The On-line Community of Booklovers

Posted on October 30, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week I post about something I’m loving (tv, movies, books, art, photos, romances, authors, or anything else) that I’ve seen or read about recently. So here’s this week’s For the love of …

I love booklovers — people who read nearly every day. People who love to lose themselves in a good story. I’ve always loved reading, but when I was a kid, I often felt like an oddball. I didn’t read the same books as everyone else I knew. That’s why I love the Internet. I can connect with other readers who have the same interests, no matter how small the market for a particular genre. As an example, I belong to a Yahoo group that discusses just one book series. It’s a lot of fun to share quotes and discuss scenes and characters while we wait for the fourth book in the series.

I joined Goodreads (“the largest social network for readers in the world”) this week, and I’m really liking the site. I haven’t added all the books I’ve read even in the past couple years, but I tried to add as many as I could from the same genre I write in. And I updated my “to read” list with a lot of the books I own but haven’t gotten around to reading yet. I try to read a little every day (it just doesn’t always work out with my writing schedule). As a writer, reading helps my own voice become stronger and helps me write with more clarity and ease. If that makes any sense. Reading fiction has always been such a big part of my life. And on Goodreads, it’s so easy to connect with other readers who also share my love of books.

So is anyone else using Goodreads? Here’s my profile information if you’d like to friend me.

www.goodreads.com/sloanparker

Thanks for stopping. Hopefully, I’ll see you on Goodreads soon.
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Falling in love

Posted on October 28, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

I’m a romantic. I admit it. I believe in love.

Falling in love is one of the most healthy, wonderful things a person can experience…for the soul, the heart, the body, the mind. It’s the falling out of love that often destroys us. Or never letting ourselves love in the first place (just ask Jonathan Moore, the antagonist from my book More.) And the hardest part for some is when he or she still loves someone and that love isn’t returned. But even though I know too many people who have been burned by love, it’s still something I believe in. I live it every day. It does exist.

Here’s a quote I saw this week that speaks to those beliefs.

“I would prove to men how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing you grow old when you stop falling in love.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist

What do you think? Am I a big ol’ sap? Or do you believe in love? Comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: A hero named Philip

Posted on October 26, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

A man named Philip once fought for the country he loves. Now, he fights for equal rights for one of his four sons. It’s a beautiful speech. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a moment to watch.

<<embedded video below>>

“The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her, ‘What do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?'”

Philip Spooner, an 86 year old WWII veteran

Now, that’s a hero.

Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Grey’s Anatomy, when a priest shows up

Posted on October 21, 2009 by SloanParker

I was watching Grey’s Anatomy over the weekend (yeah, I DVR all the TV I watch and I’m usually a week, or two, or three behind) and this line seemed to hit it big at my house. Rosie and I loved it.

“You can’t pray away the gay!”

Callie on Grey’s when her dad brings a priest to counsel her about being a lesbian.

I have been fortunate to have a loving, supportive family. My mom’s not out marching in any PFLAG parades, but she loves me and has told me she wants me to be happy. And most importantly to me, she loves Rosie. My heart goes out to all the real life people like Callie who not only have to live with the knowledge that their parents think there is something wrong with them, but also have to live with these types of attacks aimed at changing who they are — suggesting they’re not good enough.

That’s also a huge theme in my book More. Luke’s father wants his son to be a different man, and he’ll do anything to force Luke to behave the way he wants him to. But Luke doesn’t let his father’s hatred destroy him. He doesn’t deny who he is (not for his dad or anyone), but he does grow and become someone who can fall in love again. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m quite proud of his journey.

Anyone else watch Grey’s? Anyone have a personal story to share? Comment or send me an email.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: A Day at the Office

Posted on October 19, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

This week’s video is a fun one. I could see some of the people I used to work with doing this. Especially when we worked in a small cubicle-filled room that no one ever visited, or even walked by. We had some good times in that room. And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject for fear of incriminating myself.

I do have to wonder if I would have been the woman just sitting there or one of the others actually goofing off? I would like to think I’d be having a ball and not worrying about my work, but I’ve been told I’m a worker bee and I tend to be focused on getting things done. Darn. Well, at least I was pretty wild in my younger days. Now, I sit in front of my laptop most of the time. Good thing I spend a lot of it using my imagination.

I’d love to hear from others. Watch the video and tell me…Would you be one of the singers or the woman answering her phone?

<<embedded video below>>