James Dashner's book The Maze Runner tops box office sales

Movie Title:  Maze Runner

PG-13, 1 hour 54 minutes

Grade:  B+

In a Nutshell:   I’m so thrilled for my friend, James Dashner, who is the author of The Maze Runner Series (Maze Runner) that this film is based on!  I first met him when he and I were doing a book signing at the same store.  People were lined up to meet him, of course, while I sat and twiddled my thumbs.  Ha ha  I have a hard time picturing my books being made into movies since I write non-fiction!

He and I are both members of the same author group and he is considered our resident rock star.  I’m so happy that his book was made into a movie!  That’s so unbelievably awesome!  Here is a picture of the two of us at a recent writers’ conference:

The story is a bit of a dystopian Lord of the Flies , as teenage boys try to figure out how they ended up on the edge of a killer maze and who put them there.  I haven’t had time to read the book, so I’m not sure what we might be missing in this suspenseful flick, but James said that the “tone and spirit and vision” of what he wrote in the book is totally in the movie.

Uplifting theme: 

Learning how to work for the benefit of others, these teenage boys also demonstrate courage, sacrifice, and teamwork.

Things I liked:

• As a mother of 4 sons, I thought it was funny and definitely true-to-life that the boys generally spent their evenings wrestling each other.  Ha ha
• The scary noises reminded me of the creepy alien sounds in Tom Cruise's movie The War of the Worlds .
• The movie starts fast and throws us into the action without dilly-dallying..  I always like that!
• All of the young actors did a great job, although I wish there had been time for more character development.

Things I didn’t like:

• There were some plot holes that bugged me.  I’m assuming the sequel will fill them?
• The runners wore these leathered, strappy things, but I couldn’t see what purpose they served.  They weren’t quite backpacks, so what were they for?
• They say “W.K.D. is good.”  Really?  No, I don’t want kids thinking wicked is good.
• Despite being trapped in a camping set-up, the boys are able to concoct some form of alcohol for partying at night.

Interesting lines:

• “You’re not like the others; you’re curious.”  - Alby
• “It’s not a prison; it’s a test.”  - Thomas
• “You’ll get your name in a day or two.  That’s one thing they let us keep.”  - Alby
• “You don’t get it.  We’re already dead.” – Minho

Funny lines:

• “I don’t know if he’s brave or stupid.  Whatever it is, we need more of it.”  - Minho
• (SPOILER ALERT)   “Seriously?”  - Jeff, when he sees the “Exit” sign.
• “I thought you had the chops to be a runner…until you face-planted.” – Newt

Fun Facts about James Dashner:

• He and I both graduated from BYU.  He majored in accounting, which seems like such a boring profession for such a creative guy!  He said “My heart bleeds for accountants.  I don’t miss it even in the slightest, tiniest, little bit.”  Ha ha
• James is a movie buff like me and confessed that movies like “Star Wars”, Alien , The Terminator and The Matrix influenced his writing.  It was the maze in the movie The Shining that got him thinking about writing his own novel that would feature one.
• Now that his book has been turned into a movie, he’s interested in screenwriting.  Go James!

Tips for parents:   Mild profanity, deaths, scary noises, violence.  Small children may be frightened by the “grievers” (robotic monstors that chase and kill the “gladers”).

Smashwords Helps Secure the Future of Indie Publishing

The founder of Smashwords, Mark Coker, and I are tight friends.  Well, not really, but he just sent me this important email that illustrates how the publishing world is rapidly changing:

"Great news.  Yesterday afternoon I met with PayPal at their office in San Jose, where they informed me of their decision to modify their policies to allow legal fiction.

Effective last night, we rolled back the Smashwords Terms of Service to its pre-February 24 state.

It's been a tumultuous, nerve-wracking few weeks as we worked to protect the right of writers to write and publish legal fiction.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Smashwords authors, publishers and customers.  You stood up and made your voice known.  Thank you to every Smashwords author and publisher who wrote me to express opinions, even if we disagreed, and even if you were angry with me. You inspired me to carry your cause forward.

