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New Book

New Book

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Out Now – Grab a copy and check it out!

Prepare to meet fantasy’s most reluctant hero.

Briar, son of Patch, is perfectly happy working as a low-level scribe for the Church of Ubel, spending his off time painting seascapes, walking on the beach, and being alive.

That last one is put in imminent danger when the Church hierarchy determines the god Ubel has gone insane. A delegation is gathered to journey to the Oracle of Hiephi so they can learn what must be done to cure the psychopathic deity. Briar, very much against his will, must accompany the group, ostensibly to chronicle the journey for inclusion in the official Church archives.

During their adventures, horrific visions of an angry, scowling teenager plague Briar, and he soon learns there is a deeper, darker reason behind his inclusion in this insanely dangerous quest.

Facing the likes of bloodthirsty pirates, a bloodthirstier gnome talent agent, and The Slobbering Hound of Chaos, Briar slowly, and oh so unwillingly, learns his place in the world. He might even manage to become a hero. If he survives.

My Thoughts on The Oscars

My Thoughts on The Oscars

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So the Oscars happened this Sunday, and it’s the first time I’ve watched in a few years. Hadn’t really been interested. But this year, I found many of the nominees enjoyable so thought I’d give it a go. Overall it was quite an enjoyable show. Jimmy Kimmel did a great job as the host. Most of the jokes landed pretty well, even the expected jokes about “the slap” from last year. Of course, now we’ve done that, so let’s move on.

It was a great night for “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” which works for me. It was one of my favorites from last year. Having worked with James Hong and still in contact with him even now, it’s very cool to see him in something so popular. And the speeches from the actor, especially Ke Huy Quan, had me almost in tears. Several of the winners gave great speeches, keeping things light or highly emotional, depending. The obvious appreciation for the recognition by almost everyone was a wonderful thing to see. And although I understand people being upset about Jamie Lee Curtis winning over Angela Bassett, it was wonderful to see her give a shout out to all the people who helped her get there.

The pace was brisk, and the producers kept things moving, although the band playing off people after one person spoke before others could got a bit annoying. I was fairly happy with the winners, although I scored pretty poorly on my predictions, getting only 5 of 23 correct. The presenters all did a good job and, again, most of the jokes landed fairly well.

There were a couple of downsides. The songs, with the exception of Naatu Naatu, were pretty lackluster. I could have also done without the thinly veiled advertisements for other Disney/ABC projects. And the In Memoriam section had several head-scratching omissions. But all in all, I’m glad I took the time to watch it. Here’s hoping they get the same producers next year to do the show.

Rating: 7/10