Tinnean's Blog, page 2
November 7, 2024
On the Beach
I watched the remake of On the Beach last night. Spoilers ahead ahoy, and I'm not kidding.
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It was a good deal grittier than the original, and Armand Assante (as Captain Dwight Towers) sounded a lot like Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Other than that... I'm ambivalent about it, and I'm sure Nevil Shute is turning over in his grave. He was upset with the original, in part because of how Dwight's relationship with Moira was portrayed. (in the book, he remained faithful to the memory of his wife.) In the remake, he pretty much hops into bed with Moira as soon as he meets her.
Also--and I know this is unrealistic, since people are what they are--I hated seeing the Aussies attack each other, another reason why I prefer the book and the original version. This was like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. In the cities, the worst in people came out, while in the country and suburbs they just went about living what was left of their lives.
As for Dwight abandoning his post for Moira... maybe that's what the studio thought the public wanted for the ending, but I liked him better when he was true to the way he viewed his position. I don't remember if it was mentioned in this version, but he'd been given command of the entire US Navy, as little of it as was left. I also preferred the reasoning behind Dwight taking out the Scorpion, ( the original name of his sub)--he couldn't leave a ship under his command unmanned in a foreign country. That was why he took her out that last time--to sail her beyond Australian waters (about 30 miles out) and scuttle her. NOT because the men took a vote and wanted to go home.
And what was up with him injecting his second-in-command directly into his arm when Neil was hooked up to an IV? Wouldn't it have made more sense to administer the drug that way?
At least the Australian accents seemed authentic. In the original version, Julian's (Fred Astaire) and Peter's (Tony Perkins) seem to bounce from British and Aussie back to American as the movie progressed.
I did think the message they received ("don't despair" and 'the whales survived" and the way it was delivered (solar-powered laptop) was clever. And at least Dwight never fired off his warheads.
So all things considered, I prefer the 1959 version to this (I had to watch it after I finished with this one, just to get the taste out of my mouth), and the book to both of them.
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p
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c
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It was a good deal grittier than the original, and Armand Assante (as Captain Dwight Towers) sounded a lot like Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman. Other than that... I'm ambivalent about it, and I'm sure Nevil Shute is turning over in his grave. He was upset with the original, in part because of how Dwight's relationship with Moira was portrayed. (in the book, he remained faithful to the memory of his wife.) In the remake, he pretty much hops into bed with Moira as soon as he meets her.
Also--and I know this is unrealistic, since people are what they are--I hated seeing the Aussies attack each other, another reason why I prefer the book and the original version. This was like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. In the cities, the worst in people came out, while in the country and suburbs they just went about living what was left of their lives.
As for Dwight abandoning his post for Moira... maybe that's what the studio thought the public wanted for the ending, but I liked him better when he was true to the way he viewed his position. I don't remember if it was mentioned in this version, but he'd been given command of the entire US Navy, as little of it as was left. I also preferred the reasoning behind Dwight taking out the Scorpion, ( the original name of his sub)--he couldn't leave a ship under his command unmanned in a foreign country. That was why he took her out that last time--to sail her beyond Australian waters (about 30 miles out) and scuttle her. NOT because the men took a vote and wanted to go home.
And what was up with him injecting his second-in-command directly into his arm when Neil was hooked up to an IV? Wouldn't it have made more sense to administer the drug that way?
At least the Australian accents seemed authentic. In the original version, Julian's (Fred Astaire) and Peter's (Tony Perkins) seem to bounce from British and Aussie back to American as the movie progressed.
I did think the message they received ("don't despair" and 'the whales survived" and the way it was delivered (solar-powered laptop) was clever. And at least Dwight never fired off his warheads.
So all things considered, I prefer the 1959 version to this (I had to watch it after I finished with this one, just to get the taste out of my mouth), and the book to both of them.
