Exciting News

I have a bit of exciting non-book news to share regarding the population of planet Earth. Despite some concerns about the number of humans currently residing here, Lindsay and I decided to risk increasing that number by one. We're expecting our first child in late June, and we couldn't be more excited.

I'm anticipating this will affect pretty much every aspect of my life... but it shouldn't seriously delay the last three books in my fantasy series, The Citadel of the Last Gathering. I've already got those written, and expect to have Book 7, Alaji the Witch, out before then. My plan is to have books 8 and 9 almost completely edited before my life turns upside-down in June, so it'll just be a matter of getting them out. While I can't promise a few self-imposed deadlines won't get a little "fuzzier," I want to assure anyone reading these that you're not going to get 2/3rds of the way through and discover the series isn't getting finished. The books are written, I'm extremely happy with how they're coming out, and the series - in its entirety - is going to be released.

Other than that, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. If you haven't been keeping up with Mainlining Christmas, we posted a bunch of reviews of old and new Christmas movies and specials, along with several new podcast episodes (most recently, we chimed in on the Die Hard debate).

What else? I've been heading to the movies while I still can - look for my reviews of Bumblebee, Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, and Mary Poppins Returns over at The Middle Room. It's been a fantastic month for movie fans. In fact, it's been a fantastic year - you can find my rankings for 2018 movies here.

Other than that, I'm going to enjoy the last few days of my vacation and get back to editing. As always, thanks to everyone reading and following along - it means a lot.

Happy Belated New Years!

Well, Christmas is finally over (at least by most modern standards), and the cosmic ticker has flipped forward, so I wanted to check in and say, "Hi." Also, in keeping with tradition, I put up a list ranking all the new movies I saw in 2017, from least to most favorite.

Now that the holidays are behind me, I'm back to focusing on revising the next novel. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I'm hoping to have it available before summer.

Festive Cheer

The Christmas season is upon us once again, which means Lindsay and I have kicked off our annual binge of holiday media at Mainlining Christmas. We're continuing our tradition of posting reviews or articles three times a day through December 25th.

What else?

I suppose this is as good a time as any to announce I've finished a first draft of all nine novels in The Citadel of the Last Gathering. There's still a lot more work to do, but we're hoping to have book 5 edited and released Spring of next year and (no promises) maybe get book 6 out before the end of 2018.

I'll leave you with this picture from our Black Friday party. If you want more context, head over here.

You'll Never Guess What I'm Getting For My Birthday!

That's right - my birthday's January 20th, and America got me.... a new president who's more or less vowed to systematically destroy everything I love about this country.

Not to sound ungrateful, but I don't suppose you kept the gift receipt.

So. Yeah. I'm not exactly expecting this to the "best birthday ever" or anything. I'll be spending my free time doing what I've been doing for most of January: writing. I've found that to be an especially therapeutic pastime recently. Yup, something about writing a powerful female lead in a fantasy setting where it's possible to jump ahead in time (say, four or eight years, for example) has been even more satisfying than usual.

In the off chance anyone else out there wants some escapist fantasy to help them through the next few days, I'm making A Count of Five and Tide of Ice free Friday through Sunday.

I wish you all the best of luck this weekend. And, you know, however long it takes before our country corrects course.

Happy Holidays and All That

I've been extremely busy moving into the new house and bingeing on Christmas movies, which is why I haven't posted anything here in a while. As I do every December, I've written dozens of reviews over on Mainlining Christmas - it's a good resource if you're ever looking for advice on what to watch and what to avoid like the plague during the yuletide season.

A few highlights include the absolutely amazing holiday album from one of my oldest friends and his collaborators - you can download it free here and read my take here). Also, check out my write-up of the Adam Ruins Christmas special and the pictures of the custom Krampus action figure I put together, if you get a chance - I'm especially proud of these two articles.

If you're looking for something longer to read this Christmas, I'm making my 2009 fantasy novel For Love of Children available free on Kindle between the 23rd and the 27th. It offers an alternative look at holiday icons and modern mythology - grab a copy, if you haven't already.

I haven't made it to the movies much recently, but I did make time for Rogue One. My full review is up at The Middle Room, but the short version is that I loved it.

Interesting Times

The experience of the past month has placed me in a position of being able to offer a piece of advice. It is extremely specific, but in the off chance it's ever relevant to anyone reading this, I'd like to share what I've learned:

For the love of God, never buy a house in the middle of a presidential election.

That's not to say we didn't get a nice house - we ended up with a beautiful place at a good price. However, watching your country flush its future down the toilet really takes the wind out of your sails when you're trying to move. The past few weeks have been among the most exhausting of my life, and we still have to unpack.

