Steampunk Tuesday - Why I Love Steampunk

Why I, Adrienne Kress, love Steampunk:


1.  It's Oldy-Timey

I am, as the title of my blog would suggest, an actress.  Why did I become an actress?  To play make believe.  And what do I want to pretend to be?  Oldy-timey people.

Okay.  I love any kind of acting really, anything from contemporary realism to fantastical musicals, but I absolutely adore period pieces.  I love the costumes, I love the different way people expressed themselves.  I love the plays that have lasted the test of time.  I love dueling, and historic dancing, and carriages and yes, I even love corsets.  Because I don't have to wear one every day.



2.  I'm an Anglophile.

Now there's nothing saying Steampunk needs to be set in Victorian/Edwardian England.  There's a very popular Wild West Steampunk subculture, and more and more people are exploring other parts of the world as well.  All good things.  But, hello, my name is Adrienne Kress and I am an anglophile.

I have loved England (or my romanticised version of England) since before I can remember.  It was the setting for all those oldy-timey BBC movies/TV shows I watched growing up.  Where my favourite Disney musicals took place.  The land of Shakespeare (which I fell in love with at the age of 9).  Thatched cottages.  Grand estates.  And then there was London.  Magical, grimy, historical, fabulous London.

Magical, grimy, historical, fabulous London.

I made it my goal in life to get me to England, as soon as I possibly could.

And so . . . 

Through the University of Toronto, I was able - in my first year - to study at what we dubbed "The Castle".  Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex to be precise.  I was horribly homesick, but I stuck it out.  Why?  It was ENGLAND.  I was living in the English countryside. I went for field trips into London and visited the Tate, British Museum, National Gallery, St. Paul's and on and on and on.

The Castle

Then after I graduated from university in Toronto, I returned to the UK to live in London proper.  I had been accepted into LAMDA's post-graduate one year Classical Acting program, and after about two days I had determined that I had to stay longer.  So after my fantastic year at LAMDA drew to a close, I acquired what is called in the Commonwealth a Working Holiday Visa.  It's a visa for people under 30 that allows them to live and work in a fellow Commonwealth country.

I spent three incredible years in London, leaving only because my visa expired.  I learned that London (and England itself) was far from a perfect utopia.  It has political difficulties and a class structure held over from the past that still permeates contemporary interactions.  Tube lines are shut down often for construction, and the downtown streets are packed so tightly with locals and tourists.

But despite learning that my dreamland had flaws, I still loved it.  I loved that most of the museums were free, and if I was feeling low or bored or whatever, I'd just pop in and be inspired.  I loved the parks, would wander through them as often as possible.  I found my cozy pubs (not so easy, as many London pubs are very serviceable, not nearly as quaint as one would think), The Dove on The Thames was right near me and also had so much charm.  Speaking of which . . . the part of the river I lived near was lovely.  Parks lined it, leading to rows of pubs and rowing clubs, and then the more posh fabulous homes in Chiswick.  Most of all, I loved the theatre.  I went to the theatre there the way I see movies in North America.  It was affordable, and it was almost consistently quality.

The exterior of The Dove

Along the river near where I lived.

And after many years of being back in Toronto, I still get pangs in my gut, missing London so much.



3.  I love leather and brass and clockwork pieces, oh my!

The combination of those elements makes anything look cool.  I also love goggles, and corsets, and weird crazy weapons.

4.  I love the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse, the Mouse Trap board game, and the machine that made Violet Beauregarde's gum in the Chocolate Factory. 

Seeing how things work, how one thing affects the other.  Watching wheels turn, and balls roll, and pulleys pull.  It's just so cool.  And really fun.

5.  I love SF/Fantasy.

Why?  Well aside from the cool toys factor, there's the brilliant opportunity to deal with certain subjects that might otherwise come across as a bit preachy or too on the nose or just too darn risky thanks to the nice distancing layer of the fantastic.  First interracial kiss on television?  STAR TREK.  And has any contemporary television show dealt with the tension between religion and science better than DEEP SPACE NINE or BATTLESTAR GALACTICA?   Well okay, maybe THE WEST WING comes close. . .

6. And the number 1 reason I love . . . wait . . . And the number 6 reason I love Steampunk . . .

I love Douglas Adams.

He is my writing inspiration.  His work showed me one could do weird and fabulous things, could break the writing rules.  That one could have fun.

By John Martz - http://johnmartz.com/

No, he didn't write Steampunk.  But what he wrote was wonderfully absurd.  And I love absurdity.

The concept of Steampunk is an absurd one.  You need to have an ability to suspend your disbelief, and, I really think, a sense of humour.   You need to be able not only to accept the dichotomy of a world in the past using technology of the future, you need to be excited by it.  You need to, when you see the trailer for THE WILD WILD WEST with Will Smith for the first time sit up a little straighter in your chair and think, "You can DO that??"  You need to think that it's wonderfully marvelous, and utterly ridiculous, and the fact that it is utterly ridiculous makes it even more wonderfully marvelous.

I love a good idea.  And Steampunk is just a really good idea.  It's fun.  It's wacky.  It's absurd. 




So there you go.  My list.  It's hardly comprehensive, there are many smaller things I love about it.  But these are the major factors that brought me down the road to THE FRIDAY SOCIETY. 

