tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8950680593906873485..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: Makers of Imaginary RealmsLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-16784619698760899372008-03-27T05:04:00.000-04:002008-03-27T05:04:00.000-04:00Lat to the Bandita party as usual. :-( Great post,...Lat to the Bandita party as usual. :-( Great post, Nancy. I've been <A HREF="http://www.deniserossetti.com/blog/" REL="nofollow">blogging about Clarke too</A>. I just couldn't let him go without a few words on what his writing meant to me. I linked to his final message too. The last part, about being remembered as a writer, is very moving.<BR/><BR/>And how about all you Banditas in the GH and the RITAs? How brilliant are you all? I can tell you right now, us Aussies are gonna be NOISY in San Francisco. Can't wait! And can't wait to meet the US Banditas!Denise Rossettihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04653815118432394482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-48929868905587889782008-03-27T02:06:00.000-04:002008-03-27T02:06:00.000-04:00Anna, did drag your bored friend to see the statue...Anna, did drag your bored friend to see the statues, too? *g*<BR/>Here's more art based on the Kalevala epic: <BR/>http://virtual.finland.fi/Arts_Entertainment/<BR/>And Canine Kalevala by Mauri Kunnas:<BR/>http://www.maurikunnas.net/index.cfm?flashcheck=ok&lang=engMinnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04150644876765079753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-56371888828507907552008-03-26T23:03:00.000-04:002008-03-26T23:03:00.000-04:00KEWL, Gillian!Hosting Colby was all Nancy's doing,...KEWL, Gillian!<BR/>Hosting Colby was all Nancy's doing, so I'll be sure she checks these comments one final time. And PLEASE BE SURE to write to Colby and let her know she has a new fan because of the Banditas. Not that I'm self-serving or anything but...<BR/><BR/>PREPARE FOR BANDITA WORLD DOMINATION!<BR/><BR/>ACLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-39342699750957569182008-03-26T23:02:00.000-04:002008-03-26T23:02:00.000-04:00Wow, Gillian! How cool! I'm so glad you're going...Wow, Gillian! How cool! I'm so glad you're going to write Colby. Twist was already on my TBB list. Drat. Now I'm going to have to move it up a few notches because of your rave over it. Drat.Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-14737911441817260512008-03-26T23:00:00.000-04:002008-03-26T23:00:00.000-04:00Hi again Nancy! The other McCaffrey stories are s...Hi again Nancy! The other McCaffrey stories are still fiction, just not fantasy. They're straight women's fiction/romance. Ooh, and I love Marion Zimmer Bradley. I've been wondering about the series Andre did w/ Edghill which are The Shadow of Albion and Leopard in Exile.<BR/><BR/>P226, Anna's hit it, I think. You find your own level when you're bright. (scratch, scratch. Damn it, where's the bug spray?) I wasn't into D&D. Like Cassondra I tried it and knew it would be like crack for me. I knew I'd disappear into the Otherrealm and hang out with the gorgeous dragons, and say to hell w/ the "real" world. Snork!<BR/><BR/>But I did do my share of street running. No one believes that when they see me. Heehee! Most didn't believe it back then, which is how I got away w/ it. Bwah-ha-ha! (Very Catbird Seat, I was)<BR/><BR/>But Nancy, I think your take on it is correct, bright kids and odd behaviour really isn't that odd. <BR/><BR/>Foanna, my mother used to say this old saying and I wish I knew where the heck she got it from - I've looked everywhere. She said, "Everyone is odd but me and thee, John. And thee art a bit odd as well." SNORK! Usually, she'd mutter it after something particularly...hmmmm...interesting I'd said or done. (I'm sticking with interesting as a descriptor. Hey, it WAS. To me.)<BR/><BR/>BTW, Nancy, I just love what you said: "Odd is the currency of my personal realm." LOVE. IT. :> Kind of like, "It's my own little world, but it's okay, they know me there." Grins.<BR/><BR/>Caren, Sister! I love McKillip too. And the women did it better in fantasy, IMHO. Have you read Elizabeth Moon?Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74306431892793948112008-03-26T22:35:00.000-04:002008-03-26T22:35:00.000-04:00Hi all!This has nothing to do with anything, excep...Hi all!<BR/><BR/>This has nothing to do with anything, except I won the book here, at the absofabulicous bandit lair, and so wanted to say--<BR/><BR/>I just finished Colby Hodge's TWIST and OMG--talk about over the top, delicious imaginary realms! I am going to sit down and write her the biggest fan girl letter! This book is a jewel. I'm so hyped up by the excellent ending I'm never going to get to sleep.<BR/><BR/>So thank you so much, Bandits, for asking her to be a guest, so I could win her awesome book! :)Gillian Laynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15772849187702478349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-50311986485476414882008-03-26T20:56:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:56:00.000-04:00Cool post Nancy.I played D&D three times, realized...Cool post Nancy.