A few days late, but worth the wait

Hey, I can rhyme!

Ahem.

So on Monday for my Marketing Post about Something I Love Love and Adore, I was going to do a whole raving review of the video game Assassin's Creed, and how The Boyfriend and I are so madly addicted to it that we named our cat Ezio (which greatly confused the vet), and how when I found out at a GameStop that the 4th game will be released in November, I promptly squealed and shook the magazine the announcement was in, much to the shock of the GameStop employees (note to gamer boys everywhere: GIRLS LIKE GAMES TOO).

But I decided to hold off on that post, lest you all get to see my nerdy gamer side.

Turns out holding off was written in the stars, as today I stumbled across a FANTABULOUS post by one of the cutest, most talented writers on the blogosphere: Kasie West. Apparently she got this deal, see ,with a wee house called HARPER FREAKIN TEEN, for her YA book that I have heard so many people rave about I bet they reacted to its publication much like I reacted to the AC #4 release announcement. Squealing and computer-shaking.

So go squeal and shake your computer over her announcement, because PIVOT POINT is going to blow. your. mind. Luckily Assassin's Creed 4 comes out before PIVOT POINT (most likely) will, so I shall have something to occupy my time while I anxiously wait for this book I have heard oh so much about.

Squee, Kasie!

Marketing Monday: A little late to the game...

...but better late than never, eh?

So I'm currently temping as a data entry clerk. During this job, I have the freedom to listen to music and such, but music is only good for about an hour or so. Thus I decided to branch into audiobooks.

Which are awesome.

Seriously.

I downloaded Leviathan. Finished it in a day (not that that's terribly impressive -- it was only 8 hours of listening). Downloaded Behemouth. Still working on it, but will finish it soon. Suffice to say this has been an exciting trip back into the world o' steampunk, a world I haven't visited since I started White Like Ashes after Stream Pirate and left it behind.

But ya'll, steampunk is cool.

In what other world could you have air cannons and flying mechanical beastie-zeppelins and giant metal spiders with machine guns attached? Unfortunately this genre's rise to fame lasted all of about a month, but it still holds a place near and dear in my heart. After all, it spawned a super sexy one-eyed pirate in my little writing world. That and that alone makes it worthy of this week's Marketing Monday.

So yay Scott Westerfeld for bringing about a story of great awesomeness. Here, here, steampunk!

Writing Wednesday: Lovable Bad Guys

Hey, I remembered to post today! *gives self a cookie*

My current (and perpetual) WIP is a Ghost Book. Ooo, spooky. It'd be really easy (and fun) to make the "bad guy" ("bad guy" sounds like such a kiddish term. But antagonist sounds too uppity. Dilemma.) one of those evil and twisted bad guys who lurks in corners or murders people in their sleep or something equally delightful. Which is expected in a Ghost Book, and happens in mine. Fear not.

But I always like to make things a bit more -- interesting.

I've always been in love with the idea of a lovable bad guy. One of those bad guys you find yourself rooting for until, you know, they get everyone killed. Like Lord Marke in Tristan and Isolde (I can only think of movie references now. I blame my mono brain). Granted, he wasn't the "evil evil" bad guy, but he was the obstacle that kept Isolde from being with Tristan. He was just so gosh darn lovable, to the point where I almost wanted Isolde to realize the value of her marital vows and tell Tristan to get over himself.

What made Lord Marke so gosh darn lovable was how much we knew about him. We knew his background, saw his wife and unborn child get murdered, saw him sacrifice a limb (literally) to save Tristan. He was flawed and passionate and stood for something, and we knew exactly what he was fighting for the entire movie. And this thing that he was fighting for hit home even more by being something we ourselves could fight for.

The trick of making a bad guy a lovable bad guy is just that -- making his fight just as understandable and sympathetic as the MC's. Though whatever the bad guy is fighting for is ultimately something that will change the MC's world in a negative way, it should be understandable. The bad guy's motives and reasoning should be as clear as the MC's, even if whatever the bad guy wants isn't something we as readers would want.

Something I don't say often

So, if you know me, you know I'm a bit anti...medication. Or, well, that's not entirely right -- I'm more anti-throwing-medication-at-every-ache-and-pain-and-twitch. Probably goes back to when I was younger and sickly for many a years and my conversations with doctors would go like this:

Doctor: What seems to be the problem?

Me: *describes various ailments that no doubt have to do with stomach issues*

Doctor: Ah. I see. *writes prescriptions* Take this. Come back in two weeks. If it doesn't kill you, we'll up the dosage.

Okay, well, maybe they didn't say it exactly like that. But it sure felt like that's what they did.

Anyway, this always left a bad taste in my mouth as far as modern medicine went. I'd get put on anti-depressants and fight tooth and nail to "heal myself." I'd get put on BC (not because of THAT. Because of girlish hormone issues. Get your mind out of the gutter.) and slowly ween myself off them to avoid yet ANOTHER influx of hormones into my body (seriously America?? What is with this hormone obsession?? *twitches*).

Suffice to say, when I got sick last week, like really really REALLY sick, the last place I wanted to go was a hospital.

But then, you know, I couldn't breathe, and after some prodding from The Mother and The Boyfriend, I ended up in the ER. And this one experience shed a much needed beacon of light on modern medicinal stuffs.

See, turned out I had (have) mono. No cure for it, but what the doc's did for me left me feeling like a whole new woman. Two prescriptions, a dose of Motrin, a shot that if it were human I would marry and have its babies later, I went home able to BREATHE and stuff. And now, almost a week later, I am back at work and kickin' like I never had tonsils the size of golf balls at all.

Mondays posts are supposed to be about things that I LOVE LOVE AND ADORE. I'm not now suddenly an advocate of modern medicinal thingies (I still firmly believe that if you can heal on your own, you should), but something I do LOVE LOVE AND ADORE are second chances. If I had held to my previous bad experiences with doctors and hospitals, I might still be lying in bed gasping for air and cringing every time I swallow. But because I was able to let go of my own biases (and perhaps embrace a bit of my oxygen-deprived delirium), I got much better much quicker than I would have on my own.

So here's to second chances and being open to changing your biases -- because sometimes that thing you hate might not be so completely life-destroying as you thought. Or maybe it is and a second chance will affirm that. But probably not.

That didn't end as inspirational as I wanted it to.