SURGERY DAY & PENNY DREADFUL EXPOSE

 

Each evening caps a day filled with events that did not go quite as you expected.

That thought is always uplifting when you face a challenge. 

The 3rd is my Surgery Day for cancer.  Been there.  Done that.  Fixing to do it again.

Everyone is having a harder time than they appear so I have tried to keep quiet about my upcoming surgery. 

To those who believe: say a prayer.  To those who possess another mindset: think good thoughts my way.  :-)

PENNY DREADFUL EXPOSE

 

Here is an indepth look at the world and psychology of the compelling supernatural Gothic tale, PENNY DREADFUL

 

For a "Penny Dreadful" type tale set in 1895 Egypt with Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, and Nikola Tesla ...

 

try my DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE 

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HIU5O38

GHOST OF MARK TWAIN HERE_ IWSG POST FOR July

"I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them."
- Mark Twain

Ghost of Mark Twain here:

I try not to criticize that Stephanie Meyer gal to Roland, but her books madden me so that I cannot conceal my frenzy from him.

I have to stop every time I begin.

Every time I read any of those Twilight/Good Night books, I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.

Then, I realize that gal ain't dead yet.  Maybe I can convince the ghost of Lovecraft to fix that for me, don't you know?

I just flat couldn't finish any of those DEAD books by that filly Charlaine Harris.  If she would listen, I would tell her that a successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.


Not that any woman no how ever listened to me when I was talking sense.


That her books sell don't necessarily make them good.

The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail.

The trouble with most fiction of today is that you want them all to land in hell together, as quickly as possible.

I know you friends of Roland are more open to listening than those two fillies, so I have a few hints at how to write yourselves a good novel --

1.) Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words.

2.) And while we are on the topic of editing --  NEVER POLISH THE FIRST CHAPTER UNTIL THE LAST ONE IS WRITTEN.

3.) A novel is like a young'un -- it grows in ways you never planned.  Just type it out chapter by chapter, letting the growing pains take you where they will.

4.) A novel is like life -- things happen, new ideas suggest themselves, and intriguing possiblities arise.  Throw them into the soil of your novel, you will be surprised at what the harvest will be.

5.) A novel to be novel must be novel.  Don't have the dog wag his tail.  Have his tail wag him.

6.) A novel is a dog house --

     So is your house going to hold a small, a medium, a lagre dog -- or just for the husband when he is thrown out by his wife?

     The size of the "dog" will dictate how you go about structuring your "house" (novel).

7.) Plots are limited.  Characters are limitless.  So always begin with the characters.

     Your novel will shine, not by what you have going on in it, but by the breath you breathe into your characters.

8.) The characters you develop depend on who you are.  Hemingway was Hemingway.  Shakespeare was everybody else.

Remember:

A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions:

1. What am I trying to say?
2. What words will express it?
3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?
4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?

IS THERE ROOM FOR HEROES ANYMORE?

Is every police officer in police procedurals corrupt?

Is every politician in nightly TV or movies dishonest?

Then, there is the clergy on TV and in the movies.  Every one a hypocrite or worse.

Really?  How against the law of averages is that?

I watched the second to last PENNY DREADFUL this morning admist multiple interruptions to do blood runs for hospitals. Vanessa Ives (Eva Green) spent most of the hour possessed by a being of ancient evil.  Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett), one of the two lone men of honor in the show,  threatens Sir Malcolm to rip out his throat (not an idle threat from a werewolf) if he does get a priest to perform an exorcism. Of course, much to my disgust, the priest turns out to be a stodgy ... hypocrite.  What a surprise.  Not. What WAS a surprise was that, when Vanessa starts tearing bloody chunks out of everyone, she begs Ethan to kill her with his Colt. Tears in his eyes, he shoves the gun's barrel against her chest,  rips off the blessed St. Christopher medal about his neck, presses it against her forehead and ... Performs the rite of exorcism in Latin. The Monster was a Man of God.  (Much like my own Samuel McCord -- though he calls God the Great Mystery -- as what He is up to most of time is a mystery to him.) PENNY DREADFUL is always a surprise for me -- usually a welcome one. PENNY DREADFUL is certainly visually transporting. The new Victorian Gothic drama on Showtime is a triumph of production design, from the elegantly wallpapered and laddered library of a wealthy lord to the overcrowded, grubby streets of London, where newspaper hawkers herald the return of Jack the Ripper. The ladies’ richly colored dress fabrics glow purple and turquoise against the cool gray cobblestones, off of which you’ll find a dim, stench-filled opium den with a slaughterhouse in the basement. Tonight is the last show -- The previews hint it will not be a happy ending for Ethan or for the prostitute, dying of consumption, that he loves. HELL IS EMPTY -- One of the best Walt Longmire books is routinely savaged by critics who berate Johnson for his Indian mysticism and for his hero, driven by wry humor and a strong sense of justice -- (Much like Robert B. Parker's Spenser) Apparently, a decent man, though flawed as we all are, cannot be accepted by modern audiences. No.  The only acceptable heroes are anti-heroes. There is no longer room for TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ... or HELL IS EMPTY. I hope tonight's PENNY DREADFUL breaks tradition and not my raised hopes. Faith is a concept not honored any more I know.   What concepts do you find lacking in today's novels and other entertainment? What genre seems to be lacking in today's novels and movies? Speaking of anti-heroes:

