A special post featuring the author of LS: The Beginning, Kelvin O'Ralph

Kelvin O'Ralph is currently on a blog tour and decided to contact me to host one of the stops. In this post, he'll be doing a character interview of the female MC of LS: The Beginning, Lisa Morgan. Please leave your comments below if you're interested in winning one of the two free e-copies he's giving away on this stop(post). The two winners will be announced on his blog on the last day of his tour.

P.S: The three images used are the preferred cast of the character.

CHARACTER INTERVIEW OF LISA MORGAN

Who's Lisa Morgan?

Lisa Morgan is a seventeen year old sophomore college girl who entered college at a young age, and she's from a wealthy family, the Morgans. Although, she has such background, Lisa is a disciplined girl and doesn't make a big deal about her parents' wealth. She's the first of the two children, and the only girl in the family.

What's her role in LS: The Beginning?

Lisa is the female protagonist in the aforesaid title. The entire story is built around her and the male MC, Stephen Wilson. In other words, the story would be meaningless without her.

What's her turn-off and turn-on?

She's loves sitting under the sun and reading her books or playing with jigsaw puzzles. One thing L isa hates more than anything in the whole world is cold water. Ironically she loves the cold weather, and hardly feels the cold. Also, she can't stand the thought of getting a shot, even though she has never been given one before.

What's her dress code?

Lisa loves wearing only two colors, yellow and red. No one knows whether there's a psychological explanation to this, but to young Lisa it's normal to her, especially when she meets Stephen Wilson with his white and blue dress code.

Does Lisa have any best friend?

Hmm, not at first. Lisa loved being in the comfort of her boyfriend, David Russel, and didn't have any time left for both female and male friends. However, you'd see Lisa mixing up at the end of the book.

Tell us a little about Lisa's mysterious super power.

Her main power is the ability to create and manipulate fire from her bare hands. Lisa can also run faster than the speed of sound, and is able to hear sounds from a great distance, including reading minds and one's heartbeat.

What's Lisa's idea of a perfect date?

Before Lisa received her powers, her perfect date was having an exquisite dinner in a restaurant close to the beach. Then after that she would lay down on the beach, on top a red cloth surrounded with yellow candles. However, this fantasy came to a halt the minute Stephen Wilson shook her hand.

If Lisa had one wish, what would she go for?

Again, it depends on the timing. If Lisa had one wish a few weeks after she received her powers, she'd wish for them to be taken away. However, if she had one wish after her first date with Stephen Wilson, she'd wish for the revelation of the mysteries behind her power.

In Lisa's words, what do you think of the series, LS?

"It's like no other; very creative and well planned. At the beginning, there seems to be a bit confusion (even with the characters), but the more you read the more you get entangled with this world of fantasy Kelvin has created."

Thanks Lisa for taking your time to feature in this post. I wish you the best in the LS series.

To learn more about LS: The Beginning, visit Kelvin O'Ralph's blog at Kelvin's World.

Hurry Up My Date Meter Is Running - Dating in the Interenet Age

by Cara Bertoia

This is an updated version of the first newspaper article I got paid for!! Everyone always told me if I didn't quit being so picky I would end up alone and lonely. I mean if I couldn't find a man in Boston what was wrong with me? But I am a hopeless romantic so I waited until I found my prince charming, and I had to run away to sea to find him. What I really want to know  - Is dating easier in the Internet age or does all this technology make finding a relationship harder?

