The Closet

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. Making fun of my stories has kind of lost it's fun. :p I'm not sure what I'll use this blog for, maybe my non-SV book reviews. My websites were deleted in December for those of you who follow them and I'm not sure when I'll be able to get them back up ($) but Amanda and I have decided to continue The Closet as a blog. http://tehcloset.blogspot.com/

Christopher Pike Top 10

Eh...it's been a while. Real life just keeps getting in the way. I'm now working full-time, going to school three nights a week, babysitting on Saturdays, and doing free-lance web design in my free time. Unfortunately it has cut my internet time down to zilch. But I had some free time today and thought I'd update my blog with the best of my favorite author of all time. Yay!

I can't help been reiterate, I was a Christopher Pike FANATIC! I reread some of these books so many times my books fell apart. I've tried a couple of times to make a CP fansite but it keeps falling through. Anywho...without further ado,

Christopher Pike's 10 Best

1o. The Last Vampire
The book that started the insane six-part series. The books got progressively weirder but the original was pretty straightforward. 5000-year-old Sita is being hunted by someone who knows what she really is. She kills her only lead so her only hope on getting any information is to enter high-school and befriend his son. Kind of a predessessor for all the horrible vampire books published today. Along with the Vampire Diaries. A big thanks to Christopher Pike and L.J. Smith for that. ^_-

9. The Wicked Heart
We go back to Nazi Germany with a descendant Heinrich Himmler and his fictional mistress, Olga Scheimer. Dusty Shame is a serial killer who kills to appease the voice of his evil grandmother in his head. The story's pretty crazy, and very very dark, but always made for a good read on a rainy night. I can't emphasize enough just how great a writer Pike is to write this crazy ass story and as you read it make you believe it.

8. Fall Into Darkness
The tale of a girl who plans her own murder and frames her best friend, which was made into a less-than-great TV movie. The story shifts back and forth from the trial to the events leading up to the "murder" and we eventually see it was murder after all. It never gets old and every time I read it I notice something new. And for the record, Johnny the lawyer was totally swoonworthy. If I were Sharon I would've so done him. :p

7. Remember Me
This one is a lot of people's favorite. And for good reason. It's a great story of a murdered girl who goes on her own investigation into her murder by following her friends and entering their dreams. And it has Peter in it! Peter is one of the sexiest male love interests to grace fiction. Ever! I dare you to disagree! And if you're a careful reader you may have noticed he wrote the beginnings of what would become the Eternal Enemy.

6. Final Friends #1: The Party
The whole series is great but there's only room on the list for one. This book is fricken hilarious! From the vending machine toppling over, Sara becoming class president, every interaction Sara has with Russ, and Bubba! Bubba could have his own series and I'd read it. Jessica's not my favorite character (that honor goes to Sara) but I didn't dislike her. (If I hate the lead normally I hate the book. i.e. Twilight) The Dance and The Graduation were both good as well but neither topped the first.

5. Chain Letter 2: The Ancient Evil
It's not often I like a sequel better than the original, but Chain Letter 2 definitely surpassed it's predecessor to me. It may be because I read it first, but this one was so much darker. Full of evil cults and chain letters and death and zombie bitches. It was awesome! And I loved Kipp. I was so sad when he was killed. I wrote a fanfiction lost to time about Brenda and Kipp's unborn baby. Jane wasn't killed and she tracked down the children of Brenda and Kipp and Tony and Allison and there were new chain letters with them and their friends. It was kind of awesome.

4. Whisper of Death
I'm obsessed with dreamlike realities. As is evident in most of my earlier stories. Which makes this entire book a guilty pleasure. I loved the little stories within telling the thinly-veiled deaths of each of the characters. And I still wonder, what the fuck was up with Betty Sue? What was she? Some kind of witch? Some demon from hell? What was she? I want to know!!!!!!!

3. Die Softly
This teenage drug-filled bloodbath was the inspiration for the third incarnation of Any Way the Wind Blows, and Alexa was the inspiration for Pamela Young. It was interesting how in the main cast everyone of them had a little piece of the puzzle but none of them really knew what was going on. I loved the bittersweet ending. Alexa didn't get away with everything, but poor Herb didn't get a happy ending either. :(

2. Master of Murder
Who doesn't love this one? I love Marvin. I love his angst, his paralyzing crush on Shelly, his screwed-up morals. I would love a true sequel to this, not just the little side stories that appeared in the Tales of Terror. Who knows? With Pike resurgence into the mainstream I may get my wish yet.

