“Her Last” by Valerie J. Patterson

“Her Last,” the latest short story from Valerie J. Patterson, reads like an episode of your favorite police drama.  The story opens with detectives investigating the death of a young woman in the park, a mysterious crime scene that stumps the best of their staff.  As you continue to read you are taken through the whole process of the investigation and the thought process that goes into solving a crime.

“Her Last” jumps straight into the action from page one and holds your attention to the last sentence. Patterson creates a vivid world within the story that keeps you involved with the action and the characters.

It’s difficult to develop character’s personalities within a few pages, but Patterson’s characters are intelligent and likable, letting the reader form a connection to the story in a short time.  Even though it is a fast-paced crime drama, the reader can imagine the lives of the detectives outside of their work, which makes you root for them even more to solve the case.  Even the minor characters have distinct personalities that help paint a clear picture of the scene.

“Her Last” will release from Eternal Press on July 7th, and can be purchased through their site at www.eternalpress.ca.

You can also visit Patterson’s personal website and check out her other books at www.valeriejpatterson.com.

Valerie J. Patterson blog: valeriejpatterson.wordpress.com

The Readius Reveals New Technology

A problem many of us have with using our mobile devices for internet, or choosing an e-reader over a book, may be the size of the screen.  We want our devices to be pocket-sized, yet we want a big screen.  With things like the iPhone, the Kindle, and other products making developments in ease of internet browsing and e-reading, we still have to use a relatively small screen.  The Kindle has offered a new larger screen, but it doesn’t make it very portable.

The Readius is the first device that will be made available that is finding a way around these problems.  By using a rollable display, the Readius folds up to a pocket-sized device, yet the screen extends to 5 inches.  There is no creasing and no fold marks, no matter how much you fold and unfold the screen.  It boasts the same quality of screen images as other e-readers, and can even be used in bright sunlight.

The Readius is primarily an e-reader, but also has global wireless connectivity for internet access as well as a mobile phone.  You can check your e-mail, browse the web, call your friends, and download a book.  The battery life is 30 hours, so you won’t have to worry about it cutting out in the middle of a chapter.

This is just the start of the rollable display technology.  The Readius may be the first to offer it, but we can expect to see it on our other devices soon.  Research on flexible and rollable displays has come a long way and this will be the first major test of it’s success.

The Readius will launch in several countries in the fall and although they haven’t released a set price, marketing reps have said that it will be more expensive than the Kindle, which currently sells for $359.

The technology is all pretty amazing to me, but I personally think that it’s just going to get better and better from here, and I wouldn’t buy the first thing that comes out.  The screen is all black and white, which is fine if you just want to use it as an e-reader, but browsing the internet without color seems a little disappointing to me.  It also seems a little slow when you watch the demo, and would be better as a touch screen.  Maybe I’m too picky, but I just know all those things will be improved on as soon as the technology catches on.

Click here to see the Readius website, where you can view product specs and sign up to be notified when Readius launches in your country: www.readius.com

Click Read More to see the video demonstrating the Readius.
Read more

Espresso Book Machines

Everyone wants easier ways to get books.  First they started doing digital downloads that you could read on your computer.  Then came the Kindle and other e-book readers.  Now we can get books from an ATM.  OnDemandBooks has developed a machine, called the Espresso Book Machine, that can print out the book of your choice at 112 pages per minute.  Complete with a color cover and bound like any book you’d pick up off the shelves, you can custom order that book you haven’t been able to find in the store.

The Espresso Book Machine made its premiere in the UK, but is already in multiple locations around the world.  If things go well, you can expect to see them everywhere.  Currently the machine carries hundreds of thousands of titles, but creators say that within months its catalog will include millions.

Prices vary depending on the titles, and by looking through the digital catalog you can access the book of your choice and view the information.  Out of print, hard to come by books will cost more, while newer books will be cheaper.  This could be great for people who haven’t been able to find an older, rare book.  OnDemandBooks claims “No book need ever be out of print again.”

The OnDemandBooks website describes their creation on the main page: “Library quality paperbacks at low cost, identical to factory made books, printed direct from digital files for the reader in minutes, serving a radically decentralized world-wide multilingual marketplace. In essence, an ATM for books.”

