1: Would you rather listen to the Beatles or Green Day?
Definitely the Beatles!

2: How long did it take you to write your book?
The first draft took about a year. But then in between working on the rewrites and revisions, I wrote two other books, so I didn’t really finish the final version of Up In The Air until several years later. Of course, I say ‘final’ with a pinch of salt. There have been many final versions since the first one.

3: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?
The main character, Melody. I admire her gumption, her desire to be tough and not let anyone hurt her. Yet, I also love her vulnerability, which is revealed during her stay on Chimeroan. Her fears resonate with me very strongly, especially since these very fears are what she needs to face in order for her to live her dream. And in the end, I rejoice with her newfound freedom.

4: Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?
I love both, depending on the day.

5: What authors do you look up to and why?
Of course there are too many to mention. Nonetheless, I admire authors whose works inspire and whose message remains with me long after I finish reading the book, e.g.:
Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull)
Antoine de Saint-Exupéryn (The Little Prince)

I also love authors whose works entertain and draw me into another world, e.g.:
Megan Whalen Turner (The Thief)
Kenneth Oppel (Silverwing)

6: Which author do you think you write like the most?
I have no idea. However, one reviewer said that Up In The Air reminded her of the wonder she felt while reading Madeline L’Engle. I was floored (happily so, of course). I’ve read A Wrinkle In Time and loved it.

7: What’s your favorite food?
On a day when I feel strong, a fresh, delicious Caesar Salad.
For those days when I’m in a hurry, good old-fashioned pizza.]
But I also love pasta and of course, paella and curry. Let’s not forget roti.

8: What’s your favorite movie?
Several. Of course by now, you must know that I’m not a one-answer kind of gal.
Oldies: The Sound of Music
Not so old: The Star Wars Trilogy (the initial three)
Current: Mama Mia, Sleepers, Skyfall (and many, many more)

9: If your book was turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main characters?
I can’t think of anyone to play Melody and the other fliers. My preference would be for as-yet unknown, talented actors to be given the parts.

10: Describe your book in one sentence.
Oh no! You’re forcing me to come up with a one-liner, which I have been struggling with for years. OK, here goes:
A young girl dreams of flying, but when she finds herself In the mystical world of Chimeroan and gets the wings of her dreams, she realizes that she cannot ‘outfly’ her problems.

11: What kind of interaction do you hope to see from your fans?
Enthusiasm, passion, wide-eyed excitement at the thought that their deepest desire or dream can come true. Curiosity as to what this could mean. And then, should they dig even deeper, that’s when the dialogue would truly begin.

12: Would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?
Generally speaking, I would say ‘extrovert’. However, there are times when I feel like curling up and withdrawing into myself.

13: If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Dead? Einstein. I’d love to get first-hand insight into how he reasoned out his theories.
Alive? Hmm, now where shall I start: George Clooney, Richard Gere, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling… I can go on and on. Why? My answer is: why not!!!

If you follow movies, you’ve known for quite some time that Max Brooks’ 2006 zombie book titled, “World War Z” has seen a few bumps and bruises on its way to the big screen.  First was a bidding war between production companies, than there was rewrites, reshoots and delays.  But at the end of the day, World War Z hit the big screen and did $15 million better than any analysis thought, ending its opening weekend with $66 million.  Max Brooks, in comparing the book vs. the movie, said the two essentially shared the same name and, “that’s pretty much all it has in common.” So what changed?

Order of Events:

Book: Brooks wrote the book as if he was the United Nations worker narrating the decade-long battle against the zombie apocalypse.  The book presented the stories of others as collected by the United Nations worker, and played out in past-tense with the world wide event having reached it’s conclusion.

Movie: The movie played out in chronological order presenting the material as it happened.  The story played out from the perspective of the United Nations worker played by Brad Pitt.  Instead of traveling to collect the stories of others Pitt traveled the globe to find the origin of the Zombie Outbreak.

Patient Zero:

Book: In the book, China was the location of patient zero, the first person to become infected with the zombie virus.

Movie: Perhaps fearing the movie would be banned from Chinese theaters, no mention of Patient Zero exists in the movie.  Pitt’s character technically never locates the origin of the Zombie apocalypse.  The movie instead makes a reference to South Korea, and India but never pinpoints the exact location.

American Involvement:

Book:  Much of the novel’s political commentary is directed against the United States.  The book shows the U.S. Government as confident, yet unprepared, and slow to respond.  The book even mentions that due to American war efforts abroad (i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan) the U.S. Government lacks the resources to properly handle the crisis at home.

Movie: The big screen adaption takes the opposite approach to American involvement of the book. American leadership is forefront in the battle against the undead.  It is the American’s floating Navy which has made the world wide command center to fight the Zombies.  An American United Nations worker spearheads the efforts to research and develop a cure.

