Diana Laurence

I'm just going to jump right in....

Bernie Borkowski was a remarkable character as were Aggie and her friends, but he had unusual circumstances to boot dealt his way and thus he gets the spotlight first. A character with mental illness...especially one that's not flapping around like Renfield whilst alluding the men in white coats (pardon the dramatic explanation, no offence intended...just setting a contrast)...is often unheard of or rather seen/read of in literature. The spin put on his overactive mind and the creativity that sparked from it was amazing. Can you imagine the biggest fads in America (some of which are represented in the pictures within this post) all stemming from daydreams or hallucinations? (Oh and that's not reality by the way....the actual people credited with the fads are revealed at the end of the book, props to the author for the inclusion and realistic portrayal.) An issue so hard to deal with yet he found a way to "make it work"...but that's not all. It wasn't just his stubbornness that drove Bernie to try to learn a "normal" life (quotations used there because really, normal is relative to some degree), but strength, conviction, courage, and love. He possessed all of these qualities, tried to surround himself with like minds and in the end the world was a better place for it. We should all be so lucky to have a person of his caliber touch our lives even for a moment. Now Aggie...


Aggie was a brave girl. A girl who looked life in the face, listened to what it wanted and made it a compromise it couldn't refuse. She wasn't a bully, but she knew what was right and stood as best she could for it. When times got tough, she got going and by going I mean building an organization (non-profit no less) that would help solve those problems too big for Johnny Q. Public but too small for the big arenas to deal with properly. Can you believe it all began as the idea of a young impressionable child with a love of Neil Gaiman comics and a dream of a better world for all? A remarkable child that grows into a remarkable young woman that despite the encroaching world with all its ugliness, she fought to keep a light on the goodness around her. That power and strength went two fold stronger for those closest to her...including those within the inner circle of A9H (aka Aggie's Nine Heroes). She sought out the extraordinary in the ordinary world and found those that would share in her vision who not only become a formidable team but her extended family. From the Tri (three computer hac....I mean geeks... ^_^) and Nita (a real people person), to Jason (the actor) and Brandon (dojo master and long time friend), there are so many personalities and so many skills amongst this group I could go on for days.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a few points on which the lows settle. A grammar error here and there plus a break down of content once or twice unfortunately do happen...but it's not enough to stop the show from rolling on. Let's blow through them rapidly. The romance aspect for Aggie after nearly 200 pages of the book seemed like an after thought. It still worked but the story and characters already had so much going on that set them apart, it felt a little like a "what-else-can-I-add"-ish sort of moment. Also, the descriptiveness of her intimate encounter is not for the kiddos....a fact which is understandable when her other works are taken into account. Those are truly the big things, anything else was easy to pass right by and seriously had no bearing on the overall story.


All in all, a surprising read that will have you glued to the page at first out of curiosity, then out of interest and finally out of a need to see where a not-so-simple dream carries a group of people so different and yet all in to affect the same outcome...a better world for one and all. Recommended reading for older teens through adults. Be prepared for a curious journey that will take you near, far and everywhere in between whilst leaving you with many points to ponder.
… (plus d'informations)

I am some what at a loss as to where to shelve this book at home. Having never met a "real" vampire and having seen the author's webpage/alternative life(s), I am inclined to add the work to the fiction section and think the author a very active imagination. If it were true...it leaves me disappointed, as it indicates that people and the 'undead' are as predictable as ever, much like their appearance as Ms. Laurence describes them. (And why would you want to live forever if history is just going to repeat itself?)

Though it should be fun to watch whether people start wearing red ribbons on their wrists!… (plus d'informations)

I'm just going to jump right in....

Bernie Borkowski was a remarkable character as were Aggie and her friends, but he had unusual circumstances to boot dealt his way and thus he gets the spotlight first. A character with mental illness...especially one that's not flapping around like Renfield whilst alluding the men in white coats (pardon the dramatic explanation, no offence intended...just setting a contrast)...is often unheard of or rather seen/read of in literature. The spin put on his overactive mind and the creativity that sparked from it was amazing. Can you imagine the biggest fads in America (some of which are represented in the pictures within this post) all stemming from daydreams or hallucinations? (Oh and that's not reality by the way....the actual people credited with the fads are revealed at the end of the book, props to the author for the inclusion and realistic portrayal.) An issue so hard to deal with yet he found a way to "make it work"...but that's not all. It wasn't just his stubbornness that drove Bernie to try to learn a "normal" life (quotations used there because really, normal is relative to some degree), but strength, conviction, courage, and love. He possessed all of these qualities, tried to surround himself with like minds and in the end the world was a better place for it. We should all be so lucky to have a person of his caliber touch our lives even for a moment. Now Aggie...

Aggie was a brave girl. A girl who looked life in the face, listened to what it wanted and made it a compromise it couldn't refuse. She wasn't a bully, but she knew what was right and stood as best she could for it. When times got tough, she got going and by going I mean building an organization (non-profit no less) that would help solve those problems too big for Johnny Q. Public but too small for the big arenas to deal with properly. Can you believe it all began as the idea of a young impressionable child with a love of Neil Gaiman comics and a dream of a better world for all? A remarkable child that grows into a remarkable young woman that despite the encroaching world with all its ugliness, she fought to keep a light on the goodness around her. That power and strength went two fold stronger for those closest to her...including those within the inner circle of A9H (aka Aggie's Nine Heroes). She sought out the extraordinary in the ordinary world and found those that would share in her vision who not only become a formidable team but her extended family. From the Tri (three computer hac....I mean geeks... ^_^) and Nita (a real people person), to Jason (the actor) and Brandon (dojo master and long time friend), there are so many personalities and so many skills amongst this group I could go on for days.

Now don't get me wrong, there are a few points on which the lows settle. A grammar error here and there plus a break down of content once or twice unfortunately do happen...but it's not enough to stop the show from rolling on. Let's blow through them rapidly. The romance aspect for Aggie after nearly 200 pages of the book seemed like an after thought. It still worked but the story and characters already had so much going on that set them apart, it felt a little like a "what-else-can-I-add"-ish sort of moment. Also, the descriptiveness of her intimate encounter is not for the kiddos....a fact which is understandable when her other works are taken into account. Those are truly the big things, anything else was easy to pass right by and seriously had no bearing on the overall story.

All in all, a surprising read that will have you glued to the page at first out of curiosity, then out of interest and finally out of a need to see where a not-so-simple dream carries a group of people so different and yet all in to affect the same outcome...a better world for one and all. Recommended reading for older teens through adults. Be prepared for a curious journey that will take you near, far and everywhere in between whilst leaving you with many points to ponder.… (plus d'informations)

With the nation’s vampire obsession once again in full-swing, Diana Laurence’s How to Catch and Keep a Vampire has arrived right on time. This is for everyone who ever wanted to date a vampire, but just didn’t know how to go about finding one. Turns there’s not a lot of difference between dating a vampire and dating a mortal. Though Laurence does caution against allowing a vampire boyfriend to go too far when drinking some of your blood. Then there’s that pesky mind-control thing. Laurence’s tips will help make dating a vampire an experience that’s as safe as you want it to be.

Sprinkled throughout the book are FAQs, case studies, and other great little tidbits like vampire pick-up lines. Laurence also dispels some myths about vampires. For example, vampires can enter your home without permission; they’re just being polite when they don’t. How to Catch and Keep a Vampire is hilarious and entertaining, but Laurence also takes the subject very seriously.… (plus d'informations)