When One Door Closes, Another One Opens

First, I wanted to apologize that there wasn't and won't be a Sunday Funday this week. Yesterday was the matinee and last show of the play I was in and afterwards, we had to strike set (deconstruct the set) and then we get pizza and hoagies once that's done.

Just as my show season ends, I am getting ready to start a new project as I call it. On April 1, I will be starting the A to Z Blogging Challenge (www.a-to-zchallenge.com). On each day of April except for Sundays, I will have to write about something starting with a letter of the alphabet. For example, April 1, I have to write about anything that starts with the letter A, April 2, B, April 3, C and so on.

With this challenge, you have the option to write about a certain theme for all the days of it or be random. I have decided to not select a theme as this is my first year doing this. What I will be doing is writing about the shows I've been in, places that I've been to (like Yellowstone National Park), among other things - I don't want to give it all away.

I have decided to do this challenge to challenge me to write more, not just for this blog, but in general too. In recent years, I haven't written as much as I have wanted too because I let other things in my life be more important than the one thing I'm passionate about - okay, so sometimes certain issues have to be the priority over writing, but you know what I mean.

Because of this challenge, I will not be writing my usual posts. With that being said, my Sunday Funday and Author Spotlight Thursdays will start back up again in May, in addition to Writing Tips and Musings on Tuesdays. I may do book reviews during April if the book ties in with a letter for the day that I would finish a particular book.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!!

Meg

Author Spotlight: J. K. Rowling

Author Spotlight Week 6

J. K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, better known for using the pen names J. K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith, is a British author. She is best known for writing the Harry Potter series. In addition, she has written three books for adults and some other books. The Harry Potter series is the bestselling book series in history. The movie adaptations of the book are also the highest-grossing film series in history. Joanne even got in on the movie action by being a producer on the final two installments. J. K. Rowling is the United Kingdom's best selling living author. She also is known for supporting several charities including Comic Relief, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great Britain (which her mother had for ten years), One Parent Families (also known as Gingerbread, and Lumos. With the success of Harry Potter, Joanne created a website called Pottermore for anything and everything to do with Harry Potter. As most of you already know, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was created at Universal Studios Orlando. 

In the past couple of years, J. K. Rowling came out with two statements about Harry Potter. The first one I'm going to talk about is that she stated she made a mistake by putting Hermionie and Ron together, instead of Hermionie having a relationship with Harry. I think I'm one of a few that disagrees. I rooted for Harry to have a relationship with Ginny and was happy when they did end up together. Ginny is the character that I related to the most throughout the series, as she has similarities with some of my character traits. Because I wanted Harry with Ginny, I was equally happy when Ron and Hermionie ended up together. 

Just yesterday, I read that Joanne stated that Dumbledore's character was gay. Looking back on it, we didn't really find out too much about Dumbledore as other characters were more important in the series. It pleases me that he was intended to be gay, not that it really matters.

I had no interest in reading Harry Potter when the first book came out. In 7th or 8th grade (I forget which nowadays), I had to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for school (and not as a summer reading assignment, but as a class requirement). I actually didn't like it at all in the beginning, but came to like it by the end. Science fiction really wasn't my thing until we had to read this book. I will say that I believe that the books got better as they went along and the first one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, went slower than the others. However, I think that the movie version of Sorcerer's Stone was one of the better HP movies. All the movies were great, but obviously had to cut a lot of stuff from the books out, but the first one I thought really didn't cut too much out.

More information can be found at:

J. K. Rowling website: www.jkrowling.com

www.pottermore.com

www.universalorlando.com /harry potter

twitter: @jk_rowling 

Facebook page under her name

The charities:

www.comic relief.com

www.opfs.org.uk

www.mssociety.org/uk

www.nationalmssociety.org

www.wearelumos.org

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg

Author Spotlight: James Patterson

I just wanted to say thanks for your patience and sorry for this being late.

