Ghosts in the Heart (Michael Keller)

Title: Ghosts in the Heart

Author: Michael Keller

Released: 2012

Rating: 3.5/5

Basic Plot: Can a man spend much of his life in love with a woman he has never actually met, can never meet? To Alexander Mckenzie, a chillingly aloof San Francisco Police Detective, the answer is yes. Since his adolescence he has been consumed by the image of Mireille Marchand, a beautiful young French actress whose tragic death at the beginning of her career has never ceased to haunt him. Then, when a savagely violent confrontation with a brutal robber brings him to the edge of death while shredding the very fabric of time and space, he is seemingly given a unique opportunity to alter the course of fate. Or is it all just another desperate dream?
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Many Grammar and Punctuation Problems
I have a BA in English with a Specialization in Creative Writing. This means I am very attuned to mistakes in how something in written and not just the plot holes that can arise in any given work. In this book, Keller makes various mistakes that are very simple. Bad thing is that there can be a ton of these problems in a single paragraph (sometimes repeats of the same problem). I understand that not even the greatest authors can have zero typos in a finished work (I think The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton had two or three). But the thing is that there were hardly any typos in those books and not in the quantities found in this book. I'm surprised that I controlled myself enough not to make many notes in my copy of the book (thank you, Michael, for giving me a free signed copy). Common mistakes were ellipses, placement of commas, and various spacing issues.

The Love Dilemma
This novel revolves around the fact that Alexander is sent back in time (or to a parallel dimension or something timey-wimey) and is given the object of his desires. He is put in a place and time where he can act out his wishes or not. The fact that he doesn't immediately go for Mireille says something very good about our hero. He realizes that the age difference is a thing and just because Mireille doesn't know, doesn't mean it'd be right if he had sex with her.

Sci-Fi Elements
This novel is  a romance. A guy finally gets the chance to be with a woman that he would normally never have the chance to be with. But this novel also contains sci-fi elements too. It has Alexander going back in time and/or going into another dimension. Myself, I think he went back in time and his spirit/soul was just put into a younger version of himself (a la Hot Tub Time Machine [2010]). The reason for this are never explained in the novel. It's more of a "oh, this happens and don't question it so the plot can move forward" thing. And, in this instance, it works. It's not important to know why as keeping Mireille alive takes center stage. Now if there were ever to come an explanation about it, that'd be great but not needed to enjoy the novel.

Final Thoughts
Michael Keller is a personal friend of mine. Somehow we met on Twitter and have been friends ever since. He offered to send me Ghosts in the Heart for free. Since I don't have any way to view books on my computer he sent my a physical copy. Mind you we had been talking for a little bit before he did this. I don't offer my address to just anyone online (that's stupid and dangerous). He signed my copy with:

To Jashy,
Who puts the
Wit in Twitter
Best wishes
Michael

So getting the book and starting to read it filled me with dread. All my reviews before this one have been of works by people I have never met (or are even dead). Writing an honest review of a friend's book was hard to say the least. I want to give my readers/fans my real opinions but I am also afraid of harming a friend's feelings.

Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki: Love and Leaving 5

"Are you really going that far?" The captain asked in disbelief. "Do you really expect me to lend you space on my ship to go that far? Do you really think I would risk my ship on such a venture?"

I made sure that I was calm before I answered him. "I can pay you very well."

The captain shook his head. "The point is that my business puts my ship's priority above everything else."

Yomosa turned to me as if my powers extended to controlling minds. I shook my head and tried to think of anything that I could say to this captain.

"I am sorry to waste your time." I replied and bowed.

The captain bowed and we parted ways.

"It doesn't seem anyone is going to let us use their ship." Yomosa said quietly when the captain was out of earshot.

"Yeah, guess I must have lost my charm." I said and smirked. I didn't smirk because I was happy or the situation was amusing. I smirked to try and make her feel better. She finally replied with her own small smile but it quickly faded away. Asking for a ship was a hard venture for two 'common people' that asked for a lot. This task was affecting us both.

"But you'll be able to find one." Yomosa replied confidently.

"Or we'll have to resort to another plan."

"And that would be?"

"You'll see it if I ever have to use it."