Now it's your turn!  What do you love about Steampunk??

All The Rage

There is nothing wrong with passion.

I myself am a rather passionate person myself, as anyone who has met me in person can tell you (and as you, dear readers, might be able to glean from the general length of my blog posts).  I actually get very tired of living in a world where being unemotional is considered cool, where a flat delivery of speech, with barely any inflection except, oddly, an upwards one at the end of any sentence, question or not, is de rigour.  Whenever I meet someone who speaks with enthusiasm and passion I am totally thrilled.  Caring is not always easy in our cynical world.  Sarcasm and negativity gets you much further.  People understand it.  You don't have to explain yourself.

It's hard to care about things in this day and age.

So I get it, I really do.

I also get how frustrating it is to try to have a conversation about something that matters to you, only to have it be dismissed as, "You can't do anything about it anyway, why bother trying?" or "Woah, chillax."  Or the even better dismissal of, "What are you talking about?  That whole problem you think still exists, like, so totally doesn't."

A person can develop some serious rage being dismissed, especially when it's so clear that said problems do still very much exist, if maybe a bit differently than they did in the past. 

I get angry.  Oh boy do I ever.  And sometimes at kind of inappropriate moments.

But you know what I'm learning as I live on this planet more and more, and very much through personal experience? 

Rage ain't never gonna change no one's mind.

It doesn't matter how salient your point is.  It doesn't matter how right you are and how wrong the other person is.  It doesn't matter if there is a giant sign over your head with a flashing neon arrow pointing at you that reads:  "SHE'S RIGHT!  SHE'S RIGHT!" 

Rage ain't never gonna change no one's mind.

People don't hear cogent arguments when they sense rage.  People just feel the anger.  And you know what happens when they feel that someone is angry at them?   They get defensive.  They want to protect themselves.  It makes sense, it's instinct.  People don't say, "You know, you've got a point."  No, they find any and all ways of defending their position.  And the angrier you get, the tighter they'll hold onto it.

So how does one actually affect change? 

Slowly.

And through respectful discourse.  Where not only do you share your thoughts calmly and logically, but you LISTEN to the thoughts of others, and truly take on board what they have to say as well.

Also by acknowledging that not everyone will be interested in what you have to say, and that it's not worth wasting your energy on people who clearly won't listen, no matter how calm you are.


Why am I writing all this?  Well there's been some fun business around the interwebs of late.  There have been people so angry and frustrated with the world and the injustices that do exist, that they have been lashing out.  Calling people names, being truly brutal in how they voice their opinions.  Most importantly not allowing for middle ground, that maybe someone might not be perfect in their actions but nor are they, you know, evil.  And the end result winds up being defensiveness.  And people commenting back on how stupid these people are being.  And in turn calling those people names. 

And the whole purpose of the rage gets buried under an argument of "why you gotta be so mean?".

The message gets lost.  People get angry.  No lessons are learned on either side.  And the conversation reaches a stalemate.

Because it never was a conversation to begin with. 

(this is happening not just on the net, but in my political environment too - my mayor is so upset that people [experts, fellow councilors] are pointing out that a certain plan that he is passionate about likely isn't going to work for numerous reasons [including financial ones], that instead of actually listening and maybe coming to some kind of compromise, he's threatening to fire everyone who dissented against the idea)


I want to change the world.  I do.  I want to even more so after I attended the Engineers Without Borders conference as a temp (will be blogging about this this week).  And I like to think that those who rage also, deep down, want to change the world.  Which is why I am writing this blog post.  In my own little way, this post is meant to help change.  Because we can't actually change the world, until we change our way of communicating with each other.

Consider this my appeal:

We need you.  We need your intelligence, and we need your insight.  We live in a world, especially in the western half, that doesn't even think there are still injustices to be fought.  It is such a horrible waste to see those who could help make change choose to make rage instead.  I realise it's still a personal choice, and I can't prevent anyone from making it.   And it's harder to work towards something, to stay optimistic, than it is to rail against something.  I know that.  I like to rail myself :) .

But please, please, if you can, if even a small part of you wants to, choose thoughtfulness. 

Because then we can start to truly make a difference.

Steampunk Tuesday - Interview With Professor Elemental

One of the sincere pleasures I had last year was attending the first ever Canadian National Steampunk Exhibition.  At that wonderful event, I met many fabulous people.  But the highlight of the weekend had to be meeting Professor Elemental and seeing him perform.  Here we are photographed together with my fellow author J.M. Frey.

For those of you unaware of the most talented Professor Elemental, here's a brief bio:

"Professor Elemental is a steampunk mad professor. His hobbies include adventure, invention, and a good cuppa. Aside from a few of his experiments (best left unmentioned), the Professor first got himself noticed with the track Cup of Brown Joy. The video has notched up over a million views on YouTube. 

  He takes to the stage and engages the audience at any kind of show – from festivals to fetish nights – and he also loves to work with people on special, bespoke events such as weddings. He's happy to host cabaret or perform solo. Recent events have included The Bizarre Ball, Secret Garden Festival, and the Steampunk World’s Fair."

I am most thrilled to announce to you all that the good Professor agreed to be interviewed by yours truly, and the following is the result.  Enjoy!