October 26, 2024
Hmmm
I have a number of things I need to do, but instead I'm rereading They Come By Night, which is the vampyre edition of my Strange, Strange World series. I came across the scene where de Vivar, the baddie, assaults a very holy young woman. He doesn't realize how morally strong she is, and the next evening (vampyre, remember?) he discovers she'd walked out into the sun rather than accede to his plans when he finds a pile of ashes, a single finger bone, and her silver and sapphire rosary. And the story moved on, with de Vivar gnashing his teeth.
But... suppose that didn't happen? Suppose the Rege (vampyre king) has kept a surreptitious eye on de Vivar, and he sends someone to help the poor woman. They leave behind the ashes of... a tree? a dog? Not important just now. As for the finger bone, graveyards are filled with them. It's too bad about the rosary, but to avoid what de Vivar has planned for her, I think Sor Belicia would be willing to sacrifice it. Or it could be paste, and de Vivar is too arrogant to even consider it.
All these centuries, de Vivar has thought he carried her ashes in first a pouch and then an urn. His head would have exploded if he'd realized otherwise, and that thought is extremely satisfying. And the Rege, being the Rege, will have found a way for her to survive, or if she couldn't bear that life, to end it in a manner that wouldn't compromise her beliefs.
I'd always planned to write a seventh book in this series, and if I'm able to, I might include it. :-)
But... suppose that didn't happen? Suppose the Rege (vampyre king) has kept a surreptitious eye on de Vivar, and he sends someone to help the poor woman. They leave behind the ashes of... a tree? a dog? Not important just now. As for the finger bone, graveyards are filled with them. It's too bad about the rosary, but to avoid what de Vivar has planned for her, I think Sor Belicia would be willing to sacrifice it. Or it could be paste, and de Vivar is too arrogant to even consider it.
All these centuries, de Vivar has thought he carried her ashes in first a pouch and then an urn. His head would have exploded if he'd realized otherwise, and that thought is extremely satisfying. And the Rege, being the Rege, will have found a way for her to survive, or if she couldn't bear that life, to end it in a manner that wouldn't compromise her beliefs.
I'd always planned to write a seventh book in this series, and if I'm able to, I might include it. :-)
August 16, 2024
Once again it's Queer Your Bookshelf time!
All day today, August 16, over 400 books on various genres are available at Queer Your Bookshelf for $.99!! Included this time is Home Before Sundown!
So stop by and shop your heart out!
So stop by and shop your heart out!
August 8, 2024
What If...
Family Is What You Make It was released on July 27. I know, my bad. I totally forgot to mention it.
This is another what if... set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe. What if Kyle Winchester actually turned out to be Mark Vincent's love child? How could this happen when Mark was always so careful about using protection? I had a blast figuring this out (act of chance, actually, since Kyle's birth mother was also on birth control. And as we all know, chance is the fool's name for fate. *snicker*)
At any rate, the events in this story are slightly skewed from the original series. For instance, Kyle was actually able to go to college. He was also recruited by the CIA instead of the WBIS. Oh, and his sister didn't wind up married to the jerk, so good for her. In addition, Kyle wound up with a Frenchman instead of April. Well, he was always very relaxed about his sexuality, and I have no doubt April found someone else to love her. Although, since both Kyle and Alain are bisexual, it might be interesting to write them as a threesome...
Have you ever seen The V.I.P.s? I loved the subplot between Mme. Andros and Marc Champselle, and I'd planned to write a fanfic about Marc finding someone else who would love and need him. But when this prompt came up, I decided to base the character of Alain Boucher on him.
This is another what if... set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe. What if Kyle Winchester actually turned out to be Mark Vincent's love child? How could this happen when Mark was always so careful about using protection? I had a blast figuring this out (act of chance, actually, since Kyle's birth mother was also on birth control. And as we all know, chance is the fool's name for fate. *snicker*)
At any rate, the events in this story are slightly skewed from the original series. For instance, Kyle was actually able to go to college. He was also recruited by the CIA instead of the WBIS. Oh, and his sister didn't wind up married to the jerk, so good for her. In addition, Kyle wound up with a Frenchman instead of April. Well, he was always very relaxed about his sexuality, and I have no doubt April found someone else to love her. Although, since both Kyle and Alain are bisexual, it might be interesting to write them as a threesome...
