Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker?

For me it's a no-brainer. I'd choose Darth Vader every time. He's tall, dark and imposing. He dresses with style and how about that cape? He's not much to look at underneath the disguise but I've never been one to judge someone by appearances.

Yes, I know he's the bad guy. He's done truly evil things but he fought a great struggle and in the end triumphed over the dark side. He made the ultimate sacrifice.

Luke's a good guy but he doesn't have the same depth. True, he's seen some traumatic things, had to learn to trust himself and find a courage he didn't know he had. He's been to the brink.

But Darth Vader has been over the edge. And he clawed his way back out. A redeemed villian is a much stronger character than a developing hero.

With that, I am back to tweak my work in progress. I've just taught myself an accidental lesson about characterisation.

Can a Guest Blog Post Sell a Book?

Yes it can. I read a blog post this week and just had to have the book. The book was The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger and I found it on author Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog Cynsations.

First the cover grabbed me. I'm a Star wars fan ever since I sneaked out to see the first movie back in 1977. I love origami and the idea of Origami Yoda had me reaching for my pad of paper squares. But the final nail in the book order was Tom's blog post account of how the book made it's way through the tricky, trademark-obstacled path to publication. Heartwarming! I'm not going to spoil the story. I recommend you read it here.

And watch it here:


I'll be back with a review of the book another day. And if anyone wants a guest blogger author, I'm always available...