Boating at Night, Wild Dolphins, Love & Time Travel
WHAT I'M READING
I devoured DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT which is the sequel to DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. Now I'm wondering why it took me so long to get to it, because I loved it. Here's a perfect example of taking subject matter that is not new and doing it really, really well.
WHAT I'M WRITING
Minuscule progress on my WIP this week. December is a really busy month and I need to make sure to budget more time for writing. But I have found, that during quiet moments while kayaking, I can write scenes in my head, or at least get a little inspiration for the setting. Then after dark, when the boats are washed and put up, hurriedly scribble down some notes so that I don't forget it.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
- Lots of kayaking. Yesterday, however, the Dolphins showed up!! (Finally. We haven't seen dolphins in a couple of weeks and I was going through withdrawals.) They were hunting on the seagrass flats in about 2 feet of water and they came about 10 feet away from the boats, so it was some excellent dolphin action. I took some shaky video which I am still processing. (Will share later) The shot below is a screenshot from said shaky video. :)
- A friend of ours called the other night to say he bought a new boat and did we want to help him take it for a spin. Um, YES!!! Though I think it's immensely funny what he calls "a boat". This thing probably cost more than my whole house. Still, when someone says "Do you want to go out on a boat on the ocean?", you say "yes" and ask questions later. It was soooo much fun. Evening turned into night. The birds came in to roost. Night herons calling in the darkness. Christmas lights reflected on the bay. Leaning into a warm chest. And fireworks. Because this town doesn't need an excuse to shoot off fireworks. I swear 90% of our taxes must go to the fireworks budget.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
We finally got to see ABOUT TIME at the theater. I love, love, LOVED this movie. It's by the creator of LOVE ACTUALLY & PIRATE RADIO. Both excellent films if you haven't see them, you should rectify that pronto. But About Time was a wonderfully, laugh out loud, bittersweet gem of a film. Love, time travel, and Bill Nighy....what's not to like. Here's the trailer, just in case....
Posts
wow, those dolphins are pretty, so jealous! Right now it's snowy and bitterly cold over here, I need sun! love Daughter of Smoke and Bone series, beautiful writing! I can't wait to see how it all wraps up! Glad to know About Time was awesome, I can't wait to watch it. The trailer made me all sorts of emotional.
ReplyDeleteI'm sending you buckets full of sun! Express Mail. (please wear sunscreen while enjoying your sun responsibly) :)
ReplyDeleteAnd take what the About Time trailer made you feel and times it by about a hundred. I don't own a lot of movies, but I am going to BUY this one. So many good feels.
Reading your posts always makes me want to move to Florida, or at least go on a vacation. Kayaking with dolphins, seriously? The mental picture I have of you musing over plot points as you float across the water is very jealous inducing.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great week.
I think moving to Florida was the best decision we ever made. It's funny that at first when it was suggested as a possible destination, I was less than enthused. Then again, I'd never seen "the real" Florida. Just awful cities full of awfulness. I'm pretty fond of where we landed though. :)
DeleteWhen I first heard that Rachel MacAdams was in another time-travelling hubby movie, I was kind of "ho-hum" about it. But that trailer is so good! I'll definitely have to check this one out. I can't wait for the third instalment in Laini Taylor's series. I liked the first one better than the second, but I have high hopes for Book 3. There's something so unique about these books even if, like you say, the subject matter isn't really new.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week, Kris! :-)
I thought the exact same thing...until I heard is was from the creator of Love Actually and had Bill Nighy in it. I have loved every role he's had lately.
DeleteAnd when book 3 comes out, I'm going to jump on it this time, instead of waiting.
Hope your week is wonderful too!
So jealous of the dolphins! Sounds like you're having a blast. I can't wait for the third book in Laini Taylor's series - her writing is just amazing!
ReplyDeleteI so, so, SO want to see that movie. The whole trailer is completely charming, but the "my son...my dad" part always gets me. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteI've got to get to Days of Blood and Starlight, I keep putting it off for other books and I have no idea why.
Dolphins and sunshine and boats... ooooh it all looks so lovely ^_^
ReplyDeleteDecember is a mad month, isn't it? Writing scenes in your head is great, isn't it? I love turning it all around in my mind, coming up with a bunch of different options.
Have a great week!
You got to see DOLPHINS? I'm so jealous! (I'm also jealous of how blue that water is. It's too gloomy for that in these parts...)
ReplyDeleteIt looks so lovely and warm there, we're having quite a mild winter, but it's still Winter! I'm ready for some sun.
ReplyDeleteI really want to see ABOUT TIME and it's definitely the time of year for watching LOVE ACTUALLY :)
I always find great idea come when I'm running, something about the body moving, but the brain not really being needed.
Have a great week.
I still haven't seen About Time but I definitely want to. It's just a little weird to me that Rachel McAdams is in yet another her-boyfriend-time-travels movie.
ReplyDeleteI was a wee bit disappointed with Days of Blood and Starlight which was disappointing because I loved Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I'm interested to see how the third book turns out.
THIS: Still, when someone says "Do you want to go out on a boat on the ocean?", you say "yes" and ask questions later.
ReplyDeleteYES!
I love those pics. We are in below freezing temperatures with snow on the ground so your pics are looking pretty good right now (though this is the time of year when I like snow, when it's new, it's the holidays and it's not all gray and slushy yet).
I'll have to see About Time after I see Hunger Games, Thor, and a half dozen others I've missed :)
I *loved* About Time so, so much. I can't wait for it to be out on DVD so I can watch it again!
ReplyDeleteYour boat ride looked so lovely! And that's so cool you get to see dolphins on a semi-regular basis.
I loved THE DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE but still haven't read the sequel. I need to get on that!
That one twist toward the end of DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT made me so sad! Like Jaime said, I enjoyed the first book more, but there were certain aspects of the second that I loved (mainly more Akiva) and I can't wait for the third book to come out.
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of your gorgeous weather! We've been stuck in the deep freeze here and it makes me want to hibernate.
I'm glad to hear that ABOUT TIME was good, because I saw the trailer at the theatre and thought it looked like a fun movie. I like LOVE ACTUALLY too, but every time I see it I wish certain story lines had gotten their own full length movie (the ones with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant).
Can't wait to see your dolphin video! :)
I love the photos! You and Boy Chris! So sweet! :) It's amazing that you're having such sunny, beautiful weather. It's so snowy and cold here, it's hard to imagine.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the best story ideas come from percolating while outside having adventures/being chill in the wilderness. I hope your scribbled ideas lead to amazing things!
Have a great week, Kris! :)