What Makes You An Author?

In the film “Amelie” the title character says, “…every seller window should have a person who whispers comebacks...” That would be my dream job, to tell people off and rebuke their asinine arguments. "At least you'll never be a vegetable - even artichokes have hearts." However, I was raised in a culture of kindness and goodwill where a gift like mine has no use. And it's not considered very nice to tell people they suck, or that their point is ridiculous even if you say it in a colorful and intelligent way. Furthermore, we now live in a world where you can no longer agree to disagree and stay civil. If you disagree with someone you're a monster. Meanwhile, there are people out there publishing ludicrous opinions as fact via blogs, Twitter, and Facebook who think they can go unchallenged or un-corrected. But since I was taught The Golden Rule and that old adage: "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all”, I've learned to keep my comebacks and jibes to myself rather than saying them aloud. Until now that is. I’ve decided to use my gift for a worthy cause, to defend the under-appreciated and misjudged. I'm speaking, of course, of self-published authors, my people, my kind.


Recently I read a blog post wherein the blogger said boldly that "Self-published authors shouldn't be called authors at all." He stated that they were not the same as traditionally published authors. "Just because it’s easy to upload your written word, so that it can be downloaded to another machine does not make you an author, any more than me buying a stethoscope allows me to be called a doctor." A more idiotic statement I have never heard. For one, you’re comparing a profession of science, that requires ten plus years of schooling and training to a profession that doesn't require a degree or training at all. Writing is an art form more than it will ever be a science. You can learn techniques and method until you’re blue in the face, but that won't make you a great writer. It's not something that can just be taught, it has to be earned. With every bad bit of dialogue and every poorly-thought plot point, a writer hones their craft. Writing is all about trial and error, rewrites, and do-overs. A doctor can't afford to make a mistake. There are no second drafts when it comes to saving a life. It's a precise science, whereas writing is subjective. What constitutes great writing in one genre is nonsensical in another. Two authors can have the same idea and yet write two completely different books.

The blogger went on to say that the true definition of what makes a real author is whether certain organizations recognize them as such. These guilds/associations base their inclusion on how much money an author makes. So apparently an author is only judged on the nickels and dimes they have to rub together not on the quality of their prose or character development. "You have to earn $1,000.00 in the form of an advance on a single Eligible Novel. Or, you have to earn $1,000.00 in the form of royalties or a combination of advance plus royalties on a single published Eligible Novel. Finally, you have to pull in $5,000.00 in the form of earnings for a Self-Published novel." It seems that this blogger is confusing professional with successful.

There are plenty of individuals in lots of professions that, although talented, are not particularly successful by most people's standards. To be professional at anything means you are doing it as your profession, you treat it like a job, not a hobby. Again, this is where his comparison of doctors to writers makes little sense. However, we'll stick with it a moment to prove my point. To be a professional doctor you have to: go to school, get the training/degree, set up a practice, and be compliant with certain laws and regulations. To be successful/make money as a doctor you have to: advertise and network so that people know who you are and where your office is located, you have to have a good bedside manner with your patients. This gets you recommended from your satisfied clientele to their friends and family. Now, there are a few ways to go about becoming a professional writer. If you want to be a journalist and write for a newspaper or magazine you need to: go to school, get a degree, do some internships/ training/ build your resume, and then apply for a job(s). For this kind of writing schooling is necessary. To be a successful writer for a newspaper or magazine you have to: have people skills, have an article or column that lots of people read and enjoy, you have to have some credentials for the type of work you write, for example, if you write for a finance magazine you need to know something about finance and be able to write an article that makes sense and gets the point across in the allotted word count.

