Rezension: Star Wars - Das Erbe der Jedi-Ritter

Rezension

Star Wars - Das Erbe der Jedi-Ritter

Bände: 19 (abgeschlossen)

Alles in allem musste ich bei dieser Reihe sehr an die Kreuzzüge des Mittelalters denken. Kurzum, es geht um einen Religionskrieg.
Im Mittelpunkt stehen diesmal neben "den üblichen Verdächtigen" auch die Solo-Kinder.
Die Reihe ist sehr unterhaltsam, wenn auch düster und traurig (nein, ich will nicht spoilern 😧), und mit 19 Bänden ein ganz schöner Brocken. Ich kann ihn aber - allein auf die Story bezogen - definitiv empfehlen.

Eigentlich hat mich diese Reihe sehr begeistert, doch leider haben sich sehr viele Schreibfehler in die Übersetzung eingeschlichen. Für einen so großen Verlag wie Blanvalet doch traurig ... (aber ich habe sowieso das Gefühl, dass es bei den SW-Romanen hauptsächlich um den Namen geht und die Qualität der Übersetzungen auf der Strecke bleibt). In einigen Bänden waren es weniger, in anderen dafür sehr viele und in manchen gab es auch wirklich böse Zeitfehler.

Besonders schlimm empfand ich es in Band 13, in dem immer wieder zwischen Präteritum und Präsens gewechselt wurde (ich frage mich, ob das im Original-Buch auch so ist?), weswegen ich eine Ewigkeit gebraucht habe, um es durchzulesen. Bücher, die im Präsens geschrieben werden, lassen sich so schwer lesen, irgendwie stört das meinen Lesefluss total, und wenn es dann noch ständig wechselt ... Vielleicht besorge ich mir mal die Originalbände bei Gelegenheit und update das hier entsprechend, wenn ichs gelesen habe ...

Am besten gefallen hat mir Band 7 - Anakin und die Yuuzhan-Vong. Hier wurde hauptsächlich über Anakin während des Krieges geschrieben. Ich mag seine Denkweise. Dieser Band hat mich wirklich sehr bewegt. Anakin war mein Lieblings-Chara in dieser Reihe 😭

Inhalt:

Die Geschichte spielt 25 Jahre nach der Schlacht von Yavin und umfasst ca. 4 Jahre.

In dieser Reihe geht es um die Invasion der Yuuzhan-Vong, einer Krieger-Rasse, die aus einer anderen Galaxis kommt.

Die Yuuzhan-Vong sind fanatische Krieger, die von ihren Anführern den Auftrag bekommen haben, die Galaxis im Namen ihrer Götter zu erobern und deren Bewohner vom "Wahren Weg" zu überzeugen. Die Technologie der Yuuzhan-Vong basiert auf organischen Materialien, sogar ihre Raumschiffe bestehen aus lebender Materie, alles technische verabscheuen sie, ja, fühlen sich dadurch sogar beleidigt.

Die Jedi entzweien sich, denn Luke Skywalker weigert sich zu Beginn, den Invasoren mit Gewalt zu begegnen, während die Gruppe um Kyp Durron einem offenen Konflikt mit ihnen entgegen fiebert, um ihr Zuhause und die Bewohner ihrer Galaxis zu beschützen. Als schließlich die Voxyn - von den Yuuzhan-Vong gezüchtete Bestien, die Jedi aufspüren und töten können - ins Spiel kommen, sieht sich Luke Skywalker gezwungen, etwas zu unternehmen und er entsendet eine Gruppe Jedi, die "Königin" der Voxyn zu vernichten (die Voxyn sind Klone, ohne die Königin können keine weiteren Voxyn geklont werden). Bittere Verluste erwarten die Jedi auf dieser Mission ...

Im Laufe der Invasion erobern die Yuuzhan-Vong immer mehr Welten und nehmen schließlich auch Coruscant ein, das sie in ihre neue Heimat Yuuzan'tar verwandeln.

Mit Hilfe der Föderation Freier Allianzen gelingt es letztlich aber doch, die Invasoren zu stoppen. Sie erobern Coruscant zurück und es gelingt sogar, Frieden zu schaffen.

Interview with Isis Sousa, author of "The night of Elisa"

My review of the book "The night of Elisa":

Isis Sousa put a lot of heart in her work and since she's also an artist she did the cover work and illustrations of the book herself.

The development of the characters is great, they feel real and it's easy to understand why they do what they do. The story itself is dark and twisted.
Though Gothic novels aren't really my thing, I enjoyed reading it. Isis's writing style is fresh and interesting, she knows how to keep the reader interested and how to create an arc of suspence.
I can recommend this book to everyone who enjoys a unique story that is dark and complex.

Isis is a really nice person! We have been friends for ages now and I am really glad to know her! Isis is an amazing person and really talented.

We also have worked on several projects together, for example the "Art Collab" project ^_^

The book can be bought on Amazon.

Here's the link to "The night of Elisa".

The book is available as eBook, paperback and hardcover! And you know what's best? The book is illustrated! Support Isis and buy her book!

Visit Isis Sousa's Blog and check out her website ^_~

And now, enjoy the interview ^_^

What's your name? Do you write under your real name or do you use a pen name?

Hi Stephanie, first of all, thanks for the amazing opportunity with this interview!

My name is indeed Isis Sousa. I prefer to use my real name, because I haven’t yet discovered what is the meaning with a Pen Name, though many writers use it.

Where do you live? How old are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in a tiny rural valley in Mid-Norway with my best-half, but I am from Brazil. I am 30, but I never want to age! I live out of doing illustrations and designs and love Heavy Metal, Arts and History in general.

You are an artist as well, tell us about it. What are you specialties?

On digital painting, I am specialized in cover art, more specifically characters. On graphic design I do a lot of layout, such as book cover layout and CD artworks.

Do you design your own covers?

Yes - and I love that! This way I can give the readers exactly what I imagine for the story/book content. It is so much fun!

How did you come to be a writer? Was it always your dream to publish a novel?

I never dreamed of writing any books, while I have always dreamed about being an artist. I became writer by accident, when a day I decided to make a write down one of my stories. As illustrator, you get to imagine a lot of things. So, then … Why not write a story of my own? I find writing extremely difficult, and only do it because – painting a thousand images to make a story takes a lot of time hehe! :D

You are a Selfpublishing author - what made you choose this path?

Freedom! I can write at my own pace, publish when I am ready, and overall, publish my books the way I like them to be :)

Is “The night of Elisa” your first novel? What inspired you to write it?

Yes, it is my first! It was firstly inspired by a dream ... literally! Then by my passion for classic Gothic stories, such as Dracula and Frankenstein. The rest is imagination :)

Tell us about the story, what is it about? What genre is it?

I will try not to spoil it … The Night of Elisa is an illustrated story about a girl, Elisa, who gets trapped between two worlds. She falls in love with a dark man from one of these worlds ...

Do you have plans for other novels yet or is there another one soon to be published? If so, tell us a little about it.

At the moment I am concluding the final part of 'As Cold As Thorns', a Gothic Novel. This second part is titled 'As Black As Ice' and hope to publish it until Summer 2019. I do have ideas for other stories, which I hope to have and resources to publish by the coming years.

Infinite diversity in infinite combinations

Since early childhood I've been in love with Star Trek and I was really looking forward to the new Star Trek movies as well as the series Discovery when they were announced. 

Thinking back, I just have realized it's already been 25 years since I first watched Star Trek TOS - and fell in love with it. 

