Time to get caught up on the blog posts for VEDA! Uh, that’s about 20 videos to catch up on.
For this one, I did something called the Social Media Book Tag. I had to relate different books to different social media platforms, based on the nature of those platforms. It was an interesting exercise. Find out what I said:
Which books would you relate to the social media platforms? Here’s a list of the questions:
Twitter- Your favorite shortest book.
Facebook- A book everybody pressured you into reading.
Tumblr- A book you read before it was cool.
Myspace- A book you don’t remember whether you liked or not.
Instagram- A book that was so beautiful you had to Instagram it.
Youtube- A book you wish would be turned into a movie.
Goodreads- A book you recommend to everyone.
Skype- A book with characters that you wish you could talk to instead of just reading about.
I got a bit behind on my VEDA blog posts! So, time to catch up. First up is my summer reading list. I admit I’ve been pretty bad at reading lately, and I keep telling myself I’ll take half an hour or an hour every night to read. But that hasn’t happened. I need to!
But here is my summer reading plan:
Here’s the list, in case you missed it:
Theft of Swords, by Michael J. Sullivan
Consider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks
Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson
If you didn’t watch the video, you’re missing out on a lot.
Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought of them. Also, what are you reading the rest of this summer?
Recently, J. K. Rowling celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Piers Morgan responded by calling it hogwartswash. Basically, he insulted it. But Piers Morgan is well-known for being a jerk. I made a video addressing this, and I stated why Harry Potter is important. Check it out.
A lot of people started reading because of Harry Potter. It created a whole generation of readers. Some of you reading this right now may have started reading because of it.
How important is Harry Potter to you? Let me know in the comments.
I’ve always wanted to do a live stream on YouTube. It’s been available for YouTube Partners (that’s anyone who has monetized their videos) for quite a while now, but recently, they started mobile live streaming. For my first live stream, I went the mobile path.
I was able to set it up with no problems, though the thumbnail ended up being a bit strange. It was sideways. I fixed that, but it still appears on social media sideways.
So, what I did on the live stream is a Q&A. It was my 1 year anniversary making Booktube videos earlier this month, and I asked for some questions. I answered them in a nearly 25 minute live stream. It’s different than regular videos, because you are broadcasting live. Your viewers can leave comments in the live chat, which showed up on my screen, so I could interact with my viewers. And you know what? I found it to be pretty fun. I had far fewer problems saying what I wanted to say on the live stream than I do on a regular video. I made notes for what I was going to say, which I often do for videos, but I didn’t have to worry about being perfect. On video, I edit a lot, and I do many takes. But for live stream, there’s only one take and no editing. It goes up as is. And it is available on my channel. So, here is my live stream:
But just for fun, there was another live stream earlier, which I kept unlisted. It doesn’t appear on my YouTube channel. What I did was a test, and things turned out a bit differently than expected. Consider this a blooper. Enjoy!
I hope you were able to stick around for the entire live stream. Thanks for watching! Comments are appreciated.
Ever want to give up your life and transport yourself into the book you’re reading? Just completely start a new life and become someone new, living in a new place. It’s quite likely a lot of people do. One of the great things about reading books is the ability of the readers to lose themselves in the book. Some are great to live in, others not. What would we choose?
Question 136 – If you could live in any book, which one would you choose?
Game of Thrones? To live in dark times where I’d probably die? No thanks. Love the books, don’t want to live there. Harry Potter? To be a wizard would fun, most definitely. Maybe in Terry Brooks’s world in “Kingdom For Sale, Sold“. The main character lives in today’s world but finds a portal to a magical kingdom. I like that so I could travel back and forth between worlds.
If I could live in any book… I think I would live in In Siege of Daylight. Not just for self-promotional purposes, but because if anyone knows all the secret ins and outs of the world and could use that to his advantage, it would be ME. I know the history. I know what everyone is thinking. I know the magic system. I know the secret passages, secret societies, secret affairs… I know it all.
I think it could be pretty fun to play in my own sandbox. 🙂
That is a tricky one. I’m not sure there’s any book where I’d want to live, not with all the awful things that happen to some of the characters! Could you imagine living in Westeros? No thank you very much.
This is a tough one because so many stories are set in the middle of serious conflict for obvious reasons. While that makes for good story, it’s not the safest place to live, and I’m not sure I’d last long in a battle of wits, much less swords or sorcery. The Harry Potter universe probably gets my vote. I can settle down with a nice magical ice cream and cake shop and have little to worry about other than competition with Florean Fortescue.
Hmmm…that’s actually a really tough question, mainly because of the types of books I read. I wouldn’t want to live in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series for sure…way too short a lifespan. And I read a lot of Stephen King books, but, I mean…come on. I considered the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, but given the nature of the ending of those books, perhaps not.