And topping the list...
1. The Season of Passage
This book changed my life. Fear Street made me want to be a writer, The Season of Passage made me want to write like Christopher Pike. The story itself is pretty complicated. Lauren Wagner goes off on the second expedition to Mars and all sorts of bad things happen, while back on earth her sister writes a story detailing the origin of mankind and the story's true. Her and Lauren are the reincarnations of the sisters in the story, doomed to repeat the same mistakes. The writing is top notch and the description is pretty gruesome. I engulfed this book for the first time in two days when I was twelve. And when I read it recently, I loved it every bit as much as I did fourteen years ago.

Bad Girls Don't Die, A Review

The cover caught my attention in the bookstore but it was a little line on the back that made me buy it. "Fans of classic young adult ghost stories should welcome this solid offering." As a big fan of the old young adult ghost stories I was definitely intrigued. And it actually does read like and old Point Horror novel.

Our heroine is the feisty Alexis, a girl who speaks her mind, dyes her hair pink, and has a grudge with the cheerleaders for chasing her only friend away. At fifteen she's pretty lonely. She hangs out with the Goth kids at school because no one else will hang out with her, but she doesn't really like them. She hides her loneliness by focusing on her photography.

At the start of the book she's trying to get a good shot of her historic home with the moon behind it at three in the morning. Her younger sister comes out to see what she's up to. While out there they both witness a strange light floating near a tree. Alexis ushers her sister Kasey into the house but notices the light seemed to follow them.

The next night Alexis finds Kasey hiding in the basement and the girl insists Alexis tell her a story. Kasey is thirteen and obsessed with dolls, acting much younger than her age. Alexis humors her with a story that comes to her all too easily and with striking clarity. After that strange night she notices changes in Kasey's behavior. More childish, moody, using old fashioned language, and most startling the color of her eyes changing from blue to green.

Alexis tries to rationalize the strange instances and keep herself preoccupied with her photography, but then her father ends up in the hospital, and it becomes clear Kasey's planning something horrible. She finds unlikely love interest in the preppy class vice-president Carter, and a friend in her nemessis, the head cheerleader Megan.

The characters are very believable and three dimensional. There's more to Carter and Megan than what meets the eye. The story is pretty much a typical ghost story but Alexis is a very witty narrator and makes you want to read more about her. The ending was cleaned up a little too neatly but it is a first novel so I can forgive that. Overall I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who's a fan of the old ghost stories. ^_^

SVC Chapter One + SV Ficlet

As some of you out there may have heard, the first chapter of SV Confidential has been released. For those of you who live in a cave go here. And for those of you who don't know, I'm a rabid SV fan. Mostly SVH.

I have read it, and though I see most people hated it, I loved it and can't wait to read more.

*SPOILERS* Highlight to read!

So Liz has left her idyllic life in SV to live in gritty NYC. Why? Because Todd cheated on her AGAIN with her bitch sister. I get this. Todd's a cheat. He cheated on Liz repeatedly with Jessica, whom he must've felt some kind of affection for even though he acted like he hated her all the time. Remember when he had the little secret affair with her when he lived in Vermont. Why this would shock Liz so much she fled across the country is the real question.

She's sexually active. They actually use Elizabeth in the same sentence as orgasm, which I think is the real kicker for why most people didn't like it. It kind of shocked me too. I was reading it at work and had to dart my head around to make sure nobody could see my screen. :p And Liz cries after every orgasm. That's just so.... SO Liz.T

he writing's not great. not like it ever was. There's a lot of name dropping more like the young adult books of today, which people seem to have a problem with. I don't really care. I usually don't know what the hell they're talking about most the time anyway so I just ignore it.

What I do really like is that Liz's best remaining friend from Sweet Valley is Bruce Patman. I love this. And I can so see it. Back in SVH during the Almost Married series they seemed to have a real connection and I can see that blossoming into friendship later on. Plus this means Bruce is definitely a main character which excites me more than anything. I love Bruce.

So, yeah, whatever, I thought it was interesting and now cannot wait for it to come out.