Professor, you are a true renaissance man.  Not only a skilled performer and musician, but also an adventurer, scientist, and boiled dead leaves enthusiast.  Where on earth did you acquire so many skills, and why do you think you are so talented?

 I think it’s something in the water. Namely a cocktail of mind altering drugs that my father used to sprinkle randomly into our daily cordial. He delighted in seeing which of us might become geniuses or go quite quite mad. So far as I know, I’m the only one who escaped madness- I am not sure about my brothers and sisters, or indeed if I didn’t imagine having them in the first place. I have a photographic memory, but it is a shaky, amateur photography at best. 

What made you think, “Hip Hop, well now wouldn’t that be just delightful?”?

 It was the only choice available to me. I love hip hop, more than almost anything, it feeds my every waking moment. Plus, it involved a great deal of words and talking and I’m a great fan of both. 

What are your musical influences? 

Hrmm, Bonzo dog doo dah band, Dizraeli and the small gods, Isaac Hayes, Walter Snicket and the army of broken toys, Tom Caruana, Jon Clark and every single piece of rap music that came out in the 90s. 

How do you see your music evolving in the years to come?

 

 I am pushing in some very strange and beautiful directions over the next couple of years- collaborations and solo shows, shows in strange fictional places and songs about things that no one has ever done songs about before. 

What is your favourite part about performing?

 Peoples. I love meeting people afterwards and having a party with whoever has been watching. That has always been my favourite bit- I’ve never been very good at doing and show and leaving straight afterwards. 

I also enjoy being able to ask a crowd to do my bidding- it is amazing what people will do if you ask politely.   

Any excellent stories from your tours you’d like to share (oh do say yes!)?

 There’s many that I really can’t share as this might be read by children or the infirm. Well, in the last 6 months, I have been upstaged  by America’s best gorilla, spanked heartily at a fetish night and ridden a bicycle powered roundabout through San Francisco- my aim is for something unique to happen at every show, and my record is pretty good thus far. 

The worst show for me was still the ‘Shoreham by sea food festival’ a few years back however, where I played for free to three old ladies in the rain. (One of whom stopped me mid-verse and asked me to turn up the beats as the vocals were annoying her.) 

What part of the world have you enjoyed exploring (either fictional or real or both) the most, and what part would you like to still visit? 

I am aiming to do a tour of purely fictional venues before the end of 2012. I have popped into a Conan the barbarian comic (Dark horse comics, issue 12) and am appearing in a few role playing games which is a nice start. I’d like to work my way up to a live concert at the town hall in Oz or at the Queen of hearts royal garden party- but it’s still a way off…

Photo courtesy Lex Machina

You are now being honoured with a comic book about you, could you tell us a little bit how this came to be and what it will be about?  Were you concerned they’d get anything wrong about you?  What did they get oh so right?

 Well, when your face is as handsome as mine, it is of course very difficult to capture it accurately. Even looking directly at it can make one go blind, so all of the artists had to wear special protective goggles when they were sketching me. 

To be honest, they have done a fantastic job overall- the adventures are accurate and exciting. And so many secrets are revealed: just what did happen on that arctic expedition, how did I meet Geoffrey and why on earth do I have so many giant robot bees around the house. 

Now that you are being immortalised in ink, are there any other goals out there for you, Professor?

YES. We are filming a TV pilot later this year- a sort of cross between Sherlock Holmes, Flight of the Concords and some other things that I don’t really have a frame of reference for. It will be amazing.

Plus there is plenty of new music on the way; you can find it all at www.professorelemental.com

What’s your favourite animal hybrid?

 Oh the badgermingo definitely. Lovely plumage and can wrestle a dog to the death. 

What is your favourite Steampunk accessory?  

My goggles, they allow me to see backwards and also the colour of peoples souls, which can be a great party trick.

And there you go!  Thanks so much for joining us!

Thanks so much for having me. Battenburg?

Video for "Cup of Brown Joy" :

And then . . . it was February.

Yeah, it's been a while.  Those of you familiar with my blog may note that this happens on occasion with me, these sudden vanishing acts.  You might also likely recall upon my return I tend to post my excuses.  So that's what I'm doing right now.

First, I started a very cool and interesting new Temp job with Engineers Without Borders.  As such, I spent a full week in Ottawa at their annual general conference.  This made it tough to post, but it inspired much fodder for posting anon (it was a truly inspirational week).  Then when I returned I thought I might start posting again, but . . .

I got my edits for THE FRIDAY SOCIETY.  Both from my editor and copy editor.  So that then occupied my time a fair bit.

Now the edits are in, I've got a bit of time, and I promise to post more frequently.  At least for the near future. 



My plan is to start up fresh with a new Steampunk Tuesday tomorrow.

So until then . . .

Enjoy the latest HUNGER GAMES trailer.  I know I did:

A Few Of My Favourite (Genre) Things of 2011

As some of you might know, I also contribute to a geektastic website called HardcoreNerdity.com (HcN).  Recently I wrote a post of my favourite genre things from 2011, and I thought, hey, why not share it with my blog readers too!  And that's what I'm doing.  Just FYI, the stuff I talk about in this post has nothing to do with books and writing, it's rather the thoughts of my alter ego as film reviewer and general pop culture consumer :) .

Enjoy!

