I went to a BBQ tonight hosted by Canda over at Canda's Ink Blast. Lots of food, good conversation, contests and prizes. I took some pictures but my son's moved my thingy that lets me get the pics off my memory card. I came away with FOUR books!Including the one on the right. Orson Scott Card wrote the book based upon the screenplay for the movie. We enjoyed the movie, though the theatrical ending was sadly lacking. Card got permission to continue writing well into the filming. He brought depth to the characters that most novels based on screenplays can't capture. This book is one of my favorites. There was something in it that struck a chord with me, something that never got translated into the movie. The book's out of print. I have a copy of the paperback already that my brother lent me. I may--MAY--do a giveaway. I'll have to stew on it.
If you think you'd be interested in having a shot at it, let me know. Persuade me.
Back to the BBQ, I experienced a sense of deja vue as I sat at a table with other aspiring writers, eating and chatting about writing in general, about books we love/hate, and learning about each other. What it reminded me of was the first time I attended a moderator meetup with five other mods from The Leaky Lounge.
Bear in mind, that this was a group of adult Harry Potter fans. Rabid Harry Potter fans. So rabid that we'd all been asked (or volunteered) to help with a very busy and award winning (one from Jo Rowling herself) website. We all knew each other online but were finally able to meet in person. There's a language (modified netspeak) that we use on the discussion forums.
HP = Harry Potter
LV = Lord Voldemort
DE = Death Eaters
HBP = Half Blood Prince
DD = Dumbledore, etc.
It was funny during dinner at that long ago meetup that one of the moderators (who happened to be a producer at one of the large local radio stations) used one of the above shortcuts in her speech. She paused, flushed, and then gushed her amazement that she'd actually said it out loud, in person. It seemed so geeky, and we all thrilled at the release. Closet HP fans coming out.
At the BBQ tonight, it felt a little like that. Sitting around with a bunch of other writers, talking about these voices we all have in our heads trying to get out. Discussing the benefits of using that Dragon software program so you can speak rather than type. Dissing how lacking some kinds of modern literature can be.
*sigh*
If I hadn't eaten so much yummy food (and now my stomach hurts), I'd be completely satisfied.
Thanks Canda! And thank your sweet husband for cooking all those burgers and dogs.
Don't forget about Cindy Hogan's Blog Hop.
If you haven't entered to win, you still have time.
Seriously, I thought this was going to be a short post. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm even capable of short posts.