As if that's not enough, Christmas is upon us once more, which means it's time to dust off our annual holiday blog and start pumping cheer into our bodies. We briefly considered taking a year off, but... Mainlining Christmas is tradition now. Besides, if we quit the stop-motion villains win. So head on over for an near-endless string of reviews, articles, and perhaps a couple holiday stories.

Now if you'll excuse me, I still have several pieces of IKEA furniture to reassemble before I binge watch seven seasons' worth of Christmas episodes.

Religious Artifacts

If you live in Seattle and have the time, I highly recommend you swing by the EMP Museum before their Star Trek special exhibit closes. The collection is drawn from every iteration of Trek - every series is represented, as are most of the movies. It's mesmerizing. If the Vatican threw open the doors to their archives, I'm guessing this is what it would feel like.

On top of that, there's a special exhibit on "Wearable Art" taken from a New Zealand-based competition. If that sounds dull to you, you're likely making the same mistake I made and are forgetting that WETA is based in New Zealand.

Awesome.

Amazing.

Bad ass.

It feels like you're walking through an exhibit drawn from the greatest nightmares. There's an eight minute video presentation there that's worth every second: sort of a carnival of these costumes in motion.

Let's see... what's else is going on? I was quite happy with the new Ghostbusters movie. We can quibble over details, but this has the potential to mean as much to the next generation of geeks as the original meant to mine. Hell, McKinnon's character swipes the award for all-time best Ghostbuster right out of Murray's hands.

As always, there's a full review up on The Middle Room if you want the long version.

Also, just a reminder but my wife and I are running a special July edition of the holidays over at Mainlining Christmas. We took the Christ out of Christmas and left him on an abandoned island in July. Honestly, I think he's probably happier there anyway. Click the link to learn more about Christmas specials set in the summer than you probably ever wanted.

I think that's about it for news. I'll check in again when I've got more to say.

News, Updates, and Stuff

I know, I know - I don't post often enough here. But I've got a great excuse: I've been writing.

The first draft of book five is now done. You read that right - book five. That's two complete novels written this year, and we're not even halfway through 2016. In case anyone's curious, this is definitely the most productive I've ever been in my life.

Of course, I've still got a ton of work to do on book three, A Unique Sickness of Spirit, between now and the fall. So I'll be taking some time off of writing to revise that and work on the cover before I dive into book six, which is an installment I've been dying to tell since I started this series.

Lindsay and I went hiking a few times already. We didn't go anywhere we've never been before, but we did get to one of our all time favorite trails: Lake Serene (hence the pictures).

What else? Well, I've been to the movies a few times recently. In April, I saw Jungle Book, which was a major achievement in both technology and storytelling. If you want more details, check out my full review over here.

If you thought I'd wait longer than opening day to see Captain America: Civil War, you don't know me all that well. It was my second favorite movie in the MCU, behind only The Avengers (and even then, it was close). After the poorly constructed Batman v Superman, it was a joy to see a superhero movie on this scale made by people who understand what they're doing. You can find more of me using Civil War as an excuse to bash Zack Snyder in my review.

Just this past weekend, my wife and I went to see Shane Black's 70's comedy/noir, The Nice Guys. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit, though I was a little disappointed to find it staying a little too close to Black's earlier work.

We're also experimenting with a new review format over on Mainlining Christmas. Our test subject is Home, a CG comedy/SF kids movie that came out last year. It had just enough holiday elements to earn a spot on the site but not enough to take up our time in December. If you have a few minutes, head on over and let us know if you like the "discussion" format.

That's it for now.

Toys, Movies, and a Very Wet Winter

Sorry I haven't chimed in lately. I've been extremely busy working on the next few novels. The Citadel of the Last Gathering is by far the most complicated project I've ever attempted. I'm not setting an arbitrary number of volumes that I plan on sticking to, but I'm estimating this will be somewhere between nine and twelve books when complete. The current plan is to put these out at a rate of at least one a year. The third novel, A Unique Sickness of Spirit, should be available sometime this fall.

I haven't been doing much adventuring this year, largely due to the weather, which is still less extreme than the stories I heard prior to moving to Seattle. In the meantime, I've been checking out movies and indulging my fondness for action figures, toy cars, and dolls.

Yes, I said dolls. And, yes, some of them are Barbies. And, yes, I am absolutely comfortable with that, because there are some phenomenal dolls on the market these days.

For example, I've already picked up most of Hasbro's DC Superhero Girls 12 inch "Action Doll" line (the last one I'm missing should be arriving later this week). I reviewed the first two I bought, Supergirl and Wonder Woman over here, if you want my thoughts (spoiler alert - they are awesome).