Although this isn’t quite as exciting as the pizza vending machines I wrote about before, it is still an interesting step towards technology taking care of us.  Some people have said they’re afraid it will take over regular book stores, but I don’t think that’s the case.  I know that I love going to book stores and browsing the shelves, waiting for a title to catch my eye.  But I also know that when there’s a specific book I’m searching for, it would be nice to have a place to print it out in minutes instead of trying to find a decent used copy or ordering it online, paying shipping, and waiting for it to arrive.  It’s also nicer than an e-reader if you’re the type who really loves to actually have the book in your hands (like I do) instead of just a digital copy.

Another great thing about the EBM is that authors (published or unpublished) can print out their own manuscripts through the machine.  You can have a bound, professional looking copy of your book in minutes.

People will probably be wary of the Espresso Book Machines at first (plus that’s an awful name for the machine.  Someone needs to get a creative team on this ASAP) but after more places start using them, I’m sure it will become quite popular.

Click here to visit the website for the Espresso Book Machine: OnDemandBooks

Click Read More to see a (really boring) video of the EBM.  (Seriously, where is the creative team on all this??)  Also, there’s a more interesting video from CNN that shows the machine in action.

[Thanks to Michele!]

Read more

Wild Rose Press Birthday Contest

The Wild Rose Press, an online publisher for romance novels, is having a day of contests to celebrate their birthday on May 1st.  The contests start at 6am and go until 11pm EST, drawing for prizes every hour from everyone who has left a comment on their blog.  The prizes will be books of your choice, and at the end of the day they will choose a grand prize winner who will receive a tote bag full of gift certificates, books, and more.

Wild Rose Press has a great selection of books, so if you win you will get to choose from a wide range of romance genres.  They aren’t just your typical romances.  They have different categories to choose from, so even if you’re not a fan of romance books, there might be something that would interest you.

To enter, visit their blog and leave a comment between 6am and 11pm EST on May 1st at: www.behindthegardengate.blogspot.com

Good luck!

Werewolves Have Never Looked So Good

Finally, a good reason to see New Moon, the second film in the Twilight series.  Actually, this promotional photo released of the wolf pack shows four good reasons to see the movie.  Extremely airbrushed reasons, but still good enough.  The photo, from left to right, includes Alex Meraz (playing Paul), Chaske Spencer (Sam), Bronson Pelletier (Jared), and Kiowa Gordon (Embry).  Noticeably absent from the picture is Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob, one of the main characters in New Moon.  I assume they are waiting to reveal his new physique, since he has had to bulk up since the filming of the first Twilight movie.

When casting the wolf pack, director Chris Weitz said the most important factor was the actor’s heritage.  In the story, they are members of the La Push Quileute tribe, so it was important that they were Native American.  The actors had to have papers that proved their heritage.  The second condition to getting a role as a New Moon pack member?  They had to be in top physical shape.  Werewolves aren’t wimps.

New Moon will be released in theaters November 20th.

Vatican to Boycott Angels & Demons Movie

When The DaVinci Code was released, the Vatican spoke out against the book and film, being infuriated by the suggestions that Jesus was married to Mary Magdaline, along with other allegations which go against Catholic tradition.  With Angels & Demons, the prequel to DaVinci Code, being set for theatrical release on May 19th, the Vatican has already begun to speak out against the film.  The films are based on the best selling novels by Dan Brown, and have developed a huge fan following as well as a large group of protesters.

The film had asked to use some areas of the Vatican to film scenes which took place inside the walls, but it was immediately denied.  “Usually we read the script but in this case it wasn’t necessary.  Just the name Dan Brown was enough,” said Father Marco Fibbi, a Vatican spokesman.

The Vatican announced in their newspaper, Avvenire, that they refuse to approve of the film, and it is suspected that they will call for a boycott among Catholics.  However, Archbishop Velasio De Paolis has also said that he fears a boycott will only give the film more publicity and will throw the cause back into the face of the boycotting Catholics.  After announcing their disproval of DaVinci Code, it went on to make $757 million worldwide, so apparently their efforts were not very effective.

Where the Wild Things Are Movie Trailer

The first trailer for Where the Wild Things Are was released today, and I am more than impressed!  I had heard so many great things about the movie and the trailer, but I was remaining skeptical.  Now after watching the trailer I’m completely excited about the upcoming film and I think it really will deliver what everyone is promising.

