Greetings from The Middle of Nowhere

So blogging from a much different area, much different part of the country.  There are a lot of dirt roads, camo hats and trucks about.  No more just stopping by the store on the way home to pick something up.  No waking up in the morning and heading out to grab a cup of coffee and a bagel.  It’s quite surreal.

Anyway, I’m hoping that all had a good holiday season and did all the things they wanted to… Partied too hard, stayed in and relaxed, ate way too much awesome food, drank too much stuff that tasted great….

Like I mentioned earlier, during this time, I was kicking off the time with a move.  Oh… If only I had more time, because I ended up having to have people come in and help pack up the boxes.  The important books were all loving packed away and marked clearly.  Some of the other stuff, well, not so much.

In fact, I think the comment made (more than once) was, there are too many books and too many shoes.

Um…. excuse me while I spam pictures of both these beautiful things:

Lots of beautiful pics on this blog! click the pic to see more!

Of course, now I’m finding myself having to organize (AGAIN!) these beautiful things. *sigh* But at least I know where they are.  The utensils on the other hand are still missing as is my Inniskillen wine key.  While this made me sad, I lasted a two full days before being forced to go out and buy a new wine key.

Clicking on this picture will direct you to a NSFW link! Just a warning.

So while I’m still digging through my many, many boxes

While I am still learning all the crevices of my new home

While I am am catching up with technology

While Classic Who is in the background

While waiting for Warm Bodies to come out in theaters

While waiting to make new friends

I am keeping my books nearby.

clicking on the above pic while direct to a NSFW blog

And I will leave you with a Twilight Fanfic called Dirt Roads by winehoes.  It is a hilarious story about people living in the middle of nowhere being much more successful than I have been. Maybe I’m visiting all the wrong gas stations.

Trucker hats, possums, and dirt roads.

Fan Fiction to Paperback

To: Lela

From: Mickey

Sent: Thursday, April 5, 2012 12:40 PM
Subject: FF to paperback

 

So I came across a surprising piece of information today on the internet.  (oh internet how I love your infinite wisdom)

Sebastien Robichaud

 

  This guy so it says (and the interwebz NEVER lie!)  is Sebastien Robichaud, who wrote a fanfiction story that I thoroughly enjoyed called “The University of Edward Masen.”  He also followed this up with another tale called “The Ice Queen and Mr. McCarty” which was also fantastic.  I was attempting to find more information on UoEM as the story has been pulled from the internet and is being published.  I am probably very behind with this information but I was thinking about it after seeing all the hype lately about another FF turned legitimate novel called “Fifty Shades of Grey”.  Anyone who has been paying attention to this story can see that the author is not shy about admitting that her novel started out as a fan fiction that evolved.  Now with three novels and a movie deal in the works, it seems like it has thrust fan fiction out into the public eye.  But because of the success of Fifty Shades, I wanted to go on a quest for other stories I knew had been pulled to be published and find out the new names of the titles.  It’s actually NOT a bad marketing tool for “Fifty” and I wish the others would follow suit because fans or even just curious readers of the stories might seek them out in order to see how much has changed and how much they recognise, similar to  seeing a movie version of a book.  I am guilty of all these things and at the same time, I am so proud to see them publish these diamonds in the rough that ended up being big time works in the fan fiction community.  There are some seriously talented writers out there and some are very much asking for constructive criticism concerning what they put out there.  It’s exciting to meet people who like these stories and join websites and forums where we can discuss to our hearts content and squeal with delight when stories update, needing to drop everything to read the new chapter that just posted.  I know, I know, I have said this before in my other FF post.  But really… there is a whole world and it seems that the “real world” is finally sitting up and taking notice.

 

 

 

To: Mickey

From: Lela

Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2012 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: FF to paperback

 

Every time I think of fan fiction, I remember my days of writing old Saved By the Bell and Dawson’s Creek episodes…  I would’ve never expected the guy to be older!
Cassandra Clare is also a fan fiction turned legit author, right?

 

The Mortal Instruments

 

To: Lela

From: Mickey

Sent: Friday, April 6, 2012 9:51 AM
Subject: RE: FF to paperback

 

Yes she is, she wrote Harry Potter FF.

 

To: Lela

From: Mickey

Sent: Friday, April 6, 2012 10:04 AM
Subject: RE: FF to paperback

 

?…. Nothing else to say?

