1. What was the last movie you watched in a theater?
I wanna say it was the last Harry Potter movie, but I’m sure I’ve seen something in a theater since then.  I just can’t remember what it was.

2. What was the first movie you ever remember watching in a theater?
The Little Mermaid, though it could also have been Pippi Longstocking.  If memory serves, I saw both of them when I was five, so it could have been either one.

3. What are your top five movies?
- The Princess Bride
- Ever After
- The Wedding Singer
- Sgt. Bilko
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
(I could go on and on, but after all, it said choose five.)

4. Who are your top five directors?
I honestly don’t care that much, but I’ll say:
- Steven Spielberg
- Kenneth Branagh
(Okay, I couldn’t come up with five.  These two will just have to do.)

5. What is your favorite movie adaptation?
Probably The Princess Bride, although I’ve really enjoyed the adaptations of Jane Austen’s novels that I’ve seen (there have been several and I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite).

6. What was your best movie-going experience?
My first date with my husband stands out as a pretty excellent movie-going experience.  We saw Fool’s Gold and though we both liked it, we agreed that How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was a better movie.  As we were leaving the theater, Greg warned me about some ice in the parking lot.  Seconds after acknowledging his warning, I slipped on the ice.  He caught me as I went down, but one cheek still hit the pavement.  My butt hurt for a week; my pride still hurts.  On the other hand, it’s given us something to laugh at over the years and he still harasses me about it every time we go to the theater.  I will likely  never live it down.

7. Name a movie you consider a guilty pleasure.
Surf Ninjas.  It’s really, really awful, but it’s so awful that it’s good.  Or maybe that’s just nostalgia kicking in.  Either way, I love it.  Kwan suu, dudes!

8. Name a movie you consider overrated.
Castaway.  I’ve heard many people say they cried as Wilson floated away, but I just couldn’t get emotional over a stupid volleyball.  Two hours spent watching Tom Hanks talk to said stupid volleyball?  Now that was enough to make me emotional.  Alan Silvestri’s music was good, but not good enough to save that movie.

9. What do you feel is an underrated movie?
Miss Tara said Peneleope.  I haven’t yet seen it, but I can’t think of any underrated movies, so I’m going to defer to her opinion.  She’s usually quite right on such matters.

10. Name a movie that few have heard of but you’ve seen and enjoyed.
Mrs. Winterbourne.  A case of mistaken identity has hilarious consequences.

11. Name a movie you watched mainly for an actor.
I would have to say pretty much every movie that Leonardo DiCaprio has ever been in.  I mean, come on.  Also, The Notebook.  Mmm, Ryan Gosling.  Oh, and Meet Joe Black.  I watched it solely because Brad Pitt was in it and I found it so boring I think I actually fell asleep.  Now, though, I wouldn’t mind rewatching it.  Perhaps now that I’m older, I’d like it better.

12. Who are your top five actors?
- Ryan Gosling
- Hugh Grant
- Tim Allen
- Cary Elwes
- Gerard Butler

13. Who are your top five actresses?
- Drew Barrymore
- Fran Drescher
- Natalie Portman
- Anne Hathaway
- Patricia Belcher

14. Which do you prefer: VHS, DVD or Blu-Ray?
I’ve heard good things about Blu-Ray and I’ve got hundreds of DVDs at home, but I’m a VHS girl at heart.  For instance, you could fix the tracking on a tape.  If a DVD gets scratched, you’re screwed.  There’s no fixing it.  I’m sure Blu-Ray discs have the same flaw.  I don’t think we’ll be upgrading to Blu-Ray anytime soon, if for no other reason than neither of us are too tickled by the thought of replacing our movie collection yet again.

15. What is your favorite Disney movie (PIXAR movies not included)?
The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Parent Trap (1961), The Jungle Book… what, you actually expected me to pick only one?

16. What’s your favorite tearjerker?
I don’t really like tearjerkers.  I do, however, love The Notebook and I believe it qualifies as such a movie.