Nations Play-by-Play:

Book: Not every country is effected by the Zombie outbreak.  United Kingdom emerges unscathed. Pakistan and Iran nuke each other.  Cuba takes advantage of the outbreak to undergo a democratic revolution.  Havana becomes the financial capital of the world.  China becomes a democratic nation.  Tibet becomes an independent nation with the most populous city in the world.  Iceland is devoured by Zombies, and North Korea hides in an underground network of bunkers.

Movie: The movie doesn’t mention half of these countries.  You leave the theater thinking everyone worldwide suffered equally from the Zombie plague.  North Korea rips every one’s teeth out, so no one can bite each other.  Israel builds a Zombie defense wall based off some 1 out of 10 rule.  Besides those countries you don’t really get a sense of what each country went through.

Sequel Talk?

In general the World War Z the movie is different in almost every way when compared to World War Z the book.  But that doesn’t mean we can’t get a good sequel.  In fact, World War Z the book takes place of 10 years – giving plenty of material for film makers to play with.  The movie was initially thought of as a trilogy before production costs and reshoots called their plans into question.

Things are looking bright for a World War Z sequel, though.  Star Brad Pitt said, “We’ve got so many good story lines stemming from the book or inspired by the book and then just generated from our own powwows it might still be fun.  We’ve got enough material, that’s for sure.” My only suggestion is don’t call it World Ward Z Two, it just doesn’t roll off the lounge very well.

 

Featured images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

Austin Faux is the host of the nerd podcast, “I Am A Super Nerd. Austin is a huge fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Red Dwarf, Doctor Who, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Spider-Man, X-Men, Willow, Terminator 2, you name it. If it’s nerdy, he’s talking about it.  You can follow Austin on his Facebook and on Twitter @IamASuperNerd49

I had a fantastic time interviewing Teri Harman about her debut novel and asking other, totally random questions. Check it out:

1: Would you rather listen to the Beatles or LMFAO?

Beatles, for sure. Although, Led Zepplin is a much better classic rock pick.

2: How long did it take you to write your book?

That’s actually hard to answer. The first round of writing and editing took about 8 months. But because it took a long time to find a publisher, there were a few more rewrites in there. So if you average all the time, about a year.

3: Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

Oh, man, that’s a tough one! That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child. Of course, just like my children, it depends on what day you ask me and who’s behaving the best. Obviously, I love Willa and Simon – it is their story – but I have a soft spot for one of the Dark witches, Bartholomew the Dark. He plays a small roll in Blood Moon, but a huge one in the second and third books. His character and story just came to life in my head so easily and I love that he’s complicated and mysterious.

4: Do you prefer salty or sweet snacks?

Both together. Like popcorn with a big glass of chocolate milk.

5: What authors do you look up to and why?

My first favorite author was Roald Dahl. I also love Kate Morton, Paula Brackston, Ray Bradbury, Marisa de los Santos, and Sarah Addison Allen.

6: Which author do you think you write like the most?

Well, my goal is to write at least a fraction like Markus Zusak in The Book Thief and Marisa de los Santos in Love Walked In and Rainbow Rowell in Eleanor & Park.

7: What’s your favorite food?

Homemade brownies hot from the oven

8: What’s your favorite movie?

I have so many, from all different genres, but since my book is about witches, Practical Magic is my favorite witch movie.

9: If your book was turned into a movie, who would you cast for the main characters?

The only one I know for sure is Archard, the main Dark witch – the bad guy. Jonathon Rhys Meyer, although a little younger than my character, looks exactly like him. Especially in season two of the Tudors when he has a goatee and long, slicked back hair. For Willa and Simon, I’ve yet to see any actors that look like the people in my head. I look forward to hearing what fans think on this one.

10: Describe your book in one sentence.

After a daring rescue of a witch held prisoner in the basement of an old Victorian home, Willa and Simon are catapulted into the alluring but dangerous world of witchcraft and the magic of The Six Gifts.

11: What kind of interaction do you hope to see from your fans?

Any and all. I love to get emails from people you have read my blog, enjoyed my book reviews and columns. I can’t wait to go to signings and events and hear what people like about Blood Moon, who their favorite characters are, favorite scenes, etc. Stories are meant to be shared and they really come alive in the readers.

12: Would you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?

For the most part I’m an introvert. I’d rather stay home in my jammies and watch TV or read a good book on most days. BUT when books are involved, I’m an extrovert. I could talk about books all day long all the time and love every minute of it.

13: If you could meet anyone in the world, alive or dead, who would it be and why?

I would love to sit down with Roald Dahl over tea and chocolate biscuits and talk about imagination. He’s inspired my writing a lot and I loved his books as a child. I still read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda every few years.

