Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Twitter

Before I published my first book in April 2012, I decided to take the plunge and join Twitter. I seriously had no idea how it worked, and found the hashtag thing rather strange. Fast forward to 16k tweets later, and I'm definitely considered an addict. While there are times I know I spend way too much perusing what's known to be The Drainer of All Time, there are so many benefits to being active in this social media phenomenon.

Reason #5: World news! Okay, this is probably not something to brag about, but I don't watch news anymore, and I steer clear of the newspapers, so I get most of my news through Twitter and Facebook. There's something satisfying about talking to other people around the world when tragedy strikes, as if we can find comfort in knowing there are others experiencing the same kind of reaction.

Reason #4: Human interaction! Let me explain—I went from an extremely social job in which I helped (usually angry) people all day long to sitting in my little writing den out on our farm. My daily communication with people while my family is gone for the day becomes limited to whomever I chat with online, or the friends I text. There are days this is the small string that holds my sanity together.

Reason #3: The fandom! Its no secret I'm crazy about shows like The Walking Dead, and I love that I can rehash each episodes with other fans from around the world. I love that I can connect with others who are into the same musicians, and carry passions for the same books and authors. It's like being a member of several fan clubs without having to pay any dues.

Reason #2: The celebrities! Getting followed by Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead) made me scream so loud my husband thought someone had died, and shamelessly, having my tweet read by Chris Hardwick (host of Talking Dead, show that reviews episodes of The Walking Dead) on live TV was like winning a Grammy. I save each and every tweet I receive directly from a celebrity because it feels just as satisfying as an autograph. Being a fangirl of amazing authors, these are just a few of the tweets I've received that just about sent me over the edge:

@naumannbooks thank you so much! And darn, I would have loved to meet you! Next time I hope :-)
— Kendare Blake (@KendareBlake) September 27, 2013

@naumannbooks Check my profile, girl. Check that check!
— Isaac Marion (@isaacinspace) September 27, 2013

#1: The friendships! I've made so many friends through Twitter—some started out as fans of my writing and became my friends, some I've started blogs and businesses with, some have become my beta readers and critique partners, some I've spent hours virtually chatting with while partaking in adult beverages, others I have met in person or have plans to meet in the near future. It blows my mind to think how ten years ago, meeting strangers from across the country (or even the world) online was inconceivable.

Maybe this is just me trying to justify to myself why I spend so much time on social networks, or maybe it's just proving what a pathetic life I have. Either way, I don't really care. Twitter has been life-changing, and extremely resourceful. I plan to tweet until someone physically removes my phone from my hands.

New Favorite Author Alert!

Earlier on this blog, I shared just how much I loved the movie Warm Bodies and mentioned that I seriously enjoyed the book it was based on (I freaking adored the story of Julie and 'R'). I may have even developed a small fangirl crush on the author, Isaac Marion. Not only does the guy write about zombies (my absolute fav), but he can sing (his haunting alternative album is available on iTunes), he's into tattoos (like myself) and he's FUNNY. As in freaking hilarious. I've had the honor of chatting with him a time or two on Twitter and he never fails to crack me up.

Below is a recent post to his website, announcing that he opened a PO Box. Just try not to laugh when reading it.

Dare I say, Isaac Marion has officially replaced Stephen King and J.K. Rowling as my favorite author. While he may not quite be in their league yet, the fact that I'm able to actually interact with someone whose writing I adore makes him king of the written word on my list. Now that you understand just how much I admire his writing, you can about imagine my excitement to learn (from the author himself) that he's hoping to release a prequel to Warm Bodies later this month!

Will we get to learn the story of 'R' before the zombie outbreak? Will we get to experience the horror of the outbreak first catching on through our beloved characters' eyes? Will I be able to wait any longer?

Even though I already own the Kindle version of Warm Bodies, I bought the original hardcover and shipped it to Washington for Mr. Marion's autograph. If he's reading this blog (first I'm going to go crawl into a corner and die of embarrassment) I promise that I won't be sending anything toxic anytime soon. Because that would be just dumb. You have way more brilliance to share with this world.

Movie Review: Warm Bodies ( A Flick With Heart...and Brains!)

With a four hour road trip, I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening of Warm Bodies last night. If you follow me at all, then you already know that I've been dying to see this movie ever since I finished the brilliant book by Isaac Marion. I'm a zombie junkie, having written my own zombie book and being obsessed with The Walking Dead. I'm always on the lookout for anything unusual in the genre, like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. As shown in the movie trailers, the premise of Warm Bodies is based on a zombie boy somehow changing after he falls in love with a living girl. A hardcore zombie fan recently told me, "I don't know if I'm ready for the 'power of love' curing zombies," but I'm here to tell you that this story is so much more than than some sappy love story.

True to the book, Warm Bodies had a little bit of everything: comedy, heart-warming moments, action and romance. In Marion's zombie apocalypse, the dead are able to function and retain a little piece of their former selves, although they only see flashes of their old lives. Still, they can open doors and operate record players. With a little effort, they're even able to say a few words at a time. I've heard people say that they're completely turned off by this concept, but since a zombie apocalypse has never actually happened, we don't know what it would really be like. We can only pretend through the magic of writing and cinema.

