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Monday, October 4, 2010

From the Shadows and back into the Spotlight

or ... OMG in the NYC

Many have read of Jake's chat with David Denby at The New Yorker festival this past Saturday. Several lucky people from OMG got the opportunity to meet up and go see Jake at the event getting close and watching Jake talk about his past movies, and his new ones. M and her husband flew to NY, as did PG, meeting up with Destiny, Tom and other friends for the evening.

Jake was there to talk about his past work as well as his upcoming movie LaOD, along with director Ed Zwick. As in such events, many of the questions from the interviewer were the similar ones we've all heard before, there were questions from the audience, and there a few new answers that came from evening. One thing many may not have known, and it was said during the evening, that friend Jason Schwartzman had been original cast as Donnie Darko.

Jake reflected on his career, his craft and the working with directors. He shared about his love of acting and spoke of how he is not done learning his craft and that he has to improve. And he spoke of wanting to make films that mean a lot to him as none of us know how long we will live.

He was asked if there are other things he wanted to do beside acting. And unlike in the past were he talked about cooking and other things he declined to say exactly what those thing are these days, but sounds like he does what to venture in other things besides acting.

He spoke of his family and Maggie and one thing he said is they are both so busy they rarely have seen each other's films and both have missed a few in each other's canon of films. He did say Maggie loved LaOD though.

And one thing that everyone had mention was Jake's reaction when they played the clip to BBM. How put his head down, closed his eyes, during the emotional good bye between Jack and Ennis.

Jake also spoke of his admiration for family friend the late Paul Newman "for creating an alternative to acting and said he too can make great salad dressing."

So here are the OMGer's talking about their evening together with Jake. I took all of their individual comments that they wanted shared with OMG and creating something that might sound like you are sitting listening to four friends reflecting over the evening around a table.

Thanks Tom, Destiny, PG and M.

Thank you for letting us share it with you.

This past Sat night I had the pleasure of attending along with several friends from OMG Jake's New Yorker Festival interview with David Denby. I found Jake Friendly, warm and very animated.

An enjoyable Italian meal was enjoyed in the cozy loft of the Le Vie restaurant by our party of seven prior to the NY Film Festival. We didn’t have to wait in line outside for long before receiving our tickets at Will Call and the speciality drink/Hors D'oeuvres reception was abandoned as soon as we found out the theatre was allowing seating. It was stunning to me that we were able to get seats five rows back from the stage, in the center.

First off we got there right at 9:00 with the intent of having wine but when we found out they were allowing people to take seats, we said screw that and headed to the auditorium. We were literally 5 rows back and dead center to where Jake sat. Not long after, I turned around to see how large the crowd was (they dragged in slowly) only to see Naomi, a blond woman and a man I have seen her pictured with before walk in. She sat very close to us so we got a great look at her. Much more delicate looking in real life than she looks in pictures. She did not see me looking at her, but the man did, so I was reluctant to turn around to take another look as I did not want to gawk at her or make her uncomfortable

Jake came in a side door but his entrance was over shadowed by a video ad by Jason Schwartzman that started to run just as he entered.
The theatre was small, the atmosphere very intimate. I will take away with me a few revealing moments from Jake’s interview: evidence that Jake is indeed bothered by the idea of turning 30 and the reiteration that he does seem to be thinking of a career post-acting. His age came up maybe a couple of times and the second time it did, Jake collapsed back in his chair and groaned “Guys, I’m not 30 yet!!!!” So I could tell it is bothering him. I thought that was funny because it lends a human element I could identify with; that anyone can identify with. Nobody really likes their milestone birthdays after that 21st, do they? Jake is no different, lol.
I wont repeat the questions Denby asked of Jake as I think they are showing up on various sites already and will probably show up on youtube. But overall I was very disappointed in them. Unoriginal and the same stuff he has been asked many times. If you are new to Jake, I guess it was interesting. But to long time followers it was really, this is the best you could come up with?

His mother was seated 3 rows behind us which was rather interesting and I was surprised to see that the interviewer, David Enby seemed to know the Gyllenhaal family as more than just acquaintances. If there was one thing I was disappointed in, it was that “the interviewer” asked mostly the same old, same old questions.
Jake was asked about several of his past performances and clips were shown from many of those movies including Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain and Zodiac. The clip from Brokeback was the very emotional scene where Jack tells Ennis he can't quit him and the usually stoic Ennis breaks down. I haven's seen that scene in a while and it sure was emotional seeing it sitting five rows from Jake himself. Jake spoke fondly of Heath and seemed very sincere

All the emphasis on sex was really coming from Denby. After all, he started out by describing Jake, among other things, as having masturbated in 4 scenes in movies (I can only recall 3), and the first clip they showed was the DD of him starting to masturbate on the shrink's sofa. And Denby asked about Jake's comment about the kissing in BBM. No way of knowing for sure, but it could be due to LAOD and perhaps Denby trying to find some kind of theme to build on.

A couple of clips were shown with the most notable being the BBM I cant quit you scene. Jake called Heaths performance incadescent. Said Heath inspired him to lift his own performance. Mentioned that he and Heath had been friends before they did BBM and that there as a real attraction there. Yes, he used the word attraction. The BBM clip was very moving given Heath's death and I wondered how Jake felt listening to it. He did not look at it but kept his back to the screen and his head down during the clip. Jake was very careful not to make light of the movie or the questions about the two men kissing.

Destiny & I were talking about it tonight. I think what Jake was talking about when he was talking about the "attraction" was not just himself but the entire cast and crew. I'd like to hear it again but I'm pretty sure that's what he was saying, although he did clearly include himself.

I thought it was interesting that when Denby asked about what he'd said about kissing Heath at the time of BBM, Jake answered that whether you're kissing men or women, it's ackward and not sexy because everyone is watching. When he was asked who he liked kissing the best of all his co-starts, he laughed and said he couldn't answer than, but then said well, maybe he could since it was a New Yorker audience. To me it seemed like he was going out of his way with the comment about kissing men and women being the same (perhaps to make up for the comments during POP interviews and promotion?), and injecting a small bit of sexual ambiguity into the way he answered that he wasn't going to answer who he enjoyed kissing the most.

Jake was his usual self. He rambled on some answers, tried to be charming and funny a bit and sometimes failed to answer the question asked of him. A couple of times Denby sort of cut him off when Jake rambled and did not let him finish his thought.

Jake seemed fidgety, but then I think he often is in interviews. But unlike most of his interviews, he was kind of subdued. I think that in some of his more recent interviews for POP his merriment seemed kind of forced, so just as glad to not have that. I couldn't tell if it was Jake being more comfortable with himself, resigned to where his career is now, or not feeling good about where it is now.

We were lucky enough to see a couple clips from Jake's upcoming movie Love and Other Drugs. David Denby gave it rave reviews.

And what going going on in the poster for LaOD? Why did Jake have his hand over his mouth? Did Zwick offer to get naked, after they told him they were tired of taking their clothes off, to the shock and horror to Jake! He said that the reason Jake had his hand over his mouth was because Ed was in the room naked and he wasn't suppose to tell. And was Anne photoshopped ?

Yes, Jake or Ed ( I cant remember who) did make the comment about her head being pasted on. I remembered the statement clearly because of all the photoshop discussion when Special posted that photo of Jake by himself. But I could not tell if it was said as a joke or for real. Ed also said something like "they put her on Jake's arm", like she was added after, not while Jake was there, regardless. I do think the promo photos are probably done separately and photoshopped as a rule. Hollywood is all illusion and that way each star is lit to their best advantage. I also think they are pushing the sex and nakedness angle for this movie way too much. One of the clips had Jake and Anne kissing, and I am sorry, but Jake kissing a woman just does not work for me. When he kissed Heath in the tent, it looked like a real kiss. The kiss with Anne looked like a Hollywood kiss. Of course it is just a clip, but that was my reaction.

Regarding the poster, I do recall that was what was said about why the hand over the mouth, i.e., Zwick being in the room naked, and that Anne's head was photoshopped.

One huge thing I forgot was that they showed a clip from LOAD. Two actually. But one of the lines in the clip was "Just because you cant prove something, does not mean it is not true." Given all the you cant prove he's gay allegations that are flung by some commenters, that line blew me away.

I could sense how seriously Jake takes his craft. Jake talked about his childhood and competing and taking a back seat to Maggie. That competition sure seems to link to his ambitions. Jake sounded like he was at a point where he will just sees where things lead in his career but sounded like he was willing to move on to other venues if the time came. He did not share those backup ambitions with the audience.
He also kept talking about how much he'd learned, sounds like he had some regrets about the way he has worked with directors in the past, and some regrets about how he viewed the movie business and the work that I felt was a reference to POP.

As for new items of interest, he mentioned he regrets not finishing college. He wants to do a movie with Ryan Gosling (that drew a female scream from the audience) and he expects to do other things with his life besides acting. Oh, Denby mentioned that Naomi will be directing soon but did not say what.
I also loved that Jake said that his idol was Paul Newman. I believe Jake would love to have a career like Paul's. He also mentioned that he thought he could make an equally good if not better salad dressing which could give a clue of his back up plan for his career. I also like to believe he admired Paul's one mate for life relationship with Joanne Woodward.

Jake spoke of the importance and support of his family of course with Mom closely by.

After the event [Naomi] tried to get Jakes attention and was told by the blond that he was going to a NewYorker after party. I also heard the blond lady say that Chris was coming in later or the next day, I'm not sure as it was difficult to hear exactly.
I thought the crowd itself was subdued. No screaming women, except for the Gosling mention. The clapping after each clip was more polite than enthusiastic.

Jake's beard was long but trimmed shorter. To me he looked pensive, subdued, no big smiles like when he is with Austin. Not unhappy, but not the happy bubbling man that we once knew. He used to talk about his love of acting, but I think while he still likes it, there has been a change in how he views it and that other things have taken on new meaning in his life. He mentioned that we can not be sure how much time we have and need to make the best of it. A reference to Heath's death I am sure.

