Impotant Notice For My Followers

Hi there. Once again, I've moved. I now have a website at KylieJude.Com and I no longer post on this blog. Lots of new stuff going up over at the website, so if any of my old followers still want to keep in touch and stay updated with all my many projects, just go to KylieJude.Com and subscribe in the drop-down menu. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to hearing from you. Don't be a stranger! 

Be The Lightning, 

Kylie Jude.

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Important Update!

Hey, been a while. So, if you're a regular reader of this blog and have been wondering why I haven't posted lately, that's because I have moved. My official website used to connect to Blogspot, but since moving the site to Wordpress a couple months back, it no longer connects. All my old posts have been loaded into the new site though, and I've already posted a bunch of new ones, so head on over to KylieJude.Com, check out my newer posts, and feel free to explore my new website! Lots of new-ness that you hopefully will enjoy. See you there! Keep in touch ;) 

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

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P.S. I may still keep this account around for possible future use, so if you're a subscriber and want to keep following it just in case, feel free. 

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Wayward Pines "The Truth"

Phew, what an episode. We finally found out, along with Ben & Ethan, what's "really" going on in Wayward Pines. I admit I started watching the show solely because I'm a huge fan of M. Night Shyamalan, but Wayward Pines has given me plenty of other reasons to like it since episode one, & especially after its most recent episode "The Truth" - The things revealed in this episode make this show a must-see for any fellow scifi lovers out there. If you have never watched the show, I recommend checking it out.

Caution:
HUGE spoilers for Wayward Pines ahead.
If you haven't seen the show,
please stop reading here.
You have hereby been warned. ;)

I'm also a huge fan of the CW show "The 100" so I immediately noticed some similarities to that show in this episode. It's similar enough to excite me, but not so similar that it's ripping that show off in any way. So, from where I sit (on the porch in the dark with My Dying Bride blaring from my hubby's laptop), that's a good thing. Side note, I also recommend checking out "The 100" if you haven't. Another great post-apocalyptic show that in my opinion is highly underrated.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. As soon as Ben's teacher revealed the time travel bit, I thought, "Of course! Re-population." So I tweeted it out, & no one seemed to get it. Lo & behold, about 10 minutes later, that is what they revealed they are doing. Attempting to repopulate the future Earth with "normal" human beings. (Which could certainly explain the bedroom eyes Ben's new girlfriend has been giving him, LOL). Some things were predictable, such as Pilcher's reveal, but a lot of the reveals were pretty cool. My favorite was definitely the date on the quarter.

The creatures that humans have "evolved" into, called abbies, seem a little zombie-ish, giving the show even more of an apocalyptic feel & promising some exciting action scenes in the future. & these things aren't like the boring zombies from "The Walking Dead" but more like the speedy rage-infected zombies from "28 Days (& Weeks) Later" (which is DEFINITELY awesome).

But don't forget, even though we now know "the truth" the people of Wayward Pines are still pretty shady. (Need I remind you of the reckoning ceremonies? Come on). So we're more than likely not getting the WHOLE truth (or maybe not even any truth, although I'm pretty sure the abbies do actually exist & that it's probably pretty hard to fake the date on a quarter). ;)

This episode was, in my opinion, the best yet. Not just because of the writing & acting but because of that amazing sequence where we were pulled back & forth between Ben's "orientation" & his parent's simultaneous revelations. As a video editor myself, I really appreciate when the editing is done so brilliantly, so kudos to the editors on that. It really gave the episode even more intensity.

While this episode may have been the best yet, there were a couple of downsides. First, there is very little ethnic representation in Ben's group, or in the town for that matter. & second, the whole episode was kind of one big info dump, & while I loved it, I also wonder if they should have saved at least some of this mind bending info for the season finale. I'm a little worried that the show might not be able to top this episode. They are going to have to pull out something even bigger for the season finale if the show's going to survive the harsh business that is television. But rumor has it that this is just the beginning of the crazy, so hopefully we'll see more epic episodes like this one in the future.

Be The Lightning,

Kylie Jude.

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Book Review: Dying To Forget

I listened to the audio book for this one, and was asked to write a review of it, so for this book review I'm splitting it into 2 parts - first the book review, & then the audio book review. 

