Category: Books

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Books Galore at USC

This year marks the 20th year of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California.  As previously reported, there were thousands of books ranging from children to young adult and many more in between.  There were also several celebrities that brought their own books for people to purchase as well as a cooking stage, music and much more.

Watch now to see just which books were the highlight of this year’s festival and stay tuned for a follow up with even more exclusive interviews from more of the authors at the 2015 LA Times Festival of books.

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“Grey” Dominates on Valentine’s Weekend

Love is in the air as Universal’s 50 Shades of Grey draws in crowds for its opening weekend.  It’s the story of Christian Grey, a billionaire bachelor with a dark secret who meets young innocent English Lit Major, Anastasia Steel and attempts to trap her in his sex domination games, but it is him that ends up trapped as domination slowly turns to love and leaves us wondering what will happen next.

Based on the Worldwide Bestseller Trilogy by British author E. L. James, it is a story for a more mature audience and view discretion is deeply advised.  The movie stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, who’s performances equally kept audiences on the edge of their seats with suspense.

The movie brought in 30- million opening day and was expected to be number one for the 4 day weekend.  It’s currently showing in a theater near you.

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Children’s Classic Come To Life

From a beloved story written in 1958 by Michael Bond, the little bear called Paddington has finally made his debut in theaters.  The motion picture is a fun loving tale of Paddington, who manages to find his way to London after losing his home and his family in the Darkest Peru.  He is looking for a home and the Brown’s decide to open their home as a temporary place.

Paddington is a fun movie for all ages, filled with adventure, suspense and in the end love for a little bear.  The movie opened in theaters on Friday January 16 and stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman.

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“Stars” shine over Evil

2014 movie poster, Photo rights belong to 20th Century Fox who produced and distributed the film
2014 movie poster,
Photo rights belong to 20th Century Fox who produced and distributed the film

Based on the 2012 novel by author John Green, “The Fault In Our Stars” is a drama romance about two teenagers battling terminal cancer and finding lover at the end of their lives.

The film reunites actress Shailene Woodley and actor Ansel Elgort from the 2014 adventure “Divergent” as Hazel, played by Woodley, is struggling for her life with a terminal cancer that has taken over her lungs. She meets Gus, played by Elgort, at a support group and is slowly drawn in by his wit and charm.

It’s a love story that keeps you on the edge of your seat from their first words to the intimate heart felt moments when you think it might be their last.

Rated PG 13, “The Fault in our Stars” is expected to take the number one spot, it’s opening weekend, bringing in at least 55 million dollars and knocking the Disney live action Maleficent to the number two spot at the box office.

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LA Times Festival of Books at USC

On Saturday April 12th and Sunday April 13th, 2014, hundreds of self published authors gathered on the campus of USC for the LA Times Festival of Books.  The free event invited So Cal residents to browse the thousands of titles in multiple categories including children’s, Mystery, Non fiction and more.

Watch now to see a sample of books, available to all in bookstores and online.

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Blogging: Any time Any where!

The nice thing about blogs, you can work on one nearly any place.  It especially makes it convenient when your computer is a laptop and you have access to an internet hotspot.  You can literally go out in the middle of nowhere and just start writing.

This is one thing that I have always told myself that I want to do.  I love nature and I think it would be so awesome one day just to pack up my computer, phone, and instruments into my little 2005 Chevy Cavelier and drive out to some forest or beach type setting and just start writing and/or playing.

I’m a writer and a musician.  Both passions are equally important to me, although I don’t play as much as I would like, I still love taking out my saxophone and playing whatever my mind comes up with.  It’s intriguing what the mind can imagine and send to the brain which then transports to the fingers to create something that is awesome.

I can be anywhere at work and yet my mind can be somewhere else, off on some faraway journey to the great unknown that I will later record for the world to read and/or listen to when they turn on their radios or open up their newspapers.

But alas, when the end of the day rolls around and I wake up from my daydream, I am here again, sitting in front of my computer or sheet music.  I close up the documents on my desktop and put away my instruments and I sigh, because I know one day, I will take that long drive, I will get away for a few short hours and I will play till my hearts content, I will write till my hands bleed, because I know that is what I’m meant to do and I will do it.  I mean it.  I will.

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Writing, Writing! How I love to write!

Here I am,  That’s how it seems I always start.  I’m sitting on the couch, trying to let my mind go and my imagination live on.

I just got off work.  Man was it a hot one, much too hot to be at work, let alone for people to be in the park.  Yet you always have the diehards.  Those people who come out to Universal regardless of the weather.  I don’t know how they do it, but they do.

If it were me I’d be home.  I’d be relaxing on my bed in the air conditioning, watching one of my movies or I’d be sitting in front of my computer working on one of my latest book ideas, but alas I am not home, but at least I have my computer and I can write and write about whatever I am thinking like if my books are really going to be a success or not, but I just love it.  I love to write and I won’t stop until I can’t write any more.