Author Spotlight Week 5

James Patterson

 

James Patterson is an American suspense/thriller novelist. I feel like he's all over the place these days - you might have seen him on commercials advertising his latest books for adults and children alike. He is best known for the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and the Michael Bennett series' for adults and the Maximum Ride, Daniel X and the Witch and Wizard series' for children/teenagers. He is also known for many other stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction and romance novels. James Patterson has over 300 million copies and also holds the Guiness World Record for being the first person to sell 1 million e-books. He has written 95 books and has had 19 consecutive No. 1 New York Times bestselling novels and holds The New York Times record for most bestselling hardcover fiction titles by a single author with 76. His novels account for 1 in 17 of all hardcover novels sold in the US and in recent years, his novels have sold more copies than those of Stephen King, John Grisham and Dan Brown combined. James Patterson works with a variety of co-authors and has often said the collaborating with others brings new and interesting ideas to his stories.

 

In addition to his writing, James is also known in his efforts to get children reading. He started a website named, ReadKiddoRead, to help parents, librarians and teachers find the best books for children.  Coming with being well known, he has been criticized quite a bit for various reasons, but I'm only going to focus on one. In recent years, he took an ad out (and a commercial too, if I recall) in the New York Times Book Review and Publisher's Weekly in an attempt to save books, bookstores and libraries. As most people know, more and more books are published as e-books and can be purchased on Amazon Google for the Nook, Kindle, and tablets. James was resistant to that and on a level, I can understand why he was. More on that in a minute. So the purpose of the ad was to get more people to buy actual books. The actual ad is as follows:

 

"Who Will Save Our Books? Our Bookstores? Our Libraries?"

"If there are no bookstores, no libraries, no serious publishers with passionate, dedicated, idealistic editors, what will happen to our literature? Who will discover and mentor new writers? Who will publish our important books? What will happen if there are no more books like these?"

All rights go to their respective owners including The New York Times Book Review, Publisher's Weekly and salon.com.

 

As an aspiring writer myself, I think it's harder than ever to get published today. So many new authors start publishing their stories as e-books, which is a lot easier to do, but I also think it's harder to promote yourself and your work that way. On the other hand, it's also hard to find a good publisher who will actually publish your stories, especially if you're like me and want to write for children. James Patterson has a point. If there comes a day when there's no more bookstores and libraries, there won't be any publishers either since all books would be online/e-books. For me personally, I like to go to a bookstore and select books out that I want to read more than downloading books on my kindle/tablet - although that comes in handy for travelling. I also like to actually hold/feel a book in my hands and such.

 

Links:

www.jamespatterson.com

www.ReadKiddoRead.com

James also has a facebook and twitter page under his name.

 

I am going to end this in a question. What do you prefer - reading an actual book or reading a book on a device like a nook/kindle/tablet? Please comment down below.

 

Meg



Sunday Funday: Musical Theatre

So, this Sunday Funday is going to be a little bit different. I am currently starring in a local community theatre production this weekend and next.

I have decided to do a musical theatre tag since I'm in one.

The Musical Theatre Tag

1. Plays or musicals?
    Musicals. I like plays as well, but I prefer musicals.

2. When did you start liking the performing arts?
    My family and I used to go see the musical productions and plays that my local community does (which I have been acting for quite a few years now) when I was little and I have liked it ever since.

3. Ever been in a musical?
    I am currently starring in Hello Dolly, but previously I have been in: The Pajama Game; Once Upon a Mattress; The King and I; Guys and Dolls; Annie; The Wizard of Oz; and Bye Bye Birdie. I also was stage crew in my high school productions of: Annie; Bye Bye Birdie; Anything Goes; and Crazy For You.

4. What was the first musical you saw on Broadway?
    Unfortunately, I have not been able to see a Broadway show yet.

5. If you could be any female character in any musical, who would you be?
    Maria in the Sound of Music or Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

6. Which male character?
     For some odd reason, I would like to be Chip in Beauty and the Beast even though it's a small role.

7. Favorite musical song to sing in the shower?
    Season of Love from Rent, but also whatever song happens to be in my head.

8. Who is your favorite theatre actress?
     Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth

9. Favorite actor?
    Neil Patrick Harris

10. Favorite film adaptation of a musical?
      The Sound of Music, Rent and Les Miserables

11. What do you think is the most overrated musical?
      My personal opinion, Annie just because I've seen it a lot in different versions and it seems to get old after awhile.

