If you live on the South Side of Brisbane or don’t mind a commute to Logan, the Logan North Library is once again celebrating Science Fiction and Fantasy over the month of August.

Let you geek flag fly whilst making a Star Wars Badge, or finger puppet. Whack the crap out of a mate in the light Sabre challenge, attend a sci fi & fantasy trivia night; decorate cupcakes to look like zombies or some other gruesome being and take in the skill involved with the game of Triad.

The event culminates into a brilliant closing day, which includes a book sale, sausage sizzle, and Writers panel. This year the panel is epic in proportion and some of Queensland’s best authors in sci fi/ Fantasy are reporting for duty.

Rowena Cory Daniels, A.A. Bell, Trent Jamieson, Kylie Chan, Louise Cussack, Kevin Webb and our very own Marianne de Pierres, discuss what goes on behind the scenes when writers write – the music they play, the way they research, the pictures and stories they collect – all the things that contribute towards the final book and help to shape the book trailer and cover/s.

This event as a whole is small but very well thought out. I’ve been along to this for the last 3 years, and I can tell you it is getting better every year.

Some events require bookings so check with the program for more details http://libevents.logan.qld.gov.au/eventcalendar.asp?ln=2

We’d love to hear from you if you’ve had a great time at any of the events this year.

Hey Dolls (and Dudes)!

Welcome to Life with Lisa! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to check out my column…..my very own column! Doesn’t that just sound AMAZING? Well if you think that’s amazing, check out the picture I made to go with this new column!

Since becoming a member here, at Burn Bright, I’ve really tried hard to build relationships with everyone, including you, the reader. Instead of just telling you what I liked or didn’t like about a book I just recently finished reading, I actually want to talk with you, communicate with you, and discuss with you. I want pieces of my personality and me, to shine through everything I write.

Having my own column will allow me to to do that and get close and personnel with the readers (that’s yooouu!). Bec has given me permission to blog about anything I want; anything that’s fresh! But MDP, reminded me that each post must have a purpose. Burn Bright already has a few columns (make sure to check those out too, if you haven’t yet!), but none of them were aimed towards teens, even though Burn Bright only reviews Young Adult.

If I did make a teen column, how would I work it? I don’t want it to boring, I want people to ACTUALLY want to read it. Why not make a column where I can talk about anything, school, cooking, gardening (yes, I know. I have a lot of hobbies.), boys, candles, dogs, birds always crashing into my bedroom window, and everything else! That’s simply why this column is called “Life with Lisa”…. and all the crazy things she does.

Every Saturday (if your in Australia, but if your in the USA, Friday) there will be a new post,  soooo, mark your calenders people!!!!

After thinking through this, and debating how I should kick off this column. I wanted something that everyone could relate to, girls, boys, teens, tweens, and even someone younger. What I finally came up with was school! We’re all forced to go..(cricket, cricket) … I mean, who doesn’t love school?!

Here, I came up with a few ideas for posts:

1. Back Packs

2. Binders & Pencil Cases

3. Notes & Study Tips

4. Q & A (send me questions about school, supplies and anything else here)

I hope you find this first series of posts the least bit helpful, and enjoyable! I’m already planning things ahead, but if you have any suggestions on future series or posts, don’t be afraid to leave a comment, or shoot me a email (no guns, please).

What was that? I think a book is calling my name!

Have a fantastic day everyone,

Lisa

1. Well obviously you’re not going to have a morbid fear of spiders if  Peter Parker is your beau. Just be aware spiders probably will like him an awful lot, so be prepared for Eensy Weensy to make an appearance.

2. You’ll probably be constantly dusting to keep his web count low enough so your place won’t be mistaken for a haunted house.

3. That work uniform is a bitch to get in and out of. You might also want to let him get undressed on his own of an evening; it doesn’t matter how much baby powder or body oil you put on, body suits that tight are gonna pull a few hairs.

4. He probably won’t drive anywhere since he’s got the swinging from building to building thing down pat. Just make sure you’re wearing long pants if you’re going to go along for the swing, last thing you need is to flash anyone silly enough to look up.

5. Bad guys will probably have a knack of dropping in right before your assignments are due and taking you hostage without computer access to hand them in. Time management is key; get those assignments in as early as possible.

6. Speaking of the bad guys, they have a knack of causing trouble when you’re out on a date too. Be prepared to have to watch most of the movies by yourself and catch them on DVD later; because if it’s not you being taken by the bad guys, it’ll be some other chick. Doggy bags are a good option too. Who likes sitting in the restaurant by themselves anyway?

7. He doesn’t want every Tom, Dick and Harry knowing who he is when he’s on the job or he’d never get any peace. So you had better be okay with him having his mask tucked into his back pocket. It’s scratchy on the outside and a pain to pull up for a kiss. So hold off on smooches while he’s working.