Its hard to remember all he said or my impressions it was so exciting just to be so close to him.

Jake was fairly open, engaging and interactive with the audience during the course of the interview, as well as while answering some of the open mike questions which happened at the end of the show.

The only time he really seemed animated was talking about Zwick and making LAOD. He really seemed to have enjoyed working with him.

It lasted longer than I ever thought it would – we received basically 1 ½ hrs and afterwards, Jake did shake a couple of hands from the fans and posed for a picture or two before being escorted out a side door.

He does not look 6’ tall and he has lost his PoP butt.

I think Jake's performance in LAOD will be a welcome and well received success. I can't say I heard anything new from Jake but did enjoy the interview. Most of all I especially enjoyed the time I spent with my friends from OMG in NYC. I wish everyone could have been there.

And where else would you finish up your night but across the street at place named Jake's.

Thanks again guys.

OMG said...

Wow, thanks everyone for your reports back from The New Yorker event. Very touching, Jake's comments about Heath. :'). Looking forward to LaOD a lot!

ted said...

Woo Hoo! Jake Finally Gets it Right with New Movie!

If you were worried that the sandy residue of Prince of Persia would stay lodged in your Jake Gyllenhaal-loving brain forever, then get ready to forget the hunk ever starred in that disaster of an action flick.

We recently saw Love and Other Drugs—Jake's latest flick that hits theatres next month—and it's good...really good. And while the movie made us completely forget Jake's recent box-office blunder, could it earn him a second Oscar nom?

Eh, probably not.

Though, that's not to say Jake wasn't fantastic in the role—have we made that clear yet, 'cause we're more than happy to say it half a dozen more times.

In fact, we have to say we're relieved, because the part is everything we've been telling J.G. to play: funny, boyishly charming and sincere (something that's been lacking from his recent trips to the big screen and tabloid persona).

Hell, nice boy Jake playing a total womanizer was even perfect! Come to think of it, his chemistry with costar Anne Hathaway is some of the hottest we've seen of late—and definitely the most sizzlin' from Jakey (including his offscreen chem with broads like Reese Witherspoon).

And when the material gets heavier, he busts out those acting chops we knew he had all along. He's back to that old-school emotional stuff he does so well and which we've been dying to see again.

Consider us giddy with Gyllenhaal glee.

All signs point upward if this movie is any indication of Jake's projects to come. We knew the guy had a good head on his shoulders.

Oh, and the fact that he's naked a good portion of the film didn't hurt either. We'll definitely be getting in line and shelling out our hard-earned bucks to take another peak at his tush...and abs...and arms...well, let's just say we'll be seeing the movie again.

Jersey Tom said...

What an evening. I can't believe the good times I have had and the friends I have made being involved with WFT and OMG. This past weekend was one I will remmeber for a long long time. Thanks PG for getting the Tickets and being such a delight. Thanks so much to Destiny and her partner for their hospitality and friendship. Thanks to m and her husband for coming such a long way and making us a part of their adventure. Thanks very muck Special for puttimg our memories together for us. I said I wished everyone had been there. Now I feel like everyone was.

Special K said...

Sorry that it took so long to get the post up.

Ohh computer our dysfunctional relationship continues.

I hope that I captured what you all experienced. Thanks again guys.

OMG said...

Special, don't worry about it. I don't know how you manage to deliver great posts rain or shine. Today's was worth the wait. :)

prairiegirl said...

Great post, Speciallll!!!!

Can we all say it now?

♪♫♪We were there!! We were there!!♪♫

We were there, we were there!!

prairiegirl said...

Great to see Ted's review. I think it's going to be good. I've seen some alternative reviews and whoever knows for sure until it actually comes out But from the trailers I've seen, Jake looks cool to me.

I tell you what. The clip that they showed us had some material that I had not seen yet and it helps lead up to the scene where Jamie tells Maggie he loves her. And I tell you what, there's a kiss in that movie where Jake lays a heckuva kiss on Anne H. It was downright hot. I gauged it a 9 on the ol' Audible Suction level on the Kiss-O-Meter.

LOLLLLL! You could hear that ol' suction soon as his mouth clamped over hers.

In fact, I'd say it's every bit as passionate as the one he laid on Heath in Brokeback Mountain in the SNIT scene. Every bit.

The chemistry between them must be something. And it's funny how that works in Hollywood. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. You just never know but when you find it, it's awesome. So I'm glad for Jake. He needs this movie to do well. Then, maybe it will give him some "say" again in being able to do what he really wants to do.

Jersey Tom said...

I think as a group we all agreed that Jake days of searching for the action hero part I, II, III are over. He wants to be an actor not an action hero. Yeah!!!!

I loved that Jake considered Paul Newman as his idol.

AUS10 said...

On a plane. About to take off. I don't have an armrest. Where is my arm supposed to rest?
about 2 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Goodbye Austin, Tx. Bye Bye queso and margaritas and heaven on Earth. I will be back soon.
about 3 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Went by a kickass new bar in Austin,TX. @Hangar_Lounge. Opens in a month. 4th and Colorado. Go check it out. Really cool
about 3 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·

destiny said...

I had a great time with everyone this weekend. I have more to say on the subject, but I have to run out the door in a minute.

You did a great job with today's post Special. Love the way you inter-cut all our comments, and the artwork. Hope your computer is still ticking after all of this.

Jersey Tom said...

It sure does appear at this point that Austin is done playing the Sophin game even if he doesn't mind that his lady friend Sophia does.

I think Austin has found his soul mate.

dlisted said...

Jakey G's grizzly man beard is doing things to me. I just want to watch him suck the raisins out of a granola bar in between chopping wood (not a euphemism...I think)

Special K said...

Special shout out to PG for the pictures.

chubchub said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
AUS10 said...

Interesting view

prairiegirl said...

Thanks, Special!! I'm a real amateur and it took me all night on Saturday before 9 o'clock before I figured out how to set my little digital camera to take a picture with no flash, but finally came upon it by accident!! lol. Because, ahem! no one else was any help!! No one knew about digital cameras so I was on my own. But we got it!

I'm like Destiny. I have a lot more to say but I'm going to have to say it tomorrow night. I did get my laundry done. I had sauce to get out of my top & clamdiggers that I spilled all over from Saturday afternoon plus iced coffee that I spilled down my shirt this morning but everything looks pretty good! My phone is okay! Yea!!

Phew. I was going through withdrawal on everything electronic but I got my intravenous drip tonight from all sources to get me through to tomorrow. lol.

And on top of all that, I am watching Molly, Luce, & rotten lil' Jingles starting tomorrow night. Plus, gotta return to the old salt miles tomorrow. I don't want to go back to work but I need to save up some $$ for when Austin does something like this and we can all go travel to see Aus!!!!!

prairiegirl said...

Salt miles? What in the heck are salt miles? I meant salt mines!! lol. I can't type.

LOLLL - I'm looking at that picture of us behind that sign. We have one of all of us standing but I kinda like this one, don't you guys? LOL.

What a blast. I'll just say this for now:

These 2 guys brought all of us together. We were walking along the river (I thought it was the ocean but Tom says it was a river we were walking along) on our way towards Ground Zero yesterday afternoon and m's husband mentioned to me that it was really something that the bunch of us were brought together by these guys. And I said 'I know.' We never would have met. Most likely never would have met had it not been for Jake & Austin. And Special's blog on top of all that.

We met through this blog and those 2 guys. It's a miracle. And he thought it was incredible that we all traveled, one of us from the midwest and two from clear across the U.S. the West Coast, to meet for this event. And we had things in common, things to talk about, we laughed, we had dinner together, we emailed like crazy to set this thing up and get it all coordinated.

I flew to NYC, a city I always dreamed about visiting, and yet was also terrified to go all by myself, but did. And I had never met m before, nor her husband. I looked so forward to seeing Tom again and Destiny. Plus I met another new friend who also lives in the Big Apple and has blogged on here before maybe a couple of times or so but generally is perhaps a lurker, mostly. The whole thing is just incredible and it was a chance of a lifetime.

If those 2 guys only knew what they have done - something that has absolutely nothing to do with Hollywood or bearding or $$ or anything like that. It has to do with friendships and love and eating together and meeting spouses and partners and other friends. Laughing and arguing and staying up til late hours talking & laughing. Traveling and sharing each other's cities. All this stuff. Good and bad and revealing.

What a good thing you guys have done, Austin & Jake. You should be so proud of that. Really. So proud; you had no idea, did you. I wish you could know.

ny post said...

Jake Gyllenhaal makes startling revelation at New Yorker Festival

Sex and drugs were underlying themes at the New Yorker Festival over the weekend. Speaking to a mostly female audience Saturday night, Jake Gyllenhaal noted that he'd "masturbated four or five times in four or five different movies."

the real m said...

Hey guys, I just got home and logged on after showering and throwing a load of laundry in. Our flight was delayed again. This time 2.5 hrs on the ground. I am not sure which is worse. Sitting on the ground at JFK waiting to take off or circling JFK waiting to land. But I can say I have sampled both. Anyway, I am home safe and sound but will be calling in sick as it is just about midnight here and I am wiped out.

Good recap of everyone's impressions, Special. I must say though that as thrilling as it was to see Jake up close and personal,and Naomi, the highlights of my trip were meeting PG, Tom, Destiny and the others who joined us, our dinner and breakfast together and the sightseeing we shared. I am sure there will be another time to repeat the adventure. Thanks Jake for making it all happen.

people said...

Jake Gyllenhaal Dreads Turning 30-Sort Of

With only two months to go until he turns 30, Jake Gyllenhaal has mixed emotions about the milestone.

