The past 24 hours has been an emotional roller coaster and I can honestly say that I can't imagine a worse feeling that that which I have felt in this time. However, I got a fantastic gift today that I couldn't wait to share with you.
My friend Rene (Steven's wife) is featured in the latest Chicken Soup for the Soul book called Raising Kids on the Spectrum: 101 Inspirational Stories for Parents of Children with Autism and Asperger's. This title is due for release on April 2, 2013 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon here. As part of her publishing contract with Chicken Soup, Rene was given 10 copies of the book and those books arrived a little bit earlier that we expected. They arrived today rather than near the end of March.
Like I said before, I have had a really, really bad day. When the box arrived, Rene didn't hesitate in pulling the first one out, writing a beautiful inscription and signing it to me. I'm super freaking stoked. I already flipped through to read Rene's story (and laughed my butt off!) and can't wait for the kids to go to bed so I can read the other 100 stories!
If you are a fan of the Chicken soup franchise, know of a family that is raising or has raised a child with Autism/Aserger's Syndrome, or need a really thoughtful gift for a loved one, teacher, etc., you should consider pre-ordering this book.
Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS
Showing posts with label Rene Thompson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rene Thompson. Show all posts
Friday, March 15, 2013
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday Five: 5 Questions with Rene part 2
Continuing my 5 Questions series with Rene, we switched gears to talk about her political activism through Political Commentary. Rene is very intelligent woman and knows her stuff when it comes to politics. She keeps herself informed and abreast of current events. She is also very tolerant of different views/opinions, which I have rarely found in others in the realm of political activism. Even when others do not give her the same courtesy. I respect her so much for that, which is why I decided to interview her on this subject.
Q: You keep a blog about current events. Why did you decide to blog about politics?
A: In any endeavor, if you feel passionate about something, you have to give voice to it. Some stories or issues, it's either write or explode. [I wouldn't have a clue what you mean by that. :P]
Q: What issues are the closest to your heart?
A: Because of my background, I have a real issue with bullies and abuse. Thus, I tend to care most about groups that are abused or disenfranchised like women, minorities, the working poor, etc.
Q: Do you get your political news from any particular sources other than mainstream media?
A: In the morning I start with Google News which gives a spread on everything. I then check the International News sites such as BBC, le Monde and Al Jazeera. Then I check sites like Huffington Post and finally I check news blogs. If I'm looking for news on a specific bill, I'll check Congress.gov, or the Congressional Record. If it's a specific speech, I check YouTube and C-Span. In this way, you get the overview from several angles. [I tried to include the links to these particular places, but forgive me if the links are wrong.]
Q: Do you claim a political party?
A: As my hero, Will Rogers once said, "I belong to no organized political party, I am a Democrat." I go one step further, I am a Progressive Democrat.
Q: How do you feel about political satirist like Jon Daley and theonion.com? Do they hurt or help people understand the current political climate?
A: Humor has always been used to teach and shine a light on politics. I was weaned on Will Rogers and Molly Ivens and love Colbert, the Daily Show, etc.
Have any questions or comments? Post them below!
Q: You keep a blog about current events. Why did you decide to blog about politics?
A: In any endeavor, if you feel passionate about something, you have to give voice to it. Some stories or issues, it's either write or explode. [I wouldn't have a clue what you mean by that. :P]
Q: What issues are the closest to your heart?
A: Because of my background, I have a real issue with bullies and abuse. Thus, I tend to care most about groups that are abused or disenfranchised like women, minorities, the working poor, etc.
Q: Do you get your political news from any particular sources other than mainstream media?
A: In the morning I start with Google News which gives a spread on everything. I then check the International News sites such as BBC, le Monde and Al Jazeera. Then I check sites like Huffington Post and finally I check news blogs. If I'm looking for news on a specific bill, I'll check Congress.gov, or the Congressional Record. If it's a specific speech, I check YouTube and C-Span. In this way, you get the overview from several angles. [I tried to include the links to these particular places, but forgive me if the links are wrong.]
Q: Do you claim a political party?
A: As my hero, Will Rogers once said, "I belong to no organized political party, I am a Democrat." I go one step further, I am a Progressive Democrat.
Q: How do you feel about political satirist like Jon Daley and theonion.com? Do they hurt or help people understand the current political climate?
A: Humor has always been used to teach and shine a light on politics. I was weaned on Will Rogers and Molly Ivens and love Colbert, the Daily Show, etc.
Have any questions or comments? Post them below!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday Five: 5 Questions with Rene Thompson
...about Fan Fiction!
