Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

living a dream with Diana Gabaldon July 12, 2013

Filed under: anecdotes,OUTLANDERishness,Quotations,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:14 pm
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Sam Heughan Headshot - P 2013

Sam Heughan is already charming Outlander fans and schmoozing with them via Twitter. Things are only going to get better from here for this youthful tri-athlete actor!

For the last week, I have had the privilege of being a fly on the wall as an author has a dream come true.  The Starz network signed Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series last spring, and has finally begun casting.  This week her lead character, Jamie Fraser, was cast, and the role went to Scots actor Sam Heughan.

With typical enthusiasm Diana shared her excitement  over his audition tape with her Facebook followers:

She observed how she started watching the audition tape, “and five seconds later, Sam Heughan’s GONE, and so am I.  It’s Jamie Fraser, right there in front of me, moving, talking.  One of the biggest thrills ever.”

Talk about understatement!

Of course, not everyone is able to visualize Diana’s quite explicit descriptions of what Jamie looked like at age 22 in the first Outlander book, and those people leapt up complaining about Sam’s physique, his hair, etc.  Diana firmly and unequivocally put them in their place.  (A hilarious blog about the whole storm  on Thatsnormal.com if you want the details)

Meanwhile, Diana took to Twitter and started messaging Sam Heughan (like many in the Outlander world!) Sam is embracing the enthusiasm of his army of new fans and he and Diana are carrying on a public flirtation for the whole world to see.

I am so thrilled for her.  I suppose this is how Stephenie Meyer felt when Rob Pattison was cast to become Edward in the Twilight movies.  Bad makeup and a low budget probably couldn’t kill her buzz either.  I’m sure when Charlaine Harris first saw Anna Pasquin bring Sookie Stackhouse to life she was equally thrilled (Sookie be damned, how about the perfect choice of Joe Manganiello to be  Alcide Herveault?! Be still my heart!).  Both Twilight and the Sookie Stackhouse series took some serious deviations from the original plots.  No matter.  How amazing must have been those first halcyon days when the incarnate word was made flesh!

Starz has a budget and a social media savvy author who is sharing her excitement with a legion of fans.  The buzz is amazing.  On one hand, I feel very sorry for all the companies over the years that optioned the rights to make a movie or TV series out of this story and then had them lapse before funding could be put together.  Foolish money men.  You will see what you missed!  On the other hand, I think Tall Ship Productions and Ron Moore are going to do Diana’s work proud.  They know very well that rabid fans are going to be unforgiving if they screw up Diana’s story!

The absolutely best part of this, what has me grinning constantly and bouncing around my house, has been the fun of watching Diana in the absolutely giddy excitement of seeing her character come to life.  I can hardly wait until she gets to go on set and meet all the cast!

Some day, perhaps, I’ll get to see my Grace, Ben, Marco, and Alex become flesh.  In the meantime, I’m living vicariously through Diana, and I’m enjoying every minute!

Diana on Sams audition

 

Poem-book journeys July 11, 2013

Filed under: Poetry,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 7:30 pm
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I’ve travelled roads I’ve never walked

Leapt chasms I’ve not seen

Met madmen, trolls, and dreamers, and

watched lovers, lairds and queens.

I’ve journeyed to the future, friend

and I’ve explored the past

I’ve heard the thoughts of robots, dogs,

slaves, aliens and rats.

I’ve been around this great wide earth

and fantastic worlds, too

I’ve lived a thousand lifetimes, and

I’ve swum in oceans blue

A magic travel agency’s

in pages if you look.

Explore lives you’ve not imagined,

Come sit  and read a book.

 

overflowing July 10, 2013

Filed under: anecdotes,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 1:50 am
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Words overflowingliving room writing zone stacks

piling

compiling.

Words for research

for inspiration

for entertainment.

3 keyboards

for composing,

at desk,

on the couch,

in the bath

(waterproof!)

Words overflowing

like water.

Plainly,

I need

more book shelves.

.

.

.

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You know, I think there are probably over 100 books in the area shown in this shot?  Wild.  This is my writing zone.  Theoretically, I sit at the desk, but usually I am lying on the couch.  Theoretically, I use the ergonomic keyboard, but usually I just use the mini-keyboard on the notebook computer, which is probably not good for hand health.  One of my favourite places to write is (seriously) the bath tub.  Why I can focus so well there, I have no idea.  Computer well away from water, waterproof keyboard on my knees, I don’t have to see what I type, and I get huge chunks of story.  

