Forging an Art

I stumbled on this on my flash drive this morning, and remember when the teacher assigned this in response to an argument in class three years ago about, yes, the uses of fiction.  I am sure there are many who would disagree with me on this one, but this is my story and I’m sticking to it. 

Fiction is and should be an accurate representation of reality.  Therefore, fiction should be used to reflect the impression the author has of reality.  Reality, however, is, well, relative, and the author may describe a reality that is fantastical or unbelievable to readers.  This is okay – the only requirement of that fiction is that it represents that reality completely, in such detail that the reader, disbelieving, can still understand that reality in some way, can picture or feel that reality in such a way that they are able to find something in common with the characters.  As Henry James said, the novel exists to compete with life – it must be interesting enough to keep the reader from his own reality, to entertain while forging connections between readers and characters.  The author has the freedom of choice in the story itself, but the way the story is presented must include the detail necessary to capture the empathy of readers.  The author is responsible for the intensity and specificity required to accomplish this, and these qualities lie in the execution of the story, not in the story itself.  The author may and often does have a purpose to his choice of story, and may want to persuade readers to his own opinions on various matters, but this is not a requirement and should not be the author’s primary purpose in the creation of his fiction.

*Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews.

Chick Lit:
Kauffman, Donna. Here Comes Trouble
Mah, Ann. Kitchen Chinese

Contemporary:
Betts, Heidi. Knock Me for a Loop
Carr, Robyn. Angel’s Peak
Foster, Lori. Back in Black
Huggins, Kristan. The Next Best Thing
Lewis, Vicki. Racing Hearts
Miller, Linda Lael. McKettricks of Texas: Tate
Shalvis, Jill. Slow Heat

Erotica:
Bacarr, Jina. The Blonde Samurai
Burton, Jaci, et al. Laced With Desire
Davis, Jo. I Spy a Wicked Sin
Feisty, Lilli. Dare to Surrender
Harris, Chloe. Secrets of Sin
Kery, Beth. Release
Leigh, Lora. Nauti Deceptions
Mellor, P.J. Between the Sheets
Michaels, Jess. Nothing Denied

Fantasy:
MacAlister, Katie. Steamed

Historical:
Allen, Louise. The Viscount’s Betrothal
Blake, Jennifer. Triumph in Arms
Brockway, Connie. The Golden Season
Cooke, Lisa. A Midwife Crisis
Cowan, Debra. Whirlwind Secrets
Donati, Sara. The Endless Forest
Gentry, Georgina. Diablo
Greiman, Lois. Charming the Devil
Hawkins, Alexandra. All Night With a Rogue
Hill, Sandra. Viking in Love
Hunter, Madeline. Ravishing in Red
Jeffries, Sabrina. The Truth About Lord Stoneville
Kent, Lavinia. Bound by Temptation
Laurens, Stephanie. The Elusive Bride
Levine, Elaine. Audrey and the Maverick
Lindsey, Sara. Promise Me Tonight
McKee, Laurel. Countess of Scandal
Maxwell, Robin. O, Juliet
O’Banyon, Constance. Wind Warrior
Purdy, Brandy. The Boleyn Wife
Sands, Lynsay. Taming the Highland Bride
Simmons, Deborah. The Gentleman’s Quest
Stephens, Ann. To Be Seduced
Willingham, Michelle. The Accidental Countess
Wine, Mary. In the Warrior’s Bed

Inspirational:
Gray, Shelley Shepard. Winter’s Awakening

Mainstream Fiction:
Belmond, C.A. A Rather Charming Invitation
Collins, Jackie. Poor Little Bitch Girl
Greenwood, T. The Hungry Season
Hannah, Kristin. Winter Garden
Kelly, Cathy. Once in a Lifetime
Lansens, Lori. The Wife’s Tale
Rose, Melanie. Life as I Know It
Ryan, Hank Phillippi. Drive Time

Mystery:
Blair, J.M.C. The Pendragon Murders
Carlisle, Kate. If Books Could Kill
Collins, Kate. Sleeping With Anemone
Damsgaard, Shirley. The Seventh Witch
Davis, Krista. The Diva Paints the Town
Haywood, B.B. Town in a Blueberry Jam
Hechtman, Betty. A Stitch in Crime
McKevett, G.A. Wicked Craving
Myers, Tamar. Butter Safe Than Sorry
Stanton, Mary. Avenging Angels
Warner, Penny. How to Host a Killer Party
Wells, Melinda. The Proof is in the Pudding

Paranormal:
Ashley, Amanda. Everlasting Kiss
Ashley, Jennifer. Pride Mates
Bartlett, Gerry. Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs
Cassidy, Dakota. Accidentally Demonic
Day, Alyssa. Atlantic Redeemed
Jackson, Melanie. The Selkie Bride
Johnson, Alaya. Moonshine
Love, Kathy. What a Demon Wants
Mackay, Allie. Some Like it Kilted
McCarthy, Erin. Sucker Bet
McKelden, Shannon. Venus Guy Trap
Monroe, Lucy. Moon Craving
Prentiss, Alex. Night Tides
Singh, Nalini. Archangel’s Kiss
Thompson, Vicki Lewis. Blonde With a Wand
Ware, Joss. Embrace the the Night Eternal
Webber, Heather. Truly, Madly

