Stephenie Meyer: Author of the Twilight series and the Host

Many people know Stephenie Meyer as the author of the very famous Twilight series and the creator of Edward Cullen. That's how I first came to know Stephenie. I read the Twilight series out of order, I read Eclipse first because it was one of the bestsellers at the time last year and the story looked pretty interesting. When I read it I realized that I had come in on the third book of the series, but that didn't stop me from falling in love with all the characters. After reading Eclipse I immediately set out to buy and read all the other books before it and if you can't tell from previous postings, I was hooked!

When Stephenie Meyer's other book, The Host, came out I was even more in shock to find that she had yet again created a world so unique and creative it amazed me that the human mind could come up with it. Everyone calls Stephenie the J.K. Rowling of America and in many aspects that's true but it's also very different. Both of these amazing authors have created a pop-culture phenomenon that has reached so many people. They also both created a world so amazing it's no wonder that many kids dream of being in that world. But to me, even though I do LOVE J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer has a bit more of an imaginative mind. Rowling's world of Harry Potter was not entirely made up by her, with many of the creatures and other aspects of wizarding life made up for her. The same goes with Stephenie and her vampires but she became different when she turned the picture of scary Dracula in our heads to someone who was so insanely gorgeous and normal (at least as normal as a vampire who drinks blood can be). Now the world of the Host, that was a world that I have never heard of before and something so unique that only her mind could have made it up. That's what amazes me. If you haven't read the Host yet I suggest you do. I'm an author myself and I love making up stories but seeing myself creating a world so different that you just want to be there seems practically impossible. My mind is just not capable of coming up with something so insanely brilliant.

J.K. Rowling was my inspiration for writing but now I look up to Stephenie Meyer as the motivation to keep me going. Stephenie has young kids on her own and a crazy life but she still finds time to write the stories that she loves to write. Whenever I have writer's block or just feel like giving up I think about Stephenie and her success while I'm listening to not only her favorite band but has now become mine as well, Muse. I just sit there with the music in the background staring at the words that I have written on the computer and immediately I come up with the most amazing idea that the next two hours are lost to me and by the time I'm done I 've realized that I've written almost 15 pages. I can not wait for Stephenie's next work and hopefully she will publish the Edward Cullen version of Twilight called Midnight Sun.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

Many people thought that the Harry Potter saga ended with the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But of course J.K. Rowling can never let go the one story that she truly loves. Last year at a charity auction the book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, was sold for a very high price. J.K. Rowling took that as an opportunity to publish the book and distribute it world wide for her charity, Children’s High Level Group.
This book was the same book mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Professor Dumbledore left it for Hermione Granger in his will. The Tale of the Three Brothers and three other short stories are, according to J.K. Rowling, famous bedtime stories for wizard children. Now this book is really cool because after all the short stories you get an in depth look on the stories through the perspective of Albus Dumbledore. This book provides a whole new way of getting into Dumbledore’s mind and they way this truly intelligent, powerful, clever, and slightly odd headmaster of Hogwarts really thinks. If you are a Harry Potter fan I really suggest you read this book (it is also very short so it’s an easy read!).

Poetry Through Art

The poem, Lady of Shallot, was made into a painting by Waterhouse. The painting in my opinion doesn't give a good interpretation of the poem. The painting itself just depicts this woman getting up from her chair and looking at the viewer as you see here. The story is about a woman who wants to escape the small island Shallot to see her true love Lancelot in Camelot. The woman looks mainly like she's trying to escape prison. In a way it has to do with the poem because she has heard rumors that if she stays in Shallot weaving then she would die. What I would do to change the painting is have her look out the window and out into the distant land of Camelot. There in the distance would be the knight Lancelot who she is looking to with starstruck eyes. Her weaving basket would be beside her and you would see the whole Camelot seen through the mirror that it talks about in the poem.