"Look guys, I'm not 30 yet!" Gyllenhaal cracked at Saturday's New Yorker Festival in Manhattan. "Can you cut it with the 30 comments?"

Deflecting – humorously – any questions about leaving his 20s behind, the Love and Other Drugs star may feel wistful, but he also says he is comfortable with the person he has become.

"I feel more like myself. I feel like now, it's just the beginning," he says. "I guess you get to a point at 30 or somewhere and you say, 'What I am, is what I am and that's what I'm going to be and that's all good. I don't need to be anything else.' And that's kind of how I feel."

Special K said...

Does anyone watch Bored to Death on HBO? I'm hooked.

Tonight you could have played 6 degrees of Gyllenhaal. Family friend Ted Dancy and childhood friend Jason Schwartzman are leads in the show. Fellow LaOD co-star Oliver Platt and Josh Gad guest starred in this week's episode. Ted's character passes time on the Urologist's exam table reading The New Yorker, and one of the two main settings of the show is Brooklyn.

Have to amend my Six Degrees of Jake/Bored to Death from Sunday.

There's family friend Ted Dancy and childhood friend Jason Schwartzman and I remembered this morning that third lead character in Bored, Zach Galifianakis was in Bubble Boy.

Then there's fellow LaOD co-stars Oliver Platt and Josh Gad who were on as guest stars. And of course The New Yorker.

Seaweed said...

Tom, PG, Destiny, M, and significant others along for NewYorker gathering; I'm so absolutely JEALOUS that you had this time together and able to witness the interview! So great to read all of your comments and observations and to have Special make such a wonderful post out of it all.

And lately, I'm liking the fact that Ted is balanced in his comments about Jake, he seems to be able to give him the gears and call him on his shit (as TT) and to also let that dazzling, smouldering admiration come through none the less (as in LaOD performance).

Have been viewing "It gets better" and related videos and hoping for a better tomorrow, with no bullying and bashing that would cause any young person that much grief that they choose to just end it all. It is just heart-wrenching!

ted said...

Glee Cast tackles gay suicide

prairiegirl said...

I need to watch some of those videos, Seaweed. Our young people do need to hear from those who have walked ahead in their footsteps.

prairiegirl said...

LOL - I overslept this morning. I woke up once at 4:09 as usual but something happened and the next time I woke up, it was almost 5 so I said, 'okay, well, I'm not getting my walk in." And the next thing I knew I woke up and it was 10 after 6 and I was supposed to be leaving in 20 minutes.

Surprisingly, I was only 15 min. late so I have to chop 15 min. off of my lunch hour today.

I think I'm still up in the air. Figuratively.

Well, so People had someone there? Maybe that's who that man was in our row with the tote bag of all the papers. He jumped up to ask the first question from the audience.

That's alright; we beat People to that Jake quote, didn't we?

Live, Late-Breaking, Investigating OMG'ers

prairiegirl said...

I wanted to stress to people that this event at the NYC Film Festival was about as intimate and small as you can get. Small, small, small!

The theatre was sectioned into thirds and was about 2/3 full by the start. It looked to be mostly female although there were some men there. Thank goodness, there were no squee's, no screams, no jumping up & down. There were a couple of rows marked "Reserved".

There was polite applause when Jake came in and I don't think he even appeared at the special champagne/appetizer reception they had starting at 9. He was about 5 minutes fashionably late, entering through a side door lined up with the stage. Which we bailed on as soon as we asked if they were seating. There went the sparkling mineral water back on the bar!! lol. Gotta go, gotta go.

prairiegirl said...

I remember saying to Tom that night I was going to look forward to seeing some better pictures of Jake because I was curious if he had on his necklace.

The reason for this was because when they showed that scene from LAOD about Jamie telling Maggie he loved her and that was the first time he had ever told someone that, Jake & The Interviewer discussed that scene. And so Jake was talking about love and when he talked about love, he reached up inside the right side of his collar and ran his thumb/finger(s) along something. Much like I do when I play with my necklace chain; you know how you run your fingers up & down it a few times. That's what he did when he started talking about love.

So I looked at the IHJ pictures and I was kind of excited to see that he indeed did have a neckchain on that night. I don't know what was on it, but I don't remember seeing him touch it at any other time during the interview.

prairiegirl said...

He was pretty fidgety but mostly it was just his hands. He's constantly doing something with his hands, lol.

LOL - I like that first picture - the silhouette. He looks like Abe Lincoln. He was crouching down because when he came out, they started showing that commercial and he didn't want to block the screen.

prairiegirl said...

Last thing for now. I notice that Austin still is not addressing Sophia in his twitter.

She did all the mentioning. She did all the responding to what he was talking about.

And Austin was not talking to her about Halloween costumes. He was talking to that Luis guy from JFC. He never talked to Sophia about it. He never said he had margaritas with her. Sophia is the one who tweeted everything about being in Austin and that she had the nerve to talk about taking his nephew to school. And Austin never even mentioned seeing his family.

Sophia has just earned herself the title of Mini Reese. She's just graduated from The School of Reese Wannabes to Mini Reese after this past weekend.

There's something rotten in Denmark and I will continue to call her out on it until I see Austin acknowledge that they're still on.

prairiegirl said...

Sophia, you lead your "little voices" astray and they will turn on you like nobody's business. You are playing with fire, lady.

Don't treat them like they're stupid because they're not. I'll stand by those girls on this one.

Jersey Tom said...

No kidding PG. I remember you mentioning that you thought he was stroking a necklace. Good catch. I would love to see the pic. Could you post it or email it to me.

destiny said...

I missed the necklace incident, and I guess I missed you guys talking about it too, lol. Very interesting PG.

M, I'm sorry your flight was delayed a second time. It's especially painful when it's a short trip.

destiny said...

What a strange photo of Austin to post, especially on the heels of Sophia's blabbing about his newphew.

Is it supposed to be Austin? A friend? A stranger?

Got to say there's something a bit homoerotic about it.

ROMA said...

Hi everyone! I had the real pleasure of attending a wonderful dinner and brunch as well as the New Yorker Festival event with Destiny, The Real M, PG and Tom and their partners. It was a great weekend and I am so grateful to The Real M for having an extra ticket! So sorry to learn your flight was so troublesome. I admire how you all pulled this together from all parts of the USA to make this a special evening. JG and AN really did help to create an incredible alchemy of real friendships. I enjoyed spending time with
you all so much!

ROMA said...

Special, I want to chime in. You did an incredible job interweaving everyone's impression of the NYC weekend and attending The New York Festival. And PG thank you for the photographs; I was kicking myself for forgetting my own camera. You did a fantastic job creating a collage of everyone's impressions and comments and insights. It was a great weekend! Thank you for "recreating" it for me and for everyone.


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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

KMET Reincarnated

I'm still mad at "the wave" for killing KMET in the late 80's. But KMET's been reincarnated as its old self, which also means it's open to new stuff and variety: http://www.thesoundla.com/ They stream live. (KSWD 100.3)

Back in the day, LA had two main rock stations. KLOS and KMET. KMET was way more groovy. KLOS was fine, but KMET had that extra welcoming vibe. It had that friendly feel that you get hanging out with your best friends at the cool after-party.

Then came the tsunami of mediocrity, "the wave": mellifluous meandering "new age" wind chimey faux jazz watered down ambient and simpy. Did I mention I'm still mad?

I suppose I can let it go now, turns out the good guys may have been down, but they were not out. Maybe they just swam along the shore long enough to get clear of the undertow to land on the shore a little further up the dial.

There is no Styrofoam here.

1 comment:

TheMightyMet.net said...

There is a KMET online tribute radio station at TheMightyMet.net and this month they are streaming the last few broadcast days/hours of KMET...brings bad some sad memories. Check it out if you can bear to listen!!

I'm still pissed too, btw:(

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Friday, 12 August 2016

Small Update

Hey guys. It's been a while since my last post but what can I say? It's wedding season! I haven't been drifting in forever! Need to get out there again soon, I've started getting withdrawal symptoms.

Of course with all these weddings, not much has changed so I'll just be picking up from where I left off so this will be just a short update. I've bought myself some tools...

(Image source: Integy)

I had been using a cheap set of Automotive/Engineering hex keys which I had laying around and have been using these since. Having been mocked too many times to count (which doesn't bother me at all), I decided that it's time to get a proper set.

(Image source: Arrowmax-RC)

There are sooo many to choose from! I spent some time traipsing through all different websites to see what was on offer but of course I was swayed towards the Arrowmax purple set.

"A sharp purple anodised hollow aluminium handle. Light weight non-slip hollow, hard anodized aluminum handles with size indication rings. Machined special spring steel for long life and excellent torsion. Sturdy and convenient to use, the tips securely lock the screw in its place. Aluminum handle end caps, that rotate in the palm of your hand for comfort and control."
Source: Arrowmax-RC

1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm and 3.0mm which are the basic requirements of hex keys. They look good, feel good and work good and it's a really nice touch with the identifier rings. I've already started looking tools in the purple range.

Well that's all for this small update, thanks for reading and keep drifting fun!


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lördag, februari 24, 2007

The world is spinning

If you didn't know that, the title tells it all. Of course, that's old news.

I haven't really been able to blog as much as I wish I could have, lately. There are reasons for this, of course. Two very exciting reasons, in fact. If everything pans out, I will be able to write about it in 2 to 3 weeks time.

In other news, we are gearing up for another JRuby release. This one will be a biggie. Many nice things will be in place, and it will set the record for both new features and bug fixes. I think no one will be disappointed by it, actually.

