Colleen Houck


“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer

Colleen's blog


  • Movie Review: Minions

    August 19, 2015


    Minions

    Colleen’s Movie Review

    I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned. =)


    Romance
    : N/A

    Special Effects: We saw this movie in 3-D. Not sure I noticed the special effects from that. 


    What I Liked:
     I love the minions. Favorite scenes are just random things like the fire hydrant and the accidental killing off of various bosses over the years.

    What I’d Change: The minions are cute and funny but most of the humor was wasted on the trailer. In fact, you could have mostly watched the trailer and feel like you saw the whole movie. The Queen of England was fun. My favorite thing is when the minions sing but this time there was too much singing but not enough reason to if that makes sense and the song choices weren’t what I would have liked. They really need a comedic foil. When the boss they’d always searched for entered the picture at the end, the movie suddenly got funnier by like 500%. They needed Gru.

    The Tagline: They had five altogether.

    1. Uh oh.
    2. Meet Stuart, Kevin & Bob
    3. Go back to where it all began.
    4. Before Gru, they had a history of bad bosses
    5. It’s going to be a blast.

    Not sure I like any of them. Like the movie, they just aren’t that funny.

    Hunky Hero: N/A

    The Villain: 

    Sandra Bullock as Scarlett Overkill was a bad choice I think. How much better would the movie have been if their villain was Ellen or maybe Melissa McCarthy? Now Herb Overkill was fairly funny.

     

    Best Line: 

    Scarlett Overkill: Do you know who this is?

    [points at a British Royal portrait]

    Kevin the Minion: Uh… la cucaracha?

     

    Best Scene: Playing in the torture chamber was fun. 

     

    Recommended for YA Fans: Sure but maybe wait for video.

     

    Compared to the Book: N/A? I’m sure there are plenty of Minion books out there but I haven’t read any.

     

    Trailer:

     


    A Kid’s Perspective

    Gingerbread making

     

     

     

     

    Aidan’s Review: (Age 11) 

    Q: What was your favorite character and why?

    A: Bob, Kevin and Stuart because they are funny!

    Q What was your least favorite character and why?

    A: The villains because they are mean and not nice at all.

    Q: What did you like about the movie?

    A: The minions act silly and it made me laugh. I laughed at the very beginning when the minions were singing.

    Q: What did you not like about the movie?

    A: The story wasn’t perfect. They could have made the story more interesting and mysterious.

    Q: What did you think about the story?

    A: It was ok. Funny, but not the best.

    Q: What parts made you laugh or cry or feel awkward?

    A: I laughed when Kevin grew super tall.

    Q: What would you say to your friend about this movie?

    A:I would tell them to go see it because it’s funny but not the best story. Mostly ok. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

     

     

    MadelynMadelyn’s Review (Age 13)

    Q: What was your favorite character and why?

    A: My favorite Character was Bob the minion. He was only a baby minion and very cute. I liked him because he had two bicolored eyes and made me smile.

    Q What was your least favorite character and why?

    A: My Least favorite character was Scarlet Overkill. She was a very boring villain and had a very boring purpose.

    Q: What did you like about the movie?

    A: I liked the family of thugs in the movie and Bob.

    Q: What did you not like about the movie?

    A: I didn’t like that they showed all the good jokes in the movie trailers. I felt like I already knew the jokes and it was less funny.

    Q: What did you think about the story?

    A: The story was good. I think that it was a very simple plot and it could’ve had more to it. But overall, it was cute.

    Q: What parts made you laugh or cry or feel awkward?

    A: I definitely laughed at the jokes. I especially laughed at the new jokes. I didn’t really cry, but I smiled when Bob came on. Bob was definitely the cutest and made me smile wide.

    Q: What would you say to your friend about this movie?

    A: I would tell my friend to go watch it. It definitely is cute and worth your money. You would definitely enjoy it.

    C360_2015-07-13-15-18-23-503Kaelyn’s Review (Age 5)

    Q: Who was your favorite character and why?

    A: The one with the teddy bear because he was silly. Maybe that was Bob?

    Q Who was your least favorite character and why?

    A: The big boy in the robber family. He was really tough.

    Q: What did you like about the movie?

    A: That they found a master so they could be dee doos (minions) to some bad groovy guy that saved the day and find the dee doo guy that they wanted to find.

    Q: What did you not like about the movie?

    A: I didn’t like Gru being bad as a kid. I like him in the before shows because he’s funny.

    Q: What did you think about the story?

    A: That it’s totally a little bit weird but it’s great!

    Q: What parts made you laugh or cry or feel awkward?