17. Name a movieyou know is bad that you love anyway.
I think I’ll have to go with A Knight’s Tale.  It’s completely awful, but the scenes with Paul Bettany make it all worthwhile (even though the whole reason I saw the movie in the first place was because Heath Ledger was in it).

18. What’s your favorite movie soundtrack?
I adore the soundtrack to Moulin Rouge.  I didn’t really care for the movie so much, but I LOVED the soundtrack.

19. What’s your favorite movie quote?
“I’ll drink to Mr. Scrooge, even though he’s stingy and badly dressed…” -Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchitt, The Muppet Christmas Carol (Technically this is from the preview at the beginning of Homeward Bound; the line in the movie is a bit different.)

20. Name a movie that was better than the book.
The Princess Bride, if only because it didn’t digress quite as much as the novel.  Sure, sometimes the digression was interesting, but it also made the story more difficult to follow.

21. What was the first adult film you watched (thematically speaking, not necessarily R-rated)?
Probably Kindergarten Cop, because it was rated PG-13 and I saw it when it first came out.  Despite the title, it’s definitely not kids’ fare.

22. Name a kids’ movie you always watch.
The Muppet Christmas Carol.  Michael Caine is the best Scrooge ever.

23. What’s your favorite science fiction movie?
I think I’d have to go with the Star Trek movies.  I’ve seen the first six, but none of the TNG ones yet.  And I am completely discounting the most recent movie because I don’t care what anyone says, you cannot blow up Vulcan.  Oh, sure, it was an entertaining movie, but it was most definitely not canon.  And no, I don’t care that they’re trying to reinvent the series.  It was perfectly fine the way it was.  So there.

24. What’s your favorite comedy?
The Wedding Singer.

25. What’s your favorite fantasy movie?
The Princess Bride.  Hands down.  It’s inconceivably good!

26. What’s your favorite love story?
I love love LOVE the movie Ever After.  Also, every Jane Austen adaptation I’ve ever seen.

27. Name a movie you hate.
Napoleon Dynamite.  There wasn’t a single likable character in the entire movie and I just know my IQ dropped during viewing.

28. What’s your favorite animated movie?
Aside from the Disney ones I named above, probably How to Train Your Dragon or Bolt.  I loved Rhino the hamster.  Oh, or Kung Fu Panda.

29. Name a movie from your favorite director that you didn’t like.
Uh…I dunno?

30. What’s your favorite comic book movie?
I do believe I’m gonna have to go with the new Batman movies here, as Batman and Spiderman are (I think) the only comic book movies I’ve seen.  Please try not to injure yourself while falling when you realize that this means I have never seen a single Superman movie.  I think Greg is still in pain from that realization.

31. Name three movies you’re eagerly anticipating.
Man on a Ledge, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and…uh…I know there’s another one…

32. Name a book you read for a movie.
The Notebook.

33. What’s your favorite musical?
Annie, perhaps?  Or maybe Grease? Or Footloose?  Or oo – I know!  The Producers!

34. Who is your favorite fictional character?
Danielle du Barbarac.  I love her confidence and wish I possessed it myself.

35. Name a movie you wish was never made.
Napoleon Dynamite. Just… why? It was horrible!  Why on Earth do people love it so much?  And why in God’s name did they make it into a cartoon show?

36. What’s your favorite remake?
The Parent Trap.  Oh, Lindsay Lohan, you used to be so cute.  What happened?

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

 The Legend of Dragamere, by Gretchen Steen
Chelsey always knew she was different.  After reading an obscure fantasy novel, she sensed a connection.  Desperately seeking answers, she flies to England and befriends a handsome stranger, Damien.  They meet with the enigmatic Malcolm, who mysteriously reveals their joint heritage.  The facts are unbelievable; his claim…their bloodline.

