X, Y, Z... The 3 Point Play

Yeah I know, I was supposed to do one a day for each letter, but stuff happens. So you're getting a three for one to end on a high note like my Bulls in triple over time on Saturday. Hell to the Yeah!! Too bad they blew it last night. Ah well... I also want to thank all of you for coming by for E.J. Wesley's spotlight. He is truly an awesome writer and one of my favorite people. (Did I mention he's a Bears fan?)

So on with the show...

X Is For Zhou Xun

Xun is a superstar in her native China and throughout most of the world. She is an actress, a singer and model, one of the first Asian women to be named as an ambassador for the House of Chanel. This amazing young woman gained international fame in such films as Suzhou River, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, The Banquet, Perhaps Love, Ming Ming and Painted Skin. She made her Hollywood debut last year in the brilliant film, Cloud Atlas as the characters Yoona 939, Rose and Talbot.

Environmental advocacy is extremely important to her and she was named a laureate of the United Nations Environmental Program's Champions of the Earth. Xun also promotes green living through her involvement with the United Nations Development Program.


Y Is For Jessica Yu

Jessica is a director, writer and producer. In 1996 she won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject for her film Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien. O'Brien was recently the subject of another Oscar nominated film, The Sessions with Helen Hunt and John Hawkes. Aside from her documentary work, Jessica is an accomplished television director, helming episodes of series like ER, The West Wing, American Dreams and Grey's Anatomy.

Interestingly enough Jessica is an avid fencer. In the late 80's and early 90's she competed on the US National Team.





Z Is For Mai Zetterling

I'm going old school once more with my final lady. Mai Zetterling was a Swedish actress and director whose career spanned nearly six decades. She got her start in Ingmar Bergman's films Torment and Music in Darkness, then moved to England where she starred opposite many legendary leading men like Tyrone Power, Dirk Bogarde, Richard Widmark, Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough.

Her directing career began in the 60's with political documentaries and a short film called The War Game. Her first feature length film, Loving Couples, was banned at Cannes for its frank sexuality and nudity. Guess they weren't ready for racy from a woman in 1964. She explored feminist themes in many of her films and raised a few eyebrows with The Girls, a look at women comparing their current lives to the female characters in the ancient Greek play Lysistrata and finding that not much had changed since ancient times. Too true, my sisters. Although I do know there many good-hearted, evolved men out there these days.

Interesting to note that Mai was indeed watched by British Intelligence as a possible Communist. You just could not have a liberal thought back then, could you?

Thank you so so much for sticking with me and reading all my posts. I loved and appreciated every comment and visit from the bottom of my heart. I hope that you enjoyed my theme this year and I am looking forward to next year. I will be spending time between job and writing, visiting my fellow challengers that I did not get see as well as catch up with ones I've missed. Be well my fellow challengers, we did it!

Author Spotlight: E.J. Wesley

I know I did not do my X post yesterday and well I have to admit that I have a very hard time finding women whose first or surnames begin with X in Hollywood. I put it off and now it is biting me in my big rumpuss. I have to search some more. Plus, I'm still coming off of my huge high after my Bulls triple overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets. Hell to the yeah!!! Ahem... on with the show.

Today I am so very excited because I have the One and Only E.J. Wesley at the Imaginarium today. Whoo Hoo!! I love this man's writing, the way he sets scene is sublime, his characters are unique, striking and complex people who really get to you. He's also a great friend and fellow Bears fan. I'm hoping he'll spill a secret or two, purely for the sake of friendship you know. ;)

Who or what first inspired you to start writing?

I'd written a lot professionally and academically, but didn't have a lot of desire to write fiction--until the two crossed paths. I'd always been a reader--Stephen King was a favorite of mine in high school and college--but even that had fallen off some by grad school. Just too many textbooks to read and papers to write at that point to have much time for hobbies. I was working in a counseling agency, and some of the other counselors were using these books about a boy wizard to work with some of the children. The kids related to Harry's 'muggle hardships', and would really open up when we talked about the books. 

I eventually read them, too, and it was like a reawakening of that part of my life. I saw firsthand what great stories could do for people, and it sort of made me understand what those late night King reading sessions (with the lights on... always with the lights on lol) meant to me as a teenager who didn't really relate to much else. It was that moment that I decided I'd like to create stories with words, too. 

If we looked on your bookshelf or Kindle, what are some titles we would find?

Oh Lord! A little of everything... The Fire & Ice (Game of Thrones) series by G. R. R. Martin, the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris, some Jim Butcher stuff, lots of Neil Gaiman, the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan, several Orson Scott Card novels, Harry Potter books of course (in multiple formats AND multiple copies of each--my wife and I couldn't take turns reading them when they came out, so we each had to have our own copy lol), classics like Lord of the Rings and the Narnia books--just a mix of lots of things, from graphic novels/comic books on up.

If you were sitting in front of a room of aspiring writers, what advice would you share?