My sister and I always watched it in secret on early Sunday mornings while our parents where still asleep 😂 (They would've never allowed us to watch, since we where still so young back then! Woa, I remember, I was so happy when I finally reached the age of 12 and was officially allowed to watch the movies and there was no need of hiding my love anymore 😇)

Star Trek was also the reason why I wanted to become an astronaut as a child ... I loved space, and I wanted to be close to this world and idea I longed for. I wanted to be part of this "future". 

It was kinda devastating to find out I would never be able to achieve this dream because at some point in my childhood I had to start wearing glasses. I wonder what would've become of me if there hadn't been this stupid glasses. Would I be out there somewhere living my dream? Then again, I would've never met my husband 😨

I guess it really influenced my way of thinking and seeing the world - in a positive way. But at the same time it made me really sad, because I would never be able to see it to become true. Then again - as a child - I somewhat believed I might still be around when the first aliens would come to earth (like the Vulcans, when they made first contact in 2063) - I looked forward to it. Ahhh, the fantasies of a child 😆

I always wanted to live by the Vulcan code of "infinite diversity in infinite combinations", which isn't a religion as some people seem to think, it's a way of life, a philosophy. It's an idea based on learning to accept our differences as well as learning to see our similarities. It means accepting other forms of life, other cultures, beliefs (and so on). Star Trek is tolenance. It teaches tolearance, meaning that being different doesn't make you "lesser" or someone else "better". 

And again, this wasn't what I wanted to write about 😳

Recently, after finally obtaining a Netflix sub, I started to watch this series I was longing for for so long: Star Trek Discovery

So far, it's quite the disappointment ... 😔

It is so NOT Star Trek like 😭 where is this feeling all Star Trek series were emitting? Even after watching through half the series' first season, I can still not like Discovery as a Star Trek series, but think of it more as a normal SciFi series that simply "borrows" the Star Trek name (and this sucks). It just feels like it's been adapted to suit todays taste of action, disregarding the true meaning of Star Trek. I miss the philosophic aspects ... 

So - right now - instead of continuing Discovery (though, I am curious how it continues ...), I've started to re-watch Enterprise (probably followed by all the other series 😍)

I have to admit, I am really concerned about the new Star Trek series that are talked about these days - still, I am curious what's about to come, because I simply love Star Trek and its idea. The world would become such a better, peaceful place if we were to learn to be delighted with what we are. I hope these new series will come back to that idea ...

Aller guten Dinge sind drei ... (Part II)

Aller guten Dinge sind drei
oder
es ist nicht alles Gold was glänzt

Das Leben mit dem Lipödem - ein Erfahrungsbericht - Teil II

Nach vielen Recherchen bin ich letztlich auf die LipoClinic in Mülheim/Ruhr aufmerksam geworden. Ich habe viel dazu recherchiert und mich letztlich dazu entschlossen, dort ein Beratungsgespräch zu vereinbaren.

Die Internetpräsenz und die vielen positiven Stimmen (z.B. Blogeinträge mit Erfahrungsberichten), haben mich letztlich überzeugt.

Bevor man dort überhaupt einen Termin für ein Beratungsgespräch vereinbaren kann, muss man mindestens 6-8 Wochen diese grausame Flachstrick(-Strumpfhose in meinem Fall) tragen, weil die offenbar ein Grund für die guten Ergebnisse der Klinik sind. Also habe ich mich brav Tag ein Tag aus in dieses Ding gezwängt, mir die Finger wund gescheuert beim Anziehen und still vor mich hin gelitten.

Es ist schlichtweg eine Lüge, wenn man behauptet, diese Dinger wären angenehm zu tragen und würden keine Druckstellen verursachen. Ich hatte jeden Abend wunde Stellen in den Kniekehlen!

Treppensteigen oder Autofahren waren absolut unangenehm. Eigentlich eignet sich das Ding nur zum Stehen, da kann man einigermaßen mit leben, alles andere ist eine echte Zumutung - und wie viele Leute haben einen Job, der einzig und allein im Stehen verrichtet wird? Ja, genau, so viele sind das gar nicht 😑

Natürlich kann man mit diesem Flachstrick-Ding nicht einfach so durch die Gegend rennen, es sei denn, man trägt einen Rock, ein Kleidchen oder Longshirts. Wenn man noch eine Hose - oder spezielle Dienstkleidung wie in meinem Fall (hier leider Pflicht) - darüber tragen muss, ist der Ofen echt aus.

In den kalten Monaten kann man vielleicht noch darüber hinweg sehen (sofern man nicht - wenn auch nur kurz - schwitzt und das Ding feucht wird - es braucht eine gefühlte Ewigkeit, um wieder trocken zu werden), aber im Sommer bei 30°C oder mehr ist das wirklich unzumutbar. Im Sommer mag es vielleicht bei einem Lüftchen kurzzeitig ganz angenehm sein, wenn die feuchte Flachstrick dich etwas kühlt, aber im Winter holt man sich damit draußen irgendwann den Tod 😒

Hier gebe ich unserem Gesundheitssystem die Schuld, das es einfach vermeidet, sich anständig und gezielt mit der Thematik zu befassen. Vielleicht sollten die Damen und Herren doch auch mal so ein Ding tragen, um zu verstehen, was man uns damit antut.

Sicher, wer extreme Probleme und Schmerzen mit der Erkrankung hat, fühlt vielleicht eine Erleichterung durch die Flachstrick - bei mir wars leider nicht so ...

Aber ich komm vom eigentlichen Thema ab ... (Ich überlege noch, ob ich mich über die Flachstrick in nem separaten Eintrag auslassen soll ... 😔)

Als es dann endlich soweit war und ich meinen Beratungstermin in der LipoClinic hatte, war ich erstmal perplex, wie viel jüngere und ältere Damen da noch vor mir dranzukommen schienen. nun gut, dachte ich, es gibt ja leider viele Praxen, die eine katastrophale Terminplanung haben. Wenn das Ergebnis nachher passt, dann nehme ich die Wartezeit doch gerne in Kauf ...

Und plötzlich hieß es, alles Anwesenden sollten mitkommen und man führte uns in ein großes Besprechungszimmer. Mein Mann und ich sahen uns äußerst skeptisch an, da wir für ein Gruppengespräch nicht gekommen waren. Wir wollten die OP planen und keinem Vortrag über das Lipödem lauschen. Dafür hatten wir keine 400km auf uns genommen ...

Ich war sehr enttäuscht, hatte ich doch so große Hoffnungen in diese Klinik gesetzt und fürchtete schon, dass ein weiterer Termin erst einmal nötig sein würde, bevor eine OP-Planung überhaupt stattfinden würde.

Wir hörten uns aber alles um den lieben Frieden Willens an (auch wenn ich am liebsten aufgestanden und gegangen wäre, ich war einfach zu enttäuscht) und im Verlauf des Gesprächs stellte sich dann heraus, dass am Ende der Gruppenberatung ein Einzelgespräch in der Reihenfolge der Ankunft stattfinden würde.

Da dieses Gruppengespräch aus ungefähr 10 Damen bestand und wir zwar mehr als pünktlich, aber trotzdem fast als letzte angekommen waren, mussten wir geschlagene 3 (!) Stunden warten, bis wir endlich drankamen. Da es kurz vor Feierabend war, hatte man wohl auch keine große Lust mehr, das lange auszudehnen und so wurde man nach langen 3 Stunden in 10 Minuten abgehakt. Man wurde fotografiert, vermessen und über die Kosten bzw. Anzahl der notwendigen OPs aufgeklärt.

In meinem Fall sollten 3 OPs nötig sein. Unterschenkel, Oberschenkel und Gesäß und zu guter letzt die Arme.

