Rewrote most of an important scene, Next one involves "The Amazon"

BBC UK Articles Read: “St Paul's Cathedral protest camp deadline passes" (England), “Executive agrees key priorities for government” (Northern Ireland), “Inverness firm hands over Spanish wave power plant” (Scotland), “Sacked boundary commissioner Paul Wood speaks out” (Wales)

BBC Spanish Article: “Tropas de EE.UU. en Australia: aumenta la apuesta estratégica contra China” (Internacional)

Steps Taken On Operation Abe Lincoln: 0

I wrote two more pages in "A Valiant Effort Today." I also included some more Nordic Mythology into "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh", as well as some Gilgamesh references. I rewrote the majority of a scene in which the characters codenamed "The Protector" and "The Court Jester" go on a mission. When I first wrote it, I glossed over the details so that I could move on to more exciting and emotionally powerful scenes. However, now the object which they are trying to obtain actually has a major impact on the plot. I only stopped because I really need some sleep. The next scene that gets edited involves "The Amazon." She wasn't a planned part of the book: she just kind of showed up and took over. You know you are writing a good story when characters are actually demanding to be a part of it.

"The Patrician" Rises, Will Not Let Her Sidetrack Me

I've been getting a lot of ideas about a character for my series, who shall be codenamed "The Patrician." She is very elegant and refined, but also ruthless and arrogant. However, I want to do a twist on the stereotypical noblewoman. For example, she is highly trained in martial arts and can take as many punches as she gives. She also has the street smarts of a mob hitman (how she got these is my secret...for now). That being said, I don't want to do too much at once, so right now, she is just getting notes in a folder. However, sooner or later, she will make an appearance, and her impact will never be forgotten.

"The Hunger Games" Movie Looks Epic!!!

A few days ago, I saw the trailer for "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Now, I read the book last year at the suggestion of someone I knew at church, who said that my book, "Black Swan Rises: Fionnuala", reminded her of it a little. The key word there is "a little": other than children killing each other in a dystopian world, there are no similarities. Even then, that aspect of my novel was only shown through flashbacks, since Sandra already graduated from Nineveh when it began. I read "The Hunger Games" out of curiousity and found it to be a well-written action story. Katniss' and Peeta's struggle to survive the games was engaging and the reality TV twist was new and innovative. Collins' also did a great job researching wilderness survival and it clearly showed in her work. That being said, I did think it was overhyped. I gave it a solid 'B', but didn't think that it would be the next "Harry Potter" or "Twilight."

Then the trailer changed EVERYTHING!

I am now hooked! The movie looks amazing! I'm betting that it will be even better than the book! Don't believe me? Check out the trailer!

http://gma.yahoo.com/video/movies-26594261/hunger-games-trailer-makes-debut-on-gma-27248969.html

More progress on "A Valiant Effort", Mentors for Sandra and Company

Milestones reached in Operation Abe Lincoln so far: 2

BBC Articles Read: "Man rescued by Birmingham riot-death brothers" (England), "Police in Northern Ireland consider using mini drones" (Northern Ireland), "MSPs clash over strike day plans" (Scotland), "Leveson inquiry: 'Brutal' for Charlotte Church's family" (Wales)

BBC Spanish Article: "Más cerca de los lagos de la luna de Júpiter" (Ciencia)

I actually read a lot more than that this week, but do you really want me to hunt through my notes and paste everything into one blog post?

Anyway, I was really interested in the Birmingham article in particular, because two of my British friends are originally from Birmingham. It was great to read about how Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir were good Samaritans, rescuing Mohammed Akhtar after he was brutally beaten and carjacked. Those guys were truly heroic not only for that, but also for trying to stop the looters during the riots, and it is nice to read about people doing the right thing in the news and bravely giving their lives to defend others.

I typed up three more pages of "A Valiant Effort." Got to the part where me and my coworkers are doing a summer practicum, which was really fun. I also decided to appoint a mentor for Ian, one of Sandra's best friends. Now Sandra, Schyla, Toni, and Ian are all paired up with older girls for "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh." I now know where they get their respective personalities from. Sandra, like her mentor, is very protective and motherly, although she sometimes overdoes it. Schyla, like her mentor, is tough, hot-headed, and has a serious attitude problem, but always backs her friends when they need her. Toni, like her mentor, is very upbeat and funny. Ian, like her mentor, is very thoughtful, observant, and perceptive. Obviously, I am only leaking these details because these characters are copyrighted and already appeared in "Heart of Flesh." Everything else, you are just going to have to wait for.