Have you ever seen The V.I.P.s? I loved the subplot between Mme. Andros and Marc Champselle, and I'd planned to write a fanfic about Marc finding someone else who would love and need him. But when this prompt came up, I decided to base the character of Alain Boucher on him.
August 7, 2024
Come on by!
I've written an article about Greater Love Hath No Man over at Author's Lounge on Readers Magnet. It gives some insights into how I wrote this story. Come take a look at how my mind works. ;-)
July 6, 2024
Release day!
Today is release day for Two Weeks to Look Forward To. And it's on sale at the JMS site for 25% off!
On June 14th, I posted something on my FaceBook page about a girl who stabbed her mother, and it turned out she was the victim of medical abuse. This book is why I mentioned it, and this is the warning that goes along with it:
This story deals with issues of mental illness that some readers might find disturbing.
On June 14th, I posted something on my FaceBook page about a girl who stabbed her mother, and it turned out she was the victim of medical abuse. This book is why I mentioned it, and this is the warning that goes along with it:
This story deals with issues of mental illness that some readers might find disturbing.
May 20, 2024
Update
Last week, I received the edits for my JMS Books 14th Anniversary story, Two Weeks to Look Forward To, and Drew Hunt, who does the editing for JMS, remarked that he had to put it down a few times and walk away, because he found some of the content disturbing. Gail also mentioned there were parts that bothered her. I sent an email to my publisher, and she suggested a really cool line to warn for this, which will be included in the Author's Notes. So this will be available at some point in July, and as soon as I have a date, I'll post it.
I also finished the Christmas in July story last week. It's called Family Is What You Make It, and I sent it off to Gail. She loved it but expressed regret Kyle's mother didn't have a partner. (I'd insinuated she'd loved and lost.) So I added an additional chapter, reworked the parts that mentioned the person, and sent it off to JMS Books. It's been accepted, (made the deadline by a couple of weeks!) and since it's Christmas in July, the story should be out at some point in... um... July. I am waiting to hear back from Drew Hunt, since the story covers Kyle's life from his birth in July 1982 to Christmas 2005. Well, I'll see what happens. It can always be published as a regular story. And I should mention the wordage topped 101k! Haven't done that in a very long time.
Once that was done, I had to figure what to write next. I have a few stories that are just sitting in a folder, one of which is the Tony/Bryan Sebring story, which I was afraid I'd have to post to AO3, since it involved two brothers who had a physical relationship. Even Amazon wouldn't touch it, due to its content. Then it occurred to me... why not make this another What If? What if... Tony wasn't a Sebring? What if... his father saved Anthony Sebring, Sr. during the Great War? (because even then, he'd be involved in espionage.) And what if... when both Tony's birth parents died, one from lingering affects of the Spanish Flu, the other due to complications of childbirth, Sebring took the baby to raise as his own? That might make a relationship between Tony and Bryan a bit more acceptable.
This will be the third What If I've written that's set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe, (No One Should Be Alone, Family, and Sweetest Taboo.) Maybe I'll start a whole new series, going back to revisit characters and situations and skewing them just a bit. ;-)
That should be fun.
I also finished the Christmas in July story last week. It's called Family Is What You Make It, and I sent it off to Gail. She loved it but expressed regret Kyle's mother didn't have a partner. (I'd insinuated she'd loved and lost.) So I added an additional chapter, reworked the parts that mentioned the person, and sent it off to JMS Books. It's been accepted, (made the deadline by a couple of weeks!) and since it's Christmas in July, the story should be out at some point in... um... July. I am waiting to hear back from Drew Hunt, since the story covers Kyle's life from his birth in July 1982 to Christmas 2005. Well, I'll see what happens. It can always be published as a regular story. And I should mention the wordage topped 101k! Haven't done that in a very long time.