Einen Termin konnte man direkt nicht vereinbaren, da die zuständige Dame bereits im Feierabend war. Also zogen wir mehr oder weniger unverrichteter Dinge wieder von dannen ...

Auf dem Nachhauseweg habe ich mit meinem Mann über das Erlebte gesprochen. Einerseits gefiel mir diese Massenabfertigung - denn nichts anderes war es in meinen Augen - überhaupt nicht; man hätte mich doch bei der Terminvereinbarung wenigstens darüber aufklären können, dass es sich um ein Gruppengespräch handelt. Andererseits hatte ich so viel positives über diese Klinik gelesen ... 

Letztlich entschieden wir uns doch dazu, diesen beschwerlichen Weg mit der LipoClinic gemeinsam zu gehen ...

Also setzte ich mich einige Tage später mit der Klinik in Verbindung und ließ mir die OP-Termine geben. Begonnen werden sollte mit den Unterschenkeln ...

Seit der ersten OP in Mülheim ist nun ein halbes Jahr vergangen ... Wahnsinn, wie die Zeit verfliegt!

Über die OPs an sich berichte ich in Teil III meines Berichts 😊

Aller guten Dinge sind drei ... (Part I)

Aller guten Dinge sind drei
oder
es ist nicht alles Gold was glänzt

Das Leben mit dem Lipödem - ein Erfahrungsbericht - Teil I

Nachdem ich mein halbes Leben mit dieser Krankheit gelebt habe und bis vor wenigen Jahren noch nicht einmal wusste, was es eigentlich ist, an dem ich leide, kann ich nun endlich damit abschließen und darüber berichten.

Aber fangen wir mal am Anfang an:

Seit meiner Jugend hatte ich diese unförmige Körperform. Meine Beine, insbesondere die Oberschenkel, wurden plötzlich unglaublich dick, während mein Körperstamm wirklich schlank geblieben war (wenn ich so drüber nachdenke, hatte ich bis auf die Beine wirklich eine super Figur …). Damals habe ich mir noch keine großen Gedanken darum gemacht. Ich dachte, so bin ich eben, dass die Schmerzen, die ich dort immer hatte, mit dieser Krankheit zusammenhängen, erfuhr ich erst ein halbes Leben später.

Im Laufe der nächsten Jahre wurden die Beine - und letztlich auch die Arme - immer dicker. Ich nahm an diesen Stellen unglaublich zu, immer schubweise 5-6kg in wenigen Wochen, dann war wieder Ruhe für einige Zeit. So habe ich in 5 Jahren 25kg zugenommen. Sport half nicht, Diät half nicht. Ich war am verzweifeln und hasste mich für mein Aussehen.

Manchmal war es so schlimm, dass ich mich nicht mehr auf die Straße getraut habe, weil ich mich den Blicken der Leute nicht aussetzen wollte. Irgendwann entwickelt man eben massive Komplexe und hat das Gefühl, dass alle Blicke erstmal auf diese unförmige Körperform gehen … Nach und nach war es dann aber auch so, dass ich keine Hosen mehr tragen konnte. Die Oberschenkel waren so dick geworden, dass Hosen, die da drübergepasst haben, obenrum viel zu weit waren. Und ich meine wirklich viel zu weit (man hätte fast doppelt reingepasst).

Man fühlte sich elend und irgendwann kommen einem Gedanken, ob man so überhaupt weiterleben möchte ...

Ende 2013 entwickelte ich dann eine chronische Nesselsucht. Es fing an den Armen an und breitete sich immer weiter aus.

Mir schwollen die Augen zu und letztlich war es so schlimm, dass mir sogar die Atemwege regelmäßig zuschwollen (und das ist wirklich nicht schön). Normale Antihistaminika halfen nicht und meine damalige Hautärztin konnte oder wollte mir auch nicht weiterhelfen. Ich war echt verzweifelt. Immer dieses Jucken, immer Kratzen und immer die Angst davor, dass wieder die Atemwege zuschwellen ... Ich reagierte auf fast alle Lebensmittel, manchmal reichte sogar eine einfache Berührung schon aus, um einen Schub auszulösen. 

Sogar auf Ibuprofen hin entwickelte ich böse Schübe, die mir buchstäblich den Atem raubten. Früher hatte ich nie Probleme damit gehabt ...

Später schaffte ich es dann zu einem anderen Hautarzt, der mir endlich ein Antihistaminikum verordnete, das mir in Kombination mit hochdosiertem Cortison half, die Symptome in den Griff zu bekommen.

So überlebte ich dann die nächsten Jahre. Hochdosiertes Cortison zusammen mit hoch dosiertem Antihistaminikum täglich. 

Eine Antwort, woher es kam, fand man aber nie ...

Im selben Jahr machte mich meine Schwester dann darauf aufmerksam, dass meine Probleme mit den dicken Beinen und den vielen blauen Flecken möglicherweise von einem Lipödem herrühren. Offenbar hatte sie kurz zuvor einen entsprechenden Bericht im TV gesehen und musste dabei an mich denken. 

Ich hatte noch nie davon gehört, begann aber meine eigene Recherche. Was ich dann herausfand, passte perfekt zu meinem Zustand. Also sprach ich mit meiner Ärztin darüber. Sie stimmte zu, empfahl mir dann aber - wie es leider so viele Ärzte tun, die es als stinknormale Adipositas betrachten - weniger zu essen und mehr Sport zu treiben; ich würde einfach zu viel essen und sei selbst dran schuld.

Ich war am Boden zerstört über diese Aussage, aß ich doch so schon sehr wenig und an manchen Tagen auch gar nichts.

Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie das bei dem ein oder anderen eine Essstörung hervorrufen kann ... auch ich stand kurz davor.

Über die Zeit hinweg fing ich mich dann wieder und begann mich erneut mit dem Thema zu befassen, weil ich so einfach nicht mehr weitermachen wollte.

Zu Spitzenzeiten brachte ich dann fast 78kg auf die Waage. Da war bei mir der Ofen aus. Ich wollte so nicht mehr weiterleben und begann ernsthaft mit dem Gedanken zu spielen, meinem Leben ein Ende zu bereiten, wenn sich nicht bald eine Lösung auftat. Ich schämte mich immer mehr für meinen Körper.

Zusammen mit meinem Mann suchten wir dann eine Lösung für dieses Problem.

Da wir beide es zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht besser wussten und die Informationen im Internet zu dieser Zeit noch sehr spärlich waren, was das Lipödem und dessen Behandlung angeht (die Werbepolitik bei Ärzten war damals auch noch sehr prekär und ein großes Problem), wandte ich mich in meiner Verzweiflung (wie ich heute weiß wie so viele andere Betroffene auch) an einen Schönheitschirurgen. Heute kann ich dazu sagen: Das war ganz klar die falsche Wahl. Eine Liposuktion bei Lipödem ist viel radikaler und gewiss keine Schönheitschirurgie, die sich nur oberflächlich mit dem Fett auseinandersetzt!

Er sicherte mir zu, mein Problem zu beseitigen und ich war guter Dinge, endlich wieder ein normales Leben führen zu können. Ich freute mich auf die OP.

Es kostete uns ein Vermögen und wie sich später herausstellte hatte auch er keine Ahnung von der korrekten Behandlung eines Lipödems. So blieb es dann bei einer partiellen Liposuktion, die hauptsächlich die Oberschenkelrückseite betraf.

Ich verlor zwar deutlich an Umfang an den Oberschenkeln und sogar meine Nesselsucht verschwand kurz darauf, aber die Probleme, die ein Lipödem mit sich bringt (Schmerzen, Gelenkprobleme, blaue Flecken, usw.), verschwanden dadurch nicht. Es war ja nur ein Teil behandelt worden.