In order for them to survive, they must go to the infamous castle Dragamere and break a thousand-year-old curse.  They are spurred on by a malevolent entity that has transcended time.  The cursed lovers’ archenemy proves to be a defiant foe and their journey becomes treacherous.

The curse is broken and so is the veil of time.  Chelsey and Damien find themselves in the past, united with the condemned lovers.  Together, they must face their evil nemesis and destroy him.  Will they ever return to their own time, and at what cost?

The Legend of Dragamere by Gretchen Steen

Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?  Go on, you know you want to read it!

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

Cheyenne, a Timeless Series novel, by Lisa Wiedmeier
Murder, romance, secrets, and hidden pasts.  Deception from every angle – who’s telling the truth?  Cheyenne Wilson’s life is thrown into turmoil after her adoptive parents are killed in an accident.  With only her best friend Colt to comfort her, she scours through the family archives, hoping to quell her grief.  Instead she begins to unravel the mystery behind her birth parents, and her secret heritage.  She is a Timeless – a being that ages one year for every hundred human years when they reach their twenties – and of the royal line, destined to gain great power.  But Cheyenne has other problems.  The ones who killed her parents want her, too, and Colt is hiding something of his own.  Surrounded by danger and with few she can trust, Cheyenne must face the dark truth of her past and choose between a forbidden love that will forever hold her heart, or her destiny…

Toonopolis Short: Anchihiiroo, by Jeremy Rodden
In Toonopolis: Gemini, Anchihiiroo (aka Han’Eiyuu) is the former hero of Animetown who turns rogue after meeting the devious Shadowy Figure, forcing his creator to change him into a villain instead of the anti-hero he once was.  Yuki, the albino inventor of Wan-Wan, described Anchihiiroo’s background:

“He had a terrible childhood.  He was orphaned at an early age when his parents were killed in a war.  Then his orphanage burned down, and then a flood wiped out the town his orphanage was in.  He was the only survivor.”

Learn the full origin of Anchihiiroo, from his tragic childhood as Yoshi of Higeki to the warrior training that allowed him to put a stop to the Ninja-Pirate War that plagued Animetown.  Witness his relationship with the phoenix Suzaku and his inevitable rogue turn after meeting the mysterious Shadowy Figure.  It is a story about destiny and a young man’s desire to make his own path in the world.

The Myth of Mr. Mom, edited by Jeremy Rodden
The Myth of Mr. Mom is a collaborative non-fiction essay anthology written by stay-at-home dads that shares the personal stories of eight men from around the world.  Filled with humorous anecdotes and eye-opening personal experiences, The Myth of Mr. Mom is simultaneously inspiring and entertaining.

Toonopolis: Gemini, by Jeremy Rodden
Toonopolis is a cartoon city that is home to the thoughts and ideas of all sentient beings in the universe.  As the center of the Tooniverse, it acts as an other-worldly rest stop for these creations.  Gemini is a teenage human boy who is thrust into Toonopolis through his father’s scientific research program.  He loses part of himself in the process and immediately begins a quest to regain his lost memories with the help of his Tooniverse guide, Jimbob the Talking Eggplant.

After an altercation with a mysterious Shadowy Figure, Gemini’s mission is changed and he begins a new quest to defeat Shadowy Figure and protect Toonopolis from his nefarious destruction.  Along the way, he meets new friends, discovers just how diverse and strange Toonopolis is, and learns lessons about compassion, forgiveness, redemption, and being true to oneself.

The Banned Underground, by Will Macmillan Jones
What could be worse?  Having to take a holiday in the (rainy) Lake District in the North West of England with an aunt who turns people into frogs for a hobby?  Or battling the local dark lord, whose attempt at world domination starts with the nearby underground dwarf mansion and its enormous collection of used pizza boxes?  Or getting involved with a jazz-loving bog troll and his dwarfish R&B band?  Or is it being miles from a McDonald’s?  Join the teenagers and find out in this comical adventure where jazz and magic make a tongue-in-cheek laugh riot!