Or perhaps we should just think of what it means to walk the true path:

EVERY NOW AND THEN A FRIEND MAKES THINGS BETTER

 

Every now and then a friend makes things better ...

 

A new audio book newsletter is out that spotlights audiobooks (for a price, of course)

but you have to have your own banner made!

AudaVoxx

http://www.audavoxx.com/

And my photoshop skills are unto that of Wiley E. Coyote's!

http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/p/cp-design.html

But then along came Heather McCorkle, steampunk/fantasy author & graphic designer!


And faster than Alice can get Victor Standish into trouble, Heather came up with this grand banner:

Isn't this a beautiful banner?

 

THANKS, HEATHER!

 

PENNY DREADFUL: SUPERNATURAL BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

WHEN AN ENJOYABLE SERIES 

LETS YOU DOWN

This photo released by Showtime shows Josh Hartnett, left, as Ethan Chandler and Eva Green as Vanessa Ives in season 1 of "Penny Dreadful."

Because of my supernatural Texas Ranger, Samuel McCord, I was drawn to PENNY DREADFUL.

I saw clues that Ethan Chandler was going to be the werewolf of the series as well as the gunfighter.

{His awakening bewildered by the London docks, his sending the pack of wolves away in the Zoo, his distaste at the dog/rat fight, his refusal to give of his blood to Frankenstein, his wounds that healed within seconds.}

I accepted Ethan's wild bedding with girlfriend Brona (Billie Piper), who is dying of consumption.

After all, this is Showtime. 

Ethan is also drawn to Vanessa Ives as is Dorian Gray and Dracula.

And with Dr. Frankenstein being hounded by his creation to make a bride for him --

I could see that Brona would die and become the Bride, her mind wiped of her feelings for Ethan.

Now, that's tragedy on a Wagner level.

I watched Episode 4 and saw things leading to what I expected and then --

What?

Now, if Brona becomes the Bride of Frankenstein, her mind wiped of her feelings for Ethan, the impact is blunted --

especially what with Ethan's attraction to Vanessa Ives and his werewolf curse yet to rear its head (pun intended).

It just feels like pandering for ratings at the expense of good story-telling.

Dr. Frankenstein's intimate behavior with his 2nd creation, Proteus, would have made a Gray/Frankenstein relationship seem to flow out of the prior events ...

And not popped out of left field for the shock and ratings value.

I have no objection to homosexual relationships in fiction ... if it is well written.

I write of Oscar Wilde's love for Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas without comment

except of Wilde's extreme loneliness from being distanced from his lover in DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE.

In my novels, Lady Lovelace and Margaret Fuller carry on a lesbian love affair without criticism from me. 

Susy Clemens and Lucy Wentworth are attracted to one another in my THE STARS BLEED AT MIDNIGHT (still being written.)

Episode 4 made me realize I might not stay with PENNY DREADFUL.  The next episode will tell.

Most of the reviews praised the episode, so what do I know?

Did you see Episode 4? 

What did you think of it?

MAD SCIENCE

Scientists find secret to writing

a best-selling novel!

Computer scientists have developed an algorithm which can predict with 84 per cent accuracy whether a book will be a commercial success -

 and the secret is to avoid cliches and excessive use of verbs

A technique called statistical stylometry,

which mathematically examines the use of words and grammar, was found to be “surprisingly effective”

in determining how popular a book would be.

The scientists grudgingly admit that external factors such as luck can also play a role.

There is also a thing called WRITABILITY:

There must be more than detailed world building, a great evil to fight, very high stakes, and memorable, flawed characters.

There used to be a history program on Sundays in the early days of TV:

YOU ARE THERE

It made history alive by putting a modern reporter at the seige of Troy or at the building of the pyramids or interviewing Christopher Columbus as he was sailing across the ocean that first time.

It is called IMMEDIACY -- as you read, the prose is so compelling that you are there with the main character, rooting her on.

What makes a novel great for you?

What was the last novel that swept you up into its magic world?