I have a few presentations lined up too. The closest to now will be in exactly two weeks. I will speak at the Academic Computer Science Festival in Craków, Poland. If you're somewhere close, by all means offer to show me the city. =) I will land March 9:th and fly out again March 11:th. My presentation will be at 17:00 March 10:th, CET. If you would like more information, it can be found at the festivals homepage, here. The presentation will be in English (since I don't speak Polish, obviously), and it will be slightly more technical than the usual JRuby presentations. There will probably be some detail about our runtime, interpreter, parser and lexer, and hopefully I'll get some info in about our YARV and Java bytecode compiler efforts. This will be very exciting to talk about, I'm kinda salivating just thinking about it. =)

Another, more long term presentation, has just been decided. I will attend TheServerSide Java Symposium Europe, in Barcelona, from June 27:th to June 29:th, and talk about JRuby from the perspective of a Java developer, and what it can do for you. Hopefully I will have time to see the city too.

I will update with more information when possible.

onsdag, februari 14, 2007

The new base

I have for a time argued that the JVM should become more like an Operating System, and Java the language for OS development. Other languages should run on top of the JVM for running applications. It seems I'm not alone in this line of thought. Robert Varttinen wrote some about it here. To me it seems like a compelling future. But it seems the next logical step for enterprise applications would be further virtualization. I would for example like my beans implemented in Ruby. But not only that, I would want all the business logic to be OS agnostic. I would like my Ruby logic to live on top of a JVM J2EE server, but that logic should be able to move, transparently, to a .NET-server and provide the same business logic at that place. What would be even better is if I didn't have to deploy it manually to all places, but the logic would just move to the places where it's needed. Will we see that anytime soon?

tisdag, februari 13, 2007

RailsConf galore

So, it's decided. Me and two colleagues from Karolinska Institutet will attend RailsConf in Portland, OR. I'm looking very much forward to it, especially since we are also going to JavaOne, and we plan to drive from San Francisco to Portland.

Hopefully I'll get to meet many of the people on the Ruby scene that I've only had mail contact with until now. See you there!

söndag, februari 11, 2007

Ragel performance

I did some performance testing on the old and new Resolver implementation. The testing have some stupid tests that exercise bad parts of both implementations (like longest match, where it can't be decided what type something is until we have to backtrack about 20 characters). I placed these 24 strings in an array, and pounded on it with an instance of the ResolverImpl that is used in exactly the same way on all scalar values in an YAML document. The objective is to find out if the value is an implicit type or not. So basically, we give it a String, and get back a tag URI. So it's not like I'm parsing a language or anything. I'm just doing some recognizing here.

The old implementation was based on a Map> where the first letter of the string to resolve was used as an index to find a list of patterns to try sequentially. This worked fine, and made it extensible. But not very fast. This is the baseline. For 24 different strings, iterated 100 000 times for 2 400 000 resolves it takes 7879ms. That's OK, but not great.

Now, the new Ragel implementation is dead simple. It's just a translation of the regexps in the aforementioned Pattern's into a state machine. At EOF out actions (%/ for people in the Ragel knowhow), I execute an action that sets a local variable to a tag, and at the end of the resolve method returns that tag. Dead simple, and not exercising the full strength of Ragel, of course.
So, for the same number of resolves, this ResolverImpl takes 1288ms. That's 611% improvement in speed. Ain't it nice to have a friend such as Ragel? And the best part is, for harder tasks, these improvements would be even larger.
Finite State Machines are your friends. All your base are belongs to us.

Results of jvYAMLb

Well, the YAML-based loading is in JRuby trunk. On the way, some parts of the codebase got seriously simplified. Very nice. The final result, with regard to performance, is about 20-30% on speed. But the important gain is in memory usage. The new implementation takes only about one fourth of the memory the original used. So that's great.

Regarding the Resolver, as I mentioned in the last post, it required a different approach, since regular JvYAML uses regular expressions to recognize implicit tags. Since that approach isn't good with byte arrays, I decided to use Ragel to generate a recognizer. That approach was very successful. As soon as I got that working it was the obvious approach. Ragel is good. Ragel is great. Ragel is wonderful. I will use the same approach for regular JvYAML to get away from all those Java regexps.

So, next step will be to do the same conversion of the emitter. Of course, at that point performance isn't that important. It's more about memory usage and the need to get away from another external dependency in JRuby.

lördag, februari 10, 2007

Faster YAML with byte processing

As noted in my last post, I have started work on converting JvYAML into JvYAMLb. Right now I have finished the work on the Scanner and the Parser, and it's looking quite good. The numbers I reported in the last post for regular JvYAML performance was wrong though. We're looking at about 7.8s to 10.0s for scanning that 3.5MB gemspec file. (And that's only the scanning, not file IO). But with the Scanner converted to use bytes and ByteList, the same processing takes 2.8s. That's a substantial difference. But it doesn't end with that.

As I said I also converted the Parser. It doesn't do any String processing at all, so I didn't expect either a speedup or slowdown except for that from the Scanner. But... Before, parsing the gemspec took 18.515s, but after, it runs in 4s. That's a dramatic speedup, and I don't really know where it comes from. Unless the earlier implementation generated so much more garbage, and used more memory, that it was noticeable in speed. Anyway, this looks good for JRuby YAML processing, since I expect big reductions in complexity in the callpath and generation of objects after the YAML processor is byted all the way through.

But tomorrow it's time to work on the Resolver, and that's going to be hard. Optimally, it would be nice to have a byte-based Regexp engine. And maybe that would be something for JRuby too, know? Our Regular Expressions must be dead slow now that they have to convert to strings all the time.

fredag, februari 09, 2007

Announcing JvYAMLb, a fork

The conversion to using byte-arrays as the basis of our String work in JRuby has led me to realize that JvYAML just doesn't cut it anymore. The performance wasn't good to begin with, and it's even worse having to convert EVERY SINGLE STRING read into bytes. That's no good. As an example why something needs to be done I'm going to describe the transformations that happen to data in JRuby if executing this code:
YAML.load_file "gems.yml"
First, the file is opened, and wrapped inside a RandomAccessFile. Then data is read from it by YAML. Reading will proceed like this:
1. Bytes are read through the RAF, hopefully in chunks.
2. Those bytes are wrapped in a RubyString so they can be returned from the IO#read method.
3. An IOReader wraps that RubyIO object, gets the RubyString and converts it from bytes into a String, and this String gets converted into a char array.
4. That char array is returned to the YAML Scanner.
5. The chars from the char array is collected in a StringBuffer, and saved in various Strings as token values.
6. The parser, resolver and constructor work on these Strings in various ways.
7. The JRubyConstructor takes these Strings and creates RubyString objects from them and in the process converting the String back to a byte array.

Is there any doubt that this process is slow? Well, it hasn't been that big of a problem until now, since we are doing so well on performance in other parts of the system.

So, the radical decision is to rewrite JvYAML, making it more SYCK-compliant, working with InputStreams and byte-arrays, and in the process get away from several of the steps above. So that's what I'm going to do. I hereby create JvYAMLb. It will only be a part of the JRuby codebase, but it will be reasonably separate, so it can be extracted for other purposes. I will not stop work on regular JvYAML, but will maintain both projects.

Since the objective of this new project is blazing speed, I will post some numbers on this now and again. But first I will show you the speed of the regular system. JvYAML's Scanner can scan an old gem source index (about 3.5MB) of 435654 tokens in about 1654ms. This is the baseline I'm going to use to test performance, and I'll post more on this as soon as the byte-based Scanner is ready to try out.

Bytes bites. Or maybe not.

Well, the byte arrays are in, for good and evil. We had to wrap them in a counterpart to StringBuffer, but backed by byte[] instead, since all that explicit allocation and deallocation was way unperformant.

Of course, we aren't seeing any performance benefits from this right now. The problem is that there is still many places that use IRubyObject#toString to get at the contents. That operation is very expensive right now, so gem installs are slower, for example. But we have good hopes on improving the situation, and many parts of the codebase have become much clearer without the need to do String-to-byte[] and byte[]-to-String all over the place.

tisdag, februari 06, 2007

Fractured blogging

My blogging in the future will be a little bit fractured (or more fractured, some might say), since I have been invited to write at Inside Java for APress. The address is http://java.apress.com and I do recommend that you subscribe to the feed if you're interested in Java or associated technologies. My first posting was about the two closure proposals for Java 7, and I will try to focus my posting there to be more Java specific, mostly in article format. But if I write anything I deem to be exceptionally good, I promise to link from here to there.

Go subscribe now!

Serial JRuby

Things are really moving along faster than ever in JRuby land. It's so fun! As my last entry told you, Hpricot is now available for JRuby (and Java) people. I need to share a few lines from the logs of yesterday evenings conversation at #jruby:

<headius> seeya ola!
* shellac does some xsl-ing, plays on the wii,
then finds ola got HPRICOT working in that time
<shellac> I'm wasting my life
Some would say that what I do with JRuby is a waste of life... Well, we'll see about that.

Anyway, what's happened in JRuby world since last week? First, and most important, Charles has changed our RubyString implementation. It used to be backed by either a Java String or a StringBuffer. The problem with both of these is that Ruby has a tendency to use Strings as byte buckets. And our code was riddled with encoding and decoding into and out of byte arrays. So Charles took the big step, converted RubyString to use a byte-array instead, and fixed all the bugs that he found by doing that. The result is a happier codebase, less encoding and possibly faster Zlib and IO operations. That's big.

Tom is working on removing visibility and refactoring scopes. That could have huge impact too.

This Sunday I merged and fixed some code that allow Ruby code to inherit from Java classes and override methods there, and this overriding will be seen if an instance is sent back to Java. I'm planning on using this for some interesting tricks with Java ContentHandler's, and this functionality is really, really, really important. But it's also complex, since it requires generating bytecode at runtime. Fun, but hard. But now it's in trunk, and it's time to find the bugs in it and fix them.

I also need you to go read what Jonas Bonér has done with JRuby and OpenTerracotta. I could describe it here, but Jonas does a good job of it himself. So go there: http://jonasboner.com/2007/02/05/clustering-jruby-with-open-terracotta/. Very cool stuff, indeed!

