Not a lot worth sharing of late, hence the silence on the blog. Been just working on my next novel, but Jessica tagged me so here we go. =)
What’s one genre you used to avoid, but now love?
Nonfiction. I never read it as a kid and now it’s almost all that I read, though I do try to read more fiction these days. In fiction, nothing. I never hated or avoided any genre apart from horror and that has not changed. I will, and always have, read anything if it’s decent … and sometimes if it’s not. (Speaking to the lack of general quality and not the moral content.)
Have you ever liked a movie adaptation better than the book? Which book? Why?
The Devil Wears Prada. There is a movie that I love. Tons of humor. Tons of likableness. Tons of plots. The main character learns a valuable life lesson. Meryl Streep is amazing in it. So, I ran out after seeing it at the cinema to pick up the book from the library and page after page, it deflated me. There was no real plot, just a lot of whining about a horrible boss. And tons of f-words. I get so sick of reading them, and hearing them. To me, if you use the f-word for an adjective, verb, noun, and exclamation point, it just shows me you have no class. #SorryNotSorry.
Name one thing about your favorite genre that you absolutely can’t stand. Something you wish you could change.
I don’t really have a favorite book genre, but in general, get rid of love triangles. Nobody has one, and it’s over-used in YA fiction since it’s always the hot girl stuck between two dopey boys, and she never picks the one I would, because she has to have twu luv with the Emo One rather than lasting commitment with the Sensible One. (I rooted for Gale, and I rooted for Jacob Black. But then at one point in those books, I was also rooting for the Volturi to kill everyone, and put me out of my misery, so that’s just me.)
When was the last time you shipped a non-canon book couple?
I don’t have one, but one series gypped me out of the romance it had been setting up for 10 books. I speak of The Last Apprentice books. I read my way through a lot of brutality and dismembering of witches enjoying the friendship of two kids who then never wound up together, so I just pretend the last two books don’t exist, because that was some first-class nonsense. And lest you think me the odd person out, Goodreads has pages and pages of readers who also felt done wrong so it was not just me.
How often do you write ‘rant reviews’? Or do you prefer to keep quiet if you didn’t like a book?
TBH, not much outside of e-mails since it seems mean and unprofessional and like it or not, successful of not, I’m a writer and it’s not exactly cool for one writer to criticize another in public, especially a ginormous, successful author who has sold millions of books, to which people can simply accuse the naysayer of being jealous. (I am not jealous. Some books are objectively shallow and their profoundness is not nearly what some internet memes would have you believe. I am looking at you, Perks of Being a Wallflower.)
Thoughts on Charles Dickens? Love him, hate him, in-between him?
This answer could go under the preferred movie adaptations question, since I find most of Dickens’ books a long-slog, reading-wise. I love the various miniseries adaptations, especially done by the BBC, because the writing team cuts out the extra material (for the most part) and focuses more on the main plot and characters, of which there are still at least thirty. I am forever grateful to them for making Bleak House so amazing.
Dickens was, arguably, a genius and there is no one like him, nor should there be. On that level, I love him. On a personal level, he was a jerk. I believe in separating the art from the artist, but it’s a bit sad that his own behaviors never matched up to the idealistic goodness of so many of his beloved characters. I feel like he was reaching for a better self, and fell short, as many of his characters did.
Paperback covers: glossy or matte?
Glossy. Matte covers make my skin crawl. It feels like handling gasoline. =P
I’m not big on tagging people, but if you want to answer the following questions, you can.
What was your favorite series as a child?
What classic book do you feel most obligated to read?
If you could run away with any fictional character, who would it be?
What is your true opinion of Agatha Christie?
What’s the last book you read that made you see red?
What book would you most like to see turned into an ACCURATE movie?
If you could recommend any book, what would it be?
The Sacred in the Secular 
Now, to answer your seven questions:
Favorite series as a child? Narnia. Definitely Narnia. Although the Little House books were a close second.
What classic book do you feel most obligated to read? NONE BECAUSE I’M A REBEL MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
If you could run away with any fictional character, who would it be? The Tenth Doctor. ❤
Your true opinion of Agatha Christie? She recycled her plots / characters too much; but when she had an original idea, she was a true genius. She was also a pro at conjuring spooky atmospheres, which I appreciate cuz not all writers can do atmosphere.
What's the last book you read that made you see red? "Romanov," by Nadine Brandes. (This is the book I was telling you about, where it's supposedly Christian fantasy about Christian characters but they're using spells to create babies and resurrect dead people. And I was like, #nope.)
What book would you most like to see turned into an ACCURATE movie? I'd be very, very excited about an accurate, skillful adaptation of "Rilla of Ingleside." Aka, the only L.M. Montgomery book I like.
