Favorite lines from books - the Alex Bledsoe edition

I'm starting a small little blog subject every once in awhile with the most awesome topic of "favorite lines". Because everyone has a favorite line, right? Somewhere?

My particular problem is that I have no clear-running favorite. But ... but ... others do!

And I have the lovely and talented Mr. Alex Bledsoe on my blog today to discuss his. And it's TOTALLY AWESOME.

Take it away, sir.

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Recently on Facebook, novelist Jacquelyn Mitchard asked for people's favorite lines from books. At first I was tempted to go with my favorite joke, a line from Elmore Leonard's novel Get Shorty:

The guy who sung the national anthem was doing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Which wasn't exactly true, Chili thought, standing at the edge of the deck looking down.

Or my favorite snappy comeback, from Robert B. Parker's Ceremony, in which private detective Spenser tells some thugs he's already disarmed twice before:

“Next time it might be easier if you just mail me your guns."

But I realized she wasn't asking for funniest lines, but best. And there's only one contender for that . It's from Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. And no, it's not, "The horror...the horror!" It's actually an earlier line from Mr. Kurtz, when he's delirious:

"I had such plans!"

In the context of Conrad's novella, this line encompasses everything evil, base and primitive, hiding in plain sight in the form of the "enlightened" European, Mr. Kurtz. It also stands in for the whole colonial impulse that drove the European Caucasians into Africa, convinced they were so superior they'd be seen as gods by a grateful populace and, when that didn't happen, still convinced they were right to embark on programs (pograms?) of genocide. After all, this is the same Kurtz who wrote a lengthy treatise on how to enlighten the native tribes, then scrawled over these fine typed lines, "Exterminate all the brutes!"

To be fair, I always hear the line in my head the way Anthony Quayle reads it on the audiobook. His Kurtz voice sounds a lot like Patrick Stewart (not deliberately, since this was recorded in 1969). But while that may be the first reason I noticed it (much like "noticing" Hamlet's soliloquy the first time you hear it performed), it's stuck with me because of the richness it conveys about the character, the story and humankind in general.

We all have regrets ("such plans!"), and we all have secret atrocities scrawled across the enlightened thoughts of our lives that we'd love to carry out in a world devoid of meaning, purpose and conscience. Luckily, we haven't quite reached that world yet, and like Kurtz, our plans will never see the light of day. But in fiction we can call them up, examine them, and see them for what they truly are: "the horror."

DONE! DONE! DONE!

I haven't had much to say about this revision other than it kicking my butt. It was hard to do, for some reason, which is the funny thing. I mean, I'm a HORSE PERSON. I love horses. Why all the whinging and fuss about REVISING A HORSE BOOK?!

Well. It's a different thing writing something that your editor wants and you know will be good, and not the "horsie!!" lust drivel you have had in your head for ages. Frankly, this revision was like pulling teeth. But I showed up every day, and I put my hours in, and I do believe it's better than it was before.

I'm DONE with the revision, baby!!

Done!

What a nice thing to write. Now I just have to adjust the first couple chapters some, add some bits and pieces, read thru it and then deliver to my betas. I'm going to have it done ON TIME!

The relief, it burns!

So now I'm off to pick up the kid and a Dr Pepper and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

Because I DESERVE IT.

YAHOOOO!!!!

RESOLUTIONS 2012

I have been seeing resolutions all over. And since I want to be more consistent (having let things slide while I screwed around with this stupid leg of mine) I'm starting today! Consistency FTW!

Here are mine. What are yours?

Resolutions

Author-related

1. Finish 2 stories (Operation Hitchcock AND Feathers). This includes:

. First draft

. Long and short synopsis

. Completely revised and ready to submit

2. Revise ScarFin. This is a book worthy of being sold and it's just sitting there collecting dust.

3. 1 blog post a week. That can't be that hard, right?

4. Promote and prepare for BLUE APPALOOSA (Holiday House, 2012) HEY YOU know any good horse review blogs? *ha ha*

5. Have implemented my "JKB takes Germany" workshops plan (more on this later)

Personal-related

1. By end of 2012 be pain-free and walking without ANY CRUTCHES!

2. Actively work on being more realistic in my expectations - aka "Denial-be-gone"

3. Mop my kitchen floor every other night (I know this is weird, but I have a SUPER HUGE hangup about the floor being clean and I am not so consistent always)

4. Pet the cats more.

5. Start Loki with horses. (Find a stable which will allow me to rent-a-pony, in which time I shall start to prepare Loki for her life as an Olympic gold medalist. No pressure. :) )

6. Actively make date nights (including babysitter!). Because my darling husband deserves a relaxing night every month or so. :-)

New Years Resolutions.

Because dude, I haven't been here in forever!