And it got me thinking about a little fanfic Amanda and I started when we first heard about Sweet Valley Confidential. It was kind of our own version of the "ten years later." Everybody was brought back together by the upcoming wedding between Tom McKay and Jeffrey French. We didn't get too far with it but here's the first scene. We tried to make it a similar writing style. Eventually I really want to go back and work on it. ^_^

Old Flames

“Jenessa,” Jessica Wakefield called to her daughter. Jenessa Wakefield looked up with disgust in her blue-green eyes at the sound of her mother’s voice. “You’re going to the doctor today to get your vaccination so you can start Kindergarten!” Jessica said enthusiastically.

“No I’m not.”

Jessica’s smile faltered. “Yes you are.”

“Not,” she said as she stuck her tongue out at her mother.

“You’re going to the doctor and that’s it! Now shut up!”

“Jessica, I don’t know if that’s the best tactic to take with a child,” Elizabeth Wakefield said. She was sitting at the table helping Jessica’s seven-year-old son, Noah Wakefield, with his homework.

“Like you know anything about parenting,” Jessica spat.

“Maybe I don’t have any kids of my own, but I don’t recall Mom and Dad ever yelling at us like that.”

“How do you know how they talked to me. You were always the perfect one who never got in any trouble. They always liked you better!”

Elizabeth sighed and turned back to Noah’s homework. Sometimes it was difficult to ignore how dissimilar the sisters were. From their luscious sun-streaked blond hair to the dazzling blue-green eyes the color of the Pacific ocean, to their beautiful, perfect, size six bodies they were identical in every way. Despite their identical appearances, however, she and Jessica were as different as night and day. Though they were only four minutes apart, it might as well have been four years. Elizabeth, always the responsible sister, worked as a journalist for the Sweet Valley News and frequently found herself watching Jessica’s two illegitimate children while her sister went to parties and clubs. Jessica didn’t work at all, preferring to live off child support and state welfare.

Once again directing her rage at her five-year-old daughter, Jessica bellowed. “Go put your shoes on or you’re not eating for a week!”

Pouting, but recognizing the seriousness behind the threat, Jenessa sighed and stomped her feet, marching out of the room to find her shoes.

Jessica looked back at Elizabeth with a triumphant smile. After a moment, she asked, “So what are your plans for the day?”

“Jeffrey and I are supposed to be having lunch and then we’re going to be looking at color samples.

“Why are you helping him with the color samples?”

“Well, I am his maid of honor, so naturally it’s part of my job to help with arrangements for the wedding.”

“Shouldn’t Tom have some say in it?”

Elizabeth shrugged. “You know men. He’s being all hands off.”

Smirking, Jessica said, “Well I don’t know about you, but guys are usually pretty hands-on with me.”

Elizabeth sighed again. “Doesn’t Jenessa have a doctor’s appointment you should be going to?”

“Oh, fuck! Jenessa, get in here! You’re gonna make us late!”

“I’m coming, Mother!” Jenessa belted back.

As Jessica shuffled the little girl out the door, Elizabeth asked Noah, “Do you know the answer to number five?”

“Four,” Noah said in a bored tone.

Not for the first time, Elizabeth wondered how Jessica’s son could be so intelligent. Noah not only maintained above 100% grades, but he was part of the accelerated math, reading, and science programs at Sweet Valley Elementary. Any suggestion that it may be due to the boy’s father remained speculation, however, as Jessica refused to give a name. If pressured, Jessica’s flippant response was always, “He’s Todd’s,” which Elizabeth could not believe to be true.

“Can I take a break now,” Noah asked softly, looking out the window.

“I guess. Why don’t you go out and play with your friends?”

“Because I don’t have any. Justin from next door used to come over, but his mother said he couldn’t any more because Mom’s a slut,” the boy answer dejectedly.

Elizabeth wanted to defend her sister, but the years of lying were already wearing heavily on her conscience. “Well, why don’t you watch cartoons?”

“OK, Aunt Lizzy.”

Alone at the kitchen table, Elizabeth sighed once more. She didn’t mind doing favors for Jessica, but she hoped her sister would try to be on time getting home. She’d been looking forward to having lunch with Jeffrey French all week. Far from harboring an old flame for her ex, she appreciated his company and felt a kinship with him: he and Tom McKay were so similar to herself and Todd that she couldn’t help but feel connected to him. It had come as a great surprise to her when Jeffrey started dating Tom, but she loved him like a sister and did everything she could to reassure him of his choice.

xXxXx