Smashwords authors, publishers and customers mobilized. You made telephone calls, wrote emails and letters, started and signed petitions, blogged, tweeted, Facebooked and drove the conversation. You made the difference.  Without you, no one would have paid attention. I would also like to thank the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). These three advocacy groups were the first to stand up for our authors, publishers and customers. Their contribution cannot be overstated.  We collaborated with them to build a coalition of like-minded organizations to support our mutual cause. Special kudos to Rainey Reitman of EFF for her energy, enthusiasm and leadership.

I would also like to thank all the bloggers and journalists out there who helped carry our story forward by lending their platforms to get the story out.  Special thanks to TechCrunch, Slashdot, TechDirt, The Independent (UK), Reuters, Publishers Weekly, Dow Jones, The Digital Reader, CNET, Forbes, GalleyCat & EbookNewser and dozens of others too numerous to mention.

I would like to thank our friends at PayPal.  They worked with us in good faith as they promised, engaged us in dialogue, made the effort to understand Smashwords and our mission, went to bat for our authors with the credit card companies and banks, and showed the courage to revise their policies.

This is a big, bold move by PayPal.  It represents a watershed decision that protects the rights of writers to write, publish and distribute legal fiction.  It also protects the rights of readers to purchase and enjoy all fiction in the privacy of their own imagination. It clarifies and rationalizes the role of financial services providers and pulls them out of the business of censoring legal fiction.

Following implementation of their new policies, PayPal will have the most liberal, pro-First-Amendment policies of the major payment processors.  Will Google Checkout and Checkout by Amazon be next now that the credit card companies have clarified their positions, and have essentially given payment providers the permission to adopt more enlightened policies?   Finally, thanks to Selena Kitt of Excessica and Remittance Girl for helping me to understand and respect all fiction more than I ever have before.

This is a bright day for indie publishing.  In the old world, traditional publishers were the arbiters of literary merit.  Today, thanks to the rise of indie ebooks, the world is moving toward a broader, more inclusive definition of literary merit. Smashwords gives writers the power and freedom to publish.  Merit is decided by your readers.  Just as it should be."


Thanks Mark!

Writing With a Writer

                                                         www.trinaboice.com

                                                            
One of the things I love about writing books is that I get to meet other authors. I especially love getting to know creative fiction authors who think outside of the box. Many of my non-fiction books have become best-sellers, but writing engaging fiction seems way too hard to me.

A good author friend of mine, Steve Booth, has just started a new project that is really imaginative and engages readers in a new way. He's inviting readers to participate in a story as it unfolds online at: http://www.stevenmbooth.com/?page_id=201&cpage=1

Here is what he had to say on his latest blog post as he explains the project:
"Over the last several months, we have been working on a new way to present fantasy material on the web. Of course, there have been many excellent examples of storytelling – eBooks, multi-path stories, even full-blown, immersive role-paying games.

These all fall short, however, when it comes to one thing — engaging readers in the creative (and sometimes challenging) process of writing a story from scratch. What we thought would be very cool, interesting for all, and also instructive, is to actually create, under the watchful eye of an author, a short story, interactively, over a period of several weeks, and to let everyone have a chance to contribute and make suggestions about how it should go. In short — you get to do the fun stuff, and I have to do the work. We call it an ‘eStory’.

Each new iteration of the eStory will consist of two or more parallel story tracks, based on the suggestions and selections made by all those that wish to contribute. Thus, although I have a pretty good idea of where our tale will lead, it is in a very real sense ‘organic’ – how we get to our destination has not yet been determined.

SO… if you’re curious, if you’ve ever wondered how folks come up with these fantastical characters and worlds, please join us on our adventure. We’re calling it ‘The Legend of Talimar’. In addition, it will be possible for anyone to comment, critique, ask questions, and suggest alternative paths that might be interesting to follow.

After everyone has a chance to respond, we will create at least two, or perhaps more alternative paths for the story to take, like the waters in a stream parting around a rock. Later on, the two paths will rejoin the main plot of the story, but in the interim, new and interesting things will be revealed; things no one had suspected; things I never considered, perhaps!

After a number of installments (we're thinking like 10-12), we'll conclude the tale with a really cool climax and finale, and we'll provide some special secrets for those who also want to continue with the follow-on volume, Dark Talisman."

Go support my buddy and check out his fun project at:
http://www.stevenmbooth.com/?page_id=201&cpage=1