Heute glaube ich, dass ich vielleicht nicht mehr hier wäre, wäre ich diesen Schritt damals nicht gegangen - und das nicht nur auf meinen damaligen Todeswunsch bezogen. Die Nesselsucht hätte mich irgendwann umgebracht.

Da sie kurz nach dieser OP verschwand, als die Schwellungen langsam nachließen, bin ich mir heute ziemlich sicher, dass sie aufgrund des Lipödems entstanden war. Ein Hilferuf meines Körpers, der sich langsam aufgrund der zunehmenden Stauung immer weiter vergiftete, weil nichts mehr abfließen konnte.

Seither hatte ich keinen einzigen "Nessel-Schub" mehr!

Übrigens ist bis heute nichts davon nachgewachsen, was damals behandelt wurde.

Das war nun der Anfang zu diesem Thema meinerseits, das so viele Frauen betrifft und ich kann nur sagen: Gebt nicht auf! Recherchiert gut und entscheidet dann, welchen Weg ihr gehen wollt! 

Ist es das wert? Ja, es lohnt sich definitiv zu kämpfen! Die Gesellschaft wird immer mehr für dieses Thema sensibilisiert und das muss so weitergehen. Wir sind nicht einfach nur fett, wir essen nicht einfach nur zu viel und sind faul: Es ist eine Krankheit - deren Ursache man aber immer noch nicht herausgefunden hat. Dass eine hormonelle Komponente vorhanden ist, ist mittlerweile klar, aber das ist noch nicht alles. Definitiv.

Ist es auch genetisch bedingt? Spielt eine autoimmune Komponente eine Rolle? Auffällig ist jedenfalls, dass viele Betroffene auch eine (oder mehrere) Autoimmunerkrankung(en) aufweisen, z.B. eine Hashimoto-Thyreoiditis oder einen Morbus Crohn.

Ich hoffe inständig, dass die Forschung sich noch intensiver mit diesem Thema befassen wird, um eine Antwort zu finden.

Ich werde jetzt immer mal wieder einen weiteren Part dazu posten, meine Geschichte geht noch weiter 😄

Vielen Dank fürs Lesen bis hierhin und bis zum nächsten Teil 😉

I am back! :D

Hey there everyone!

First of all: Yes, I am still alive 😅

I am reaaaaaaally sorry for vanishing all of a sudden without saying anything ... 

The last 3 years had been quite difficult for my husband and me. We had to make a few momentous decisions. Some of you know about our (tremendous) story.

Without the support of my family and some friends, who went along through this difficult time, we wouldn't have made it. Hard to believe, 3 years ago we had thought about under which bridge we'll sleep in the future ... It's quite weird now thinking back to this time ...

Luckily, by now we can say we're out of the woods. We successfully managed to live through this difficult time 😌

These days we're doing "our own thing" again - the best choice of our lives!

But since we had to start from scratch the last years were really hard on us. People can achieve quite something if they want to ...

My artistic life on the other hand fell by the wayside in this time.

About a year ago I started to paint again (after 2 years!). I have to admit, this break did me good so I better won't lament over it 😇

In the meantime I came to the point to completely stop writing and say farewell to this (past) self of mine (there have been some other issues for this decision as well ... a long story that I don't want to talk about in public - a few people know about it though). I was quite okay like that for a few months and I even stopped thinking about it. This part of my life had simply ended, nothing more, nothing less. I was able to look forward and put all my efforts into our very own project "building our practise for nuclear medicine" - and suddenly it came back to me, I was overwhelmed with questions about my writing and henceforth I felt this stong urge again (I am a crazy person, I know 😂). But it was only when my husband constantly kicked my ass that I thought about coming back as a writer - that was about a year ago.

Slowly, I approximated this topic again and decided to separate myself from my publisher and become a self-publishing author, do my own thing and give my stories the love they deserve - and now the time has come for the German editions to be published 😍

For the English editions I need a (little) more time to sort things out, find a translator and such ...

But I am here again, ready to walk this path and look ahead.

Thank you for reading this 😘

Ich bin wieder daaaaaa :D

(English blog post with an explanation why I suddenly vanished will follow in a few days)

~°O°~

Hallo zusammen!

Gleichmal vorweg: Jaaaaaa, ich lebe noch 😅

Ich möchte mich an dieser Stelle vielmals entschuldigen, dass ich mehr oder weniger von jetzt auf Nachher einfach verschwunden bin ...

Die vergangenen 3 Jahre waren für mich und meinen Mann sehr hart gewesen und wir mussten gemeinsam einige folgenschwere Entscheidungen treffen. Der ein oder andere kennt unsere (unglaubliche) Geschichte.

Ohne die Unterstützung meiner Familie und einiger Freunde, die uns durch diese schwere Zeit begleitet haben, hätten wir es aber auch nicht geschafft. Kaum zu glauben, dass wir vor 3 Jahren noch überlegt haben, unter welcher Brücke wir künftig schlafen werden … Schon seltsam, wenn man so zurückdenkt …

Mittlerweile ist es aber glücklicherweise so, dass wir sagen können, wir sind übern Berg. Wir haben diese schwere Zeit erfolgreich überwunden 😌

Nun machen wir wieder „unser eigenes Ding“ – die beste Entscheidung unseres Lebens!

Da wir aber quasi von Null anfangen mussten, waren die letzten Jahre sehr, sehr hart gewesen. Der Mensch kann schon viel leisten, wenn er nur will ...

Mein künstlerisches Leben blieb dadurch allerdings komplett auf der Strecke. 

Vor gut einem Jahr habe ich zum ersten Mal wieder Stift und Pinsel in die Hand genommen und etwas gezeichnet (nach 2 Jahren!). Ich muss sagen, diese Pause hat mir zeichnerisch sogar gut getan, ich beklag mich hier also besser nicht 😇 

Zwischenzeitlich war ich dann sogar soweit gewesen, das Schreiben ganz aufzugeben und diesem meinem (vergangenen) Ich Lebewohl zu sagen (natürlich gab es auch hier noch andere Gründe für diese Entscheidung ... lange Geschichte, der ein oder andere weiß auch darüber Bescheid, öffentlich muss und möchte ich das nicht unbedingt breittreten). Einige Monate war es dann auch so, dass ich daran keinen Gedanken mehr verschwendet habe und das Thema für mich abgeschlossen war – ich konnte nach vorne blicken und habe mich voll und ganz dem Projekt „Praxis“ gewidmet – und plötzlich wurde ich wieder mit Fragen was das Schreiben angeht überhäuft und es juckte mich fortan ständig in den Fingern (ich bin schlimm, ich weiß 😂). Aber erst nachdem mein Mann mir regelmäßig in den Hintern getreten hat, habe ich mich wieder ernsthaft mit dem Thema „Schriftstellerei“ beschäftigt – das war vor gut einem Jahr.

Langsam habe ich mich dem Thema wieder angenähert und mich dazu entschlossen, mich von meinem Verlag zu trennen und die Sache selbst in die Hand zu nehmen – und nun endlich ist es soweit:

Die Tränen der Einhörner erstrahlen in neuem Glanz und diesmal bekommen sie auch die Liebe, die sie verdient haben 😍

Am 15.10.2018 erscheint Band I – Die Tränen der Einhörner: Die Versuchung – mit einem wunderschönen Cover, gestaltet von der fantastischen Juliane Schneeweiss 😍

Teil II – Die Prophezeiung – ist für Frühjahr 2019 geplant

Teil III – Der Kreis des Lebens – soll im Frühling/Frühsommer 2019 erscheinen

Für Herbst 2019 ist dann der Zweiteiler „Ein Licht in der Dunkelheit“ und die Fortsetzung „Wege des Schicksals“ geplant, die Geschichte, mit der vor 15 Jahren alles begann ...