<BR/><BR/>I played D&D three times, realized I was addicted and quit cold turkey. It's one of a few things that I would lose myself in to the point of becoming non-functional--living the characters and all that. That's how powerful it was for me. I still have the piece of art I did--a portrait of my character. I fell hard. But I had no idea who created the game. It was such a fun world to enter and I'm sorry for the passing of such a creative genius. <BR/><BR/>I did note the passing of Clarke, and my husband and I were talking about his visions of satellites--and all before there was such a thing--and that a lot of astronauts and NASA engineers credit Clarke as sparking their interest in their careers.<BR/><BR/>My favorite world to get lost in would be the land of elves, hobbits and all that surrounds it, including a dragon or two. (Hey they're not all bad!)Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05215682018033681470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-7906242875878294892008-03-26T20:54:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:54:00.000-04:00Fedora, what happened to us? I used to LIVE in my ...Fedora, what happened to us? I used to LIVE in my sf/f worlds and now I give them no love at all! Of course, I much preferred Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth A. Lynn and Patricia McKillip to the fellas writing science fiction and fantasy. I did the Piers Anthony, Terry Brooks, et al, but I didn't love them like I loved the women authors. <BR/><BR/>Now I know why: character development and ROMANCE. The men tended to skip over the good parts or rush it terribly. I always knew a great romance kicks a good book to a new level. I know there are great sf/f authors out there - my husband reads them like crazy, but no one has pulled me in for at least 20 years!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-43722585873163942442008-03-26T20:49:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:49:00.000-04:00P226, my brother, who was always incredibly bright...P226, my brother, who was always incredibly bright, did not do well in school AT ALL. This was before ADD meds (which he desperately needed). But he and his friend would play D&D for hours and hours every evening. It was a healthy obsession for teenagers who would otherwise have gotten in lots of trouble.<BR/><BR/>Of course, they made up for it by becoming big time troublemakers later. But that's a whole other story. *g*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-65153077172475021092008-03-26T20:36:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:36:00.000-04:00Good post, Nancy. At least their work will live af...Good post, Nancy. At least their work will live after them, in the imaginations of those came after them (and after us, come to think of it).EilisFlynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09730321975978034753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-70764007173132557302008-03-26T20:35:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:35:00.000-04:00Good post, Nancy -- at least their work will live ...Good post, Nancy -- at least their work will live on, sparking the imaginations of those after them. And after us, actually!EilisFlynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09730321975978034753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-89952546578206693562008-03-26T20:31:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:31:00.000-04:00Jane, congrats on the GR!And thanks for a lovely p...Jane, congrats on the GR!<BR/><BR/>And thanks for a lovely post today, Nancy! I really loved the Eddings books for fascinating worlds, but haven't read as much SF/F recently. And since I don't read very much paranormal, the worlds I read about that aren't mine might mainly be historical, which are fascinating too :)Fedorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10879033776125666713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-41149786672872671832008-03-26T18:55:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:55:00.000-04:00Nancy--As always, a gorgeously written & thought p...Nancy--<BR/><BR/>As always, a gorgeously written & thought provoking post. I'm a big fan of the imaginary realm. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I spent a great deal of time knocking around in the back of closets as a teenager, looking for Narnia. :-) <BR/><BR/>As for naysayers, I've been blessed with a family (both the one I came from & the one I married into) that believes in me with a faith I find both touching & terrifying. If I ever publish, it'll be nothing less than they expected of me. :-) <BR/><BR/>And thanks, everybody, for all the GH congrats. Looking forward to cheering on all the finalists in San Fran!Susan Seyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18033511012283092945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-84880223782299753162008-03-26T18:36:00.000-04:002008-03-26T18:36:00.000-04:00p226, street punk and gamer is a combination unusu...p226, street punk and gamer is a combination unusual in my experience, but I can see it. Bright kids, I think, often find the usual road too confining and branch out in a variety of ways, not all of them positive. But it's how you get to the end of the road that counts. Thanks for the D and D insight. I know so little about it despite years of convention-going.<BR/><BR/>Terrio, the dh teaches <I>The Wizard of Oz</I>, so it comes up a lot at our house. As you probably know, the book's Dorothy has way more gumption than the movie version.