    A: A few parts made me awkward like when Gru just freeze them and grab the crown and when the minion played the guitar and then broke it. It was also a funny part.

    Q: What would you say to your friend about this movie?

    A: Nothing. I don’t really like saying stuff about movies to my friends very much.

    2014-02-01 22.54.02

    Brad’s Review: 

    Minions

    Since the first two Despicable Me films, I have been a big fan of the minions. Turns out, after watching their self-titled film, that I realized I actually like them better when they are with their evil master, Gru. I hadn’t realized it before, but together, the Minions and Gru are like a perfect marriage, like Laurel and Hardy, like Babe Ruth and the Yankees, like Ginger and Fred. By themselves, however, the Minions are just loveable pills and, after a while, one can tire of their cheesy-idiocy, oblivious luck, and gibberish “Minionese.” Gru provides the needed sarcasm, intelligence, and balance in their unified quest to commit evil. It’s a formula that really works and that was sorely missed until the conclusion.

    The movie starts off with the early Gru-less minions’ historic search to provide service to an Evil Boss bent on crime. But whenever they run into a potential Evil Boss, in their giddy eagerness to serve, they unwittingly cause the Boss’s early demise. Some of these scenarios are pretty funny. As their search resumes anew after each demise, they start to feel worthless and depressed. Three minions—Kevin, Bob, and Stu—set out to find the Evil Boss their entire clan can serve.

    This separation from the group is when the film starts to sag a bit. The three Minions end up at a Villain-Con where they meet super-evil Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock) and earn the right to be her henchmen. Eventually, Scarlett feels betrayed when Bob inadvertently wears the crown to become the King of England. In revenge, she seeks to destroy the three minions, but is frustrated at every opportunity. Enter young Gru, who, in the end, masterfully disposes of Overkill and takes off with the crown as the three awed minions and their minion buddies hotly follow after him.

    Though I kind of smiled throughout the film, I was relieved when Gru finally showed up! Never until that minute did I appreciate Gru more. It was one of those ah-ha kind of moments, when everything really makes sense, and I sadly realized the minions, as cute as they are, really can’t carry a movie alone.

    Scarlett wasn’t as funny as I hoped. Sure, she was pure evil, which was her charm, but her lines didn’t have the necessary punch expected from her evil character.

    The frequent use of “Minionese” gibberish/language/dialect or whatever it was felt like overkill.

    In retrospect, I shouldn’t have bothered to buy a 3D ticket. Completely unnecessary.

    Overall, a fun film, but without Gru, it proved to be somewhat lackluster. 

    I give this film 5.5 out of 10 Hulk Smash Fists.


     

    2015-05-28 19.14.00

    Cindy’s Review

    WARNING: Possible spoilers…
    I loved, loved, LOVED the first Despicable Me. I have to say Minions didn’t really get too close to the bar the first Despicable Me set.
    -I knew going in that Sandra Bullock was the voice of Scarlet Overkill, but her voice wasn’t recognizable and didn’t really sound very villainess-y to my ear.
    -I enjoyed the scenarios when the minions were looking for a “Boss” with each candidate coming to a comically tragic demise inadvertently caused by the oh so helpful minions. I wish the movie had been more about these scenarios.
    -I really enjoyed the relationship between Scarlet Overkill and her husband, Herb. They were very loving toward and supportive of each other.
    -I enjoyed how Minionese seemed to borrow words from several different languages but I was never sure if I was just imagining that or if it was coincidence.
    -I enjoyed the jokes and references targeted to adults rather than kids. Especially the Beatles/Abbey Road bit.
    -I had some “sticker shock” when we arrived and bought our tickets. 3D movies are up to $15 now?! I think I would have been fine seeing this without the 3D for a slightly lower price.

    I think it all boils down to the fact that minions are funniest when they are busy tripping up their villain. But, in this movie, Kevin, Stuart & Bob spent too much time being the leads. While I DID find the movie amusing much of the time, parts of it kind of dragged. It’s cute, but not $15 cute.

     

    This entry was posted in A Guy's Perspective, Kid's Perspective, Movie Review.

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    Colleen Houck

    New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

  • Modern Ink Society- Featuring Author April Tucholke

    August 18, 2015


    FEATURING GUEST

    April Tucholke

    Films that Inspire

    Welcome to the twenty-first session of

     THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!

    at-vintage-typewrite


    “Don’t be afraid of being different,

    be afraid of being the same

    as everyone else.”