Where do you write?

The writing zone…
 

visit some friends April 1, 2013

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:55 am
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reading, reading, reading… December 22, 2012

Filed under: OUTLANDERishness,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:25 pm
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At the moment, I’m listening to the last chapter of Diana Gabaldon’s Echo in the Bone which will wrap my eighth trip through this series (some 8000 pages) since I discovered it October of 2011.  I read constantly: novels for adults, teens, and children, magazine articles, e-books, knitting instructions, blogs, and research material.  I knew it was ‘a lot,’ but I wanted to quantify it, so this time last year I signed up on Goodreads.com with a challenge to read 100 books in 2012.  I am at book #98, and as today is the first day of Christmas holidays, I should have no trouble surpassing my goal in the last 8 days of the year.  (I only got to count the Outlander series the first time I read each book in the calendar year, which definitely has impacted my totals).

I read somewhere on her blog that Diana Gabaldon herself reads 3 to 400 books a year.  That seems super-human!  At the Surrey International Writers’ Conference author Chris Humphreys casually remarked in a workshop that “Diana doesn’t sleep.”  I know that she works at night, but it seemed to me that she must be both a fast reader, and one who incorporates reading into most of her daily activities.  I just came across this blog post of hers that tells exactly how she does it.  Précis: books are everywhere, and her nose is always in one!

I feel like she does, that a house without books is weird.  Moreover, they feel kind of ‘wrong’ to me!  There is not a single room in my house that doesn’t have a few books in it!  Bathrooms have a book or two on the back of the toilet tank, bedrooms have them on shelves or night tables, kitchen has cookbooks, living room has my latest research material, writing books, and a stack of whatever I’ve got from the library.  The basement has travel books, craft books, and hundreds of university books. (I was an English major, so my classics library is prodigious).  I haven’t read *every* book in the house, but I’ve read most of them.  Ones I haven’t read yet, I hope to read someday soon!  (Except John’s psych text books).

DianaGabaldoncaughtreading2 (1)I had felt pretty good about accomplishing my 100 book goal this year, amid writing two novels, keeping a ‘more-or-less daily’ blog, and teaching full-time, but apparently I have a long way to go! 😉  Diana is an excellent role model, however.  She both reads daily, AND gets a thousand words written each day on whatever novel or short story project is in progress.

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Here’s Diana, reading at SIWC.  This is a photo for Word on the Lake’s “Caught Reading” promotion, which you might want to be part of.  Stay tuned!  (I should have used a better camera for this!)

 

cheap thrills November 25, 2012

Filed under: Grace Awakening,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 3:54 pm
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I am still new enough to this whole writing/publishing thing, to be thrilled and amazed by the every day aspects of it.

There are three copies of Grace Awakening Dreams & Power presently in circulation in our library system.  I check periodically to see whether they’re signed out.  It makes me ridiculously happy that so far, whenever I’ve checked, all three copies have been signed out, and there is a waiting list. 🙂

According to the Okanagan Regional Library website:  “Established in 1936, the ORL serves over 360,000 people across an area covering 59,600 square kilometres through 29 branches. We also offer various services online through our website. Membership is FREE to people within our library regions, giving you access to the 16th largest library in Canada.”

One copy is at the Mission branch.  I attended Okanagan Mission Secondary.  It makes me happy to know that kids who attend my high school are reading my book!    Another copy is at the Armstrong branch.  At the moment, I teach at Pleasant Valley Secondary in Armstrong.  It’s a really lovely place.  The third copy is in Westbank aka West Kelowna.  I have never been in a high school in West Kelowna, but if anyone wants to invite me, I’d be happy to come! 🙂

If you would like to read Grace Awakening Dreams and Power but don’t have the 99c for the ebook or $20 for the paperback, why not request it from your local library?  If they don’t have it, they might put out an inter-library loan request for it, or they might buy it for their collection.  Share the love!