Okay, I'm going to try to take a stab at something different here. The standard answer--and it's always the right answer, btw--is to never give up. Because you'll want to, like 'once-a-day' want to. But let's assume they've heard that one...

Evaluate what you are willing to sacrifice to create the kinds of stories you've dreamed of creating. How much TIME are you willing to commit to studying craft, reading, and writing and failing to make the story on the page match the one in your head? How many times are you going to be able to hear 'not good enough' and not give up? (PRIDE) How often can you honestly admit that others are better than you, and try to learn from them, before you'll be crippled by feelings of inadequacy? How many total rewrites will you do for a single story in order to get it just right? How many stories are you willing to publish without seeing any real financial return? 3? 10? 15? (MONEY)

If your honest answer is, "Whatever it takes." to all of the above, you're going to not only reach your writing goals, but probably become a dang good writer along the way.

 

Man, isn't E.J. the coolest? Here are his awesome Moon Songs books...

 

Blood Fugue Blurb & Links

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried. 

Life has pummeled her heart into one big, lonely callus. She has no siblings, both parents were dead by sixteen, and her last grandparent—and caretaker—was in the ground before she turned twenty-one. She’s the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thinks…

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying it with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

Blood Fugue is the first of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, paranormal-horror-action novelettes by author E.J. Wesley. 
Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble

 

Witch's Nocturne Blurb & Links

After receiving an ancient tribal journal from her grandfather, Jenny is sent on a mission of discovery in an attempt to unravel clues to her family's monster hunting past. The journey becomes more than academic when she is asked to confront a coven of dangerous witches who plan to cast an insidious spell on the plains of West Texas. 
Witch's Nocturne is the second volume of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, paranormal-horror-action novelettes by author E.J. Wesley. 

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble 

Dark Prelude Blurb & Links

Jenny Moonsong recently inherited the title of "monster hunter" and an ancient tribal journal/how-to manual passed down by her Apache ancestors. Unfortunately, a lot of on-the-job training is required to be a monster hunter, and unlike her computer repair business, this gig could literally kill her.

Dark Prelude finds the feisty protagonist, Jenny, searching for her best friend Marshal's missing father in the midst of a freak, West Texas winter storm. To survive the frigid night, she'll have to deal with a hated town rival, face a monstrous creature no Moonsong hunter has ever encountered before, and undo a mysterious curse. Can she keep everyone alive? If not, who will pay the ultimate price? 

Dark Prelude is the third volume of the Moonsongs Books, an ongoing series of New Adult, paranormal-horror-action novelettes by author E.J. Wesley. 

(These stories contain language and content better suited for readers 17+)

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble

About The Author

E.J. Wesley resides in South Texas. He holds degrees in psychology and counseling, but prefers to examine the heads of fictional characters over the living ones. He likes his food and his stories spicy, and tries to give a little extra 'kick' to paranormal, horror, and the other genres he writes. In true Texas fashion, he is very neighborly, and enjoys chatting about books, movies, music, and family. He is the author of the Moonsongs books, a series of speculative paranormal action novelettes, with a Texas twist. Say 'howdy' at:  Blog | Twitter | Facebook |Goodreads

T Is For Julie Taymor

It's Tuesday and I am already wanting the next weekend. Yikes! Anyway...I wanted to let you all know that I will be spotlighting the awesome E.J. Wesley this coming Sunday. He's graciously consented to visit and let me ask a couple of questions to find out some of his secrets.

It's T day here on the A to Z and I am spotlighting the incredible director Julie Taymor. Brilliant does not even begin to describe this woman who has received numerous prestigious awards in theater, film and academia including a MacArthur Foundation genius grant and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

She got her start in the late 70's when she formed her own theater company Teatr Loh, which toured throughout Indonesia and the Untied States. From there she went to work collaborating with The Theater for a New Audience developing and later directing productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew and Titus Andronicus. Her greatest theater success came in 1997 when she developed, directed and designed the costumes for the international hit musical The Lion King. Her work on this production garnered her two Tony awards, one for directing and one for costume design. She became the first woman to win a Tony for directing a musical. To date The Lion King musical has earned 6 billion in ticket sales and currently has nightly productions in 45 countries.

In the late 90's Julie turned to film where she adapted her production of Titus for the big screen. It starred Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange and Alan Cumming. She went on to direct Frida, the story of artist Frida Kahlo. It received six Academy Award nominations, ultimately winning two for Original Score and Make Up. Oscar would come calling again in 2007 for Taymor's film Across the Universe, a 60's love story set to Beatles music.

As if theater and film weren't enough, Julie has also found success in directing operas. She has directed productions of The Magic Flute for the Metropolitan Opera and The Flying Dutchman for the Los Angeles Opera. She filmed her production of Oedipus Rex and it received an Emmy Award and the International Classical Music Award for Best Opera Production.