Kaum zu glauben, dass es schon so lange her ist. Wow – ich bin alt geworden 😫

Interview with Darren Deegan, author of "The Knight Series"

My review of the book "Knight's Judgement", volume I of "The Knight Series":

Cover of "The Knight Series"
volume I: Knight's judgement

'Knight's Judgement' is a really interesting story and the first volume of "The Knight series" about the Bounty Hunter Rebecca Knight. She is a strong female lead.
The story is filled with a lot of suspense, a dense atmosphere and crime. As the story continues, you get to know more about Rebecca, you learn her past and how she became what she is now. To tell the truth, her past is kinda saddening, she lost both her parents and her childhood was ... sad (in lack of a better word).
Most of the series takes place in San Fransisco, California.
Since I am no native speaker, I can't tell you much about how good or bad Darren's writing style and grammar is, all I can say is, that this story takes you in, is easy to read and to understand, also for non-natives.
So if you are interested in detective and crime stories, this series is perfect for you!

I give 4 out of 5 stars. This is a great story!
(this review was also posted on Amazon.com and GoodReads)


I also had a nice talk with Darren Deegan, author of "The Knight Series". He is a really nice and kind guy! 
The series can be bought on Amazon.
Here's the link to Volume I - Knight's Judgement and the link to Volume II - Knight's Salvation
Both are available as eBook and paperback! Support Darren and buy this great crime series!

Visit Darren Deegan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and check out his website ^_~


And now, enjoy the interview ^_^ 

Darren Deegan, author of "The Knight Series"

What's your name? Do you write under your real name or do you use a pen name?

Darren Deegan. I write under my real name as I haven't felt the need yet to use a pseudonym.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How old are you? Where do you live?

I've just turned thirty and already feel older and far wiser! I was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. I've lived in other places over the years, but Dublin is where I belong and I can't imagine living anywhere else for any considerable amount of time. I'd love to say I have very exciting interests such as knife throwing, fire juggling or deep sea diving, but sadly my interests are far more normal than that. Reading, writing, or enjoying fine Irish Whiskey in good company brings me great pleasure.

How did you come to be a writer? Was it always your dream?

I've wanted to be a writer for a long time, but couldn't even begin to tell you the moment I said "I'm going to be a writer!" There was a point last year though, when I decided it was time to begin this journey. I quit my day job and decided I needed to put the hours in and make a career out of writing. So far so good, and hopefully I’ll be able to continue this dream for a long time to come.

When did you start writing?

I was quite young when I started writing creatively, maybe eight years old. My grandfather was a writer. I'd spend every Sunday at my grandparent's house, and over the years my grandfather started to involve me in his writing. He would sit in his favourite chair, take out a notepad and being writing opinion pieces on whatever topics had interested him that week. Out of love or a need to silence me while he wrote, he would give me an old notepad that had a few pages left in it and tell me to write.

You are a Selfpublishing author - what made you choose this path?

I had done a lot of research over the year leading up to me finishing my first novel. Trade publishing was all I knew about for a long time and I thought that that was the way to go, but then I discovered the world of indie authors and how self-publishing had evolved in recent years. Having control over my work, how and when it was published, and the freedom to write whatever I wanted, was what excited me about being an indie author. It's hard work, long hours and will take awhile to establish myself, but I'm loving every minute of it.

What is your favorite quote?

“We Irish prefer embroideries to plain cloth. To us Irish, memory is a canvas--stretched, primed, and ready for painting on. We love the "story" part of the word "history," and we love it trimmed out with color and drama, ribbons and bows. Listen to our tunes, observe a Celtic scroll: we always decorate our essence.” - Frank Delaney

Who and what is inspiring to you?

I try to draw inspiration from different parts of my life. Friends, family, past experiences, they all come into play when I’m writing. When I’m feeling uninspired; I like to read great books or watch movies, as I always feel inspired by their stories. Authors such as Dan Brown, Michael Connelly or Trudy Canavan are wonderful storytellers and always help bring out my creativity. I’m also considering hiring a full time muse, as I hear they’re great. Applications welcome. ;)

What inspired you to write your novel series "The Knight Series"?

I woke one day about 5am from having a very vivid dream about this bounty hunter chasing down criminals. I lay there for a moment and thought about it. It didn’t take long for me to realize it would make a great story, so I quickly jumped out of bed, went to my desk and wrote what became the first chapter.

Tell us about the story, what is this series about? What genre is it?

The series follows Rebecca Knight, a bounty hunter based in California, and most of the series takes place in San Francisco.

The first installment of the series is called “Knight’s Judgment” and opens with Rebecca being wounded, while in pursuit of a target. The opening scene shows the reader just how strong and determined Rebecca can be and gives them a taste of her skill in her chosen profession. As the story progresses over the series, we get to see a lot more about Rebecca’s past, her violent childhood and time as a Marine which haunts her to this day.

Tell us about the main character of "Knight's Judgment", the Bounty Hunter Rebecca Knight.

Rebecca is a strong, powerful and determined person. She takes great pride in her work and will stop at nothing to complete her assignments. She lost both of her parents as a child and was raised by her grandfather; whose parenting skills left a lot to be desired. Between the “tough-love” attitude of her grandfather and the ruthless people of her neighborhood, she quickly learned the world was out to get her and that she would need to become something else to survive it.

Her emotional scars have left her personal life in disrepair, and any friendships she still maintains are strained at best. Although she has had many relationships with women over the course of her life, she has yet to make any of them last for a significant amount of time, and so finds solace in the simple things in life, like riding her motorcycle or enjoying some Irish whiskey.

How many volumes do you plan to write for this series?

I have no number in mind just yet, however I have written three books at the moment, with two of them currently published. Look for the third book in a few months.

Is this your first novel?

Knight’s Judgment is the first novel I published, but not the first I’ve written. I have another series that I’ve yet to publish, the first serious novel I wrote is part of that series which I will hopefully begin releasing closer to the end of the year.

Do you have plans for other novels yet? If so, tell us a little about it.

As above, I do have another crime series for publishing later in the year. That series is set in 1940’s New York and is more of a traditional crime noir story. I’m also working on a fantasy Serial that I hope to begin publishing in June.

Darren, thank you very much for your time and the insights!
We wish you all the best for the future!

How to write a synopsis

Okay, I have been asked this a few times now, even though there are lots of information about that on the internet, as well as HOW-TOs.

I hate to write synopses. It is my least favorite thing to write when I am done with a novel. I always get the feeling it makes my story less interesting for the one who has to read it and decide if it is worth publishing, because there is so much that falls by the wayside.

Enough nagging XD'''

Oh, and yes, surely you have read that a synopsis normally is written before you write the novel, but in my case this doesn't work (I change a lot while I write a story so I decided to always write it in the end when I am done).

This is how I write a synopsis:

Working title (working title, because the title might change)

Genre

Target audience

Length (word count)

Quote (one sentence that sticks out and speaks for the idea of the story) <-- difficult one, and not really necessary

Short summary (describe the story in a few sentences, similar to a blurb on the back cover)

Content (this will be a summary of the whole story, it should be around one Word page, but not more than two! You need to write down the central theme, the most important stuff and no side story information) <-- this is why it sucks!

Biography of the characters (main characters and a few minor characters - describe their appearance, race, special abilities if they have any, age if known, characteristics, who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist, short summary of their relevance to the story)

Background information (if there is any, for example a special belief, why is something the way it is in your story, a relevant myth the story is build on)

Motivation (why did you write that story?)