So, the future is coming faster each day. JRuby will still conquer the world!

Hpricot goodness

This is just so cool, I cannot contain it. For those of you who haven't heard about Hpricot, it is one of why the lucky stiff's incredibly cool tools (which he probably will use to take over the world any day now...). It's HTML parsing goodness, very flexible, with the goal of being able to parse (and fix) everything that Firefox handles.

"So what?" you're probably asking... Well, Hpricot uses Ragel and some C code to achieve blinding speed. This means JRuby can't run it. Or I should say couldn't run it:

orpheus:~/workspace/jruby> jruby bin/gem install hpricot --source http://code.whytheluckystiff.net
Bulk updating Gem source index for: http://code.whytheluckystiff.net
Select which gem to install for your platform (java)
1. hpricot 0.5.110 (jruby)
2. hpricot 0.5.110 (mswin32)
3. hpricot 0.5.110 (ruby)
4. hpricot 0.5 (ruby)
5. hpricot 0.5 (mswin32)
6. hpricot 0.5.0 (ruby)
7. hpricot 0.5.0 (mswin32)
8. hpricot 0.4.99 (ruby)
9. hpricot 0.4.99 (mswin32)
10. hpricot 0.4.92 (ruby)
11. hpricot 0.4.92 (mswin32)
12. Skip this gem
13. Cancel installation
> 1
Successfully installed hpricot-0.5.110-jruby
Installing ri documentation for hpricot-0.5.110-jruby...
Installing RDoc documentation for hpricot-0.5.110-jruby...
That's right, Hpricot is now more promiscuous than any other gem with native parts.
What can you do with it? Well, I'm just going to point you to _why's own description of it. All he says at http://code.whytheluckystiff.net/hpricot/ will work fine in JRuby!

How did this come to be? Well, me and _why did some joint hacking, which was helped along by the fact that Adrian Thurston (the genius behind Ragel) recently added Java support to it. So, basically, most of the Ragel definition is exactly the same for both the C and the Java versions. The native code has been factored out, and both versions are buildable with rake from _why's code repository.

This is important. Don't think anything else. This strategy will, and can, be used for other gems with native parts. It's just a question of time.


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I wish I may, I wish I might

By SoupIsGood Food, (, June 20, 2002

Feedback Farm

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I mentioned in the last installment that I was contemplating a platform swap when it comes time to retire my trusty Pismo (whose name’s Boomshaclackclack. Admit it. You’ve named yours, too.)

It’s not that the new PowerBook G4 isn’t a kick-ass system. Apart from the grievous lack of a bay system to accommodate dual batteries, it’s got everything I want in a bleeding edge notebook: advanced graphics, DVI to hook up a Studio Display, 5400rpm ATA/100 drive, gigabit ethernet, Airport, hi-rez wide-aspect display, all in a thin and light package. Only one problem. Too big!

For everyday use, which is Web browsing, email, and occasional text-editing, a full-bore PowerBook is overqualified, and given my mobile nature, it’s also oversized. The iBook is a step in the right direction sizewise, but as things are, it does not offer a clear reason to upgrade apart from a modest speed bump. Get back to me when it has a G4 and DVI out.

No, I’ve got my eye on a Sharp Zaurus, and it’s almost tempted me away from personal computers for day-to-day use. This thing is as powerful as a fully fledged desktop from five years ago, with plenty of muscle to play MP3s, MPEGs and display JPEGs and PNGs. It comes with a productivity suite, the Opera Web browser, and you can compile a version of Konqueror for it, as well as any number of command line and GUI applications for it. This is because it’s OS is based on a version of Linux – perfect for a Unix geek on the go.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not turning my back on the Mac. I need a box I can crank out graphics and art on, and play Starcraft and Escape Velocity Nova with, and use to finish and format proposals and prose, and to burn CDs and store MP3s on. The Mac is an indispensable tool in my arsenal for modern living, and great fun to fool around with. Freed from the requirements of mobility, I can opt for an Xserve with dual processors and four 7200rpm ATA/100 disks, or an economical and speedy iMac.

I will not bother with synchronization games. Outfit the Zaurus with 802.11, and I’ll handle all of my mail and scheduling direct on the PDA. If I need to backup, I’ll scp the files to my Mac, and scp MP3s from the Mac to a 1GB IBM Microdrive CF card for listenin’ on the go.

A few things stand in my way. The lack of built-in 802.11 is the largest one. I’d really rather not be forced to choose between the Microdrive and the network card, and they don’t yet make 802.11 SD cards. It’s also severely under-endowed in the memory department, with a mere 64MB, half that permanent storage. Fine for Palm systems with lightweight, elegant Palm Apps, less so for big, beefy Unix applications. The battery life also leaves a lot to be desired (actually, it sucks. One hour with everything at full tilt), and you can’t swap batteries, so you gotta stick it in the cradle until it’s recharged.

Most importantly, it has no phone option. I’d really rather not have to lug around a phone and a PDA, and I’m not too terribly thrilled with the other phone/PDA combos out there. What I really want is a phone/PDA that looks just like a regular PDA, but has a wireless pen-sized phone handset running Bluetooth you can keep clipped to it, or in a handy pocket.

So, without further ado, here’s my criterion for personal computing without a personal computer:

  1. Gotta have a real OS with real apps: word processors, full-feature Web browsers, IMAP mail clients, a scripting language or two, ssh and the whole deal.

  2. Enough muscle to handle JPEG2000 and MPEG4.

  3. 10 hours battery life at full tilt – backlight at full while playing MP3s off the Microdrive CF.

  4. 256MB of RAM, and a compact flash slot for a 1GB Microdrive.

  5. GSM Cell phone with detachable handset.

  6. Built-in 802.11 and Bluetooth connectivity.

  7. Thumb-board built in.

  8. USB port for a keyboard and mouse, and a FireWire port for a “FireWire mode” to sync with desktops at random, without the need for sync software.

There ya go. Grab a few mil in startup capital, and get crankin’. I’ll just keep on keepin’ on with my battered, tattered and bruised Pismo until then.

What’s on your wishlist? Speculate to your heart’s content! There’s no telling which CTOs lurk silently in the feedback forums...

E-mail this story to a friend

Talkback on this story!

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The Blood Scion by Nazarea Cover Reveal (Announcement + Excerpt)

Today we are having a cover reveal for THE BLOOD SCION by Nazarea Andrews. This book will be released in November and it is the beginning of a brand new series from Nazarea, The Scion Legacy. As an added bonus, The Scionless House, a novella in the series, will be FREE when it releases on October 30th! Check out the exclusive excerpt below for a sneak peek at The Blood Scion.

I was just a reporter, trying to stay ahead of my student loans. I knew the rules, and I followed them. I thought I knew how the world worked—humans lived their petty little lives in the safety of the sun. We loved and fought and—when the sun sank—we scurried behind our walls and lived in fear. That is when the monsters came out to play. And even in the safety of the sun, we knew who ruled us. The Houses. And their Scions. Everyone knows the great Houses and their Scions—they are feared and loved and hated and envied. They are the gods who walk the shadows and rule all of our lives. They are salvation and death. And somehow, I am one of them.

Exclusive Excerpt:

“Farley?” I blink, and stare at my intern. She’s a tiny little thing, and it occurs to me—not for the first time—that I have no business putting her in an office like this. We aren’t doing the smart thing—we don’t toe the House line. We’re too little for them to care, but I’m well aware that it’s not exactly safe. “What is it?” “You have a lunch appointment, ma’am.” I frown. “Since when?” “Hendin set it up.” I breathe a curse. Kevin Hendin might be the best damn editor I’ve ever met, but he’s still a fucking pain in the ass. I swallow that thought down and save the draft I’m working on, rising and shrugging into my suit coat. “Where?” “Silver and Ivy.” I go still. Who the hell are we meeting that can afford S&I? It’s one of the finest restaurants in the city, completely human, and expensive as fuck. Winston took me there when I graduated from NYU. Of course, it was for a tiny glass of wine and a shared dessert—neither of us could afford more than that—but it was a sweet gesture that meant a lot, especially coming from my ridiculously practical brother. “Ma’am?” I blink out of my thoughts to focus on my intern, and snatch up my laptop and phone. Shove both with my wallet into my messenger bag and snag my glasses and notebook before I dart out. It’s ridiculous to use a notebook, these days. Everyone has gone digital—what was a gathering wave before Brakken—became a way of life in the aftermath. The Houses controlled everything after, and pushed tech hard. Some people believed it was out of kindness. It wasn’t. But I’ve never been blinded by the pretty veneer of the Houses or their Scions. Silver and Ivy is one of the last places in New York that can still maintain their human only clientele. Because they cater to the wealthy, and even in the aftermath of the plague and all the change that the Houses inflicted on us, the wealthy maintains a level of untouchability. They are protected by that comfort of security that money can buy. Even the wealthiest in our country could be bought by one of the Houses, but I think it amuses them to let the one percent cling to the illusion that they are still different from the rest of us. I step into S&I and belatedly realize that I don’t know who I’m meeting. I mutter a soft curse and the eyebrow of the host twitches in response. No, I suppose he isn’t used to young reporters with a gutter mouth spilling into his lunch hour. I grin, and run a hand through my hair. I’m about to screw up his whole day. I amble up to where he wait and he gives me a frosty stare. “I’m meeting someone,” I say. His gaze sweeps over me and his lips curls just a little, all annoyed disdain that pisses me off. “And you are?” “Farley Hart.” His eyes go wide and he pales, so much so I take a step back. Something is very wrong about all of this, and Winston always told me to listen to my gut. I take another step, and a hand clamps down on my arm, rooting me to the spot. It’s icy and burning and so damn unmovable. I know, even before I let my gaze crawl up. Shiny boots, a pristine black suit that cost more than my degree, a startlingly white shirt with a skinny black tie. Wide shoulders, thin waist, and a hand that’s fucking huge, latched onto me. A ring glints on his finger and I focus on that, on the strange sigil worked into the metal. It’s not gold, and it sure as hell isn’t silver. It’s almost dull. Iron? “Oh shit,” I mutter. A vampire is holding me, keeping me from bolting. And if that weren’t bad enough—it’s a damn Blood Prince.

