Sci Fi Jungle

Today's Special: Octopus in Pickled Sauce

Gee... I wonder why these were not selling like hotcakes?

Amazon is having a "manager's special" sale on selected grocery items.  On my other blog I like to give people heads up on k-cups on sale  so I routinely check these managers specials for sales on k-cups.   Well.. I ran into one of today's deals - - - Goya Pulpo A La Marinera which I have learned is octopus in pickled sauce.  Ummm...  I am pretty down with ethnic foods from around the world, but I draw the line at octopus which in my opinion tastes like volleyball.  Maybe the pickled sauce tenderizes it up some.  Eegads.

10 Reasons Vampires Do Not Make Good Husband Material

I hate previously written about the Top 10 Benefits of Being a Vampire.  Today, for the benefit of Twilight Fans everywhere, I am going to list the:

Top 10 Reasons Vampires Do Not Make Good Husband Material.

1.  Hard to clean blood out of carpet.

2.  Boyfriend out partying all night every night.

3.  Never around to take out the garbage during the day.

4.  Bad boy magnetism only goes so far.

5.  Funky half vampire half human children do not sound like a good idea.

6.  Always having to put concealer on neck or wear turtlenecks or scarves.

7.  They never will appreciate your home cooked meals.

8.  A number of human lifetimes worth of past baggage and ex-girlfriends.

9.  Trueblood synthetic blood has not been invented yet.

10. They want to suck your blood!

Discussing Urban Fantasy

I came across a very interesting article about the Urban Fantasy genre in a blog called "Pat's Fantasy Hotlist."  I have mixed feelings about the stuff.  First of all, I didn't even know it was called Urban Fantasy.  I thought it was called Paranormal Romance.   Shows you what I know.

I am attracted to the genre for it's butt kicking women, and funky fantasy elements.  I get turned off by a couple of the common elements I have run into, however, and its always a crap shoot on whether I will like a book or not.

To list some examples, I am a bit tired of completely unsuitable boyfriends, such as vampires.  Not. Good.  Husband. Material. (Do not get me started on Twilight.)  I also don't really want to read huge long descriptions of blood and guts.  No thanks, I am done with Anita Blake Vampire Hunter.

I don't think every hot guy and girl in a book should be actual honest to god "Gods."  (Sorry, Sherrilyn Kenyon).  Go light on the pantheon, please.

Also... I'd like to ask about the preponderance of books where the heroine has two boyfriends and can't choose between them.  I liked Mary Janice Davidon's book about Fred the Mermain, "Sleeping with the Fishes", but its a perfect example of this - she's got the marine biologist, and the mermaid price both panting after her and she kissed both and doesn't seem inclined to pick either one.

And Christine Feehan, well, I think her writing style is just not that good.  

Now - - what do I like?  I like fresh ideas with a touch of steamy relationships, mixed with an adventure, and winding up with a happy ending.  I am just a sucker like that.  The first paranormal romances I read were by Jayne Castle.  LOVE her stuff - Jayne Ann Krentz is my favorite author in any or her pen names, but the paranormals based on the future of humans who have colonized the planet Harmony are my favorites.

I also really like the Dirk and Steele books by Marjorie Liu.  I really like the way her characters have such strong mental connections with each other which adds an extra dimension to their relationships.  Then, there is all kinds of wonderful action as the Dirk and Steel team tries to save the world from the evil progeny of the Magician.  I am not as big of fan of her other series "Hunter's Kiss" which are about a woman with Demons tattooed all over her body.  See - I don't like the darker side of Urban Fantasy as much as the mushy romantic side.

Another side of the genre that doesn't appeal to me very much is the lightly humorous, madcap, comedies that seem to like to feature witches in high heels prancing around being silly and dating gods or vampires.  In my experience madcap humor is usually an attempt to cover up bad writing. 

I did enjoy Barbara Bretton's book "Casting Spells" even though it's a bit madcap.  It probably doesn't hurt that it takes place in a yarn store, since I happen to be a knitting enthusiast.

Pat, from the above mentioned blog Pat's Fantasy Hotlist, says he had enjoyed Carrie Vaughn's Kitty and the Midnight Hour and the rest of the Kitty Norville series.  I am adding it to my Amazon cart.  I read voraciously and need to have a stack of novels to keep my book addiction at bay.

Another series on my list to read are the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris.  I am in the midst of watching the first season of the HBO series True Blood, based on the books and now I want to read the books.  (Yeah, I know I did this in the wrong order.  They have been on my list to try for a while but I never got a hold of the books and didn't realize the show was based on them until I started watching and put two and two together.)

Now, I don't know if the Urban Fantasy genre has any hope of gaining critical respect.  I'm pretty doubtful in fact.  Fantasy in general doesn't get much respect, and the Romance genre is probably the most ridiculed subset of books out there.  So combining the two is not likely to garner a author a Pulizer Prize in fiction.  Let's face it.  But in the measurement of how many books you sell, and how many people enjoy your stories, its clear that Urban Fantasy is one of the hottest genre's out there today.  I am happy if it keeps me stocked in interesting, action-packed, and creative stories with a female bent to them.