8. Speaking of secrets; when it comes to his friends, they will all be the undercover professionals like your guy Peter. It’ll be all about keeping Mum. Look on the bright side, things could be worse, He could be like Superman, and wear his undies on the outside, or have the Hendra virus thing looming over his head like batman. You may not act like a fan girl around these people. You’ll make your guy feel bad.

9. When visiting his family, remember his aunt has no clue about his Spidey nature. She finds Spiderman to be a tad freakish, so avoid all talk of the crime fighting hero or his 8 legged buddies.

10. Lastly, might be an idea to avoid clubs. Have you ever seen a spider dance…? Just Sayin’.

Hey Everyone,

It’s Lisa reporting for duty!….Well actually, I just want to say hello, and introduce myself a bit.

First off though, thank you for welcoming me so warmly into your Burn Bright family! I’m very honored to become a part of it. Thank you, again, for selecting me as your teen blogger. I’m EXTREMELY excited to finally start reading and reviewing books for you! And lastly, thank you for this huge opportunity you’ve given me, not only in this crazy-insane blogging and book world, but also in real life. This is a big step into my future, and I don’t think I could ever repay you guys for this. [We’re thrilled to have you aboard the good ship Burn Bright, Lisa! — Ed.]

But enough of this touchy-feely stuff, let’s get down to business.

Whenever I have to either write or talk about myself, I draw a blank. I never (ever!) know what to say and what not to say! But on the other hand, I can blabber about books for hours on end. This, by the way ladies and gentlemen, is one of the first signs of book-a-holic-ism!

Turning Pages is my own, personal blog. This is where I write reviews, do weekly memes, host giveaways and trades, and some other bookish things. Turning Pages was born at the end of last February, and in about two weeks she’ll be turning six months old. She has become not only one of my new-found addictions, but also a part-time job. Back in February, I had no clue how much work blogging can be. At first, I felt like it was me against the world, always questioning myself, is someone out there even reading what I’m writing? But after two or three posts, I received my first follower, and ever since then things having been going uphill. And I’ve fallen in love with blogging, reading like crazy, meeting authors, chatting with people who have the same love for books, and finally doing something by myself.

The second sign of serious book-a-holic-ism is when you can’t decide on the top five books you’ve read in the last year. Picking favorite books is the one thing I could never do. Books are each so different, with different characters, different writing, and each story has its own unique message. I love and enjoy books, each for their own reasons.

What genre do I like? To be honest, if a book is really good, no matter if a friend suggested it to me, or the summary just sounds fantastic, I’ll read it, not caring what genre it’s in. Of course I have a couple of favorite genres, such as Paranormal, Romance, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Horror and Mystery. But I like to spread my wings and try out new things too.

Sadly we’ve reached the end of my very first post here on Burn Bright, but there will be lots more to come. Again, thank you everyone for welcoming me into your family (:

Yours truly,

Lisa.

P.S. There is no known cure for book-a-holic-ism.

I believe Round the Twist started the golden age of TV for kids and young adults. It took the strange, ridiculous and the roll-on-the-floor funny stories penned by the genius author, Paul Jennings, and brought them to life in the most wonderful way. You may all have been read, or picked up a copy of Paul’s books at some stage in your life. You may not even have known you were reading his work, but his quirky work is unmistakable

Some of the short stories that stick in my mind are the ones I was read in grade 3, the year after the TV series was released (Now you maths whizzes can figure out how old I am later). Having moved schools from a very back water country town, to an even more back water country town that just had better TV reception, I was shocked to hear stories of stomach-churning grossness and ‘far out there’ tales of tattoos on children – and gas, lots and lots of gas.

To see these books come to life on the TV screen was more than anyone could have expected. It became the much talked about cult classic of the playground. “Did you see what Bronson did?” ”Linda is way hot.” “Did you have nightmares?”

So without further ado I’ll give you the youtube clip of Episode 1 from back in 1989, Skeleton on the Dunny,

where we are first introduced to the Twist family. The family consisted of Tony (dad), Pete and Linda, (twins) and Bronson (younger brother). They move into a lighthouse and right from the world go, the fun never stopped. The first season was released in 1989. The second season was released in 1994. The third season was released in 2000 and the final season in 2001. I can only confess to watching the first 2 series, even if it was through my fingers, or from behind the lounge chair. I can bet you a fair sum of money that anyone over the age of 15 knows the lyrics to that theme song, and since the program has gone through many, MANY replays, that age could go even lower.

I really hope there can be a second golden age for young adult audiences. What was your favourite Paul Jennings story, and was it converted into an episode of Round the Twist?

Marianne here:

As I was posting Bel’s blog today, I had a sudden desire to hear the music. Round the Twist was on of my favourite TV shows of all time. Here’s a fan video for you to sing to, with lyrics underneath.

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Well have you heard the word about the bird and the spider?
It wiggled and wiggled and jiggled inside her.

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going round the twist?

Have you ever, ever felt like this,
When strange things happen,
Are you going? Are you going round the twist?