12. What musical made you cry?
      Les Miserables and The Lion King

13. What musical made you laugh?
       Seussical

14. Are there any musicals you saw and hated?
      I haven't necessarily hated any that I've seen.

15. What musical do you want to see as a film?
      The Book of Mormon

16. Which musical(s) are you dying to see?
      The Lion King and Wicked.

17. What is your all time favorite musical?
      The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof and Les Miserables.

18. What would you do if theatre didn't exist?
       No idea because theatre and music are pretty much my life.

Hope you enjoyed getting to know my theatre side. I'm adding that my author spotlight from last week will be up tomorrow and this week's will be up as usual on Thursday.

Meg

Sunday Funday: Would You Rather

I'm finally getting around to starting a new feature. I've decided to call it Sunday Funday, in which I'm going to do something fun, like a book tag, a getting to know me tag or something like that. So here goes:

Would You Rather Book Tag
I don't know if this is the original person who created it, but I'm getting it from blogger Sincerely, a Book Nerd: http://sincerelyabooknerd.blogspot.com/2014/11/would-you-rather-book-tag.html


1. Rather read only a series or stand-alone books?
    I'd rather read a series because they feature the same characters as they go along and sometimes I get attached to the characters. A prime example of a series that I like is the Cedar Cove series by Debbie Macomber. I really like the characters that she created and although each book may focus on different people, you can still read about the original characters as well.

2. Rather read a book whose main character is male or female?
    Personally, it doesn't really matter to me. I am a female so I'm usually drawn to female characters, but I've also liked books featuring a male main character. My favorite male main characters include Alex Cross from James Patterson and of course, Harry Potter from J.K. Rowling.

3. Rather shop only at Barnes & Noble (or other actual book store) or Amazon?
    While I have downloaded books off of Amazon and prefer reading on a Kindle or an Android device on vacation (face it, it's easier and lighter to pack a kindle/tablet than actual books especially if I'm flying somewhere), I would rather shop at Barnes & Noble and another book store I visit in the summer, Hooked on Books. Hooked on Books is a second hand/used book store and you can find a lot of older titles there for cheaper prices or new books as well for discounted prices. All books are in good condition as well. I like the feel of holding a book and the feeling of being excited about getting an actual book is something I enjoy.

4. Rather all books become movies or tv shows?
    I'd rather books be made into movies. However, I do prefer to read a book before seeing the movie version of it. Unfortunately that did not happen with Gone Girl as I've seen the movie, but haven't yet read the book.

5. Rather read 5 pages per day or read 5 books per week?
    I would love to be able to read 5 books a week because I would rather read more than less. However, since that isn't always possible or pretty much impossible to do in my life, I try to read for about 30 minutes each day/

6. Rather be a professional book reviewer or an author?
    I would definitely rather be an author. Writing is something that I've always enjoyed since I was little. I have been told that I have a talent of writing and I really do believe that writing really is one of my talents given to me by God.

7. Rather read the same 20 books over and over or read a new book every 6 months?
    Although I do re-read my favorite books, I would rather read a new book every six months or even less than that. I like to read different types of books (I like multiple genres) and there's always at least one book out there that I want to read.

8. Rather be a librarian or own a book store?
    I would rather own my own book store because I could recommend books or authors to people to read more than I think a librarian can. It would be pretty cool to tell someone they should read a certain book and then have that person come back and say it helped through a situation or anything like that.

9. Rather read only your favorite genre or your favorite author?
    I like different genres and I have favorite authors from pretty much all different genres as well, so this is really hard for me to choose. For the question's sake, I would rather read books from my favorite authors since they cover different genres.

10. Rather read only physical books or e-Books?
      I would rather read physical books because I could always go back and read over my favorite parts of the book. It's definitely harder to do that with e-Books, although you can make notes and highlight information that way as well.

Well, that's all. Hope you enjoyed and if anyone who's interested in doing this book tag, please do it!

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg

Author Spotlight: Karen Kingsbury

Author Spotlight Week 4

Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury is an American Christian and inspirational novelist. There are nearly 25 million copies of her books in print and she has been on the USA Today and the #1 New York Times bestselling list numerous times. In addition to writing, Karen is also a motivational and public speaker for women. She can also be heard on the radio on The Karen Kingsbury Show (Salem radio) from 2-7pm CST on weekdays - I will provide the link to this below. Karen lives in Nashville, TN with her husband Don and their five children, three of whom were adopted from Haiti.