Twelve Houses. Twelve vampire lines. We ruled from the shadows, and manipulated the world, and when humans came too close to destruction, we intervened. Every House has a Scion. A fragile, easily broken human that stood shoulder to shoulder with the house Princes and Princesses. Except for ours. The Ravens, House Cantelie. We've been without a Scion for almost fifteen years. But that will change...and her life will be mine to protect.

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Stolen Empire by Sherry D. Ficklin Box Set

Introducing The Stolen Empire Trilogy Box Set

Stolen Empire Box Set

Now Available, you will be able to get ALL THREE of The Stolen Empire Novels, together in one amazing Box Set Edition!

The Stolen Empire series is a decedent look at one of history's most scandalous queens, Catherine the Great of Russia. Beginning with her humble origins and culminating with her coronation, this series offers a fanciful glimpse inside the life of the dynamic, strong young woman who won the hand of a king, the heart of a nation, and, ultimately, sacrificed her own innocence on the throne of an empire. The trials and tribulations of court life left their scars on young Sophie—the girl who would be Catherine, but she faced down every obstacle with the courage and grace of a queen. Don't miss the series dubbed a "must-read romance" by the USA Today and "An entertaining and racy read" by School Library Journal. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history.

No Cliffhangers, No Waiting, Read The Whole Story Together!

About The Author

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.
She is the author of several novels for teens and young adults and in her spare time she co-hosts the Pop Lit Divas Radio Show.

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Thursday, September 24, 2015

Ignited (Donovan Circus #4) by Liz Long Cover Reveal

Ignited CR.jpg

Hey folks, Ethan here with a post so exciting I can hardly contain myself! TODAY is cover reveal day for one of my most anticipated reads of the fall season! Any of my regular readers will tell you that Liz Long and this series are one of my all time favorites! It's not to be missed! Without farther adieu, here's the long-awaited cover reveal to Ignited!

Title: Ignited (Donovan Circus #4)
Author: Liz Long
Release Date: October 30, 2015
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Self-Published

Lucy might’ve beaten Alex the Chameleon, but the cost of his defeat was too much to bear. After losing a beloved member, Sheffield Donovan temporarily disbands the show. Abandoned by the ringmaster and her friends, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of their ruined circus – and defend it against those waiting for the opportunity to strike.

During one of these attempts, Lucy learns of Augustus Rivers, the leader of his so-called gifted mafia. When Lucy is offered a chance to infiltrate the Rivers’ household, she jumps at the opportunity to seek vengeance on the mastermind. Augustus instead surprises everyone by proposing that the powerful female Firestarter work for him. It’s everything the Donovan Circus isn’t, an offer Lucy finds more enticing than she ever expected.

With the Donovan Circus in shambles and the gifted world on the cusp of war, can Lucy Sullivan figure out who she’s meant to be? Or will her fire destroy everything they’ve built?

Liz Long

Liz Long, indie authorLiz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media editor includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.
Her first book, Gifted, is the first book in the Donovan Circus series, where superpowers meets the circus. Burned is the second adventure. Her standalone book Witch Hearts, is a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. All titles are available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback, Barnes & Noble for Nook, and iBooks.

Find Liz Online

Be sure to add this series to your TBR, every page is full of amazing! This definitely won't be the last you hear of Ignited. Be on the look out for all kinds of fun leading up to release day! Until next time, Happy Reading!

Top 10 Most Anticipated Reads of Fall 2015

Hey readers! Ethan here on this first day of Fall 2015 with an exciting post for you all. Fall is, without question, my favorite season. Ethan here hates the summer heat. I love the back to school feeling, the harvest time, all things Halloween, and so much more. Bonfires, hayrides, and MY FREAKING BIRTHDAY all sit just on the horizon and will be filling my next few months. Who wouldn't be excited?

Fall has historically been known to present me with my favorite books of the entire year as well. Last year was a huge winner so 2015 has a lot to live up to. I thought I'd start out the season by showcasing my Top 10 Most Anticipated Reads of Fall 2015 with you guys so you can add them to your TBRs as well!

Please keep in mind that some of these novels do not have covers, official synopses, etc as of yet, but I'll include whatever I can! Without farther adieu, here are my top 10!

*In no particular order*
*My thoughts in orange*

1. Playing with Fire (Hacker #1) by Sherry D. Ficklin

With the incredible Sherry Ficklin at the helm, what's not to be excited about? I've seen her tackle history, paranormal, and even sci-fi. I know she's got the perfect skills to knock this story out of the park! As one of my favorite authors, I couldn't have more faith in Sherry if I tried!

One brilliant young hacker.
One experimental government aircraft.
One chance to keep it all from going up in flames.

Still recovering from her troubled past, Farris is no stranger to change. But when the military transfers her father across the country to an experimental aircraft squadron, settling in to a new life is the least of her problems. As a series of apparent computer glitches threaten the security of the fleet and the blame falls on her father, she decides to put her computer skills to use digging up the truth. Soon she’s drawn into the perilous world of a hacker who is determined to ground the fleet—at any cost.

When all signs lead to someone close to her as the mastermind, Farris will have to burn more than bridges to get to the truth. She will have to risk her fragile new life to uncover the identity of the cyber criminal before they can escalate from harmless tampering… to all out murder.

Release Date: October 27, 2015

2. Redemption (The Sophisticated #3) by Christina Manzari

Last year I spent a long time with a serious bookish hangover after devouring the first two novels in this series. I've been anxiously awaiting the finale of this trilogy ever since! So far this year, Manzari has unleashed two AMAZING NA Romances on us, but I am so excited to see her get back to the roots I fell in love with with Redemption!

No synopsis for this one yet, but check it out anyway!

Release Date: Early December 2015

3. Fatal Beauty by Nazarea Andrews

Any of my followers will know that I am more than a slightly obsessed with Nazarea Andrews. This woman has tackled more genres than any other author I know. I have massive amounts of respect for Andrews and have yet to read something of hers that didn't completely blow me away. I'll also add a confession here, I'm kind of on a dark romance kick (thanks KB Nelson) right now, and this couldn't speak to me any louder if it had a megaphone!

Charlotte was a good girl.

Sweet and innocent, a debutante with her Daddy’s credit card and a fiancée who doted on her.
She was destined for a perfect picture life in Charleston.
Until everything goes wrong.

EJ grew up with everything she could ever want, and bored as hell.
Nothing surprises her and nothing ever changes, and she wants out—whatever it takes.
Getting involved with Anthony Jacobs is probably the worst idea she’s ever had—and that makes it irresistible.
Until Charlie needs her.

New Orleans. Memphis. Vegas.
Beautiful girls who know just how to get exactly what they want.
It’s all fun and games, sexy nights and wild parties.

But you can only manipulate your way out of so much, and the body count is rising. When their past catches up, not even a pretty smile will get them out of trouble this time.

Release Date: October 6, 2015

4. For the Memory of Dragons (Dragons of Eternity #2) by Julie Wetzel

You guys may remember this series as the one that first turned me on to dragons. Prior to Julie Wetzel, they were my least favorite fantasy trope, she made me a believer! I was lucky enough to already devour this one, but I'm super pumped about the print release in October so I can rave about it all over again!

What do you do when a dragon crash-lands in your backyard?

That’s the question Terra’s faced with when one of these creatures plows down into her cornfield. Should she help out the hunk of a man the dragon turns into, or turn him over to the trigger-happy ‘authorities’ that have come looking for him? The deciding factor—he has no memory. Giving him up just doesn’t seem right… at least until she knows the truth of who he is.

Alex has forgotten a thing or two—his name being one of them—but he knows there is something important that he needs to remember, if he could just get his battered brain to work properly. A little rest might help, but there’s no time for that when the bullets start flying.

Now, he has to follow the few clues he has to discover who he is, and why people are trying to kill him. But that’s the easy part. The hard part will be keeping his hands off the lovely lady helping him.

Release Date: October 20, 2015

5. Ignited (Donovan Circus #4) by Liz Long

Okay. Anyone who knows me is aware that this is one of my all time favorites. Liz's writing gets better with each passing installment and this one is no exception. I've beta read this and I'm dying for the final copy so I can add this beauty to my bookshelf. This may be my favorite of the series thus far. Fans of Liz and her Donovan Circus are definitely going to love this one!

"Maybe I had to accept that the Donovan Circus no longer felt like home."

Lucy might've beaten Alex the Chameleon, but the cost of his defeat was too much to bear. After losing a beloved member, Sheffield Donovan temporarily disbands the show. Abandoned by the ringmaster and her friends, Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of their ruined circus - and defend it against those waiting for the opportunity to strike. During one of these attempts, Lucy learns of Augustus Rivers, the leader of his so-called gifted mafia. When Lucy is offered a chance to infiltrate the Rivers' household, she jumps at the opportunity to seek vengeance on the mastermind. Augustus instead surprises everyone by proposing that the powerful female Firestarter work for him. It's everything the Donovan Circus isn't, an offer Lucy finds more enticing than she ever expected. With the Donovan Circus in shambles and the gifted world on the cusp of war, can Lucy Sullivan figure out who she's meant to be? Or will her fire destroy everything they've built?

Release Date: October 30, 2015

6. After Alice by Gregory Maguire

Gregory Maguire is my all-time favorite author. The man has changed my life in more ways than I could ever type out. His track record of retelling classic tales has forever secured him a spot on my auto-buy list. Imagine my delight and surprise when I found out he was tackling yet another of my all-time favorite worlds and stories? Maguire was born to re-write Wonderland. I have no doubt it'll be absolutely amazing!