I read way too much horror and bloody adventure to answer this question in a way that wouldn’t immediately result in my impending death. Maybe I can just say one of the manga series I read? Yeah, sure, let’s go with that. “Fruits Basket” seems like a safe enough universe to live in. lol
I think I’d have to say Narnia. ​That series will always have a special place in my heart, and I think Narnia would be (most of the time) a wonderful place to live. ​I grew up reading those books (like many kids grew up reading Harry Potter), and I always wished I could find a secret wardrobe of my own.
The ending of The Light of Other Days by Stephen Baxter (based on a synopsis by Arthur C. Clarke) is about as utopian as they come, so I’ll go with that.
Whichever book I’d pick, it would be the end of the book. Living at the beginning is where everything goes wrong. The stakes are high in the middle, and I’ve already got enough stress to deal with. No, sir. If I’m going to set up house in a book, I’m taking the happy ending section and living out my years there.
Joy of Sex. Just kidding. My books? I’m not sure I’d want to live in the worlds I imagine; they are scary places. Other people’s? I don’t know, maybe Anne McCaffrey’s Pern? Other than Thread (I know!), it seems like a really cool place. I’d really like a fire lizard, too. I’m too old at this point to Impress a dragon, but that would have been even cooler. I’m not sure beyond that. I kind of like where I am now, for the most part.
I would probably live in my own books, because I know all the hotspots and the nice safe interesting places — whereas in most of the books I’ve read, the concentration has always been on Danger! and Adventure! and Disaster! and I personally don’t want to be anywhere near that stuff. I’ve outgrown the fluffy nice worlds I read as a kid, and definitely don’t want to live in the dark fantasy/military space opera stuff I read now — too many explosions. Though, hey, maybe Beta Colony from Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga… That might be nice…
Paul took my answer! I’d love to live on Pern, but as it is a long series covering hundreds of years, things change a lot over that time. I would love to be a part of the Dragonsdawn period, which is the very beginning. The chance to explore would be amazing. But the period around The Masterharper of Pern might be nice, even to be taught by Robinton himself. Other than that, I’d love to live in 3001: The Final Odyssey. The technological advances and the ability to travel between the planets would be remarkable. Although I wasn’t thrilled by the book, the way life was seemed peaceful. You could study and explore anything you wanted. Sounds nice!
How about you?
If you could live in any book, which one would you choose? Let us know in the comments section below.
On June 8, I celebrated my first anniversary of making videos for Booktube. If you don’t know what Booktube is, it’s a very friendly corner of YouTube completely occupied by people who love reading! And no, it doesn’t have a specific URL.
I’ve been running my channel since the summer of 2009 (8 years!), but have only been making videos steadily for the past year when I decided to make videos about books, reading, and writing. I also dabble in Star Trek, movies, and the occasional travel video (more on that in a later post!). But for now, let’s talk about Booktube.
I made a video talking about this very topic. I also announced a Q&A. So, I want you to go down to the comments section and leave me a question. It can be about anything. I’ll be making another video next week answering all the questions. So, this is your chance!
Feels good to be making regular videos again. I didn’t upload a lot, but they are pretty regular booktube videos. I was able to upload 3 videos, all to my main channel. I’m going to do a quick vlog for the science channel tomorrow, and resume regular uploads for it.
On my main channel, there are a couple regular videos plus a new tag I dreamed up while out walking. Let’s take a look.
I started off with my monthly wrap-up and TBR video. Excited about one of the books I’ll be reading soon.
Since it’s spring, and I really like seeing the colour green popping up everywhere, I created the Spring Green Book Tag. It’s an original!
And finally, the return of Authors Answer. This time, I talk about the books I’m writing.
Coming up in the next week will be some new science videos, as well as more Star Trek! I’m looking forward to that.
Which video did you enjoy the most? Let me know in the comments below.
It’s no secret I’ve had little luck with writing lately. I’m not going to repeat the reasons here. But I have learned a few things while I haven’t been writing much.
Stories keep piling up.
I keep thinking about different story ideas. And they don’t stop. They’re in my mind, and they keep multiplying.
Taking other creative avenues.
I’m still remaining creative. My creativity has moved largely to YouTube. With my new science channel, I’ve been working a lot more on the editing and trying to make it look better.
I’m not reading more.
I’m writing less, but I’m not reading more. My reading seems to suffer when I don’t write. Why would that be?
Being busy doesn’t help.
I’ve been busy in many ways. This really doesn’t help my writing. If my days were simpler, I’d be able to write a lot more. But life isn’t simple.
While I may not be writing much, I’m still thinking about the books I want to write. And I want to write many.
The Parting of New Shores. What in the world could that mean? I thought this would be an interesting title, and I was very interested in seeing how it would be interpreted. And now you’ll see!
