I'm here

This is me.  If you're looking for my new blog you found it.  Yea!

It's a whole new blog--same old me

Welcome to my new blog!  It's a place where the Lotus is rising.  

I finally made my decisions about how I wanted things to change.  Thank you all so much for your input.  It made the choices so much easier.  I hope you like the new look of things.  It's much brighter than I'm used to, but the green and white go so much better with the lotus picture that I was finally able to get up in the header that it was the only way to go really.  They are some of the lotuses from Monet's garden that I photographed summer before last which makes them sentimental for me, so I wanted very much to use them.

My new blog address will be lamoss.blogspot.com--as you can tell if you're already here, but I thought you might want to know why.  I decided that it would be easier and better for the address to just go by my name and yet be a little different, so I went with my initials and my last name and shock of all shocks lamoss was available.

The new blog name is Lotus Rising.  It's a spin on what Justus suggested.  I loved the whole image of the Lotus rising from the mud and growing into the light.  Thanks Justus!  and Congrats again on the new little one!  Well, really I guess he's not so little, but here's a shout out for young Ashton Luke Bowman!

There will be no more lotusloq.  She's retiring.  The new name will be lotusgirl.  I picked something that wouldn't be that big of a switch but that would keep with the whole lotus theme I've got going on.

This Week

Posting will be suspended for the week of Christmas since my computer access is limited.

I hope all of you have a grand holiday, and I'll stop by your blogs as time permits.

Merry Christmas!

Lois Moss

What is in a name?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  How about a lotus?  It has other names: Nymphaea and Water Lily.  Here's one from Monet's garden in Giverny.  

They're amazing and beautiful and symbolic.  I love them, and I identify with them.  Part of it is that as a child a family friend called me Lotus Blossom.  I always loved that.  It made me feel like I was beautiful and special like a lotus blossom.  With a given name like Lois, people were constantly giving me nicknames.  That was fine by me.  I thought my name was old fashioned and lame.  It stuck out wherever I went.  Spelling it was a problem. Pronouncing it was a problem.  I've been called Louis and Louise more times than I can count.  Even my mother, who I was named after, didn't go by Lois.  It was even old fashioned in her generation.

I have made peace with my name over the years, and now I like it.  If someone comes into a room and calls for me.  I know it's for me.  There are not 10 people named Lois in any given room ever.  (Maybe at a Lois convention, but otherwise...)  There have been a few times in my life when there have been 2, but you get my drift.  It's unique, and that works for me now.

I was chatting with a friend yesterday about the name of my blog, my username, a possible pen name, and my real name.  As an author, what do we do with our names?  We want people to be able to remember them.  We want it to pop up with us first on the list of google searches.  We want our blogs accessible and welcoming.  What to do?

When I first set up my blog, I wasn't really thinking about all that.  I was looking more to being incognito.  I like my privacy and was concerned about putting myself out there on the world wide web.  Now I'm thinking I should have done things differently.  I'm thinking that before I do much more with this blog that maybe I should set up one with a more accessible name.  No one, as yet, has been able to get "domus muscida" on the first go round, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th either for that matter.  What?  You're not all Latin scholars?  

And Lotusloq as a username may have to go too.  It's short for Lotusloquax which is what I use on Livejournal.  It means "speaking lotus."  

I think I would like to keep the Lotus part.  It has depth, meaning, and beauty like the flower, and I think using Nymphaea is fraught with double entendre that I don't want.  Haha!  

Do you have any ideas out there?  What do you think?  Should I change?  Should I make everyone bend to my geeky ways?  Any name ideas?

Maybe I should go with just the English:  Speaking Lotus or Lotus speaking?  or Lotus Blossom Moss?  haha!  Can you see I'm floundering?  Help!  Please!

Wednesday=Book Review Time

Up for today:  I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU and CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY by Ally Carter and A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS by Eva Ibbotson

*Keep in mind that my reviews are strictly on my impressions of the books and the ratings are based on my enjoyment of the books and not necessarily a reflection of their literary merit

           

I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU

Why I bought it?  This is one I had seen a few times and almost picked up because the title is so catchy, but I didn't--more shame for me.  This was my daughter's choice when we were at the BN together, and it was the snazzy title that sealed the deal for her.  She was the one who read it first and then recommended it to me.

Synopsis:  Cammie Morgan is training to be a spy and goes to an exclusive, secretive all-girl school for spies.  When she falls for one of the local town's "normal" boys she discovers how hard it is to have a relationship with someone who can never know who she really is.   She and her friends are geniuses and can speak 14 different languages and kill a guy 7 different ways with their bare hands, but with boys they are clueless--well, except for the despised new girl. 