However, the above mentioned blogger wasn't talking about a magazine writer or columnist in a newspaper he was talking about authors of novels, Fiction, Non-Fiction, and so on. So what are the requirements for a novelist then? To be a professional novelist/author you have to: have a story to tell and know the technique to tell it. Believe in your story to the point of madness (being a tad insane doesn't hurt). Submit your work to agents/publishers, get a publishing deal. Have your books distributed to bookstores/have an online platform where readers can find your work. To be successful/make money as an author you need to have: A recognizable name (as in, people have heard of you and your work). A finished product to sell that looks professional. Have a book that is easy to find and buy because it is widely distributed and promoted, and have and maintain a solid reputation as a good writer which means your work is of a high quality (reviews). If you're writing about a certain topic it helps if you've studied it or have a degree in that field but it's not necessary as you can always research it for the book or hire someone to do that for you. If you're writing Fiction, Sci-Fi, or Fantasy you can do without a ton of research and come up with a lot of it entirely out of your own skull. Contrary to popular belief, you do not need an English degree to write a book in the language, they have these people called editors who can "edit" your work for you. Proofreaders and beta readers who go through it and help you find the segments that don't make sense or slow down the flow of the story.

Comparing a doctor to a writer is idiotic because it takes a truly bad doctor with terrible people skills and poor judgment to fail at his profession, where as an author's success is based almost entirely on the readers. You can be the best writer ever and do everything right and still not be successful if people don't hear about you, can't find your printed work to purchase, and you don't get good reviews thus not getting word of mouth recommendations to other readers.

Many an artist never reaches true success until long after they are gone. Garnishing fans over the last hundred plus years American author, Edgar Allan Poe, struggled in his own time. Poe’s total earnings as a “professional” author, poet, editor, and lecturer were about $6,200.00, and that is over a course of fourteen years! His highest payment he ever received was when his classic short story, "The Gold-Bug" won a $100.00 prize from Philadelphia's Dollar Newspaper. In John Ward Ostrom’s lecture, “Poe's Literary Labors and Rewards, ¬Myths and Reality at the Baltimore: The Edgar Allan Poe Society 1987”, he calculated that Poe's life earnings as a writer, $6,200.00 would be worth about $56,000 by 1987. Divide that by fourteen years that means that Poe only made $400 a year! Now I'm not sure what the dollar is worth today in relation to the poverty level we were at in the 80's, but I dare say that even now Poe's earnings would be considered poultry at best. By the before-mentioned blogger’s standards, Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the detective novel and one of the most celebrated American novelists of all time, would not be deemed worthy of the title “professional author.”

Dutch post-impressionist Artist, Vincent Van Gogh, lived in poverty, producing close to 900 works, yet only selling one. The Red Vineyard at Arles sold for 400 Francs. That's equal to about $1,00000-$1,050.00 today. However, now his works are all very sought after. The Portrait of Dr. Gachet painted June 1890 was sold in 1990 for $138.4 million. By this one blog’s standard, Van Gogh was not a professional, he was not of value. Yet his paintings didn't change over the years. They are the same now as they were then. So is the case with a novel. It doesn't transform into a masterpiece the second it makes x amount of dollars or gets a publisher’s stamp slapped on it. The writing process is the same for an indie as it is for a traditional author. Big name authors don't have magical pixie dust that makes a book appear out of thin air. Writing is work; it is hard work, no matter who you are, period.

Personally, I like to compare the publishing world today to the film industry. Every year the big studios release about 200 films. Not all of them are glowing gems of cinematic brilliance. Some are "Schindlerd’s List" Oscar contenders and others are simply of the "Dude, Where’s My Car" variety. Having been released by a big studio doesn't guarantee a film’s worth or success. Some are box office smashes, some are moderately successful and some just tank. The critically-acclaimed masterpieces are not always big money makers. The quality of the film has nothing to do with how much money was put into it, or how much it made. “American Beauty” had a budget of just $15 million yet won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture. On the other hand, “Sucker Punch” had a budget of $82 million and only grossed $89.8 million worldwide, and was scorned by critics and movie goers alike. No, the quality of a film is dependent on the talent of the writers, cast, and the crew that made it.