The next poem, the Fall of Icarus, was made into a painting by Bruegal. This painting was okay if you look at it closely. At first it looks like a normal scene in the Greek island, Crete. Only if you spend some time looking at it, like I did, do you actually notice Icarus drowning in a small corner. The painting itself is beautiful but in my opinion it should have more of a focus on Icarus. If I could actually paint something else besides stick people, Icarus would be a major focus, since the painting is about him. I would put him falling into the water with his wings wax wrapped all around him, pulling him down towards the dark ocean. Or I would also paint him flying up to the sky really close to the sun, with his wings slowly melting. The ocean would be below him and he would be looking down to what would seem his obvious death.

World Without End by Ken Follett

Okay so I promised you that I will give a different view on World Without End once I finished it. Unfortunately I can't finish it anytime soon due to the fact that I have to read a novel for a test and another one for a newspaper article (yes, I'm on the newspaper). So I decided I'll give a temporary review on this novel. Again, this novel isn't appropriate for children under 14. Reader discretion advised.

We're back at Kingsbridge Priory after 200 years and it seems like things can't seem any worse. The bridge collapses on the last day of the Annual Fleece Fair, killing hundreds of Kingsbridge townsfolk and visitors to the town. This bridge changes the lives of Merthin Carpenter, Caris Wooler, Gwenda, Brother Godwyn, and Squire Ralph. A story filled with love, war, and a pride for yourself and others, this is the story of the legendary Kingsbridge Cathedral and how it brought completely different people's lives together.

So the summary that I just gave you sounded pretty good right? Sounded just as good as Pillars of the Earth for a little bit. The very sad thing is it doesn't come close to the first book at all. Pillars of the Earth kept me riveted through over 900 pages. Never did the book seem dull or without any action. The description was vivid and I always loved the main characters. World Without End is a different story. The description is great and that's probably why this book exceeded a thousand pages. There is so much description that it gets you bored very easily. I will admit though that the characters are well developed. Every character, even the ones that you only see for one page, have a huge background story. Don't get me wrong, that can be great, only a true writer can come up with that. The bad thing is that he tells their whole entire story in tremendous detail. So you're getting information on characters that you don't even really care about.

Plus, there isn't as much action or drama going on in this novel. This one is missing a lot of the fights stories, even rape stories which were common back then. I'll admit there are some parts that are really good and that kept me riveted for about 20 pages. But riveted reading for 20 pages isn't the same as riveted reading for 1014 pages. That's what Pillars of the Earth did for me and I never wanted to put it down. I felt like I was being forced to finish World Without End and when I feel like that I really don't want to finish the book. Overall, it was okay, but Ken Follett can do better. :( Maybe I'll go back to it one day and finish it.

My New Novel!!! Written by Yours Truly

OK, so I promised you many things when it came to this blog. I promised you book reviews, updates on certain authors, and my own work on my own novel. Today is novel day. In other words, this is the first you will ever hear about my novel.

I'm still debating whether to post the name of my novel yet so it might be a while until you find that one out. But I will give you the shortest summary on it (this way no one can steal my ideas, the writing world is a dog eat dog world and you can't take any risks).

Now I will say that this is a teen novel so my audience is teenage girls between the ages of 13 all the way up to 21. It is a romance story so that is why I say girls. Guys, if you ever read my novel, let's just say you will feel like the gayest man on earth for many days. Unless you are a gay guy. If you are I have no problem with you reading my book. :)

Now the main characters' names are Lily and Dan. Lily is a high school senior and Dan is a college freshmen. The story is pretty much the struggle of them falling in love and accepting each other's love. Now I know that sounds like many other romance novels out there but this one has a certain twist to it. It's also based on a true story. Now you won't find out the twist until I officially am done with my book. Don't say that I didn't warn you but it might take another three years before I'm done. Not to mention the copyrighting, editing, and publishing process which may never get done...

But don't worry because I am very determined to see my dream come true and have my first ever novel published. Novel writing isn't as easy as it might sound and that's why I need you guys who are reading this to encourage me every step of the way. This is my dream and to make it come true would mean the world to me.

