad apples, and they're the ones who make the news. That makes
it tough for the rest of us. There are so many good, hardworking, and honest
cops on the force. Guys who are there to fight against that reputation and the
tide of corruption. Don't let the bad press fool you. Most of us are caring, compassionate,
and take the public's trust seriously.
Eddie: My
personal life is off limits for interviews.
LMH: What? Why?
Eddie: I've been
burned more than once before. Reporters like Miguel Graciento over at that
gossip rag, En Otras Noticias, twist
the truth and use innuendo and hearsay to sensationalize their stories--and
that's all they are, stories. Make believe. Not information. People think the
police are corrupt? Graciento was involved up to his eyeballs in that Monster
Safaris business. It's unconscionable that he'd be back reporting the "news"
and that they'd let him write another story about the chupacabra after that.
LMH: OK, I can
understand your reluctance, but I'm not a reporter. I'm an author. You do know
that people will read all about you and Rafi in The Un-Familiar, right?
Eddie: I know.
Sorry. The media is just a touchy subject for me. The fourth estate. Ha! You
know what Oscar Wilde wrote about the fourth estate, don't you? That it may
have been the fourth estate when that term was coined, the other three being
branches of government, but now it's the only one--it ate the other three.
LMH: Interesting.
Can we get back to the interview?
Eddie (His phone
vibrates): Sorry...I have a call.
It's work. I have to run. Thank you for your time.
LMH: Thank-- (door slams) And there he goes. The work of a police officer is never
done, I suppose. Tune in tomorrow when we'll meet with Rafi. And hopefully, he
won't be quite as reluctant to talk with us!
Interview with Captain Eddie Corredor
Welcome back! Today, I continue with interview number 4 of our nine character interviews, one each day leading up to the day 10 (July 1) release of The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods. After you get to know a little bit about Captain Eddie Corredor (very little, actually!) be sure to head over to the contact page on my website. Send a message to enter for today's drawing for a free book. No worries about privacy: the message comes directly to me, so no one else sees your name or contact information, and I don't share the info with anyone. Do be sure to stop back every day since you have to register each day for that day's drawing.
LMH: Good to know.
Now, about that job. Law enforcement is dangerous work. It has to be awfully
stressful on your loved ones. How does Rafi deal with the constant worry?
|
| The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods Coming July 1 from Casperian Books |
Introducing Captain Eddie Corredor
Eddie Corredor has been with the Puerto Rico Police
Department for over twenty years. He'd just started on the force when the
chupacabra appeared for the first time back in the mid-90s. Twenty years later,
he and his (work) partner, Hector Ruiz, discovered the truth behind the
reported chupacabra sightings and mayhem those caused: the mayor had been
donning a costume to instill fear into his constituents as a means to drum up
votes and customers for his business, Monster Safaris, Inc. Their work earned
Eddie and Ruiz promotions, and a bit of notoriety.
LMH: Welcome, Captain
Corredor and congratulations on the promotion. It must be very difficult being
an openly gay police officer in Puerto Rico, so I'd imagine the recognition for
your good work is appreciated.
Eddie: Why is
that? Shouldn't good work be rewarded and the recognition appreciated,
regardless of race, age, creed, or sexual orientation? Good work is good work.
LMH: I just meant,
well, not to offend you, but given the reputation of the PRPD? Not known for
their honesty and trustworthiness, you know. They have a pretty bad and
well-earned reputation for corruption and abuse of authority. It seems such an
odd fit--everything about you contradicts what the force has come to represent
on the island.
Eddie (shaking
his head): A few bad apples, and they're the ones who make the news. That makes
it tough for the rest of us. There are so many good, hardworking, and honest
cops on the force. Guys who are there to fight against that reputation and the
tide of corruption. Don't let the bad press fool you. Most of us are caring, compassionate,
and take the public's trust seriously.
Eddie: My
personal life is off limits for interviews.
LMH: What? Why?
Eddie: I've been
burned more than once before. Reporters like Miguel Graciento over at that
gossip rag, En Otras Noticias, twist
the truth and use innuendo and hearsay to sensationalize their stories--and
that's all they are, stories. Make believe. Not information. People think the
police are corrupt? Graciento was involved up to his eyeballs in that Monster
Safaris business. It's unconscionable that he'd be back reporting the "news"
and that they'd let him write another story about the chupacabra after that.
