TV Review: Sherlock

by Anita Mae Draper

During these past few weeks, my days have been filled with friends and family as we celebrated Christmas and the holidays. First the pre-Christmas rush, followed by the blessings of a steady progression of family stopping to visit for a day or more, sometimes overlapping our next visitor before we settled down for another get-together. And we're not done yet. My sister, Bonnie and hubby left yesterday, and our eldest daughter, Crystal, arrives tonight from Vancouver.

Sisters Bonnie and Anita, Jan 1st, 2013
Draper's Acres, Montmartre, SK, Canada.

Photos help remember these times.

Here, daughter Jessie was taking photos of my sister, Bonnie and I, in our yard. For the last photo in this location, I told Jessie to count to three, then click. As she said the number, I shook the arch which rubbed against the snow-laden spruce trees and dropped a load of the white stuff on top of us.

Precious times to remember through the years.

But what does this mean to a reader? Well, to this reader, it means I haven't the foggiest what I was reading last because the counters and desks in our small guest room-less two-bedroom house were cleared to make room for Christmas decorations, new gifts, and visitor's personal effects.

Did I suffer withdrawal from reading? Not really. Cringe. Because even though I love the adventures of books, they can't replace the comfort and excitement of a face-to-face conversation with someone you love who lives far away.

There was another reason why I didn't miss reading, though... I watched TV.

Jessie came home enthused about a new version of Sherlock Holmes called, Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. We set aside some evenings to watch the series and I was blown away by the creative and exciting adventures - tales reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories and yet so different in our modern world. And that is the difference between this Sherlock and all the other versions that have gone on before.

According to the Sherlock BBC - Behind the Scenes YouTube video, the creators wanted the series to showcase the genius of the famous detective without dwelling on all the usual historical information. By stripping away all the unnecessary historical details and placing Sherlock in today's world, they've pitted Sherlock against all those other forensic shows topping the viewers' choices these days, and then placed him in a separate category, for it's not the forensic results which draw us to this famous detective, but his amazing powers of deduction.

Sherlock's genius is ridiculous. When he thinks aloud, the words tumble from his lips and I find myself straining to keep up. I queried my fellow Inkies for their thoughts and Debra E Marvin answered, "I love this Sherlock and Watson. It's amazing to see what they pack in there. Sherlock's genius is unbelievable and yet we believe it!"

Well, of course we do. You can't dispute the facts when the TV camera shows us what Sherlock is seeing. You shake your head and wonder why he's the only one putting the pieces together.

It could be because Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor who portrays Sherlock, is perfect for the role of the distractingly rude detective who - at least once an episode - made Jessie and I gasp and say "Awh," when his brutal truth emotionally hurt another character. He becomes Sherlock Holmes in such a way that all other versions seem quiet in comparison. In this way, he reminds me of  Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory - another brilliant scientist who is inept at social interactions and believes forward honesty trumps everything, regardless of whose feelings are hurt in the process. Can you imagine anyone else playing the role of Sheldon Cooper?

Watson isn't just window dressing, though. He's teaching Holmes the niceties of social behaviour. In fact, I'm enjoying the relationship between this Sherlock and Dr. Watson. It reminds me of the Jack Lemmon and  Walter Matthau version of The Odd Couple. Two men of opposite dispositions and habits sharing an apartment. In this case, Sherlock is the messy, frenetic one with his fingers always tapping as if to release his excess energy, yet he slows down to play a haunting melody on his violin. Watson advances at a slower pace unless his heart is involved and then he seems to be on the verge of a heart attack.

Here's a clip that shows the Holmes and Watson first meeting:




One aspect of the show I find endearing is that Watson keeps a blog of every case. Sherlock doesn't believe anyone reads John's blog, yet as they progress case-by-case, it's very funny to find out how many people who interact with the famous duo remark that they've read their blog.

We watched Sherlock on Netflix which amounted to 90 commercial-free minutes per episode. A perfect length to get thoroughly immersed in the gritty details, yet because of their movie length, only three episodes are aired each season (or series as they are called on the BBC). So far, 2 series have been shown, with the third yet to be made. Jessie has heard they'll start production on Series/Season 3 this March, with a BBC  viewing schedule of late Fall 2013.