Dying To Forget - the book by Trish Dawson:

 I wasn't sure about dying to forget at first, but a few pages in I was crying. CRYING. Over a book. Because I relate to Piper. I have been there. Drugged & raped. & a cutter. & even suicidal. Thankfully that's all in the past now (I've healed a lot since then & even founded a support group called RISE (Rape Incest & Suicide Education) but nonetheless, after I got passed the first couple of pages (during which I wrongly assumed it was some kind of erotica - it isn't), I grew increasingly connected to & invested in Piper's journey, page after page. The first person point of view & the present tense style, along with Piper's adorable nicknames for people, really help the reader connect with the characters & events in the book. Some of the descriptions were a bit lengthy for me, but other than that, I loved it. Definitely recommended for teens & for anyone who has been through any kind of abuse or trauma. You will cry, you will laugh, & you will find healing in its pages. This is why all books should be written - to uplift, encourage, & empower people. Thank you to Trish Dawson for writing a book that tackles issues needing more light shed on them, while being entertaining & fun at the same time.

Dying To Forget - audio book read by Kimberly Woods:

This was the first time I'd tried listening to an audio book. As a writer myself, as well as a plethora of other things, I rarely find the time to read, so I thought I could listen instead, while working on novel illustrations. Turns out, I was right. Still took forever to get through it, but I got through it much quicker than I would have been able to by actually reading. Kimberly Woods speaks with a clear voice, enunciating every word; & with a soft & calming tone, making it a great read for right before bed (although that's not when I listened to it, but if I could I would). I think her voice embodied the character of Piper well, & she did a good job of keeping up with the humor in the novel, causing me to giggle on multiple occasions. There were a few times when I wished I could speed it up a little because it went a bit too slow for me personally, but nonetheless, I could tell she really immersed herself in the story, which in turn made me feel more immersed in the story too. I love the fact that a busy person like myself can listen while doing other things, so I will definitely be trying more audio books in the future.


 ***I was given an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

You can find this book on Amazon HERE, and on Audible HERE. It's currently free, so check it out!

You can find the author Trish Dawson on her Facebook HERE & her Twitter HERE. 

You can find more audio books read by Kimberly Woods HERE.

Be The Lightning, 

Kylie Jude. 

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Game Of Thrones: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.

Warning - This post contains spoilers.

I would love to write a full review of Game Of Thrones, as I haven't yet & while this post may seem to state otherwise, I do love the show. It's filled to the brim with believable acting, beautiful cinematography, & of course, gripping story lines. But sadly, one of those story lines has taken a sharp left turn. The milk of its promise has soured, & now people like myself & fellow rape survivors are rushing to get the spoiled milk out of the house before it stinks the whole place up. So I guess that's why I'm blogging about it. You see, I was kept awake until very late last night by the final scene of "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" & then I was woken up early this morning by Sansa Stark's pain filled sobbing ringing in my head again. So right now I'm just TIRED. Not just physically. I'm tired of being so affected by rape scenes; I'm tired of bad writing on shows like this one & The Walking Dead (which has a bad habit of killing its most intriguing characters off before their story ever reaches its peak); & I'm tired of HBO adding rape scenes to the show that (so I'm told) weren't even in the books.

From what I remember, it was actually a good episode up until the final scene. I remember Arya discovering more about the place she was in & who she was (& was not) ready to become; I remember some great lines from Tyrion (as usual), & I remember Margaery screaming for her child King as they dragged her brother & her away (after her brother's lover basically pulled a Shae). But it took a while to remember all of that because the final scene ripped it away from me (& others too, from what I'm seeing on social media).

Honestly, I never really liked Sansa. She's always been a whiny brat in my eyes (as well as in many others), but that was slowly beginning to change as recent events & character development made me curious to see her morph into a strong, dark, vengeful woman. But then the show shocked us with a huge change of character on her part, which made us all feel bad for her, but also turned her back into the whiny brat that we were first introduced to. Don't get me wrong,  I know more than most that rape is a traumatizing event, especially for a virgin, but somehow I at least expected her to hold back her tears & muffle her cries as a show of strength. But heartbreakingly, that was not the case.

Of course, this wasn't the first rape scene in the show - Danaerys was raped by the man that ended up becoming her "sun & stars" (& in that case it actually ended up being good character development), & Cersei was raped by Jaime after their son died (which was absolutely unnecessary, not to mention, not in the books, & made me lose all the respect I had recently gained for Jaime's character) - but somehow this is the most disturbing rape scene yet. One obvious reason for that is that we as an audience have grown up with Sansa, & have watched her be passed from one man to the next while somehow managing to keep her virginity intact. In fact, she held onto her virginity for so long that it became a sort of "sword in the stone" - many tried to pull the sword out, but none were deemed worthy. But then Ramsay comes along with a stick of dynamite & blows the stone to pieces. Gee, how creative.