When Alice toppled down the rabbit-hole 150 years ago, she found a Wonderland as rife with inconsistent rules and abrasive egos as the world she left behind. But what of that world? How did 1860s Oxford react to Alice's disappearance?
In this brilliant new work of fiction, Gregory Maguire turns his dazzling imagination to the question of underworlds, undergrounds, underpinnings — and understandings old and new, offering an inventive spin on Carroll's enduring tale. Ada, a friend of Alice's mentioned briefly in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is off to visit her friend, but arrives a moment too late — and tumbles down the rabbit hole herself.

Ada brings to Wonderland her own imperfect apprehension of cause and effect as she embarks on an odyssey to find Alice and see her safely home from this surreal world below the world. If Euridyce can ever be returned to the arms of Orpheus, or Lazarus can be raised from the tomb, perhaps Alice can be returned to life. Either way, everything that happens next is After Alice.
Release Day: October 27, 2015

7. Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment #3) by Stacey O'Neale

This series. Oh man. I can honestly say I've never been so hooked on a series so fast as I was with Mortal Enchantment. From the very first page, I knew this was a YA series to be reckoned with. It's become one of my favorites! I'm Stacey's self-proclaimed biggest fan and I have been constantly bugging her for into on the final installment! Elemental fiction at its' finest right here! Definitely going to be a bittersweet story. The end of an era for Stacey and this series! Excuse me while I sob in the corner come release day.

No synopsis for this one yet, but check it out anyway!

Release Date: Early December 2015

8. Rite of Revelation (Acceptance #2) by Sarah Negovetich

Rite of Rejection (book one) was the final book I read of 2014 and ended my year on a really high note. In a bookish world where dystopian novels are everywhere, it takes a special author with true talent to stand out above the crowd. Thankfully Sarah Negovetich has just that. I absolutely cannot wait for this one to hit the shelves!

No cover or synopsis for this one yet, but check out book one in the meantime!

Release Date: November 5, 2015

9. The Professor Woos the Witch (Nocturne Falls #4) by Kristen Painter

Last month, I devoured the first three novels in this series in record time. A town where it's Halloween every day? Sign me up! These stories were exactly what I needed at the time: short, sweet, and full of fun! Even after nearly a month I still get giddy just thinking about them! Can't say enough awesome about this Nocturne Falls series from Kristen Painter. We may not have a cover yet, but with as great as the past few have been, I can only imagine it'll be awesome. I'm kind of hoping for a green-theme with this one!

No cover or synopsis for this one yet, but check out book one in the meantime!

Release Date: October 2015

10. The Fifteenth Minute (Ivy Years #5) Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is, quite possibly, my favorite New Adult author of them all. Each and every one of the novels (and novella) in this series have topped my 'best of' lists. In fact, one of them is one of my all-time favorite NA stories! Lianne really grew on me in book four so I have no doubt this this one will become a quick favorite! Plus, Sarina is just amazing. Like 'bow down and exalt' amazing. Long Live Queen Sarina!

Freshman Lianne Challice is known to millions of fans as Princess Vindi. But sometimes a silver screen sorceress just wants to hang up her wand, tell her manager to shove it, and become a normal college student. Too bad that’s harder than it looks.

She’s never lived a normal life. She hasn’t been to school since kindergarten. And getting close to anyone is just too risky — the last boy she kissed sold the story to a British tabloid.

But she can’t resist trying to get close to Daniel "DJ" Trevi, the hot, broody guy who spins tunes for hockey games in the arena. There's something haunting his dark eyes and she needs to know more.

DJ's genius is for expressing the mood of the crowd with a ten second song snippet. With just a click and a fade, he can spread hope, pathos or elation among six thousand screaming fans.

Too bad his college career is about to experience the same quick fade-out as one of his songs. He can't get close to Lianne, and he can't tell her why. And the fact that she seems to like him at all? Incredible.

Release Day: October 13, 2015

Alright guys, there you have it: my Top 10 Most Anticipated Reads of Fall 2015! With my favorite season starting and all these amazing books on the horizon, I've got ten huge reasons to smile! Be sure to add all these reads to your TBR and come on back later in the season to see my thoughts on each of these novels. I can't wait! What are YOUR most anticipated reads of the season?

Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time, Happy Reading (and Happy Fall)!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Under His Skin (Alien Encounters #1) by Stacey O'Neale Blog Tour (Interview + Giveaway)

Hey readers! Happy Wednesday! Ethan here with an extremely exciting post for you guys today! Today I am the stop on the blog tour for one of my very favorite people's, the incredible Stacey O'Neale, newest novel. What are we raving about? Under His Skin, the first novel in Stacey's newest adult paranormal romance series, Alien Encounters. Today's post will feature some promo, an exclusive interview with the author, and an amazing giveaway. Before we get to that though, here's a bit about the novel and our author:

A paranormal category romance from Entangled's Covet imprint...

Earth girls are never easy. But they're worth it.

Bakery owner Annabelle Sparks' business is booming ever since she won reality TV's Cupcake Wars. The one thing deflating her happy soufflé? The extremely sexy Kaden Chance only sees her as a best friend-and Annabelle wants so much more. After waiting a year for him recognize their chemistry, she's giving up and dating other people.

What she doesn't know is Kaden's heart doesn't actually beat. He's not human. Heck, he's not even from Earth. To retain his intergalactic immunity, no one can ever know he is an extraterrestrial. But when Annabelle starts dating, something strange happens to Kaden's unmoved heart: it begins to beat. Now he faces an impossible choice-tell Annabelle the truth and be deported-or lose his last chance at love.

Stacey O'Neale

Stacey O'Neale

Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter. Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing. Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at

Interview with Stacey O'Neale

Mrs. Stacey,
Thank you so much for answering these interview questions for me. You know I am a huge fan of your, so having you back on One Guy’s Guide to Good Reads is a huge honor! As your self-proclaimed biggest fan, I hope you enjoy these questions!

1. Under His Skin is your very first foray into Adult Paranormal Romance. Coming off a massively successful, award-winning YA series, Mortal Enchantment, what prompted the change?
I get book ideas in many different genres (contemporary, fantasy, sci-fi, etc.). Ideally, I’d like to be an author that writes both YA and Adult. But I sat down and wrote this one because I couldn’t get it out of my head. It was one of the easiest novels to write. I don’t know why. The concept was just very clear to me from the beginning.

2. While I’ve read several alien novels in my day, Under His Skin is among the most unique. What was your inspiration for such an original plot?
I binge watched the entire ROSWELL series in one weekend. Afterwards, I started wondering what the show would’ve been like if the characters had been adults instead of teenagers. Then I started thinking about popular movies and television shows that have featured aliens. In most cases, the aliens were running from the government or trying to destroy us all. I thought it would be fun to write a story where the aliens were actually working with the government. The story developed from there.

3. Let’s get a little awkward for a moment. Under His Skin has some straight up steamy scenes. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about reading them since I’ve only read your YA series. Pitching towards a whole new audience of readers, how difficult (or easy) was it to write those scenes of ‘adult content’?
I was so relieved to write those scenes. LOL! As a YA author, you’re constantly treading a fine line when it comes to your characters sexuality. You don’t want to offend readers. As a Mom, I understand. That’s why I couldn’t wait to write an adult story without any limitations.

4. Today’s current readers market is perfect and prime for a novel like Under His Skin. What are some of the thoughts going through your mind with this release?
I’m just excited to get it out there to readers. I hope my MORTAL ENCHANTMENT readers will give it a chance, although I admit the books are very different. The ME series is story driven, while I think this series is character driven. And I also hope new readers discover me (and enjoy the book). That would be pretty awesome.

5. In five words or less, describe the relationship between Annabelle and Kaden.
Complicated, Passionate, Tender, Quirky, Lovely

6. What can we expect next from the mind of Stacey O’Neale? What’s the latest scoop on Eternal Sacrifice (Mortal Enchantment, #4)?
I had originally hoped to release Eternal Sacrifice in September, but when Entangled moved the released date of this novel to September 21st, I decided to move ES to December. I don’t want to saturate my audience. After I finish writing Eternal Sacrifice, I’m going to write a contemporary military romance for my agent. When that’s done, I’ll write the next book in this series.

7. If Under His Skin was set to be the next Hollywood blockbuster, who is playing Annabelle and Kaden?
My dream cast would be Tyler Hoechlin and Felicity Jones.

Random Icebreaker with Stacey O’Neale

If you were a scented a candle, what scent would you be? Why?
Ha! I would be pumpkin spice because I love Fall, and will eat almost anything made of pumpkin. ;-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright folks, that's all I have for you on the topic of Under His Skin by Stacey O'Neale, but don't worry, there's more to come! I will be posting my review of this novel ASAP so be on the look out for my thoughts! Huge heads up, this one of temporarily on sale for only $0.99. Don't miss out on this incredible offer! Thanks to the author and her team for allowing me to participate and a huge thanks to everyone for stopping by. Until next time, Happy Reading!

Broken Fate by Jennifer Derrick Cover Reveal

Clean Teen Publishing is proud to present the official cover reveal for BROKEN FATE by Jennifer Derrick. Check out this gorgeous cover and leave us a comment or two to let us know what you think of it. Plus, don't forget to add BROKEN FATE to your Goodreads TBR List!

Ebook - Broken Fate

Zeus gave her one simple job: Kill every human. Atropos—daughter of Zeus and the third goddess of Fate from Greek mythology —spends her eternal life snipping human lifelines when their mortal lives are over. As if being a killer doesn't make life miserable enough, she and her Fate-wielding sisters must live amongst the humans on Earth thanks to a long-running feud between their mother and Zeus. Living on Earth means they must mingle with the mortals, attend the local high school, and attempt to fit in—or at least not stand out too much.
Killing and mingling don't mix, which is why Atropos' number-one rule is to avoid all relationships with the humans. Caring for the people she has to kill is a fast track to insanity. However, when Alex Morgan walks into her first-period English class, she knows she's in for trouble. He's the worst kind of human for her to like—one with a rapidly approaching expiration date. And he makes Atropos want to break all the rules.