Whew!  I suppose that’s enough book pimpage for one day.  Stay tuned for news on other books!  After all, 2012 is the Year of the Alliance.  The Dark Lord said so.

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

For now, allow me to introduce my good friends Jeremy, Will, and Lisa!

Cheyenne, a Timeless Series novel by Lisa Wiedmeier

Toonopolis Short: Anchihiiroo by Jeremy Rodden

The Myth of Mr. Mom, edited by Jeremy Rodden

Toonopolis: Gemini by Jeremy Rodden

Okay, I lied.  There’s plenty to see here!

I plan to make a few changes to the site in the coming weeks as my free time allows.  Now that I’m working again, free time is once more in limited supply.  Still, I’m happy to have my old job back after a rough couple of months at the end of 2011.  Things are looking up for me: I’ve submitted three pieces for inclusion in a fantasy anthology with my friends in the Alliance of Worldbuilders, I’m doing a final edit on The Lokana Chronicles with a goal of submitting it to as many places as possible this year, and I’m working on an anthology of poetry plucked from the pages of this here corner of the blogosphere.  I’d like to put together an anthology of short stories as well, but I’m not sure about that yet.

In the meantime, I’m going to begin posting links to works by other lovely authors.  Karma, you know.  Also, they’re some genuinely lovely people who I’d love to help out.  Maybe if I ever finish my edits, they’ll be able to do the same for me someday.

And that’s about all the news that’s fit to print.  Today, anyway.  Happy 2012!

(c) 2012.  All rights reserved.

Anna threw on a sweatshirt and padded out to the balcony off the bedroom.  She crossed her arms against the cool night air as she sat down in the oversized deck chair near the railing.  A full orange moon had just begun its ascent.  A dreaming moon, she mused as she tried to slow her still-racing heart.  No wonder I haven’t been getting any sleep lately.

A dreaming moon, her mother once explained, was something of a rare occurrence and only affected certain people.  A dreaming moon produced intense visions, often forcing a person to confront their inner demons.  But occasionally, a dreaming moon produced premonitions.  Anna was certain that’s what she had experienced.

She watched the moon rise higher in the sky as she considered what she’d seen.  It was that boy again, the same one she’d been meeting in her dreams every night for weeks now.  The other dreams had been pleasant, filled with happy meetings and leisurely walks and much joy.  But this dream was different, more disjointed, darker.  She could still feel the straps that had bound her arms and legs, could still smell the acrid wood smoke from the fire that burned in the hearth.  The boy had saved her from torture at the hands of a dark man, but he was beaten soundly for his efforts.

Mama, I wish you were here, she silently cried.  I know you could help me make sense of these dreams.  She sighed as the boy returned again to her thoughts, for this time he was mourning.  His brother mourned with him, as did the dark man from her previous dream.

Anna hugged her legs and rested her head upon her knees.  She closed her eyes for a moment and the young man’s face appeared again.  He was smiling this time, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her.  She could almost feel the comforting warmth of his strong arms and the shape of his name on her lips as joy bubbled up from the pit of her stomach and erupted in laughter.

When she opened her eyes again, the moon was nearing its zenith.  A cool breeze sent shivers down Anna’s spine as she sat up and stretched.  The moon had changed from orange to gold and as she looked at it, she shivered again.  This time, though, it had nothing to do with the wind.  She turned around, expecting to see John watching her from the doorway, but no one was there.  “Weird,” she murmured.  With one last glance at the sky, Anna went back inside, eager to be rid of the moon.

***

Aníku sighed, frustrated, as he climbed out of bed.  It had been weeks since he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep and his exhaustion was obvious.  Bekol had mentioned several times that he looked positively haggard.  He was both touched and annoyed by his brother’s concern.  If only he had a cure for this insomnia, he thought.

Such thoughts were pointless and he knew it, but still they came.  The only thing that could cure his sleeplessness was news of Anná and at this point, that news was unlikely to come.  After fifteen years, she was probably dead.  That’s what everyone else thought.  But not Aníku – he couldn’t bring himself to believe that.  No, she’s alive, he assured himself.  She’s alive.  I can feel it.