If you could recommend any book, what would it be? Probably "The Man Who Was Thursday," by G.K. Chesterton. It's completely unique and completely brilliant, and completely nuts–and not enough folks have read it, or even HEARD of it.
Agreed about Christie. Some of her standalone novels are genius. I have never found her that difficult to “guess,” though. Very few authors can smack me across the face with a plot twist or reveal.
Um. Okay, I still do not get it. Why in Christian fantasy is necromancy okay? I’m guessing it wasn’t portrayed as evil, either? Or was it? How come they can include that, and not swearing? 😉
Looooooooooove her standalones. They Came to Baghdad is one of my favorites, it’s so rich and evocative. And that one about the detective in Ancient Egypt . . .
I still don’t get it, either!!!!!! Nope, it wasn’t portrayed as evil–it was the way the heroine escaped the bad guys in the climax, by “dying” (ie, removing her own soul from her body by magic) and then “resurrecting” (re-inserting her soul into her body, also by magic). She did the same thing to her younger brother. And then I guess they went on to live long & happy lives, or whatever.
And I am STILL not over being told by Christians who I KNOW FOR A FACT would never even touch Harry Potter–that I should just “keep reading.” Like I was the one who was overreacting?
“And Then There Were None” is the one that made me go o.O as a teenager.
In that context, I can see why it bugged you. Was there a divine presence in this fantasy world or not? If there was a God of sorts, then I see what troubled you about it, in that it inferred life and death, and the ability to reanimate it, was in the hands of mere mortals and not the divine. But yeah, that Resurrection parallel is kind of messed up.
Uh. But… a Christian wrote this, so it’s okay. And a non-Christian wrote Potter, so it’s not. 😉
I still need to read that one! I know it’s one of her best, for sure.
Yes: there was definitely a Divine presence. You see, this was supposed to be set in HISTORICAL Russia, and it was about characters who were PROFESSING Christians–like, they were saying “I read the Bible, and I also believe in Jesus, but I ALSO use this weird magic to bring dead folk back to life.”
Which did not fly well, with moi. 😛
Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the double standard needs to dieeeeeeeeeee.
So… necromancy was apparently not against their religion? How did the author manage that? Did she have them ignore all the “do not consort with witches” parts of the Bible?
I DON’T KNOW BECAUSE I QUIT TOO SOON
but, um, I think she just . . . was like . . . “it’s fantasy, so it’s fine!” Even though it was clearly and obviously OUR WORLD and not a fantasy world. Which kinda freaked me out.
Um. Okay.
*looks at the camera like she’s in The Office*
*joins you in looking at the camera like we’re on The Office*
“because she has to have twu luv with the Emo One rather than lasting commitment with the Sensible One” *CHOKES ON DRINK*
Perfect 😛
The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the love triangle MUST be some kind of generational divide–with older (middle-aged) writers perpetuating the trope cuz they’re convinced this is Actually a Thing that Happens in Real Life, while us Millennials and Gen Z kids scratch our heads like “huh??? no????” Maybe it WAS a thing that happened at one time: but the whole idea of two boys desperately fighting over the same girl is completely antithetical to the way our generation approaches romance. Casual, sloooooooooooow, nobody is super invested, and you’re lucky to even find one guy who cares about you in that intense way.
It doesn’t help that a big staple of the love triangle is “boy next door who’s loved you all your life and your parents and everybody else are just assuming you’ll marry him one day,” which . . . is definitely NOT relatable for most of this generation.
All that’s to say–I’m with you on this. I find love triangles deeply irritating, and they stretch my suspension of disbelief beyond its breaking point. When a heroine is waffling over which hot boy she should choose (because either one is, just, like, hers for the taking), my automatic reaction is, “Wow, look at you and your #First World Problems.” Maybe that’s unfair, but it’s how I feel!!! 😛
Also, I feel like it almost inevitably lowers the quality of your romance writing, since you can’t focus on any single pair–you’re scattered between two [or three, if it’s a love square . . . yikes.]
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? You like glossy covers better?? Glossy covers freak me out because FINGERPRINTS EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK.
I find romantic triangles frustrating because I’m standing on the outside looking at it from a rational perspective, so her choice (always based on “I have to be with him or I’ll DIE!!!!” emotions) ridiculous. She wants risk, and adventure, and sexual intensity, so the nice boy next door who has been there for her always and taken care of her and proven himself to be reliable and a good person is… dumped because he’s not exciting enough. Once in awhile, if you insist on giving me a triangle, have her pick the sensible one instead of the exciting one.
For some writers, I feel like the triangle is just a trope to tell you how absolutely amazing their heroine is, that she has TWO HOT GUYS after her.
