Who Ya Gonna Call?!

Wow, I am still on a high.  My sister and I just got back from seeing the new Ghostbusters movie… OMG y’all.  OMG.  I loved it.  I loved it so, so, so much.

As you may or may not know, sometimes, when a movie makes me feel things, I post reviews.  Sometimes I like the movies.  Sometimes, I don’t.

Ghostbusters turned out to be everything I didn’t dare to hope for.

Let me preface this by saying I have seen the original about half a dozen times, but I’m not sure I’ve ever actually watched it.  I try, but every time, I end up thinking, “This is a weird 80s movie.  I like the song, and I like it because it’s a classic ghost movie, but it’s not one I’ll watch over and over again.”

This new Ghostbusters is the exact opposite for me.  I was not a fan of the new Fall Out Boy song when it was first released, and to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes for the movie because of it.  It turned out that new song is the ONLY thing I didn’t like about this movie.

SPOILER WARNING.  DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE MOVIE SPOILED.

So.  Without further ado…

Thoughts on Ghostbusters

• I wonder if this movie is going to be the same story but with girls…?
• Wow. I’m impressed by how creepy this mansion backstory is.
• Silly metrosexual tour guide trying to scare everyone with trick candles. Jerk.
• Woah. Is this going to be sinister?
• Aw, Kristen Wiig is cute.  She’s so excited to be teaching in a big classroom.  And I think her outfit is adorable.  She’s a little dork.
• I know Holtzman has a real name but I can’t stop thinking of her as Justin Beiber.
• Benny, I don’t think you even tried to get Abby’s order right.
• I don’t know for sure, but I’m FAIRLY certain Abby published hers and Erin’s book through CreateSpace.  Shout out to Indie Authors!
• Holtzman is legit crazy and I love her. Like, I think one of her lines is even, “I’m crazy.”  And the Pringles.  Just standing there eating Pringles while facing down a ghost.  Like, what even?!  Hahahaha!
• YouTube can be a career killer.  Remember that.
• Poor Erin.
• The humor in this is spot on.  I can’t even count the moments that made me laugh out loud.  And the movie has barely even started.
• Hey!  They get the old fire stations!
• LOL JK they can’t afford it.
• Aw, Benny. You can’t even get it ride when she lives right upstairs?
• Leslie Jones is so happy and friendly and positive!  Awwww!
• “It smells like burnt bologna and regrets down here.”
• KEVIN.
• KEVIN.
• OMG.  KEVIN.
• I LOVE YOU.
• MARRY ME.
• “FISH TANKS ARE SUBMARINES FOR FISH.”
• HE’S SO STUPID AND ADORABLE.
• PLEASE GOD, SEND ME A KEVIN.
• Oh my God.  It’s Bill Murray.
• Cameos make my life.
• “Room full of nightmares!  Thought this was going to be a book club or something!” Why is this the most quotable movie ever?
• The funny thing about this ghost demon being loose at this gothic rock concert is that because this is set in 2016 and not in the 80s, none of those people are scared! They think it’s just part of the special effects! Interesting how a few decades changes perception and possibility.