I was sitting at a table in a restaurant last week, answering typical questions. Where did I go to school? What is my present job like? Where do I see myself in five years?
I congratulated myself on how well the interview was progressing, and then I had to remind myself that I was on a date.
In this world of fast foods, ATM machines and high speed cable, what could make more sense than the 45-minute date?
What is the 45-minute date? It's the sanctioned time to meet a person of the opposite sex at a sanctioned place. The place should be public, in case he or she exhibits psychotic tendencies, and should be open, in case someone needs to make a fast getaway.
Ladies, if he suggests you go Dutch, my advice is don't wait by the phone.
The purpose of this meeting is to decide if this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. At first blush, 45 might not seem like a long time to devote to this search. But professional daters have told me "that you know, you just know." Some theorize that "you know" within five minutes, but you stay the full 45 minutes.
How did the 45-minute date get to be so popular?
My own personal theory is that it started sometime after school.
Your college relationship breaks up or you get divorced, so you look around and realize you don't know anyone want to date.
There are several routes you can take to reach the same end. Some people turn to match.com or e-harmony, organizations designed to promote the 45-minute date.
A dental hygienist told me last week she goes on 45-minute dates all the time. She said it takes the same amount of time as cleaning teeth, and during brief interludes she pretends she's cleaning teeth. She also makes plans before or after because she has already put on mascara and doesn't want to waste a good outfit.
Of course, this is a two-way street. She once met a lawyer who spent the entire time looking at his Rolex. At the end of the date she was surprised that he didn't present her with a bill for the hour.
A guy who belonged to an internet dating site for a while said there were so many more women than men that he could have met someone new every day. He finally got tired of having the same conversation.
There lies the failure of the 45-minute date. It's impossible to make conversation, impress someone with your wit, look great and check them out all at the same time,
Remember the good old days, when you sighted someone on campus you were attracted to. You studied them for a few days, asked around and found out who they were. By the time a full-length date came around you usually felt somewhat comfortable. I even recall having fun. Fun, I believe, was the reason I used to date in the first place. (although it's been a long time so I can't honestly say for sure).
Can you meet your true love in three-quarters of an hour?
My second cousin is living proof that this method shouldn't be dismissed so lightly. She decided she wanted a doctor, and fifty dates later she met the right doctor.
A very attractive former boss of mine who was meeting all the wrong people went on the radio and asked for a nice Jewish girl, Well, a nice Jewish aunt heard him, called her niece and begged her to give it a try. I mean, what the hell, it was only 45 minutes - halfway between a sitcom and a drama. It worked out, and now the happy couple live in Queens.
The record though was a woman I saw on a national talk show. She went on 500 dates before she finally found HIM.
I love the advice you get from married friends. Date someone you work with. We all know what that leads to - you either get married or one of you has to quit. Date a friend of a friend. When it doesn't work out, there goes the friend.
What's the answer? Do you walk around with a sign that says "I'm single."
Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not by much. Face it, dating sucks. At least the 45 minute date doesn't discriminate.
My research tells me both sexes find dating awkward as hell, but I guess it will be around until someone comes up with a better idea - or hell freezes over.

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What Are You Reading?

Screen shot of my Shelfari bookshelf, taken by my iphone.

I've been lurking around some online discussion groups lately, on the "What are you reading?" threads. This seems to be one of the most popular topics on sites like Kindle Boards and Shelfari, and members never seem to get sick of it. The discussions go on and on with thousands of posts. On Shelfari, I joined a group of sci-fi readers discussing the topic. I thought I'd get tired of hearing about people's reading choices, or run out of things to say about my own, but it's endlessly fascinating. I'm getting lots of good reading recommendations, but more than that, I'm getting to talk about books and authors I love, and understand why others love what they do. Sometimes, we female sci-fi readers feel like outsiders, but I don't anymore; I've found so many kindred spirits out there. Not only is reading not considered nerdy any more, (if it ever was) but reading sci-fi doesn't seem to be either.

So I ask you to comment on this blog and let me know: what are you reading? Any genre, any author. I'm dying to hear!

Getting Ready For the Final Harry Potter

I spent a lazy Memorial Day watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I, and was absolutely in bliss. It was such a beautifully directed film, simultaneously poignant, terrifying and funny, just like the book. As a matter of fact, it followed the book to the letter, and no surprise, J.K. Rowling was one of the producers. I don't think it would be a fascinating film to anyone who hasn't read the book(s). But at this point, if you're going to see part one of the seventh movie in the series without having read the books, well, there's something wrong.

So, yes, I will be one of the nerds lining up to see the last Harry Potter installment and I'm excited about it! But just like I was sorry to read the last page of the last book, I'll be sorry to see the last film.