The hero in our story simply goes by 'R' as he can't remember his name. He wants to connect with someone. He collects things he finds, like snow globes and vinyl records. He wants to feel human again. When out on a "hunting expedition" for food, 'R' becomes smitten with a pretty blonde girl and decides to bring her back to their hive at an abandoned airport (right after he eats a part of her boyfriend's brain and is able to glimpse into some of the couple's past experiences). The whole story is focused on this couple getting to know each other and trying to understand what is happening when 'R' begins changing for the better. This is as far as I want to go with the plot as I don't want to ruin it for others who haven't read the book and want to see the movie (but you really should read the book if you haven't).

While you may find it hard to grasp the concept that a girl could fall in love with a zombie, I remind you how so many of us were quick to believe that a girl could fall in love with a creepy vampire who seems completely repelled by her and watches her sleep at night. 'R' is nothing but sweet to Julie from the very beginning (except maybe for the part where he smeared his zombie blood on her face, but that was only to keep her from smelling like fresh meat), and becomes more and more "human like" as the story progresses. Dare I say, this was a much better love story than Twilight.

The only beef I walked away with after seeing Warm Bodies involved the music. I know it's kind of a petty thing, but I'm moved by a good soundtrack and this one just didn't cut it. And I had high hopes when The Black Keys were used for the trailers. Only one song stood out from the rest in one scene when 'R' and Julie are parting ways. Otherwise, meh. I get that some of the songs had to be old since they're being played from old records, but there are much better choices they could have used. The songs were so blah that I can't even remember off hand what they were, other than Guns and Roses's Don't Cry, which was totally appropriate for the scene.

Overall, I was not disappointed with how the story came to life on the big screen. Sure there were major parts cut out (like the marriage of 'R' to a random zombie girl and their adopted children) and the ending was altered somewhat, but the most important things, like the heart and soul of the story, were well preserved. The Boneys (creepy corpses who have deteriorated to nearly a skeletal remain and show no sign of human nature) were as terrifying as I had pictured them, the best friend to 'R' ('M') was the hilarious side kick the readers of the book had come to expect, and 'R' was every bit as likable as our narrator and guide through this unusual experience.

My 22-year-old step-daughter was my date and had not read the book. She laughed quite often along with myself and the rest of the audience (including some super annoying cacklers). After it was over, she told me with a bright smile, "That was really good!"So who should go see Warm Bodies? Zombie lovers, people who like Isaac Marion's book, hopeless romantics, anyone who likes a good laugh and anyone who can really appreciate a really moving story. I guess that covers just about everyone. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say this movie has earned a solid 9. It was that good.

Catch it in theaters on February 1st.

Coming To a Theater Near You

Whenever my three favorites (books, paranormal and movies) come together, I get a little bit anxious and a whole lot of excited. Can there be anything more thrilling than seeing your beloved characters coming to life before your very eyes? I know at times it can be a major letdown when there's bad casting or if favorite scenes are cut, but you have to keep in mind that there is a time limit to how long you want your butt placed in that uncomfortable chair while stuffing your face with junk. While the books cover every little detail, on the big screen we are given the bare bones.

With the plethora of upcoming flicks I have discovered in the past few weeks, I just may explode. Here is a rundown of the three that have me fan-girling like a fool:

Warm Bodies

Since I am looking forward to this movie the most, it's up first. A Twitter friend told me a while back to read this book. I put it in my queue and kind of forgot about it. Then the movie trailer came out and I was totally kicking myself for not listening to my friend sooner. I devoured this delightful read in a matter of a few days and became a big fan of Isaac Marion. I wrote my own zombie book The Day Zombies Ruined My Perfectly Boring Life when I was craving something unusual and wanted a realistic heroine who wasn't prepared to shoot guns and run for her life. Warm Bodies takes the unusual one step further by telling it from the point of view of a zombie who only goes by "R" (he doesn't remember everything from life before he turned). When he meets a girl (and eats the brain of her boyfriend, thus absorbing some of his memories) he slowly begins to evolve into a regular human again. The book had some very light-hearted and comedic parts to it, but there was a deeper story of humanity and love that really sucked me in. If you haven't read the book, I suggest you drop everything and do so now. The trailer makes it appear that they did a good job of following the story in Isaac's book.

World War Z

Interestingly enough, I recently started reading this book and can't get into it as much. Part of the problem was probably that I just finished Warm Bodies, which is more of an adventure while this book is told as a report of events as they happened. Still, the preview for the movie look insanely good. I read somewhere that the creators of this movie felt zombies would have a primal instinct, much like a lioness chasing her prey, and let me tell you, these zombies definitely have that! If you haven't seen the trailer yet, these zombies are crazy fast. While I lack any kind of athletic skills, I still think I could outrun the traditional zombie so long as I wasn't injured. If I saw a zombie coming at me on a dead run, however, I ask to be shot by someone immediately. This movie has potential to be a big blockbuster, considering the growing number of The Walking Dead fans. And it doesn't hurt that Brad Pitt is looking as hot as ever with his long hair, either.

The Mortal Instruments

Again, this was a book I couldn't really get into. It was okay, but I think that I had just read a string of paranormal books and was getting burned out by them. After seeing the trailer, however, I've decided to give it another chance and have returned it to my to-read list. The movie looks to have a bit of a Constantine feel to it (one of my all-time favorite movies), only the main characters are young. I love the idea that there are certain things in this world others can't see. As an added bonus, there is a battle with honest-to-goodness vampires, not the sparkling kind who want to be your boyfriend.

I'll admit, I'm both thrilled and insanely jealous to see these books come to the big screen. After all, having your story come to life is the ultimate compliment. Are any of these movies on your "must see" list, or are there other book adaptations coming out in 2013 that you are looking forward to?