• Dancing. Kevin dancing. I enjoy the Kevin dance.
• Bless his little heart, he is the worst receptionist ever.
• Bill Murray came to visit!  OMG!  I am laughing so hard right now.
• WTF.  Did they just kill Bill Murray?!
• So much for future cameos, huh?
• I really hope there’s a sequel to this movie.  And that it’s better than the sequel to the first movie.
• “If looking good is a crime then guilty as charged!”  Leslie Jones got the best lines in this movie.
• ANNIE POTTS!  ANNIE POTTS SIGHTING!
• The creepy little antagonist killed himself.  I can see where this is going.
• Melissa McCarthy is actually really good at playing creepy and possessed.
• “THE POWER OF PATTY COMPELS YOU!”
• KEVIN!  KEVIN NO!  HE JUST WANTS TO BE A GHOSTBUSTER!  HE DOESN’T WANT TO HURT ANYBODY!
• NO KEVIN WHY.
• GOD EVEN AS A POSSESSED EVIL CREEPER I WANT TO RIP CHRIS HEMSWORTH’S CLOTHES OFF.
• BUT.
• IF HE’S POSSESSED WHY IS HE STILL SPEAKING WITH AN AUSTRALIAN ACCENT?
• Seriously.  Let’s take a minute to think here.  If he were possessed by an American ghost, he would adopt the speech patters of that American ghost, right?!  Because it’s the ghost talking!  Not him!
• OH WELL WHO CARES.
• PROTECT KEVIN AT ALL COSTS. I REPEAT. PROTECT KEVIN AT ALL COSTS.
• I think it’s funny how they didn’t even try to make the graphics decent in this movie.  They all still look exactly like the 80s ghosts.  And I kind of appreciate that.
• SLIMER.
• SLIMER GETS REVENGE.
• SLIMER GETS TO JOYRIDE IN THE GHOSTMOBILE.
• SLIMER GETS A GIRLFRIEND.
• SLIMER VICTORIOUS.
• Meanwhile Kevin is still being evil and I’m still being thirsty.
• DAN AKROYD.  WE HAVE DAN AKROYD.
• “AND I AIN’T AFRAID OF NO GHOST.”
• GOD BLESS THIS MOVIE AND EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
• WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FALL OUT BOY.
• OH WHAT THE HELL. BLESS THEM TOO. THEY TRIED.
• OMG they got crushed by the Stay Puffed Marshmallow man.
• “This is EXACTLY how I imagined my death.”  Holtzman’s lines are all gold.
• I’m so impressed by how this is kind of like the original but really, not like the original at all.  Totally new story and I love it!  In fact, I love it more than the first one.
• Although I miss Rick Moranis.
• WHEN IS HIS CAMEO?!
• Yay, yay, Erin saves the day.  We didn’t really think they’d kill Abby, did we?
• KEVIN.  KEVIN IS ALIVE.  AND HE’S GOT A SANDWICH.
• LET ME LOVE YOU, KEVIN.
• ABBY.  WHY WOULD YOU TOSS HIS SANDWICH?
• AND HE LOOKS SO HAPPY WHEN SOMEONE TOSSES IT RIGHT BACK.
• KEVIN WINS EVERYTHING.
• Oh my God.  Oh my God.  YES.  ERNIE HUDSON IS PATTY’S UNCLE.  HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING?!  THE CAMEOS ARE COMPLETE EXCEPT FOR RICK AND HAROLD RAMIS, REST IN PEACE, WHO HOPEFULLY MADE AN APPEARANCE AS A REAL GHOST.
• WAIT.  WAIT.  SIGOURNEY WEAVER AS HOLTZMAN’S MENTOR.  OMG THEY’RE BOTH CRAZY AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
• Even the credits in this movie are pure gold!
• KEVIN DANCING.  KEVIN DANCING.
• I WILL NEVER LOVE ANOTHER MAN THE WAY I LOVE KEVIN.

