SUMMERTIME has kicked off. When it comes to chilling outside with a good story, you can't beat a solid book in your hands, which is why I'm excited to share the following Paperback release schedule:
Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters #5)
Now available on major eBook retailers in both Paperback and eBook, such as:
THE GOLDEN COMPASS (Also
titled THE NORTHERN LIGHTS) by Philip Pullman was such a beloved,
magical book of my childhood. The image of a little girl riding a large armored
polar bear surrounded by the unforgiving stars and tundra of the far North has
stayed with me forever, as have its unforgettable characters: our bold and
indomitable heroine Lyra, her soul daemon Pan who likes to take the form of an
adorable little ermine, aforementioned bear king bad ass Iorek Byrnison, and
Lyra’s childhood friend Roger are just a few of my favs (plus Lord Asriel’s
daemon Stelmaria because hello snow leopard cool).The other memorable scene is when Lyra spies
on the scholars at Jordan College and sees her supposed uncle, Lord Asriel,
stun his audience with a photograph of an otherworldly city flickering in the
Northern Lights, framed by Dust.
A bit more special than the type
we sweep off the floor, this Dust, Lyra soon discovers, is the subject of a
brewing war between rebel minds like Asriel and the ruling Magisterium, this
world’s version of an all-powerful Catholic Church, who believe Dust to be the
incarnation of Sin accumulating over time and corrupting us all, especially
since Dust is photographed appearing on adults, not children. This particular
interest in the relationship between children, their daemons (physical
incarnations of a person’s soul that takes its final shape at puberty), and
Dust sends Lyra on a journey to the North of her dreams, where a mysterious
woman is running experiments on kidnapped kids under the guise of freeing them
from Sin once and for all. Lyra soon captures attention of the Gyptians (a
river-roving nomadic group who have suffered the bulk of these kidnappings),
the armored bears, the witches (whose daemons can travel large distances from
them), and the aeronaut Lee Scrosby, especially as it becomes evident that Lyra
is a Chosen One, with the incredibly rare ability to read the alethiometer, a
compass-like instrument moved by Dust that tells the truth to any question
asked.
The TV series captures the
wonderfully fantastic imagery of the book and is able to dive much more
personally into the complex world Pullman has created than the movie—the cast
is perfectly lovely, which is quite a feat when the movie had the likes of Daniel
Craig, Nicole Kidman, and Ian McKellen. Ruth Wilson particularly stands out as
she assumes the immensely difficult role of Marisa Coulter, chief antagonist, a
woman who is brutally ruthless toward her enemies but genuinely caring for her
daughter; she dances the line of the Magisterium while it serves her agenda but
does not suffer fools. “We cut out your daemon, not your brain,” she snaps in a
particularly vicious mood toward the subject of one of her experiments at
Bolvangar, the delivery so spot-on that it’s horrifyingly funny. Indeed, the
whole sequence at Bolvangar was extremely well-done. As a child, I remember the
part that wounded me the most was Roger’s fate, but this time around as a
parent, seeing what was happening at Bolvangar and experiencing Ma Costa’s pain
hit the hardest for me.
The witches in this be like
mad-skilled—would not go up against them in a fight! And we can Lin-Manuel
Miranda as the aeronaut Lee Scoresby—now Sam Elliot, pretty perfect, but I
found Miranda just as light-heartedly entertaining and love his dynamic with
his very patient hare daemon who always has to be the voice of reason. He
always brings a genuine passion to every role he plays, and you can tell he’s
having a fun time doing it. Plus, I see we’re going to get Andrew Scott (an
amazing Moriarty in Sherlock) as Will’s father John Parry and am really
looking forward to Season 2—granted, The Golden Compass was the
hands-down favorite book of His Dark Materials trilogy for me, but I’m
willing to give The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass
depictions a chance (please cut down Mary Malone’s scenes pretty please and
more of the angelic duo Balthamos and Baruch).