Romantic Suspense:
Barton, Beverly. Dead by Midnight
Carmichale, Kathy. Diary of a Confessions Queen
Harper, Karen. Down River
McCall, Penny. The Bliss Factor
Noble, Cate. Deadly Seduction
Robb, J.D. Fantasy in Death
Tyler, Stephanie. Hold On Tight

Suspense:
Hooper, Kay. Blood Ties
Ione, Larissa. Ecstasy Unveiled
Parrish, P.J. The Little Death

Time Travel:
Mayhue, Melissa. A Highlander’s Homecoming

Urban Fantasy:
Briggs, Patricia. Silver Borne
Caine, Rachel. Unknown
Estep, Jennifer. Spider’s Bite
Fox, Angie. A Tale of Two Demon Slayers
Frost, Jeaniene. First Drop of Crimson
Glass, Seressia. Shadowblade
Green, Chris Marie. Break of Dawn
Greene, Kris. The Dark Storm
Showalter, Gena. Twice as Hot
Wilks, Eileen. Blood Magic

Curious about social engineering?  Stop by Summakor to see what it can do for you.

The last two episodes – particularly the last one – essentially made up for the overhelming Two-ness of the middle two.  Although there were more than enough Twos to go around in these two, and the numbers are, yes, beyond overwhelming, especially for those of us who are not mathematically inclined, and when the doubles started in (the real Six telling the vengeful Six “if we are one, we can defeat Two”) I gave up trying to figure it out.  Arithmophobia aside, we were wondering about that cherry cake fixation – never mind the wraps, which were not mentioned until the end – and the missing pigs.  I liked those pigs. 

The bicycle hanging from the ceiling in the bar was a nice touch for those of us who adore the original series, and also felt like a warning, a removal of any sense of grounding, for all the violence that was to come.  The doubling was nice bit of confusion and a return to the original I hoped to see; as was the end, which returned to the beginning in a different manner than the original but worked very well all the same.   I did want and need more Rover, though, as I have a great affection for the balloonish beast.

Disorganized thoughts on the final third of the tale: “I used to smoke in order to think” (Two) – well, then, that explains my functional intelligence shutdown over the past nineteen years; Two using white paint to ‘autograph’ the new arrival’s overalls – as my son said, just like celebrities signing women’s chests – although he didn’t put it quite that way; the revelation of The Village as a figment of Two’s wife’s dream state/imagination, and the necessity of a replacement when she buys the farm – the more I consider this, the more I like it, and while it was rather disturbing to see 1112 suffocate his mother, and even more so to see him swinging dead in the bar (I expected nightmares from it and did in fact have them, althought they involved a clown, tightrope, and a lake I know but cannot place) it really did all have to happen for Two and his wife to escape, albeit without the son born within The Village.  Does this mean he never really existed?  Was only an imagined being, a thought, a hope? 

As the shopkeeper tells Two, ”that’s a bit philosophical for a Thursday.”

I’ve really had enough of Two and his strange adolescent boy.  If I have this straight, the child is not straight, and was having an affair with undercover 909, and stabbed 909 in the back.  There’s a cutting trend going on here, between the slit throat and back stabbing, and people focusing on knives – big ones, too, like the one the taxi driver used to cut the hole in his backyard open again after his daughter fell into it.  As Number Two says in the original series, “the butcher with the sharpest knife . . . has the warmest heart.”  It’s already hard to get the hang of the same Number Two all the time, considering that part of the mystery/disturbance of the original was the continuous changing of Two.  And who is Number One?  When Six asks this in the new series, a child answers that there is no Number One, that the title of Number Two is an act of humility because no one can be Number One.  I know I’m just comparing it too much to the original by complaining that this doesn’t work for me, and the original does have a Number One but there are conflicting theories as to what Number One represents.  I’ll leave it at that, because to take that any further would be telling.

The Modern Love Bureau is an entertaining bit, and the matchmaker truly feels she is “making a difference.”  Isn’t that what it’s all about?  More wraps, I think, may be what it’s really all about, because if you’ve been in a drug induced coma – induced by your husband, no less – and wake up for a brief amount of time, you would be so happy to have a fresh sandwich wrap waiting for you.  That wrap did look tasty, so I suppose I can’t judge the value placed on the it.  The flashbacks work very well, even in comparison to the original, considering the end of the original, which again, may be telling to, well, tell.

I like the tunnels, and strangely enough, the free pigs.  I’m not sure how or why the pigs represent stability – a scientific study, obviously – but the oinking presence of these grayish pink beasts is a nice touch.  And Rover?  My son had some theories about Rover, once of which involved him appearing from the sinkhole, so we’ll have to see where this takes us for the last two episodes.  My Rover comes from the ocean, but anything goes with this new series.

