Welcome or Warning, Take Your Pick

I realize this is the blog post that most people skim over, or skip completely. Trust me, I hate writing introductions as much as you probably hate reading them. But it is a necessity, so strap in, this might be one heck of a bumpy ride.

Speculative fiction is (unofficially) taking over the entertainment industry. People are in love with science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the like. Sometimes, without even realizing it. For instance, the movie Transformers (the original, that is...not the recent disappointment of a sequel) was a blockbuster hit, and still one of my faves. Technically, that is science fiction; the Autobots and Decepticons are forms of extraterrestrial life. People who would never think of themselves as sci-fi fans went nuts over that movie, and with good reason. It was entertaining. And don't even get me started on the Halo craze. Yet.

So what is this blog about? Basically, Joe and I would like to discuss the things we love.

First, our writing. Joe finished his first novel at age sixteen. Yeah. He's been writing for a long time. I finished my first novel a bit later (okay, a lot later), at age thirty. Joe is a published author, while I, on the other hand, have yet to be snagged. We both have more stories in our heads than we can keep up with. Every so often, we finish one and then work on getting it published. Our posts about writing will include tips and advice that we've learned from experience, ramblings about what ideas are running amuck in our heads, updates on published works and works-in-progress, and anything else that seems like it might be interesting.

Reading goes hand-in-hand with writing, and we are both picky readers. Well, more accurately, I'm a picky reader; Joe barely has time to read. More often than not, I'll return a book to the library before reaching the middle. If it doesn't grab me, it's not worth my time. When I post book reviews here, the first thing I'll mention is whether or not I finished it. I foresee many short reviews.

Second, as is mentioned in the handy-dandy little sidebar, we both have a background in music (I'll save the details for the actual posts). In addition to playing musical instruments and listening to (perfectly legal) downloads, we love watching live music. The recent downfall in the economy has hindered that love, but we did manage to scrape enough money together to see a performance by the Cleveland Orchestra on our wedding anniversary this year. But alas, it seems another summer rock concert series will pass us by. Posts about music will include musings about our favorite bands, how music affects your writing and your mood, and other such nonsense.

Third, we are suckers for a night of movie-watching. Thanks to recent niceties like redbox, we can afford to rent movies by the truckload (only a buck a piece!) and watch them in the comfort of our own home...the couch donated by my mother, the flat-screen TV we still haven't paid off, and the surround sound system that seriously appeared out of nowhere. Scary. (In case you haven't noticed, we're practically penniless) If we like a movie enough to post about it, we will.

Fourth, unless you've lived under a rock for the last fifteen years, you know how popular gaming has become. Since we don't get paid to do reviews, all we can post about are games that we own (or rent, or borrow from family/friends), which will be, for now, either XBox, XBox 360, or games available on the internet. (Edit on that comment: the XBox 360 has red-ringed for the umpteenth time so, until that situation is remedied, gaming posts about the 360 will be limited.) This area will be monitored by Joe. Guys are just better at that stuff.

That's the gist of what we're about. Posts will be updated weekly, or as often as we deem necessary (and please excuse the boring atmosphere while we are still under construction; hopefully more pics and videos will be coming soon). We reserve the right to change topics at will and/or post utter nonsense if the fancy strikes us. Thanks for reading!

~Lydia