There’s only one rule to this blogfest:

List the best (movie) remake you’ve ever seen and the worst.

Here are my choices:

BEST

Batman movies have been remade several times, but my all time favorite version would have to be The Dark Knight.

WORST

I haven’t watched too many of the originals to know if the remakes were bad, so I had a hard time thinking about the worst remake.Here’s what I came up with:

It’s not that I thought the movie was bad. I actually love Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. I picked this simply because I liked the original better.

Thanks for hosting this fun blogfest, Alex, Stephen, Livia and Al!

See what movies other bloggers picked for their best and worst:

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Every Wednesday, I feature a writer and his/her workspace.  My aim is to get to know fellow writers better through their workspace and writing habits, and have them  share some of their writing wisdom here.

Today, I am most eager to welcome Rebekah Loper, author of numerous fun blogs. You can find a list of them at blackanddarknight.wordpress.com.

Welcome Rebekah!

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Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do for a living? What genre do you love to write? What are some of your hobbies or interests? Do you have a hidden talent?

Rebekah Loper

Well, I consider myself a “Jill of All Trades”, but also joke around that I should hire myself out as a “freelance organizer”, because my two most recent jobs have involved organizing offices.

I write fantasy almost exclusively. I get bored with real-life (or intensely frustrated) and making up worlds is my outlet.

Interests besides writing? Uh…. What else is there? Okay, slightly kidding. I’m a budding urban farmer, and this is smack dab in the middle of planting season in my part of the world. I have chickens living in my backyard, and am planning to convert the front yard into a mini-orchard (eventually). Otherwise, I also read and sew.

And my husband and I also celebrated our fifth anniversary this past January .

Also, I just won an award last weekend! My first big writing award

Rebeka’s OWFI Award Certificate

On Workspace

1.  Where do you do most of your writing?

In my house. The exact location within the house varies a couple times a day – I usually rotate between the living room sofa and the bedroom, rarely the dining room table or my actual “writing corner” (see the pink chair with the white cat? That’s my writing corner, and one of the reasons I rarely use it).

Rebekah’s Workspace

2.  Where did you get your desk?  How did you go about arranging your work area?

I don’t actually have a desk, currently. There’s a couple of reasons for this – the main one being there just hasn’t been money for one yet. The second being that I can’t actually figure out what type of desk I want. There’s so many to choose from! Do I want the tidy containment a secretary’s desk offers, or a traditional writing desk? A computer desk, and if that one, do I want a standing desk since those are so much better for you in the long-run? Decisions, decisions! Gah!

My current work area was arranged by elimination of space. IE: what was leftover to work with after everything that we had to get in the house got in it. So, currently I have a bookshelf with all my writing books and projects scattered all over it. I try to organize it at least once a month. Doesn’t usually happen.

3.  What are some important things on your desk?  Are there specific things you need to have around you as you work?

Pens, paper, and index cards. I do most of my actual drafting on the computer, but all of my character creation and plotting is done by hand with a pen. Not a pencil. I despise pencils. (I don’t know why, I’ve just never liked them.)

4.  What do you love most about your workspace? Do you have any favorite objects on your desk, or things you use often?

I like that it’s in a central part of my house. The only place I can’t easily access everything from is the bedroom, but if I’m in the living or dining room, everything is just a few steps away.

5. What’s your writing beverage?  What do you love to drink while you’re writing?

TEA. I love tea. My current favorite is Harney & Son’s ‘Hot Cinnamon Spice’. It’s delicious. I blame The Barenaked Critic (http://barenakedcritic.wordpress.com) for getting me addicted to it.

An unexpected quiet moment at the wedding.

On Writing

1. Who is your favorite author?  Who inspired you to write?

I have several favorite authors, in all honesty. I will read just about anything by CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Kathy Tyers, Dean Koontz, and Terry Goodkind.

Tolkien was who inspired me to write, though, when I realized that (at least for some people) making up complete, complex worlds was absolutely normal.

2. What’s your typical day as a writer like?  Do you have any writing related rituals or quirks?

I have no idea. I’m still trying to figure all of these out. It would be easier if I had a ‘typical day’ even without the writing. So I pretty much write when I have the time and am not too exhausted. Rituals and quirks are, sadly, a waste of what little time I do have. I wish I had more time, because I think I’d actually be more productive if I could have a set ritual to get me ready to write. Oh well.

3.  Do you write everyday?  How many hours a day do you spend writing?  What are some of your worst writing distractions?

I attempt to, but this rarely goes as planned. On days that I do write, I can typically spend anywhere from an hour to five hours, depending on what I’m working on, and how many interruptions I have.