Likewise, not all books released by the top five Publishing Houses are all quality books or big international best sellers. The best-sellers may not be the best written either. Take "Twilight" for example. I can't think of a book that creates more contempt in authors then Stephanie Meyer's four part vampire saga. Why? Because it is so poorly written, and its success so staggering that it angers other authors who actually have talent, yet struggle to make it in the mainstream world. They envy her success, sure, but they mock her inability to foreshadow, write interesting characters, or give a book a decent ending. She is not respected by a large part of the authors in the industry, traditionally published or indie. Yet, based off of this blogger’s criteria, she is a true author while small indie authors, like myself, aren't even worth noting because our book(s) haven't given us fat bank accounts. Meanwhile, some of the breakout films over the years have been low budget, well-written, independent films. These films got recognized for their brilliance because the film critics looked beyond the shiny logo of a big studio and judged it off of its own merit. The Sundance Film Festival was created for indie films to get a chance to shine. In fact, there are hundreds of film festivals like it that make it possible for films, that otherwise might never be seen, get noticed from movie goes, critics, and studios alike.

Finally, after an eternity in the dark ages, the publishing industry developed its own kind of Sundance for books: Amazon. Thanks to the invention of the e-reader and Print on Demand publishing, the once-silent now have a voice in the publishing world. The game has changed so that the big five can no longer decide for us what is worth reading and what isn't. After all, why should they have that power? They don't write the books, or come up with the plot. They aren't the ones toiling for months, and even years, over stories, weaving parts of their soul into their narratives. No, really all a publisher does is clean, package, and promote a product. Nowadays with the networks of freelance professionals online anyone can hire a few editors, a formatter, a cover artist,
and pay for their own advertising. About the only thing one can't do is get onto the shelves of a brick and mortar Barnes and Noble. This mostly has to do with limited store space and the cost of overhead. After all, they can't carry every book that they have on their online catalog in the store. They have to limit themselves to the ones that seem most likely to sell well. This doesn't mean anything about the quality of the books.

So, putting all that aside, what really makes an author and author? What does one have to do to be worthy of that prestigious title? Once more, what can be done to dispel this idiotic notion that indie authors are a lesser life form than traditional authors? Why is it that a person who decides to take their fate into their own hands and put out a book on their own is not as viable as those who get chosen by the publisher and have someone else produce their work for them? Why should those who have money and power decide for the rest of us what is hip and trendy and what is
not? Why are we still living in a world of haves and have not?


So my point is that there is a whole lot that goes into a book. There is a whole lot that goes into becoming an author. Whether you do it on your own, or with the help of a publisher, the process in large is the same, except one turns the writer into an employee and the other makes the writer god of their own universe. If your only goal in writing is to make money, then you might want to reconsider your profession. If you find you can't live with yourself if you don't at least try to write, then chances are this is what you’re meant to do. Because no matter how you publish, the only thing that is going to get you through all the crap that comes with writing is your level of passion and commitment. After all if Poe didn't give up after fourteen years of struggling, then neither should you! So, like the old axiom, "You can't judge a book by its cover", I likewise say, "You can't judge an author by their publisher!" That's all from this Indie Author's Soapbox.

Now go forth and buy an indie book! You know you want to! Or just buy any book, I don't care just as long as you're all out there reading!

Till next time,
R.J. Craddock

P.S. If you'd like to read the original blog that got me all riled up you can find it here.

Numbers Game Cover Reveal

Hello again, gentle readers. Sorry if it seems as though I've dropped off the face of the earth recently, with having my fourth child and all. But never fear, I haven't stopped writing and will get back to blogging more consistently soon. However, today we're not here to talk about me. Today you get to witness the cover reveal of a new YA Dystopian called “Numbers Game”. As you know I've featured other author's books on my blog before but this one is particularly exciting. Why? Because the author is a good friend of mine and we're both members of the same exceptionally awesome critique group (also, our husbands happen to be friends and former band mates). It's not every day I get to be a part of the process of developing someone else's book and see it come to fruition. At long last Rebecca's manuscript has completed its metamorphosis and the butterfly is about to emerge in print and ebook everywhere in March. So, without further ado, I present to you the cover of Rebecca Rode's exciting new book “Numbers Game”!