LMH: OK, I can
understand your reluctance, but I'm not a reporter. I'm an author. You do know
that people will read all about you and Rafi in The Un-Familiar, right?
Eddie: I know.
Sorry. The media is just a touchy subject for me. The fourth estate. Ha! You
know what Oscar Wilde wrote about the fourth estate, don't you? That it may
have been the fourth estate when that term was coined, the other three being
branches of government, but now it's the only one--it ate the other three.
LMH: Interesting.
Can we get back to the interview?
Eddie (His phone
vibrates): Sorry...I have a call.
It's work. I have to run. Thank you for your time.
LMH: Thank-- (door slams) And there he goes. The work of a police officer is never
done, I suppose. Tune in tomorrow when we'll meet with Rafi. And hopefully, he
won't be quite as reluctant to talk with us!
Now it's time for you to head over the contact page on my website to enter for your chance to WIN a book! Just send a message to me to enter. Congratulations to yesterday's winner, Jennifer Killby!
Now it's time for you to head over the contact page on my website to enter for your chance to WIN a book! Just send a message to me to enter. Congratulations to yesterday's winner, Jennifer Killby!
Thursday, June 23, 2016
FREE BOOKS? Oh Yeah!
Well, I'm returning for a brief bout of self-promotion. The down-side is, it's self-promotion. The up-side? That means you all have the chance to win FREE BOOKS!
The reason for my brief return to blog-ville and the book giveaway is to announce and promote the release, at long last, of The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Dogs.
I started this promotion yesterday (6/22) on Facebook with this post:
ONLY 10 DAYS UNTIL THE JULY 1 RELEASE OF THE UN-FAMILIAR: A TALE OF CATS AND GODS.
To prepare, I'll be posting a brief interview with different characters here (on my FB author page) each day between now and then. Stop by, meet them, and see what they have to say.
Then head over to my website at www.lynnehinkey.com and send me a message from the Contact page to be entered into a drawing to win a FREE copy of one of my books (of your choosing): Marina Melee, Ye Gods! A Tale of Gods and Demons, or The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods. I'll select one winner each day. Please share widely so everyone has a chance to enter/win!
Yesterday, I posted the interview with Señora Milagros, and today's interview is with Carmen del Toro. Both of those are below in this post. I'll copy this contest information along with a new character interview in a new blog posts each day, so be sure to come back, read up on your favorite characters from Ye Gods! and meet a few new members of The Un-Familiar cast. Then send me a message from my website to enter. Ten days, ten chances to win--so be sure to go back every day between now and next Friday!
Here's the schedule of interviews:
6/22 Señora Milagros Hernan -- eccentric woman reputed to be a witch; she's ready to retire from her real job as familiar to a god
6/23 Carmen del Toro -- homeless woman with a tragic past and Milagros' apprentice who will be taking her place
6/24 Kiki Cristatello -- a college freshman at 16 with a much-coveted work-study position in the climate research center. She's just gotten over her dog Muggle's death and her belief that she's a witch...or has she?
6/25 Captain Eddie Corredor -- promoted to police captain for discovering that the mysterious chupacabra that had been terrorizing the island two years ago was really just the mayor in disguise
6/26 Rafi Bishop Soto -- Eddie's compañero/pareja, with a past as tragic as Carmen's
6/27 Jack Halliman -- best-selling author of the Franz Henle murder mystery series. His last novel ventured into the paranormal, specifically, the chupacabra, much to his fans' dismay
6/28 Dr. Joe Raines -- the new oceanography professor specializing in climate science with an uncanny ability to always be in the thick of the storm
6/29 Rev Aurelio Peña -- a famous televangelist whose comforting prosperity theology has amassed him a wide following. He and Dr Raines have a long-running animosity, given their opposing world-views and goals. Oh, and that thing with that woman from their past...that, too
6/30 Chewy aka the dog-god of Mercy, aka the chupacabra -- he's back and up to more mischief. Or should I say SHE is up to no good? These damn pronouns...so confusing when dealing with a god who can be anything he-she-it wants to be.
While none of these characters wanted their photos included, here's a collage of the actors who I think would play them in the movie version of The Un-Familiar.
And now, on to the interviews.
From 6/22
Señora Milagros: Oh, yes! I'd love to clarify. Humans get so tripped up by vocabulary, twisting and turning meanings around until no one understands anything. They got familiars, witches, and cats all jumbled, making cats the familiars of witches, but really, many familiars choose the form of a cat, either in their active life or retirement, so the familiars ARE the cats, and we ended up with the reputation of witches. We all know why that is: because anything humans don't understand, they attribute to magic, one way or another.
