Friday, June 1, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Will You Still Love Me…In The Next Book?
Keeping the Romance Active Throughout a Series
Nora
Roberts/J.D. Robb. Jeanine Frost. Charlaine Harris. What do these
three ladies have in common? Besides being amazing writers and even
more amazing individuals (seriously, do you ever hear a mean thing
about one of them? Because I don’t.), they all have the enviable
skill of keeping their main characters romantic lives both active and
applicable through the arc of an entire series.
Roberts/Robb
has so many book titles I couldn’t even begin to list them all. One
of her most popular by far is the In
Death series featuring Eve
Dallas and Roarke. The setting may be futuristic and the crux of the
action may be said to be police procedural, but the core of the books
is the relationship between Eve and Roarke. These are two troubled
individuals who through the most random of circumstances find each
other and fall in love. But Roberts/Robb doesn’t end the story
there. Through the course of the series she shows us what happens
after the “I do”, both the good and the bad. Problems don’t
disappear after you get your happily ever after, and it’s Eve and
Roarke’s commitment to working through their problems that keeps
their relationship both realistic and romantic.
The plot follows the basic Snow White formula, but there are a number of differences. After Snow's father is eaten by a lizard-dragon, Prince Alexander arrives shortly after and offers to marry the now widowed Queen Gwendolyn. After rejecting his offer (for now), the Prince meets the beautiful Snow White and he instantly falls for her. Meanwhile, the Queen’s mirror tells her that Snow is fairer than her, therefore she sends her huntsman to take Snow into the forest and murder her.
Snow is rescued by elves. The huntsman is forced to kill an innocent man and brings his heart to the Queen, telling her it belongs to her stepdaughter. The Prince is heartbroken, while the Queen is thrilled as her plan to rule the kingdom is unfolding, which includes destroying the elves and taking their magic. The magical elves are the dwarfs in this tale, and they take the poor Snow into their home.
Labels:
Asylum,
DVD,
fairy tales,
fantasy,
movie
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Night Owl Brigade
Hi everyone –
Thanks for having on the blog today!
Can I admit I don’t drink coffee? LOL
But I do write into the wee hours of
the night! (or is it morning?) I’m a card carrying member of the
Night Owl Brigade. You know the ones. Those writers who stay up way
too late crafting their books and posting on Twitter.
In my defense though, I have a tough
time getting my creative juices flowing during the day. I don’t
know if it’s the sun or what, but the ideas just don’t start
flowing for me until it’s dark outside. So maybe it’s not a
coincidence that my Night Walkers are dead until the sun goes down,
right?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The
Wicked Wives, is a noir suspense thriller of historical fiction:
murder, betrayal, court room drama, love and lust based on the true
story of the 1938 poison scandals in Philadelphia.
When
I was eight years old, I overheard adults in our South
Philadelphia neighborhood discussing seventeen disenchanted and
unfaithful neighborhood wives who allegedly murdered their husbands
for insurance money. This was a fascinating topic for an 8 year-
old boy eavesdropping on adult conversation. People were
discussing the true story of Philadelphia’s infamous 1938
poison murder conspiracy scandals. My fascination led to
obsession as I grew older, and I knew that I had to write about these
women, their lovers and their husbands.
The
setting of The Wicked
Wives takes
place when the times were marred by the Great Depression and the
prelude to World War II, and is largely confined to the City of
Philadelphia. At 293 pages, the novel is equal parts murder,
suspense, love, lust, corruption, treachery and intriguing court
suspense leading to a dynamic ending.
The Secret World of Arrietty is a 2010 animated Japanese film based on the award winning novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton. It was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi and produced by Studio Ghibli. After a successful run in Japan, and winning the Animation of the Year Award at the 34 Japan Academy Price, it was released in the Untied States by Walt Disney Pictures in early 2012. Disney’s release had an American dub with the voices of Bridgit Mendler, David Henrie, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.
A boy named Shawn is sent to live with his great aunt Jessica’s, the same house his mother had grew up in. Shawn’s parents are busy with work and don’t have the time to take care him. He is going to have heart in a few weeks and needs to rest. His mother told him about the little people who live in the walls, of course Shawn thinks it was just a story, but he was wrong.
A boy named Shawn is sent to live with his great aunt Jessica’s, the same house his mother had grew up in. Shawn’s parents are busy with work and don’t have the time to take care him. He is going to have heart in a few weeks and needs to rest. His mother told him about the little people who live in the walls, of course Shawn thinks it was just a story, but he was wrong.
Monday, May 28, 2012
HOUSE OF NIGHT: LEGACY
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PUB DATE: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 9781595829627
AUTHORS: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, Kent Dalian
CONTRIBUTORS: Daniel Krall, Dan Jackson, Eric Canete, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Case, Joshua Covey, Kari Kerschi, Ryan Hill, and Steve Morris
House of Night: Legacy is set between the first novels Marked and Betrayed, and contains the first five issues: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Spirit. Zoey Redbird is a fledging (a future vampyr), but she is different than the others as her mark is filled in, as she is destined to lead the Daughters of Darkness even though she just wants to be a normal teen. With the help of her friends and with the guidance of Nyx, she has to learn about the five elements - earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. And in the process she learns a few life lessons.
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PUB DATE: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 9781595829627
AUTHORS: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast, Kent Dalian
CONTRIBUTORS: Daniel Krall, Dan Jackson, Eric Canete, Joelle Jones, Jonathan Case, Joshua Covey, Kari Kerschi, Ryan Hill, and Steve Morris
House of Night: Legacy is set between the first novels Marked and Betrayed, and contains the first five issues: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Spirit. Zoey Redbird is a fledging (a future vampyr), but she is different than the others as her mark is filled in, as she is destined to lead the Daughters of Darkness even though she just wants to be a normal teen. With the help of her friends and with the guidance of Nyx, she has to learn about the five elements - earth, air, water, fire, and spirit. And in the process she learns a few life lessons.