Monthly Archives: April 2013
H is for…Hex #AtoZChallenge
H is for… Hex
Hex was a British supernatural TV series that was shown between 2004 and 2005. It ran for two series, the first just 6 episodes, the second 13.
Cassie attends a remote English school and has to face up to her destiny when a curse is released and she starts seeing the fallen angel Azazeal who wants her to join him on the dark side. Her friend Thelma tries to help her choose the right path but the lure of her new powers, and Azazeal are seductive.
The tagline for this series was Bloody. Hell. If that doesn’t make you want to watch it nothing I say will ;o) Along with Being Human this is definitely a case of Brits getting Supernatural right.
Azazeal was played by Michael Fassbender so it wasn’t hard to believe that Cassie would fall for him.
A character called Troy was played by Joseph Morgan – who has now returned to the supernatural with his role as Klaus in The Vampire Diaries. It always interests me when I recognise actors who have played parts in similar genre roles before. Joss Whedon is very proficient in re-using his favourites in different shows.
The two female leads Cassie (Christina Cole) and Thelma (Jemima Rooper) are joined by Ella (Laura Pyper) in series two and together they work to battle the Nephelim and aim to prevent the end of the world each making sacrifices in the process.
I really shouldn’t have picked this topic, this is making me want to rewatch all these shows now.
And a quick nod to Highlander
I have to admit to having a bit of an Adrian Paul crush when watching this.
Any fellow Hex fans out there?
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G is for… Ghost Whisperer / Game of Thrones #AtoZChallenge
G is for… Ghost Whisperer / Game of Thrones
I loved Ghost Whisperer (2005 − 2010 – yes another one that’s over).
This series was about Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) who has the ability to speak to ghosts. The whispering aspect is not about her vocal tone when she does this (although if other people are around sometimes she has to) but about the fact that her task is normally to help them cross over. So she helps solve murders, speaks to relatives and is a counsellor to the undead. She also cries a lot, whether happy or sad.
Another series that it would be tricky to limit the episodes I love, and as I’m writing this post late, I am going to talk about one double episode that made me sad cry like Melinda (Actually I wept buckets and didn’t look very attractive).
The final two episodes of Season 1 – Free Fall and The One revolve around a plane crash in her home town. Melinda has a lot of bodies to cross over and an evil spirit to contend with and I was oblivious!! (Trying not to be spoilery).
This is one of those series that generally episodes are self contained so you can feel like you get a whole story even if you are dipping in mid-series. But like any long lasting series worth its salt, it also builds on the stories of our main characters and often has an overarching series storyline. So I’m basically saying – if you like supernatural things watch them all.
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Game of Thrones (2011 – current – yay) is an epic fantasy series based on the novels by George R. R. Martin (which are waiting on my Kindle to be read). I’ve just watched the first two episodes of season 3 tonight in fact (hence the lateness of this post).
Instead of talking episodes or scenes I’m going to talk about which characters I like best (to the extent that I often find myself wanting other scenes to be over, even though I’m enjoying them, so I can see these people).
Tyrion Lannister (The Imp) – seems to get the best lines and is one of the more likeable of this thread of the story – he slapped the evil Joffrey Baratheon for one thing (who is a nasty nasty piece of work).
Arya Stark – ends up doing a ‘Mulan’ to escape, cuts off her hair and pretends to be a boy. She is brave and cunning.
And my favourites throughout the whole of season one were Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. I loved how their relationship developed (was a little surprised to find out she is 13 in the book!!). The nicknames they have for each other are very romantic – Dany is called ‘moon of my life’ and Drogo ‘my sun and stars’. At the moment I’m rooting for Khaleesi Dany and her dragons to rule.
Video of the development of their romance via YouTube
Are you Ghost Whisperer or Game of Thrones fans?
What would you most like to see happen to Joffrey?
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G is for… Graeme Harper’s Interviews with Contemporary Writers (Inside Creative Writing) (Book)#AtoZChallenge
G is for… Graeme Harper’s Interviews with Contemporary Writers (Inside Creative Writing) (Book)
Image of my edition via my tumblr blog
Unfortunately I’ve not had chance to read this book but a quick scan through suggests it will be an enjoyable one.
Like my last post it is a book where writers ‘talk’ about writing.
When I first got it and had a look I did think that the project that Graeme Harper had undertaken is similar to what I want to do for my PhD so the first thought was panic because PhDs are all about originality. Mine will have the added occupational science slant and I’m sure/I hope I will be taking a slightly different focus.
He basically asked fifteen questions of fourteen contemporary writers including Iain Banks, Nadine Gordimer and Philip Pullman.
The questions were all about the process of creative writing on the following themes:
1. Beginning Creative Writing
2. Creative Writing and Others
3. Passions for Creative Writing
4. That Word ‘Creative’
5. The Idea of Drafting
6. Other Creative Writers
7. Creative Work-in-Progress
8. Creative Writing Habitats
9. Knowledge: Subject and Themes
10. Writing Craft and Skills
11. Reading and Not Writing
12. Other Practicalities
13. Exploring Creative Writing Exercises
14. Asking Another Writer a Question
15. Past, Present and Future
Graeme writes an overall introduction and conclusion and there is an introduction to each chapter, the responses of the writers interviewed and each concludes with an exercise and reflection point. Like the last book this has an academic slant but it seems very accessible.
I think this will be a very useful and necessary text for me to read cover to cover – it’s on the very long list.
Who would be your top writers to interview?
kirstyes 