     — Unknown

     


     Introducing the lovely

    April Tucholke

    The Sideways Stare
    Today we are featuring the author, April Tucholke, in celebration of her new YA horror anthology, Slasher Girls & Monster Boys, releasing TODAY, August 18th! Check it out,
    slasher coverHere’s a little description,

    A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

    Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

    Fans of TV’s The Walking Dead, True Blood, and American Horror Story will tear through tales by these talented authors:

    Stefan Bachmann

    Leigh Bardugo

    Kendare Blake

    AG Howard

    Jay Kristoff

    Marie Lu

    Carrie Ryan

    Megan Shepherd

    Nova Ren Suma

    McCormick Templeman

    April Genevieve Tucholke

    Cat Winters0


    Films that Inspire
     

    “Hi, I’m April Genevieve Tucholke, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, its sequel Between the Spark and the Burn, and the upcoming Wink Poppy Midnight.

    I’m also the anthologist for Slasher Girls & Monster Boys, a YA horror anthology. In tribute to the horror theme, I’d like to challenge you to a:

    Horror Film Pop Quiz

    See if you can guess the films which inspired some of the authors in Slasher Girls & Monster Boys. Answers listed below, along with the stories they influenced.”

     1.

    psycho

    Hint: Norman Bates. Hitchcock. You know this one.

     

    2. 5

    6

    Hint: One is a 1976 adaptation of a Stephen King novel that ends with a prom, pig’s blood, and fire. The other is a 1997 slasher film featuring the urban legend of “The Hook.”

     

    3.

    24

     

    Hint: One is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The title means “a hideously ugly vampire.” The other is a really, really creepy 2012 movie starring Daniel Radcliffe.

     

    4. 7

    8

    Hint: Two more iconic Hitchcock films. If you’ve never seen them, then may god have mercy on your soul.

     

    5.  3

    Hint: The lead actor was accidentally killer during the making of this 1994 film.

     

    6. 9

    Hint: 2007. Quentin Tarantino. Muscle cars.

     How do you think you did? Scroll down to check your answers. . . if you dare!

     

     


     

    Answers:

    1. Psycho. Jay Kristoff’s “Sleepless.”
    2. Carrie and I Know What You Did Last Summer. April Genevieve Tucholke’s “The Flicker, the Fingers, the Beat, the Sigh.”
    3. Nosferatu. The Woman in Black. Cat Winters’s “Emmeline.”
    4. Rear Window and The Birds. Nova Ren Suma’s “The Birds of Azalea Street.”
    5. The Crow. Megan Shepherd’s “Hide-and-Seek”
    6. Death Proof. Kendare Blake’s “On the I-5”

    How many did you guess correctly?

    If you got 1-2 correct, take a film class. Please.

    If you got 2-3 correct, at least watch the Hitchcock movies. I beg you.

    If you got 4-5 correct, not bad, not bad.

    If you got 5-6 correct, let’s be friends. 🙂

     

    A huge thanks to April for sharing some of her sources of inspiration!  If you’d like to learn more about April Tucholke and check out her books, you can go to her website, at www.apriltochulke.com.

     

    ~Till next time,

    Linda Louise Lotti

    This entry was posted in Featuring Authors, The Modern Ink Society, Uncategorized, Upcoming YA Books.

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    Linda

    I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.

  • Bree Despain interviews Colleen Houck about ‘Reawakened’

    August 17, 2015


    Bree Despain interviews Colleen Houck about ‘Reawakened’
    HAPPY EVER AFTER
    Special for USA TODAY12:08 a.m. EDT August 12, 2015

    Today, HEA hosts Bree Despain, whose latest release is The Eternity Key (book two in the Into the Dark series), chatting with fellow author Colleen Houck about her new YA fantasy, Reawakened, the first book in a new series.

    Bree: I love that Amon is a noble prince but also a fish out of water in the modern world — who doesn’t know things like to watch out for taxis on the streets of Manhattan, or that hot dogs aren’t really made out of dogs. And then on the other hand, Lily is a highly organized, Ivy-League-bound, savvy New Yorker. Will you tell us more about these two characters and their inspirations? What parts of you are reflected in your characters?

    Colleen: With Amon I tried to imagine what the modern world would look like to a man who hadn’t been alive for a millennium. I’m sure it would be fascinating and frightening, especially when he rose from the dead in New York City! At the same time, he has vast powers that mortals couldn’t comprehend so I would think he’d be more curious about the things he saw than he would fear them.

    Then there’s Lily. My heroine lives a sort of self-imposed very strict lifestyle. She’s smart, in control, and wound up tighter than a ballerina’s hairdo. She’s inspired partly by my crazy organized side. The other half is an ambitious NYC girl — the type who can exercise on her way to work wearing tennis shoes and a skirt, while putting on makeup and conducting a business meeting. She has my sarcastic sense of humor, a version of which I also loaned to my other heroine, Kelsey, but these two girls couldn’t be more different. I’d like to think the three of us would come to appreciate each other … eventually.

