Wanna see the cover of Sunroper, book 3 in the Goddesses Rising series? (There is a wee little wren hopping around outside my window, warbling and then singing a song way too big for it! I love it!)
Sorry about that. Anyway, you can see the cover here on my main website, and how it matches up with the rest of the series. Eventually I'll get this blog moved over there in its entirety. Like, maybe October, after I get through the Deadline Frenzy of 2013 and before I hit the Release Madness of 2013/14.
Tomorrow I leave on my annual writing retreat! Long-time readers are rolling their eyes and saying, "Oh, come on, are you going to wax rhapsodic AGAIN about four days of no cleaning, cooking, working, outside obligations, nothing but writing, talking about writing, and partying (about writing)?" Of course not, that would be boring.
I can't decide what to work on. I mean, my first Entangled Suspense novel, of course, since I expect to get the revisions tonight and isn't that perfect timing? But since I can write as much as I can physically handle, I also want to work on Man of the House, a short story I hope to be the first in a series, and Harte and Soul, the third book in my Soul Series, and Taking Action, a new romantic adventure I started three retreats ago and had to abandon for deadlines, and a cool YA series I've had percolating for two years. I don't think I can tackle ALL of that, so... We'll see how it goes.
Okay, now let's talk about TV. I'm bummed that it's finale season, but excited about a few new fall shows. I think all my current favorites escaped the massive ax that hacked apart the networks' schedules (except Go On :( ). The Castle finale was kind of tame, but the end surprised me. I would have been annoyed if they'd backed off the Caskett relationship just because you're supposed to do that. I think the conflict is more interesting because of the challenge of digging deeper and going all in.
The Revenge finale, by contrast, was not tame. There were lots of leaps of logic on the characters' parts, but I can forgive those. Not sure I can forgive what they did to Declan and Nolan, and anything to do with Charlotte feels like a lame attempt to keep her relevant, but the rest of it? Emily's confession and not revealing what Daniel did to Aiden and the difference between Conrad's choices and Victoria's, equally awful but seething with heated emotions where he's as cold and empty as the vacuum of outer space. But the actor sells it so damned well.
I'm really looking forward to watching Arrow and Supernatural tonight and Nikita Friday. What Amanda has done to Nikki is... Yeah.
Despite the 50 or so shows ordered for next fall, there are only 13 I'm currently willing to give a try. The synopses of a handful intrigue me: The 100, Star-Crossed, and The Tomorrow People on the CW; Crazy Ones and Intelligence on CBS; and as midseason replacements, Us & Them (though I'm not high on it yet), Killer Women, and Mind Games. Enlisted was the only comedy that actually made me laugh. I like the actors, they seem like they have good chemistry, and the premise doesn't completely suck. Sleepy Hollow intrigues, but the trailer made me feel like it might be *missing* that all-important chemistry, despite good writing and production values.
But I am freaking EXCITED about S.H.I.E.L.D. and Almost Human.
S.H.I.E.L.D. already looks like it has it all. Joss Whedon. Phil Coulson. Humor. Chemistry. Quirk. New actors we have no preconceived notions about, and a couple of cool old favorites. Superheroes. Action. And a winning franchise already tied in. This one can't start soon enough!
When I watched the trailer for Almost Human, I was disappointed at first. I love Karl Urban, but the robots didn't look like they could hold interest. Then he shoved his partner out of the moving car and it was demolished. Then he got his new partner. I like Michael Ealy, too, and from there it looked amazing. JJ Abrams is probably going about 50/50 now with the TV shows he's backed, but this one should raise his percentage.
Okay, I am officially off the clock in 8 minutes. Yay, retreat! But I will be back here to chat in the comments, so let me know how you felt about the finales and which shows you're looking forward to next season!