Worst writing distractions? The cats. The chickens making odd noises in the backyard. The telephone (that I sadly can’t ignore currently, because of some long-term health issues going on with another family member). Reading.

One of Rebekah’s distractions

4. Why do you write?

Because there are characters and worlds in my head demanding to have their stories told. I rarely create a story completely from scratch – usually the characters dictate to me. Their stories have already happened, and I’m the scribe recording it for ‘history’.

If I don’t write it down, it feels to me like there are hundreds of histories that will be lost. And wouldn’t that be a shame?

5. Any writing tips or techniques or words of wisdom you want to share with us?  How about a favorite writing quote?

If you’re going to call yourself a writer, make absolutely sure that you want to be a writer. It’s not glamorous at all. It’s grueling, heart-breaking work at times, interspersed with the most thrilling highs. But if the stories won’t shut up, even if you don’t write them down? Then the work is so very worth it for the few moments of peace you can find.

As for a favorite writing quote, it’s probably overused, but still captures how I feel about writing perfectly:

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

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Thanks Rebekah, for giving us a glimpse into your writing life.

Wednesday Writer’s Workspace is an ongoing series, and if you’re interested in being featured here, simply leave me a message in the comment box, and I’ll be sure to email you.

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My normal list of activities include:

-          Working a 9am -6pm job

-          Making time for family and friends

-          Running my non-profit writing group CBW-LA (www.cbw-la.org)

-          Fulfilling my duties for SCBWI

-          Blogging

-          Preparing for next month’s martial art belt test (going from my Brown belt)

I’m also currently preparing from my first ever speaking engagement outside of my CBWLA group. One of the writing groups in our area had heard about my Kickstarting Your Writing Career workshop last January, so they invited me to give a similar talk to their group this coming week. I love teaching so I’m really looking forward to this event.

When do I have time for writing? It’s hard, let me tell you that. But it’s definitely doable if you love it enough. I’m happy to report that I’ve been writing almost every day for the past two months.

And I’m two chapters away from finishing rewriting URTH, the novel I wrote two years ago. Wohoo! I’m hoping to finish today.

I’ll have to set it aside and let it marinade before I dive into revisions. And while I’m gaining distance from my manuscript, I’ll be catching up on critiques for my critique partners and continuing my self-publishing research/planning.

Yup, I’m one of those people who like to do a lot of research before they jump into any new venture. And since  I’ve been thinking about self-publishing, I’ve been reading up on the subject.

So far, I’ve finished the following books:

APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur by Guy Kawasaki and Scott Welch

Make a Killing on Kindle: The Guerilla Marketer’s Guide to Selling Your Ebooks on Amazon by Michael Alvear

The Complete Guide to Self Publishing by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier

The Self-Publishing Manual Volume 1 by Dan Poynter

The Self-Publishing Manual Volume 2 by Dan Poynter

Although most of these books say the same things, each of them still have nuggets information that are unique and equally valuable. I’ve learned a lot about self-publishing, that’s for sure, but I still have at least five other books/ebooks that I plan to finish reading (because I’m a nerd). J

Well those are my updates so far. It’s a bit overwhelming when I list it all down like this, but I still do find time to sleep and watch a few favorite shows here and there.

So what about you? What have you been working oh these past few months? What’s keeping you busy these days?

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Here’s a list of the movies I’m looking forward to seeing (at some point):

Already out:

Iron Man 3

May 10, 2013

The Great Gatsby

May 17, 2013

Star Trek: Into Darkness

May 24, 2013

EPIC

May 31, 2013

After Earth

Now You See Me

June 14, 2013

Man of Steel

June 21, 2013

Monsters University

World War Z

June 28, 2013

The Heat

July 3, 2013

Despicable Me 2

Lone Ranger

July 17, 2013

Turbo

July 19, 2013

R.I.P.D.

July 26, 2013

The Wolverine

July 31, 2013

The Smurfs 2

August 2, 2013

300: Rise of An Empire

August 7, 2013

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

August 9, 2013

Elysium

August 16, 2013

Kick Ass 2

August 23, 2013

Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Grandmaster

What movies are you looking forward to watching this summer?

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Every Wednesday, I feature a writer and his/her workspace.  My aim is to get to know fellow writers better through their workspace and writing habits, and have them  share some of their writing wisdom here.

Today, I am most eager to welcome Stephen Tremp, blogger extraordinaire at

http://authorstephentremp.blogspot.com/  and author of the suspense thriller REAKTHROUGH.

Welcome, Stephen!

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Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do for a living? What genre do you love to write? What are some of your hobbies or interests? Do you have a hidden talent?