And today's (6/23) interview with Carmen del Toro:
LMH: Those don't sound much like tests. Can you explain a little bit more how that works?
I didn't have much of a chance for the third test either. For most would-be familiars, that comes in their twenties, when people settle down to careers and family. All that bill-paying, keeping up the house, going to work makes it difficult to believe in magic. I was lucky that I lived in the forest so never had to worry about those things. I feel bad for those who lose all the magic in their life that way. I think it must hurt when belief turns to wishful thinking about what-could-have-beens. Very few pass this final test. Some of those who make it that far still carry a remnant of belief deep inside them, but their reservations disqualify them from familiarity.
Carmen: Yes, now, about that dessert you promised?
Thank you all for stopping by today. Now be sure to head over to my website's contact page and send a note to automatically be entered into today's drawing! (Don't worry--no one will see your return contact info--the page sends an email directly to me. I'm the only one who sees it, and I'm the only one who will contact you. I don't share your private info with anyone else.)
Congratulations to Connie Denison, yesterday's drawing winner!
The reason for my brief return to blog-ville and the book giveaway is to announce and promote the release, at long last, of The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Dogs.
 |
| The Un-Familiar, by Lynne M Hinkey, published by Casperian Books. Available July 1, 2016 |
ONLY 10 DAYS UNTIL THE JULY 1 RELEASE OF THE UN-FAMILIAR: A TALE OF CATS AND GODS.
To prepare, I'll be posting a brief interview with different characters here (on my FB author page) each day between now and then. Stop by, meet them, and see what they have to say.
Then head over to my website at www.lynnehinkey.com and send me a message from the Contact page to be entered into a drawing to win a FREE copy of one of my books (of your choosing): Marina Melee, Ye Gods! A Tale of Gods and Demons, or The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods. I'll select one winner each day. Please share widely so everyone has a chance to enter/win!
Yesterday, I posted the interview with Señora Milagros, and today's interview is with Carmen del Toro. Both of those are below in this post. I'll copy this contest information along with a new character interview in a new blog posts each day, so be sure to come back, read up on your favorite characters from Ye Gods! and meet a few new members of The Un-Familiar cast. Then send me a message from my website to enter. Ten days, ten chances to win--so be sure to go back every day between now and next Friday!
Here's the schedule of interviews:
6/22 Señora Milagros Hernan -- eccentric woman reputed to be a witch; she's ready to retire from her real job as familiar to a god
6/23 Carmen del Toro -- homeless woman with a tragic past and Milagros' apprentice who will be taking her place
6/24 Kiki Cristatello -- a college freshman at 16 with a much-coveted work-study position in the climate research center. She's just gotten over her dog Muggle's death and her belief that she's a witch...or has she?
6/25 Captain Eddie Corredor -- promoted to police captain for discovering that the mysterious chupacabra that had been terrorizing the island two years ago was really just the mayor in disguise
6/26 Rafi Bishop Soto -- Eddie's compañero/pareja, with a past as tragic as Carmen's
6/27 Jack Halliman -- best-selling author of the Franz Henle murder mystery series. His last novel ventured into the paranormal, specifically, the chupacabra, much to his fans' dismay
6/28 Dr. Joe Raines -- the new oceanography professor specializing in climate science with an uncanny ability to always be in the thick of the storm
6/29 Rev Aurelio Peña -- a famous televangelist whose comforting prosperity theology has amassed him a wide following. He and Dr Raines have a long-running animosity, given their opposing world-views and goals. Oh, and that thing with that woman from their past...that, too
6/30 Chewy aka the dog-god of Mercy, aka the chupacabra -- he's back and up to more mischief. Or should I say SHE is up to no good? These damn pronouns...so confusing when dealing with a god who can be anything he-she-it wants to be.
While none of these characters wanted their photos included, here's a collage of the actors who I think would play them in the movie version of The Un-Familiar.
And now, on to the interviews.
