I'm no longer adding new entries to LiveJournal. Please visit my new blog at: http://hipmamajenn.tumblr.com/
 

Current Mood: annoyed

Current Music: Lover's Spit ~ Broken Social Scene

Lea Hernandez is launching a new series of Graphic Novels called The Garlicks. The series will consist of four volumes and she is actively campaigning for funding on Indiegogo http://www.indiegogo.com/divaleathegarlicks

Current Mood: content

Current Music: Metric TONIGHT!!!

Firefly fans have been watching and re-watching the perfect 14 episodes of the show for the last ten years wondering… “Will we ever see another episode?” Rumors have constantly circulated that there would be more episodes but as we all sat through countless ridiculous programs waiting and hoping for the return of the smart and thrilling show, our dreams were dashed. Yes, we had the temporary thrill of seeing Serenity, a film based on the pilot episode of Firefly in 2005, but the show died before it’s time. Like most great things- it died, but was not forgotten. At any Con, costume party or sci-fi celebration you are sure to run into a Captain Mal, Kaylee or Wash, some of television’s most memorable characters. You’ve never heard of them? Now is the time to acquaint yourself with the wonder that is Joss Whedon’s series Firefly. Any fan of Whedon’s other work, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Song will be sure bets to love this show. Its quick wit, complex subtext and diverse but relatable characters are endearing and become a part of the story of your own life once you meet them. Captain Mal (Nathan Fillion) has a flawed leadership that holds his ramshackle family together. Zoe is Mal’s war comrade and her husband Wash, who wears Hawaiian shirts and plays with dinosaurs, is the best pilot in the verse. Add Kaylee, a cute and mechanically inclined girl with simple taste and Jayne, the muscle of the ship who names his weapons and you start to see the sweet complexity of the show. Now let me explain the setting, imagine the wild west of America, in outer space with our superhero being Captain Mal, a well-meaning Browncoat (rebel), who smuggles from the government for the good of the people. Of course there is plenty of sexy, this is one of the first shows to feature the voluptuous Christina Hendricks, now known as Joanie from Mad Men and plenty of adventures, they wern't called "Big Damn Heroes" for nothing!

Perhaps you can see how people that loved the show could see the value in rallying behind it. On November 10, 2012, the Science Channel is going to gift us with one precious hour of a Firefly reunion. In the show all of the primary stars reunite and discuss their thoughts about what gave the show such lasting power for its fans, how the show has changed their lives and more. Any show that takes the time to create its own universe, language, culture and history has room to be discussed and digested for years. This is just one tastier morsel for salivating Joss Whedon fans.

Current Mood: busy

Current Music: Am/Fm Sound ~ Matt & Kim

At this weekend's Austin Teen Book Fest Sarah Rees Brennan led a rousing panel: We're Not in Kansas Anymore, and the stakes were high. The panelist with the least amount of applause and laughter from the audience was going to be taken outside and murdered! She compiled false histories for each of the panelists to lighten the audience's sympathies but as all of the authors were visible at the signing at the end of the day, I now believe that the threat was a rouse. ; )

 
(Moderator Sarah Rees Brennan is introducing Libba Bray (flashing gang signs in hopes to survive) and Leigh Bardugo)

Rae Carson shared that she knew that she would write high fantasy after seeing Star Wars as a four year old. "...I knew that the force was with me, I knew that George Lucas and I were destined to be together and I knew that I wanted more stories about fantasy." Rae explained that Tattoine (a planet from Star Wars), was part of the inspiration for a desert location in her books and she said that they also have Spanish and Arabic influences including caves and bullfights. She was safe from certain death when she shared with the audience the story of how she came to the idea for the The Girl of Fire and Thorns series, she was having her naval pierced and thought that an amulet in the naval would make for an incredible story.

(Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl fighting for survival and Rae Carson being adorable)

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are the authors of the Beautiful Creatures (soon to be a major motion picture) series. Margaret worked hard to engage the audience and made sure that the moderator, Sarah, heard all of the audience interaction. She did not want to see her head on the chopping block. At one point Margaret explained the benefit of having a collaborator: "It makes it a little less intimidating. You feel less crazy because you are both hearing the same voices." One thing that the authors realized after having their book sold in over 48 countries is that teenagers are terrified in every country. "They feel that they have no say and are not able to decide anything for themselves."


                    


Leigh Bardugo, whom according to Sarah Rees Brennan may or may not have committed a murder gangster style, chose to set her book Shadow and Bone in Russia because she grew up fascinated by the country and the story of Anastasia. "We have very disparate images of the country, brutality vs. beauty and these extremes work well for fantasy." She went on to explain how it was crucial to her to set up a distinct set of rules for the world that she was writing about. If they aren't rules then there is no reason that other worldly instruments can be brought into the story. "I remember reading Harry Potter and thinking, why doesn't somebody just shoot Voldermort? Let's muggle up and get this done."

Libba Bray secured her survival almost immediately by complimenting Sarah. She was not gonna die, not that day. Libba's new book The Diviners is set in America in the 1920's and there were many reasons why. "The 1920's feels like a film set. There is a unique language with slang and this is when youth culture really starts." She went on to talk about how our knowledge, or lack there of, changes society in dramatic ways, "...radiation was considered a health tool. Radium was sold and called "Perpetual sunshine in a bottle.'" She got a big holler of cheers further securing her survival when she said "When the going gets tough the tough get a librarian."

This week is Banned Books Week. It's a time for librarians, teachers and book lovers to spread awareness of attempts to limit what others have the opportunity to read. Each year the ALA (American Library Association) publishes a list of the most frequently challenged books and there are always surprises on the list. Each day this week I'll post two of the most challenged titles of 2011, (in descending order), as well as the reasons stated for the ban. Read a banned book today!

                      


5) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group


6) Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint