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RIP Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury was one of those authors that you just couldn’t forget. I first read his book Farenheit 451 in my 9th grade English class and I’ll never forget how horrified I was at the world he portrayed. A world where books were outlawed? No way, I thought. But it didn’t take me long to realize it isn’t an impossible reality.
Thus began my love affair with dystopian literature. And my love of writing it. And for that, Ray Bradbury will be one of my favorite authors.
Here are some of my favorite quotes from the man himself.
“Love is the answer to everything. It’s the only reason to do anything. If you don’t write stories you love, you’ll never make it. If you don’t write stories that other people love, you’ll never make it.”
“I don’t try to describe the future. I try to prevent it.”
“If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
RIP and Godspeed, Ray Bradbury. The world is less bright today because you’re not in it.
Fish Friday: The Electric Eel
Today on fish friday, I’ve decided to talk a bit about one of the most fascinating creatures of the fish world. The electric eel.
Now this interesting little guy doesn’t look like much, but he can pack a powerful punch. He’s capable of generating electrical shocks of up to 600 volts and 1 amperes! (Keep in mind that any voltage of 40 or as little as 20milliamperes–far, far less than the 1ampere the fish produces–is considered lethal to humans.) They use three unique organs called the main organ, the Hunter’s organ, and the Sach’s organ that create low volume and high volume electrical shocks through the use of electrolytes.
Here it is lightning a Christmas tree in Japan.
They use this electricity to kill their food, and also as a form of radar, sending small pulses from it’s body to determine the size and location of their food.
A little bit more about this strange creature is that it’s not really an eel, but a fish. It’s actually a knifefish and more closely related to the catfish, than an eel. Like catfish, they’re bottom dwellers. However, unlike the catfish (though some catfish CAN do this), they breath air. Having to go to the surface every 10 minutes or so to breath, before returning to the bottom.
And here’s an awesome clip from my son’s favorite show, RIVER MONSTERS.
As seen in that clip they live in the fresh waters of the Amazon and Orizon rivers in South America. They are generally seen in muddy or stagnant waters. They can grow to about 6′ 7″ in length and up to 44 pounds. They can have as many as 3,000 babies at each hatching.
Tip Thursday
Okay, so…I thought since we’re getting close to my release I’d do a twist on my old tip Thursday, where I offered tips on writing. This time, it’ll be tips about Elysium. If you want to live in Elysium, you’re going to need to know a few things about it.
Wating On Wednesday: ANGEL EYES
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| “Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. |
My selection for this week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:
Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the world through . . .
ANGEL EYES
Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.
Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.
Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.
A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.
Happy Book Birthday: DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE
Happy Book Birthday to fellow apocalypsie and Floridian Jenny Torres Sanchez and her awesome book:
THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING CHARLIE by Jenny Torres Sanchez (Running Press)
Charlie is handed a crappy senior year. Despite losing thirty pounds over the summer, he still gets called “Chunks” Grisner. What’s worse, he has to share a locker with the biggest Lord of the Rings freak his school has ever seen. He also can’t figure out whether Charlotte VanderKleaton, the beautiful strawberry lip-glossed new girl, likes him the way he likes her. Oh, and then there’s his mom. She’s disappeared—again—and his dad won’t talk about it.
Somewhere between the madness, Charlie can at least find comfort in his one and only talent that just might get him out of this life-sucking place. But will he be able to hold his head above water in the meantime?
