My review of Pink Floyd - Behind the Wall

Hello all,

Here's a review up at Chapters Indigo and Goodreads.  I wrote it a couple of weeks ago.  Check it!  If you like British musicians and history of their music since the 1960's, you'll love this book!

Pink Floyd - Behind the Wall

New YA book ideas for 2015 and beyond

Hi all!  I want to take a huge step, a quantum leap into the unknown...like the Fool in the Tarot cards, stepping off the cliff.  The Fool is symbolic of innocence and trust, playfulness and diversion...not just foolishness as we see it today.  He represents mystical cleverness, a childlike ability to go into inner workings of the world.  He is "crazy wisdom" with the sun shining at his back - his madness is divine.

The Fool, in Medieval times was the Jester, who was mercurial in his intellect and capable of entertaining royalty, fully engaging them, allowing gaiety to rule. The Fool is numbered 0 - Zero in the Tarot Deck.  The mystery is contained in all of us fools.

What I want to say is this - so many YA books of today are successful based on almost identical formulas.  They are mainly books with characters who go "Golly gee, stupid me" types.  Authors, who should try to do better, instead try to identify with young adults by portraying main characters as having low self-esteem, repeating such things as "if I wasn't so dorky, ugly, awkward, no social skills, no self-confidence" etc etc - you get the drift.

What's wrong with first of all assuming that Young Adults in the books and reading the books have
A) Brains and youthful wisdom
B) Beauty
C) Positive qualities to help bring out self-esteem
D) Concern about the world ????

Why not?

Why are we obsessed with portraying this generation as a bunch of self absorbed mindless idiots, (not fools) but non-thinking dolts? Authors portray their main characters as mainly concerned about their own dorkiness, stupid brother, beautiful older sister who they are jealous of and the list goes on.

I'm tired of these assumptions - about the readers of YA books, and young adults themselves not having the capability to think and change our world for the better. I write for inquisitive, forward thinking, rather smart readers who don't enjoy negatively putting themselves down. Let's be kind to each other, we're smart enough.

I write for people who are ready to gather and talk about wonderful mystical things.  If I read one more YA chapter that goes "Well golly, he's such a dork and I'm such an idiot" I'll heave the book out the window!  Better not be a screen on that window or I'd be such a dork.

Now, on with my surfing and studying Brit musicians history.  Once again, here's my book up at Swoonreads for free...for now.  Check it!  12,000 visits can't be wrong but identify yourself & rate it, please!
 Star Water - Book One - Sweet Sorcerer

Thanks a million stars!

What's in it for you?

My previous posts revealed my love for boys in bands and I continue to adore them all the time.  I especially like the cool cultured Brit musicians - I swoon.  Right now I'm reading 'Pink Floyd - Behind the Wall' by Hugh Fielder. This weighty 'coffee table' style book is a lovely collection of glossy stunning omg! photos of Pink Floyd through history and the biography is detailed, fun to read, and well researched.  This band is so cool and brilliant as well...and their music is truly out of this world.

Everything about their music, which are albums of rock opera really, very inspired...everything appeals to me - the astronomical possibilities of sound, the lyrics profound, the feeling all around.  'Meddle' is the album I've been listening to a lot in the last few days, as well as the genius 'Dark Side of the Moon'.  Reading about the history and evolution of modern music in the UK helps me to understand why I love this genre so much!  I want to learn more.  Young David Gilmour, vocalist and lead guitarist of Pink Floyd  is a babe back in the day...and he is a very handsome man to this day, many years later...his eyes are exceptionally beautiful.  His sun sign is Pisces and sometimes the eyes of Pisceans are described by astrologers as 'eyes being deep, lovely and full of strange lights...and beautiful.' David's eyes are what they're talking about imo!

I'm inspired by beauty...I need beauty to create my reality.  Sometimes I've asked myself "what's in it for me?" in the past when I follow beauty.  The answer is I'm closer to my own truth as my imagination leads me on to find a path of happiness.

