Harry Potter is Jesus (by sarah)

(Because I got told off here is an added Spoiler warning - I do mention the end of book four and the whole Harry Potter series)

As some of you know and disapprove of! I am reading Jean the Harry Potter books, we are on book four which I had some trepidation about reading to her due to the ending but she is really into the story. I try and pace it so that we start the reading session with a scary/intense bit and end in a low key moment (so not generally at chapter endings!).

It was getting to the bit where Cedric dies and though there is a death at the beginning of the book this is the first one of someone you are emotionally attatched too/and or Harry is. So I thought I'd make things clear to Jean, 'Jean we are getting to the really sad and scary bit now, worse than the giant snake, we can change to another book?'

'No Mummy I've seen this one on telly.'

'Oh yes you have haven't you? But Jean I think the Harry Potter story gets very scary now.'

'It's ok Mummy because Harry is going to die and come back to life again because he's Jesus.'

I stare and think - how did she know the ending of the series - I ask her.

'I saw it in a film in my head when I slept.'

'Oh ok'

The I thought about it and you know she's right - Harry dies sacrificially to save the other wizards, because he chooses to die to save them his sacrifice protects them and he rises from the dead!

Story wise Jean didn't react to the scene where Diggory dies but this turned out to be because the discription ment she missed the fact he was killed and it was only when they go back to Hogwarts and Harry is cuddling the dead body that Jean went wide eyed and sad.

She still wants the rest of the story :/

Bee Guardians (by sarah)

My friends are looking for Bee Guardians to help with the disappearing honey bees - here is their website.

May’s Challenges (by sarah)

Well for April I managed the poem challenge NaPoWriMo but failed at Scriptfrenzy as basically I didn't know what I was doing - sigh. But though I was a bit sad about my Comic book script I have learnt alot and have the beginnings of something. Next year I would have my storyboard ready and waiting rather than spending the month working on that before starting the script (apparently I'm doing this bit the wrong way round anyway but I can't write the script without the storyboard - I know I tried!).

Anyway May starts off with NaPiBoWriWee which for those of you who hate the acronymes is National Picture Book Writing Week - the challenge is to write seven picture books in seven days. This sounds scarier than writing a novel in a month to me personally but there you go!

I'm going to use the story ideas from PiBoIdMo and write the stories to go with them. I will be keeping track of this project on Orange Monster.

Of course this is only going to take up the first week of May so what else am I going to do? Well I have designated May my FiPoMo (and yes I have just made this up!) which stands for Finish Project Month. It's all very well me doing these writing challenges but if I never polish them afterwards and do something with them they are so much dross.

I have a big extensive list - most of which I wont get round to but the top priority is the Monster game followed by some book editing and publishing!

Foundary to Close (by sarah)

Basically my favourite bar and art gallery in London is closing - this was where I had my 25th birthday (or was it the 26ths?), it is where Alaric used to take me to meet up with geeky people who knew when transits of space stations where going to happen and were to look even in the built up area. It is where my friends have had their art work displayed and where I was concidering doing an exhibition 🙁

Sucky sucky - and why? Is it not doing well? No! The site its on is being developed into a hotel and yet another main stream gallery - like we need any more of them especially in London :/

Anyway you can read more about it here.

Jean’s Sponsered Walk (by sarah)

Jean is doing a sponsered walk on Monday and as I am going to see very few people before then I thought I'd put the call out this way!

It's in support of World Vision's work in Ethiopia and is specifically a children's walk.

She's quiet excited about this but unfortunatly we got the form on Monday just after I'd seen loads of people over the weekend :/ and the last week - doh!

Anyway if you would like to sponser her - let us know and we'll put you on the list 🙂