Jennifer Derrick PhotoJennifer Derrick became a writer at the age of six when her parents bought her a child’s typewriter for Christmas and agreed to pay her a penny per page for any stories she churned out. When she got older, Jennifer realized that she needed to make (much) more money from her writing so she first turned to the corporate world (where she learned that she is spectacularly unsuited to cubicle life) and ultimately to freelancing where she now writes everything from technical manuals to articles on personal finance and European-style board games. Her writing career came full circle when Clean Teen Publishing published Broken Fate, her first novel. By her calculations, her parents owe her about $3.00 for the book.
She lives in North Carolina and, when not writing, can often be found reading anything she can get her hands on, playing board games, watching sports, camping, running marathons, and playing with her dog

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Bad Situation (Bad Reputation #2) by K.B. Nelson Review

Hey readers, Happy Sunday! Ethan here and I'm way behind on my reviews so I'm going to try and knock a few out of the way today. First up is a new release from one of my favorite New Adult authors of mine and also a dear friend, the incredible K.B. Nelson. On the chopping block today? Bad Situation, the highly anticipated second installment in the Bad Reputation series. Before we get to my thoughts, here's a bit about the novel and our author.

Brick Valmont lost more than an ex-lover when Apple Malloy fell in love with Jensen Moon. Forced to face his issues, he seeks counseling from a psychologist who may have an agenda of her own. Meanwhile, Brick makes a valiant effort to reel Tyra Young back into his web of deceit to prove to Apple once and for all, that he will always be the king.

Apple Malloy knows she’s a changed woman, and refuses to be dragged back into Brick’s manipulative world. When she returns home to Carolina to collect her belongings, she’s forced to face the darkest pieces of her past. She must choose between loving Jensen, or slipping back into her old ways.

Bad Situation reunites Brick, Apple, Jensen, Cece, Dom, and Tyra in an escalating game of sexual seduction. And when the games go too far, someone will be forced to pay the ultimate price.

 K.B. Nelson
I grew up on a farm in Ohio, but that's not very interesting, is it? When I'm not writing you can find me doing one of two things; getting lost on highways or getting lost in the lives of fictional characters. If my heart had two feet, one foot would be in romance and the other solidly in geekdom. I hope you'll all follow me on my journey through this carnival they call life. I promise there will be a happy ending.

Find K.B. Nelson
Website ** Twitter ** Facebook ** Goodreads *

My Thoughts:

Allow me to be completely honest with you guys here. I was not anticipating this to be a novel I enjoyed, at all. While Bad Reputation definitely kept me intrigued, the idea of a redemption story for Brick gave me the worst taste in my mouth. As far as characters go, I'd never met one that I thought was damaged beyond repair. One person who never deserved a ray of hope or an ounce of salvation. Then I met Brick Valmont. This deeply disturbed guy is evil down to his very core, even after reading, I'm still not sold on him. I can say, however, that KB Nelson did an absolutely incredible job in warming my heart towards Brick and see that there can be redemption for even the darkest of souls.

Bad Situation is a whole lot like it's predecessor Bad Reputation, in fact, this almost reads as an extension of book one rather than an entirely separate novel. As told from both Apple and Brick's POV, we learn that Apple's 'happily ever after' we read in book one may not be all it's cracked up to be. With more heartbreak, more deception, and more drama, Bad Reputation sets the stage for Apple and Brick's groundbreaking finale in the best ways possible!

While I enjoyed book one, I was really turned off at times by the fact that this series is more or less about using love and sex as a game. Thankfully Nelson upped the ante in book two. While the game is still in play, the goals are a little more realistic and the sex really isn't as overbearing as book one. On a negative note, I will say that this is probably one of the most dramatic reads I've ever encountered. So much so that I had to put the book down several times and walk away. It's the good 'soap opera' kind of drama that leads me to wonder how many Daytime Emmy's Nelson has under her belt, but doesn't always appeal to me.

With twists and turns at every page, Nelson never lets the characters get too comfortable before tossing another wrench to their plans. I have to say that I was impressed with so many plot points that I didn't see coming, it was a treat to be constantly surprised. This story will definitely keep you on your toes.

I have to add that when it comes to characters, I really think Nelson outdid herself when it came to character development with Brick and Tyra (Brick's newest conquest). While Apple ultimately fell short for me in this installment (in fact I think I could have done without her at all), Nelson's passion to redeem Brick was evident in the embodiment of Tyra. Tyra was written to perfection and really guided the story in the best of ways. In fact, I think she's become my favorite series character to-date.

A relatively short read, fans will fly through this one in just a few sittings. I am confident that anyone who enjoyed book one will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome of book two. It's unexpected and emotional in ways I was not expecting, giving you hope for the characters at a time I thought there was none.

With at least two more novels in this series planned, I am anxious to see how Nelson handles the stories of Cece and Dom. While Apple and Brick;s stories may be finished, Nelson has no shortage of story to tell with the predicaments she's placed her characters in. I know this reader will be anxiously awaiting!

With all this being said, I am granting Bad Situation a well-earned 4-star review. Perfect for fans of dark romance and the New Adult genre, this series is sure to be a hit! Be sure to add it to your TBR today!

See my review of Bad Reputation
by clicking the cover below:

Alright folks, that's all I have for you on the topic of Bad Situation by KB Nelson. A little outside of my norm, for sure, but still a captivating story from page one! Don't miss it, add it to your TBR today. Special shoutout to the author for providing me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Until next time, Happy Reading!


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Julia Stiles Flaunts Her Baby Bump in New Adorable Photos

Julia Stiles and her baby bump made their red carpet debut!

The pregnant actress, 36, cradled her bump Tuesday night at the launch of her new show, Riviera, at Halcyon Gallery in London.

Stiles previously showed off her pregnant belly in a recent photo taken with radio presenter Nick Snaith of Magic FM.

Checkout more photos of her baby bump below.

Riviera Launch Event - VIP Arrivals

EE British Academy Film Awards - Red Carpet Arrivals

Source: PEOPLE

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Kmer Estimation – Kmergenie on Geoduck Sequence Data (default settings)

After the last SparseAssembler assembly completed, I wanted to do another run with a different kmer size (last time was arbitrarily set at 101). However, I didn’t really know how to decide, particularly since this assembly consisted of mixed read lenghts (50bp and 100bp). So, I ran kmergenie on all of our geoduck (Panopea generosa) sequencing data in hopes of getting a kmer determination to apply to my next assembly.

The job was run on our Mox HPC node.

Slurm script:

Input files list (needed for kmergenie command – see Slurm script linked above): geoduck_fastq_list.txt

Output folder: 20180419_kmergenie_geoduck/

Slurm output file: 20180419_kmergenie_geoduck/slurm-161551.out

Kmer histograms (HTML): 20180419_kmergenie_geoduck/histograms_report.html

Screen cap from Kmer report:

This data estimates the best kmer size for this data to be 121.

However, based on the kmergenie documentation, this is likely to be inaccurate. This inaccuracy is based on the fact that our kmer graph should be concave. Our graph, instead, is only partial – we haven’t reached a kmer size where the number of kmers is decreasing.

As such, I’ll try re-running with a different maximum kmer settting (default max is 121).

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Saturday, 5 July 2014

The name Calvary is derived from a Latin word meaning 'skull'. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified at a place called The Skull, which is often translated in modern versions of the Bible as Calvary. The essence of the Christian story about Jesus is that he was an innocent man who suffered and died for the suffering and sins of humanity. The new movie from director John Michael McDonagh, who gave us The Guard in 2011, draws on this theme in CALVARY, starring Brendan Gleeson, who we have most recently seen as General Brigham in Edge of Tomorrow. Gleeson is sensational.

Calvary tells the story of a good-natured priest who, after he is threatened during a confession, must battle the dark forces closing in around him. Set in a small Irish village where the residents are all flawed humans experiencing immeasurable depths of emotional suffering and pain, Father James Lavelle spends his time travelling around his community trying to pastor his parishioners in what seems like an impossible project. His daughter (played by Kelly Reilly) also comes to visit and she adds to the emotional strain with her own troubled past. The whole story takes place during one week with the backdrop of Father Lavelle’s anxiety at the serious threat which opens the film on the first Sunday of the story.

The first line in the movie, spoken by a parishioner (unknown to us) is shocking and is the start of the pealing back of the layers of evil and suffering in this intimate community. The parishioner who threatens the priest makes the point that killing a bad priest wouldn't have any impact. Killing a good priest will draw the required attention. And Father Lavelle is considered a good priest - despite his obvious flawed humanity.

For anyone who knows the Christian story of Jesus Christ and his taking on the suffering of humanity, CALVARY will communicate its striking story with emotional power. For those who don't, there will perhaps be less direct association of the two stories, but every one of us cannot help seeing in this movie a powerful statement of so much apparently in resolvable suffering in our world.

The choice of an "innocent" Catholic priest as the main protagonist of this story is filled with deep irony given what we now know of the evil perpetrated by some priests on young children. As Father Lavelle interacts with his parishioners over the seven days of the story, themes of life, death, suffering, evil, despair are all explored - not always in great depth, but perfused with gallows humour that, paradoxically, while we are laughing, sends an arrow of recognition straight to the heart that proves that humour can deal with the most serious of issues.

The best thing about CALVARY is the dialogue which is sharp, penetrating, and astute. This is no action movie and does, in fact, feel a little slow at times. It won't be to everyone's taste, but, in my opinion, is destined to become a classic.

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