The biggest change is the
introduction of Will in Season 1, possibly to ease the heartbreak of what
befalls Roger (sob!), which is interesting—his scenes felt like filler to me,
but at least a lot of backstory is out of the way to now focus on Lyra and Will’s
relationship in the strange new world they find themselves in.
This is a series that is wild,
fantastical, and will challenge core beliefs around authority while still
staying grounded and heart-warming in the little moments between complicated,
morally gray characters who are all just trying to make sense of an immense
universe that expands and humbles in more ways than could ever be imagined. Truly
a classic in the same vein of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, two of my faves. Heartily recommended
to jump on this journey with Lyra, Pan, and their truth-reading alethiometer to
the North and beyond!
Netflix Limited TV Series – 1
Season (hopefully with more to come!)
*Warning! Minor spoilers*
CURIOUS to dive into more of the
Mesoamerican mythos behind Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters #5)? Don’t
miss Jorge R. Gutierrez’s rich tapestry intertwining legends from the Aztec,
Maya, Inca and even Caribbean culture, all effortlessly depicting distinct
civilizations who must overcome their differences to defeat a power-hungry god
of death.
Maya (voiced by Zoe Saldana)
grows up a princess of the great city of Teca. Her father and brothers are
Jaguar warriors, believed to be the prophesized warriors who will one day
defeat the gods of the underworld—Lord Mictlan and Lady Micte, influenced by
legends of Mictecacihuatl and Mictlantecuhtli, who ruled over the Aztec
nine-level underworld Mictlān. In this story, Lord Mictlan is the God of War, a
cunning and terrifying vision as voiced by Alfred Molina. On the day of Maya’s
coronation, the party is crashed by Zatz, Prince of Bats (played by Diego Luna,
so all good), who bears the message from the underworld that Maya’s real mother
is none other than Lady Micte, the goddess of death herself, and she was only
allowed to live to the notable age of fifteen so she could be sacrificed and
increase Lord Mictlan’s power.
Stunned and seeking answers, Maya
uncovers the truth of the prophecy that it was her all along destinated to face
the Underworld—and not with her brothers, but with three warriors from each of
the other kingdoms. She sets off to recruit outcast Chimi (Brooklyn
Ninety-Nine’s Stephanie Beatriz), bumbling magician with a power greater
than he knows (Allen Maldonado), and adorable giant warrior with a heart of
gold Picchu (Gabriel Iglesias), who are each reluctant to help Teca. Along the
way they are menaced by various deities of Mictlan, one of which, Zatz, proves
to be more sympathetic the greater Mictlan’s cruelty toward even his own grows.
Oh, and Maya rides Chiapa the
royal family jaguar who is simply the best.
It is truly amazing the heights
animation has climbed to, and the distinctive kingdoms brought to life with a
masterful use of geometric shapes and colors creates a gorgeously complex world
in which to lose yourself. The story is deep, complex, with enough action to
keep you on the edge of your seat every episode, and all the little nods to
various legends are exciting to pick out. Vucub, God of Jungle Creatures, may
possibly be based on Seven-Macaw (Vucub-Caquix) from Maya mythology, a bird
demon defeated by the Maya Hero Twins in one of the only surviving written
documents of the time, the Popol Vuh. Bats, of course, like Zatz, continue to play an important
role, as notably they are part of the challenges the Hero Twins face in the
Maya underworld Xibalba. The level of detail in world-building such as the distinctive
orange cempasúchil (marigold flower) known for helping the dead remember to
find their way back to the land of the living are a feast for the senses.
Now don’t be fooled by the TV-Y7 rating – this show deals with
extremely dark themes and images that will be frightening for younger
audiences. The aforementioned Mictlan really ramps up the fear factor in the
final few episodes, and the series does not shy away from putting sacrifice, a
very important foundation in many of these ancient cultures, at its core.
Did I mention Maya has two
younger half-siblings Eagle and Jaguar who are *twins*? They’re only kiddos in
this series, but given the great significance of Hero Twins in many
Mesoamerican cultures, we can only hope this foreshadows a spin off season two
to focus on their adventures!