    Bree: Being a total mythology buff, one of my favorite things about your books is your use of mythological elements from all over the world. What made you decide to write about Egyptian mythology in Reawakened? Where else did you pull mythological inspiration from?

    Colleen: I credit my middle-school English teacher for my love of mythology. She had huge posters of the Greek gods plastered all over her walls, and I spent an entire year staring at them and making up stories about their adventures. Egypt has always fascinated me. There’s something very romantic and mysterious about the mythology of that region, and I’ll admit that it was a bit difficult to wrap my head around it at times. But isn’t it awesome as an author to fashion these long-written-about characters into people we can not only understand but admire? Any time I’m researching a series, I reread all my mythology books and jot down themes and ideas that I think might be applicable. Since death is an obvious element when writing about mummies, I kept notes on all types of death rituals and my villain ended up being a necromancer of sorts. It’s so exciting to take all these stories and try to wrap them into one big epic adventure.

    Bree: When I read your books, I can really tell that you do your research. You take us to exotic locations all over the world — and then beyond to fantasy realms — and everything feels so detailed and real. Tell us about your research process. Are you a world traveler? If not, how do you go about finding such wonderful details to share with your readers?

    Colleen: Sadly, I have not traveled as much as I would like to. I’ve always been interested in seeing other places, trying new foods and learning new languages. Every time I head out of state, I try to take a city tour and book a reservation at a new restaurant. There are so many things to see in this beautiful world, I’d hate to miss out when opportunities like that come along. When I can’t get to a place I’m writing about, I do the next best thing. I seek out local restaurants and shops that reflect that culture and read as many books as I can to get a feel for a place. I watch YouTube videos and take virtual tours, too, keeping copious notes on the things that inspire me. Once I spent an hour just watching traffic videos in Mumbai so I could study patterns, cars, animals, shops, etc. Sometimes that’s the best an author can do. I think it’s much easier to create my own fantasy world than it is to truly grasp and give the proper credit to a culture that already exists. There’s a responsibility to get it right that sits on my shoulders, and even though I know it will never be perfect, I want to do the best I can to be respectful to the cultures and communities I write about.
    Bree: On that note, what is the weirdest thing you’ve ever done in the name of book research?

    Colleen: I think the craziest thing I ever looked up was how a body decomposes. I researched a place called The Body Farm. Bodies that are donated to science are brought to this huge “farm” and are left in various types of environments so forensic scientists can study the differences in how a body will decompose. Police and medical students go out there to do training. It’s such a fascinating and disgusting thing to expose yourself to and, yet, there are some careers, including that of an author on occasion, where that knowledge is not only useful but necessary.

    Bree: I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of your Tiger’s Curse fans — they are a devoted and passionate group of readers. However, many authors find that even dedicated readers may be reluctant to follow their favorite author to a new series and a new set of characters. Will you give us what you think are the best reasons that Tiger’s Curse fans will also love Reawakened?

    Colleen: That is an excellent observation. It’s funny because the biggest reaction I got from fans when I announced the Egyptian series was, “What about the tigers?” Our goal as authors is to build a career and hope that readers will follow us from book to book, from series to series, and yet I know as a reader myself that there is usually a series that ends up being my favorite. I would not be surprised at all for my most avid fans to feel a little betrayed that I am writing about something new. It was hard for me to move on, too! It’s a bit like breaking up with someone you still love but you know you can’t really be together any longer. It’s sad! On the other hand, I have really, really grown to love these new characters and if there is one thing these two series have in common, it’s the fast-paced adventure. My hope is that my readers will trust me to always keep it romantic, always keep it exciting, and always keep them guessing.

    Bree: Thank you so much for answering my questions, Colleen! As a Tiger’s Curse fan myself, I can personally say that your readers (new and old) will loveReawakened. It has magic, intrigue, exotic lands, three hot princes and, of course, a great romance. (I totally have a crush on Amon!) Do you have any parting thoughts on the new book for us?

    Colleen: Yes! There is more to come, readers. Much more. Nothing is exactly what it appears to be. You know how I like to leave you hanging by your fingertips while torturing you until you cry? Well, expect that and more. You won’t see the end coming. That’s a promise. =)

    Did someone mention lions?

    Find out more about the authors and their books at colleenhouck.com andwww.breedespain.com.

    This entry was posted in Articles, Featuring Authors, Reawakened.

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    Colleen Houck

    New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she's not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.