In the 3rd installment of 5 Questions, I interviewed Rene, Steven's wife, about her foray into writing. Rene writes Star Trek fan fiction. I've read tons of fan fiction so I'm somewhat familiar with the lingo (such as the term "ship") but Star Trek was before my generation so I'm not that familiar with it.
As a reminder, my questions are in bold font, the answer is prefaced with A:, and my comments are in [red brackets] to try to make things a little more organized and easier to read.
Q: What kind of fan fiction do you write and why?
Star Trek and occasionally James Bond but the vast majority is Star Trek. I wanted to deal with questions and situation that weren't covered by the writers of the show. What was happening after this scene, how did they react after the conclusion, why were they the way they were, how did they react with other characters in the show that they didn't normally deal with. And, of course, shipping. [A definition of shipping can be found here.]
Q: When did you get into fan fiction?
A: When I was about 13 or 14.
Q: What are some good resources for writers interested in fan fiction?
A: For Star Trek there are some magnificent sites, Memory Alpha and Vulcan Language Dictionary come to mind. If the show has a wiki with detailed background, that will definitely help.
And good grammar book and spell checker.
Also, read a lot of fan fiction of your subject so you can see the problems before you write them yourself. Mary Sue's/Marty Stu's (writing in a perfect character for one of the regulars to fall for) can be well done or it can be total tripe. If you create a "super perfect" person, you don't even have to ask, it's tripe. If you have your regular character doing or saying things that are totally out of character, then it's tripe. [If you can't tell if you have written a Mary Sue or Marty Stu, go here and take the test.]
Q: Are there any rules of etiquette concerning fan fiction that a writer of regular fiction might not know?
A: You MUST acknowledge that this is based on other's work and that the rights to the show are held by someone. You also need to, if your work is more adult, acknowledge that below the title and acknowledgments and credits. In that way, the reader has been warned. Some people, if there is any shipping in the story give the code for the shipping. For Kirk and Uhura it would be K/U, for Spock and Chapel it's S/Ch, you get the idea.
Q: In your opinion, what is the most popular subject of fan fiction?
A: Star Trek, then maybe Harry Potter and Star Wars. [I have read some pretty crazy Harry Potter fan fics! ;)]
Do you have any questions or comments for Rene? Post them in the comments below and I'll pass them along!
In the 3rd installment of 5 Questions, I interviewed Rene, Steven's wife, about her foray into writing. Rene writes Star Trek fan fiction. I've read tons of fan fiction so I'm somewhat familiar with the lingo (such as the term "ship") but Star Trek was before my generation so I'm not that familiar with it.
As a reminder, my questions are in bold font, the answer is prefaced with A:, and my comments are in [red brackets] to try to make things a little more organized and easier to read.
Q: What kind of fan fiction do you write and why?
Star Trek and occasionally James Bond but the vast majority is Star Trek. I wanted to deal with questions and situation that weren't covered by the writers of the show. What was happening after this scene, how did they react after the conclusion, why were they the way they were, how did they react with other characters in the show that they didn't normally deal with. And, of course, shipping. [A definition of shipping can be found here.]
Q: When did you get into fan fiction?
A: When I was about 13 or 14.
Q: What are some good resources for writers interested in fan fiction?
A: For Star Trek there are some magnificent sites, Memory Alpha and Vulcan Language Dictionary come to mind. If the show has a wiki with detailed background, that will definitely help.
And good grammar book and spell checker.
Also, read a lot of fan fiction of your subject so you can see the problems before you write them yourself. Mary Sue's/Marty Stu's (writing in a perfect character for one of the regulars to fall for) can be well done or it can be total tripe. If you create a "super perfect" person, you don't even have to ask, it's tripe. If you have your regular character doing or saying things that are totally out of character, then it's tripe. [If you can't tell if you have written a Mary Sue or Marty Stu, go here and take the test.]
Q: Are there any rules of etiquette concerning fan fiction that a writer of regular fiction might not know?
A: You MUST acknowledge that this is based on other's work and that the rights to the show are held by someone. You also need to, if your work is more adult, acknowledge that below the title and acknowledgments and credits. In that way, the reader has been warned. Some people, if there is any shipping in the story give the code for the shipping. For Kirk and Uhura it would be K/U, for Spock and Chapel it's S/Ch, you get the idea.
Q: In your opinion, what is the most popular subject of fan fiction?
A: Star Trek, then maybe Harry Potter and Star Wars. [I have read some pretty crazy Harry Potter fan fics! ;)]
Do you have any questions or comments for Rene? Post them in the comments below and I'll pass them along!
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