(the links in the post lead either to film reviews of said movies, most of them by yours truly, or to my Manly Monday column where I spend time admiring the most delightful qualities of certain male actors in genre films - in case you feel like clicking through :)  Also, minor spoilers ahead. )

So the year has come to a close, and as usual it was filled with . . . my opinions. What better way, then, to wrap up 2011 than by having me share my favourite genre things from the year. Why did I choose the things I did? Because I felt like it.


Favourite Genre Movies:

The Muppets – arguably my favourite movie of the year. It was laugh out loud funny, the songs for the most part were sincerely catchy, and the pathos hit me right in the emotions, you know? Sure there’s some nostalgia here, and likely some bias – am a fan of both Kermit and Jason Segel – but it also meant that this could have turned out to be one of the most disappointing movies of the year for me. In the end, it not only met my expectations it exceeded them. Most importantly Segel kept true to the essence of what makes The Muppets so special: heart. And I think I needed to see a movie about people/frogs/bears/pigs/ etc being nice to each other this year. A little dose of dreams coming true never goes amiss either. Also, I give brownie points to any film that makes jokes I haven’t heard before. And has an 80s Robot.



XMen: First Class – the movie no one wanted aside from the major studios is up there with my favourite films of the year. Sure there are some frustrating sexist tropes (why oh why must all the female characters at some point be half naked?) but the 60s setting and the two leads, James MacAvoy and Michael Fassbender, combined with some truly creative storytelling and action sequences (hello, best change of perspective ever at the beginning there) elevated the film and brought back our excitement about this franchise. Then word of a Wolverine sequel brought us back down to earth.


Thor – poorly advertised it is a miracle this film did as well as it did. First of all Thor? Not exactly the most popular or empathetic of superhero characters. Second of all, man did those trailers make the movie look cheesy and everything Kat Dennings said, dumb. But the movie itself is awash in charm, from Chris Hemsworth’s amazing ability to make us like the cheeky fellow at the beginning, and believe his not really well written reformation at the end, to Tom Hiddleston’s surprisingly moving performance as a lunatic god, to Kat Dennings not actually being dumb at all but a perfectly timed comedienne, to Kenneth Branagh not afraid to give us pomp and circumstance, this movie really was fun. Sure the storyline on Earth was slight and the emotional resolution seemed to come far too easily and quickly, but did you see Hemsworth without his shirt on? Also: “I need a horse!”


Super 8 – this movie, like all movies this summer, had some serious flaws, but what holds it up above the other movies are the kids. While the monster might have disappointed some, I think the kids and their home made zombie film more than make up for it. Besides, the point of the movie wasn’t the monster, it was how a boy was affected by the death of his mother and how he comes to terms with letting go.  Great performances all round from the kids, especially Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning. And some great action sequences too. In a summer where planets are being blown up and world wars were waged, nothing came close to being as terrifyingly terrifying as that train crash. Also that single shot following the kids as they run through the neighbourhood while the army’s equipment goes haywire? Awesome.

Honourable mention goes to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Hugo and Mission Impossible IV. I enjoyed them, a lot, and I’m not really sure why they aren’t quite up there on the favs list, all I know is they weren’t the first films I thought of when I started making that list and I gotta trust my gut instinct.


Biggest Surprise Movie of the Year:
Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It wasn’t a work of art. But I actually had good time watching it (even more impressive considering how I absolutely loathed the second film). Even surprising-er? That the 3D actually worked and added to the fun-ness.


Favourite Newcomers (male):

Michael Fassbender – okay, come on, it’s so been this guy’s year. He’s been in every film and I think only Ryan Gosling beats him out as far as visibility goes. And why not, he’s sexy, he’s talented, and he makes amazing choices. He’s one of the reasons XMEN: FIRST CLASS is as good as it is.

Tom Hiddleston – fans of HcN won’t be surprised by this choice, I’ve developed a wee bit of a fan-girl crush on this lad. But for good reason, his performance as Loki totally blew me away. He really didn’t need to make the character as three dimensional as he did, but we as an audience were grateful. Further, we were also grateful that he didn’t go too artsy fartsy and still had fun just being bad. I am most excited to see him be badder still in THE AVENGERS, which I think will elevate his popularity even more so. On a personal note, the fact that he will be playing Hal (one of my favourite Shakespearean characters aside from maybe his nemesis, Hotspur) in a televised version of the two Henry IVs – well just makes me love him all the more.

Favourite Newcomers (female):

Jessica Chastain- the TREE OF LIFE star made some extremely wise choices this year, starring in one of the more artsy and odd films of the year (guys, there were dinosaurs . . .DINOSAURS), one of the most acclaimed yet unheard of films of the year, TAKE SHELTER, and one of the more popular films based on a massively successful bestseller films of the year, THE HELP. Not only did these films get her seen by everyone, it showed her incredible range. And of course how gorgeous she is.

 

Elle Fanning – stole every scene she was in in SUPER 8, and though she’d been on the scene a while, she’s suddenly making a splash this year. Plus SUPER 8 was the genre world’s introduction to her, so that works for this list in particular. What makes it all even better is that we’ve seen her older sister not fall prey to the evils of Hollywood and continue to work and make interesting films as she grows up. This bodes well for the talented younger sister. Please, Elle, please, don’t rebel.

