Just A Little Red

The Best New Shows Of Fall 2014

Posted on November 13, 2014 by DMW

I’ve already had my say on the worst new shows on TV right now (The Worst New Shows Of Fall 2014) so now it’s time for some happy – the best new shows on TV, and there are quite a few. Three perfect tens (I just couldn’t pick a favorite) and tons of awesome new dramas (political, legal and mystery) await. 🙂

“Madam Secretary”

My Rating 10 out of 10 Stars

The political drama series is about Elizabeth Faulkner McCord, the Secretary of State. Elizabeth McCord is introduced as a former CIA analyst, when she is recruited and trained by the current POTUS to become the new Secretary of State after the former Secretary of State dies in a plane crash. The President handpicks McCord because of his history with her in the CIA and asks her to become the Secretary of State because she can think outside the box.

Tea Leoni stars as powerhouse Elizabeth McCord, the apolitical politician. She doesn’t have time for bullshit, she likes to use common sense instead of following protocols blindly and she thinks outside the box – that is how she landed the job in the first place. The series doesn’t waste any time, just like its title character. Conspiracies of murder, a suspicious death and the truth of Secretary [of State] Marsh’s demise are all out there, along with McCord’s actual duties which are the focus of this show (for now). In the first six episodes Elizabeth McCord has saved American kids who are taken prisoner in Syria, thwarted a genocide in Africa, brokered seemingly impossible deals between feuding nations and dealt with the President playing politics with her, as well as his Chief of Staff who is just waiting for the chance to collect her resignation.

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Posted in Entertainment, Opinion, Reviews, television, TV | Tagged "Best of TV", "Fall 2014", "Gotham", "Gracepoint", "How To Get Away With Murder", "legal drama", "Madam Secretary", "medical drama", "political drama", "Red Band Society", "the best", "The Flash", "TV season", Batman, conspiracy, crime, murder, review, stalker, superhero | 1 Comment

Nanowrimo Nine Days In… I Am So Behind!

Posted on November 10, 2014 by DMW

I was excited for my first ever Nanowrimo. I prepared, outlined the book a little as well as wrote a two sentence pitch and a synopsis to make sure I got my head in the game. I did this all October 27, and I was all set… and you wouldn’t know it now. I don’t know what happened. I know that I really wanted to begin on October 31, but I was sure that was against the rules, and I wanted to participate the right way, so I held back. It is like that mistake started a domino effect, because I was so ready, my head was in the zone, but I rebuffed it and since I have had a hard time trying to get it back.

The first three days of November I didn’t write a damn thing – at least in regards to my novel. Then on the fourth day I wrote a whopping 3557 words. Sure I was still behind, but I knew if I kept on top of it, and just one more breakthrough day I would be on track. And the next day I wrote nothing. The sixth day I wrote, but less than the daily goal (the daily goal is 1667 words and I wrote 1042 words). The seventh day might as well have been nothing – only 297 words. Then on the eighth day it seemed like I was serious and somehow managed 2182 words. So my total word count before I began on the ninth day was 7078 words, which means that I was only 7925 words behind. FML.

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Posted in community, fiction, Inspiration, Personal, Writing | Tagged "daily writing", "write what you know", "write what you love to read", nanowrimo, National Novel Writing Month, novel, Thriller | 1 Comment

Confessions Of A Bookaholic – Guilty Pleasures Edition #45 – Sweet Valley High #49 – Playing For Keeps

Posted on November 9, 2014 by DMW

Another book where a lovesick girl loses herself in hopes to land her man… What makes it interesting this time though is that the girl is none other than the original man eater, Jessica Wakefield! 😉

“Playing For Keeps”

Sweet Valley Scale: 4 out of 5 Twins

Jessica Wakefield is head over heels in love with the handsome new boy, A.J. Morgan. She knows he likes her too, but she is convinced he’d really fall in love with her if she were studious and reserved, like her twin sister, Elizabeth. So Jessica sets out to change her personality completely and become A.J.’s dream girl. But Jessica’s plans are threatened when she hears about a fashion contest she knows she could win. But how can she compete and still be the sweet, shy girl that A.J. thinks she is? When the contest turns into a battle to keep A.J. as well as for a custom designer wardrobe, Jessica has to make some difficult decisions. Will the old Jessica reappear – and risk losing A.J. – or is the quiet, serious Jessica here to stay?

I know that I gripe about how this series always has these crazy girls who try to change who they are and define themselves by the boys they are crushing on. And that is exactly what this book is, but this was something I looked forward to seeing because this time that crazy girl was Jessica Wakefield who is usually crazy in a psychotic and selfish way. To see this change was amusing, at least for awhile.

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Posted in Book Reviews, Books, fiction, Guilty Pleasures, Reviews | Tagged "book review", "mistaken identity", "reading list", "sweet valley high", custom wardrobe, fashion show, hunk, man eater, mean girls, pretending to be something you're not, redhead, sweet valley | Leave a comment

Happy, Sappy Love

Posted on November 7, 2014 by DMW

You know those blog posts that discuss an important issue, or educate people, or are so hilarious that you don’t care if it is just there for entertainment purposes. Yeah, this post isn’t any of those things. There are posts that are incredibly sad, and it isn’t that either. This is a post that is happy, sappy and will either illicit sounds one makes when seeing something adorable, or the reader to throw up in their mouths a little. Because this post is dedicated to my husband, Roy, and it is nothing but happy, sappy love.

Roy is the most amazing man I have ever met. In fact he is so wonderful, sometimes it can be kind of annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hold him on a pedestal: he forgets everything, like most husbands he practices selective listening, and if he disagrees with me he’ll do it his own way, sure that he knows better and then play dumb when it doesn’t work out. He also can’t multi-task, and has issues with prioritizing. But the man is a flipping saint, so these are just nitpicky things that remind me that he’s actually human.

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Posted in Family, Love, Personal, Relationships | Tagged "dream gift", "hard year", birthday, husband, marriage, romance | Leave a comment

The Day After… The Elections, Reflexes, Actual Realities And A Debate With My Political Opposite (My Husband)

Posted on November 6, 2014 by DMW

There are a lot of people upset about last night’s elections. I could be, I might be, every now and then, and initially I was. But that was before and this is now, when I have had some time to think and when logic, strategy, and what ifs have played out in my head instead of just going off of my emotions (it’s an affliction to those of us who are political, we get all fired up).

Republicans have taken control of Congress, oh God, oh God, oh God! Has anyone else’s Facebook feeds echoed this panicky sentiment. I admit it was my kneejerk reaction on the evening of November 4, because I couldn’t imagine anything so terrible. But now I have thought about it, and I am kind of smiling. I don’t think there is going to be any difference in terms of policy, and there won’t be any more congressional gridlock as before, but I do expect the gridlock to remain. But there is a shift now, and for once the extremists within the Republican Party have backed themselves into a corner.

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