I hope that helps ^_^

If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me.

'The tears of the unicorns' and CreateSpace

The time has finally come to tell you about this: The tears of the unicorns is now published in English! The first volume (of three) so far.

It is available as eBook for Kindle (FREE for Kindle Unlimited!) and trade paperback.

And before you ask: The English version is self-published, yes. 

Why, you ask? Well, I will not say much, only this: This time I can be my own master, do my own layout, my own cover. This way there is no one to interfere in what I believe is right >_<

I know, there are a few downsides to self-publishing, but the same counts for working with a publisher, so nothing to lose here XD

About the book:

When I first held the paperback in my hands I was like "wow, it is so thin! Why is it so thin?"

210 pages is not that short (about 50k words) I believe and I checked with other, mostly older books I own. All of them are way thicker, even though their page count is not that much more.

Than I remembered something I read quite some time ago.

Publishers often use thicker paper for their books to make them look like "more". The quality of that paper is also different, because the paper of self-published books often is copy paper, which is not bad! On the contrary, it is high-grade paper and technically better than that of a "normal" publisher's book. But who cares anyways XD'''

I published the paperback with CreateSpace (an Amazon company). It is quite easy to use and I really enjoyed using the Interior Reviewer, which is something I have not seen on other self-publisher sites. You upload your file and order a proof, and only when that proof reaches you, you see what it looks like.

The Interior Reviewer shows you your book file as a book, that is really cool and gives you a feeling of how it will look in the end. I find that much better, because you do not have to wait for the proof to arrive to see what your text will look like in the book.

Here´s a screenshot of the Interior Reviewer. It looks nice, does it not? X3
It is perfect to see if your text looks good as a book.

This does not mean you should not order a proof before publishing it! Always do so! There are many things that could go wrong if you do not, so spare yourself the embarrassment >__<

I also tried Lulu (tried that one first), but I was not satisfied so I tried another self-publisher before I decide which one I am going to use.
There are a few things why I went with CreateSpace.
One is, of course, is because of their Interior Reviewer. It allowed me to change some stuff because I realised it does not look good in the book (but it did in my file). Another point is, that the CreateSpace team checks your uploaded files before you can order a proof and tell you if there is something wrong. What I also liked are the different cover versions, you can choose between glossy and matte.

I chose matte, because it looks much better in my opinion!
Here's the printed book, front and back. I looks nice, doesn't it? ^_^

Star Wars: Das Erwachen der Macht

Nachdem ich den zweiten Teaser-Trailer nun gesehen habe, muss ich jetzt auch mal meinen Senf dazu geben >_<

Ich hab mir viele Gedanken drum gemacht, aber bisher konnte ich mich noch nicht so wirklich damit anfreunden ... um nicht zu sagen gar nicht.

Etwas stört mich ...

Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass ich gehofft hatte, dass man eins (bzw. mehrere) der Bücher für den neuen Film/die neuen Filme hernimmt ... Ich hab das Gefühl, dass es jetzt nur noch den Namen "Star Wars" trägt, aber nicht wirklich etwas mit dem Original zu tun hat, ja eher eine Art Ableger ist wie bei manchen TV-Serien. 

Die Trailer haben mich nicht überzeugt und da bezüglich der Story überhaupt nichts bekannt ist, schreckt es mich eher ab. Gut, aus Neugierde werde ich mir den Film bestimmt angucken, aber ich werde das Gefühl nicht los, dass es eine Enttäuschung werden wird.

Ja, ich weiß, ich sollte dem Film eine Chance geben, aber es fällt mir so unendlich schwer. J.J. Abrams ist jedenfalls ein toller Regisseur X3 (die Star Trek Filme haben mich total begeistert, auch wenn sie einige Logik-Fehler beinhalteten -> Blog-Eintrag von August 2014)

Ich bin ein riesiger Star Wars-Fan und habe bestimmt an die 100 der Bücher gelesen. Es gibt viele Bücher, die wirklich toll sind und sich hervorragend für Filme geeignet hätten - warum musste man hier etwas komplett neues machen? In der Hinsicht bin ich sehr enttäuscht ... vielleicht erklärt das meine Antipathie?

Etwas verwirrt mich, im zweiten Trailer wird Darth Vaders zerstörte Maske gezeigt und der Sprecher sagt, dass die Macht in seiner Familie stark ist, dass er sie besitzt, sein Vater und seine Schwester. Soll das nun eine Anspielung auf die Skywalker-Familie sein?

Es gibt so viele Gerüchte ... welche sind wahr? Q_Q

Ich würde schon ganz gerne wissen, was die Story nun wirklich beinhaltet, denn wenn ich eine eigene Theorie aufstelle und versuche eine logische Erklärung zu finden um mir nen Reim auf die spärlichen Infos aus den Trailern zu machen, werde ich nachher sicherlich noch enttäuschter sein, weil es wahrscheinlich überhaupt keine logischer Erklärung geben wird *auf die neuen Star Trek-Filme deut*. Gnaaaa, J.J. Abrams, warum quälst du uns so, sag uns endlich was du planst Q_Q

Ich weiß auch nicht, die Synchro schreckt mich auch irgendwie ab. Irgendwas klingt da komisch, zumindest was den Sprecher angeht ... oder bin ich mittlerweile so sehr die englische Sprache bei Filmen gewohnt, dass ich die deutschen Versionen als seltsam empfinde?

Hier sind die Trailer, damit ihr wisst, wovon ich rede XD

Teaser-Trailer I

Teaser-Trailer II

How to sort the chaos of your ideas - my writing process

Another blog entry I have written in German quite some time ago and forgot to translate (here is the German version).

-----------------------------

Because I have been asked many times  for advice by now, I thought it would be best to just write a blog post about how I write. This way it is available for everyone and I do not have to type it again and again (yes, I am lazy ^_~) - still, feel free to message me any time if there are still questions you would like to ask me. I will always answer ^_^

Well, what does my writing process look like?

Part of my messy notes for "The tears of the unicorns" XD

First, I collect notes to an idea weeks, sometimes even years, in advance (In case I have some new ideas while still working on something else - happens quite often and I do not want get confused or forget something) - with what is it combinable (which often brings new ideas with it) or I just do some research about places, creatures or certain objects I might want to use in my story. As an example (because I have researched these objects) I will now name the Holy Grail, Pandora's Box, aso.

Research is especially important if your story plays in a country that really exists, because the customs there are normally different from that of your own! (school, behaviour, aso.)

Before I go to the step of creating a character, I decide the central theme of the story, no details yet, just the framework what this story should be about.

In hindsight, everything will change again anyway, at least it is like that with me. I commit to something, but the further the story and new ideas go, the more it changes and deviates from the original idea. Do not let yourself be discouraged by that.

Some say you need to stay with your central theme, but I am of the opinion why should you not change it, if that modification makes the story even more interesting? The central theme is only a guideline, something that can change, nothing conclusive. In my case, through this, my story has become much more complex and marvellous. I am much happier with that outcome ^_~

Because of that, I write the synopsis only when the story is finished (but maybe that is just because I hate to write these synopsis things >__<'''). I always get the feeling through this "only to summarize the most importan things" that the story itself gets a raw deal and everytime when I lay my hands on a synopsis I ask myself how much of the story fell by the wayside ...

Tutorials about how to write a synopsis are to be found on the internet in great numbers ^_~

At the beginning, I also make some notes for the characters, about his/her nature, positive and negative characteristics, maybe even some ideas about the character's past - these ideas often come to me in the progression of the story.

It is said that the author is the God of this world he/she creates. He/She has control over the characters.