Once that was done, I had to figure what to write next. I have a few stories that are just sitting in a folder, one of which is the Tony/Bryan Sebring story, which I was afraid I'd have to post to AO3, since it involved two brothers who had a physical relationship. Even Amazon wouldn't touch it, due to its content. Then it occurred to me... why not make this another What If? What if... Tony wasn't a Sebring? What if... his father saved Anthony Sebring, Sr. during the Great War? (because even then, he'd be involved in espionage.) And what if... when both Tony's birth parents died, one from lingering affects of the Spanish Flu, the other due to complications of childbirth, Sebring took the baby to raise as his own? That might make a relationship between Tony and Bryan a bit more acceptable.
This will be the third What If I've written that's set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe, (No One Should Be Alone, Family, and Sweetest Taboo.) Maybe I'll start a whole new series, going back to revisit characters and situations and skewing them just a bit. ;-)
That should be fun.
April 1, 2024
Look at me, I'm writing!
I belong to a JMS Facebook page, and she asked if her authors would be interested in writing Christmas in July stories this year. Quite a few of us said yes. I wasn't sure what I would write about, since I'd been having serious writers block, to the point I wasn't sure I'd ever write again. (I even bought some yarn to crochet a throw.) However... I had toyed with the idea of a What If story set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe where Kyle Winchester turned out to be Mark Vincent's love child (and who worked for the CIA instead of the WBIS.)
And OMG it just took off. When it stalls, I switch POVs, and it's off like a shot again! Right now it's up to 56+k!
The other night, I was doing a chapter from Winchester's POV, and suddenly 1000 words were gone. I remembered some of it, but I was really ticked I'd lost it. (even autosave failed me. :-\) I cobbled together what I could remember, but I wasn't happy about it, so I switched POVs to DB Cooper, and it's reached almost 2500 words!
The end plan is to have Kyle meet his birth family Christmas of 2005, including Mark's other son Joe and Quinn's twins. This is going to be a blast!
And OMG it just took off. When it stalls, I switch POVs, and it's off like a shot again! Right now it's up to 56+k!
The other night, I was doing a chapter from Winchester's POV, and suddenly 1000 words were gone. I remembered some of it, but I was really ticked I'd lost it. (even autosave failed me. :-\) I cobbled together what I could remember, but I wasn't happy about it, so I switched POVs to DB Cooper, and it's reached almost 2500 words!
The end plan is to have Kyle meet his birth family Christmas of 2005, including Mark's other son Joe and Quinn's twins. This is going to be a blast!
February 2, 2024
It's time to Queer Your Bookshelf!
There’s a sale going on at Queer Your Bookshelf where 300+ LGBTQ+ books will be available for $.99!
For today only, you can find my contemporary novel, Two Lips, Indifferent Red, available on sale at various sites for this seriously low price! If you haven’t had the opportunity to read it, now would be a great time to pick it up. This is the lowest price it’s ever been.
Kipp, a poor little rich boy, and Hyde, a self-made billionaire, are two of my favorite characters. Have you noticed that wealthy MCs have morphed into billionaires? When I read Harlequins back in the ’80s and ’90s, the hero tended to be a millionaire. Interesting how that’s changed.
Have you ever seen the 1946 movie, Cluny Brown? Upon being told Mr. Belinsky is going to write a mystery novel, which is about a rich man being murdered, Cluny remarks, “Oh, yes, there’s no use murdering a poor man.” Frankly, it’s more fun writing about a man who doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. ;-)
Two Lips, Indifferent Red was inspired by the Chuck Berry song, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. The title was taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where Olivia, responding to Cesario’s (Viola’s) flattery, says, “I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labeled to my will: as, item, two lips indifferent red…”
This is one of those books that had numerous title changes and has a file of notes actually longer than the book itself. It also contains three bonus chapters, taking Kipp and Hyde into the future.
I hope you’ll enjoy this book and any of the others that are also available for this amazing price.