The premise is fun and the book really delivers.  I was captivated from the first page.  The narrator's voice is charming and snappy.  It's a very quick read and seemed to just fly by.  I never wanted to put it down.  When I was done, I was disappointed that it was already over.  I'll definitely read it again when I need something light and fun.  It has been optioned by Disney, so I'm sure there will be a film soon. It will translate well to the big screen--lots of action and comedy and romance.  What more could a gal want?  I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to, you know, kill ya.

My rating:  ****1/2

My daughter's rating:  ****1/2  (Wow!  We agreed!  That's saying something!)

CS:  3  This is really only for the "violence" parts which are really pretty tame.  It ends up really being more about the intrigue.  I kept thinking that there was a little language because there's an edgy vibe to the MC, but I've gone back through and other than a few British swears (by a British friend) and "Oh Jeez!" and "Heck" appearances and the like there's not much I could find.  For the movie rating I'd say probably a PG, because you know they'll show someone getting punched in the solar plexus.  G seems to be the kiss of death for a teen movie.

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO SPY

Why did I buy this?  I was browsing at the BN and saw it and immediately recognized it as the sequel.  I couldn't buy it fast enough.  

Synopsis:  Cam's in real trouble for her relationship with the town boy from book 1.  It breaks all protocol.  Will she have to give him up forever?  There's a big mystery going on at the school that brings some unexpected guests--some unexpected male guests. I don't want to say too much and make this a spoiler for the 1st book for those who haven't read it already, but I wanted to include this review with the first because if you loved the first one you will definitely want to read the second.

This sequel does not disappoint.  I was worried at first, but I actually liked it better than the first.  There's no question as to whether I'll read this again.  Absolutely!  This one would make an even better movie.

My rating:  *****

My daughter's rating:  *****  (Agreement again!  Does that tell you how good it is?)

CS:  3--ditto as for the first book

            

A COUNTESS BELOW STAIRS

Why I bought it?  I had seen it quite a few times at BN and had wondered if it would be any good.  Then, when I was on Amazon buying something for my book club that I hadn't been able to find in the store, this came up as a recommendation.  I finally decided to take the plunge and read one of Ibbotson's books to see if they were as good as they looked like they would be.  The synopsis seemed interesting and the general reviews seemed high, so...

Synopsis:  Anna is a displaced Russian countess in England after the Russian Revolution.  She ends up working below stairs as a maid for an Earl and his household.  She works very hard and is determined that no one will know of her past, but her manner conveys that she is more than a servant.  It's hard to hide that royal upbringing, you know.  She starts falling for the Earl, but his mean old fiancee is in the way.  As the earl falls for her the conflicts deepen.  He is trapped by honor.  He will not go back on his promise no matter what.  

I'm a romantic softy at heart, and so I was hoping to enjoy this.  I'm always looking for good YA romance stories without the racy stuff.  This one is pretty good, but I didn't have much trouble putting it down.  That's never a good sign.  There were times that the writing was more long-winded than I like.  Sometimes though it was pretty lyrical.  I enjoyed the storyline pretty well and the denoument was unexpected yet satisfying--actually it was kind of crazy.  I'm glad I read it, but I don't plan on reading it again.   I will recommend it to my daughter.  I think she would like it.  I will definitely read some of Ibbotson's other books though.

My rating:  ***1/2

CS:  3--mostly for situation stuff--there's not really any language issues that I recall. 

  

When inspiration strikes

What do you do when inspiration strikes right when you're going to bed--when that proverbial light comes on in the darkness?  Roll over, tell your brain to shut up, and go on to sleep? or are you afraid you'll forget?  Do you jump right out and grab a piece of paper or fire up the computer and get busy?

Last night a new idea for the beginning of my novel I've been working on for a while hit me right at that point of drifting off, and I knew I would not remember the details if I didn't get them down on paper, so I drug myself out of the nice warm bed and grabbed pen and paper and the ideas poured for 4 pages.  It pulls the whole novel together and sets the tone I've been looking for.  Woo hoo!!  I feel like celebrating!

International Stories

Ah!  La Belle France!  Paris!  I read a blog yesterday that was talking about stories set in Foreign locals.   It got me thinking about how much I love books that are set in far away places. I love learning about the cultures and the people that live there.  I would love to see more books like this.  I understand that the location needs to be integral to the storyline of the book, but I think there's a market out there for these types of books.  What do y'all say?  Books set in Paris or Cannes or Nice or wherever?  Are they for you?