And speaking of Wonder Woman, I also wrote up the new Barbie from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's a good doll overall, but a little more mixed than the cheaper and brighter Superhero Girls line.

Moving on to movies, I recently put together my annual list of summer movies, complete with a set of guesses as to how good they'll be.

I've also seen a few movies recently. I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear I enjoyed Deadpool - more or less everyone else did, too. Mainly, I was impressed what how seriously they took the superhero aspect of the X-Men, something Fox has been slow to embrace until now.

I had a very mixed reaction to Kung Fu Panda 3, a movie I wholly acknowledge I was unable to offer a fair review. In many ways, I thought it was an excellent action/comedy, but I just couldn't get over where I felt like it betrayed the series. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a favorite of mine, and this definitely felt like a step backward. You can read my complete thoughts here.

By far the best new movie I've seen this year was Zootopia, which offered a fantastic look at some very complex issues. I was astonished by how seriously this movie addressed its themes, providing an honest look at bias, stereotyping, and racial scapegoating. The fact it does this without ever feeling preachy or moralizing makes it even more impressive. If you haven't seen this yet, do so before reading my review.

I also recently saw a few older movies that really caught me off-guard. I didn't review them (as a rule of thumb, I don't write up movies long after they've been released, with the exception of Christmas stuff). However, if you haven't seen any of these movies, I highly recommend remedying that as soon as possible.

Paddington, a film centered around a CG bear, was almost unbelievably good. Sweet, funny, poignant, and touching, it demonstrates that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with this genre. In the right hands, a movie featuring an anthropomorphic talking bear can be one of the year's best movies.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World caught me off guard for entirely different reasons. Arguably the darkest romantic comedy ever filmed follows a couple as they go on a road trip in the last days of civilization. The movie plays with tone and point-of-view, showing the humor of a situation before turning around and revealing tragedy. And, in its most touching moment, joy. It's a film about love and mortality, hope and despair. It's fearless in its approach, and shockingly honest.

Lastly, the Feig-directed Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, might not have moved me emotionally, but I absolutely loved it. Funny, exciting, and suspenseful, it accomplishes precisely what it sets out to do: delivering an authentic spy movie that's simultaneously a hilarious comedy. If there was any doubt that Ghostbusters is in the right hands, it's gone now.

That's it for now. I'll try not to let so much go by between updates, but no promises: I'm busy these days, and I rather miss a few blog posts than fall behind on the novels. Until next time!

Stories, Lists, and Other End of Year Nonsense

Well, the end of the year is upon us, but there's no need to panic: since 2015 was neither a prime number nor a year ending in zero, I don't think anyone's prophesying the end of the world. And yet... and yet... wouldn't that be the ideal time to strike? When we're all complacent in our assumption that this December 31st WON'T portend the end of civilization as we know it?

Ah, well. If it happens, it happens. It's not like we haven't all lived through worse.

Lindsay and I wrapped up another year of holiday gluttony over at Mainlining Christmas. I already mentioned one story I posted, The Collector of Old Toys, so I won't do that again. I had two more, as well: The Society of the Worldly Mind is sort of a spin on a murder mystery, while Old Gods of the North is best described as post-apocalyptic Christmas sword & sorcery. So go click on that if you want to find out what the hell I'm talking about.

Also, I'd be remiss in omitting Lindsay's first piece of holiday fiction, Juliette and the Christmas Invitation. It's a short fantasy piece you should definitely check out.

Of course, that's just the tip of the Christmas iceberg. We reviewed dozens of movies, TV specials, and holiday episodes this year, including (surprisingly) quite a few that didn't suck. Also, I posted a list of ten deadly Christmas elves. Go read that, if nothing else.

But, as much as I might wish otherwise, not everything can be Christmas. I wrote up a retrospective of all the 2015 movies I've seen, organized by preference. It was a good year for movies, overall, even with Age of Ultron being kind of a letdown. I'm particularly happy to see Hollywood investing in (and being rewarded for) genre movies with female leads. I've been doing these lists for quite a while, and this is first time I was able to give the #1 spot to a film where the main character was a woman. More than that, the top three fell in that category. There's a lot more that needs to be done in terms of representation, but it's a fantastic sign.

Setting aside pop-culture for a moment, 2015 was an extremely productive year for me. Without getting into detailed page counts, I more or less wrote and revised two novels this year, which is more than I've ever managed in the past.

I'm hoping to keep that momentum going into 2016. I've already written a draft of the third novel in the Citadel of the Last Gathering, and I've started the fourth book. For those of you who haven't reached the last page of A Tide of Ice, the title of book three is "A Unique Sickness of Spirit."

It's due out next fall, hopefully in time for Halloween. If you enjoyed the first two, I think you'll like this one, as well. It's still early in the revision process, but I really like how it's coming along.

One more thing: my New Year's Resolution. Actually, it's the same I've had every year since I was seventeen - to give up New Year's Resolutions once and for all. For some reason, I've never managed to pull it off.

Thanks to everyone who's been following along. I hope 2016 treats all of you well!

Christmas is Coming

The way I see it, there are two responses to Christmas. The first is to run from it, try to escape its reach. You won't succeed, of course - it's too large, too encompassing. Entire religions have vanished into its maw: what hope do you have getting away?

There's an alternative, but few are willing to seriously consider it. You can turn around and face it. Stare it in the eye and gaze upon its awful majesty. Some say this path leads to madness.

But I am not one to flee, and I understand well enough that, while you can run from Christmas, you can't hide.

This cheerful yuletide revelation lies at the core of an annual project my wife and I work on during the holiday season, a little something we call Mainlining Christmas. It's a blog we started in 2010. Every year, we gorge ourselves on as many Christmas specials, movies, and books as we can stomach. I listen to nothing by Christmas songs from Thanksgiving until Christmas Day, and - for fun - we chart our descent.

I've published thirty pieces of holiday fiction on the blog over the years, and I'm planning to add at least a few more stories this year.

I'd like to invite any of you to join us. At a distance, of course.

Either that, or you can run with the others, try to convince yourselves there's a place where the holidays can't reach you.

Now who's crazy?

I Did Not Realize That Killer Whales Drown Great White Sharks

So here's why I haven't seen Jurassic World yet....

Lindsay and I took a four day weekend and camped on Orcas Island. We went on several short hikes, visited the town, and wrapped up our last night there with a whale watch in the sound.

We had a fantastic time. Orcas Island isn't the absolute most magnificent place we've been to in Washington State (the Mountain Loop Highway and Olympic Peninsula are tied for that honor), but it was still breathtaking. More than that, the attractions were surprisingly quiet, giving us far more solitude than we've gotten from other destinations in the area.

One warning: settlers killed off the island's native bear and wolf populations more than a century ago, which has left Orcas Island at the mercy of a single animal:

Deer. That picture was from our campsite. We saw deer everywhere while we were on the island. They do not fear humans.

My pictures really don't do justice to the Madrona trees we saw there. These things look like they're made out of bronze or something.

It was a much needed break from work and writing. I don't think I find anything as inspirational as a vacation to a new climate and setting. I'm eager to get back to work on the next novel.

Life, Legos, and Post-Apocalyptic Feminism

I've been getting the finishing touches ready for A Count of Five, revising its sequel, and starting work on its sequel's sequel.

So... a little busy, all things considered.

However, I did check out the absolutely phenomenal Max Max: Fury Road. If you haven't gone yet, you should do so as soon as possible. Between Prometheus and Aeon Flux, Charlize Theron's certainly not a novice when it comes to science fiction, but she finally - FINALLY - got to star in a genre film worthy of her talents. You can check out my full review over at The Middle Room, if you're interested, but if you love brilliantly made SF - or if you just want to contribute towards making a bunch of misogynists cry - you should rush out and buy a ticket now.

Speaking of post-apocalyptic films centered around female characters I recently watched, I also decided the time was right to give Tank Girl another chance. Well, maybe Netflix made that call, since it's about to vanish from instant-view. Regardless, SOMETHING in the Universe seems to have decided I should sit down and re-watch Tank Girl, and regardless who or what came to that conclusion, they were sorely mistaken.

I wrote up a review of that in my series on the worst comic book adaptations of all time. Here's the link to the Tank Girl review, and - if you're really curious - here's a link that can bring up all twenty-six reviews in that series.

In other news, I broke down and bought the Lego Ecto-1 set a few days ago. Despite having thousands of toys, I actually don't own many Legos (they're pricey, and I really don't need another thing to collect). But this set was just too cool to pass up.

I'm a little disappointed the doors don't open, and the figures couldn't all fit inside if they did, but the finished car and minifigs are still great.

First

This is a new site. Sort of.

The url isn't new: I've had a webpage up here for years. Most of the content currently featured came from there as well. But the design and layout outstayed their welcome. Rather than try to repair it, I tore it down and replaced it with this site.

So, how about an introduction? I'm Erin Snyder, and I write fantasy and science fiction stories and novels. Want a longer bio? Click on the About Me section.

Have a look around and feel free to ask questions.