Hitchhiker's Guide - The Finale!

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as good as I would have hoped but I still enjoyed it.  It took me quite some time to get through this last bit of the Hitchhiker's Guide series. It bounced around so much and there seemed to be a great deal of things missing. Characters began disappearing and reappearing at random. I found it quite hard to follow, though still gave it 3 stars because I loved the fact that it did come to some sort of close in the end.

Douglas Adams is one hell of an author that knows how to draw his readers in and keep them going until the end. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of this book, I still couldn't stop making my way through it. That, in and of itself, is a sign of a very talented writer.

On a sidenote, I'm not sure if I agree with the title but I guess I don't really have to. The truth of the matter is this; the Earth IS mostly harmless, though I don't think its occupants are...

 

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.
 

Creative Realities – An Escape for All

I was asked to write this up for another blog about a month ago and have decided to share it here as well. So if you missed the post before, here it is for your enjoyment...

Creative Realities – An Escape for All

Alternate reality, quantum reality, alternate universe… They all encompass the same general concept, another world coexisting with ours. Why do they fascinate us so much? Because it’s an escape!

I have always been intrigued by the thought of there being something better, something else, outside of what I knew and loved. Growing up as a writer, I found that I’d write what I knew, unicorns and dragons, things from fairytales told to me by my mother. Never once had I learned of different worlds that existed alongside ours, yet on a different plane. Another world is not what I mean, as I’m sure most already know. These worlds are happening right here and right now, yet we can’t see them. They are the present, past and future, yet we may never know they are there.

It wasn’t until I saw What the BLEEP Do We Know that I finally understood what another reality truly was. Seeing that movie enlightened me to the possibilities that everything truly is happening all at the same time and that there constantly are other realities existing in the same exact moment.

Never had I thought of writing about an alternate reality until I was about five chapters into my novel, The Blood Moon of Winter. As I was writing, another world came forward and took over. It was as if this other reality had been there all along and chose that moment to become known. I say it like this because that is how it happened. I don’t plot out my stories, but let them write themselves through my fingertips.

While my novel involves an alternate reality, I like to call it my creative reality. It’s not a world like ours, but one that only the deepest pits of my imagination could come up with. It’s a reality that only exists in my mind and the pages of my books and it continues to move forward and grow even without my help. Though it is in my mind, it is real within, making it a true reality for me because I can escape to it whenever I like.

It is my creative reality and it is my escape.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.
 

Apt Pupil by Stephen King

Apt Pupil by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All I can say is that Stephen King always outdoes himself. I know I've read this before but it is one of those pieces that I can go back to repeatedly and still enjoy immensely.

Todd Bowden is one of the creepiest children out there and gives me the chills to picture him and the disturbing nature he holds within. I think the hardest part about reading this story is the fact that kids like that really do exist!

I love how the book differs from the movie (and no I won't say how it differs). It is worth reading, same as all his works, though not all are as well written as this.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.
 

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's time to move on to the next book in this fabulous series!

Talk about a fun read! Adams really knows how to keep a person turning the pages... I started this book a couple of days ago and found that I couldn't stop making my way through it. I am so glad to have such a great story be my first of the new year.

There are so many different things going on that it does get a bit confusing from time to time but I still couldn't help but love it. I found myself laughing my way through it which is a sign that the author did something right, if that was his intention. Having read his work before, I can pretty much guarantee that it was.

Having old friends pop back into existence when I thought they were gone made the book just that much more enjoyable.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Amazon Best Sellers List!

I woke up this morning to find that The Mind Entangled - Part One: The Discovery had made Amazon's best sellers list for its short stories. Talk about an amazing thing to wake up to, right? To make things just that much better, I've started to get a lot more reviews for The Blood Moon of Winter and they are really good.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unlikely Hero, December 17, 2011

The unlikely hero's seem to make the best ones, and this is the case with Lilyana. Meek and retiring, yet full of life and forced into a destiny that draws out inner depths of power and magick. Her transformation into goddess is in itself a wonder to behold.

The narrative starts out slow yet engaging as the main character herself, and then through the course of the book it builds an inexorable momentum that draws you onward. The prose is enchanting, the world is a marvel and the conclusion is fraught with tension and resolution.

I can't wait for the next one. Here's to the Goddess of Makayra. - Author PD Allen

That is but one of my recent reviews and they are all positive! The 2nd edition is getting almost entirely 5star reviews!


© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.