The Dark Hunters Manga from Sherriln Kenyon

I really enjoy paranormal romance, sci fi romance, and mixtures of fantasy, sci fi with a romantic element.  (Other than vampire love stories which I really just don't get, I mean really... that's a bad choice in a mate if I ever heard of one)

Sherrilyn Kenyon's books are a funny as well as action packed.  I just finished reading "Dream Warrior" which is the story of the Greek God Cratus, who is Zeus' enforcer.  In this story, (not letting actual mythology get in the way) Cratus is cast out of Olympus for saving a baby's life.  Add in a dramatic good versus evil battle with the Gods of Darkness and its a rollicking good time.

I noticed at the end of the book there was an advertisement for a new Manga coming out that will be the first of the Dark Hunters Manga.  Writted by Sherrilyn Kenyon and illustrated by Claudia Campos.  It looks like it would be interesting.  I think Kenyon's fast action and snappy patter would lend itself will to the graphic novel format.

I love the humor in these.  Like the God that lives in a mountain cabin decorated with "Country Bears."  I could just imagine some Greek Gods shopping for farmhouse sinks!

  

Top 10 Benefits of Being a Vampire

I have to confess, I have not read any of the Twilight books, nor seen the movie, and I really do not understand the current vampire fascination.  When I was younger I was into Dracula, but I didn't want to date him, know what I mean.  He was the bad guy.  To be avoided.

Nowadays vampires are the heroes of paranormal romance novels and appear to be considered good boyfriend material.  I beg to disagree.  While I understand the attraction of the "bad boy" as well as anyone, a vampire is not my idea of a steady breadwinner.  I prefer to sleep at night next to a warm body who then goes to work in the morning instead of sleeping in a coffin.  Blech.

But anyway, tongue firmly in cheek, here is my top ten benefits of being a vampire.

1.  Cheap grocery budget.

2.  No need to get old and decrepit.

3.  Do I really get to change into a bat and fly around? Could be cool.

4.  Never get garlic breath.

5.  Sexy vampire magnetism.

6.  Can remember the good old days.  A lot of them.

7.  Night shift jobs are easy to get.

8.  Super strength and healing powers.

9.  Never have to get up in the morning ever again.

10.  No need to EVER get a term life insurance quote.

space alien video

Let's get our daily conspiracy theory on.  Some nutcase in Denver claims he has a video of an alien and he wants Denver resisdents to vote to create a commission that would prepare Denver for space aliens.

According to Fox News, Jeff Peckman proposes an 18-member Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission. He said his footage shows 4-foot-tall gray aliens.

Dude, put it up on Youtube.  I've got my Kids on there, surely you can share a little bit of your alien buddies, ok?

By the way, the X-Files movie comes out on July 25h.

Red Lights Over Phoenix?

Are the visitors back? 

Sign On San Diego, and Now Public.Com are reporting multiple sightings of lights over Phoenix, reminiscent of ones seen on 1997.

Could it be a college prank of balloons with lights let go over the city?  If so, its a good one.

The Claw Foot Pendant of Evil

In my lifetime of almost 40 years on earth I have had a few brushes with what some might call the "paranormal."   One of the most striking occurred while I was in college at Beloit College, in Wisconsin.  While I was walking to a local night spot one evening I happened to be looking down at the road and saw a small sparkle.  It was a piece of jewelry so I picked it up.

The item was in the design of a claw holding a black ball, worked in silver.  I though, "Cool, I found a nifty pendant, I'll hang onto it."  But almost as soon as I put it in my pocket, and then examined it a little closer I started to get a bad feeling about this little item.

I thought to myself, "Is it a Voodoo Chicken claw, a raven claw, an eagle claw?  Why was it dropped?  Who owned it.  All of a sudden I just totally KNEW without any explanation that this was an evil item, and I had to get rid of it.

My friends kind of laughed at me, but they could tell I was serious.  I didn't know how to get rid of it.  I wouldn't give it to any of my friends because I just KNEW with CERTAINTY that somehow this physical item was associated with a bad thing that had occurred in the past and I did not want those bad vibes near my friends.  I finally decided upon ceremoniously dropping the claw into the Beloit River, that night under cover of darkness.  We went as a group and with a special prayer that the bad energy not follow me home I released the pendent into the water.  (My very religious friend Caroline brought her bible and read a prayer from it to seal the deal.)

I am a scientific thinking, college educated person.  However, I do believe that there are some things that science cannot yet understand.  I think I should check out UFOGaGa, the site for Social Network about Paranormal and UFOs.  Perhaps it would be a good place to tell this absolutely true story.

Maybe next time I will tell you the story of the Haunted Doll Hospital in Ben Lomond, California.  If I can bear to even think about that scary day.

I will tell you that the spirit of my Grandmother has hung around with me.  :-)  Not scary at all.  MWAH  Love you Grandma!

And just in case this story did not scare you enough, I submit this video of an Alien Pug.  A paranormal Pug from Outer Space.  Get it?  Really - this dog is a complete lunatic, just listen to her cough - you've never heard anything like it.