SHORT BIO

Teri Harman has believed in all things wondrous and haunting since her childhood days of sitting in the highest tree branches reading Roald Dahl and running in the rain imagining stories of danger and romance. Currently, her bookshelf is overflowing, her laundry unfolded, and her three small children running mad while she pens bewitching novels. Utah is her home, but she often imagines living in the wild landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
Website: teriharman.com
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorTeriHarman
Twitter: @TeriHarman

So I went to a writers retreat over the weekend. It was a blast! My fellow writers and I got a lot written, played fun games in our down time, and ate a ton of delicious foods. When I say a ton, I cannot reiterate how much food we had. And yes, it was decadent and scrumptious, but I started my day this morning with a food hangover.

So today, I’ve started a raw, detox diet to cleanse my system of all that I indulged in. With this new diet, my mind has been on all the research and food documentaries I’ve looked into over the last few years. It’s really interesting to me that so many experts in one general field can give such conflicting information that they think of as fact. Have you watched those documentaries on Netflix? I admit, that I’m a nerd and am totally addicted to them. There’s plenty on Netflix. Some of my favorites have been Hungry for Change, Dying to Have Known, Food, Inc., and Foodmatters. There’s plenty more besides those, but they’re my top four. Most of these documentaries are somewhat on the same page, but not all of them.

What happens to me is I watch one of these documentaries, or I read a very interesting article about the different vitamins in food and think, OK. I’m going to make this big lifestyle change and eat super foods and never get sick again!

And for the first week or so, that’s how it works. But the problem for me is being consistent. And I’ve come to the conclusion that with my social eating personality, I can’t stick with this kind of lifestyle and still interact with friends and family. The type of dieting experts say is most beneficial is incredibly restrictive, especially when you live in the U.S. Not to mention it is very expensive.

So what to do? Well, I believe that what it comes down to is balance. There’s a documentary called Forks over Knives that talks about research of rats. The results state that if rats consume 5% or less of animal protein, then they wouldn’t be at as high of a risk for cancer, but if they consumed large quantities, then they would be at high risk. Foodmatters mentions that if 51% of your diet is raw, then your cholesterol will lower and you’ll be at lower risk for heart disease and cancer. So is all this research saying that eating meat is bad? No – it’s telling us that we need to be moderate in our portions. That it’s good to consume some raw veggies and fruits throughout the day, but you don’t have to be zealous about it.

In fact, I think it’s still fine to have a slice of cake or a cookie every once in a while, just as long as it’s a small portion and you don’t overindulge. (That’s one I struggle with – but will overcome one of these days!) So my conclusion? Just eat healthy! We all know what that means. Have your veggies, a little fruit, healthy grains and breads. Little bit of lean meats, and minimal amounts of sugar and processed foods.

So I’m not going to feel guilty when I go to the next family gathering and eat a brownie. However, I’ll try to just have that and not eat half the batch. 😉 And when I go to my next writers retreat, I’ll still indulge here and there, but I’ll do my best to keep myself reined in.

To all those who are trying to live healthy lifestyles, best of luck! And do what works for you.

If you read my post last year about Father’s Day, you already know that I think the dads of the world don’t get enough credit. And I feel like Father’s Day isn’t as widely celebrated as Mother’s Day.

So I absolutely must write a post about fathers every year around this time. I realize that not everyone out there has had a great relationship with their father. Some of you may have never even met him. However, I’m a believer that there are other men who can fill that role around just about everyone. For instance, in our townhome community, there are a lot of men who serve in the military and have to leave home for long stretches at a time. My husband has become, what I term, the surrogate father of the neighborhood kids. Whenever we go into the courtyard area, kids from ages 2-9 ask him to play with them. He usually ends up organizing a game, like Red Rover or something, for everyone to play together. Or, if he has enough energy, he’ll lift up each child and spin them around until they’re too dizzy to walk. It’s adorable to watch, and the mothers love that he’s willing to give their kids “dad time” when their husbands aren’t at home.

While my parents divorced when I was seven, I happen to have a great relationship with my father. If you’ve read my first novel, you may have seen that I dedicated it to my dad. I did that for many reasons, the biggest one is that we both share a passion for books. For as long as I can remember, he had multiple bookshelves piled with hundreds of books (and even more in boxes in the garage). A few years back, he and his wife moved across the country, and he couldn’t take all his books with him. So he gave them away. I received over 300 from his collection and consider it part of my inheritance (Even though he is still very much alive!).

I’m grateful that I have a father with whom we can share common interests. It has definitely helped us to bond with each other. But even if you don’t share any same interests with your dad, there are always ways to develop closer relationships. My hope this year is that you’ll be able to set aside the time to let your father know how much you appreciate and love him. Even if you’re not that close, it would still mean a lot to him if you reached out. It always means something when you make that effort.

I also have a step-father. Though he’s only been a part of our family for a few years, my siblings and I make the effort to show him how much we like and appreciate him as well. He enjoys it immensely and feels very comfortable with our family. I’m glad that I’ve had so many positive male role models in my life to influence me for the better and to help give me a well-rounded perspective of the world.

What are you going to do for your father (or surrogate father) this year? It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture – just something to let him know you care.