I don't watch much TV because I write like a fiend any chance I get, but I realize that lots of people watch shows on Netflix and Amazon and a bunch of different other providers. My hubby is a binge-watching addict, and occasionally I will catch an episode or two of something he's watching. Sometimes I like it; sometimes I don't, but at least it keeps me in on the story-telling conversation, so I consider it research.
For example, when I see The Walking Dead or Orange is the New Black, I can't help but analyze what makes the stories so compelling or the characters so nuanced. How do the writers do that? How do they get millions of people addicted to their work? Yes, it's visual, but there's more to it than that. Sometimes it's gratuitous violence or sex, but many times it's just gritty, gutsy writing that taps into the universal feelings we all have in an engaging context. What mastery some of these writers have!
What I don't like about TV is all the articles that discuss "spoilers" that have to do with cliffhangers of fan favorites. Whom did Negan kill? Who will get the Iron Throne? The articles promise spoilers but offer nothing but fan theory. I despise them so much, I think I will start writing some. They are very formulaic, and it would give me more reasons to do my "research," which is probably the reason authors write them in the first place. We writers are such a crafty bunch. :)
Back to my original thought--do you binge watch anything? If so, why? What makes you want to keep watching? Please do share. Happy Reading!
Enchanting the Highlander!
Enchanting the Highlander is a new anthology which has just gone up for pre-order! It is only 99 cents during the pre-order phase. And it will release October 18. I'm thrilled to have a story in this collection with these amazing and talented authors. They're great fun to work with! Last year, we had an anthology called Kissing the Highlander and it was a big hit. Enchanting the Highlander is the latest installment. My story, Defended by a Highland Renegade, is a part of my Highland Adventure Series and it follows my story which was out earlier this year, Stolen by a Highland Rogue, in the Captured by a Celtic Warrior anthology.
Preorder Enchanting the Highlander—for only 99 cents!
Including five delicious new stories:
PROTECTED BY THE LAIRD by Eliza Knight -- When she needed a champion, he raised his sword...
PROTECTED BY THE LAIRD by Eliza Knight -- When she needed a champion, he raised his sword...
VEXING THE HIGHLANDER by Terry Spear -- Saving the king's life has unforeseen consequences for one Highlander and a lady, the king's ward…
DEFENDED BY A HIGHLAND RENEGADE by Vonda Sinclair -- A bride on the run doesn't expect a kilted outlaw to come to her rescue…
TARTANS AND TRYSTS by Victoria Roberts -- This Highland warrior is about to lose the battle to a lass who's already won his heart…
HIS HIGHLAND ROSE by Willa Blair -- He is the one man who can see her soul and show her who she truly is—his only love…
Up for pre-order now! Available October 18th!
Thanks!
Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com
The USA Today bestselling author of award-winning Scottish historical romance. Her favorite pastime is exploring Scotland, and taking photos along the way. She also enjoys creating hot, Highland heroes and spirited lasses to drive them mad. She lives in the mountains of North Carolina where she is crafting another Scottish story. Please visit her website at www.vondasinclair.com
Made USA Today Bestseller List--21 Shades of Night!
Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen!
Limited Edition Paranormal Boxed Set
21 NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling Authors.
21 of today’s most romantic, bewitching titles.
The best value in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, Yours for a Limited Time!With one million words of romantic paranormal fiction, this boxed set will light light up your night with vampires, witches, warriors, and more! This limited edition omnibus is packed with today’s NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling authors to create a collection you won’t soon forget. With 100 hours of reading, you’re paying a penny per sixty minutes of enjoyment. Grab this collection today before it’s gone for good!
Amazon
Okay, baby giraffe is going to watch out for you today, while I’m back to hitting the book!
Have a super wonderful fun day!!!Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com
USA Today Bestseller and Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses. Originally from California, she’s lived in eight states and now resides in the heart of Texas. She is the author of Heart of the Wolf (Publishers Weekly's BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR), Destiny of the Wolf, To Tempt the Wolf, Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf, Wolf Fever, Heart of the Highland Wolf, Dreaming of the Wolf, The Highland Wolf in Paradise, Deadly Liaisons (vampire romantic suspense), Winning the Highlander’s Heart, The Accidental Highland Hero, A Ghost of a Chance at Love (Time Travel Western Romance), The Vampire…In My Dreams (young adult), Deidre’s Secret (young adult) and numerous articles and short stories for magazines.
3rd Annual Romance Expo in Mt. Dora, Florida
I
am happy to see that romance authors and readers are getting lots of positive publicity
lately. The Romance Writers of America just wrapped up its 36th
conference in San Diego last Sunday, and helped raise thousands of dollars to
help promote literacy!
Personally,
I will be joining 20 romance authors for the 3rd annual Romance Expo
at the W.T. Bland Public Library in Mt. Dora, Florida, on Saturday, August 13
from 10am – 1pm. This is an event that keeps growing every year, so please stop
by if you’re in the Orlando area. There will be contemporary, mystery,
historical, paranormal, time-travel and romantic suspense authors for you to
meet, so if you love stories about Navy Seals, shape shifters, knights in shining armor,
secret agents, cowboys, or even Prince Charming, we’d love to share our heroes with
you.
I love to meet readers who share my love of stories with happy endings, so I hope to see you there!
Best,
Leigh
www.leighcourt.com
Hotel Del Coronado–Some Like it Hot
Some Like it Hot–Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lennon–Hotel Del Coronado
Beautiful hotel and view of the beach. Now I need to see the movie again.
Have a great day!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com
Beautiful hotel and view of the beach. Now I need to see the movie again.
Have a great day!
Terry
“Giving new meaning to the term alpha male where fantasy is reality.”