I entertained the notion that one captain would agree to my request. That one captain would allow us our very odd desires. Turning to look at Yomosa I saw that she still had confidence in me, but that she wasn't blind to the facts. The facts being that I would most likely have to resort to another plan.

"Just don't kill anyone." She whispered in my ear.

I understood the reference. Don't kill anyone like I had killed her intended husband.

For the next few hours we went asking the rest of the captains for the use of their ship. But they were all turned off when they found out we wanted to leave Japan and it was a journey no ship would likely return from. So the captains rejected us. One by one they said no.

Finally the last captain walked angrily away from us. I stared at the open ocean. A sight I had been used to seeing as a wall, not as something you could go across. I had freed myself from Hijunaki. I had freed myself from Katashi's teachings. But I hadn't yet freed myself from the notion that the whole world wasn't the part I had grown up in.

"It's scary for you, isn't it?" Yomosa asked as she put a hand on my shoulder. I didn't look at her but continued to stare at the ocean.

"Yes, I think it's scary for you too." I replied.

"It is, but I can't let that get to me. If I did, I'd regret it my entire life."

"Because you gave me up?"

"Partially. But also that I let fear get the better of me when I've been fearless for so long."

"I wouldn't blame you if you left me now."

"But I would." She said and squeezed my shoulder.

I finally decided to look at her and I was ashamed at asking her for so much. But also proud that both love and a desire for bravery were having her go along with me.

"Do you want to hear the backup plan?" I asked her. Yomosa's smile was the only thing I needed to continue speaking. "I take on the form of an Eastern Dragon and fly us to our new destination."

"How long will you be able to fly?" She asked.

"Long enough." I said and Yomosa nodded.

We then walked away from the harbor like we were going to spend personal time together. Time when groans and moans would be things best left to only us two. No one looked at us and the captains seemed glad to see us go.

Yomosa and I made our way to where the corpse of the Eastern lay. No one had yet been brave enough to look for it and other animals were only beginning to eat it. A dragon was something to be feared, even by things that couldn't fully comprehend them.

I focused and felt myself changing. It was a normal thing for me. Something I had been born to. My main human male form shifted to become larger so that the form of an Eastern Dragon could be accommodated. My skin then broke out into scales and my hair stayed on my head but then went all the way down to a few inches beyond the tip of my tail.

After a few more changes I was an Eastern. I went down to allow Yomosa to climb aboard me. She kissed my head and then found a place to sit comfortably. Or at least a place she wouldn't fall off from.

"I love you more than I have loved anyone before." She told me. "And you have changed more than I thought possible. Just wanted to say that in case this is the last conversation we are to ever have."

"You have opened my heart in ways I didn't think possible." I told her and then I was swimming through the air to a fate, as of yet, unknown.
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Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki Links

Doctor Who (Season 7)

Show: Doctor Who

Season: 7

Episodes: 14

Showrunner: Steven Moffat

Released: 2011-2013

Rating: 4/5

Basic Plot: The further adventures of the time traveling alien adventurer and his companions.
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The Mystery of Clara
The Doctor is introduced to Clara in the episode "Asylum of the Daleks". Not much of a mystery about her as she's clearly killed by the end of the episode. The thing that got people talking was the fact that the same actress was to reprise her role as the new companion in the 2012 Christmas Special. For the first half of Season 7 there is no real mention of Clara aside from "Asylum of the Daleks" as the focus for that part of the Season was the remaining time with the Ponds. With the second half of the Season underway, Clara takes center stage as 'the impossible girl'. There were so many theories going around of who/what she really was and it made me love my fellow Whovians for being so clever (though the good majority turned out to be wrong). Finding out who Clara is makes sense and gives some great callbacks to the Classic Doctor Who Era. Well...not so much callbacks as using clips from the Classic Doctor Who Era.

Letting go of Amy and Rory Pond
Amy and Rory were my first two companions of the Doctor. Yes, I watched other Seasons where there were different companions. But when I started to watch new episodes of Doctor Who they were the first ones I traveled with. I knew this Season would see the end of them and I was worried. When they left the show I needed a couple of tissues. The episode was very well done and it gave the duo a proper farewell. It highlighted Rory's love of Amy and Amy's love of Rory. The fact that they couldn't stand to be apart from each other, even when staying together meant death. The episodes building up to the duo's farewell were very well put together. When I cried that they had left it was a good pain. Not happy or giving me peace of mind. But a good pain nonetheless.

