Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Tropes of Crushing It
Queer
Introducing Secondary Characters Part 1/2
These are a few of the secondary characters in Crushing It.
This is the Parry Sound High School team
Faith Roi
Age: 14
Appearance: Long black hair, dark brown eyes, short, lightly tanned skin, Indigenous
Grade: 9
Favourite class: Science
Siblings: Older brother Basil (friend of Kennedy’s). They are both members of Wasauksing First Nation
Sabrina
Age: 15
Appearance: Long brown hair, short, white
Grade: 10
Favourite class: Computer Science
Naomi
Age: 16
Appearance: Black curly hair (ringlets), medium height, white
Grade: 11
Favourite class: Physics
Bryan
Age: 17
Appearance: Light brown hair, medium height, white
Grade: 12
Favourite class: Biology
Chris
Age: 18
Appearance: Blond shaggy hair, tall, white
Grade: 13
Favourite class: Physics
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Hate, Wrath, and Pride
Hello friends, family, and fans,
I truly think that people are fundamentally good but there are those who are consumed by hate. They justify their hate with religion, pseudo-science, anecdotes, or false-morality; but underneath it’s fear turned sour. They create an “other” that is wrong in some way and fixate on them to a terrifying level, dehumanizing entire groups of people and attacking them.
Over the past 15 years of blogging, I have tried to be honest, passionate, and open. Events in my life from the past year have made me rethink my online presence and advocacy. The anonymity of the internet can embolden those who hate to commit terrible acts.
Because of the current backlash against the 2slgbtqia+ community, it is important for those of us who can, to share our pride in our identities. I’ve mentioned before that I’m bisexual and this month is Pride month. So here I am, a queer-bisexual cis-man, who uses he/him pronouns.
I’m happy with who I am and proud of what I went through to get to here. If my pride and visibility can help others, then I have a responsibility to speak up.
If you only know a little about Pride, here are a few places to get some more information:
Stay safe and be kind,
Éric
Similar books and TV shows to Crushing It
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Crushing It Book Mood Board
I had fun looking for pictures that made me think of the book Crushing It.
And I thought, why not share it with you?
Summary
After an epic grounding for some bad decisions with even worse friends, Tommy is lucky to even go to the Door Tech March Break camp. There, he crosses paths with Carter Batudev, and chemistry isn’t just for the classroom. With love and a renewed interest in STEM, Tommy returns home to Parry Sound, where, to the relief of his parents, he makes better friends, and joins the STEM club.
When the club goes to the province-wide competition in Toronto, he’s reunited with Carter, whose team is also competing. Thus ensues a wild long weekend full of romance, hijinks, STEM, and singing.
Includes a novelette from Carter’s POV at the dinner theatre show Knights of Everdome.
The first book in the Lucky in Love series.
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Carter Mood Board
I had fun looking for pictures that made me think of the secondary protagonist of Crushing It, Carter Batudev.
And I thought, why not share it with you?
Carter Batudev
Age: 15
Date of Birth: March 5, 1988
Appearance: Curly brown hair, grey eyes, tall, bronze skin
Grade: 9
Favourite class: Science
Parents: Sam and William Batudev own a bakery in Westmeath, Ontario
Siblings: None
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Introducing Protagonists
The two protagonists of Crushing It are Tommy Fairfield and Carter Batudev.
Tommy Fairfield
Age: 14
Date of Birth: May 11, 1988
Appearance: Short blond hair, green eyes, tall, white
Grade: 9
Favourite class: Math or Science or Music
Parents: Lilah and Gerard Fairfield live on a farm in Parry Sound, Ontario
Siblings: Older brother Phillip, married and has one son (15 months old). Twin older sisters Eliza and MacKenzie. Older sister Kennedy, engaged to Jason Johnson and lives in Westmeath (seen here).
Carter Batudev
Age: 15
Date of Birth: March 5, 1988
Appearance: Curly brown hair, grey eyes, tall, bronze skin
Grade: 9
Favourite class: Science
Parents: Sam and William Batudev own a bakery in Westmeath, Ontario
Siblings: None
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Tommy Mood Board
If you missed the cover reveal video post last Friday, due to the email mess up, you can go see it here!
I had fun looking for pictures that made me think of the main protagonist of Crushing It, Tommy Fairfield.
And I thought, why not share it with you?
Tommy Fairfield
Age: 14
Date of Birth: May 11, 1988
Appearance: Short blond hair, green eyes, tall, white
Grade: 9
Favourite class: Math or Science or Music
Parents: Lilah and Gerard Fairfield live on a farm in Parry Sound, Ontario
Siblings: Older brother Phillip (who lives in Parry Sound), married and has one son (15 months old). Twin older sisters Eliza (who lives in Toronto) and MacKenzie (who lives in Ottawa). Older sister Kennedy, engaged to Jason Johnson and lives in Westmeath (seen here).
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Crushing It cover reveal video
OMG I CAN FINALLY SHARE THIS!
Seriously, the first time I saw this cover was in SEPTEMBER.
On to the cover reveal:
The actors in this film are Dragon and Dragon’s friend. Pegasus attempted to assist.
They were given the task of completing an obstacle course similar to the one in the book. (Simplified, obviously, as these are not 14-15 year olds.)
The music was written by me (with heavy assistance from Bruce Gordon for the chords! I was so lost as to how to put chords to the tune in my head!), sung by me, and recorded by Éric.
Crushing It by Jen Desmarais is available now!
Physical from Canadian indie bookstores, physical from Indigo, electronic version
Strange World – JenEric Movie Review
How This Works – Read Other Reviews
Hello Cinephiles,
Today we’re talking about the 2022 film Strange World.
Story
The story mirrors the old pulp comics and stories, but with a modern twist. This felt like it would fit well with Treasure Planet and Atlantis.
The story definitely follows Disney’s new story structure of not having a villain and dealing with family/generational trauma.
I find that a lot of the screen time is wasted on the AMAZING visuals and not enough on the characters themselves.
Score: 0.5
Characters
I liked the characters, but the focus moved around a lot and the emotions were rushed for the actions. Splat was a perfect Disney sidekick, the mom was amazing, and Alan Tudyk should not be playing pilots any more.
The three male leads were stubborn and their changes of heart were nice but not heart-wrenching.
Score: 0.5
Dialogue
The banter and fights between the characters was great and the parent’s interactions were great.
Loved the pulpy intro narration.
Score: 1
Visuals and Music
This was an absolute joy to watch visually. The world was both amazing and fascinating. The camera angles and style were just perfect.
The music was very well done with a wonderful heroic score.
Score: 1
Fun
This movie was exciting, thought provoking, and lots of fun. The whole family loved it. My wife, who has a background in biology, noticed a few really cool visuals early on and we then spent a lot of the movie pointing out inspiration for the world.
I look forward to seeing this one again.
Score: 1
Overall
A family drama with a spectacular world pulled straight from older pulp science fiction. This movie is stunning, clever, and a lot of fun.
Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5