Soon I'm about to report to a new boss who demands a 24-7 work week, hourly check ins, and communicates in screams and coos. In addition to boss #1 who is now lethally mobile.
So while I will be buried awhile in the dreaded "fourth trimester," I look forward to updating you all upon my return.
Just think of all the stories that can come out of that :D
In the meantime, here's what's ahead in the writing world. If you missed it, Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters #5) recently dropped on all major ebook retailers everywhere! See you soon.
Publishing Schedule:
2021
The Changeling Sisters Series #1 - 4 is now available in Paperback through Amazon.com!
2024 - 2027
The Stars of Eden (Afterlife Chronicles Book III): The epic conclusion to the Afterlife Chronicles
Year of the Crow (Changeling Sisters #6): The unforgettable finale to the Changeling Sisters Series
Paperback Releases, All Books: Afterlife Chronicles, Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters Series #5)
THE BOYS truly is the
answer to superhero fatigue. While some movies like Marvel’s Captain
America: Civil War took some interest in the sheer catastrophic toll all of
these larger-than-life fights would take on society, The Boys forces you
to stop and feel the sheer untouchability superhumans would have over us
average mortals—then asks, what if they didn’t have the best intentions?
Again, we see a take of evil Superman in Justice League, but it just doesn’t hit home nearly as hard
as Antony Starr’s impeccable depiction of The Boys’ equivalent Homelander—the
charismatic virtually indestructible leader of the Seven—whose menace just
feels so terrifying and real. In this not-too-distant America, a pharmaceutical
company called Vought manufactures and markets superheroes, the most elite of
which are held in worshipful adoration as members of the Seven—America’s top protectors
against crime, flashing their sponsors’ products while stringing up the bad
guys just in time for the cameras. Gawky, nerdy Hughie (Jack Quaid) is just one
of the Seven’s legions of fans, convinced they can do no wrong—until one of
them blows through his girlfriend at superhuman speed, leaving
him showered in guts and reality.
For those of us who were Supernatural
fans, the show is especially a treat because of the parade of familiar faces
you’ll see over the course of three seasons as Hughie’s quest for vengeance
takes him deeper into the dark side of the superhero franchise dominating the
country along the likes of no-rules Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and similarly
disillusioned Seven member Starlight (Erin Moriarty). It’s as if creator Eric
Kripke has found the platform he could take the kid gloves off and really go
all-in with the gore, the WTF moments, and the unmasking of every character
upheld on a pedestal (and when Jensen Ackles shows up as Solider Boy…there may
have been fangirling #sorrynotsorry).
There have been some over-the-top
moments that made my eyebrows disappear into my hairline (yeesh, like the
twisted take on the Deep and his obsession with sea creatures), but from the
beginning, the show is honest that there are very few lines it won’t cross
(fair warning to the faint of heart).
With all the world-building and
character back stories advancing steadily each season, I feel like the end of
Season 3 has prepped Season 4 for a full-on sprint. The set up of Season 3
addresses the political scene of the USA today head-on with narratives around fake news, the lack of consequences for those in power, and the chilling
polarizing rise of Us v. Them: there are those who are superior, those who are
inferior, and middle ground is non-existent.
With just a few minor quibbles
(some slow spots here and there; Stormfront’s initial characterization in
Season 2 felt confusing with her true motivation reveal, and it seemed strange
that someone as shrewd as Stan Edgar would have ever supported her joining the
Seven), The Boys is a modern-day bingeworthy Game of Thrones that
I’m heavily looking forward to, and can’t wait for the Season 4 release date!
In the meantime, watch the teaser trailer here.
A suspenseful, twisty geopolitical journey for shapeshifter fans dropping just in time for the holidays. You won't want to miss the penultimate installment in the Changeling Sisters Series. Now available on all major online eBook retailers:
It's official - my cat refused to go out this morning, meaning it is finally getting into that autumn chill. Whether you're preparing to remember those who've passed on for Day of the Dead or visiting the pumpkin patch for Halloween, I've just released two more excerpts from Year of the Snake (Changeling Sisters V) to get into the mysterious mood of the season. Check them out below!