A WIND TO FILL MY SAIL

I was looking at my Amazon Page when I noticed a new review for HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS:

http://www.amazon.com/HER-BONES-BADLANDS-Roland-Yeomans-ebook/dp/B00FPFOJNO/

 

And I found this:

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful blend of western, horror, and human insight, May 19, 2014

By 

Lila - See all my reviews

Verified Purchase

This review is from:

HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS (Kindle Edition)

     

I don't normally "do" westerns, but this author's voice intrigued me, so I gave it a shot---and I loved it.

 

This wonderful story has plenty of action, but what really grabbed me were the philosophical insights woven into the narrative.

 

I bookmarked far more pages in this novella than I normally do in a whole novel just because the phrasing was so lovely and the sentiment so wise that I want to go back to contemplate further.

 

And yet...I can completely picture this story on the big screen with viewers at the edge of their seats.

The characters are absolutely fantastic with color and personality and so much depth.

 

I see this author has lots of other stories out, and I look forward to checking them out.

 

And right after it was D.G. Hudson's fine review:

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Sand in my Boots and The Badlands, May 14, 2014

 

By D. G. Hudson (Vancouver, BC, CANADA)

 

This review is from:

HER BONES ARE IN THE BADLANDS (Kindle Edition)

 

      It's about 'The Industry' in the early days of Hollywood and early western films.

 

The Badlands are dry, barren, windblown rugged, and formerly the home of the Navajo and Lakota tribes, it's known as an unforgiving land.

 

A movie on location sees it's usual expectations shelved when an evil that lurks unseen is called. . .

 

the air is charged with apprehension, all the actors are spooked.

 

Something isn't quite right, but the guy in charge, Durand / McCord, can't determine what.

 

A body is found, attacked by something inhuman. Signs of an old enemy increase the stakes.

An excellent cast for the movie in the book:

 

Tom Mix, Marlene Dietrich, David Niven, Errol Flynn, and others, is balanced by the cast from the world of Sam McCord:

 

Meilori, Elu, Tesla, Wolfe and the Sheriff.

 

Delighted to see his love, Meilori beside him and Elu's surprise appearance, McCord is ready to do what must be done - ever the Texas Ranger.

 

The confrontation with the danger must be met by Sam alone. . . against the entity hiding in the cave. An entity with unknown capabilities.

 

I'd recommend this book to readers who like old movie sets, western tales, or stories of heroes like Sam McCord. 

 

I liked it a lot, I enjoy the McCord stories.

 

 Have you ever stumbled upon good reviews of your books?

THE GHOSTS OF DAWNS FORGOTTEN

The ghost of dawns forgotten and to be

Abides a moment in the twilight's grace.

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/s/the_tides_of_change.html#R4jrlKEWCt3qFiIX.99

 

The ghost of dawns forgotten and to be

Abides a moment in the twilight's grace.

Read more at http://www.poetry-archive.com/s/the_tides_of_change.html#R4jrlKEWCt3qFiIX.99

"The ghost of dawns forgotten and to be

Abides a moment in the twilight's grace."

 - George Stirling, THE TIDES OF CHANGE

 

HAVE YOU SEEN PENNY DREADFUL?

 

 

Creator John Logan is one of show business’ brightest talents.

He’s a Tony-award winning playwright (“Red”) and has written a number of huge Hollywood movies, everything from “Gladiator” to “The Aviator” to “Skyfall”.

And he’s clearly a fan of monster movies too because a love and respect informs every scene of his new thrilling series’ premiere.

He may be treading on some familiar ground, with the likes of Victor Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, vampires and cowboys filling out his story,

but he’s made it fresh and fun by focusing on character and twisting his story in unique ways.  

 

Logan, who's written all the episodes himself, is a master of wit and clever dialogue.

Josh Harnett plays American gunslinger Ethan Chandler, slumming it in a Wild West show touring through England,

who’s recruited by explorer Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and the mysterious Vanessa Ives (Eva Green)

to help them with a dangerous pursuit.

They’re after Sir Malcolm’s kidnapped daughter who has been abducted by sinister forces, namely a Nosferatu.

You think you know how the story will go.  You are wrong. 

It is atmospheric, suspenseful, and Logan makes you care for each character --  even though you sense things will go terribly wrong for all of them.

http://www.amazon.com/DEATH-IN-THE-HOUSE-LIFE-ebook/dp/B00HIU5O38/

 

 

Since I wrote my own Victorian supernatural adventures:

 

DEATH IN THE HOUSE OF LIFE,

RITES OF PASSAGE, and

ADRIFT IN THE TIME STREAM --

 

I am hoping PENNY DREADFUL becomes a hit to perhaps whet interest in my novels. 

 

Josh Hartnett's cursed gunslinger also constantly wears gloves to hide a secret --

 

My own Samuel McCord likewise wears gloves to mask his own curse.  Luckily he made his debut in 2010.

 

Did you see PENNY DREADFUL?  For a short time, you can watch the first episode for FREE on YOUTUBE: