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Hollow Bones

"In our life there is a time of wonder. Walking with the ancient ones as they share their world. And the dancing voices are carried by the wind. As I walk this sacred ground, I know I'm not alone, and I thank Mother Earth."  ~Alex Davis, Seneca Cayuga

A Discovery of Witches

1/25/2019

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If you’re a fan of author Deborah Harkness’s All Souls paranormal trilogy, you’ll be as delighted as I was to discover her first book, A Discovery of Witches, has been adapted as a slow-burn TV series streaming on Sundance.

Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer, Hacksaw Ridge, Warm Bodies) is a historian studying at Oxford. She is also a powerful witch trying to deny her own heritage. Her magical powers are inherited from family lines she can trace back to Salem. But she refuses to use them because her parents were both murdered when she was a young girl, and magic reminds her of their death.

Then, during her research at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, she calls up an ancient, bewitched—and long-missing—manuscript. This attracts the attention of the entire magical community, including the enigmatic vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode, Downton Abbey, The Crown). Matthew is trying to solve the looming threat of his species’ decline and approaching extinction.

His alliance with Diana to find the book before it falls into the wrong hands leads to romantic attraction and breaks an ancient agreement between the magical species.

A Discovery of Witches is being touted as a Twilight series for grownups, but I don’t like the comparison. First, the “grown up” part of the comparison changes the entire story: the stakes are higher, and the action is more intense. The characters are not growing into their personalities and lives, they’re already mature, capable and powerful beings. (Read: fully functioning females who make decisions independently from their boyfriends) The cast is unique and immensely talented (read: no long, moody stares). The show is also significantly sexier, scarier, and more stylish than the Twilight films.

he British and Italian backdrops are put on gorgeous display. The Bodleian Library, the site of many Harry Potter scenes in the first three movies, was my particular favorite.

In some ways, A Discovery of Witches has more in common with another book-to-TV-series, Outlander. Both have a similar recipe for love: Despite all the supernatural and political obstacles in their way, an extremely old-fashioned man and a very modern woman fall hard for each other and commit for life.

In Outlander, Jamie Fraser is an 18th-century man, but he’s educated and has an open mind, so he’s able to adapt to Claire’s modern sensibilities. A Discovery of Witches’ Matthew Clairmont is a few centuries older. He was born around 500 A.D., got turned into a vampire 37 years later, and has roamed the earth ever since. But he didn’t remain stuck in his original era. He has turned into a true Renaissance man. Adapting to each century, he’s been everything from warrior to healer, scientist to spy, all of which makes him the ideal suitor for Diana.

I like The Discovery of Witches series for many of the same reasons I love Outlander. First, the magic makes sense to me historically and intellectually, which is of paramount importance to THIS reader. Almost as important, I like both the main characters and the supporting cast. The acting is nuanced and keeps my interest. I admit, Jaimie Frazier’s accent and depth of facial expressions won me over immediately, while Matthew is more of a slow burn, but they’re now both imprinted on my mind.

The first episode of A Discovery of Witches did seem a bit chaotic, with a lot of scene-setting in a short time frame, but keep watching. I think by the time Season One ends, you’ll be impatiently looking forward to the next year. Good news! The series has already been renewed for second and third seasons, and is expected to roughly follow the second and third books of the trilogy.

A Discovery of Witches season 1 is available to stream in full on Sundance Now and Shudder.

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Resolutions for a New Year

1/4/2019

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Happy New Year, you beautiful, complicated, weird people.

Has the fresh slate of a new year motivated you to make changes in your life, great or small?

If so, what are they? And are you confidant that you will keep them, or are you already busted?

If not, why not?

I’m welcoming 2019 with open arms and a slew of good intentions. I’m gonna list my goals here, and return in January 2020 to evaluate progress. You’re welcome to add yours in a comment. Words have power, and listing your intentions is a powerful act.

It’s important to remember that we don’t have to be perfect in our resolve. If you set the intention to exercise every day, and then you miss two days in a row, do you quit exercising entirely? Hell no! Improvement is still improvement, even if the progress is jerky.

But I find I do better if there is some structure to my goals. The method I use is SMART goals. The acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

SPECIFIC refers to a concrete, clearly-defined goal. My first goal: I want to finish my book, Crescent Moon Crossing this year.

MEASURABLE is the ‘drilling down’ on that goal: I want to write 500 words every day until the book is finished.

Next is ACHIEVABLE. I want to aim high, but within reason. I know that writing a book is doable for me, since I already have one published. But also want to establish the habit of writing every day, while also feeling like I have a life away from my desk.

Is this a RELEVANT goal? You bet it is! I decided to write this stand-alone suspense before going on to write Book 2 in my Ancient Magic series. I’ve futzed around so long that my first book has gotten stale. I desperately need to jump-start a healthy daily writing habit.
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And, at last, the T for TIMELINE, probably the most important. Looking at my calendar, I see there are 4 days in the next 4 months where I have prior commitments that will prevent me from achieving my 500 word goal. I move my deadline out four days, to April 20th, and write “Rough Draft Finished” on that date. It feels great!

My List – 15 New Year Resolutions for 2019:
  1. Complete my 2nd novel, Crescent Moon Crossing, by May 1.
  2. Novel accepted by a publisher-or- published, by end of July.
  3. Attend Dallas Bucheron and Donald Maas workshop (October)
Exercise
  1. 10k steps at least 5 days a week (by walking each dog daily)
  2. Take a Tai Chi class – twice for 4 weeks each
  3. Take a Yoga class – weekly
  4. Do a plank exercise 5 days a week

  5. Limit carbs to 250grams a day. Adjust as needed to lower A1C to <7.0
  6.  Drink at least 35oz water a day (in addition to tea & coffee
  7.  Release and identified toxic people from my life. I know who they are, no need to name them here.
Habit Changes
  1. Bed by midnight
  2.  Vacuum 2x a week. Dog hair be gone!
  3.  Book all DR visits at first of year, and bunch together.
  4.  Read and Netgalley review 3 books/month
  5.  Clean out closets and donate old clothes. Eliminate ruthlessly, and reward myself with one new outfit.
 
This list feels like A LOT. Any volunteers to share their Resolutions list here? I’ll share your pain and support you for the entire year!

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    Writer, witch, mother and wife. Order of importance is a continual shuffle.

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