And as for my book, you can ask me "What's in it for me?" and ask "why bother to read it?"  I truly feel there's a lot in Star Water - Sweet Sorcerer for you!  A lot of mysterious wonderful possibilities in those pages.  One main reason why I wrote it is with you in mind, dear readers.

The book is free at Swoonreads.  The genre is Young Adult paranormal fantasy.  Check it here - I know you'll be glad.  Thanks.   Star Water - Sweet Sorcerer

...And to show you my description of swoonworthy...here's pics of young David Gilmour back in the 1970's in the early days of the mystical enchantment that is Pink Floyd.

And those eyes...I'm mesmerized

Free university education

I'm thinking of Utopia, not dystopia...a more heavenly lovely world is all around us - if we choose to see it!  In some countries of the world university education is free and many advantages appear as if by magic when people have free access to follow their dreams and curiosity.  In North America, post secondary education is becoming more & more expensive -  not affordable for many and this situation is not improving.

Will higher education once again, like in the Middle Ages, be a privilege of the rich?  When we don't learn about things we should know about, we begin to experience negative feelings - fear of the unknown, misdirected anger at people, a total lack of understanding about the huge world we live in.  Our curiosity becomes restricted.  We can only think so far.  We can't think outside the box as we don't have the tools or skills to express ourselves.  We start to live in a bubble, convincing ourselves that everything is okay.

It's not okay to ignore what's going on around us and hope someone comes along to fix everything!  We should help!

One way to help is when authors try to write responsible fiction, especially for Young Adults - books that don't scare people for the sake of scaring people.  Responsible fiction is kind, shows a better way, ponders the human condition and has an uplifting message regarding humanity.  Responsible fiction for YA is not irreverent, cruel, inhumane and depressing.  

Those who choose to write irresponsibly, for book sales and profit, will not help to create a world of understanding.  In my opinion, those books are doomed.

What if I'm a famous author & you don't know?

I'm beginning to get the feeling, or should I say the feeling is not new, but for a few months now I'm thinking - I don't know if readers could recognize a famous author's writing (when the author uses a new moniker/alias/penname) even if the book was staring right at them!

I don't think agents could recognize a famous author from a slush pile if the author used a different name.  I think sometimes fame is all a bunch of bullshit, excuse the expression.  We're all followers, liking what other people like, wanted to be part of popular culture.  Fame is all a facade in writing.  Music is different because people can immediately identify a singer's voice, or the way a group of musicians play the fans can identify.

But writing...naw!  Readers need to see the author's famous name, and then they buy the book.  It doesn't matter how or where the author markets the book...it's a name game.

And the joke is on you...and me.  This activity is like lemmings - who follow each other to the edge of a cliff and jump off, to die.  Such is the case, when animal rights activists and environmentalists try to tell people we need to look around us and learn - but we're too busy following each other!  Hey, if one lemming stopped to stay and check things out, this one would survive "the lemming race."

Barbara, 24 years gone

January 20th, 2014 marks the 24th anniversary of Barbara Stanwyck's passing.  I am a superfan.  I love her movies, her ways, her style.  She's born in the astrological sign of Cancer, like me.  I'm 4 days earlier than her but many years apart.  We have a bunch of similarities, especially after reading Victoria Wilson's awesome biography I realized this. Barbara is my inspiration.  Here's the link Victoria Wilson's website and her new book - A Life of Barbara Stanwyck - Steel True - Volume One!

http://www.victoriawilsonbooks.com/

My ravenwinged angels

My new year is starting well.  It is the Year of the Horse and I am the dark horse advancing from the skies and stars to fly among lovers on Earth.  We all want to fly - if you can, in your dreams, do it!  Always imagination is followed by visualizing and creating your true reality.

You are my ravenwinged angels.  We are made of clear water and golden lights of constellations.  We are light years ahead. If you go with me, into Star Water, Sweet Sorcerer will guide your stairway to heaven on Earth.  Spread your wings and fly with this winged dark horse.  Thank you, angels.

http://www.swoonreads.com/m/star-water-book-one-sweet-sorcerer