<BR/><BR/>Christine, welcome back! Of course thinking is imagining. What other kind is there? Have you seen the movie <I>A Christmas Story</I>? There's a scene where the kid protagonist is waiting to see Santa and the kid behind him won't stop talking, so Ralphie says, "Don't bother me. I'm thinking."<BR/><BR/>Anna C. wrote <I>But hey, what's wrong with odd?</I> Not one blasted thing. Odd is the currency of my personal realm. *g* <BR/><BR/>I just taught <I>Bimbos of the Death Sun</I>, in which a D&D game figures prominently, and my lone British student says they play a year-long game at his university at home. Alas for his roommate, who was killed the first day and thus out for the rest of the year.<BR/><BR/>I love medieval England (minus fleas and dung and plus hot water and antibiotics). When I get the chance to visit a battlefield, I like to stand there and imagine the lines arrayed, sunlight gleaming off the armor, horses stamping restlessly, and colorful banners flapping in the wind. Immediately prior to the onset of horrible, bloody carnage. Awful as the battle scene in Branagh's <I>Henry V</I> was, I suspect it's more realistic than the ones in the medieval epics I remember from childhood. Once my mind reaches the point where the charge begins, I switch back to the present.<BR/><BR/>Minna, I just checked out that link you provided. I could spend hours on that site. Thanks.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-35500813467141881792008-03-26T17:42:00.000-04:002008-03-26T17:42:00.000-04:00P226, I suspect if you scratched a lot of people i...P226, I suspect if you scratched a lot of people in the lair (and with the fleas that infest the floor, that's a good idea!), you'd find we're all a bit odd. I was a difficult bird in school because I was a misfit and I was a bit of a rebel (in my own dorky way) but not like the other rebels who used to do the obvious stuff like smoke or break out at night to chase boys. Nobody quite knew what to make of me, including the teachers! I think water finds its own level! Even if it takes a while to do it. When I look back now, I can see why people thought I was odd. Hmm, I WAS odd ;-) But hey, what's wrong with odd?Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-70063457176115591572008-03-26T17:20:00.000-04:002008-03-26T17:20:00.000-04:00Great post, Nancy! I've never been all that attrac...Great post, Nancy! I've never been all that attracted to science fiction but I do love to escape to the imaginary world of Regency historicals and other European historicals. No one around me gets it, except other fans and writers. My husband always laughs when he asks me what I'm doing and I reply 'I'm thinking.' What I really mean is I'm imagining. Funny how people tend to respect that process more once you're published.<BR/><BR/>And mega congrats to our wonderful Golden Heart and Rita finalists! Big cheers for Foanna, Susan, Kim, Pam and Maureen. What a talented bunch!Christine Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14260589566405262159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-22885767717742800572008-03-26T16:48:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:48:00.000-04:00Gygax' passing kind causes me to notice something ...Gygax' passing kind causes me to notice something about myself in retrospect. <BR/><BR/>I was one seriously odd bird. At the time I actually played D&D (early teens), I was also a pretty hardcore street thug. I must've really confused those that knew me. Especially adults. Here I was, a kid that tested into the school's gifted program, meaning I was bright enough to qualify (and still qualify) for Mensa, out running around like an idiot on the streets and staying in constant trouble. Heh, I must've been quite the enigma. I suppose if I can't explain it, it must've been baffling to everyone else. Or maybe not. Maybe there was just some neat category I fit into. *shrug* It just seems strange in retrospect.<BR/><BR/>But I do recall finding escape and solace in the worlds created by Gygax. <I>"The value of the game lay not in victory or defeat but in the imaginative experience."</I> Very true. And for me, that "imaginative experience" was a little better than reading about someone else. You sort of got to "be" someone else, who was <I>somewhere</I> else for a while. And I was all about that. <BR/><BR/>RIP Gary. Thanks for building the skeletal framework for the worlds *I* created in my mind. I enjoyed my stay there.p226https://www.blogger.com/profile/05502193525250005347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-88227854845247563692008-03-26T16:44:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:44:00.000-04:00Hey, Nancy, thanks for the congratulations. Lookin...Hey, Nancy, thanks for the congratulations. Looking forward to your visit to the lair! <BR/><BR/>Hey, Gerri, always lovely to see you! And thanks for your congrats too!<BR/><BR/>OK, caught up in the lair. Just off to read Keira's blog. http://keirasoleore.blogspot.com/Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-55448266330650829852008-03-26T16:39:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:39:00.000-04:00Dorothy Sayers started writing at a similar time t...Dorothy Sayers started writing at a similar time to Christie, Jane, and her hero was a deceptively languid aristocrat called Lord Peter Wimsey whose character is incredibly fascinating and at the end, just so romantic. DS however wasn't as prolific as Christie, nor as long-lived. Another one of the golden age detectives who's really good (although not up with Sayers, IMHO) is Ngaio Marsh. She was even more prolific than Christie so the benefit of reading NM is that there's a LOT to read!Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-58331103767530633822008-03-26T16:35:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:35:00.000-04:00Actually, Minna, this will make you laugh - but I ...Actually, Minna, this will make you laugh - but I know about the Kalavala. It's because I'm a hopeless dork and I love Sibelius and so much of his music was based on the Finnish national epic. When I went to Finland, I remember dragging my poor completely bored friend all the way out to Sibelius's house in a bus so I could do the pilgrimage thing. Ah, now, only a real friend would have come with me!Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-50716225280376318372008-03-26T16:32:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:32:00.000-04:00Hey, guys, this is like the party just goes on! Th...Hey, guys, this is like the party just goes on! Thanks so much for the congrats. I'm gradually coming down to earth. I slept like a log last night because I was just so exhausted with all the excitement (and no sleep the night before!). Pam, laughed at the GH princess on bakery duty. Real life does bite sometimes, doesn't it? Esri, thanks for the special congrats! Looking forward to seeing you in SF! <BR/><BR/>Donna, laughed at the internal conflict thing. I remember experiencing something similar when you and Christine both snared the GH in Atlanta. I was delighted for you - never doubt that!Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-73459107994901580282008-03-26T16:27:00.000-04:002008-03-26T16:27:00.000-04:00Keira, wow! Goodness, I don't quite know what to s...Keira, wow! Goodness, I don't quite know what to say. Are you sure you mean ME? Just off to check out your blog! And by the way, laughed at your Hawaiian beach house with an English garden. I live near the beach in Australia, believe me, English gardens do not like the setting at all!Anna Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06695579361323275316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-7420957800575450752008-03-26T14:57:00.000-04:002008-03-26T14:57:00.000-04:00Jeanne, I also own a copy of The Deep Range. Have...Jeanne, I also own a copy of <I>The Deep Range</I>. Have you ever tried Marion Zimmer Bradley (speaking of dead authors)? I haven't read any of McCaffrey's nonfiction.<BR/><BR/>That's a wonderful story about Andre Norton. I was reading her series with Rosemary Edghill (I forget the titles, of course), which had two books with a third expected, when Norton died. I think the books are in limbo. I haven't heard anything about them.<BR/><BR/>I like Rohan, too. My favorite two lines in the trilogy are narrative. They come during the Battle of the Pellinor Fields, as Gandalf and Pippin battle orcs on the ramparts of Minas Tirith, and the sun rises, and they hear a faint sound, the horns of Rohan blowing in the morning. Which Tolkien, of course, described much better than that. I choke up every time I read it. I hate not having that moment in the movie.<BR/><BR/>Minna, thanks for the link and the information. I did not know that. I'll check out that link after class tonight.<BR/><BR/>Jane, I think Sayers is roughly a contemporary of Christie. I'm not really sure. Lord Peter is the younger sun of a duke. In the first couple of books, he's extremely flippant. Then he meets Harriet Vane (book 4? someone help me?), who's on trial for murder, and the tone changes.<BR/><BR/>The BBC has done at least two adaptations, and I didn't love either Ian Carmichael or Edward Petherbridge, though their acting was excellent. To me, the actor who most closely resembles Sayers' description of Lord Peter is Nigel Havers, the young lord who gives up his slot to Eric Liddle (sp?) at the Olympic games.<BR/><BR/>Nancy H., thank you. That hut in Tahiti sounds fabulous. I used to focus my eyes on the front and send my brain to Mars when classes grew tedious.Nancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13705259501965011703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-3786442378674316322008-03-26T13:41:00.000-04:002008-03-26T13:41:00.000-04:00Nancy, what a wonderful post! Thank you for sharin...Nancy, what a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing the feats of these visionaries!<BR/><BR/>I've always "spaced out" easily, partly because of those who didn't get it. Mentally leaving was my early defense. I "built" many imaginary havens, including a hut on the beach in Tahiti. I've been escaping there to dream for about as long as I remember.<BR/><BR/>Congratulations to Jane, and to the GH and RITA Bandita finalists! I love the great energy of great news!<BR/><BR/>Light,<BR/>Nancy HaddockNancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10019662451227188065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-90950084360621887422008-03-26T13:21:00.000-04:002008-03-26T13:21:00.000-04:00My first GR. I think he likes it here in NYC. I'...My first GR. I think he likes it here in NYC. I've never read Dorothy Sayers or Lord Peter Wimsey. Were they contemporaries of Agatha Christie?Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13040629694490652973noreply@blogger.com