But I have been snowed under. Luckily, things have cleared up enough that I can check in!

How you been?

Here's mine:

1. Revising. This book has been quite difficult to revise. It's the first book I've sold on three chapters, which I won't do again, I don't think. I like to have the time to think about the book as it comes out, and not write purely off a synopsis. So We'll See. I hope to have it finished by next week for crit buds to have a look at it. Keep your fingers crossed?

2. Resolutions. I have some, though they are yet unformed and not 100% "fest", as they say here. I'll post probably Monday about them. Then I can go thru the blogoverse and see what everybody else is doing. Ha.

3. Foot is still being a total ass. I wish I could get a bionic one. Not only would I be a part-cylon then (BSG FTW!!!!) I would have a foot that I could depend on. Because right now I still can't depend on this foot - and it's been a YEAR since I broke it tomorrow. Yeah.

OH YEAH!

And THE SPOTTED PONY has a new name! I really like it. It has a sort of timeless feel. Are you ready?

BLUE APPALOOSA

And it's coming out in 2012!!!! Cool, no?

Done rolling over

If you know me in real life (or follow me on this blog, or twitter, or have liked me on Facebook), you'll know I'm a pretty easy going girl. Stubborn, but relatively easy going. I listen to people in charge, pay my taxes, and do what I'm told to do (when it comes to health stuff) without a whimper. I regularly ignore the new media things my hubs swears at me about, then pick them up later and act like it was all my idea. (ha!)

You might know I have been struggling with a broken leg that rapidly developed some rather ... unusual ... complications this last year, resulting in three surgeries, a VERY odd infusion, and more money spent on taxis than I care to count. Me (and my poor family) have been thru the wringer, and I've been pretty severely depressed this year.

Welp, I got some new bad news today which means bad bone stuff going on happening into next year. And to be frank, it killed me. Just killed me.

This last weekend I scrambled around FRANTICALLY, trying to find something or someone to be strong for me, because all my strength was gone. Tell me that it would be okay, that I would make it. I am the mama, and the wife, right? I have to be okay. But all my fight had trickled away, and I was stuck looking at myself as a thirty-MUMBLE something, with a house, a job wanting me back, an energetic baby expecting 120% and a VERY long-suffering husband who needed me there for him too. You know, a life? Yeah. I'd gradually moved away from having one this last year.

And today, as I sat on my sofa reeling from the thought of more things being done to me that I wasn't sure I wanted, I realized something very important: I was sick of rolling over. Sick of letting others determine what is best for me and my leg, sick of not checking into what they want to do, sick. Sick, sick, sick.

I had this feeling a lot when I was writing, back before I was published. The "I can't TAKE another rejection" or "that critter must be smoking CRACK to not like what I wrote there! Hello!" but as Jim Butcher so eloquently (and recently) said, there ain't no free lunch.

I was done, pilgrim. The line had been crossed.

I would need to become an expert, just as I had to with my writing career. I could beat this with the right materials, the right background. The right doctors. And as I sat staring at my husband at our dinner table I felt a bit of ... strength, come back in. Purpose. I mean, it's gotten as bad as it can get, right, so what can I do? I can roll the eff over or I can meet this puppy head-on. And I'm done rolling, so I guess there's no other solution. I didn't let anybody tell me no about my writing, so why start with the leg? No way. And you shouldn't either, but that's a post for another day.

So since this isn't just an "author" blog, but "my" blog, I'm looking for answers. I want to know if you know orthopedists, bone docs, or anybody that has experience with bone cysts in long bones.

Because I'm dang dong done with it. The game is ON.

Good news, and bad news.

Well, I covered this news pretty much here.

But to say that it was a pretty hefty bummer is failing to use my rather extremely awesome cursing powers. It sucks, guys. Sucks HARD. I had so much planned, I was so excited to see so many awesome kids, and meet librarians, and everything. And then this happened.

The irony is, "this" is what I've been struggling against all year: a broken leg from some ice that decided to make me cry UNCLE. Well, you win, leg. You win. Golf Clap. UNCLE. Do you hear me? UNnnnnnnnn-CLE! UUUUU NNNN CCCCC LLLLL EEEEE. I give in! You win! Okay?!!! OKAY YOU WIN. Now. Back off!

*ahem* I am attempting to regain my positive outlook. Dear readers of this blog, be warned: This Friday I have the MRI that will tell us if the weird semi-chemo infusion and surgery I had at the first of last month worked.

If you are reading this, cross your fingers for Friday for me? There is nothing I need more than a functioning freaking leg right now. Everything builds from that.

I will send you back warmth and light, in return. Or german chocolate. Your pick.

Guest post!

Hey guys!

I'm over at Lorna's talking about how revision makes the book. Pop over and say hi! She is totally cool. :)