Treena is nervous for Rating Day. A single number will brand her forever—a valuable citizen, or a pathetic waste of space. Her top-Rated boyfriend is confident their scores will coincide so they can attend the academy together. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.

To get her life—and boyfriend—back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

REBECCA RODE is an award-winning author, journalist, and mother of four. She is the author of the inspirational book, How to Have Peace When You’re Falling to Pieces, and writes for Deseret News, KSL.com, FamilyShare, and Provo Daily Herald. However, her true love is writing for teenagers. She enjoys traveling, reading, and martial arts, and she has a ridiculous affinity for chocolate-banana shakes. Visit her at www.AuthorRebeccaRode.com.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and make sure to keep an eye out for the release of “Numbers Game” in March!

Now go forth, buy books, read books, review books, and repeat.

Untill next time, R.J. Craddock

Eye of Persuasion by Adrienne Monson - Book Review

I picked up this book whilst sharing a booth at SLC Comic Con from my fellow author and long time friend, Adrienne Monson. We were there as members of the Utah Fantasy Authors (UFA) branch of the League of Utah Writers (LUW). There were ten other authors involved in the UFA booth besides Adrienne and myself, everyone with a book or two to sell. Although I've only read a few of the books that we were offering in the booth I only took home two of them. One of them was Monson's new novella "Eyes of Persuasion" a historical romance with a fantasy twist thrown in for good measure.

Synopsis: When her parents are murdered, Lady Maybrick is taken in by an abusive uncle to help pay his gambling debt. But Isabeau has a secret, a talent hidden since birth. Her gift helps to keep her out of the whorehouse and out of trouble--that is, until she meets Everett Radcliff. Hard working Everett Radcliff detests high society and finds plenty of excuses to avoid it. But when he meets Lady Maybrick, he can't help but be enthralled by her violet eyes. When he hires an investigator to uncover a crook, his path crosses with hers, throwing them into a world of mystery, murder, and, surprisingly, love.

The Pros: "Eyes of Persuasion" is a fast-paced, plot-driven easy read. Set in eighteenth century London, taking us everywhere from high society balls, to the dirty hustle of the shipping industry of London's port. This tale is well researched making the reader feel as though they've fallen through the pages back into time. This book begins like many a historical romances with a unique, yet unappreciated, high-born maiden forced into an engagement with a man she doesn't love, but has no choice but to marry. However, Isabeau Maybrick is no ordinary lady, as we find out within the first couple chapters. The author endeavors to deliver a fresh look at this era with a heroine who has not only a special gift but some modern day gumption. Fast-paced and unpredictable this book delivers some interesting twists that will pleasantly surprise readers.

The Cons: Although well-written with it's attention to the details and lingo of the era, the story felt rushed. This might be due in part to the fact that it is a novella and not a typical novel. It felt more plot driven then character driven, a pattern I noticed in Monson's other book, "Dissension" (book 1 in the Blood Inheritance Trilogy) Depending on the reader this may or may not be a bad thing. My issue is, that with the plot taking up the entirety of the book their is little time to develop characters or create emotional depth in even the most intense scenes. I struggled to connect even with the principle characters, Lady Maybrick and Everett Radcliff. Although I found their relationship somewhat entertaining, the story rushes their romance along too quickly. Personally, I feel that the book would've been greatly improved had it been a regular novel; giving the characters more time to grow and their relationship would also feel more genuine. As it is, I found that I wasn't invested enough in the characters to be drawn into the suspense of the story. Some of the secondary characters felt very under developed and somewhat two dimensional such as Isabeau's abusive gambling Uncle  Brig. Although he's not a huge part of the story, he's in it enough that I found his actions and motives puzzling because his character is never examined. He comes off more as a stereotype then a real character and this took me out of the story from time to time. The dialogue was a little weak here and there also taking me out of the action.

Overall the book is unpredictable and easy to read.  It's length and ever twisting plot combined with the setting makes it an entertaining escape for a rainy day. I give it four stars. A decent book executed fairly well. But, as always, don't just take my word for it, go out and read it yourselves!