So what happened with last week’s stories? Check out Dodecahedron to read the stories. The winner is… a tie? C E Aylett and Paul B. Spence share the win this time!
The Parting of New Shores, a fantasy story set on a tropical island.
A survey crew shipwrecks on an island not marked on any known maps and populated by a yet unknown race of people. They quickly find that these people wanted to remain unnoticed, and why – their island is a wellspring of magical power that civilized nations could only dream of, and can harness this power to make just about anything happen. The people are none too pleased with their new guests, but they’re also reluctant to allow them to go home. And when one of the crew falls in love with an island native, the situation is complicated even further.
The Parting of New Shores (from The Nine and Ninety Tales)
Fantasy Adventure
The Padrah Imesxh has issued a challenge to the people of Isht’in: “Go forth, and part the shores of the unknown!  For the man or woman that can reach the faraway Eastern Realms and return with alliances in trade and knowledge, the reward shall be a Royal Charter of land, coin and a seat among the Wise.”
There is no war to win.  No Dark Lord to defeat.  But power, riches and respect are there for the taking, and Ahtma Ku has need for all three.  With her father’s mare, her mother’s lucky copper coin, and an indomitable will, she sets out to find the eastern end of the world, and all the adventure between.
Summary: Explorers set sail in search of new lands. What they find is a strange new continent that seems to get farther away the more they try to approach it.
Jack and Annie Shore are pregnant with twins. However, both babies mysteriously disappear from the hospital during their first night. Who took the babies and why? What secrets are they hiding?
Summary: Valarie and John met on accident. They didn’t mean to fall in love; they didn’t mean to get married; and they certainly didn’t mean to turn into vampires… it just happened that way. Now they will spend eternity in Love’s Happy Bliss, always seeking the next pair of Young Lovers lounging on the night beaches – after all, teens are easy, delicious prey.
– Summary: Humanity finally accomplishes what it has been dreaming of for millennia: discovers intelligent life on a distant planet. All seems well at first, as the two species’ curiosity in each other takes precedence, but soon a grave event sets in motion the beginnings of the greatest war the universe has ever seen.
Synopsis: The big quake finally hit, and California has separated from the mainland and is moving north rapidly. It wouldn’t have been so bad for Jill and Tom, except that the zombie plague erupted out of the fault, and now they are trapped on a large island, moving into an uncertain future, with zombies trying to eat their brains.
Summary: A billionaire has a dream, in which he receives orders from God: “Leave this place, and go to another planet I will show you, a land flowing with milk and honey.” He overcomes resistance, bureaucracy, and sabotage to build and launch the first colony ship, destination unknown. But among those who join him are some who are determined to make him fail, at all costs.
The Parting of New Shores is dramatic story set in New England. Newlyweds, Jim and Sandy Shores return from their honeymoon only to learn that marriage is a lot tougher than it looks. Divorcing is even harder. Amidst angry parents, opinionated friends who hire hitmen, and a war over the wedding china, the one-time lovebirds must amicably sort things out before death parts them forever.
The Carvalians fought a three hundred year war that saw no end. The Gods had no other solution: separate the warring nations. The continents of Shandar and Torollen were born. Kendar Dragonspur lost the love of his life, a new sea forcing them to live apart. Can he find a way to cross the waters and find the woman he loves?
How about you?
Now it’s your turn. Choose a book that you think should be written. Which best fits the title “The Parting of New Shores” in your mind? Vote below, then leave a comment explaining your choice.
Upgrading! There have been a few changes to the channel. The biggest one you’ll notice is that the thumbnails have completely changed! Second thing is that I’ve started using Filmora, but only for one video so far. And third is a new series about World Building. But there’s more to come this coming week on both channels. That’s right, both channels!
On my main channel, I uploaded 5 videos, all with new thumbnails. They’re bolder and look a lot cleaner, I think.
First up is my latest Star Trek Project video with a review of episode 9, “Dagger of the Mind.” Check it out!
Next up is the first world building video. In this one, I introduce the series.
And the same day, I uploaded episode 1 of the world building series, this one talking about how to choose the star for your new world. I used Filmora to edit this video. It uses an overlay!
Up next is my regular weekly Retro Book Review, now with an all new thumbnail. The review is for The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan. Loved the book! Check out the review.
And finally, the regular weekly Authors Answer video. And this one is all about different types of publishing.
There was nothing for my science channel, but I have recorded a couple videos that will be up in the next few days. Those are the channel trailers for my main channel and the science channel. As time permits, I’ll be recording an introductory video for the science channel, as well. Due to a busy work schedule, there will be few videos over the next week.
So, what did you think of the new thumbnails? Let me know what you think of them in the comments below. And also let me know which videos you enjoyed.
The official blog of Jay Dee Archer. Exploring new worlds, real and fictional.
I Read Encyclopedias for Fun 