All you have to do to get fingerprints off a glossy cover is wipe it off. 😉
Yep. I really, really, REALLY just want them to stop shoving triangles at us, period; but if they’re gonna do it they could at least switch up the formula . . .
*growls* Yup. And for others, it’s simply a vehicle to create extra drama in a lame plot that doesn’t have enough drama.
But would I be able to get them ALL off??? Or would I still see the stains where the fingerprints once were??? *makes frustrated OCD noises*
The only time they switch it up with the triangle is when they have a cheater who decides to stay with their spouse and not run away with their lover, and then I’m like “wow… refreshing. Doing the right thing after cheating and breaking their heart. Um. Better choice would have been to say no earlier?” 😛
As for fingerprints… I don’t know. I’ve never had trouble with my books, but… *shrug*
Wooooooooooooow. Such faithfulness. Much commitment. Me impressed. (NOT.) 😛
There was this one book when I was a teenager that drove me absolutely crazy. Its cover was so smooth and shiny, but it was a MAGNET for fingerprints and I cringed every time I picked it up.
When I answered the first question (I’m just answering in the comments because it’s so fun to see everyone’s different questions, but maybe I just go back and just copy them all into a post).
Love triangles are only good when 1) they are well-written and believable and 2) One character isn’t sacrificed in the choice, i.e. it IS possible for two characters to both be good and pursue the same person. Gale was sacrificed. I preferred Peeta myself, but I didn’t find it necessary to later turn Gale into a jerk. Also, I was also team Jacob. It’s funny you mentioned Spock and Kirk. I only know them from the new movies and I only started on those because of Chris Pine, so I went from Kirk to Spock and then back again probably.
What was your favorite series as a child?
I had lots, but I’m going to go with Little House. I was definitely in a “Pioneer” phase, loved the books, sewed many sunbonnets from the sewing book, played “Pioneer,” played the Oregon Trail over and over.
What classic book do you feel most obligated to read?
Well, I have started War and Peace on Serial reader ages ago, so I really want to finish it.
If you could run away with any fictional character, who would it be?
The first that popped into my mind was Martin from Faery Rebels trilogy and the Swift duology. I don’t know though, I think a Rosemary Sutcliff hero would be lovely, escaping would be the accurate term for that escapade though.
What is your true opinion of Agatha Christie?
She’s WAY overrated from an artistic standpoint. But I do like her books (not all) for an escapist read. I think I’m often disappointed though, or at least lately.
What’s the last book you read that made you see red?
I’ll TBR any book that makes me see red. The last I can think of was Prairie Fires an alleged biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’d already read Pioneer Girl so found the information about Laura redundant. But that wasn’t the main issue, the tone was absolutely condescending and demeaning to everyone, Laura, the reader, etc. And I can’t stand when non-historians touch history, this is usually the result.
What book would you most like to see turned into an ACCURATE movie?
I’m always afraid of my favorites being touched, also, I don’t think movies can accurately bring out what I love if I love the good-writing. I think a good series of Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries would be awesome. Plenty of the wit is verbal in those, so not too much would be lost.
If you could recommend any book, what would it be?
Well the Faery Rebels (middle-grade blends the ancient celtic faeries, the origin of Tolkien’s elves, not Disney fairies in modern Britain) trilogy and the connected Swift Nomad duology by RJ Anderson, they do not get enough love. I was lent them by and acquaintance (only the first two are available in the US) and the bought them on Amazon.uk.
… Nobody has one…
Wellll, maybe it’s a generational thing, because, er… I was in a love triangle in college. Several of my friends were as well throughout my adult life. Happened a lot around me. So yeah, I’m quite fond of love triangles in stories, though I don’t know if that’s the reason, LOL! 😀
I like your questions! Might have to answer those… 😀 Enjoyed reading your responses to the questions posted to you as well. (I rooted for Gale as well.)
It could very well be generational. I don’t know anyone my age who has had two people in love with them and/or pursuing them at once, but it’s an extremely common trope in both Hollywood and books in everything from Nicholas Spark novels to “The Hunger Games” trilogy. I find it tiresome because you know from the start she’s going to pick the one with whom she has an emotional connection, which means the usually nicer but more “boring” one is jilted at the altar or dumped or cheated on or strung along until she finally makes up her mind. I always felt bad for those characters, since they are usually faithful, earnest, and genuinely care about her only to walk away with… nothing.
Gale always appealed to me because he was rational, had common sense, and tried to look out for everyone. I never outright disliked Peeta, but he was really emotionally-driven and I find that tiresome in any character, especially a male lead. But then, I’m a “I was attracted to Spock, and not Kirk” kind of girl. 😉