Just for fun, here’s a presentation made by the OKM Media class for your entertainment: OKM Gangnam Style

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(It being a small world, while I don’t personally know the camera man/editor, Harrison Mendel, my parents were best friends with his grandparents back in the day, and I knew his dad, uncle and aunt.  This tenuous link between the past and present also makes me happy. 😉 )

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NaNoWriMo Day 25: 1819    (November total 35,351)

(par is 41,650 so I’m 6299 behind.  I have 5 days to get 14,650 words.  Wish me luck!)

 

novels about books September 15, 2012

Filed under: Reading — Shawn L. Bird @ 6:11 pm
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I just finished reading Carlos Ruis Zafón’s Shadow of the Wind and it got me thinking about the number of novels I’ve read in the last while that are about books, writing, writers, and/or reading.  I have decided to compile a list for future reading (and past reference).  The ones I’ve read are in blue.  Please contribute if you know a novel that should be on this list!  Have you read any of these?  What’s your favourite?

NOVELS ABOUT BOOKS, WRITING, WRITERS, AND/OR READING:

  • Atonement  Ian McEwan (writing)
  • Blue Angel  Francine Prose (writing)
  • The Blue Flower Penelope Fitzgerald (writer)
  • The Book Thief Markus Zusak (book)
  • Crossing to Safety  Wallace Stegner (writing)
  • The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde (book)
  • Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury (books)
  • Flaubert’s Parrot Julian Barnes (writer)
  • Gertrude and Claudius John Updike (writer)
  • The Ghost Writer  Phillip Roth  (writer)
  • Haunted Chuck Palahniuk (writing)
  • The Hours  Michael Cunningham (writer)
  • Inkheart Cornelia Funke (book)
  • Inkspell Cornelia Funke (book)
  • Inkdeath Cornelia Funke (book)
  • The Information  Martin Amis (writing)
  • Loitering with Intent Muriel Spark  (writing)
  • Lost in a Good Book Jasper Fforde (reading)
  • Lunar Park  Bret Easton Ellis  (writing)
  • Matrimony Josh Henkin (writer)
  • Memory and Dreams Charles de Lint (writer)
  • Men in Black  Scott Spencer (writer)
  • Misery Stephen King (writer)
  • Nazi Literature in the Americas Roberto Bolano (writing)
  • The Neverending Story Michael Ende (book)
  • Pale Fire  Vladimir Nabokov (writing)
  • The Poet  Michael Connelly (writer)
  • Possession A. S. Byatt  (writing)
  • Salamander Thomas Wharton (book)
  • Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruis Zafón (book)
  • Something Rotten Jasper Fforde (reading)
  • Starting Out in the Evening  Brian Morton (writing)
  • Thursday Next: First Among Sequels Jasper Fforde (reading)
  • The Toadhouse Trilogy–Book One by Jess Lowery
  • The Tragedy of Arthur Arthur Phillips  (writing)
  • The Well of Lost Plots  Jasper Fforde (reading)
  • The Wicked Pavillion Dawn Powell (writing)
  • Wonder Boys Michael Chabon (writing)

Old Saratoga Books has a blog about this that is freakishly thorough!  Check it out!

 

One glance at a book… July 8, 2012

Filed under: Commentary,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:15 am
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Ah, the adventures we walk into when we open a book!

Skipping Stars Productions LLC's avatarSkipping Stars Productions LLC

One glance at a book….

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Fictional voices October 26, 2011

Filed under: Poetry,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 11:02 am
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Fictional voices

I understand the call of the other world
The voices beckoning
“Stay!”
Sometimes it’s hard to leave them,
To return to a world of responsibility
Of real hurt
Of real anguish
Of real love.
The world between the pages
Invades dreams
Fills days,
Creates a longing
That is only fulfilled
By words.

26.10.2011

 

the book sale October 21, 2011

Filed under: Commentary — Shawn L. Bird @ 8:45 pm
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I spent a couple hours tonight selling used books to support a local writers’ group. It came to me again what a wealth we have of words. So many years represented in all those donated books. So many authors researching, crafting, pitching, promoting. Words being trades from one reader to another. Each to have his or her own experience and connection.

A book is enjoyed not on the basis of its literary merit, but on the connections forged in the reader. When the reader cannot relate to a book in some way, s/he can not enjoy it.

I watched all those books being chosen and the new owners venturing off with adventures, romance or knowledge bundled in their re-cycled grocery bags.

Here’s to the book sale. So much possibility for so little!