My mind is blown by the sheer talent of this woman. And you know what?...She shares my birthday, December 15. We Sagittarians are in a class by ourselves, I must say.

Hanging In And Some News

Hey there Imaginarians, my friends, my online family...I have MISSED you all so much. I'm still out, but I found a way to at least keep in partial touch so look for me in the shadows, lurking about and leaving a comment or two before I go dark again. I'm hoping to have a new computer this weekend.

I wanted to share some news while I had the opportunity. First, W4W, Writers 4 Writers, is going to be co-starring Yours Truly and the awesome Gwen Gardner this month. Cue Kermit the Frog's wild cheering...Yay!!!! So on Februay 18, pretty please get ready to do some serious tweeting. I thank you tremendously in advance.

Next, we have an awesome blogfest from our Captain Ninja, Alex. The Top Ten Movie Countdown Blogfest blasts off on March 18. Go sign up, have fun, meet the other brilliant participants.

The incredible E.J. Wesley has launched his Moonsongs blog tour See where he'll be and all the good stuff he's talking about.

Too cool for words Jessica Bell has released her newest, The Book. Go check it out, she's a great writer.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the awe-inspiring Overcoming Adversity Blogfest hosted by Nick over at Scattergun Scribblings. He is compiling the entries into a book and the proceeds will go to fund college for his son Andrew, who has cerebral palsy.Here is my entry:

Silencing the Crowd

The crowd roared, a thunderous boom as Tommy Pike went down stealing second. One out, one on, they were down two and crappy Frankie Cisco followed her. Man,  she had to get on base.

"Lani, you're up next." Coach Miller barked.

She huffed out an irritated breath. "I know."

"Just relax. Take your time, watch the ball. Clark's got some stuff on his curve and you always fall for it."

Much as she didn't want to take Coach's advice, Lani knew he was right. She always fell for that hanging curve like stupid Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty's fastball.

"Come on, Little Lady, speed it up. We ain't got all day around here."

She glanced over at Mr. Cisco, father of said crappy Frankie. He gave a her greasy smirk as he hoisted another slice of pizza into his big mouth. Lani wanted to gag. No wonder Frankie stunk.

The cheers grew louder as she grabbed her helmet from Coach and fit it on her head, grimacing at the pressure. She jogged to the plate, taking a couple of practice swings. The pressure on her ears increased and she stepped back, giving the umpire a "Time Out" sign.

She shook her head. How could she have forgotten something so simple?

Trotting back to the dugout, she winced as she removed her helmet. Coach held out his hand and she took off her hearing aids, settling them in his big palm.

The crowd immediately fell silent, the world now a quiet place where she could concentrate. She put on her helmet and smiled, a steely calm coming over her as she headed back to the plate. Time to swing for the fences...

Hope you enjoyed my little piece. It was inspired by one kick ass little girl, who plays on my nephew's baseball team. Not only does she play with the boys, but she does it without being able to hear the coach or the umpire when she bats.

Cover Reveal

Blood Fugue, Moonsongs Book 1 by E.J. Wesley Cover Reveal Party

Author E.J. Wesley is throwing a blog party to celebrate the release of his new book cover and wants you to join in the fun. Jump over to his blog to learn about how you can win some awesome prizes, including $50 toward a cover of your own and advance reader copies of Blood Fugue.

Cover work by Sketcher Girl, LLC - http://sketchergirlstudios.com/

What's the Story About? 

“Some folks treated the past like an old friend. The memories warmed them with fondness for what was, and hope for what was to come. Not me. When I thought of long ago, my insides curdled, and I was left feeling sour and wasted.”

Jenny Schmidt is a young woman with old heartaches. A small town Texas girl with big city attitude, she just doesn’t fit in. Not that she has ever tried. She wears loneliness like a comfy sweatshirt. By the age of twenty-one, she was the last living member of her immediate family. Or so she thought…

“We found my ‘grandfather’ sitting at his dining room table. An entire scorched pot of coffee dangled from his shaky hand. His skin was the ashen gray shade of thunderclouds, not the rich mocha from the photo I’d seen. There were dark blue circles under each swollen red eye. A halo of white hair skirted his bald head, a crown of tangles and mats. Corpses had more life in them.”

Suddenly, instead of burying her history with the dead, Jenny is forced to confront the past. Armed only with an ancient family journal, her rifle, and an Apache tomahawk, she must save her grandfather’s life and embrace her dangerous heritage. Or be devoured by it.

BLOOD FUGUE by E.J. Wesley, is the first of the MOONSONGS books, a series of paranormal-action novelettes. At fewer than 13k words, BLOOD FUGUE is the perfect snack for adventurous readers who aren’t afraid of stories with bite. Available wherever fine eBooks are sold September 2012. 

Join the Party!

The Open Vein, E.J.'s blog - http://the-open-vein-ejwesley.blogspot.com/

E.J. Wesley on the Twitter - https://twitter.com/EJWesley