Writer on the Move by Diane Bator

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

A writer on the move. That sums up my life about now.

For anyone who has ever wished they could run away from their lives and go somewhere else to start a new life…I’m living your dream!

In all the midst of promoting my latest book, All That Shimmers, I’ve also been packing to move across Canada. Who knew I had so many copies of my own books for events and whatnot let alone friend’s books and my TBR pile? You know you have a problem when you plan to take more books than kitchen accessories!

Now that the kids are grown and doing their own great things, and a few other things haven’t gone the way I’d hoped, it seemed like a good time to hit the road and “go back home.” Yup, I said it. It won’t be a Hallmark movie. I guarantee that. There was no high school sweetheart. No guy I left—or who left me—at the altar.

I’m looking forward to going back to see family and old friends.

To spend time writing without other responsibilities for a little while. Until a new job comes along, that is! A writer needs to eat and pay rent, you know.

And feed their adoring cats!

Ash and Jazz, my furry companions whom I’ve dubbed the Hallelujah Chorus, will be joining me. To date, they don’t travel well. My hope is that after an hour on the road they’ll give up singing and take a nap. After 8 hours in the car, they might plot my death once we reach the hotel though.

I used to be afraid of so many things in life. Death, taxes, driving the 401 freeway in Ontario, but after all the changes I’ve had to deal with in the past few years I’m ready for a challenge. In the past couple weeks, I’ve done some interesting things:

· Bought a new-to-me car.

· Rented a new apartment sight unseen.

· Packed everything I own and figuring out how to Tetris it all into my new-to-me car.

· Said goodbye to friends and co-workers, some I’ve known for nearly 18 years, worked with, wrote with, and trained with.

· Mapped out a route to drive 3300ish kilometers across the country alone over 5 days with 2 cats and staying in 4 hotels.

· Scanned hundreds of journals, school photos, family photos and the like so I have less paper to move.

· Learned how to use the cool new features of said new-to-me car.

· Took about a thousand deep breaths and wondered if I was doing the right thing—only to have more things happen to remind me that I have great things awaiting. I’ll be able to share more of those down the road.

In the meantime, there’s more packing and scanning to do and cat stuff to prepare.

Then I’ll set out for my drive across Canada.

I’ll let you know how it goes!

Diane

https://bwlpublishing.ca/bator-diane/

Valerian and the city of a thousand planets - by Vijaya Schartz

Find Vijaya's science fiction at BWL

A phantasmagorie of epic proportions. A thousand worlds anchored into one single city floating in space. Virtual worlds to be sure, but worlds nevertheless, where people thrive and tourism brings millions of humans and alien species. I love the graphics, and the many worlds Luc Besson brought to life.

Impressive photography, I loved all the alien races represented and the many worlds, with their different civilizations. There, a tourist can travel through the universe without leaving the safety of the city in space. A very lucrative business, to be sure.

Of course, all repairs and maintenance are performed by robots... including security, by a cylon-like race of faceless military giants.

The heroes are young and fearless, kind and selfless.

Some aliens are peaceful and idealistic.

They have cute pets that can reproduce whatever you feed them... including priceless energy pearls... which they use to create their own virtual world.

 But that world is threatened by greedy humans, bent on owning the adorable pets for the sake of controlling energy sources.

I loved that famous actors and personalities play secondary roles... including Rihana, who portrays an alien shapeshifter who helps the heroes along the way.

And of course, there are the alien races. Here are a few examples:

And the various habitats of the thousand planets, and the technology, the spacecraft...

All in all, the movie, like Avatar, is an experience you do not want to miss. As for the story and the characters, unlike in Avatar, I found them too simple, and the characters too young and lacking a back story, not deep enough to be interesting. 

Still, if you like science fiction, you will want to see it.


Vijaya Schartz
  Action, Romance, Mayhem
  http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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