A good book should keep you wanting coming back for more. Each chapter keeps you hanging, every time you have to put it down you look forward to the time you can return to the excitement. This can be via explosions and action, or emotional tension and consequence – the point is to keep the reader hooked.
All well and good. Except now I want to clobber a certain author.
I just finished a book for an upcoming blog tour. I read the prior one last year sometime, and enjoyed it. The sequel takes the prior story and ratchets up the tension exponentially. I enjoyed the first book. I devoured the second one.
The only problem…do you know how you’re getting close to the end of the novel, and you look at the pages remaining and wonder, “How is the author going to tie this up?” I started pondering the same thing. (Noted later there were a few blank pages at the end…why do they DO that?)
And then the rug was pulled out from under me. The author had two major events happen on the last page. He totally left us hanging. (Literally) And the third book is not due until next summer.
Arrrrrgh!
It’s okay. I’ll forgive him and gobble up the book next year. Point to the author. That’s his goal, and hopefully I can learn from that. But one whole year??? NOT FAIR…
A good book should keep you wanting coming back for more. Each chapter keeps you hanging, every time you have to put it down you look forward to the time you can return to the excitement. This can be via explosions and action, or emotional tension and consequence – the point is to keep the reader hooked.
All well and good. Except now I want to clobber a certain author.
I just finished a book for an upcoming blog tour. I read the prior one last year sometime, and enjoyed it. The sequel takes the prior story and ratchets up the tension exponentially. I enjoyed the first book. I devoured the second one.
The only problem…do you know how you’re getting close to the end of the novel, and you look at the pages remaining and wonder, “How is the author going to tie this up?” I started pondering the same thing. (Noted later there were a few blank pages at the end…why do they DO that?)
And then the rug was pulled out from under me. The author had two major events happen on the last page. He totally left us hanging. (Literally) And the third book is not due until next summer.
Arrrrrgh!
It’s okay. I’ll forgive him and gobble up the book next year. Point to the author. That’s his goal, and hopefully I can learn from that. But one whole year??? NOT FAIR…
The first thing I am going to say about the movie Ratatouille is this: don’t take your kids. Serious. That way you can enjoy one of the best story-tellers in movies today without having to worry about popcorn, drinks, potty breaks, or other assorted kid things.
Okay, you can take the kids. They’ll enjoy the cute rat and his kitchen antics. However, they won’t come close to appreciating the delicious tapestry that Brad Bird and company creates for our viewing pleasure (and my mixed metaphor pleasure…). In my opinion, there is no better filmmaker today, and he happens to work for the best movie company in Pixar. Yes, I loved The Incredibles, also written and directed by Mr. Bird. I have also heard wonderful things about his movie The Iron Giant, which I have yet to see.
Enough gushing. The thing is, if a writer can take the concept of a rat in a kitchen (my mother-in-law is still having trouble wrapping her head around that) and make it entertaining, endearing, and overall believable, then you have a real talent. Remy is a country rat in France who has a nose and taste for the good things in life, related to food. His family is not so picky, and it causes a lot of tension for Remy. It seems he has been sneaking into a house to watch a cooking show by the famous Parisian chef Gusteau and has been learning the fine points of cuisine.
After an incident that sweeps him through the sewers to Paris, he ends up in the kitchen of Gusteau’s restaurant. The restaurant is struggling after the great chef’s untimely demise, and is being run by a charlatan more interested in making cheap frozen foods using Gusteau’s name. Remy stumbles across the new garbage boy, and after fixing a soup that the boy, Linguini, had messed up, is linked with the boy in finding their destiny together.
Linguini is hired as a chef but can’t cook beans. Remy ends up riding under his hat and controls him by pulling hair like levers to mastermind a renaissance in the kitchen. But this cannot be blissful: tension arises from Remy’s lost family, the paranoid head chef, and an icy food critic.
The lesson applicable to writers that read this (and hopefully all of Hollywood can catch it as well) is the insistance Pixar has of making the story first, rather than the other trappings. Remy is a fully realized character. He is nuanced, conflicted, and vunerable. The interaction of Linguini and his rat savior is very touching. The movie plays the heart strings gently and keeps you engaged despite the clamoring of the younger set.