So long to wait, but I will because this Sherlock beats any of the new shows I've watched in the past two years, and that's say a lot. If you'd like to see some more, here's the Season One Promo:




Have you heard of Sherlock? Did this modern version interest you, or do you think only the historical version will suffice? Or perhaps his rudeness should be addressed before we reward his genius?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and 2 of their 4 kids. She writes stories set on the prairies of Saskatchewan, North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. Anita Mae has semi-finaled in the Historical Romance category of the ACFW's 2011 Genesis contest and finaled in the Inspirational category of the 2011 Daphne du Maurier, the 2011 Fool for Love, the 2011 Duel on the Delta and 2009 Linda Howard Award of Excellence contests. Anita Mae is represented by Mary Keeley of Books and Such Literary Agency. You can find Anita at http://www.anitamaedraper.com/

Being Thankful

 

by Jennifer AlLee

There are some days when you want to run around, singing praises of thanksgiving for all God has done for you. And there are other days when you wonder what the heck God was thinking and the last thing you want to do is say thank you.

2012 was filled with lots of those days for me. Both kinds.

What are you thankful for?

What I've come to realize, though, is that God's not crazy. Just because something bad happens, it doesn't (a) mean that God made it happen or (b) mean that God stopped paying attention. In his book, Abba's Child, Brennan Manning says this:

It takes a profound conversion to accept that God is relentlessly tender and compassionate toward us just as we are - not in spite of our sins and faults (that would not be total acceptance), but with them. Though God does not condone or sanction evil, He does not withhold His love because there is evil in us.

Wow. It's natural for us to think that, when bad things happen, God is not with us, His love is not all over us. But that's totally wrong. Our condition in no way reflects the depth of love God has for us. He doesn't love the millionaire anymore than He loves the homeless person. He doesn't win the prize-winning athlete anymore than he loves the person who can't walk. His love is indescribable, incomprehensible, and unending.

So what does all this have to do with thankfulness? When we have things to be thankful for, we also feel God's love and attention. When we feel there's nothing to be thankful for, we often feel that God has abandoned us. I decided that, this year, I'm going to be thankful every day, even if I have to try really hard to do it.

Over at my personal blog, I'm putting up a new thing every day that I'm thankful for. So far, it's been the new year and sugar-free Jell-o (because even the little things are blessings). I hope to keep this up every day. And if I do, I can be thankful for that in 2014 :)

What about you? What are you thankful for?

JENNIFER ALLEE believes the most important thing a woman can do is find her identity in God – a theme that carries throughout her novels. A professional writer for over twenty years, she's done extensive freelance work for Concordia Publishing House, including skits, Bible activity pages, and over 100 contributions to their popular My Devotions series. Her novels include The Love of His Brother (Five Star, 11/07), The Pastor’s Wife (Abingdon Press, 2/10), The Mother Road (Abingdon Press, 4/12) and the upcoming A Wild Goose Chase Christmas (Abingdon Press, 11/12). She's thrilled to be working on her first historical series with the amazing Lisa Karon Richardson. Diamond in the Rough is the first book in the Charm and Deceit series, to be released in 2013 by Whitaker House. And... as if that's not enough, her novella Comfort and Joy will appear in the Christmas anthology, Mistletoe Memories (Barbour, 9/13) She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Christian Authors Network, and the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance.

Visit Jennifer's website at www.jenniferallee.com/

Confessions of a Free Kindle Addict

by Dina Sleiman

We’ve been hearing for years that ebooks are changing the face of publishing. I know for about two years now I’ve preferred reading on my kindle to print books. But this year a new phenomena has really changed my reading habits. Yes, as an author I should probably be ashamed to admit it, but I’ve become addicted to free ebooks. Here are some of the ways these free books have changed my reading practices.