Really, no one is surprised that Ramsay would do such a hideous thing. He isn't exactly King Arthur. But I personally held onto hope until the moment she started sobbing. Hope that Theon (who was forced to watch) would finally man up & save her, or that Sansa would woman up & save herself, but unfortunately they gave us neither option, & while the show is known for its harsh awakenings, this one may have been too harsh. I think they missed a great opportunity for character development with this scene, & it worries me that they are now at the point where they have to depart from the books, & while I'm sure they probably discuss major plot points with the author first, I'm worried about them changing the 'game' too much. But I for one will continue to watch, simply because I'm too invested in Dany & Tyrion & Arya to stop. And who knows, maybe Sansa's story line will end up being somewhat like Dany's story line & we will see an unbowed, unbent, & unbroken Sansa from here on out.

In fact... I know we will.

P.S. If you've been raped, talk to someone. You can find RAINN here, & my support group RISE here & here.

Be The Lightning, 

Kylie Jude.

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Being Human: Review and Tribute Video

It's hard to believe it's been a year since my all time favorite show ended. & I don't say "all time favorite" lightly. I don't have one favorite song or band (although 30 Seconds To Mars & M83 are up there), or one favorite movie (although Oblivion & Knowing are up there). I love shows like The 100 (based on books by Kass Morgan) & the tragically cancelled Star-Crossed, due to their Scifi themes, but Being Human is the only show in the history of television that I can truly say is my favorite.

Being Human started as a European show, which I saw a couple episodes of on BBC, but just couldn't get into it after seeing the U.S. version on the Syfy channel. No offense to the first Being human, but I think the U.S. version was drastically improved. I might be biased though. It's one of the very few shows where I can honestly say I adored the entire cast, especially the main characters.

In the beginning, Aidan (Sam Witwer) & Josh (Sam Huntington) move in together as roommates. One small problem though - one is a vampire & the other a werewolf. They soon discover that their new-found abode is haunted by a ghost named Sally (Meaghan Rath), & since their supernatural state allows them to see her, they quickly become friends with her quirky, lovable spirit. Then, eventually, Josh falls in love with a coworker named Nora (Kristen Hager), & accidentally turns her into a werewolf. Oh & he also impregnates her with his possibly monstrous child. Ruh-roh D:

The setup of a vampire, werewolf & ghost living under the same roof makes for tons of action & drama, but that's not really why I loved the show. I loved it because one minute the characters could be sitting at the kitchen table joking & laughing (& making me laugh quite a bit too), & the next minute they could be on the edge of life & death, screaming & crying & clawing to save each other. This contrast of comedy & drama is, I think, what made it so great. I've recently discovered a genre of music that I feel is my musical soul mate, called doom metal (bands like My Dying Bride & Forest of Shadows & our friend's band Agonal, & soon our own music too). Since then, I've referred to Being Human as the Doom Metal of TV. Because it does the same thing - makes you feel safe & warm, & then when you least expect it, rips it all away in a flurry of sorrow & despair. I loved being on that emotional roller coaster. Maybe I'm just crazy, but that's why it's my all time favorite show.

When it was announced that Being Human was ending a year ago, with only a couple weeks to adjust to the shocking news, many people were angry. I was too, at first, but then I found out why it was ending & I felt a little bit better about it. & the Series Finale was everything I could have hoped for, bringing all the story lines to a beautifully happy ending. Unlike with the aforementioned Star-Crossed, Being Human got the ending the characters & fans deserved, & I will always be grateful for that. :)

I seriously can't believe it's taken me a year to make my tribute video for Being Human. First, I had a plethora of songs to choose from, finally deciding on my remix of "Breath" by Breaking Benjamin, since it allowed me to showcase both the action & romance on the show. Some of the lyrics really went with certain things that happened too. Then I had some technical difficulties (way too many clips for poor little windows movie maker to handle), & then my novels & other projects got in the way, but finally I decided to finish it, coincidentally, exactly one month before the one year anniversary of the show's ending.