The End.

 

Pokemon Go Book Tag!

Disclaimer:  Pokemon Go belongs to Niantic and Nintendo, please don’t sue me.

So Read At Midnight has come up with a brilliant book tag for all the aspiring Pokemon Masters out there!  I just have to participate because I too, wanna be the very best like no one ever was.

Rules:

• NIL. Link back to my blog is appreciated but optional. Feel free to use my graphics. Tag people, don’t tag people, whatever. Just have fun!

The first book I remember loving (that actually inspired me to write as well) is Shortcut by Donald Crews.  That was preschool.  As I got older, I read all of the Bailey School Kid mystery novels as well as Lurlene McDaniel novels.  I also loved anything that Bill Wallace wrote.

A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle.  This book is so beautiful and so inspiring and it really helped me to understand a lot about the significance of what goes on around us and how we interpret and experience life.

This tag actually made me laugh out loud because it’s TRUE. Zubats are EVERYWHERE and I already have a Golbat so I no longer have any need for Zubats!  Go away, ugly little flying creature!

And I’m just going to have to go with genre here and say anything erotica that features a submissive virginal female and an arrogant dominant male.  I’ve tried to read a few and they simply don’t appeal to me.

Nicholas Sparks’ books are all literally the same book, but I love each and every one of them and read every single new book he releases.

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon and Game of Thrones by JRR Martin.  I actually intend to read both someday (Outlander first because I love Scotland), but as of right now, I’m trying to get past the intimidatingly tiny text.

Any time a new Harry Potter book was released, sleep did not exist.  I had to read them straight through.  I actually passed out after the fifth book was released because I was running on no food and no sleep and I was sick.  Another book that kept me up, however, was Defending Jacob by William Landay.  It didn’t keep me up in the sense that it scared me, but oh my goodness, this book stayed with me for forever.  I would just lay awake at night thinking about it.

I think my #1 OTP of all time would HAVE to be Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games.  I love them so much I just don’t even know what to do with myself.  I want a Peeta!

Can I say my own books for this?  Haha!  I wrote them specifically to be fast-paced and fun and easy to read.  I’m not sure how “fire-hot” they are, but I like them.  So I’ll go with the Boy Band series and the Cemetery Tours series by me!

Harry Potter!  Harry Potter!  Harry Potter!  Harry Potter!

I need books on the Marauders and the founders and the Weasleys and Harry’s children and maybe a whole rewrite of the original series from Neville’s point of view and Draco’s point of view and Snape’s point of view and…

I’m actually in the middle of it, but I was really surprised by how much I liked The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.  I went into it thinking it would be kind of boring and serious.  Quite the contrary.  It was actually fun, dark, entertaining, and even funny.

So, my sister and my little cousin have been trying to get me to read The Selection series by Kiera Cass for forever, and I actually really want to.  I’ve just been trying to find the time to commit myself to all those books!  I am actually really excited to read it!

Oh, goodness, this is difficult because I love old books and I love signed books.  I could definitely use a brand new set of first-edition Harry Potter books, however.  All of mine have been read so many times they are actually falling apart.  OH!  Or I’d love to have the original UK editions!

I’m a bad reader in the sense that I don’t actively go seeking new authors.  I usually let the books find me, haha!  So for this tag, I’m going to mention a few of my friends and their debut novels (even though some of them have been out for quite a while).  I’m excited for Doll by Miracle Austin, Winter’s Curse by April L. Wood, The Wall Outside by James William Peercy, The Conservative Congregant by Paula Walker Baker, The Gay Teen’s Guide to Defeating a Siren by Cody Wagner, and Firebrand by Sarah MacTavish.

My current auto-buy authors are Deb Caletti, Meg Cabot, Nicholas Sparks, Rainbow Rowell and Jodi Picoult.

The wait is almost over! I’m going to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Saturday!  I would also kill for a sequel to Eleanor and Park and/or Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell but I’m not sure either will happen.  In fact, I’m certain that the latter will not.  Because I’ve asked her.  In person.  And she said no.

Thank you so much, Aentee, for this fantastic Book Tag adventure!

Everyone, go follow her!

Also, if you’re reading this, I CHOOSE YOU!

On My Mind

Hi friends!  Again, I haven’t been very good about updating recently.  I’m sorry.  There’s just so much going on in the world and here at home that blogging has taken a bit of a backseat.  I’m going to try to get better.

Right now, I’m juggling upcoming book events, getting books out to reviewers, celebrating the Worldwide release, and deciding which new project to focus on next.  I have at least twenty books in my head, but I can only focus on a few at a time.  Right now, I know I need to get the fourth Cemetery Tours and the fourth Boy Band out, but I also find myself really want to venture forth with new projects.

Now one is kind of a Boy Band spinoff, a fun, romantic YA read with a different band.  The other is one that I’ve been developing for a while.  It would be an adult novel and pretty different than everything I’ve written so far.  I’m not making any commitments to either project yet, but I can tell you they’ve been a lot of fun to write.

