What to Watch: Burn Notice

Season 6 of USA Network's Burn Notice premieres tonight. I'm planning to tune in, but I have mixed feelings.

If you're new to Burn Notice, the premise is right in the intro (contrary to SNL's 2010 sketch What is Burn Notice? a game show that asked baffled contestants to simply state the premise in order to win prizes). Michael Westen is an ex-spy who had a "burn notice" put on him, meaning he was let go from the agency with no cash or resources. Westen ends up back in his hometown of Miami, close by his meddling mother Maddie and his ex, Fiona.

Image source: TVbythenumbers.com

Most episodes feature Westen's buddy Sam, played by Bruce Campbell (of the cult fave Evil Dead movies), as a retired Navy SEAL with tons of resources. He serves as a wingman to Westen's personal crusade to use his spy skills for good. Fiona, who has a penchant for middling with explosives, also assists in taking down gangs, crime boss's and skeevy underlings to save various every-day folk. Westen narrates the show, often telling how to make things like a homemade tracking device or how to cause a distraction, which makes him sort of a modern-era Macgyver.

What gives me pause for season 6 is Westen is no longer blacklisted, he's back doing spy duty. He spent most of season 5 questioning the CIA's motives and poring over his burn notice files. The enemies didn't feel as urgent as with earlier seasons, and some storylines seemed to wrap up abruptly. But, season 5 ended with a great cliffhanger that I hope will propel this season into a new direction.

Will you be watching tonight?

Road Trip Wednesday: Dream Writing Retreat

Road Trip Wednesday: Hosted by YA Highway

This Week's Topic: If you could go on a writing retreat anywhere, where would you go & who would you bring?
If time and money were no object, where would you shut yourself away to write the great American novel? And what friends, crit partners, or inspiring authors (living or dead!) would you bring along? 

Writer's Digest is sponsoring a retreat in Greece (check out the details here) -- that would be incredible. Seriously, look at those pictures! But closer to home is fine, too. I would love to rent a house on a beach -- could be nothern California or the Oregon coast -- along with a mix of writers and some industry pros to guide us. I'd like to keep my retreat all women so we can relax a bit without a bunch of guys around :) I prefer some structure, so I would love to have sessions led by the pros with time to work on my own writing in between.

 

The local RWA chapter I just joined has hosted occassional retreats with the structure I noted above, minus the beach house (it's usually in a hotel). I'm looking forward to my first one! I like the idea of a smaller scale workshop for a different experience than a larger conference.

 

Now I want to spend the day at the beach. If I can't have the ocean, even Lake Michigan will do!

 

How about you?

Clockwork Prince
Cassandra Clare
YA Paranormal (series)
Published: 2011

"Will has always been the brighter burning star, the one to catch attention — but Jem is a steady flame, unwavering and honest."

Clockwork Prince delves deeper into the lives of the characters from Clockwork Angel. In the second book of the Infernal Devices series, we see more contrast between Will and Jem, two of the Shadowhunters at the Institute where Tessa lives. If you want a good love triangle, it's here. No one relationship is solidly more favorable, the more we learn about each character, and about Tessa's own desires, the more complex the relationships grow. What makes for a compelling love triangle is that the relationships with each character are explored, along with Tessa's shifting desires. She's young and still trying to figure out her place among the Shadowhunters; it makes sense she might not know yet who she wants to commit herself to romantically.

This isn't just a love story. Lots of chaos is afoot in the magical underworld of Victorian London. Charlotte, who runs the Institute, might be replaced. Meanwhile, the Magister continues to target the Shadowhunters, blaming them for a past injustice. Researching this, Tessa discovers secrets about her own parents and her brother, while Will also uncovers the truth about his curse.

Clockwork Prince is a great mix of fantasy with steampunk elements told from a YA perspective. I listened to the audio book: the male narrator is fantastic, I could listen to his voice all day! The female narrator got a bit grating at times with some of the accents, but overall it's a quality audio production.