Author Stephen Tremp

I was in banking and finance (recreation business; boats and RVs) for many years. I managed various departments, was Keeper of the Documents for a $7 billion portfolio, and was involved with various projects including conversion and deconversion projects that came with mergers and acquisitions, and compliance projects like Sarbanes-Oxley.

Then came the financial collapse and I took a voluntary layoff. I took the time off to write some books and never looked back. I still do part-time work in the travel industry to help keep the lights on and the water running. I love the travel industry as people are generally in vacation ode and in good moods.

On Workspace

1.  Where do you do most of your writing?

I lost my manly-man space last year to my kids as we walled off the loft and gave it to them and I moved into a spare bedroom. Then, just last month, I lost that as the kids now need their own separate bedrooms. Sigh. So I now use my laptop to write wherever the house is quietest.

2.  Where did you get your desk?  How did you go about arranging your work area?

Staples for $99.00. I laugh as a kid I thought I would have this huge office with mahogany walls and a fireplace with books lining the walls.

Now, I’m temporarily in the kitchen (thanks kids!!!). But it throws off how a kitchen should look and wife is not happy. I’ll lose the desk in a couple weeks and use my laptop to write on the kitchen table, couch, Starbucks, or wherever. My PC is pretty much obsolete now.

3.  What are some important things on your desk?  Are there specific things you need to have around you as you work?

Stuff my kids made for me. Like a LEGO man sitting at a desk typing away. Classic!

4.  What do you love most about your workspace? Do you have any favorite objects on your desk, or things you use often?

Workspace? What workspace? Offices and desks … who needs them? Just give me a comfy place to sit, a cup of coffee or wine (depending on the time of day), and my laptop.

Three things on my desk:

Daughter number one made me out of Lego pieces sitting at my PC.

Daughter number two bought me the buck.

Wifey gave me Father of the Year trophy.

5. What’s your writing beverage?  What do you love to drink while you’re writing?

See above comment.

Stephen’s favorite coffee cup, Stitch from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch.

On Writing

1. Who is your favorite author?  Who inspired you to write?

I was inspired to write a book as soon as I finished Relic from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Dean Koonz is also an inspiration. I met him at a book signing and shook his hand and took a pic with him. He’s a very affable guy. But overall, I glean inspiration from a wide range of authors.

2. What’s your typical day as a writer like?  Do you have any writing related rituals or quirks?

I like to write in my sweats, PJs, something loose, soft, and comfortable. In the hot summer months it’s my boxer shorts. TMI, I know.

3.  Do you write everyday?  How many hours a day do you spend writing?  What are some of your worst writing distractions?

I don’t write every day. I take breaks. But when I do write, I make up for lost time. I just sit down and rock and roll regardless if it’s quiet or noisy and knock out massive amounts of a WIP.

4. Why do you write?

Writing is my passion. It’s what I love doing and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Except marketing and promoting, which I really like to do too!

5. Any writing tips or techniques or words of wisdom you want to share with us?  How about a favorite writing quote?

I can write ten pages a day easily. The fewer the revisions the better. Stephen King claims to make fewer than five revisions per novel in his book Am Writing and that’s what I’m working toward.

I’d like to write one book every six months and with Stephen King’s advice and my editor’s help, I can do it!

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Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your writing life, Stephen!

Wednesday Writer’s Workspace is an ongoing series, and if you’re interested in being featured here, simply leave me a message in the comment box, and I’ll be sure to email you.

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That’s right, it’s my blogaversary.

Time does fly. I’m glad I made the decision to start blogging three years ago. I’ve certainly learned a lot of things about blogging, writing and social media in general. Most importantly, I’ve met so many amazing people on the blogosphere and made such awesome friends. (Yes, I’m talking about you)

To celebrate this unbelievable (as in I can’t believe I’ve been blogging this long) milestone, I’ve decided to host another wonderful giveaway (on top of my already fabulous Shadow & Bone Giveaway).

I’m giving away SIGNED copies of the following fantasy books:

TROUBLETWISTERS by Garth Nix & Sean Williams

Michael Scott’s THE ENCHANTRESS, Book 6 of  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicolas Flamel Series

And finally, a SIGNED FIRST EDITION of Cassandra Clare’s CLOCKWORK PRINCESS, Book Three of the Infernal Devices Series.

This contest will run until May 29, 2013.  

To join, simply fill out the rafflecopter form below. 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Curious to know more? Check out my review of the book.

And if you missed it, here’s the link to my interview with Leigh Bardugo.

It’s the end of another Spotlight Week, which means it’s time for another awesome giveaway.