Connect with Terry Spear:
Website: http://www.terryspear.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/421434.Terry_Spear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerrySpearParanormalRomantics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerrySpear
Wilde & Woolly Bears http://www.celticbears.com
USA Today Bestseller and Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She’s a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors’ books. When she’s not writing or making bears, she’s teaching online writing courses. Originally from California, she’s lived in eight states and now resides in the heart of Texas. She is the author of Heart of the Wolf (Publishers Weekly's BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR), Destiny of the Wolf, To Tempt the Wolf, Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf, Wolf Fever, Heart of the Highland Wolf, Dreaming of the Wolf, The Highland Wolf in Paradise, Deadly Liaisons (vampire romantic suspense), Winning the Highlander’s Heart, The Accidental Highland Hero, A Ghost of a Chance at Love (Time Travel Western Romance), The Vampire…In My Dreams (young adult), Deidre’s Secret (young adult) and numerous articles and short stories for magazines.
It's Just a Little Crush
Have you ever had one of those conversations with your significant other that started out okay, then became not okay, and then got okay again? I had one recently, and it made me realize how lucky I am that I married someone creative and with some common sense that I apparently don't possess.
My DH and I were talking about Grace and Frankie, a show we've been watching on Netflix, and got into a discussion about character, because we both are writers and that's naturally where discussions flow to in our household no matter what the medium.
What I love about my husband is that he can see a movie or read a book, and at least one of the characters, usually one he likes thank goodness, reminds him of me. I don't assume this; he tells me as we're talking about the characters and plot of the story. This is nice, because many of the characters I see in movies or read about in stories bring him to mind in some way, so I feel like we bond over this.
Except when we don't. In the case of Grace and Frankie, which I recommend to anyone who likes great story-telling and dialogue, we disagreed on which character I resembled the most (he brought this up). Naturally, I assumed he thought I was more like Frankie, who is a complete hippie, but he disagreed. He thought I was more like Grace, who kind of starts out as the stuck-up, rich ex-wife of a lawyer who is somewhat judgmental in her view of the world and very materialistic. That completely flummoxed me, and I was a little upset. How could my hubby mistake tree-hugger me for some uptight, inflexible chick?
But then he explained. It turns out that he's had a crush on Jane Fonda, who plays Grace, for years, and the things he liked about her as an actress are things he likes about me, regardless of her character in the show. In other words, when he sees his crush, he sees me.
Well, crap. Who can argue with that?
So for now I'm Grace, until he starts to unravel the complexities of Lily Tomlin, who plays Frankie, and figures out that I'm more like the new age do-gooder than the woman of his celebrity fantasies.
Do you ever deal with this? With feelings about a character because of who they remind you of or something that has nothing to do with the character? How, as writers, can we avoid this? Or should we? Sometimes there's nothing one can do. Characters can remind readers of family members, ex-teachers, zumba instructors, family doctors, etc., and we can't do anything about it except hope for the best. That's what makes story-telling so intriguing--you can write what you write, but readers read what they want or need to read, and that makes the written word fabulous. Happy Reading!
My DH and I were talking about Grace and Frankie, a show we've been watching on Netflix, and got into a discussion about character, because we both are writers and that's naturally where discussions flow to in our household no matter what the medium.
What I love about my husband is that he can see a movie or read a book, and at least one of the characters, usually one he likes thank goodness, reminds him of me. I don't assume this; he tells me as we're talking about the characters and plot of the story. This is nice, because many of the characters I see in movies or read about in stories bring him to mind in some way, so I feel like we bond over this.
Except when we don't. In the case of Grace and Frankie, which I recommend to anyone who likes great story-telling and dialogue, we disagreed on which character I resembled the most (he brought this up). Naturally, I assumed he thought I was more like Frankie, who is a complete hippie, but he disagreed. He thought I was more like Grace, who kind of starts out as the stuck-up, rich ex-wife of a lawyer who is somewhat judgmental in her view of the world and very materialistic. That completely flummoxed me, and I was a little upset. How could my hubby mistake tree-hugger me for some uptight, inflexible chick?
But then he explained. It turns out that he's had a crush on Jane Fonda, who plays Grace, for years, and the things he liked about her as an actress are things he likes about me, regardless of her character in the show. In other words, when he sees his crush, he sees me.
Well, crap. Who can argue with that?
So for now I'm Grace, until he starts to unravel the complexities of Lily Tomlin, who plays Frankie, and figures out that I'm more like the new age do-gooder than the woman of his celebrity fantasies.
Do you ever deal with this? With feelings about a character because of who they remind you of or something that has nothing to do with the character? How, as writers, can we avoid this? Or should we? Sometimes there's nothing one can do. Characters can remind readers of family members, ex-teachers, zumba instructors, family doctors, etc., and we can't do anything about it except hope for the best. That's what makes story-telling so intriguing--you can write what you write, but readers read what they want or need to read, and that makes the written word fabulous. Happy Reading!
Polo-Game of Kings!
Great care is taken in the rules to keep the horses safe. But even though each period (called a chukka) of the game lasts only 7 minutes, they do a lot of running. If you participate in a match, you must bring at least 2 horses for a game of 6 chukkas (4-8 chukkas are allowed). It's preferable to bring 3 horses.
There are 4 players on each team, although the players can be rotated out during the breaks between chukkas.
This was one of my favorite parts. At the half, the spectators are asked to go onto the field and repair the divots. Divots are clumps of earth dislodged by the horses. The resulting holes in the turf can be dangerous for both horses and players. Here they are:
The ref was a woman!
I haven’t written a story featuring polo yet, but I intend to. And no, I did not see any princes, red-haired or otherwise. Sadly.
Has anyone else been to a polo match? I'm going to another one on July 23. Can't wait.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)