Lori Sizemore

It’s Wordle and it’s adorable. Here’s mine:

Make your own at wordle.net.

I don’t know why “th” is apparently a word I use a lot, unless I’m seriously typoing the hell out of “the”, and I know I only used ye in the post on talk like a pirate day, so I’m surprised at it’s largeness.  On the other hand, I kind of expected awesome to be about two feet tall.  So, I like it.

I’m almost finished with this book, and I’ll probably update this post when I do, but I just wanted to jot down some observations about the book.  I’m not a reviewer, and there’s a good reason for that.  I’d have a hard time slamming a book even if it really deserved it (not that this one does–I usually take the ‘if you don’t have something good to say’ road) and as strange as it sounds from a writer, I don’t think I have the words.  Despite my attempts to prove otherwise, you really can only say awesome so many times (I do try to limit it to one per post).

Having said all of that, I’ll tell you what I liked about this book.  First, I didn’t know it was novelized non-fiction until I received it and read the flap copy.  I’d watched the movie, and my general rule of thumb is if I like the movie, I’ll love the book.  There’s just more to a book, and it’s usually more of what you loved about the movie in the first place (if the moviemakers did a good job).  So, that was my sole basis for ordering it.  I was not disappointed.

It may be because I did see the movie, and the actors done an amazing job, but the characters are all just so real and yet, at the same time, so eccentric and out there.  (My fave? Chablis.  The Lady Chablis, to you!)  How hard can it be to make real people interesting?  My guess: plenty hard.  We’re boring!  Think of all the hoops you have to jump through to make a fake person seem real enough and yet elicit some emotion or connection to the reader.  And you get to create them made-to-order!

I also loved the setting.  This is a perfect example of a setting being a character in the book.  Savannah.  It’s beautiful, and secluded, and dark, and crazy.  A lot like most of the characters in the book, actually.

I also found this out: Kevin Spacey looks a LOT like Jim Williams.  Or he did in the movie.  But then I love Kevin Spacey–but that’s another blog.

What I didn’t love? The book is a bit of a slow starter.  I don’t mind that, I read Stephen King, but in the world of romance writing this is one of those Rules-with-a-capital-R: start your story when the action starts.  Or something to that effect.  Look up the Rules, you’ll see what I mean.  It’s also said that there are a lot of romance novels released (true) and you’ve got to get the reader’s attention right away.

Either way, I’d highly recommend the book.

This site, cassettefrommyex.com, describes itself:

They were into you, so they made you a tape. Today you don’t have a cassette player, but you still can’t toss that mix. We share the stories and the soundtrack to your earliest loves.

It sounds so cheesy, but when you go there, read the stories about how the tape came to be, it sort of sucks you in.  And it must do that to more than just me, because there’s an upcoming book.

 

I think the best part is there’s even a track list.  That and it reminds you of those mix tapes you made and received.  Also, you might even find some songs to write to that you’d completely forgotten about.

Arrrgh!

I wrote a post ages ago about a quiz I took.  I entitled that post “‘You are a saucy flirt!’ –Lake Placid.” I even attributed it to the source, like a good writer.  Since then, every month, I get a hit or three based on a search for a “saucy flirt.”  Seriously.  Who are you, and why are you looking in a search engine for a saucy flirt?  Wait.  Don’t answer that.

I also always get visitors from people searching my name.  I’m probably not the Lori Sizemore they’re looking for, but it’s the other Lori’s fault she didn’t have the foresight to buy the domain first.  What is new, this past month, is a search for “lori zinke sizemore.”  What is a zinke?  And how is it related to me?  (Oooh, did you know google has a Wonder Wheel to show you related searches!  Nice one, Google.)

But this last search term is all new and made of win.  Someone came to my site with the search “are zombies really real.”  No. Lie.  Apparently, I am now a zombie expert.

I had this whole post written and Firefox crashed.  The hell, Firefox?  This one is probably not as awesome as the first one.

Quartet Press is no more. I had high hopes for the publishing group, after reading their blogs, their proposed plans on how to do business, and the hype.  Oh, the hype.  All I can really say now is that they came on the scene with a bang, and left with a whimper.

Read what people are saying about it.

I’m linking today to a beautifully written site. It’s the heartbroke daily and the stories there are the type that stay with you, haunt you, jog your memory and your senses, and make you feel like you’ve just taken a deep, secret peek into someone else’s life.  Whether you’re a reader or a writer, you will find satisfaction and inspiration there.

Go to fontcapture.com and create your own free handwritten font.  It said use a sharpie, but I wrote too big and cut off most of my letters.  The instructions are easy–you just need a printer and a scanner.  You must try it!  Go now.

I want to stick around a while and get my kicks.

Yeah, that was totally unrelated. I’m nixing the schedule. I’ll still keep posting, in the same categories, maybe some new ones. I’ve got some great stuff saved up for link licker and I think I’ve almost got this long synopsis thing at least under control–and I am totally posting on that process because anyone new at it, we need the help. The structure of a schedule helped me when I started, but when something stops working for you, it’s important to know when to let it go.

“What’s right is what’s left if you do everything else wrong.”

–Robin Williams