Lego Village!  How cool is this . . .

My son saw Rover for the first time last night.  I was very excited – I knew Rover would appear, he should appear, but when and how?  John made several guesses as to who and what Rover might be: a dog? a robot?  I just kept shaking my head.  I adore Rover and really, could not imagine him appearing from the desert when I am so used to seeing him appear, voracious and vicious, from the waves of the ocean surrounding The Village.

I didn’t expect this Prisoner to be an exact remake of the original, and it was not produced as such.  Still, I could not help but make comparisons.  I do like the pale pink A frame homes, the cutesy summer carnival aura that echoes that of the original while maintaining its difference – the main one, of course, of the desert setting.  The island of the original contributes so much to the solitary confinement of the inhabitants within the crowds of strangers they are brainwashed to know; the desert does well, especially with many returns to the mirage-ish towers that call to those who question the authority of Number Two and take a chance on knowledge and escape, wandering blindly in the hot sand and empty landscape.  I do prefer the ocean, and was pleasantly surprised during the second episode, Harmony, when the wonderful Rover birthed from the water as he should, and devoured Six’s cowardly ‘brother.’  Patience rewarded.

The show is good, comparisons aside, but for the drama of Two and his family.  I don’t want to see the son, the wife kept comatose in bed, or any of the surrounding emotional blah de blah.  This is not Two.  He should be and should remain a total mystery.  I am not all that impressed with the dialogue in general; it is fine, but I seem to recall some well-tuned conversation in the original.  I hope to hear more “be seeing you”s over the next few nights as well.  Never too many of those. 

The glowy, headache inducing haze over the action works effectively to heighten the psychological drama, in a different way than the older show, and the numbers, oh God, those numbers – I am not a math person, and the convoluted soap opera drama (this number is sleeping with that number, but is really in love with this number, and is going to marry this number, etc) made my eyes cross.  Really.

The continued references to ‘wraps’ – as in sandwich wraps – is amusing and original.  I started thinking about The Patty Duke Show sometime during Harmony – don’t ask because I don’t know – and was very disturbed by the twin psychologists.  Two’s affection for hand grenades was a bit strange but not as strange as I believe it was meant to be.  Last but not least in a great disorganization of impressions – Jim Caviezel is a very intense, calculating Six, but . . . Patrick McGoohan was simply rabid.

Review of Marissa Doyle’s Betraying Season up at BSCreview.

It’s been two months since DragonCon, and the countdown to next year’s event is already underway.  Formal reports aside, a few things come to mind when considering our recent trip to Atlanta.

Business cards picked up along the way:
Sugar Ninjas, “an anthology featuring over 100 female artists and storytellers,” which has some cute artwork but not much detail on their website.  The book is available through lulu.com and seems reasonably priced for a 350+ page collection, but again, I can’t find enough information to decide – as a librarian – if this is appropriate for my teen area or if I should recommend it to the adult librarian.  It does intrigue me, and considering how popular manga is with my teen patrons – male and female – I’d love to be able to justify a purchase. 
Strawberry Comics are all about romance.  Six writers/artists have teamed up to make SC home to a variety of manga, webcomics, and eBooks.  They also have a discussion forum and a zine, along with photos from conventions and events, which hasn’t been updated since this summer but has some cute pictures nontheless.  I’d love to see some from DragonCon.
I spent a considerable amount of time and money at the Holy Cow Anime booth.  They visit a lot of conventions, so if you are a con fan, you may want to check to see if they are/will be there.  Sailor Moon, Digimon, and Cardcaptors (we picked up a Challenge of the Clow Spirits board game, which kept us busy in the hotel room at DragonCon) seem to be their specialty, as they consider themselves ‘old school,’ but they do carry items of more current interest/themes, including Kingdom Hearts and Bleach.  They are also an official retailer for Gaia Online. 

Panels/events I missed and am sorry that I did: Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert’s Works in Prose and Film; The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company’s presentation of Lovecraft’s ‘The Call of Cthulu,’ which was cancelled; The Music of the Ainur – A Celebration of Middle-Earth Song; Chuck – A Glimpse Within the Intersect; The Future of Star Wars; Adult Themes in Star Wars; Dinosaurs Gone Wild! (dinosaurs in film); Classic Battlestar (adventures with Dirk Benedict and Richard Hatch); 70 Years of Batman in the Media; Neography and Scripts; Star Wars in Art; Dreamtime, the Worlds of Neil Gaiman; The Future of Storytelling in MMOs; The Lore of Warcraft; Podcasting with Puppets (the lure? the cast of Battlestar Galactica in foam); and Vending Machine Culture and We Speak Engrish Here (Engrish is a particular fascination for me).  Some of the short film festival entries looked worth the effort of catching, but like the activities listed above, the times conflicted with others I ended up attending.  The dilemma of such a busy con . . .  then again, I was not sorry to miss the ‘how to make your own booze’ panel, as I am aware of how moonshine comes to life – so to speak.

Up at BSCreview.  It was supposed to be October, but such is life . . .