From 6/22
Introducing Señora Milagros Isabela Hernán de Santiago
Today I have the pleasure of introducing Señora Milagros
Isabela Hernán de Santiago. As you may recall, Señora Milagros is reputed to be
a witch in the small town of Rincón,
Puerto Rico, where she lives. It's not difficult to understand that, given her
rather eccentric look. She favors flamboyant, flowing kaftans and scarves, and an
armful of jangling bangles. As bestselling author Jack Halliman noted when he
first met her, she looked like a cross between two old sitcom characters,
Endora and Mrs. Roper.
LMH: Welcome, Señora
Milagros. Can you please briefly introduce yourself: name, age, job, hobbies?
Señora Milagros: Thank
you, dear. It's a pleasure to be here talking about myself. As you've
mentioned, my name is Señora Milagros Isabela Hernán de Santiago and I
am...wait, I have to think a moment...I'm quite mature. Let's leave it at that.
I am the familiar to the god of Mercy, better known to most people as the
chupacabra. That is both my job and my hobby. If you know that little
rapscallion at all, you know he keeps me quite busy with his antics, so I
don't have much time for anything else.
LMH: Can you
explain to our readers what exactly a familiar is?
Señora Milagros: Oh, yes! I'd love to clarify. Humans get so tripped up by vocabulary, twisting and turning meanings around until no one understands anything. They got familiars, witches, and cats all jumbled, making cats the familiars of witches, but really, many familiars choose the form of a cat, either in their active life or retirement, so the familiars ARE the cats, and we ended up with the reputation of witches. We all know why that is: because anything humans don't understand, they attribute to magic, one way or another.
The truth is, familiars were created as assistants to the
gods. We're like guardian angels. We help when our god needs a bit more power,
and provide guidance and protection for him as he grows in strength. We protect
our charge when they are weak and vulnerable, and help them to achieve their
full power. Because the amount of power they may eventually wield could be
excessive, we also hinder them from overreaching, regulating their power if
needed. You mentioned Jack Halliman in your introduction--I do adore the Jack Halliman, don't you?--Jack had
a wonderful analogy for what I do. I am the god's agent.
Señora Milagros: (clearing
her throat and squirming in her seat a bit) Yes, well, that didn't go quite as
planned. Did it? Between that hurricane, Carmen disappearing, and all sorts of
other gods appearing on the island, well...you'll have to read The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods
to find out what happened there, won't you?
Introducing Carmen del Toro
You may remember Carmen del Toro as the young homeless woman
from Ye Gods! Carmen's past is filled
with trauma that few can imagine: she witnessed her family's murder, at the
hands of her father, and her father's death at the mouth of her childhood dog,
Paco. After spending nine years in a state run mental hospital, Carmen was
kicked out to the street when she turned 18. Still, she managed to survive
living in the forests of western Puerto Rico for ten years before learning the
truth about herself, her dog, and the "witch" who has been watching
over her all this time. Carmen has joined me for lunch and this interview.
LMH: Welcome, Carmen. Thank you for joining us. Can you
please briefly introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?
Carmen (eyes flitting around the room, fingers knotting and
unknotting): Um, hola, um, my name is Carmen del Toro and I guess I'm the new
familiar to the dog...er, are you going to eat those chips?
LMH: Here, you can have them. So, how about your back---
Carmen: How about that soda? And if you're not going to eat
the crust...?
LMH: Go ahead, finish. I'll wait.
LMH: Tell us a bit about how you became a familiar.
Carmen: Well, as Señora
Milagros explained, there are three tests to becoming a familiar. The first one
is that you have to be born with the predisposition. Then, you have to get
through your teens with your belief in magic still intact. The third test is to
make it through your twenties still believing.
LMH: Those don't sound much like tests. Can you explain a little bit more how that works?
Carmen: The genetics part is luck of the draw. A lot of
people are born with the potential to evolve into familiars. I guess because so
few make it through the next two tests so they have to make sure there are a
lot to pick from so some survive. The second test, where most prospective
familiars fail, comes from peer pressure. Belief in magic is an innate feature
of sentient beings, but experience destroys it. When puberty hits, the desire
to fit in takes over. Señora
Milagros told me most teens deny their beliefs to be cool. Those who don't,
pass the second test. I was luckier than most. Since I spent my teens in the
hospital, I had lithium instead of peer pressure.
I didn't have much of a chance for the third test either. For most would-be familiars, that comes in their twenties, when people settle down to careers and family. All that bill-paying, keeping up the house, going to work makes it difficult to believe in magic. I was lucky that I lived in the forest so never had to worry about those things. I feel bad for those who lose all the magic in their life that way. I think it must hurt when belief turns to wishful thinking about what-could-have-beens. Very few pass this final test. Some of those who make it that far still carry a remnant of belief deep inside them, but their reservations disqualify them from familiarity.
LMH: Interesting. So what happens to those who still have
some remnant of that belief in magic?
Carmen: They become writers and artists, actors and
actresses, or movie producers. You know, trying to pretend they still have some
magic left.
LMH: You mean, since I'm a writer, I might have been--
Carmen: Por favor,
chica. All familiars are creative, it's true, but don't think that's the
same as all creative people being familiars. Now, I guess we'll never know,
will we? Pobrecita.
LMH: Oh, well, um, thank you for spending some time with us
today, Carmen. I'm sure we all look forward to seeing what happens to you in
the future.
Carmen: Yes, now, about that dessert you promised?
Thank you all for stopping by today. Now be sure to head over to my website's contact page and send a note to automatically be entered into today's drawing! (Don't worry--no one will see your return contact info--the page sends an email directly to me. I'm the only one who sees it, and I'm the only one who will contact you. I don't share your private info with anyone else.)
Congratulations to Connie Denison, yesterday's drawing winner!
Friday, May 18, 2012
On the reading front...
Getting ready for our vacation in Costa Rica so I'm trying to finish reading all the books I'm in the middle of so I can start fresh on vacation. This time, I'll have books loaded on my tablet, so won't have to worry about picking, choosing, and making sure I have enough to last 10 days.
First, the books I'm finishing up:
The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya. Two thumbs up (out of two - I'm going with the Siskel and Ebert approach). The author beautifully captures the enchantment and befuddlement of someone exploring a strange land. Although claiming to be a novel, I suspect the events he writes about are true, with perhaps some embellishment for the sake of plot. I most loved how perfectly he captures the dialect. While his lack of explanations for some of the slang terms might leave some readers confused, most can be deciphered from the context. For the more obscure phrases that can't be figured out phonetically, not defining them reflected a travelers reality--you might not understand everything, but you don't stop the moment to have it explained, you just take it in. Bhattachayra's prose is elegant and filled with the nostalgia of someone who's fallen in love with a place and knows the glow of early romance will wear off if he examines it too closely or remains for too long. His year in Guyana was the right amount of time for the country's stark, often grim truth beneath the infatuating surface to start to seep in, but not enough to kill it entirely. Highly recommend it.
Love Dreams by January Valentine. Before I tell you my rating, let me give you some background. My very first short fiction was published in The Skyline Review in 2008. After my novel Marina Melee was published, Victoria Valentine, the publisher of Skyline, interviewed me on her blog, Away with Words. In that interview, I told Victoria--a romance novelist as well as publisher--all about why I don't read romances. In a nutshell, I burned out on them at a far-too-tender-age, when I'd sneak them from my mother. Aside from those serving as my sex education (mom's version of "the talk" was "good girls don't"). As I got older, it became apparent that I don't have a romantic bone in my body. I find any and all romances to be melodramatic. Those Nicholas Sparks books everyone raves about? Ick. Bridges of Madison County? Puh-lease. I don't like those books and I don't like those movies (I am a sucker for romantic comedies, though.) But this book steps over the Harlequin romance bounds and dances on the edge of soft-core erotica--like many of the Favio-on-the-cover books I borrowed from mom. So, whenVictoria Victoria
Well, let me tell you...not so much. I was suppressing smirks and snarky comments through the entire book. It lived up to my expectations of cringe-inducing dialogue ("Are you thirsty?" "Only for you." Ack!!), predictability (happily-ever-after, of course), and overall schmaltziness. That said, I'm pretty sure it's everything fans of the genre expect: a Mary Sue heroine, a Gary Stu hero, star-crossed lovers, dark secrets in the past, incredible coincidences, frustrating misunderstandings, and a happy ending. It's also, so far as romances can be (no offense romance writers, just my preference) well-written with a coherent, pretty good for a romance storyline (because all romance stories, at their heart, have the same plot and story arc). With all the hoopla surrounding Fifty Shades of Grey, I decided to do a quick comparison, just skimming the "Look Inside" preview offered by Amazon. Within two pages it was clear that the quality of January Valentine's Love Dreams is far superior. I can't say if the erotica is any better, and if you're looking for the BDSM, Love Dreams isn't the book for you. But, if you're a romance reader looking for a romantic, happily-ever-after, after some ups and downs story, you'll enjoy this: two thumbs up. For fellow curmudgeons who don't like the genre, Love Dreams won't change your mind about it, no thumbs up for an average of one-thumb...and take that as a pretty high mark coming from me!
Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours by Dick Oliver and Michael Morrison. Yes, you read that right. A technical book. I'm learning web design. I need an author's website--not just a blog--or so I've been told by "them" - all the author/book/writing marketing experts. I could pay someone to do this for me, but given all of the handy-dandy template tools and WYSIWYG software for webdesign, I could do it myself. I chose the latter, then decided I should have a better grasp of what's going on underneath all those easy-to-use tools. I signed up for the "Intro to Web Design" continuing ed class at the community college: 4 classes over 2 weeks, getting through 8 chapters of the book.
I can't tell you how excited I was when, within the first hour, I had a web page! Okay, not really, but I'd managed to get "Hello! Welcome to My Website" to pop up in Windows Explorer. The class--with a great instructor--obviously was helpful. But the book is a breeze to follow and very hands-on. I jumped ahead and did a lot of playing on my own time. Yes, I created a very rudimentary, amatuerish website. Definitely not ready for prime-time, but the progress I made, from knowing nothing to creating a multi-page website using HTML and CSS is pretty thrilling! I learned far more than I expected and enjoyed it more than I expected, so now I'm going to take the advanced class. I'm sure I'll end up using Artisteer and WordPress to create my "real site" when I'm ready, but in the meantime, it's nice to know more about how all this works. Two thumbs up for the book, and two thumbs up for the TTC continuing ed class and instructor Shawn Rosado.
Now for the books on the vacation reading list:
Outlaws, by fellow Internet Writing Workshop member Bill Weldy is being released today. That link takes you to an interview with Bill (the book isn't available just yet). Here's the blurb:
Ex-cop Josh Grant chooses to live as a recluse in the mountains of Idaho as penance for failing to protect his murdered wife and child in Detroit. His new serenity is shattered when he stumbles onto the murder of his only friend and an assault of his friend’s daughter, Jolene. By saving Jolene, Josh angers the Outlaws, a gang of vicious bikers. When they seek revenge, Josh must draw on old skills to keep he and Jolene alive.
Josh thought he'd left danger behind, but the Outlaws have other plans for his peaceful life.
The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy, by Mary Ann Duke, MD. The author went to my high school, graduating three years ahead of me. She was the valedictorian of her class, a great athlete--the girl who you knew was going to succeed. The book chronicles her rise to success as a surgeon and her death-spiral into drug and alcohol addiction.
America, You Sexy Bitch, by Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain. Not scheduled for release until July 4 (according to the publisher) or June 12 (according to amazon), I have a pre-release copy I'm reviewing for the Internet Review of Books. From the description (click on the link), it promises to be great fun.
First, the books I'm finishing up:
The Sly Company of People Who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya. Two thumbs up (out of two - I'm going with the Siskel and Ebert approach). The author beautifully captures the enchantment and befuddlement of someone exploring a strange land. Although claiming to be a novel, I suspect the events he writes about are true, with perhaps some embellishment for the sake of plot. I most loved how perfectly he captures the dialect. While his lack of explanations for some of the slang terms might leave some readers confused, most can be deciphered from the context. For the more obscure phrases that can't be figured out phonetically, not defining them reflected a travelers reality--you might not understand everything, but you don't stop the moment to have it explained, you just take it in. Bhattachayra's prose is elegant and filled with the nostalgia of someone who's fallen in love with a place and knows the glow of early romance will wear off if he examines it too closely or remains for too long. His year in Guyana was the right amount of time for the country's stark, often grim truth beneath the infatuating surface to start to seep in, but not enough to kill it entirely. Highly recommend it.