No banter, no humour J

Have you read any?  Do you think it’s a good idea?

What about the 60 year old man???

 

 

To: Mickey

From: Lela

Sent: Friday, April 06, 2012 10:16 AM
Subject: Re: FF to paperback

 

 

I don’t know enough about fan fiction to be funny about it. 

 

I read all the ones that you sent me, and the bourbon something or other one. Having never read the actual books they were based on, well I loved those.  Those actually got me back into reading again.  And of course there was my fan fiction written in composition notebooks while in PR for the summer because there was no English TV.  Bet you didn’t know that both Dawson and Zach Morris had girlfriend’s named Lela

 

I did find it strange that a 60 year old man wrote that, but listen when we’re 60 we’re still going to watch the same type of shows and read the same type of books.  I mean sure, we may have to dive in a few more titles such as, “ Life without a Hip” and “Where are My Teeth”, but I think our tastes won’t change.  So most likely this older gentleman always like teen romance novels??? lol  I have no idea on this.

Pixar's Old Man playing Chess

 

 

To: Lela

From: Mickey

Sent: Friday, April 06, 2012 2:17 PM
Subject: RE: FF to paperback

 

Seriously.

Customer just walked in with the 50 book.  A girl here started asking her questions and the lady said she just bought it and was only on page 1.  I thought to myself… she’s really going to sit in there and read that while waiting for her meeting???! … really, it’s soft core, the whole way! … I mean, I know that’s one of the reasons it was so popular when it was updating.  And to be honest, I skip those parts.  I can only read about thrusting, ministrations and coming undone so many times.  It was actually one of the reasons I had stopped reading the FF when it was updating.  I’ve never been big on reading those kinds of novels.  But yes, I went and read 50 out of curiosity.  She is a stronger woman than I to be reading that in public. 

I blush just thinking about it.  Lol

 

 

 

I <3 Fan Fiction

So earlier this week, my twitter account updated with information about an upcoming movie that had just cast a director.  The movie was based on a book that I had not read… but I had read the fan fiction story that novel had been based on.

Yes.  I read fan fiction.

I love to read.  Before 3G, rampant wifi and constant access to the internet, I had books stashed everywhere.  I would spend my lunches reading (I still do this).  I would get in trouble in math class for reading and would hide books during class.  Even books assigned in school stimulated me.  Fahrenheit 451, Catcher in the Rye, The Scarlet Letter, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Of Mice and Men, Pygmalion… My love affair with the works of Shakespeare was ridiculous and I would even cut school to see the films playing.  I turned my nose up to the 1970 version of Wuthering Heights we were made to watch in school because it was so far off the original.  I read anything I could get my hands on, anything that was recommended.  It didn’t matter if  I hated it, I had to finish it all the way to the end.

And then I discovered fan fiction.

This was bad news.  I would already read three novels at a time and stay up all night to finish them.  I kept multiple copies of the ones I loved, made friends through online book clubs and then someone recommended a story to me, already completed, with characters I had already been aquainted with and I was hooked.

I would stay up at all hours of the night reading about characters I was already familiar with in alternative universes and strange situations, sometimes younger, sometimes richer and never ever the same and I loved it.

It’s one of my deep dark secrets.  I can count on one hand the number of people that know I read this stuff.  One I admitted to only after a a dinner involving lots of wine and then she admitted she wrote it!

Before anyone scoffs, these stories are all written about characters, not real people.  They are familiar characters on new journeys.  It’s the equivalent to watching “Blood: The Last Vampire” the original cartoon movie, “Blood Plus” the cartoon series and “Blood: The Last Vampire” the live action film.  All about the same girl but in different timelines and trials.   It’s essentially the same concept as rebooting a series or movie, sometimes it works (The Thomas Crown Affair  setting the chess scene aside) and sometimes, not so much (House of Wax.  Who thought they could improve on Vincent Price?)

Also, if anyone has seen, read or heard about the “The Mortal Instruments” series then you need to know that the author, Cassandra Clare, got her start writing Harry Potter fan fiction.

Some of it can be awful, some can be wonderful and some of these authors are putting it out there to hone their writing skills.

So before anyone makes fun of anyone for reading these or writing these, they should think twice.  I’m not saying it isn’t a little silly, but it sure can be a lot of fun.

mickey

“I write stargate fanfiction so I think I know what i’m talking about” – Hot Tub Time Machine