A golden moon shone brightly through the room’s lone window.  Old tales of dreaming moons surfaced from distant memory and he wondered if there was any truth in them as he looked deep into the night sky.  Thoughts of Anná soon reclaimed his attention and he wondered if she, too, were looking out on the moon and wondering.

Aníku’s eyes closed, but he still saw the moon.  It cast an eerie glow over a young woman curled up in a chair on a balcony in some distant land.  Anná!  He knew her immediately.  He reached for her, but she was too far away.  He called out to her, but she remained still.  He whispered her name and then her eyes slowly opened.  As their eyes met, a shiver raced up Aníku’s spine.

She was alive!  And soon they would be together, he was sure of it.

(c) 2011.  All rights reserved.

Slowly it rises,
Watching o’er the sleeping land
From the autumn sky.

A young girl watches,
Wondering about a boy
And what lies ahead.

(c) 2011. All rights reserved.

I need answers
And I need them now, dang it,
Or I’ll lose my mind.

This anxiety
Is going to drive me mad,
I just know it will.

(c) 2011.  All rights reserved.

As in the days of Tolath the Wise, change shall come to our fair land.  It will come in disguise, as evil clothed in good, and rule the land.  The throne of Lokana will fall in time to a deceiver, a concealer of truth who will cast the True Path into darkness.  These things, and more, have I seen.

Born of lust and deception, the Dark One will grow to manhood with hatred in his heart.  Slowly, under pretense of goodwill, he will strive to eliminate Kiala and her influence from our lives.  But for a small number of devoted believers, he will succeed.

Sin will reign and beget sorrow.  For three generations shall man suffer as crops turn to dust.  Hunger and distress will lead to war and a pretender to the throne will arise.  Many will suffer for the Dark One’s actions, but many more will die for those of a usurper, who will betray the Torat and bring misery upon the land.

But the Great Mother will not forsake her children in Lokana and beyond.  Out of the fourth generation will salvation come.  Goodness shall be born of the Usurper, but also of an innocent, and together they will defeat the powers of darkness with Kiala’s name and praise upon their lips.

Anná closed the Tokhnat, stunned.  Could it be true?  Was she really one of the fabled Light Ones?  Oh, Papa, I wish you were here; I wish you could help me understand.

“Well, my love, our darling Eridani is asleep at last,” Aníku said as he entered the room.  “Anná?”

She looked up.  “What?”

“Is everything all right?”

“What?  Oh, yes, fine, everything is fine,” she stammered.  “I was just reading and…I miss Papa.”

“I know,” he sighed.  “So do I.”

“I just wish he were here to explain things.  There’s still so much I don’t understand.”

“Like…?”

“Like the Light Ones,” she replied.  “I’ve been reading the Tokhnat and in the book of Gul Ren, it says that the Light Ones will come to defeat the Usurper and restore the True Path.”

“Yes,” he said slowly.  “What don’t you understand?”

“Are we the Light Ones?”

Aníku stared at her.  “What?  Anná, how could you possibly think that we are the Light Ones?”

“Well, the Dark One was born of lust and deception, right?”

“Right…”

“So was my great-grandfather.  He tried to secularize society, didn’t he?”

“And he succeeded, for the most part,” Aníku replied.  He was beginning to see where this was going and he didn’t like it a bit.

“Right.  And then there’s your father, who was essentially usurping the throne through his role as High Priest.”

“Are you saying that Father was the Usurper?”

“Yes!  Aníku, the man led an assault on the city and used me to force my father’s surrender.”

He took the book from her hands and read the passage for himself.  Several minutes passed in silence as he digested what he’d read.  He had studied the passage countless times over the years and thought he had it all figured out.  yet it was Anná who understood it after a single reading and who opened his eyes to the truth he had not wanted to see.