I need to mention Elizabeth Olson also, simply because she’s been EVERYWHERE this year and I like to jump on bandwagons and make sure everywhere includes HcN.


Favourite ONCE UPON A TIME (yeah, it’s got me hooked) moment:
When Rumplestiltskin blew up Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother? That was awesome.

Yeah.

Like that.

Favourite GOOD WIFE (yeah, I know it’s not genre, I don’t care) moment:
That part of the show when it starts and then keeps going until the end.


Funniest Line in a Superhero movie:
From THOR: “Good.”


Funniest moment that doubles as “omg omg omg is he going to do it omg omg omg” moment:
Jeremy Renner (swoon) getting ready to jump down that computer shaft thing with a gigantic fan at the bottom with razor sharp blades and a pointy thing at the top to be impaled on in Mission Impossible The Fourth.

Thing I don’t have that I wish I did:
A computer shaft thing with a gigantic fan at the bottom with razor sharp blades and a pointy thing at the top to be impaled on.


Person I don’t have that I wish I did:
Jeremy Renner.


Best Fake Action Sequence:
The motorcycle chase in TINTIN.


Best Real Action Sequence:
The briefcase on the constantly moving up and down garage thing with the cars in Mission Impossible The Fourth.


Best Stunt:
A tie between Mission Impossible’s Dubai tallest tower skyscraper walk, and Transformer’s base jump off of a skyscraper. Whichever, they both work because of skyscrapers.

Performance that elevated an entire movie:
This is a tricky one because I feel most performances this year were what elevated otherwise okay films into the great category, but this one’s got to go to Andy Serkis in RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Without his Caesar there wouldn’t have been a movie. Okay granted, yes, the movie is about Caesar so that’s kind of obvious, what I mean is, without an empathetic Caesar, a creature we cared about, worried about, sided with, this movie would have been pretty pointless.


Favourite Saddest Moment:
The end of a beloved series. I must admit that unlike many Harry Potterphiles, part deux this year did not impress me the way it did others. I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t adore it, not like I did Part Un in 2010. Still, I’ve been with this series a long time. First with the books, then with the movies. It’s been a decade. An incredible feat. 8 movies. No re-casting (aside from one actor who died). They stayed very true to the source material. Had some really genuinely funny, touching, impressive moments. And while the last movie wasn’t my favourite, it still was quite well done. Bravo, Harry Potter – and thank you again J.K.

 

Favourite Trailer that not only totally misrepresented the movie it was promoting, but managed to actually be the total opposite of said movie:
SUCKER PUNCH – okay, so technically this trailer is from 2010, but we didn’t know the truth until 2011.
Trailer: Empowered women kicking butt with awesome action and a sense of humour.
Movie: Dull, cliché ridden, derivative and if it had made any lasting impression whatsoever would have set back the women’s movement decades.


Favourite Tweet:
Seth Macfarlane:  “Unfortunately at no point during my workday does anyone ever have cause to shout my name and then toss me a sword.”


Favourite Moment for Adrienne with HcN:
Being complimented on my shirt by Kermit the Frog.


Favourite Moment for Adrienne in General:
That I continued to be totally fabulous for another year.

In Which I Express My Love For Book Covers

 I have a thing for covers.

I think most people who love books do.

Yes we also know not to judge books by them.

But we also do.

I love covers. I go into bookstores not to check out what the latest releases are about, but what they look like. I go through the stacks not to discover some gem of a book that didn’t make it to table placement, but to discover some gem of a book cover.

And it’s not just the cover. Oh no.

It’s the packaging of the book itself. What is the cover made of, are the words embossed, is there foil? The way the back cover relates to the front, a gorgeous spine. How does each chapter start – is there a swoosh, an ink blot, a geometric pattern? Are there end plates?  How are the “parts” divided?

(This may be why I worry about ebooks taking over the world, I love books as art in and of themselves.)

I always check out an author’s new cover when she makes the announcement on her Twitter/Writing Forum/Blog. I frequent websites that analyse covers. I frequent designers’ websites.

This is currently my favourite blog about covers (of the YA variety).

I even designed the cover for a friend.

I love covers.

And I’m trying to figure out why.

A few weeks ago for no particular reason I shared some of my favourite works of art. I revealed I’d studied a fair bit of art history in University, and had a general passion for the subject. So clearly I love visual art. And covers are visual art.

But it’s not just that.

I think why I love covers best is that a cover artist/designer has to be creative but within a strict set of guidelines.

First of all the cover has to be a specific size.

Then a cover has to get across a wealth of information in a very limited space:

- Title
- Author
- Genre
- Tone
- And a little thing called Story

And sometimes a blurb has to find its way on there too.

I love that. I love that within a set of seeming rigid parameters so much originality can result. It’s the same way I feel about movies. Some of the best films happen through problem solving. The shark doesn’t work . . . I guess we’re not showing it then.  We have a small budget for a short film about aliens in South Africa? We’ll do it documentary style. That kind of thing.

I’ve always believed that the greatest innovations come out of problem solving. Being given free reign with a bottomless budget gives you The Phantom Menace.

Limitations make you think outside the box. Structure can make the imagination flourish. I have recently become quite interested in writing Shakespearean sonnets because of their rigid form. There is also something so satisfying about managing to surprise within the framework of something expected.