Love Dreams by January Valentine. Before I tell you my rating, let me give you some background. My very first short fiction was published in The Skyline Review in 2008. After my novel Marina Melee was published, Victoria Valentine, the publisher of Skyline, interviewed me on her blog, Away with Words. In that interview, I told Victoria--a romance novelist as well as publisher--all about why I don't read romances. In a nutshell, I burned out on them at a far-too-tender-age, when I'd sneak them from my mother. Aside from those serving as my sex education (mom's version of "the talk" was "good girls don't"). As I got older, it became apparent that I don't have a romantic bone in my body. I find any and all romances to be melodramatic. Those Nicholas Sparks books everyone raves about? Ick. Bridges of Madison County? Puh-lease. I don't like those books and I don't like those movies (I am a sucker for romantic comedies, though.) But this book steps over the Harlequin romance bounds and dances on the edge of soft-core erotica--like many of the Favio-on-the-cover books I borrowed from mom. So, when
Well, let me tell you...not so much. I was suppressing smirks and snarky comments through the entire book. It lived up to my expectations of cringe-inducing dialogue ("Are you thirsty?" "Only for you." Ack!!), predictability (happily-ever-after, of course), and overall schmaltziness. That said, I'm pretty sure it's everything fans of the genre expect: a Mary Sue heroine, a Gary Stu hero, star-crossed lovers, dark secrets in the past, incredible coincidences, frustrating misunderstandings, and a happy ending. It's also, so far as romances can be (no offense romance writers, just my preference) well-written with a coherent, pretty good for a romance storyline (because all romance stories, at their heart, have the same plot and story arc). With all the hoopla surrounding Fifty Shades of Grey, I decided to do a quick comparison, just skimming the "Look Inside" preview offered by Amazon. Within two pages it was clear that the quality of January Valentine's Love Dreams is far superior. I can't say if the erotica is any better, and if you're looking for the BDSM, Love Dreams isn't the book for you. But, if you're a romance reader looking for a romantic, happily-ever-after, after some ups and downs story, you'll enjoy this: two thumbs up. For fellow curmudgeons who don't like the genre, Love Dreams won't change your mind about it, no thumbs up for an average of one-thumb...and take that as a pretty high mark coming from me!
Sams Teach Yourself HTML and CSS in 24 Hours by Dick Oliver and Michael Morrison. Yes, you read that right. A technical book. I'm learning web design. I need an author's website--not just a blog--or so I've been told by "them" - all the author/book/writing marketing experts. I could pay someone to do this for me, but given all of the handy-dandy template tools and WYSIWYG software for webdesign, I could do it myself. I chose the latter, then decided I should have a better grasp of what's going on underneath all those easy-to-use tools. I signed up for the "Intro to Web Design" continuing ed class at the community college: 4 classes over 2 weeks, getting through 8 chapters of the book.
I can't tell you how excited I was when, within the first hour, I had a web page! Okay, not really, but I'd managed to get "Hello! Welcome to My Website" to pop up in Windows Explorer. The class--with a great instructor--obviously was helpful. But the book is a breeze to follow and very hands-on. I jumped ahead and did a lot of playing on my own time. Yes, I created a very rudimentary, amatuerish website. Definitely not ready for prime-time, but the progress I made, from knowing nothing to creating a multi-page website using HTML and CSS is pretty thrilling! I learned far more than I expected and enjoyed it more than I expected, so now I'm going to take the advanced class. I'm sure I'll end up using Artisteer and WordPress to create my "real site" when I'm ready, but in the meantime, it's nice to know more about how all this works. Two thumbs up for the book, and two thumbs up for the TTC continuing ed class and instructor Shawn Rosado.
Now for the books on the vacation reading list:
Outlaws, by fellow Internet Writing Workshop member Bill Weldy is being released today. That link takes you to an interview with Bill (the book isn't available just yet). Here's the blurb:
Ex-cop Josh Grant chooses to live as a recluse in the mountains of Idaho as penance for failing to protect his murdered wife and child in Detroit. His new serenity is shattered when he stumbles onto the murder of his only friend and an assault of his friend’s daughter, Jolene. By saving Jolene, Josh angers the Outlaws, a gang of vicious bikers. When they seek revenge, Josh must draw on old skills to keep he and Jolene alive.
Josh thought he'd left danger behind, but the Outlaws have other plans for his peaceful life.
The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy, by Mary Ann Duke, MD. The author went to my high school, graduating three years ahead of me. She was the valedictorian of her class, a great athlete--the girl who you knew was going to succeed. The book chronicles her rise to success as a surgeon and her death-spiral into drug and alcohol addiction.
America, You Sexy Bitch, by Michael Ian Black and Meghan McCain. Not scheduled for release until July 4 (according to the publisher) or June 12 (according to amazon), I have a pre-release copy I'm reviewing for the Internet Review of Books. From the description (click on the link), it promises to be great fun.
That's my list. How about yours? Have you read any good books lately? What's on your "to-read" list?
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