Not that the movie is all character development. The visuals keep improving with time, and Pixar shows off a rat’s fur when wet or impacted by…static electricity. There are times when Remy’s animal behaviors (sniffing, fearing humans or danger) are so lifelike despite his cartoonish image. The zany things Linguini does while controlled by Remy are eye-popping. The story has plenty of action and conflict to keep the pace moving. Even The Incredibles slows for a little while, but I didn’t catch any of that with Ratatouille.
I’ve enjoyed Spiderman 3, watched Pirates 3, and suffered through Fantastic Four: Rise of the Poor Screenplay. None of them compare to the joy that is Ratatouille. Those of us in the creative community need to speak with the only language Hollywood understands: our dollars. If you value creative and compelling storytelling, go see Ratatouille. You’ll also have a great time!
The first thing I am going to say about the movie Ratatouille is this: don’t take your kids. Serious. That way you can enjoy one of the best story-tellers in movies today without having to worry about popcorn, drinks, potty breaks, or other assorted kid things.
Okay, you can take the kids. They’ll enjoy the cute rat and his kitchen antics. However, they won’t come close to appreciating the delicious tapestry that Brad Bird and company creates for our viewing pleasure (and my mixed metaphor pleasure…). In my opinion, there is no better filmmaker today, and he happens to work for the best movie company in Pixar. Yes, I loved The Incredibles, also written and directed by Mr. Bird. I have also heard wonderful things about his movie The Iron Giant, which I have yet to see.
Enough gushing. The thing is, if a writer can take the concept of a rat in a kitchen (my mother-in-law is still having trouble wrapping her head around that) and make it entertaining, endearing, and overall believable, then you have a real talent. Remy is a country rat in France who has a nose and taste for the good things in life, related to food. His family is not so picky, and it causes a lot of tension for Remy. It seems he has been sneaking into a house to watch a cooking show by the famous Parisian chef Gusteau and has been learning the fine points of cuisine.
After an incident that sweeps him through the sewers to Paris, he ends up in the kitchen of Gusteau’s restaurant. The restaurant is struggling after the great chef’s untimely demise, and is being run by a charlatan more interested in making cheap frozen foods using Gusteau’s name. Remy stumbles across the new garbage boy, and after fixing a soup that the boy, Linguini, had messed up, is linked with the boy in finding their destiny together.
Linguini is hired as a chef but can’t cook beans. Remy ends up riding under his hat and controls him by pulling hair like levers to mastermind a renaissance in the kitchen. But this cannot be blissful: tension arises from Remy’s lost family, the paranoid head chef, and an icy food critic.
The lesson applicable to writers that read this (and hopefully all of Hollywood can catch it as well) is the insistance Pixar has of making the story first, rather than the other trappings. Remy is a fully realized character. He is nuanced, conflicted, and vunerable. The interaction of Linguini and his rat savior is very touching. The movie plays the heart strings gently and keeps you engaged despite the clamoring of the younger set.
Not that the movie is all character development. The visuals keep improving with time, and Pixar shows off a rat’s fur when wet or impacted by…static electricity. There are times when Remy’s animal behaviors (sniffing, fearing humans or danger) are so lifelike despite his cartoonish image. The zany things Linguini does while controlled by Remy are eye-popping. The story has plenty of action and conflict to keep the pace moving. Even The Incredibles slows for a little while, but I didn’t catch any of that with Ratatouille.
I’ve enjoyed Spiderman 3, watched Pirates 3, and suffered through Fantastic Four: Rise of the Poor Screenplay. None of them compare to the joy that is Ratatouille. Those of us in the creative community need to speak with the only language Hollywood understands: our dollars. If you value creative and compelling storytelling, go see Ratatouille. You’ll also have a great time!
We had a windshield replaced by them in April. At the end of June I went to wash my windshield with a squeegee at a convenience store when I had a starburst crack start from the upper right of my windshield, where it meets with the body of the van.
Cascade has a 30 day warranty, and I understand that they probably got hosed in the past by people. However, you can’t tell me that this crack came by my applying a little pressure from a squeegee on the glass, or that it was caused by cold water. What it tells me is that either an inferior product was used, it was improperly installed, or both.