So too is it truly exciting to see a cover that seems wholly new and original but still does exactly what it is supposed to.  And it is also wonderful to see covers that pay homage to an old standard.

I also love this box of 100 classic Penguin book cover postcards I got from my publisher as a Christmas present:

I love the evolution of covers, what was popular in one decade and how that changes to the next, especially evident in reissued books.

And I wonder where covers will go now with the need to create covers that are easily identifiable as thumbnails.

It’s all so . . .cool.

Man.

I love covers.



Here are a couple recent YA covers that really struck me.  But of course, seeing as I love covers, there are many many more that I adore.  This is just a teeny tiny sample:

This book isn't out yet, the cover is courtesy of ThatCoverGirl's website.  Love!

Looking forward . . .

Yes, like many, I took the holidays off from blogging.  And then I got some temp work that made it very difficult to blog as well.

And really I can’t guarantee I’ll be back with any regularity for a while. I apologise for that. As someone who likes a good old fashioned schedule, well, I annoy myself with this announcement. Nonetheless I was able to compose three blog posts whilst manning phones at my temp job (I should add that everyone in the office was fully aware of what I was up to and probably quite happy that I was keeping busy as they all seemed guilty I didn’t have much to do). So we at least get blog updates for the rest of the week.





Thus . . .




In the past at this time of year I have been inclined to discuss resolutions etc. I realise this is a
staggeringly original idea of mine to do, and it would be absurd from me to divert from such an unusual and delightful path. But I’ve said a fair bit on the subject and I get bored easily . . . and I don’t wanna talk about that stuff right now.

I want to, instead, examine the year ahead. At least, what I know of it so far, on this the fourth day of the year 2012.

It’s a strange year that unfolds before me, and, I’ll be honest, it freaks me out a bit.

I have a novel coming out in the fall. This is kind of a huge deal for me as I haven’t had a novel out since 2009, and I’m new to YA. It’s a totally different world from MG, with different expectations (not better or worse, just different) and a different support system – the blogosphere is kind of insane when it comes to blogging about YA (insane in a good way, like “wicked” used to be when I was cool and stuff . . . wait, I was cool?  That can’t be right . . .). I just don’t know what to expect when THE FRIDAY SOCIETY comes out. Sure I’ve had books released before, sure I know the basics, but there is so much unknown around it too.

And the weirdest bit? That’s not happening till the END OF THE YEAR. Like, think about it. Dude, we’ve just STARTED the year now. Months and months are ahead of me, and honestly, my life isn’t really all that planned out. This time last year I was in a show and knew I would also be starring in another one come summer. I had a book to finish writing, a couple anthologies to promote.

But this year . . . it’s this weird blank canvas kind of thing.

And it freaks. Me. Out.

In a good way :) .

See I kind of think it's neat that I don't know what's going to happen.  I'm kind of excited to see what will be, and it will be interesting re-reading this post a year from now thinking, "Oh Adrienne from the past, have I got stories for you . . ." 

Now of course it’s not like I don’t have some plans.  Obviously I'll be starting to promote TFS before its launch. In fact the gears are already turning.  I’ve been working on the book trailer since October. By which I mean my director and DoP have been working on post-production since we wrapped in October and I’ve been offering my oh so "helpful" advice every so often.

I imagine there might be some contests and giveaways too.

Of course there will be edits. More just general kind of edits, but then copy edits, and galley edits, and a strong desire to throw up having read the book maybe one too many times.

There will be a cover reveal! And maybe just maybe a delightful story behind how it came to be (I’ve seen a sketch of it btw . . . just so you know).

There is con season which feels like it just wrapped but will be beginning in no short order, especially exciting as this year my good friend Lesley Livingston is one of the guests of honour at Ad Astra this year.

There is writing to do, settling on that next project.

There will be auditions, and hopefully acting work.

There will be temping.

My cat will be adorable and a pest.

But still.

Right now.

Looking forward. . .

It’s like looking at a city far away and knowing that eventually I’ll get there but not yet. I can see the publication date of TFS loom so clearly. I’m hoping that some trees and maybe some nice little towns will suddenly materialise blocking the view to distract me from that goal as I walk along the path towards it. I’d like that because that’s when suddenly you discover you’ve arrived at your destination without realising it.

And whatever pops up, you can be assured, dear blog readers, that I shall share tales of my adventures as we go along. 
So yeah.

Freaking.

But it’s kind of fun.


So now, it's your turn!  What does the year ahead look like to you right now?  What are you hoping for?  Etc. Etc. And so forth.

The Most Interesting Nerd In The World

L to R: Lesley Livingston, Joanna Blackman, Jonathan Llyr, Meghan Campbell, Adrienne Kress 

"He can speak Elvish, in Klingon . . ."

So keeping on the video kick . . .

I'm a founding member of a geek website called HardcoreNerdity.com (as is Ms. Lesley Livingston from yesterday's post - I told you, we do everything together it would seem).  I'm the film reviewer, I also post news articles, I even have a weekly column called "Manly Monday".  It's good times, my friends, good times.

