District 9

Over the weekend I saw District 9 and it was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be about a man who discovered atrocities being carried out against aliens and his quest to save them. Um, no. The protagonist in District 9 was a little goofy and not that bright (think Michael Scott from The Office) but as a bureaucrat tasked with evicting the aliens to another location in South Africa he knew exactly what was going on in District 9. And he didn't care. At one point we even see him destroy a bunch of alien young. Everything about his actions and the actions of the soldiers is casual and apathetic. The aliens are disgusting looking creatures which perhaps made it easier to treat them like garbage. The movie starts a bit slow and since I was expecting a no-brainer action flick, at first I was annoyed, but I ended up liking it.

Basically, twenty years ago aliens landed on Earth (above Johannesburg to be exact) and after three months of nothing happening, humans opened their spaceship and found malnourished and dying aliens that they named prawns (because of the way they looked). So what did they do? They brought them down to Earth, put them in tents, and aid workers from around the world came and brought them food. When it was discovered they had advanced weaponry, there is further interest in them by the Nigerian government but they are forgotten about by the rest of the world. They're shunned and forced to live in squalor. There were so many parallels to apartheid and racial tensions in South Africa (and the way humans treat each other all over the world), but the writer/creator didn't portray it in such a way that it was beating viewers over the head (which is one of my pet peeves). Overall, it was great movie and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up winning awards. Anyone else seen it yet? Thoughts?


On to more Monday goodness...for the next three days Jill Sorenson will be chatting and giving away books at Desert Island Keepers so stop by and say hi. She's giving away THREE books over three days. Today she answered all my burning questions and tomorrow she's chatting about cliches in romance novels and it's hilarious :)

Is it tomorrow yet...

The man is finally on his way home! Right now he should be somewhere over the Atlantic. I have a lot of last minute things to get ready but I wanted to tell everyone I haven't disappeared, I'll just be MIA the next couple days. As soon as I'm back, I'm playing catch up with everybody's blogs!

Thankful Friday

My sister has been going through some crazy/annoying stuff with her future mother-in-law lately and it's only getting worse the closer the wedding gets (November). Her situation has made me realize how lucky I am. Sure some of my in-laws are a little annoying (not his parents though, I love them!) but for the most part, they're all pretty great.

Apart from all the obvious such as having a roof over my head, and food in my fridge, this is what I'm thankful for this Friday:

1. It's Friday
2. My husband is coming home soon
3. I have a wonderful family, both immediate and extended
4. The boxed set of 'Medium' and the bathing suit I ordered arrived yesterday *g*
5. I have great critique partners
6. No hurricanes have hit my city this year
7. My husband is coming home soon (did I already say that?)

What are you thankful for today? Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Writers Gone Wild

It's Wednesday again! I'm over at Writers Gone Wild talking about music in relation to writing :)

Squee!

As some of you know from previous posts, my hubby is currently overseas. We've been emailing daily but I haven't heard his voice in a week and a half. I've gone a lot longer than that (former military wife right here) but it doesn't get easier with time, I don't care what anyone says. I just got a completely unexpected call from him. Of course we could only talk 60 seconds but it totally made the rest of my week! I actually screamed a little when he called b/c I was so excited. And I am not a screamer, or giggler, or anything of the sort. I'd seriously forgotten how much I missed his voice. As soon as we got off the phone, I burst into tears. Good tears though :) Tuesday is shaping up to be pretty great!

Monday Funday

Monday is trash day in the Reus household and I noticed that today I only took out one half-full garbage can instead of 3 overflowing cans. Things are definitely different with the hubby still gone. Although, to be fair, he usually does construction projects around the house, which accounts for the full trash cans. My grocery shopping has also been cut in half. He's a meat and potatoes kind of guy but I don't need either with every dinner, lol. It's probably sad to admit this, but I don't mind eating a bowl of cereal for dinner if I'm not hungry or don't feel like cooking. So, the only positive thing about his absence is that my waistline will almost inevitably shrink.

In writing news, I've finally finished revisions for my agent and she's going to start submitting soon. I'm a little lot more nervous than I thought I would be. This is what I've been working toward and now it's going to be put out there for someone to reject or accept. Submitting to houses on my own wasn't this nerve wracking and I think it's because the rejections came back to me. Now someone else believes in me and that thought is terrifying.

Okay, that's it for my Monday fears. What did everyone do this weekend? I spent mine cleaning, writing, and soaking up some sun (exciting, I know).

Interview Today

I'm glad it's Friday for a multitude of reasons! No work tomorrow and today I'm being interviewed at Kaylea Cross's blog. Please stop by and show me some love! There's also a chance to win a free copy of Finding Hope!

Another Release Day!

Somehow, I've got two releases this month :)

Finding Hope is a hot, romantic suspense available from The Wild Rose Press in digital format.

Twenty three years ago, Luke Romanov’s childhood playmate disappeared without a trace. He’s never stopped blaming himself. When the family he works for hires a woman identical to his childhood friend, he’ll stop at nothing to discover her true identity, even if it means betraying her.

What few memories photographer Hope Jennings has of her past aren’t pretty. The monsters from her nightmares make it impossible to completely erase her violent history, but she’s living her life one day at a time. Hired to photograph a wealthy family's ancestral home in the Caribbean, she expects to work hard, get the job done, and go home.

Instead, Hope finds unexpected passion in the arms of the family's sexy and dangerous security expert, who has the power to destroy the safe life she’s built for herself. When someone from her past targets her to die, Hope doesn’t know who to trust.

This Friday I'll be guest blogging at Kaylea Cross's blog and one commenter will have a chance to win a copy of Finding Hope.

I'm also blogging at Writers Gone Wild today about Outward Appearances so stop by if you get a chance!

Getting back in the Groove

Well, the man is officially overseas, though I can't say where. I think I've mentioned in previous blogs that he occasionally does contract work for various gov't agencies. If not, now ya know ;) Thankfully he's not gone long this time but I've been having a time getting into a normal writing schedule. I think it's b/c this trip popped up out of the blue and my mind still hasn't settled down. They called last Wednesday and said 'hey we need you' and then he was gone Friday.

Over the weekend my mom and my sister stayed with me to keep me company but now I've got to get back on track. So, this weeks plan is to buckle down and get some serious writing done. Or any writing at all would be nice!

Oh, I finally got my author photos back! I feel weird posting pics of myself here so here's a link to my about page if you want to check out the one I chose. They were all pretty similar but this is the one my husband liked best so who am I to argue. Tell me what you think (unless you hate it) ;)

Release Day!

Adrianna's Cowboy, my first release under my new pen name, Savannah Stuart, releases today!

Sam Blackwood has been fighting his attraction to Adrianna Campbell for longer than he’d care to admit. Four years ago he almost gave into that temptation, but stopped just as things were about to get interesting. When circumstances force them to share a roof, he’ll use any means necessary to tie her to his bed. And he’s not above playing dirty to keep her there.

Click here for more details!

My husband is heading overseas this afternoon so I'm busy helping him get ready. Sorry my post is super short today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Plagiarism

I'm blogging at Writers Gone Wild today about Plagiarism. Come share your thoughts!

Desert Island Keepers

For the next three days I'm chatting with romance author Liane Gentry Skye at Desert Island Keepers about what it's like to be a writer and a bunch of other fun stuff. She's giving away a copy of Secrets Volume 27 to one lucky commenter so stop by and say hi!