Now go forth and pick up this book "Eyes of Persuasion" and come on back to share your thoughts with us when you're done.

Till next time,
R.J. Craddock

Divergent - Book to Movie Review

Could the world become so corrupt and devastated by war that all of society would break down and the only way to survive and rebuild would be to label everyone and divide them into factions to keep them in line and keep the peace? Apparently the author of Divergent, Veronica Roth, thinks so because that's exactly what happens in her best-selling young adult dystopian novel. 

Right after turning sixteen Beatrix Pryer is tested. This test is a simulation that will determine her true nature and the faction she should live in for the rest of her life. She's been raised to be an Abnegation, the faction that believes in selfless acts and putting others before themselves. But Beatrix isn't selfless like her parents or her brother; she isn't like the others of her faction. She longs to be fearless to be free and adventurous. She longs to be a member of Dauntless, the faction that believes in courage, strength, and conquering ones fears. She longs to be a warrior, a soldier. When she takes the test, however, her results are inconclusive. She is divergent, one who does not fit into just one faction, and thus is considered dangerous to their society. She is told to keep the truth about herself secret, and now has to decide all on her own which faction she should choose for the rest of her life. Should she be true to her own desires and follow her ambition to Dauntless or should she do what's expected of her and stay where it's save in Abnegation? Either way she has to leave something behind, her own dreams or her family. One choice can transform her forever!

Book Review: First off, I am not a Dystopian fan. The explanations of how modern society crumbles are either non-existent, vague, or riddled with flaws. Also, the reasoning behind why and how these new societies take shape rising from the ashes of the former governments are convoluted at best. I really don't see the point of a society in where you are only able to act on one aspect of your personality. Are they reasoning that having too much personality, too much freedom, is what destroyed the previous civilization and that's why this faction system is suppose to work? The concept is interesting but I have a hard time believing that most people would agree to this kind of a prejudice society. Essentially they're all labeled and put into little boxes where they have to stay for the rest of their lives. How would this make for a peaceful society? This would drive me insane! 

With that aside I was grateful to find that Beatrix has a personality. She is a complex person with more than one side to her, and struggles with this faction idea as much as I would. I found it interesting how she wasn't able to be labeled by the test and has to choose based on her own desires what she wanted to do the rest of her life. This is more true to real life and the decision we all make when we choose a profession or a major when we go off to college. The initiation into Dauntless from jumping onto the train to jumping off a building into a black hole that leads to who knows where drew me in and caught my imagination. I had no trouble putting myself into Beatrix's shoes and going through her struggles as if I was her. I mostly identified with her being a small girl who everyone assumed was weak and incompetent. I'm short myself and have always been independent. Yet because of my size people have always treated me as if I was incapable of doing anything physical. In ways Beatrix home faction reminds me a lot of my religion and the ideals we live by including: selflessness, service, and modesty. When she chooses to transform herself into Trix she has to face her fears and change her whole way of life, including becoming more comfortable with her body and herself. I like that although she gets a tattoo like everyone else in Dauntless they have meaning and purpose, not just something that looks cool. Ultimately, I rooted for her through it all and loved that her being Divergent gave her an advantage in some of her trails as she fought to become accepted into Dauntless. I loved that she doesn't let the actions and the perceptions of others stop her from conquering her shortcomings to become triumphant. 

Love interest wise I enjoyed the way this story unfolded. It happened naturally and gradually throughout the plot not side tracking from her personal journey or the action of the story. The love interest was a strong and interesting character. I found his attraction to Trix believable and his behavior practical, yet still romantic in nature. He was neither too flat or over written, which I think helped him feel more real. The tension between Trix and her rival initiates and her budding friendships were all well-written and believable. The ending was a bit rushed for me but still well done with a satisfying conclusion. 
Overall I really enjoyed this book despite its unrealistic concept and society. I found it easy to read, and hard to put down. Intense from beginning to end with an ending that was both satisfying yet left you wondering what’s next, making you feel like you needed to pick up book two right away. I would give it five stars and recommend it to people like me who don't like Dystopian or young adult. It's the kind of book most anyone could get into. 