It looks like the movie will expand on the ideas within the book in all the right ways.  The aspects of a child overcoming his fears and discovering something great within himself are the main themes, and from the hints in the trailer, it seems to capture that same essence, adding in the great feeling of adventure as well.  It looks like a movie that goes beyond the surface of the story and delves into the deeper meanings that Maurice Sendak wanted to address in the book.

The film also looks like it is brilliantly shot; just from these short clips the camera and CGI work looks amazing.  I also love the Arcade Fire song for this trailer.  It has been used for a few other movie promos and I wasn’t sure how it would work, but it went along perfectly with the images.  Music can really make or break a trailer, and this song was a great choice.  Where the Wild Things Are releases in October of 2009.

Lady Gaga: Queen of Pop

“Some artists want your money so they can buy Range Rovers and diamond bracelets, but I don’t care about that kind of stuff.  I want your soul.” -Lady Gaga

Click Read More…

Read more

“Based on a True Story”

I always think it’s funny when movies advertise as “based on a true story.”  Most of the time they do this with horror movies, trying to really scare you by making you believe “it’s real — it could happen to YOU!”  The new advertisements for The Haunting in Connecticut have been promising this as well, and it just strikes me as funny that they say “based on true events” right next to a picture of a boy with some sort of brown monster coming out of his mouth.  Really, that happened in real life?  I think maybe there would be some documentation of this, yet I’ve never heard of brown monsters coming out of people’s mouths.

I did some research to find out what “true” story the film was supposedly based on, and apparently there was a family in Connecticut who moved to a house to be close to the hospital where their son was being treated for cancer.  The family found out that their home used to be a mortuary, and suddenly they started experiencing supernatural occurrences, mostly seeing ghosts and some who claimed to be demons.  They later claimed that their son had been possessed, but it was also suspected that some of these claims were the result of the terrible illness he was suffering.  No brown monsters ever came out of anyone’s mouths.  Of course, Hollywood always has to play up the events to make a truly terrifying story.

It worked — there’s no way I’m going to see that movie unless I want to have nightmares for months.  No matter how funny I think their “based on true events” tag line is, it still scares me off well enough to make me avoid the movie altogether.

The story was first featured as a book called In A Dark Place by Ray Garton, and was later turned into an episode of Discovery Channel’s “A Haunting” called “A Haunting in Connecticut.”

Another interesting article about the house and the family who currently lives there: The Haunting in Connecticut

“Where the Wild Things Are”: What About the Author?

Maurice Sendak writes and illustrates children’s books, but if you have ever read “Where the Wild Things Are,” you realize that he isn’t your typical author.  A mix of a dreamworld and a nightmare, Sendak’s book takes you to a place most children’s books are afraid to venture.  A young boy who dreams of a world where he is king of the sometimes frightening Wild Things not only creates an amazing story, but shows the fears and strengths of a child’s mind.  With the movie version of the book being released this October, some people are wondering what became of the author.  At 80 years old, Sendak is still writing and illustrating, having written 17 books and illustrating his own along with 100 others.

His other works are no less intriguing than “Wild Things,” his most recent being the illustrations for the book “Brundibar,” based on a Czech opera that was originally performed by a group of 55 children at concentration camps.  The children later were, along with the opera’s composer, executed at Auschwitz.  As soon as Sendak heard the story, he couldn’t tear himself away from the idea, having always been fascinated and terrified of death and stories of the Nazi camps as a child.  He never understood why he was living and not threatened by everything that was going on there.  He felt the need to bring this story to life, to give it another chance to be heard.  It went on to win the New York Times Best Illustrated Award.

Maurice Sendak brings a passion and depth to children’s books that can sometimes be forgotten.  He himself says he could never even bear to have a child because they are so fragile, and therefore frightening to him.  He says, ”I’m not a good parent type.  It’s strange, I have the gift in books of comprehending how wild children are, how terrifying they can be.  But in real life they’re much too frightening.  They’re too vulnerable.  And it scares me.  How could you ever calm down with a kid?  You’d always have to be concerned, like I was with my puppies.”  Sendak then went on to describe how even owning dogs is too hurtful, because they die, and he can’t bear it.

Sendak uses his fears and emotions to connect to his stories, and this is what sets him apart from other authors.  He isn’t just trying to paint a pretty picture or tell a cute story, but he connects to the deeper part of children, the part that people tend to forget: the part of a child that goes away at night and imagines he is King of the Wild Things, who rises above his fears and becomes stronger than anyone ever gives him credit for.