Today, I’m giving away a SIGNED COPY of SHADOW & BONE, Book One of the Grisha Trilogy!

To win, just Leave a comment below and tell me why you’d like a copy of the book.

I’ll put all your names in my magical drawing box and pick the winner.

I love encouraging people to unleash their imaginative and creative sides, so the more creative your answers are, the more chances you have of winning. If your comment/answer tickles my fancy, I’ll add another slip of paper (or two) with your name on it to my drawing box.

Also, if you tweet about this giveaway, or share it on Facebook, I’ll add more slips of papers with your name on it.

Contest will run until May 22, 2013.

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I bump into Leigh at various SCBWI schmoozes and events. I’ve always been a fan of her quick wit and sense of humor, and now I’m a big fan of her book.

Last June, 2012, I was lucky enough to be at her book launch for SHADOW & BONE. I enjoyed listening to Leigh talk about her journey to publication and how she had started writing when she was nine.

At Author Leigh Bardugo’s Book launch in Hollywood, CA

Leigh has many talents. She’s a make-up artists whose skills can make any beautiful model look like the scariest ghoul. She also has a wonderful voice, and when she has time, she rocks out with her Captain Automatic bandmates.

Among other things, Leigh is a great teacher and she graced my group, CBW-LA,  with her awesome teaching skills. Along with fellow author Jennifer Bosworth, Leigh taught a workshop on Avoiding Publishing Pitfalls: From Draft to Deal.

Authors Leigh Bardugo and Jennifer Bosworth with CBW-LA officers.

I’m lucky to even live in the same county as this amazing and talented author!

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Author’s Bio from Her website:

Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives in Hollywood, where she indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson. Occasionally, she can be heard singing with her band, Captain Automatic.

Her debut novel, Shadow & Bone (Holt Children’s/ Macmillan), is a New York Times Best Seller and the first book in the Grisha Trilogy. Book 2, Siege and Storm, will be published in 2013. She is represented by Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of New Leaf.

Leigh’s Social Media Sites:

Blog http://lbardugo.tumblr.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrishaTrilogy?ref=ts

Twitter https://twitter.com/LBardugo

Website: http://www.leighbardugo.com/

The Talented Leigh Bardugo

1. Tell us three random, unique, or weird facts about yourself.

I’ve never had a cavity.

My last name means “executioner” in Spanish.

I can recite Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29.

2. What’s the most unusual job you had before you became a full time writer?

I spent a summer as a beer girl. I’d applied for a sales and marketing internship, but I ended up lugging bottles of microbrew around Manhattan in 100 degree heat, trying to get delis and bars to stock it. It didn’t help that the beer was terrible.

3. What prompted you to take your writing seriously?

Such a tough question. I think I always took my writing seriously. The real trick was ditching my self-doubt and perfectionism and just committing to finishing a first draft. As messy as that draft was, it had a beginning, a middle, and an end. That gave me confidence.

4. What inspired you to write Shadow & Bone?

In fantasy, darkness usually operates as a metaphor. I wanted to see what would happen if I gave it real physical form. That idea became the Shadow Fold and every other part of the story arose from it.

5. Tell us about your path to publication. What is the coolest thing about being a published author?

My path to publication has been obscenely fortunate. I queried my agent, Joanna Volpe, at the end of October 2010 and signed with her in November. We went to auction later that month, and shortly after that, the trilogy sold to Holt Children’s/Macmillan. I’m proud of Shadow and Bone, but I also know that I got very lucky. I happened to query the right person at the right time in the right market. If you’re out there querying or on submission and it doesn’t happen over night, don’t lose faith. It’s not about the quick deal or the big deal. It’s about finding good people to work with and the right home for your book.

 For me, the best thing about being an author is definitely hearing from readers—whether it’s fan art or email or someone coming out to an event. Seriously, there’s nothing better.

6. What’s your typical day as a writer like? Do you have any writing-related rituals or quirks?

When I’m drafting, I do a pretty good imitation of a normal person. I work in cafes and coffee shops and I like to have writing dates with friends so we can keep each other honest. But when it’s time to turn that rough draft into a book, I disappear into my house and I don’t come out for months. I think my only writerly quirk is that I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning when I’m on deadline. Erm… and I occasionally sing while editing.

7.  What advice would you like to give to writers on the road to publication?

Find readers that you trust and listen to their feedback with an open mind. Write. Revise. Do it again. Then be kind to yourself. So much of this business is about luck and timing. If you put your work out into the world and you don’t get the response you hoped for, don’t give up. Have a good cry or a cocktail or break a vase. Then dust yourself off and keep making art.