1)      Unlimited Space – While I might bypass $.25 books at a yard sale just to keep from junking up my house, on an ereader, there is almost unlimited space. Still I try not to download free books unless I’ve at least heard of them before, had a vague desire to read them, and like the genre. But the down side is that these free ebooks have made me much less discriminating in my book choices. This causes me to wonder, will the market be flooded with cheap, poorly-written books as a result?

2)      No Need for the Library – In the past when I couldn’t afford books, I hit the public library or borrowed from friends. There’s no longer any need for that since I always have a library full of books waiting to be read on my kindle. Probably one big advantage in this area is that there are a lot more Christian books available as free downloads than I would be able to find at my local library. Of course, this leads me to ask, will the public library survive the ebook revolution?

3)      Never Pay for Books by New Authors – These days, sad to admit, I only check out new authors when I can do so for free. It seems silly to pay for books from new authors when I don’t even know if I’ll like them. I currently have books by about 25 new-to-me authors waiting to be read on my kindle. So I have to wonder, is anyone buying books by new authors? Before long, will we all need to give away our debut titles for free just to find an audience? And if so, will this chase wonderful authors away from the dream of publication?

4)      Patience Pays Off – In fact, I find that I rarely buy books even from my favorite authors, because if I wait long enough, chances are I’ll find them for free, or at least at a greatly reduced price. And goodness knows I have plenty of other books to wade through in the meantime. I almost never pay more than $5 for a book even by my favorite writers. If others are doing the same, what's the point in writing great books and earning an audience? How will anyone make a living at writing?

5)      If You Don’t Like It, Move On – By far the biggest change I’ve seen in my reading habits has been the fact that I often don’t finish books. If they don’t catch my fancy by 25% to  30% through, why keep going? I didn’t pay for it anyway, and my TBR stack grows every time I blink. But am I missing out on some great books due to my growing impatience and lack of perseverance?

No, I’m not proud of my free ebook addiction. In fact, I’m just a tad bit disgusted. Supposedly giving away ebooks is good for sales in the long run, and authors all but beg you to download their novels for free, but I can’t help but question that theory in light of my own buying habits. Of course, maybe not everyone is friends with 300 authors, so maybe they don’t have the same access to a ridiculous number of free books that I do. 

But then again, maybe they do. Maybe they’re as spoiled as me, and maybe before long it will seem ridiculous to spend money on books at all.

If you look through the list of books I’ve actually paid for in the past year, you’ll mostly find books I downloaded for my kids for educational purposes. I have paid full price for two novels that I read with my book club, and a few spiritual books that my husband and I downloaded to read together. I’ve bought a handful of novels and novellas in the $.99 - $4.99 range. I only found one novel with a price tag over $5 that I purchased just for me for no reason other than I wanted to read it. All I can say, is that I'm so glad my ebooks are both normally priced at under $4.

And what about print books? The only ones I bought for myself at full price this year were the Hunger Games books. My daughter and I are both fans, so I bought the hardback books in a set to keep on the family bookshelves.

Yes, from an author and publisher perspective, I'm concerned about where these free ebooks are taking us. But maybe you think they're a great idea and you're wondering how you’ve missed out on this trend. Certainly, there are lots of advantages, especially from the consumer side. If so, I suggest liking Spirit Filled Kindle on facebook. They send daily updates of free and cheap ebooks. Overall, it's a great concept, and the woman who runs it does a wonderful job.

And here's a list of cheap Inky ebooks, all under $5
The Mother Road by Jennifer AlLee
The Pastor's Wife by Jennifer AlLee
Redeeming the Rogue by C.J. Chase
In Honor Bound by DeAnna Julie Dodson
By Love Redeemed by DeAnna Julie Dodson
To Grace Surrendered by DeAnna Julie Dodson
Gold Frankincense and Murder by Barbara Early
No Substitute by Susan Diane Johnson
Love in Three-Quarter Time by Dina Sleiman
Dance of the Dandelion by Dina Sleiman

