Cry Tears of Joy

I’m not sure if I ever mentioned where I got the name for Loose Ends from…if I haven’t shame on me. The name of the blog comes from a song by Imogen Heap. She is what most folks would consider an electronica artist. I have seen her in concert 3 times so far and have been waiting patiently for her new album to come out.

Even if you do not like electronica music, please take a moment to watch this video. It’s long…really long as a matter of fact (roughly 27 minutes). But once you start it I promise you won’t be sorry. During the month of April Immy did some recordings in Maui while she was trying to finish up her next album. This is the first of 4 sessions. (I will not be posting the others.) It’s absolutely breathtaking.

I’m not posting this video for it’s visual content, I am posting it for the audio content. I would pay to be able to have this on my ipod or on itunes. If you want to listen to the other 3 sessions go here.

more about “Cry Tears of Joy“, posted with vodpod

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The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

Synopsis: All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she’ll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member — a man trapped in a hell of his own.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction — and a soul-shattering test of love…

This was another book I randomly picked up the same time I picked up Bloodline.  And I have to say I was infinitely happier with this random pick than with the previous book I reviewed.

The Darkest Night is the first book in the Lords of the Underworld Trilogy. The mythos behind the book is based on a tweaked version of Greek Mythology, specifically what really happened with Pandora’s Box. I’m always up to reading alt versions of Greek Myth.

The characters were all very strong and likable.  The main female is a bit on the niave side regarding things but that can be forgiven. There were certain plot points that came screaming off the page, they were that obvious. But that is made up by the underlying plot that will hopefully thread into the remaining books. It is that plot that will have me buying the remaining two books to see what is going to happen.

Good Lord…Are Those Words On The Screen?

Why yes, yes they are!  It all started on Wednesday when Dana dropped by for a visit and kidnapped me from the house for a few hours. We wandered a mall going in and out of stores simply window shopping. At least, that’s what I did. Dana bought rocks. She recently started designing jewelry and has been on a bead and stone kick. The mall led us to one of the most amazing “bead” stores called the Rock Barrel in Dallas.

While we perused all the shiny stuff Dana and I began to talk about stories. She had recently added a bit to Witching Hour.  While I was aware of this – I admit to checking the posts on E! on occassion, I hadn’t really decided to get back to writing it. While in the car Finger Eleven’s song ‘Paralyzer’ came on.  Not even two bars into the song Dana says “I still think of Riley every time this song comes on. When are you going to write that story?”

See a while back (at least a year or more) I started an RP story with Dana and one of the characters I tossed her way was a male vampire named Riley. I used the song as a way to introduce him. Apparently the song + my written description of Riley really stuck with her because every time the song came on the radio after that Dana mentions Riley. (And I really do mean every time.)

Yesterday I finally started the story up again. Between two lengthy posts  for what I am calling The Black Orchid Consortium and the posts for Witching Hour and Pulse  I wrote roughly 2,000 words. I made three short OST’s for all the stories to help me along and right now I think my favorite has to be the one for Witching Hour.

Let’s see what today brings.

Bloodline by Maggie Shayne

Synopsis:

Lilith awakens cold, naked and alone, knowing nothing—not even who she is—except that she has to run, run for her life…because someone is after her.

When Ethan discovers the terrified woman hiding on his ranch, he knows immediately not only who she is, but what. He’s never forgotten her, not in all the time since he escaped their joint prison, a clandestine CIA facility where humans are bred into vampires willing to kill on command. He refused to accept that fate, and since he won his freedom he’s become a legend to those he left behind. With her own escape, Lilith has become a legend, too, and now—together—they have no choice but to fight those who would become a legend by killing one.

Okay. I picked this book over the weekend at B&N. It’s been a while since the last time I purchased a book of any kind that didn’t relate to research or crochet. I thought that I would enjoy reading it. I had never read a Maggie Shayne title before so I figured why not give it a shot.

I think I should have left the book on the shelf.

I has some issues with the overall writing of the story that marred the experience for me. First off, everything from Lilith’s perspective is written in the first person. Everything else is not. And while I can see this style of writing working in other books – it simply did not work for me in this book. It was constantly jarring experience to go from POV to another. I didn’t feel that it did anything for the story and quite frankly detracted from it.  Leaving me unable to make any connection with the characters, let alone care about what happened to them. It made my brain hurt. And this genre should not make my brain hurt.

The story itself felt more like it should have been part of a large picture, and it may well be. (I think it is part of a trilogy.) Unfortunately, I won’t be reading them.