A couple years ago, we decided to make a video advertising the site for an awards show that our fearless leader, Mr. Jonathan Llyr, was presenting at.  It's based on those awesome The Most Interesting Man In The World ads, and I think it is truly hilarious.  Once more you'll catch a glimpse of me here and there in the background, but it is mostly focused on Jon himself (a former host on the Space network here in Canada), who is, I can assure you, definitely The Most Interesting Nerd In The World (btw, all the photographs of Jon used in this video are real, not photoshopped, he really has met all those people and been on those sets):

Once Every Never - Lesley Livingston

So regulars to my blog will have read about my friendship with fellow author and actress Lesley Livingston.  She is the author of the award winning faerie series, Wondrous Strange, and also the author of the award winning YA time travel book Once Every Never (which is the first in its own series as well). 

Needless to say, I rather adore this lady.  We have made many a trip to New York together, acted in several shows together.  We have been reviewed together.  We have been at conventions on panels together.  We have even been in books together (Corsets & Clockwork - Steampunk YA anthology).  And if I don't see her once a week at least, it feels like we haven't seen each other in years (take the last several weeks, where our lives were such that I think 3 weeks passed - until we finally got to go for lunch yesterday).  

Another thing we do together is book trailers, and I happen to be in many of hers.  'Cause you know, I also have helped in the past produce them and they are rather fun to be a part of. 

So here we go again, this time it's not quite a book trailer as more like an author interview with Lesley talking about Once Every Never, with shots intercut that represent scenes from the book.  In all, I think it looks pretty darn sweet.  If I do say so myself.  Which I do.  Also in the scenes from the book with me are the fantastic Casey Hudecki, Patrick Whalen and Mike Dufays.


But first, a little bit about Once Every Never:


Clarinet Reid is a pretty typical teenager. On the surface. She’s smart, but a bit of slacker; outgoing, but just a little insecure; not exactly a mischief-maker … but trouble tends to find her wherever she goes. Also? She unwittingly carries a centuries-old Druid Blood Curse running through her veins.

Now, with a single thoughtless act, what started off as the Summer Vacation in Dullsville suddenly spirals into a deadly race to find a stolen artifact, avert an explosive catastrophe, save a Celtic warrior princess, right a dreadful wrong that happened centuries before Clare was even born, and if there’s still time— literally—maybe even get a date.

This is the kind of adventure that happens to a girl once every … never. 








And now, the video!

Steampunk Tuesday - a response to Gawker's post about Bieber's Steampunk music video

This is a response to Gawker, yes, but also a response to a general sentiment expressed on Twitter etc.

Ehem.



First, this is what Gawker said, when posting Justin Bieber's latest Christmas music video - a Steampunk version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town":

"Musical haircut Justin Bieber has a new Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and the video is inexplicably steampunk-themed. Sorry, steampunks: time to get a new quirky aesthetic pastime before it blows up among 14-year-old Beliebers."


There are many things that frustrate me about this statement.  So I think I'll share what they are.

First of all there's the "inexplicably" part of the post.  And many over the internets have been saying Bieber is just jumping on board the up and coming trend (it's still not there yet, I still have to explain to most people what Steampunk is, I'll let you know when the balance shifts).  Maybe he is.  He's a very savvy guy.  But I don't think the video inexplicably uses Steampunk.  Whether or not you like Bieber or his using Steampunk, the fact is, I think the video makes a lot of sense. 

What I see in this video is Santa's workshop steampunked out in preparation for Santa coming to town.  We tend to think of Santa's workshop as having an oldy-timey feel to it anyway, so why wouldn't it have some amazing magical steampunk fabulousness to make it work?

One could say that they could have been slightly more inventive with the props and set, and that it isn't exactly the most original looking version of Steampunk we've seen.  But I think the context of the video works.  

Next.  "Sorry, steampunks: time to get a new quirky aesthetic pastime before it blows up among 14-year-old Beliebers."

This I find truly condescending, the notion that people who like Steampunk are only doing it to be different, not because they are actually passionate about it.  That what's more important to people who like Steampunk is that they are quirky and different, not the Steampunk itself. 

From my experience with fellow Steampunkers, it seems to me most of us came to it because there was something special about it that struck a chord with us.  In the future I plan on blogging about what that something was for me.  But I choose Steampunk for a specific reason, just as I don't choose to be a skater (and why skaters choose to be such and not goths, and why goths choose to be goths etc etc). This means that when something becomes popular I don't suddenly decide I don't like it.  I like something because I like it.  Not because other people like it.

It's kind of like the whole Harry Potter mass obsession thing.  I knew so many people who refused to even read one of the books because they hated anything that was so popular like that.  I would always say, "Look, you are free to like and dislike whatever you want.  But not liking something because everyone else likes it, is just the same as liking something because everyone else does.  You aren't making up your own mind on the subject.  You're letting the mob dictate your response."

So I'm the kind of person who loves Harry Potter, but maybe not certain other popular books.  I adore the Lord of the Rings movies, but maybe not AVATAR.  I like what I like, regardless of what other people think.

So yeah, Justin Bieber made a Steampunk music video, thus making the genre explode for 14 yearolds etc, well, what do I care?  I didn't like Steampunk because no one else did.  I like Steampunk because I like Steampunk.