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Thanks Leigh, for that wonderful interview!

Tune in again on Friday. I’ll be giving away a SIGNED copy of Leigh Bardugo’s SHADOW & BONE!

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SHADOW & BONE, BOOK 1 OF THE GRISHA TRILOGY

368 pages, Hardcover

Genre: YA Ages 12 and up

Published on June 5, 2012 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

ISBN-10: 0805094598

ISBN-13: 978-0805094596

First Line:

Standing on the edge of a crowded road, I looked down onto the rolling fields and abandoned farms of the Tula Valley and got my first glimpse of the Shadow Fold.

Synopsis:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

My Review:

Author Leigh Bardugo has managed to create the entirely new genre of Tsarpunk by setting her high fantasy story in a Russian-esque country (instead of the usual medieval English setting).

The world-building in SHADOW & BONE is amazing. Leigh has come up with a unique magical system with her use of the Grisha— warrior magicians who can manipulate tides, winds, steel and even flesh. I love how Leigh stays true to her roots as a make-up artist, with her inclusion of a “flesh tailor”—a special kind of Grisha who can enhance the beauty of anyone, even an aging and vain queen.

The characters in this story are easy to love. Alina is a strong-willed and impulsive protagonist, whose lonely heart only desires to be loved. She is most at home with her best friend Mal, whose good looks and warrior skills can easily make any girl swoon. It was great fun to witness their relationship change from best friends, to barely friends to maybe more than friends.

But they aren’t the only characters who make the story more enjoyable. The Darkling is an enigma. He is a grisha who has the ability to control darkness. More importantly, he is a subtle villain whose motives don’t become clear until the very end. His sometimes charming nature overwhelms the mysteries surrounding him, and it’s easy to see why even the usually guarded Alina is drawn to him.

Alina is a sun-summoner, the only one in the land who has the ability to manipulate light. Together, she and Darkling are two halves of the perfect whole. But when Alina discovers the Darkling’s true intentions, her moral compass points her the other way—in a direction far from the Darkling’s grasp.

The plot twists and turns in very unexpected ways. Most of the scenes are filled with intrigue and secrets, while the rest are filled with action. Leigh Bardugo delivers the story in a language that is both simple and poetic. I found myself so immersed in the story that I managed to finish it in two and a half hours.

SHADOW & BONE is an enchanting and compelling read. It’s become one of my favorite fantasy stories and I’m eagerly looking forward to its sequel SIEGE & STORM.

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Come back this Wednesday for the second part of the Spotlight Week, where we feature an interview with SHADOW & BONE Author Leigh Bardugo.

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Jodie, Cassie and Laura!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On another note, today is my birthday so I’m taking a break from writing and work.

To celebrate another year of getting older (though not necessarily wiser), I thought I would amuse you with some interesting (and completely useless trivia) about April 26 (all information from Wikipedia).

Image from sodahead.com

Celebrations:

April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day. Established in 2000, this day is to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life.”

April 26 is the Catholic Feast Day of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

April 26 is also National Pretzel Day

Famous Folks Born on April 26

121 – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor (d. 180)

570 – Muhammad, Muslim prophet, founder of Islam d. 632)

1785 – John James Audubon, French-American naturalist and illustrator (d. 1851)

1910 – Tomoyuki Tanaka, Japanese movie producer (d. 1997)

1917 – I.M. Pei, Chinese architect

1834 – Charles Farrar Browne, American writer (d. 1867)

1889 – Anita Loos, American writer (d. 1981)

1898 – Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)

1912 – A. E. van Vogt, Canadian writer (d. 2000)

1916 – Morris West, Australian writer (d. 1999)

Historical April 26 Events

1564 – Playwright William Shakespeare was baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England

1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.

1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L’Aigle, France; the event convinces European science that meteors exist.

1945 – World War II: Filipino troops of the 66th Infantry Regiment, Philippine Commonwealth Army, USAFIP-NL and the American troops of the 33rd and 37th Infantry Division, United States Army was liberated in Baguio City and they fought against the Japanese forces under by General Tomoyuki Yamashita.

1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world’s first human open fetal surgery.

1989 – The deadliest tornado in world history strikes Central Bangladesh, killing upwards of 1,300, injuring 12,000, and leaving as many as 80,000 homeless.

Finally, Happy Birthday to the following celebrities born today:

Carol Burnett

Channing Tatum

Debra Wilson

Giancarlo Esposito

Jet Li

Joan Chen

John Isner

Jordana Brewster

Kevin James

McKenzie Westmore

Stana Katic

Tom Welling

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