Miscellany, Vol. 17

So about a dozen people found their way to my blog yesterday by searching under “Azkadelia.” Is there something I should know?

Yesterday’s Winner of The Remains of the Dead: Christine! Christine, email me your address.

And to the rest of you, there are still more chances to win. Just leave your name in the comments section of this post for tomorrow’s drawing.

Some interesting blogs up elsewhere:
* Donald Maass interviews with Writer Unboxed.
*Associate Editor Jessica Wade of Roc/Ace guests on the Penguin blog.
* Erica Ridley talks about writing funks and escape from same on Manuscript Mavens
* Colleen Gleason has her hot new cover and is running a “Pay it Forward” contest
* The always-enlightening Allison Brennan talks about pacing on Murder She Writes
* Robin Brande reveals a few of her adolescent foibles (you honestly couldn’t pay me enough, though my mom has been holding onto my juvenilia for years for blackmail material)
* Scott’s hoverboard derring-do is fabulous and notable, as per usual.

Also, I watched the end of this “volume” of Heroes. About what I expected, given the disjointedness of the season thus far. Come on, guys, pull it together. Peter’s pissing me off big time, I must say. I also saw the end of Tin Man (I’m seeing more Azkadelia Googling coming on, but for the record, I have no idea what names her tattoos had, except for Zorah the flying monkey.) It felt kind of “unfinished” to me. Where was the epilogue where we either saw her back in Kansas, or on the throne, or whatever it was? Also, I was a bit disappointed that the one time we actually witness Zooey Deschanel emoting, it was in soft-focused buried-alive darkness? I loved loved loved watching her on Weeds. She was, IMO, the only reason to watch the show that season. But I think she’s better as a character actor than as a hero. Playing a crazed sociopath fits her strengths better, because there her blank face made her even creepier.

Finally, in my browsing yesterday (I was reading the reviews of both of the above on EW.com), I came across a list entitled: Keira Knightley: Her Memorable Roles. Which, as far as I could tell, was all of them. Okay, not fair, since according to IMDB, she’s been a part of 19 non-TV/TV movie/video game roles, and there were only 12 films on the list. But when you have to use each of the “Pirate” movies as a separate role and then tack on both Domino, which, as far as I can tell, was seen by approximately five people, and that time she played Natalie Portman’s body double (okay, that was memorable, if only because I didn’t realize it wasn’t also played by Natalie Portman, and then when I saw the first Pirate movie I was like, this chick looks a lot like Natalie Portman!)… I don’t know if the girl’s reached that point in her career. Just sayin’.

It’s supposed to snow today. I must prepare…