Lastly, I take this post to be hinting at the fact that Gawker isn't a fan of the Biebs (if someone that Gawker thought was cool was doing it, I doubt it would have had the headline of Justin Bieber Ruins Entire Nerd Subculture).  Personally I don't see what's wrong with Bieber.  Sure his music isn't my kind of thing, but it's hardly aimed at someone like me.  He seems nice enough and talented enough.  I dunno.  But let's run with the notion that you, Gawker, don't like Bieber.  Well why on earth would you then give him the power to ruin something that gives people so much pleasure?  Why make him meaningful to you?  On the one hand, you're attempting to diss him by saying when he makes a video he ruins something special, but on the other hand you're uplifting him and giving him the power to destroy.  Make him meaningless, that's how you deal with things you don't like.



There's a bigger message though, behind all this.  Something I touched upon a few Tuesdays ago where I talked about "The Next Big Thing?".  I made a plea to Steampunkers to please not do that snobbish exclusionary thing where the second something gets popular those who were there from the beginning turn their noses up at those just getting involved with Steampunk because it's cool.  This is what I said:

But until we do, and if/when we do, I ask all Steampunkers the following favour:  let's not judge.  Let's not be like the hipsters who pride themselves in getting there first with, you know, everything.  Where something becomes uncool the second the layman knows about it.  That's not what Steampunk is about.  Steampunk is about Steampunk, not about an image.  It is the ultimate Rorschach test and can be interpreted to be whatever the individual wants it to be.

So let's not judge, but be welcoming and open.  And let's not judge if Steampunk becomes a trend: "Oh that person is only dressing like that because they bought that skirt at Top Shop."  Let's be happy to see others having fun with Steampunk, even if for them it is a fleeting thing.  Steampunk, ultimately, is about having fun.  Playing.  Let's not lose sight of that.


And I stand by this sentiment.  It clearly is going to become more important in 2012 as Steampunk really makes its way into popular culture.  But I stand by this sentiment in general as well, with everything in life:  Pursue your dreams because they are your dreams, not someone else's imposed on you.  Love things/people you love because you do, not because someone else loved them first (or even more tricky, not because others have told you NOT to). 

Be true to yourself. 

Because trends come and go, but passion is forever.

Temping Poetry

Not to be confused with tempting poetry.

So today I had another temp job.  This one was in an office tower where my job was to man the phones while everyone else in the office was out of town.  I spent the day completely alone, but there was a computer.  So I got quite a bit of writing done, and read a little too.

I also wrote some poetry.  Now usually my poetry is of the rhyming variety but for some reason today I was inspired to be a little different than usual.  There was something so very peculiar being all alone in such a big space with nothing to do . . . and being paid to be there. 

So for your reading pleasure.  Some Temp Poetry (if anyone can think of any titles, I welcome your input!).


 

Today I was paid to sit by the phones in an empty office.

Just in case.

There was one call.

I forwarded the message on. 

With gratitude: I’ll get back to them on Monday.

The light in here reflects not the time of day

Nor the season.

Only myself in the dark tinted windows.

I never know the truth:

At 11am, it snowed.

Some find their voice on silent mountain tops,

Or hidden in the chaos of a language they don't understand.

They see it in the beauty of a temple,

Or in the aftermath of tragic events.

I find it sitting in a chair,

In an empty office,

Listening to the white noise of a fan.

Once again inspiration found by a stranger in a strange land.

I tend to write poetry that rhymes.

Today not so much.

The absurdity of my situation puts me in a high school frame of mind.

Rhymes are for babies, and I’m deep when I

Fragment my

Sentences.

 

Some Painters from the Past

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but I almost doubled majored in Art History in University.  I actually was taking courses to achieve that end, but the schedule in doing a drama degree became overwhelming and I had to give up on the double major dream.  This meant I graduated with far more credits than I needed, and that I still have this insane love of visual art and architecture. 

I think this for two reasons:

1. While I can sketch and draw okay (I did study it when I was a kid going to art schools), it was never something I was particularly brilliant at and I am aware just how difficult it is to do, and I thoroughly admire people who ARE good at it.

2. There is a tangible quality to Art History as opposed to Theatre History.  With the history of theatre you can only read about what happened once, you can't see the plays as they were put on.  You can read them, you can see pictures of them, even filmed versions of them.  But you don't get to experience them the way audiences at the time got to.  It's what makes theatre so unique, it's here and then gone.  It's a moment in time.  With Art History you get to experience the work as it was experienced by people of the period it was made in.  Certainly with architecture it will have degraded over time, ditto I guess paintings and sculpture, but still, you get to see history right in front of you.  Understand a culture instantly.  With architecture, walk through the same halls as some of your heroes.  It's . . . crazy man. 

Also some of it is just plain gorgeous.


Anyway today I just thought I'd share three artists I really like.  Why?  Because I feel like it.  Maybe I'll share three more in the future.  Why?  Because I'll feel like it then too.


So . . .

I'm a huge fan of Toulouse-Lautrec, especially his poster art:

"The Englishman at the Moulin Rouge"

 I think we all go through an existential absurdist phase at some point in our lives, but I was always more a Magritte fan than a Dali fan - I find his work odder because that which is represented seems at first less odd.  It's the stuff of dreams.  And nightmares. 

 

 

 

 

"Not to be Reproduced"

"The Lovers"

"The Dominion of Light"

And finally (for today) like many people, I enjoy me a good Da Vinci.  Here are two of my favourites:

cartoon of The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist

"The Virgin of the Rocks" (the one in the National Gallery in London, UK)