Movie Review: Only a few days after finishing the book I went and saw the movie adaptation of the book. First off the movie is well done overall and enjoyable. However, I have a few complaints. 

First, in typical Hollywood fashion they went and cast, Shailene Woodley a tall actress to play Beatrix, a short character. It's not a big deal that they didn't cast a blonde, although I do believe that people often perceive blondes as naive, innocent, weak, or simple-minded, so being blonde was a big part of the character in the book. What really bothers me is that they took a strong-willed, short woman role and gave it to someone tall when there are plenty of talented short blonde actresses out there who could've done a far better job. Not That Woodley was terrible or anything, I just found that her inability to embody the actual character of the book distracted from the film itself. Beatrix's height was a huge part of why her victory was so poignant in the book. She goes from being the weakest, smallest, and most likely to fail to the top initiate in her training. It's a huge accomplishment because everyone treats her like she's too weak to keep up. Because she has to overcome her physical limitations her struggle is more realistic, her triumph more rewarding. They took that away from the character when they made her tall, even taller than her best friend Christina, who was stronger and bigger than her in the book. Also, the fact that Beatrix in the book was of a similar build to mine made her more relate-able for me, and was a huge part of why I loved her character. 

Second, they stayed pretty close to the book at first then went off on a completely different direction by the ending. In some ways this worked, in others it didn't. They also rushed through some vital scenes which made the story seem choppy. 

Third, they down played the villain characters, Eric and Peter, making them seem far less menacing then they had been in the book, losing their impact in the movie. They barely mentioned her friend, Albert, until later in the story so that when a key event happened it was less impactful because he wasn't as important to Beatrix. I also didn't like how they changed the relationship between Beatrix and her brother. When she goes to him for help in the book he was more considerate and understanding then he was in the movie. Also, he was key in helping solve the big mystery behind how the government would be overthrown in the book. In the movie he was not helpful at all, just a weak side character. 

Finally, the ending went off a little from where the book took it but ultimately gave us the same results with a Hollywood flare. In some ways I did like the movie ending better than the book. 

Overall the movie gets a four out of five star rating. Had they cast an actress better suited to the original character who had to overcome more and prove herself then I would've given it five stars. Otherwise the casting in the film was pretty spot on, with Theo James as the perfect Four, Ashley Judd and Tony Goldwyn as her parents, and Kate Winslet as the female villianess. The production value was excellent and it was all in all a descent adaptation. However, as is often the case, the book is definitely better than the film.

Now go forth, read the book watch the movie and have a great weekend! Till next time.

R.J. Craddock

Copper Descent by Angela Hartley - Book Review

“Copper Descent” is the tale of Nina Douglas, a Native American girl with a secret. She walks into the dream world, even though her mother forbids it. Nina and her family are the last of their tribe, their village destroyed by Sinuf, a dark god from before the beginning of time. Nina's mother is afraid that Sinuf will find Nina in the dream world and take control of her, turning her mysterious gifts into something dark and sinister. One night the dream world shows Nina a terrible vision of the future. Afraid her mother will be angry with her for walking into the dream behind her back, Nina keeps the vision to herself. Her decision ends up costing her dearly and turning her world upside down. Guilt forces her to make a difficult choice sacrificing a part of herself forever. At last she is safe from the dark wolf of her dreams… or so she thought. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's been a while since a book has really impressed me, especially a debut novel by a new author. This is the case with “Copper Descent.” Right away you’re drawn into the story, and your attention is held by the author’s creative attention to detail. She has a talent for blending the modern world and realistic settings with Native American folklore in a way that makes everything seem plausible. The pacing is great in this book. I never once found myself getting bored or wanting to skip ahead. As is the case with most books the best character is the Villain. In “Copper Descent”, Angela gives us Sinuf, an interesting twist on the classic image of Lucifer with roots in both christen mythology and Native American lore. The effect is an antagonist that is sexy, deadly, haunting and somehow likable in a bad-boy-kind-of-way.The kind of guy that lures women with tendencies towards fixer uppers. I found myself hoping that maybe Nina could turn this cold-hearted serpent around so that perhaps he could redeem himself in the end. At first I found that I didn't really like Nate, Nina's love interest. He came off very immature and just plain rude at first. Later on, when he came back into the story, he seemed to have grown up some and turned into my second favorite character. The story was never predictable and kept you guessing. 