There are not many Christian novelists around today, but Karen Kingsbury is fortunate to be one of those who is around. I've read many of her books during the past several years and by this time, I forget what book I read first. But I do know this - I've never read a book of hers that I didn't like. What I like about Karen's books is that she puts the characters through everyday situations/problems that every person goes through, but is still able to keep to Christian values while going through them. It's impossible for me to choose a favorite book or series that I've read from Karen Kingsbury.

One of my favorite series of hers would be the 9/11 Series. Obviously, it's a fiction series based on 9/11 events. 9/11 was the worst tragedy that I've been through and that happened in my lifetime. Like everyone else in the US, the East Coast especially, I woke up on September 11, 2001 like any other day. Since I am on the East Coast, I was in school when the planes struck the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and a field in PA. We were released early and sent home and by the time I got home, the towers had already fallen. I was a freshman in high school and the school year had literally just started. Being a freshman, I didn't really know anyone yet (granted 9/11 was only supposed to be our second full day of school), but an event so tragic ended up bringing us together, as a school community, as well as the country.

In 2001, I had been dealing with a lot and going through rough times, 9/11 included. It broke my heart knowing how many people died in that tragedy and how many people it affected. I am from Philadelphia, PA and all three places hit are not that far from me. And I couldn't help thinking that it could have happened in my hometown. You just don't know. The point of all this is that even though the events of 9/11 are sad/tragic/devastating, it also made me appreciate life more and what I had more. And that family is important because you never know when they can be taken from you.

Hope you have enjoyed this.

More information can be found at:
Karen's website: http://www.karenkingsbury.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKarenKingsbury?ref=br_tf
Twitter: @KarenKingsbury
Karen's radio show can be heard here: http://www.todayschristianmusic.com/

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥

Coming in April

While today is Thursday and I would normally post an author spotlight feature, I will be doing something different. But, don't worry, I'll be doing the author spotlight tomorrow.

 

 

This April, I am pleased to announce that I will be taking part in the A to Z Challenge. The goal/point is to post each day in April except for Sundays writing about something that begins with the letters of the alphabet. For instance, April 1st will be the letter A, the 2nd B and so on each day until the letter Z. This will be challenging me to post and write more. There is also the option to make every post around a certain theme, but I am not doing that. For more information and if anyone's interested in joining this challenge, check out the link below.

 

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

 

Now, because of this, I will not be posting my normal blog posts, like the author spotlight ones, in April. There will only be two more of them up this month, not including the one I'm doing tomorrow. I will start them back up in May after the challenge is over.

 

 

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

 

♥Meg♥

 

Author Spotlight: Jodi Picoult

Author Spotlight Week 3

Jodi Picoult. She's one of my favorite authors - let's face it, I have a lot of favorite authors.

Jodi Picoult is an American author. She has written 23 novels and has about 14 million copies of her books worldwide. Jodi won the New England Bookseller Award for fiction in 2003. She is married to Timothy Warren Van Leer and they live in New Hampshire with their three children.

Jodi Picoult is known for writing about death and some controversial issues. I know there are people out there who think that the only reason she writes about death and those issues is because it sells. Whether that's true or not, I actually like the fact that she's not afraid to go there in her writing. I think her writing style can be compared to some of the best authors out there.

Five of Jodi's books have been made into movies/tv movies: My Sister's Keeper; The Pact; The Tenth Circle; Plain Truth; and Salem Falls. The most notable of these would probably be My Sister's Keeper. If you have read the book, you aleady know that the ending in the book is different than in the movie. Personally, I liked the movie ending better than how it ended in the book without going into detail and possibly spoiling it for those who haven't read the book or seen the movie.

One of my favorite books of hers is Sing You Home. I own the hardcover version of the book and it came with a cd featuring songs that went along with how the characters were feeling throughout the story following along with the chapters as well. It was suggested that you should listen to a certain song before a chapter, but I found it better to listen to it after each chapter instead - that was my personal preference and what I recommend if you have that version.

More information about Jodi Picoult and her books can be found at:
www.jodipicoult.com


Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

Meg