For today only, you can find my contemporary novel, Two Lips, Indifferent Red, available on sale at various sites for this seriously low price! If you haven’t had the opportunity to read it, now would be a great time to pick it up. This is the lowest price it’s ever been.
Kipp, a poor little rich boy, and Hyde, a self-made billionaire, are two of my favorite characters. Have you noticed that wealthy MCs have morphed into billionaires? When I read Harlequins back in the ’80s and ’90s, the hero tended to be a millionaire. Interesting how that’s changed.
Have you ever seen the 1946 movie, Cluny Brown? Upon being told Mr. Belinsky is going to write a mystery novel, which is about a rich man being murdered, Cluny remarks, “Oh, yes, there’s no use murdering a poor man.” Frankly, it’s more fun writing about a man who doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. ;-)
Two Lips, Indifferent Red was inspired by the Chuck Berry song, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. The title was taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where Olivia, responding to Cesario’s (Viola’s) flattery, says, “I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labeled to my will: as, item, two lips indifferent red…”
This is one of those books that had numerous title changes and has a file of notes actually longer than the book itself. It also contains three bonus chapters, taking Kipp and Hyde into the future.
I hope you’ll enjoy this book and any of the others that are also available for this amazing price.
It's time to Queer Your Bookshelf!
There’s a sale going on at Queer Your Bookshelf where 300+ LGBTQ+ books will be available for $.99!
For today only, you can find my contemporary novel, Two Lips, Indifferent Red, available on sale at various sites for this seriously low price! If you haven’t had the opportunity to read it, now would be a great time to pick it up. This is the lowest price it’s ever been.
Kipp, a poor little rich boy, and Hyde, a self-made billionaire, are two of my favorite characters. Have you noticed that wealthy MCs have morphed into billionaires? When I read Harlequins back in the ’80s and ’90s, the hero tended to be a millionaire. Interesting how that’s changed.
Have you ever seen the 1946 movie, Cluny Brown? Upon being told Mr. Belinsky is going to write a mystery novel, which is about a rich man being murdered, Cluny remarks, “Oh, yes, there’s no use murdering a poor man.” Frankly, it’s more fun writing about a man who doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. ;-)
Two Lips, Indifferent Red was inspired by the Chuck Berry song, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. The title was taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where Olivia, responding to Cesario’s (Viola’s) flattery, says, “I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labeled to my will: as, item, two lips indifferent red…”
This is one of those books that had numerous title changes and has a file of notes actually longer than the book itself. It also contains three bonus chapters, taking Kipp and Hyde into the future.
I hope you’ll enjoy this book and any of the others that are also available for this amazing price.
For today only, you can find my contemporary novel, Two Lips, Indifferent Red, available on sale at various sites for this seriously low price! If you haven’t had the opportunity to read it, now would be a great time to pick it up. This is the lowest price it’s ever been.
Kipp, a poor little rich boy, and Hyde, a self-made billionaire, are two of my favorite characters. Have you noticed that wealthy MCs have morphed into billionaires? When I read Harlequins back in the ’80s and ’90s, the hero tended to be a millionaire. Interesting how that’s changed.
Have you ever seen the 1946 movie, Cluny Brown? Upon being told Mr. Belinsky is going to write a mystery novel, which is about a rich man being murdered, Cluny remarks, “Oh, yes, there’s no use murdering a poor man.” Frankly, it’s more fun writing about a man who doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills. ;-)
Two Lips, Indifferent Red was inspired by the Chuck Berry song, “Brown Eyed Handsome Man”. The title was taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, where Olivia, responding to Cesario’s (Viola’s) flattery, says, “I will give out divers schedules of my beauty. It shall be inventoried, and every particle and utensil labeled to my will: as, item, two lips indifferent red…”
This is one of those books that had numerous title changes and has a file of notes actually longer than the book itself. It also contains three bonus chapters, taking Kipp and Hyde into the future.
I hope you’ll enjoy this book and any of the others that are also available for this amazing price.