My only complaints are these: The action seemed a bit choppy in the last couple chapters. This wouldn't be a big deal as most modern books seem to be written this way, except that this book was not up until the end. It's not really noticeable except in two spots where it took me out of the story. Perhaps in the excitement of wrapping up the book these moments were rushed a bit to render the scenes a little confusing instead of having the natural flow the rest of the book had. Secondly, the ending wasn't what I was hoping for. There was a bit of a Wizard of Oz ending to it, "You had the power within you all along." Although it was well-written and made perfect sense with the book, the final fight seemed to easily won for my taste and a was little anti-climatic. My last issue with the book is that I never fell in love with the leading lady, Nina. She was well-written and had complexity to her, and had some good dialogue and great hero moments, but for some reason I never really became invested in her. I don't think this is at all the author’s fault, just for some reason she just didn't resonate with me. 

Despite these minor flaws I still found “Copper Descent” to be a wildly creative, well-written, and exciting read! I give it five stars. I would recommend it to anyone with a love for Urban Fantasy, Horror and an interest in Religious Mythology and Native American Folklore.

Now go forth read, and decide for yourself if it's as good as I say it is. And if you love it, too, make sure to tell everyone you know about it. You can find the book or follow the author at the following links.

Amazon
Goodreads
Blog
Foxhollow

R.J. Craddock

Maleficent - Movie Review

Society would have us all believe that every woman grew up dreaming of being a princess, Well, I for one, did not. As the youngest of eight children, five of which were boys, and with my sisters seven and eleven years older then me, I grew up, you guessed it, as a tomboy. So why is it then that even I loved Disney's animated film "Sleeping Beauty"? First off, I was raised to appreciate fine art and beautiful music by my parents and my own insatiable hunger for enlightenment. Naturally the advanced artistry in "Sleeping Beauty's" every frame caught my young eye and captured my attention. Borrowing from the ballet version of the tale and using Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's magnificent music for the score only heightened the intensity of the movie's beauty. Yet even the story makes it stand out from other princess tales. Although "Snow White" also features an evil female villain for some reason Maleficent with her iron-clad grudge always seemed more intriguing then the evil Queen obsessed with beauty. And let's not forget the fire-breathing dragon! Honestly how many of the old fairy tales have dragons? Even though the animated film came out in 1959, it has remained a huge favorite for fairy tale lovers.

Now fast forward 55 years to the year 2014. Disney releases their new spin on their old tale with a live action film called "Maleficent". At first I was just ecstatic that my favorite fairy tale Witch was being played by my favorite actress Angelina Jolie! As the trailers kept rolling out I got even more excited because it seemed the film would center more on Maleficent's perspective of things and might give us a whole new angle to the classic story. When the movie came out May 31st I had to go see it opening day. I usually wait a while till movies go to the dollar theater or red box, but no way could I wait another day to see this one! 

Brief synopsis: A human kingdom resides on the border of a magical one called The Moors. The two kingdoms are not friendly but stay to themselves. Until a young boy named Stefan sneaks into The Moors and tries to steal something valuable to improve his meager existence. Instead he meets Maleficent the strongest of all the Fairies who makes him return his stole trinket and sends him safely home. However, when he leaves he takes with him Maleficent's heart. They grow up and while he comes to visit Maleficent from time to time Stefan's ambitions lead him to the palace and make him the trusted servant to the king. When the greedy king decides to go to battle against The Moors he finds Maleficent and an army of tree warriors in his way. His altercation with the fully grown Maleficent leaves the king at death's door. When the king announces that he will give his throne to the man who avenges him and slays the Fairy, Maleficent, Stefan is faced with a difficult choice. Suddenly his childhood friend and first love is the only thing standing in the way of his ultimate dream, unlimited wealth and power. 