The Christmas Specials
The first of this Season's Christmas Specials ("The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe") was a poor episode. I don't like saying this, especially when I made a big deal about watching it with my fiance (well he slept during the good majority of it, he's not a Whovian poor soul). It didn't really capture me but I was pleased when the Doctor reunited with Amy and Rory at the end of the episode. The second Christmas Special of this Season ("The Snowmen") was much better. Besides bringing back the Great Intelligence (I've heard the same 'being' was in Classic Doctor Who), it also introduced us to Clara. Both would play a large part in the second half of this Season.

Final Thoughts
Overall this was a good Season. Long time companions were given a proper farewell and there was a mystery about the new companion to explore. Madame Vestra and Jenny were great to see onscreen together. They are lesbians (though they are also different species) that are married. "The Crimson Horror" showcased how well a spinoff of the pair would work. This Season pulled at all the right heartstrings and ended with a cliffhanger that won't be answered for many months. While "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" wasn't a good episode, there were more good than bad episodes. "Asylum of the Daleks" and "The Angels Take Manhattan" being two of them.

Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki: Love and Leaving 4

For a few minutes I looked at my kill. I was glad that the Eastern was dead and Yomosa was now safe. Probably not forever, but for now she could have some peace. She climbed off of me and looked at the dead dragon. I wish I knew human expressions better so I could decipher why her muscles were reacting like they were.

I shifted back into my main human male form and then walked over to my love. The Eastern looked very different from this level. It was not merely a foe and could be mistaken for a demigod. Humans were very different in so many ways.

I put an arm around Yomosa and she put her head onto my chest. I let her have a few minutes of looking at the Eastern before I started speaking.

"It won't come for you again." I told her.

"I know it won't." Yomosa said softly. "But there will be others, won't there? Things much worse than this?"

I wanted to tell her that this was as bad as it was going to get. There would be nothing else that would be worse. But Akumie was a goddess and I couldn't lie to the woman beside me.

"Yes." I replied simply.

I kissed the top of Yomosa's head to try and calm her. I was better equipped to fight the forces of Akumie than Yomosa would ever be. But my lover had shown herself to be brave and remarkable on her own. That wouldn't change the fact that she had been thrown into a new lifestyle quickly. A lifestyle that meant fighting and facing your fears so that death wouldn't claim you. It was understandable why Yomosa was nervous now.

"Is the Akumie you mentioned the same one that this creature meant?" Yomosa finally asked.

"Yes." I said and was about to stop there but had to continue. "Its and my Akumie are one and the same. She was angered that I used her for sex and she has never forgiven me since. Only now is she coming after me."

But had it only been for sex or had there been something more? Something that I had ignored because Sajoki's ghost had still haunted me back then?

"Why won't she come after you personally? Is she too frightened of you?" Yomosa asked.

I let out a small chuckle at the thought. A goddess being afraid of an obake would be a sight to see.

"No, there must be another reason. She must be banished from Japan or something else must be keeping her from attacking us directly." I answered.

"So if we leave Japan there's a chance we might have to face Akumie ourselves?" Yomosa timidly asked.

"Yes. Do you still want to follow me?"

"Until the end of time." She answered and we embraced. I enjoyed feeling the warmth and found it a comfort. Even if I were to die in a second I would face death with the knowledge that someone had loved me in life. That someone was willing to die by my side.

We finally ended our embrace and stood in silence looking at each other. I didn't know how I looked to her but I knew how she looked to me. A strong and loyal woman that I had ripped from her intended husband, given to Hijunaki, had killed Hijunaki to keep safe, and now loved me like I didn't deserve.

We nodded and walked side by side down to the harbor. She stayed a foot away from me so I would have room to attack if need be. Any joy that could be found racing each other had been taken away.

Upon arriving at the harbor we were glanced at by uninterested eyes. By the expressions of the people there, they hadn't noticed that I wasn't human and just that two Easterns had attacked each other. They didn't look to be questioning why but just trying to get back to business.
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Pairing: Hannigram

Plot: Hannibal Lecter is a complicated man. On one hand he is perfectly fine with the life he is living. On the other hand Will Graham represents the man he wants to be and yet doesn't care to be.