M is for MARVEL UNIVERSE

Welcome to Yes, This Will Be On the Test.

Waving to visitors, new followers, and fellow A to Z participants. I’m sending virtual hugs to you all for taking a moment to stop by.

I’ll be sharing my “take-aways.” All those snigglets, golden nuggets, and lessons learned from other creative sources.

Scroll down this link to find other wonderful A to Z participants.

The Marvel Universe is my Oz.

Love these peeps...

  

 And don't forget these guys...

And here's the part where you "boo" and "hiss" 

Apologies to the many, I've left out.

List of Avengers.

Shout out to -  

Astrophysicist Jane Foster! 

Hello positive female role model. Mensa material, and she's got great taste in guys.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention - 

Stan Lee + Joss Whedon = Brilliance

The Marvel Universe is an intricate, wacky, adrenaline-inducing blast!

I am so intrigued by the way the Avenger movies and the Agents of Shield television show intertwine. 

Coulson's team cleaned up after the Dark Elves from Thor 2, and you never know when an Asgardian is going to show up in your neck of the woods. 

And who doesn't want that kickin' plane on the Agents of Shield or Tony Stark's tech.

My son will disown me if I don't raise the roof for the comic book versions and graphic novels that bring the Marvel universe to your fingertips. Marvel comics were the conduit that turned my reluctant reader into a reader.

Should I mention...

Probably not.

My son did see it and said the scenery and special effects were off the charts amazing. Too bad the show never really found itself -

BUT WAIT

It's coming to LAS VEGAS!

I admit to owning (one version - there are many) music from the show. And YES, I will be traveling to Vegas via bifrost to see it.

If you're not into any of this - you can still enjoy a delicious beverage.

Geek out complete...for now.

TAKE AWAY - Why write a single story when you can build a universe?

C is for COMIC CON

Welcome to Yes, This Will Be On the Test.

Waving to visitors, new followers, and fellow A to Z participants. I’m sending virtual hugs to you all for taking a moment to stop by.

I’ll be sharing my “take-aways.” All those snigglets, golden nuggets, and lessons learned from other creative sources.

Yep, I'm a pop culture fangirl.

Star Wars, The Avengers, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Agents of Shield, Once Upon a Time, Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, American Horror Story, Girls, Dr. Who, Firefly - Really anything involving Joss Whedon...

I could go on, but you might run screaming from your computer.

Mecca for we pop culture fans is Comic Con. Every July in San Diego, California we come together to revel in fandom bliss.

There are panels, presentations, costumes, and a exhibition cavern that makes you feel like you've died and gone to fandom heaven. I really love that YA lit. panels are a part of the celebration every year. It makes me dance a jig that kid lit. has a niche at Comic Con.

Yes, at my house we had multiple laptops up and running to score tickets for "The Con" - just like the episode of BIG BANG THEORY. 

TAKE AWAY:

Fans rock. Geeking out to favorite stories and characters across mediums is a way of showing the love we feel for the chance authors give us to escape into other worlds, times, places, people. 

Now fess up - what makes you go fanboy or fangirl?

Fivers

Thank you so much, C.LeeMcKenzie, author and blogger extraordinaire over at The Write Game blog, for passing on positive vibes with the following awards. Look for her new middle grade novel, Alligators Overhead.

The task for this award is to name your five favorite books. I can't, I just can't. It's like picking a favorite child. 

I'm an audiobook nut, so I'll pick five YA audiobooks that kept the ear buds firmly planted in my noggin.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

2. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

3. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

4. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

5. The Chaos Walking Trilogy: The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

Don't you just love anything with the word fabulous in it?

Fabulous Moments:

1. Applauding as my daughter graduated with a BA in English from UC Irvine - Yes, another writer has entered the ranks

2. Watching my son on stage - so talented

3. Sitting on the beach from sunset until the stars come out

4. The first day I meet a new class of fifth graders

5. Reconnecting with a friend I thought I'd never see again

Five Things I Love:

1. Writing by the fire, wearing fuzzy socks

2. Snuggling with all three cats at once

3. Road trips

4. A story that moves me to tears

5. Watching my students sneak-read a book they can't put down in class 

Five Things I Dislike:

1. Dream stealers

2. Meaness

3. Joss Whedon killing off characters I love

4. Narrow, inflexible minds

5. Double dippers at a party

I'm going off book here for passing on these awards. Instead of naming names, I award anyone who:

1. Listens to audiobooks

2. Has met one of their favorite authors in person

3. Married their childhood sweetheart

4. Has a child who is pursuing a life in the arts

5. Is going to Comic Con in San Diego this month

Please let us know as you pick up an award so we can click your link and visit your blog.

I'd can't wait to hear your stories.


Giveaway over at Journeys of Wonder this week.

Hooray for Comic Con 2011

What is this phenom called Comic Con?

Let me start by sharing their mission statement:

Comic-Con International is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of, and appreciation for, comics and related popular art forms, primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.

To me “The Con” is the place where I can get my fan-geek on without being judged as I soak up the latest on Star Wars, Superheroes, Hobbit, True Blood, Dexter, Big Bang Theory, Vampire Diaries, Glee, Twilight, Torchwood, Dr. Who (list too long to continue) and of course fantastic YA and MG authors/books. It’s an awesome platform to promote your work.

My feelings about Comic Con 2011 are bittersweet. I’m delighted there were multiple panels devoted to MG and YA literature this year, but sad that I didn’t get to see them. To channel my inner-Scarlett O’Hara I say, “As God as my witness, I will never miss Comic Con again.”

As a special treat today, I have an interview with one of this year’s Comic Con attendees, Cameron Rose.

What is the pull of Comic Con for you?

I like being a fan of what some consider “geek culture.” Aside from seeing movies, TV shows, and reading comics there’s really no other way than Comic Con to celebrate my appreciation for the huge umbrella that is popular culture in one place. There is nothing quite like being there in person when something exciting happens like Joss Whedon announcing there will be a DOCTOR HORRIBLE 2.

What were the best costumes you saw this year?

The best, and frankly most exciting was seeing Garrus and Shepard from the MASS EFFECT video game series. I saw more people dressed as the 11^th Dr. Who character than anything else. There were at least three really well put together Dalek costumes from the Dr. Who series.

Did you dress up?

I was Spiderman, my personal favorite superhero, but my goal was to make the worst Spiderman costume possible. I think I succeeded.

What were your favorite panels?

THE best panel was Joss Whedon. He’s my favorite writer and he’s made all my favorite shows like BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and FIREFLY. (RIP FIREFLY) What made the panel so great was its format of just a simple Q&A between Joss and the fans. Something a proud Browncoat can appreciate very much.

Note: Browncoats are dedicated fans of the show, FIREFLY.

The Dr. Who panel was also fantastic. I love the show. Being a Dr. Who fan in America can be a lonely pastime. Being in a room with thousands of people cheering and screaming for Matt Smith (the 11^th Dr. Who) and Karen Gillan (Amy Pond, his companion) was a totally new and incredible experience.

Anything else you’d like to share about Comic Con?

I think it’s great that the actors, authors, and writers that speak on the panels seem just as excited to be there as us fans. It makes you feel like you have a real connection to these people whose work we love and admire.

Thank you, Cameron.

My lifelong dream is to someday be on a Comic Con panel promoting my own work. What about you?


Did anyone see any of the YA or MG lit. panels at "The Con?"

Many of the Comic Con Panels are available on YouTube. Browse and enjoy. Here is a post from DM Cunningham that guides you to the kid lit. panels.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has a Comic Con story or aspiration. Hope to see you all there next year.