What do you think of this free ebook trend? Will it ultimately help or hurt sales? What result will it have on authors and publishers in the long run?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. She was the Overall Winner in the 2009 Touched by Love contest for unpublished authors. Her debut novel, Dance of the Dandelion with Whitefire Publishing, won an honorable mention in the 2012 Selah Awards. Her latest novel, Love in Three-Quarter Time, is the launch title for the new Zondervan First imprint. Dina is a contributing author at Inkwell Inspirations, Colonial Quills, iflourishonline.com, a part-time acquistions editor for WhiteFire Publishing, and she is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace. For more info visit her athttp://dinasleiman.com/

Hogmanay

by C.J. Chase

If the title of this post gives you visions of bacon, it’s a safe assumption you don’t live in an area settled by Scottish immigrants. Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of the New Year, dating back to the Middle Ages or perhaps even earlier. In Scotland, Hogmanay is celebrated with parades, concerts, and fireworks.

Here, let me put you in the right frame of mind. You can pause to watch the pictures, or just listen to the 'pipes while you read the rest of the post.

To be honest, I've never been much for New Year's Eve celebrations. To me, December 31 has always been just another day on the calendar. And I don't need a calendar these days to tell me I'm getting older, just a mirror. Ahem. But when we moved to this area, we discovered a family-friendly way to spend the afternoon.

Our local Hogmanay in Portsmouth, Virginia, begins with a late-afternoon walk around the town. People wear tartan, bring their (Scottish breed) dogs, and follow the 'pipers in a parade to the waterfront. I snapped this picture of my younger son at the Scottish walk several years ago. Yes, it’s a real kilt, in Lamont tartan. My husband's maternal great-grandfather was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland.

At the waterfront, participants sing “Auld Lang Syne”—all the verses, not just the first verse and chorus. The tune is an old Scottish folk song. Scottish poet Robert Burns penned the now-famous lyrics in 1788. Like most of Burns’ work, he wrote this piece in Scots, which is why so many of the words look strange to English speakers. Here are the words to the first verse and chorus, for those who can’t remember them (or never learned them). This is sufficient for most American New Year’s Eve parties—unless you decide to try a Hogmanay. And hey, you have an entire year to memorize this before the next New Year’s Eve, so no excuses:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear*,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll take a cup o’kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

*Burns’ original Scottish is “my jo.” You might get strange looks if you get too authentic, so you’ll probably want to stick with the Americanized version of “my dear.” “Auld lang syne” means “old long since.” In other words, we’ll take a drink to remember old friendships and days gone by.

The Hogmanay walk concluded, people retire to local eateries for food and musical entertainment. We usually trek to the pub which hosts a “session.” In Celtic music parlance, a session is like a pick-up band. Musicians bring their instruments and just start playing together—with no prior rehearsals! Here are some of the musicians from the Hogmanay session a year ago. The fiddler on the right (in red) belongs to me.

At a session, musicians play Scottish and Irish tunes. One person will suggest a song. Those who know it jump in. Those who aren't familiar with that particular tune either sit out that song or improvise a harmony part. It sounds impossible to me, but my son, in true Celtic fiddler fashion, is scary good at it. If you'd like to attend a session in your area (with or without an instrument), check this site for locations around the world.

It's still early when the session ends, so it's time to partay! Well, maybe not for those of us with kids. We skip the more, er, effusive revelries and head home for a bit of oliebollen and Dutch New Year before shunting kids off to bed before the stroke of midnight. Dutch New Year? That's a subject for another post, of course.

But we can't end a New Year's post without a nod to perhaps the most famous cinematic version of "Auld Lang Syne" ever projected on a screen.

Do you have a New Year's Eve tradition? Or is December 31 just another day to you?

After leaving the corporate world to stay home with her children, C.J. Chase quickly learned she did not possess the housekeeping gene. She decided writing might provide the perfect excuse for letting the dust bunnies accumulate under the furniture. Her procrastination, er, hard work paid off in 2010 when she won the Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Manuscript and sold the novel to Love Inspired Historicals. Her next book, The Reluctant Earl, will be available  February 5, 2013. You can visit C.J.'s cyber-home (where the floors are always clean) at www.cjchasebooks.com