Dos Santos Owns Velasquez!!!

I went out with a friend tonight to see Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos. I had seen Velasquez destroy Brock Lesnar to win the UFC heavyweight championship, and while I was certain that dos Santos wouldn't go down without a fight, I was betting on the champion. So naturally, dos Santo destroys Velasquez in about a minute. Go figure. I still can't believe it. After clocking Velasquez with a right, he pounced on him like a tiger, pounding him until the referee stopped the match. So much for the epic, five-round encounter I was expecting to justify me not watching it at home.

(Image from sports.yahoo.com)

"A Valiant Effort" Takes The Forefront Once More, Fleshing Out Toni's Mentor, Will Zimmerman gets me hooked on "Sanctuary"

BBC Articles Read: “Harry Redknapp and Milan Mandaric in tax evasion trial” (England), “Fermanagh businessman Sean Quinn declared bankrupt” (Northern Ireland), “EIS teaching union threatens strike action” (Scotland), “Ysbyty Ifan honours El Bandito's memory with plaque” (Wales)

BBC Spanish Article: “La muerte de Blake Mora complica el escenario en México” (América Latina)

Make-up Articles: “MoD dismisses wounded soldiers redundancy plan” and “Minister Francis Maude urges '15-minute strike'” (UK Politics), “Free nursery places for 140,000 disadvantaged toddlers” and “Private schools cutting spending in downturn” (UK Education)

Operation Abe Lincoln results: 2 milestones reached.

I made the decision to continue working on "A Valiant Effort." I will still work on "Black Swan Origins: Nineveh" as well, but "A Valiant Effort" is my priority. In other words, if I have another crazy week like this one and only have time to work on one, it will be "A Valiant Effort." I also wrote a small excerpt in which Toni's mentor talks about the new leadership of the gang founded by Sandra's elder sisters. I don't think she's fully come into her own yet, but she is getting there. Basically, she's a free-spirited, happy-go-lucky prankster, but I want her humor to be appropriate to the dark fantasy vibe of the story (i.e. no whoopie-cushions). I'll probably have to write two or three more excerpts before she finally jumps off the phrase and I get to yell "She's alive! SHE'S ALIVE" and laugh like a maniac.

Late last night, after watching WWE Smackdown, I watched an episode of "Sanctuary." My favorite part was the backstory of Dr. Will Zimmerman and his relationship with his father, which was told in flashbacks as he lay recovering in Liberia. The main plot with Dr. Helen Magnus dealing with thieves and smugglers was alright, and it was certainly fun to see the main bad guy be an Irish mobster-type villain. That being said, Will (masterfully portrayed by Robin Dunne) was the one who kept my attention and is my favorite character in the show. I can't wait until next week's episode.

(Photo from en.wikipedia.org. It's being used for Fair Use/Commentary only and its rights are retained by the original copyright holder).

New Strategy for Operation Abe Lincoln, Max's Family Tree Done

BBC Articles Read: “London 2012: Torch relay heading for 1,000 places” (England), “5,402 outstanding arrest warrants in Northern Ireland” (Northern Ireland), “Lamont launches Scottish Labour Party leader bid” (Scotland), “Welsh government urged to justify spending” (Wales)

BBC Spanish Article Read: “Después de Grecia, el blanco del pánico europeo ahora es Italia” (Economía)

Steps Taken In Operation Abe Lincoln: 0

I decided to start reading articles in Spanish to keep my fluency. Also, today will be the last day that I have nothing to show for Operation Abe Lincoln except for a "goose egg." To be more productive, I'm avoiding Barnes and Noble until after I get work done. There are too many distractions there (such as "Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography" by Walter Isaacson, which I will buy as my reward when I make the progress that I need to make), so it needs to wait until I get results.

I also did Max's family tree. Her maternal grandmother's name may be changed later on, but for now, I just decided to put something down so that I can get some sleep.