Writing and Reading

Seriously, I had to laugh at how accurate the wonderfully lovable H.L. Dyer’s blog was concerning her Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory posts. Anyone like the Query-Go-Round? *raises hands* It’s a bitch, ain’t it? *raises hands*

Anyway, I wanted to give a bow to you, Heather, for describing to a tee the literary industry as taught by our wise teacher Willy Wonka himself, my own personal candy pusher, I might add.

CHOCOLATE JUNKIE!!!

There’s a connection for you. Chocolate. Come on, writers. You know who you are. You know you love chocolate. It’s the ultimate snack when you’re on the Query-Go-Round: chocolate. Which ties into Willy Wonka. What a connection!

But I also want to pay homage to our sweet H.L. Dyer, author of THE EDGE OF MEMORY (see her book trailer), by adding this wonderful video clip from the classic film, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, to describe for all of you what the Query-Go-Round is like for me. You know me. I am, in fact, insane. So watch this clip. And you will have a touch of my insanity–

MWUUUUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Utterly remarkable, I have to say. Utterly remarkable. It’s about as remarkable as Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans–vomit-flavored.

You see, what I’m getting into here is the concept of tributes or what are called fan fictions. I, myself, am enamored with such efforts, such toils. For sure, if I were Rowling, I’d be blushing. Notably, you’d find these ‘fan fictions’ on YouTube or something like that due to the film franchise raking in the dough. Naturally, people are more drawn into a visual storyline, more excited by the what-if’s of continuations, or even what-if’s of possible tangents (ex: Ron dies, or Hermione dies, or Potter loses against Voldemort or I can go on and on and on). Seriously, look them up on YouTube or any other video networking site. Harry Potter floods the network with creative minds that love Rowling’s world of thestrals and unicorns and Honeyduke’s yummy candies.

But I’m talking specifically about one fan fiction that doesn’t even deserve that ‘label’. I was floored when I discovered it. It is, as I’ve already said, remarkable(like Bertie Bott’s).

For those of you that are ravaging the countryside, rabid with anger, wanting to suck unicorn blood, dying to drink the fires of that goblet from the fourth Harry Potter book just to burn your insides all because of the Half-Blood Prince movie delay to 2009, fear not. For I do not. Not anymore. I have a sanctuary to rest my patience. I will forever bask in the sunlight of stories about young wizards and whimsy and a wondrous school called Hogwarts. And a new adventure. A new book. Two, actually.

You heard me. I said a new book. Two. To read. How cool!

No, it’s not written by Rowling herself. Although that would be a pleasant surprise. No, it’s not that TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD either, although that would be awesome to read, too. Like I said, it’s a fan fiction–if it can be called as such. For the effort to write it far exceeds that of any ‘fan fiction’, in my opinion.

Hats off to you, Mr. G. Norman Lippert for having the tenacity, the courage, the imagination, the correct wand to conjure up a story that could very well honor Rowling.

For those of you blinking your eyes in confusion, Lippert is just a writer, like all of us, who loves Harry Potter and the world Rowling created. You need to see his web site to fully understand just how much he loves it. Apparently, he’s written two stories based on the world of Harry Potter, featuring–yes, you guessed it–Harry’s son, James.

I couldn’t stop smiling ear to ear. I suddenly felt the charm lift me in the air, Wingardium Leviosa! And I smiled some more. How awesome. Very soon, I’ll be doing a literary review of the two stories he’s written, JAMES POTTER AND THE HALL OF ELDERS’ CROSSING and JAMES POTTER AND THE CURSE OF THE GATEKEEPER. He features the second story, though, in these links, which stands as a ’sequel’ to the first.

The stories are full PDF files, illustrations and all–and done very well, I might add. Worthy of a tribute, I’d also might say.

So, effectively, I have something to occupy myself while I await the arrival of the “Half-Blood Prince” in theaters. On Lippert’s web site, he makes THE CURSE OF THE GATEKEEPER fully available for download as a PDF as well, and finding his original story, THE HALL OF ELDERS’ CROSSING would be just as easy. Just a passionate writer who loves wonderful stories. Hats off to you.

As a fan of Harry Potter, I want you all to understand how important it is to me that I not make a big stink about accuracy and remaining ‘true’ to an original world such as Rowling’s, because the heart of the matter is that it’s a tribute. And that honors my passion for Harry Potter, too. I honor anyone who has the endurance to honor Rowling as a creative fan of her work. So if there are some of you out there that are sticklers or fanatical purists, bravo. But Lippert’s work probably wouldn’t be for you. In fact, no ‘fan fiction’ would be for you. However, if you’re not–read these works. I loved Rowling’s characters. And they still live in me. I want to see them live on in stories I know I probably couldn’t create. I’m glad someone out there can.

Aaaaaaaaand to close my post here, I have a wonderful video by the lovable Tenacious D, Jack Black and Kyle Glass, demonstrating the wonderful idea of a…

TRIBUTE

Again, G. Norman Lippert, thank you for making a tribute to Harry Potter. I love the books, too.