In spite of all of these big plans, I’ve been feeling a little discouraged lately.  The reception for Worldwide has ultimately been positive (along with a few “Why did it end that way?!” reviews thrown in there), but it hasn’t been selling the way the first two books did.  It may be because it’s summer and everyone is out, enjoying the sun, and catching Pokemon.  Or maybe I didn’t advertise enough.  I’m not sure.

I  had a talk with my mom about it.  I try to make it a point to never feel sorry for myself, but the fact of the matter is that I’m human and sometimes I feel a little down.  It happens.  She only had one piece of advice for me, however, and it was “Keep writing.”

My family has always been so supportive and I hope I never take them for granted.  Because if you have just one person who believes that you can make it, you’re already so much luckier than most.  And so I’m going to keep writing and keep dreaming.  I hope that you keep dreaming too.

New Book Out!

paulawalkerbaker

I am excited to write that my new book, “And Time Stood Still” is now out on Kindle.
“And Time Stood Still” is the continuing story of Eloise Dowager and what happens to her at The City of Hope, the church for the unhoused she has been attending. She stepped out of her comfort zone to make a meal for the congregation of The City of Hope  and finds herself in the middle of a huge blessing. This blessing shows her that moving out of her comfort zone can yield blessings one can only imagine. The blessing God bestows upon her is beyond her wildest imagination and one that will change her life forever.

I hope if you haven’t read “The Conservative Congregant,” you’ll pick it and “And Time Stood Still here. And be looking for the third and maybe final book coming soon!

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New Book Release: Ignite

IGNITE: BOOK THREE OF THE RESISTANCE SERIES

BOOK LAUNCH GIVEAWAY

“Lawson creates a clever narrative where we know, without question, that the terrorists are the enemy. But soon we realize that those truly loyal to the country must rise up against the existing powers–effectively becoming terrorists themselves.”

Readers call the Resistance Series books “terrifying” and “eerily believable.” Are you ready for the adrenaline rush?

Get FREE E-BOOKS and read the story of Tommy and Careen’s fight against the Office of Civilian Safety and Defense from the very beginning!

Here’s how it works:

Download Ignite: Book Three of the Resistance Series on July 19-20 on Amazon for $2.99:

http://amzn.to/295WBYY

Send your receipt to tracy@counteractbook.com and in return, you’ll receive FREE downloads of Counteract and Resist, the first two books in the series!

Share on your social media with the hashtags:

use:

#GetReadyToIgnite #ignitegiveaway #tracylawson

Gotta Catch ‘Em All!

So, unless you’ve been living under a rock or on a desert island with no wifi, you’ve probably heard of Pokemon GO, the mobile app that is sweeping the nations and probably has groups of random twenty-somethings wandering around your lawn at four in the morning trying to catch that darn Nidoran.  I’ll admit, I’m guilty of the wandering as well.  My sister and I grew up on Pokemon and now, to be able to go out and “catch” them in the real world… It’s SO much fun!  It’s really bringing out the nerd in me.

I’ve never openly admitted my love for Pokemon, but the truth is it was a huge part of my childhood and one of the very first things to really spark my creativity.  I loved the idea of these cute, beautiful, powerful animals hanging out and going out and learning about them.  Granted, I’m pretty sure if I was a real life Pokemon trainer, I wouldn’t actually battle them or even train them.  I’d catch all the cute ones and keep them as pets and love them and take them on adventures.

Last night, I was hanging out with my birds (my real birds, not all the Pidgeys that have flocked to my front porch), and I started thinking, “I wonder what my characters would be like if they were Pokemon trainers?”

This inspired me to try to find one of those websites where you can make your own character.  You know, there’s a mermaid one, a Lord of the Rings one, a Disney one, etc… Well, I couldn’t find one.  So I decided to attempt to draw the characters myself.

May I just say that although I enjoy drawing, I’m not very good at it.

I started with Mel Parker from Boy Band, simply because the new book just came out and she was pretty easy as far as drawing is concerned.  I also knew almost immediately which Pokemon she would pick.  So I made an attempt at drawing Mel with her Marill.

I had a lot of fun with it.  I haven’t drawn anyone else yet, mostly because that one itty bitty drawing took me FOREVER.  But I want to.