I called them, and they told me I had to check the windshield to see if there was any impact point from a chip or something. If there was, too bad. If not, maybe they could help me. After checking, there was no impact, just smooth cracks (with one spreading almost 2 feet by now).
Will they own up and replace it, or at least look at it?
No.
I asked them what they thought would be more costly: paying for one windshield, or dealing with lots of bad publicity from a disgruntled customer. Unfortunately, we live in a corporate age rather than a service oriented age, so the “customer service” (HA!) rep couldn’t do anything for me.
Their choice. I will no longer do any business with Cascade Auto Glass. I hope none of you make the same mistake.
We had a windshield replaced by them in April. At the end of June I went to wash my windshield with a squeegee at a convenience store when I had a starburst crack start from the upper right of my windshield, where it meets with the body of the van.
Cascade has a 30 day warranty, and I understand that they probably got hosed in the past by people. However, you can’t tell me that this crack came by my applying a little pressure from a squeegee on the glass, or that it was caused by cold water. What it tells me is that either an inferior product was used, it was improperly installed, or both.
I called them, and they told me I had to check the windshield to see if there was any impact point from a chip or something. If there was, too bad. If not, maybe they could help me. After checking, there was no impact, just smooth cracks (with one spreading almost 2 feet by now).
Will they own up and replace it, or at least look at it?
No.
I asked them what they thought would be more costly: paying for one windshield, or dealing with lots of bad publicity from a disgruntled customer. Unfortunately, we live in a corporate age rather than a service oriented age, so the “customer service” (HA!) rep couldn’t do anything for me.
Their choice. I will no longer do any business with Cascade Auto Glass. I hope none of you make the same mistake.
Due to vacation I’m a little behind on this special feature of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. There is a cool event that is happening (on the East Coast only, all us Westerners miss out on all the fun stuff, except fires) from July 9-19.
There are four Christian fantasy authors getting together for a special promotional tour of book stores to highlight their own books, and the genre of speculative fiction as well. You can find full details of it at their website: Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour.
I have only read Sharon Hinck’s fantasy novel, so I can’t vouch for the other authors, but it sounds like a cool opportunity to meet some authors and get books signed (as hopefully you are compelled to pick up 3-4 copies of each book).
Due to vacation I’m a little behind on this special feature of the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. There is a cool event that is happening (on the East Coast only, all us Westerners miss out on all the fun stuff, except fires) from July 9-19.
There are four Christian fantasy authors getting together for a special promotional tour of book stores to highlight their own books, and the genre of speculative fiction as well. You can find full details of it at their website: Fantasy 4 Fiction Tour.
I have only read Sharon Hinck’s fantasy novel, so I can’t vouch for the other authors, but it sounds like a cool opportunity to meet some authors and get books signed (as hopefully you are compelled to pick up 3-4 copies of each book).
I find I don’t have time to read all the books that the CFBA has to offer, so I often just support the tour by posting the pre-fabricated post. Later this summer I’m really socked in with reading commitments. However, after reading this blurb I’m thinking that Island Inferno could be a pretty good testosterone fest for those so inclined. Christian men have testosterone too! I say we let Chuck do his take on a prairie romance…
Chuck served four years in the Elite 75th Ranger Regiment–the same unit profiled in the movie “Black Hawk Down.” Chuck saw combat in Panama in 1989. After leaving active duty, Chuck flew helicopters in the Wisconsin National Guard while attending the University of Wisconsin.
In 2004, after ten years as a stockbroker, Chuck left that profession to pursue full-time writing. At the same time, he began working as the “Adventure Correspondent” for CBN.
He is the author of five books, including A More Elite Soldier, Bulletproof, and Allah’s Fire, the first of three books in the Task Force Valor series.
Today, Chuck, Connie, and their five children live on a farm in Appalachia, where Chuck now pursues his varied interests of farming, writing, adventure travel and public speaking, among other things.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
TASK FORCE VALOR
EXPLOSIVE ORDINANCE DISPOSAL–THE BOMB SQUAD
As the global war on terror heats up, the U.S. deploys a team of highly trained special operators overseas to locate and neutralize threats, bringing EOD expertise to dangerous missions that have no room for error.
