Writer's Corner: Spin Off Skepticism

If you read my blog regularly (YOU ARE AWESOME!) erm...you will know that I am a die hard Vampire Academy fan. Having said that, I have been a heck of a lot bit resistant to pick up Bloodlines despite how much Ashley pimps it out. In theory, I should be lining up outside the bookstores, but for some reason, I just can't bring myself to care that much. At first I thought it was the not really liking Adrian thing and then I went to stay at my parent's place and saw my Buffy DVD collection in my old room and it finally hit me: I just don't subscribe to spin offs. Well, not at first anyway.
       I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to watch the first few episodes of Angel and even then I wasn't too impressed. I love it now, but I had to be pretty heavily convinced to watch it at the beginning. Plus, I still cringe at the episodes where they did Buffy crossovers. It just didn't feel right that Buffy wasn't the central character. Especially in light of the whole apocalypse ending and Buffy supposedly saying no to helping Angel. WTF was that???
      I think my problem is that I get way too invested in the characters in a specific series and it takes someone breakout to pique my interest in a spin off. Angel had Cordelia. Bloodlines has nobody I care about so far. Also, I find it really difficult to believe in the importance of a different MC when the central character in the original series was so strong. I mean, how significant could Sydney's life be when you consider the things Rose and Lissa did? If Richelle Mead had made Viktoria the MC, I would possibly have been interested because there could have been something to do with shifts in the way Dhampir communes are thought of. But I suppose Viktoria is too much like Rose for a spin off to really work.
     Suddenly I feel like an old person who doesn't like change for the sake of it. What do you guys think? How do you feel about spin offs?

Follow Friday (8) - The Book That Changed My Life

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkie and Alison Can Read. It's a really fun way to get to know other bloggers and pick up a few new followers on the way.





This weeks question is: Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?)

Before a work colleague recommended Vampire Academy to me, I'd kinda lost hope that there were any good books left to read. I was going through a particularly rough patch at the time and it was whilst reading Vampire Academy that I decided to try writing. I ended up loving it and writing has been a lifeline for me ever since. Maybe there is no real correlation between the two events except for circumstance but Vampire Academy will always hold a special place in my heart. Incidentally, I also discovered the wonderful world of book blogs when I went online to see if there were any other obsessives out there debating the Dimitri vs Adrian dilemma. Turns out there are one or two ;)

What about you guys? I'd love to know what books had a similar effect on you.

Follow Friday (4)- Best of the Worst

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by parajunkee It's a really fun way to get to know other bloggers and pick up a few new followers on the way.





This weeks question is: Let's step away from besties...What is the worst book that you've ever read and actually finished?

I really have to stress that I've named this post Best of the Worst because, well my choice this week is the best of the worst books I've read simply for the fact that I actually finished it. Normally, if a book makes me want to curl into a ball and rock back and forth I'll close it and pick up something else. So, with that disclaimer out of the way, my choice this week is Evernight by Claudia Gray (ducks from stakes and silver bullets).

I know it's a very popular book and like I said, it was good enough for me to plow through, I just didn't feel a connection to any of the characters. Normally, I can find some empathy for the narrator no matter how far out they are, but the way the author withheld information until halfway through the book felt like a betrayal. It was such a disappointment because I'd just read Vampire Academy and wanted so much to like this book as well. So that's my submission for this week. Thoughts? Please comment below...try not to slay me too badly.

Top 5 Supporting Characters

So I've been thinking a lot lately about some of the supporting characters in the novels I've been reading and how they are completely kick-ass awesome but tend to get left out of the limelight a little. This is my tribute to those characters who left a big impression despite their smaller roles (BEWARE- may contain spoilers).

1. EDDIE CASTILE - VAMPIRE ACADEMY/BLOODLINES
I first thought of this post just after reading Last Sacrifice and it seems a little redundant now that Eddie is going to be a part of Bloodlines, but at the time I was seething. As much as I love Rose (my number 1 heroine), I couldn't for the life of me understand how the author could let her be OK with the fact that Eddie was thrown in jail. And hello Queen Lissa, try not to be so useless for once and get him the heck out! (as you can see I'm still holding on to some residual anger).
      Eddie is to me a mini Dimitri, minus the Russian accent and Strigoi experience. He's got it all. Dedication, loyalty, badass fighting skills, quiet thoughtfulness and a dead best friend he's guilty about not being able to save to give him the extra edge. I only hope that Bloodlines will cut poor Eddie some slack.

Image by Mellow Strawberry

2. NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM - HARRY POTTER
Poor little Neville. I loved you from the start and while I agree with the Luna love that seems to have swept Harry Potter fans, you will remain my favourite. At first, I liked Neville because of his penchant for herbology as I'm a bit of an avid gardener and florist. But the more the books continued the more Neville came into his own. I had to suppress a little fit on the train when Neville joined Dumbledore's Army and by the end of Deathly Hallows there is no arguing with the fact that Neville is nothing short of a hero.
       Harry might be the famous Boy Who Lived but Neville had a tough time growing up as well. And he had to do it without the best friends and extra support.

3. MATTHEW - OBERNEWTYN CHRONICLES
It doesn't bode well for a character when the author doesn't give them a last name. You can probably tell by now that I have a bit of a weak spot for underdogs. Mathew was the first misfit to reach out to Elspeth when she arrived at Obernewtyn. Matthew can only be described as a hopeless optimist and a fiercely loyal friend. I was so looking forward to seeing his character develop and then rip! the author had him captured by slavers only to reappear as snippets of Elspeth's dreams.
           Disappointment couldn't accurately describe how I felt when this happened. Especially since his name wasn't even part of the character glossary in my copy of the fourth book in the series, though I'm hoping this was an error of some kind. Some internet sources have even started to speculate that Matthew is the Destroyer that Elspeth is fated to encounter in her search for the beforetime weapons. I refuse to believe this could be true. He will always be the little misfit boy with a lilting accent and a slight limp to me.

4. THRESH - THE HUNGER GAMES
I don't know what it was about him but Thresh really hit a nerve with me. I was sad when the other tributes (even Cato and Clove) died but something about Thresh's death seemed so hollow. He received so little page time but every mention of his name spoke volumes for his character. District 11 had already given their thanks to Katniss for trying to save Rue and she told him so, but Thresh spared her life anyway.
      There was a bit of a Boo Radley feeling about Thresh and I like to think that his actions played a major part in Katniss' survival. I'll say this for the author, she sure knows how to pack a powerful character in a few pages. R.I.P Thresh. We will always remember your sacrifice.

5. JENNA - HEX HALL
OK. This last one is more me being wishful than anything else because Jenna has the potential to be absolutely rockin'. Instead, the author has her tailgating vibrant and sarcastic Sophie without having any of it rub off on her. I mean, come on lady! You are a freakin' vampire. Less of the pining and more of the fangs. PLEEEAASE! Jenna needs a big dose of WWBD (What Would Buffy Do?)
         I thought the trip to England would be a good backdrop for Jenna to really come into her own. Instead she just played house and made nice with another vampire. Huh? Huh? *tears hair out*
         Come on Jenna. I am expecting big things from you in the next installment. Please don't let me down.

So that's my list. Feel free to drop by and let me know which supporting characters get you going.

Over and Out.