I have never really felt that "being a God", because my characters consistently begin to have a life of their own and do things that are characteristic and okay for them to do, but not on my project - freewill that is ^_~

All in all: A good story needs lots of time! It will not be written overnight (the idea to it might ^_^).

People who think they have to write 100 A4 Word pages in 2 or 3 weeks and call that story complete and done, ready to be published without any corrections, are wrong. (It might be possible that there are one or two exceptions, but I have not come across one so far)

You will never be able to eleminate all typos, but it is essential to work through your work multiple times. Now and then an logical error slips in and that way you are able to filter them out and correct (hoping that the continuing story does not need to be changed due to that - yes, I also had that problem, but luckily the changes only covered a few pages because I consistently start to read from the beginning and luckily noticed that mistake in time)

Eventually I stopped counting how many times I worked through my story from its beginning (correcting typos, changing sentences because they sounded weird), but it has been many, many times XD

This is only an insight how I approach things. Everyone needs to - it is the same with drawing - find their own way to get to the wished outcome ^_^

Some thoughts 'Game of Thrones' rose ...

Somehow, it seems to me stories with lots of blood and death and entrails are mostly loved by readers nowadays, oh and not to forget lots of sex and rape - why is that?

These thoughts rose in my mind when I started to watch 'Game of Thrones' recently (I am through the first two seasons).

I was curious about the story that seemed interesting from its plot, not least because I saw a somewhat white (or at least almost white) haired girl in the previews ;)

I still think it is, but not that extensive bloodshed and explicit sex scenes. It is way too much ... Yes, sure, it is a different world, but still - is it really necessary to show that much killings and entrails and beheadings? I don't think it is. In my opinion 'Game of Thrones' can be summarized in: Lots of bloodshed, intestines, beheadings, sex, rape and the fight over the reign of the Seven Kingdoms - if you like these themes, this series is perfect for you.

I had a peek at the books, but didn't like it because of what I wrote above.

I might continue to watch the series because I want the question answered: Who will sit on the Iron Throne in the end? I might, not sure yet ... or I will just google it someday :D

Buuuut, I think the author's attention is too much placed on violence.

I have noticed, stories with lots of violence and extensive bloodshed are more loved by readers and watchers than those with a somewhat "normal" amount of violence.

Lots of books and TV shows these days make good use of that craving and the trends and it works perfectly!

But what does that mean? That people long for war and blood?

I don't know, but I find that somewhat precarious ...

What do you think?

The times change, I know that and everyone wants to go with the trend to maximize their profit. 

First it was sparkling vampires - and suddenly vamipre stories sprung up like mushrooms, then zombies rose  - and suddenly lots of stories about killing the undead came up and other themes with lots of killings and bloodshed and so on.

I miss the old times when quality and variety still meant something ... When I have a look at the current TV series running, it all seems to be the same. Vampire stories, zombie stories, detective stories, investigation stories - tons of them!

My version of the Thorin Cocktail

Okay, here comes my version of the Thorin Cocktail ^_^

After so long I was unable to find a recipe and eventually decided to create one on my own.

Yes, I am crazy, but when I saw that interview with Richard Armitage talking about a Thorin Cocktail, I was wondering what it would be/taste like X3

The specifications were "heady and intoxicating" and "it bites you on the back of the throat" - quite a challange - but then I remembered something really mean in our cupboard that sounded perfect XD

These are the ingredients:

add

1 cl Lockstedter

2 cl Branca Menta

2 cl Fernet-Branca

If it is too strong for you add 2 cl of water

The Lockstedter really bites you, so be careful not to overdo it with that one (it is a really mean schnaps) and I also do not recommend to drink that one pure (go on, try it, but don't say I didn't warn you XD).

Why did I use these ingredients?

Well, the Lockstedter was used to meet the "it bites you on the back of the throat" comment of Richard. It is a mean schnaps that also fits Thorin's mean character traits.

The Branca Menta represents Thorin's gentle side and levels the intense taste of the Lockstedter. It is also quite refreshing because of the mint. I really enjoy drinking that one (mint is an awesome herb X3). The Fernet-Branca is to complete it ^_^

It can be enjoyed pure or with ice. I prefer the pure version as a shot.

Cheers, enjoy ^__^ 

More X-Files! And maybe more Star Trek as well?

I have come across some awesome news lately!

There will be a mini series of the X-Files with 6 new episodes!

They even said the old cast, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), will be back as well! I am looking forward to it and what new ideas they have come across. They don´t want to tell anything - a mystery that is XD

I always liked that series, even though I was somewhat unhappy about the turn of events. First it was all about mystery and creepiness and then it slowly turned to aliens and became more of a Sci-Fi series (I do love those as well) than mystery. But the second movie turned towards its origin again, so maybe the new series will be more about the mystery again instead of the alien invasion.

That awakens memories ...

I remember when I watched the series as a child, I so loved it and read all the books I could find in the library!

For some time, I had the strong wish to become an FBI agent myself and work on the X-Files XD
Yeah ... that were times back then ...
Anyways, I am looking forward to it!

And there is more!
I also read some news that there might be a new Star Trek series as well!
It has been 10 years since Star Trek: Enterprise was cancelled (oh, that suckes so much, I really enjoyed that series!), it sure is time to start something new.
Yes, there have been new movies, but a new series would be simply AWESOME! I was waiting for a new one for sooooo long ... It sucks to always watch the old stuff again and again.
Have a look at this article: Rumor: CBS developing a new Star Trek TV series

I have been and always will be a huuuuge Star Trek fan *_*
I watched all the series, all the movies multiple times and can´t wait to see more of it >_<
When I started to watch Star Trek, I was about 6 years old. I still remember how my stister and I watched it in secret every sunday morning (we were early birds and it started at 6am) while our parents were still asleep. We were so fascinated with this series!
It always was the first show to be shown after the TV test pattern - yes, I grew up in a time where there was no program in the middle of the night XD (God, am I that old?)

Live long and prosper X3

Tips and tricks: What can I do against a writer's block?

I wanted to do this for a long time, but always forgot to do so: Post that blog entry in English as well XD'' (German version can be found here)

Now here it comes!

Every now and then people as for advise when it comes to writing and what they can do about a writer's block, so I thought why not write a blog post about it? 

A writer's block tends to occur mostly when the author lacks ideas or when e.g. a deadline pends. (<-- I know that way too well ... The NaNoWriMo is something like that, that pressures me too much because I want to reach the goal, but that leads to a writer's block in my case ^__^''' )

Suddenly it feels like your muse has just vanished or is on holidays; there is nothing left, no spark of an idea, only gawping blank. The worst you can do when it came to that is to force it. The reader will notice, believe me, and you as well will notice it when you re-read your work and that will get you down.

Spare yourself this and do not try to force ideas.

Instead, try to take one or all of these ideas to heart:

1. Tell someone (or a soft toy, if you do not want to talk to someone directly >__<) what you actually want to express with your story, what it is about and to where it should lead. While you tell this, it is possible you already gain new ideas.

Best of course is when your counterpart is someone who can talk (a human that is XD), that way you can have your ideas questioned, or you may be requested to explain it even better. Your counterpart will also tell you if it makes sense.

The goal is to make you think about it, to question your own ideas (what automatically will happen when you try to explain it to someone - at least it is like that with me) and that way free you from your writer's block.

2. Do a profile of your characters, deal with them.

If you are able to draw, way not sketch them? Their clothing, their arms, their jewelery, etc.

Write down what this character made him/her to what he is today. Write about his/her past, siblings/family, special abilities.