Speaking of the ending, I had to squeeze in another song at the end of the video - my remix of "I Won't Let You Go" by Snow Patrol. You may have heard this song on the Divergent soundtrack. It was in the credits of that movie, but I felt like it should have played when the credits first started rolling (it didn't - one of many musical issues I had with that movie), so for this video it is the credit song, & I really feel like it's perfect for what's happening at the end. Here are the lyrics of the part I used:


Never gonna be easy, was it?

You didn't think it'd be so much fun.

The smile comes despite the danger.

Get some.

I know I'm where I belong.

Deep down inside, I've known all along.

I won't let you go,
 so don't leave go of me.

I wanted something more, 
I wanted this right here.

This is what you really want.

This is what you asked for.


Any of Being Human's main characters could have written these lyrics about their loved ones in the show, & while most of the video is filled with action & dread (& a LOT of screaming, LOL), I wanted to end it on a happy note. Because I think I can speak for all fans of the show when I say these lyrics also sum up how we feel after that ending. This is what we really want. This is what we asked for.

I for one couldn't have asked for a more perfect show or a more perfect ending. I will never let Being Human go (pun intended). I could watch it over & over for the rest of my life & never get sick of it. & I just might do that, once I finally own it on DVD. ;)

Okay, enough gushing. Video time!

Warning: This video is basically the entire series squeezed into 4 minutes (thanks to this amazing & hilarious recap for some of the footage). Some big spoilers ahead. But chances are if you're reading this you've seen the show anyway, so sit back, relax, turn the volume up & enjoy the feels!

:')

P.S. (Spoiler)
I also just found out while researching for this blog that they intended all along for Sally & Aidan to have the same door (to the afterlife) which made this long time Saidan shipper very happy. They were soul mates. It doesn't get better than that. :)

I leave you with an article (interview with Sam Witwer AKA Aidan) discussing the door thing and much more, including a farewell interview video. This amazing show and its truly lovable characters will be missed, but I for one have never been so satisfied or fulfilled after a series. Thanks for the memories. 


Be Human,
Kylie Jude.


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Review and Mashup: Delta Rae

Like lots of people, I first heard Delta Rae on the a capella TV show The Sing-Off. But it wasn't until I heard their first single "Bottom Of The River" that I truly became a fan. The song and video were so intense and dramatic and well done that I couldn't wait to hear more like it. But I had to wait, since we have bad internet connection where we live. Honestly it's a miracle I'm even able to blog as much as I do (which isn't much, so that's saying something).

Finally, (and coincidentally on the same weekend that their concert on AXS premiered), I was able to hear some of their other songs online, and although I loved their a capella stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of their songs involved beautiful, intricate, and unique instrumentation as well. And when I watched their AXS concert on TV shortly after, I was even more thrilled to see that they actually played their own instruments (a feat that is sadly not seen enough anymore), and that they had such great energy onstage too. I would have loved to have been there live. If you get a chance to see them on tour, I recommend it.

I fell in love with a bunch of their music, especially the songs that reminded me of my own novels as well as my husband's, and when I heard their song "I Will Never Die" (which reminds me of BOTH our novels), it quickly became my new favorite. And I quickly noticed that the vibe and lyrics both seemed to go well with "Bottom Of The River" so I decided to try mixing the two songs together. Turns out, they go together perfectly. I feel like this mash-up takes all the intensity of both songs and just amplifies it. Hopefully you will like it too. And I really hope I got the right lyrics. So many sites butcher lyrics these days, so fingers crossed ;) Anyway, let me know what you think! And be sure to check out their EP "Chasing Twisters" as well as their debut album "Carry The Fire". Some truly amazing music on both. For tour dates and much more, visit their website HERE, and check out the killer teaser for yet another new album from the phenomenal band (coming in April 2015) HERE.

Delta Rae is a force to be reckoned with. Their electrifying energy, their powerful voices and musical talent, and their creativity in using some really unique and awesome instruments, all make these kids stand out as nothing like we've ever seen or heard before, and likely never will again. Some say the band's vivacious lead singer Brittany is a witch. Whether that's true or not, listening to their music definitely does make you feel like you're under a spell, and the more you listen, the more you want. And there's no denying the themes of witchcraft in some of their songs, including the two I mixed together (so of course it's no wonder they remind me of my husband's books). But whether witchcraft is involved or not, I'm perfectly happy to be under their spell. :)

 And now I give you my
Delta Rae mash-up:

Let me know what you think in the comments below! And please subscribe here and on Youtube if you like it (after subscribing to their Youtube, of course) ;)


Be The Lightning,
Kylie Jude.


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