A DEADLY EXPLOSION A new specialty explosive is on the black market: ITEB looks like water, but when it’s exposed to air, the effects are lethal! The United States government is frantic to keep it from our shores. Staff Sergeant Euripides “Rip” Rubio knows how destructive ITEB can be. He has already risked his life to thwart a horrific terrorist plot involving the chemical. Now Task Force Valor heads to Panama, on the trail of an arms dealer who plans to use ITEB to make a killing…literally.
AN ADVENTURE ABROAD Fernanda Lerida is a University of Florida grad student who jumps at the chance to join a biological expedition to a mysterious former prison island. But the snakes, bugs, and crocodiles are soon the least of her worries as the group stumbles upon something they were not meant to see. To Make matters worse, Fernanda soon finds herself alone and being pursued by an unseen foe.
A RISKY RESCUE When Rip’s path collides with Fernanda’s, they find themselves caught in the midst of a brutal turf war. Can they use the chaos to their advantage, or will one false step set the entire island ablaze?
“Island Inferno is a boy-meets-girl story. But in Chuck Holton’s world, boy meets girl in the middle of a jungle at 25mph. hanging under a parachute with an assault rifle strapped across his chest. You’d better plan on reading this in one sitting. And once you’re done, you’d better give yourself time for your pulse to calm down.” —-TOM MORRISEY, Author of Deep Blue, and Dark Fathom
I find I don’t have time to read all the books that the CFBA has to offer, so I often just support the tour by posting the pre-fabricated post. Later this summer I’m really socked in with reading commitments. However, after reading this blurb I’m thinking that Island Inferno could be a pretty good testosterone fest for those so inclined. Christian men have testosterone too! I say we let Chuck do his take on a prairie romance…
Chuck served four years in the Elite 75th Ranger Regiment–the same unit profiled in the movie “Black Hawk Down.” Chuck saw combat in Panama in 1989. After leaving active duty, Chuck flew helicopters in the Wisconsin National Guard while attending the University of Wisconsin.
In 2004, after ten years as a stockbroker, Chuck left that profession to pursue full-time writing. At the same time, he began working as the “Adventure Correspondent” for CBN.
He is the author of five books, including A More Elite Soldier, Bulletproof, and Allah’s Fire, the first of three books in the Task Force Valor series.
Today, Chuck, Connie, and their five children live on a farm in Appalachia, where Chuck now pursues his varied interests of farming, writing, adventure travel and public speaking, among other things.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
TASK FORCE VALOR
EXPLOSIVE ORDINANCE DISPOSAL–THE BOMB SQUAD
As the global war on terror heats up, the U.S. deploys a team of highly trained special operators overseas to locate and neutralize threats, bringing EOD expertise to dangerous missions that have no room for error.
A DEADLY EXPLOSION A new specialty explosive is on the black market: ITEB looks like water, but when it’s exposed to air, the effects are lethal! The United States government is frantic to keep it from our shores. Staff Sergeant Euripides “Rip” Rubio knows how destructive ITEB can be. He has already risked his life to thwart a horrific terrorist plot involving the chemical. Now Task Force Valor heads to Panama, on the trail of an arms dealer who plans to use ITEB to make a killing…literally.
AN ADVENTURE ABROAD Fernanda Lerida is a University of Florida grad student who jumps at the chance to join a biological expedition to a mysterious former prison island. But the snakes, bugs, and crocodiles are soon the least of her worries as the group stumbles upon something they were not meant to see. To Make matters worse, Fernanda soon finds herself alone and being pursued by an unseen foe.
A RISKY RESCUE When Rip’s path collides with Fernanda’s, they find themselves caught in the midst of a brutal turf war. Can they use the chaos to their advantage, or will one false step set the entire island ablaze?
“Island Inferno is a boy-meets-girl story. But in Chuck Holton’s world, boy meets girl in the middle of a jungle at 25mph. hanging under a parachute with an assault rifle strapped across his chest. You’d better plan on reading this in one sitting. And once you’re done, you’d better give yourself time for your pulse to calm down.” —-TOM MORRISEY, Author of Deep Blue, and Dark Fathom