Develop a short story about one (oder more) of your characters. That will also help you to gain new ideas for your original story and maybe you are able to integrate that short tale about your character ^__^

It is always really helpful to occasionally deal with your characters more intensly and to let the original story rest.

This will not only help you to free yourself from the writer's block, but will allow your characters to gain more profoundness which makes them more convincing.

3. Try to also do a list of places, special objects, spells (if it is a fantasy story), creatures.

Describe them. The more detail the better. That will give you new ideas and again, will give things more profoundness. Dive into the world you created. Live it. Maybe you even create your own little story how you might be feeling in that world.

It will help you to experience more about this world and its creatures. Not only to make the story more interesting through these ideas, but also to get you back on track.

4. Think about what shall happen in your story. Even if you do not really know yet what e.g. the end should be like; a small portion of it is already there, trust me, like e.g. which character should not die (or maybe he/she should?).

5. Do not write what you might think others would like to read.

Write about what is on your heart, what YOU enjoy. Do not write for others but first for yourself. You write, because you love to write; because you want to give the reader a message; something that is important to you.

Do not write to impress others.

Everyone can be a writer but not everyone loves writing enough to really be one. Writing and the stories we want to tell come from the heart.

6. Place a pen and some paper next to your bed.

It happend many time to me now that I had the best ideas later at night or even in the middle of the night. You might resolve to still remember them in the morning, but believe me you will not. If you do, it will only be some pieces of it but by far not as great as your original idea. I really do speak of experience XD'''

7. If you really have no idea how to continue, take a break. Leave the writing be for a few days and do not think about it.

Occupy your mind with something else. Read a book, watch a movie or entertain yourself, go outside. The main thing is to not think about writing, your writer's block or how it may go on <-- you will not come any further if you continue to think about it, on the contrary!

With time, your problem will be solving itself.

It sometimes helps me to watch some beautiful fantasy movies (best for me is with awesome soundtracks and beautiful landscapes *_*). This way I was able to come up with some great ideas even though they had nothing in common with the movie I was watching, but to dive into another world cleared my mind and made my thoughts go on a joruney.

I hope I was albe to help you to get rid of your writer's block ^__^

Feel free to leave a comment or message me.

The tears of the unicorns I

The tears of the unicorns I - Temptation

is now available as eBook and soon as trade paperback as well! 

The eBook can be found here: The tears of the unicorns I on Amazon

Synopsis:

The angel Caylen is entrusted with guiding Eliya back on the path of light, but when his assignment is terminated she takes her life in despair.

He cannot bear losing his charge, and desperately searches for a way to bring her back to life. That is when he stumbles upon the Holy Grail, which seems to show its amazing powers in combination with unicorn blood.

Because if her gift for foreseeing the future, Miriel, the sister of Caylen, is sent to bring back the Grail which has been stolen by him.

Sirion, a mage, is helping her with her task.

An adventurous and dangerous journey begins, because there is much more at stake than at first seemed ...

Here comes the cover (which looks somehow much darker than the original file and the printed book O_O):

Anyways, if you would like to have a peek inside the book, feel free to visit my website. I uploaded an excerpt there ^_^

Excerpt link : The tears of the unicorns I

I would be more than happy if you were to read the book and review it! Thanks in advance ^__^

The Dwarf that would be king

It keeps me thinking ... quite a lot to tell the truth. I do not want it to just end. 

I grew up with "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" and now all that should just end? No more stories of the world of Middle Earth? No more beautiful landscapes and no more Peter-Jackson-magic?

It saddenes me so much to think about it ... Q_Q

I want it to go on. There is so much material to work with, so many more stories to be told.

There is especially one that keeps my fingers itching. It almost tempts me to imagine it, write something. Almost.

I have never been a great Fan Fiction writer. Too much to think about because you have to work with a world someone else created and you have to work with someone else's characters. I find it much more difficult to keep other people's characters in-character than your own creations.

What I am talking about is somewhat of a prelude to "The Hobbit".

Over a hundred years passed between Smaug attacking Erebor and Thorin going on his quest to reclaim his home. (I still can't believe Thorin was 195 years old XD)

A story about the Dwarves - their lives after they were forced to leave their home. What they became until they finally settled and delved a prosperous new home in the Blue Mountains up to the Battle of Azanulbizar and Thorin being king until he finally decides to take back his home leading to "The Hobbit".

That would be so awesome >__< (and with lots of Thorin *_*)

My fingers start to itch again XD

So, dear Peter Jackson, please do not abandon Middle Earth, keep it alive.

Do you magic again and make us happy >__<

I would call him if I knew how XD''''

About 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'

I have to admit, when I first watched 'An Unexpected Journey' I was somewhat disappointed and I felt my fear confirmed that this film series will suck and be reaaaaally long-winded.

Thinking back to 'The Lord of the Rings' books and then comparing it to 'The Hobbit' book I could not understand how Peter Jackson had to do three parts on that one as well. It did not seem right and I almost did not watch the first movie! But since my husband insisted to watch it I came along (we do everything together, always ^_^).

After watching 'An Unexpected Journey' I said I might watch the other parts, but will not buy the DVD/Blu-Ray, because I was disappointed. All the singing and expatitating on some scenes made it somewhat boring. But how else would a three part movie be possible with that short book?

'The Lord of the Rings' on the other hand had taken me in from the beginning.

I loved the movies really much (I think I have watched them all for like 10 times by now?) and for the first time, I liked a film better than the original book (the book was due to all the singing and poems really long-winded and sometimes made you lose focus), something that has never happened before. Since then I long for a trip to New Zealand to visit the beautiful landscapes and the movie sets.

But back to 'The Hobbit':

And then, a year later, the second part came ... I liked it much better, less singing, more action ... And then the third part ... But it was only then that I was completely taken in by it >_<

Now I love it with all my heart and can't wait for the Extendend Edition of all three parts to be published XD''''

I find it really fascinating what is possible in the movie business these days, all the effects - the magic -  and I guess it would be really interesting to be on a film set while they actually film a movie, to see what is real and what is done on the computer and how they do the costumes and the make-up. This is so exciting! Waaah, I guess I have found the job of my dreams XDDD

I also never thought I would call a dwarf 'handsome', but Thorin Oakenshield is a really handsome fella >_<

With time, he grew to be my favorite character in 'The Hobbit' because of his noble character (even though he was taken in by Dragon Sickness - but he freed himself of it >_<). 

I read a lot of critiques about 'The Hobbit' and there was one I really disliked. In fact it made me mad. It called 'The Hobbit' and all fantasy stories to be escapisms and stupefaction of people. That person also went as far as to call the people loving fantasy to be weak and stupid for not living in the real world.

I feel sorry for the poor soul being so narrow-minded to not accept the opinion of others and calling them stupid and weak. I will not call that person stupid, just narrow-minded for not seeing that people are different. Everyone likes different things. It would be a boring world if we all were the same, would it not?

It is the differences that make this world interesting - at least that's what I believe >_<

And since I am a worshipper of fantasy, especially 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' and also being a fantasy author myself, I kinda feel offended by these words. But I guess that is exactly what the author of that critique wants - to offend XD'''

And I think the world J.R.R. Tolkien created with all its details is quite remarkable. I admire people with this much imagination! The story for a book first needs to be created and imagined, it is not an easy task and to call these people stupid and weak does not seem right. I guess that poor soul only has his/her hatred for fantasy and no imagination at all or the insight to appreciate the hard work it takes to create a world. And almost every book or movie comes from someone's imagination and is therefore fiction >_<

Okay, now I think I am done ... Enough nagging XD

What do you think of the movie adaption of 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings'? What do you like better? The movies or the books? Let me now ^_^