Until I actually get around to it, however, I have been giving some thought as to who my other characters might pick as their Pokemon.

Luke Rainer from Cemetery Tours  is easy. He’d obviously have a Ghastly or a Haunter.  He’s far too obsessed with ghosts to have anything else.

At first I was thinking Kate Avery from Cemetery Tours might have a Mew, because of her sensitivity and sense of wonder, but then I reconsidered and realized she’d have something more like a Persian.  She’s a strong character.  And that’s not saying that Mew isn’t a strong Pokemon (it totally is), but I think a Persian suits her a little more.

As for Michael Sinclair?  He’d want something normal.  He’s all about lying low and fitting in.  I can see him with an Eevee.  Or anything that wouldn’t destroy his apartment.  He’d want a low-maintenance Pokemon.

Brink, on the other hand, would have something outrageous, like a Dragonite. The bigger and more destructive, the better.

Sam Morneau from Boy Band is very basic.  He’d totally have a Pikachu.

Oliver Berkley, for some reason, I can see with a Ponyta.  I think it’s because at first glance, Oliver is very meek and mellow, but he’s got a lot of spunk and fire in him.  A Ponyta would suit him.

Josh Chaill would have a Jigglypuff.  He wouldn’t want it, but that’s literally all he would be suited for.  Sorry, Josh.

Jesse Scott, I can see with a Wartortle (is that how you spell it?).  Not as cute and cuddly as Squirtle, but not as fierce as Blastoise.  But it can still pack a punch.

Cory Foreman, I think, would have something awkward like a Doduo or an Oddish.  He’s tall and awkward and the poor boy just doesn’t know what’s good for him.

His twin sister Joni, on the other hand, would probably have something like a Staryu.  I don’t know why, Staryu just always struck me as such a no-nonsense Pokemon, and Joni is the same way.

Now as for me, the author, I would want an Articuno.  I’ve ALWAYS wanted an Articuno because they’re pretty and blue and when they fly, they sparkle.  And even though I don’t necessarily enjoy the cold, I was born in the middle of a snowstorm, so you know, it fits.

What Pokemon would you choose?

 

Fight or Flight

Although I like to stay informed, I’ll be the first to admit that I try my best to stay away from topics that tend to stir up controversy. I don’t like debating. I don’t like politics. My heart aches every time I see another innocent person has been shot or another town has been blown up by a suicide bomber, but I don’t like to talk about it, because talking about it makes it real. And no matter what I say, no matter what anyone says, there’s going to be someone out there who finds fault with your perspective.  I’d rather avoid that entirely.

In the face of negativity, my first instinct is to run.  This is nothing new.  I’ve always been like this.  I don’t like to pick fights because fighting takes energy.  If I’ve been hurt, I probably won’t say anything, because for me, it’s easier to just ignore it.  I don’t like to argue unless I’m one hundred percent certain that I know what I’m talking about, and I’m more than often not.  I prefer peace and happiness, as I think, do most people.  I’ve simply always been of the (incorrect) mindset that the best way for me to keep people happy is to simply shut my mouth and act as though everything is just fine.

Now, I do think there is merit in seeing the goodness in every day.  I can usually find something that gives me joy, and I’m constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to have a loving family, a career that I love, food on the table, flowers in my backyard, the opportunity and freedom to travel… It’s important to find the happiness in your life, because I think it opens your heart up to helping others find their happiness.  But sometimes, happiness is not enough.  It’s not what’s needed.  Justice is needed.  Peace is needed.  The willingness to listen and to hear our fellow human being when they cry out to us for help.

For so long, I’ve tried to retreat, to stay hidden in my own world.  My brain is a messy, cluttered place, but it’s so much easier to live inside my mind than to face the harsh reality of the world outside.  I realize now that I’ve been doing no one any favors by doing so.  I don’t know where to go from here.  It will still take quite a bit of coaxing, I think, to draw me out of my fortress.  But I can’t live anymore, willfully pretending that our world isn’t very, very broken.