“Well?”

“Well,” he said, looking back up at her, “you seem to be right.”

“So what does that mean?  What are we supposed to do?”

“It means, my dear, that the old prophecies were true, and nothing more,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her.  “We will keep doing what we’ve been doing.  What will be, will be.”

Anná relaxed into her husband’s embrace.  “I still miss Papa.”

“So do I, my dear, so do I.”

(c) 2011.  All rights reserved.

Once he had satisfied himself that Anná was sound asleep, he padded into the next room.  Embers glowed in the fireplace and he soon had a cheery blaze going.  He stood there, hands outstretched, warming himself as he contemplated the flames.  The war was over, the rebuilding begun. He should be happy, but he wasn’t.

Aníku turned away from the fire and warmed his backside for a moment before crossing the small room and looking out into the night.  Stars twinkled in the sky; their light reflected off the snow-covered ground.  Winter had come to Lokana and its chill settled for the night in the young king’s heart.

The stars and the cold reminded him of his mother.  The two of them had spent many a night huddled together for warmth when he was a small boy.  When his father had returned, those cozy nights had ended.  His heart broke a little as he thought of her and a single tear slid down his cheek.

He brushed the tear away with his thumb, suddenly desirous of conversation.  Everyone in the palace was asleep, but Aníku did not despair.  Instead, he lit a candle and headed for the small writing desk at the back of the room.  After securing the candle, he withdrew the appropriate supplies from the desk’s single drawer and began to write as if his life depended on it.

Dearest Mother,

How I’ve missed you!  These last months have been a trial without your gentle wisdom and guidance.  I miss you  more than you know and cannot wait for the day when we are reunited in the Realm of Glory.

If you are able to observe the events of the mortal realm, I do hope you will be pleased with me.  If, however, you cannot, then you should be pleased to know that I have married at long last.  Anná has returned more beautiful than ever and I am exceedingly happy and grateful to be bound to her forever.  May Kiala be eternally blessed for such generosity.

War cam to Lokana, Mother.  The worst of all wars set upon the kingdom like a plague and my own father served as carrier.  You must know all this already, since he now resides in the Realm of Darkness, but I feel I must tell you anyway.  Everyone else is asleep and I need to talk to someone.

I am working with Anná to rebuild, to make things better, but our path is not an easy one.  The seeds of Father’s hatred were sown far and wide, and they are rooted deep in the hearts of many.  People respect me as my father’s son, but they will not show Anná the same respect.  In many ways, it feels like history is being repeated, but I feel confident that Anná will not flee like her mother did.

She is sad, though, and I’m sure how to help her.  It is one thing to lose a parent, but it is quite another thing to lose a parent you’ve just begun to know.  Anná lost both of her parents so close together and she mourns her father most grievously.  I worry about her, but I try not to let it show for fear of adding to her misery.  The war was hard on everyone, but I think it was hardest of all on her.

I miss you so much, Mother.  You always knew how to make things come out right for me and I wish you were here so you could do the same for Anná.  I know time and understanding will do as much for her as anything else, but I want to do something more.  Seeing her suffer is intolerable.

The scratch of quill on parchment ceased as Aníku suddenly succumbed to sleep.  Anná found him slumped over his desk the next morning, his candle burned down to nothing and his quill still between his fingers.  She smiled for the first time in days as she carefully draped a blanket around him.  As she turned to leave, the letter caught her eye.  She gingerly lifted his hand and slid the parchment out from under him, then sat down to read.

Guilt flooded over her as she read.  She hadn’t wanted to hurt Aníku; she hadn’t wanted him to worry.  Oh, Kiala, what do I do? she silently cried.  How do I stop all the hurt?

The answer came from deep within and, surprisingly, in her father’s voice.  Heal yourself by healing others, he said.

“I will, Papa, I will!” she murmured as tears splattered onto the parchment.  “I’ll make you proud.”

(c) 2011.  All rights reserved.