I won't give anything else away if you haven't seen it but let's just say that in this version of the tale Maleficent has plenty of reason to hold a grudge. You almost sympathize with her when Aurora is born and she crashes the party to get her own revenge. As The princess grows up under the care of three very poor Fairy caretakers, Maleficent is there all along just biding her time. But whilst Aurora's guardians are a bit flighty, Maleficent finds herself having to step in from time to time to keep the little "Beasty" alive. At least long enough for her prophecy to be fulfilled. However, by the end of the movie everything seems to change and the good guy is the villain and the villain the real hero.

For me this was the most satisfying movie going experience I've had in a long time. Too often then not the trailer for a film will be better then the film itself leaving me feeling let down and a little lied to. Trust me Maleficent does not disappoint. It is almost as beautiful as the animated classic with ten times the emotional impact and richness in plot. Angelina was Magnificent as Maleficent. The rest of the cast played their parts well. One of my favorite twists on the original tale is Maleficent's faithful crow companion Diaval. In the film he is a bird she saves and then enlists to serve her. When she wants to communicate with him she changes him into a man. At other times she changes him into a dog and even a dragon! I loved the banter and the relationship between the two of them as the story unfolds. He became one of my favorite characters.  Elle Fanning, who is Dakota Fanning's little, yet taller, sister played princess Aurora. She did a fine job portraying the innocence and sweetness of the character but in my opinion she is not a great beauty. Perhaps an equally charming but more stunning actress should have been cast in this role. Honestly that is my only complaint. The visual effects were breath taking, the writing and acting endearing, and the ending inspiring. 

I give "Maleficent" a solid five star rating. I enjoyed it so much I might just go back and see it in theaters again. When the movie comes out on DVD I'll be the first to rush out and buy a copy.  

Now go forth and see it for yourselves. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. See you next time.

R.J. Craddock

"Chest of Wishes" -Book Review

"Chest of Wishes" is  listed as a paranormal romance novella  by Natashiah Jansen and Zhu Hsia. It is also the first novella I've ever read. I prefer full length novels myself because you can really get to know the characters and get immersed in their world. Which is why I have to say this story would've been better as a novel. As it is it's a fun quick read with an intriguing premise that catches you up in it's tale right away. However to make it a novella a lot of details were smudged over and a great deal of the story was told to us rather than shown. Since I'm a novelist myself I am unfamiliar with novella writing etiquette, although telling instead of showing is considered a "No, No" with traditional novel writing. I feel like the author could have shown us the portions that were simply told and the story would have been richer, and the mystery aspect of it more intense.

A personal pet peeve of mine is when the characters are never physically described, which is the case with this story. I had to go a long just imaging generic people in the roles rather then feeling like I was reading real flesh and bone individuals. I still enjoyed the story despite this but some description would have made this story just a little bit better.

I am unfamiliar with modern day Egypt society so I was confused as to weather it's normal for Egyptians to have western names like Adam, Mark, George and Mary. It took me a bit out of the story as the love interest was named Isis and her mother and father had Egyptian sounding names. Every one else's names made them sound like they were English or American not Egyptian. Again like I said maybe this is normal in Egypt today. However it seems really out of place for the wealthy Egyptian family to have a daughter named Isis and a son named Adam.

I enjoyed the back story twist that involved Mark's mother. It added a whole other layer of intrigue which I think was nicely done. Overall I really enjoyed the tale of "Chest of Wishes". I just wish it had been told with more attention to detail while keeping the energy level building to the finale. I would recommend it to anyone who likes quick, fun, reads with an element of magic and history.

Now go forth and pick it up for yourself. It is available now for just .99 cents. You can get it here.

Till Next time,
R.J. Craddock