Also the picture is a clue as to what is going on in my book. Whatever you were guessing before probably has nothing to do with the real thing. Actually what you're guessing right now is probably even more off then before. Good luck trying to figure it out!!!!

P.S. I've decided to give you a little treat.... This isn't the title of my novel now but another one that I've stopped work on. The Payback was a novel that I worked on for two years and I was about halfway done when I realized that this wasn't the story that I really wanted to write. You can imagine the story very well. Just picture Mean Girls 2 and that would cover most of my story.

P.S.S. I'm on page 370 of World Without End. I'm sad to say that I take back what I said before about it living up to Pillars of the Earth. It definitely isn't. Let's just hope it gets better, there has to be a reason that there are 640 pages left......

J.K. Rowling: Author of the Harry Potter series

Now that I am finally over my Twilight rant, for now at least, let's move on to my favorite author. This author has been a part of my life since I was six years old when I first picked up one of her books and I was completely blown away by her style of writing and the whole magical world that she created. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling was the first chapter book I had ever read and from the first page I was hooked. Once I finished reading it I immediately started begging my family for the whole series and as more books of the series started coming out I had to get them the day they came out or not I would die. J.K. Rowling is as amazing writer and has inspired me from day one.

Joanne Katherine Rowling started writing the first Harry Potter book in the early 1990's. Little did she know what a huge success it would be. She started writing the book on a napkin in a coffee shop that she was at and she had so many ideas that she continued from there. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone took forever to finish, mainly because she was writing a little bit of all seven books at once.

What I find amazing about her is that she knew how the Harry Potter series would end from the very beginning. She knew every character that she would add on in later books and what characters would leave the story at certain times. Because of this all the books are tied together in a way that no other novel series has done before. From the very first book you receive clues about what would happen in the 3rd, 5th, and even the 7th book.

J.K . Rowling has gotten a lot of credit for her work. Why do you think that she is even richer than the Queen Elizabeth II. Ever since I wanted to become a writer I looked to her as an example. Other writers have influenced me in many ways but there is only one author who was there from the very beginning. When I was growing up Harry Potter was my getaway into a different universe. It was a way to leave my life and not think about the pressures of growing up. Now Harry Potter and his friends are characters that are like my second family. Reading the books are a comfort for me and a great learning experience as I find out more and more about J.K. Rowling's writing style and her skill. Harry Potter will always be a part of my heart and I thank J.K. Rowling everyday for being the inspiration that keeps me going in this crazy business of us authors.

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P.S. Here is the newest trailor for the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Hope you like it!!!

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809791044/video/10774936

Twilight: I Have to Go See It Again!!

WOW....... That is all I have to say after watching the Twilight movie. This movie in my opinion, definitely lived up to its expectations. I won't put any spoilers up but I will say two things. One, Robert Pattinson did an absolutely amazing job as Edward Cullen. Many people said that he wouldn't be right for the job, that he was to dirty and not perfect enough for Edward. Let me tell you one thing, he was perfect for the job. Not only did he look absolutely amazing, he really got Edward's inner turmoil and the struggle of being with a girl that you love even though all your instincts are telling you to kill her. I don't think any other actor out there would have gotten Edward Cullen so perfectly. Second of all, the chemistry between Robert and Kristen was undeniable, despite what many critics are saying. Edward and Bella are supposed to be awkward and careful around each other for the mere fact that with one twitch of his finger Edward can kill her. So what all you critics out there are saying is definitely not true, I have one thing to say to you critics..... It's called pick up the book, read it, and figure out that the actors did exactly what Stephenie Meyer originally envisioned.

Overall, one of my favorite movies. I have a feeling this movie is going to end up on my top movie lists along with Harry Potter and The Notebook. If you are a girl and you haven't seen this movie, or you don't plan on seeing it, I assure you it is definitely worth your money and your time.

P.S. I know I've gone off topic with all these Twilight posts but Twilight is madness. It's a fever that I can't even stay away from. I promise all of you that this will be the last Twilight post for a while. :)

P.S.S. I'm on page 250 for World Without End. I'm 800 pages away!!!!!