Colleen Houck's Blog, page 44

Movie Review Double Feature: Edge of Tomorrow and The Fault In Our Stars

Movie Review: Edge of Tomorrow
I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned.

Colleen’s Movie Review

Romance: There is something about Tom Cruise and, make no mistake, he is ALWAYS Tom Cruise no matter what the character’s name is that he plays, that makes me smile. Don’t get me wrong. He’s not on my list of favorite people and yet when I watch him on screen there’s a sort of charm that comes across that just makes me want to like him, want to believe in him, and yes, even want to kiss him. The only warmth in the relationship came from Tom and yet it was enough.

Special Effects: Fantastic. I loved the robotic armor, the planes, the weapons, and the battle. The only thing I didn’t like was the rolling bad guys. They reminded me too much of The Matrix.

What I Liked: The idea. Tom Cruise. Having his character start off as a coward and seeing him change through the story. The sheer fantasy of it that swept me away into the story so deeply that I thought of nothing else while I watched it.

What I’d Change: The romance needed more spark. I wouldn’t have minded a bit more backstory and creativity regarding the aliens.

The Tagline:

Live, Die, Repeat

It’s succinct. It works. It’s a bit boring though.

Hunky Hero: Tom Cruise is always a hero. He’s build more on natural charm and charisma than hunkiness and yet it works for him. Also he has gorgeous eyes.

The Villain: The robot slash aliens were the villains of the story and they were scary enough I suppose but mostly that was just because they moved fast and killed easily. I can think of dozens of robots and/or aliens that are much more frightening.  Nothing overly memorable about these villains.

Best Line: My favorite line was a part of my favorite scene. It’s when Cage is getting Rita (which is a dumb heroine name by the way) a cup of coffee and he says she likes three sugars. It was good because it showed the depth of his feelings for her in that moment. Watch the movie and you’ll get it.

Best Scene: The farmhouse coffee scene and the end when he’s floating in the water. That was beautiful.

Recommended for YA fans: It doesn’t really sound like I was overly thrilled by this movie but I really, really liked it. One of my top films of the year actually. Go see it!

Trailer

Grandma’s Review

Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of seventeen with one bun in the oven (not my oven). They’re all great. None of my kids are duds-you know, like the popcorn kernels that don’t pop. My father taught me to love science fiction and mysteries. I’m a dreamer whose secret wish was to be an actress and sing and dance on stage. I have lots of things I still want to do. A few of my favorite things include-discovering new restaurants, going to movies, traveling, seeing plays, children, my dogs, Elvis, reading books, The Beach Boys, and Rhett Butler because he doesn’t give a damn AND he can carry Scarlett up the stairs.

Definition of Kicky-providing a kick or thrill, exciting

Review: “Edge of Tomorrow” a Tom Cruise & Emily Blunt movie was kind of like “Ground Hog Day” meets “War of the Worlds.” Full of kill-kill-kill action-action-action, again with the action, and more action. What I liked best was the sit at the edge of your seat something constantly going on, no time to get bored thing. Lots of great special effects! When I started to analyze the story I found I was confused and puzzled. The story didn’t make sense. Why were the aliens taking over earth? Why did they have the same battle over and over again?

Somehow the Tom Cruise character is resetting the clock every time he gets killed. Why did he wake up in a helicopter and the end of the movie? If you don’t think too deeply you can pretend you understood it all. It seems to me, a lot of the movies are the same now days with lots of action and special effects and no real story. Doesn’t anyone put a complete intelligent story together anymore?

I would have liked it better if the alien creatures were more humanoid rather than squid like creatures (rather unbelievable). Also, why do all the futuristic soldiers have the exo-skeleton body armament on? It was funny at times, like when Emily says to Tom “Your leg is broken” and he says, “ No, I’m good”. That was awesome writing.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie in spite of its shortcomings. I will give it 8 out of 10 kicks.

A Guy’s Perspective

Bio: I’m Colleen’s husband, Brad. I’m the youngest of four kids. I’ve been Deaf since I was five so I watch every movie with caption glasses. I love sports and reading (I’ll admit I’ve read Twilight but prefer thrillers like Jack Reacher). My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I’ll never turn down a taco. I write poetry. My man credentials include: a high school career in wrestling, watching sports every time my wife is too busy to notice, a receding hairline, two repaired ACL’s, and a stockpile of Axe body wash.

Review:

On Edge with Edge of Tomorrow

Like him or hate him, forget everything you know about Tom Cruise; Forget the fact that he stars in a sci-fi flick that’s supposedly doomed to box office failure; Forget the familiar franchises that are supposed to roll out long-awaited summer blockbusters; Forget everything. Just remember one thing only: Edge of Tomorrow IS the must-see film of the summer. Once you’ve seen Edge of Tomorrow it will stick in your mind like an annoying decal on your car windshield. Without question, I can flat-out say it’s the best and most original film I’ve seen in perhaps the last three to five years.

The best non-spoiler way to describe this film is that it is like a virtual video game that you play repeatedly (after dying numerous times) while expecting different results as you learn from your mistakes and advance through the levels of the game. Lest I divulge anything more and ruin the element of surprise, expect to be taken on a journey like an obsessed video gamer with no idea of what will happen next. This was Cruise at his best. Unlike his usual roles, he plays an anti-hero with no interest in fighting the enemies—eerily reminiscent of The Matrix trilogy machines–invading the planet. Along the way he meets war hero Rita (Emily Blunt) and the two develop an unlikely connection with convincing chemistry and they bring the movie to a satisfying conclusion.

Edge of Tomorrow is a smart, smart film. Smart screenplay, smart directing, smart editing, and smart action. I loved the supporting cast, the humor peppered throughout, and the impressive CGI/visual effects. I do, however, have a couple of quibbles with the plot, but not even these can diminish the film’s awesomeness. I give this film 10 Hulk Smash Fists. Brad

Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars
I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned.


Colleen’s Movie Review

Romance: The romance between Gus and Hazel was really, really well done. Some of the best teen acting I’ve seen in a long time and it felt real. Like it was authentic and actually happening right before our eyes. Very believable and very good.

Special Effects: There weren’t any special effects to speak of in this film. The setting was nice though, especially in Amsterdam.

The Tagline:

There were two.

1) One sick love story

and…

2) Based on the #1 bestseller

I’m not sure the second qualifies as a tagline though it’s listed as one on IMDB. I don’t like ‘One Sick Love Story.’ I don’t think it does justice to the book or the film. It makes light of the depth of emotion these two actors bring to the table.

Hunky Hero: Alright people. I’m just gonna put it out there. Gus is more hunky than Four. There. I said it. Let the storm of angry comments commence. Now, I’m not going to argue that Four is more physically hunky. There’s no question about muscles here. I’m just going to say that in the romance department, I was swooning so much more for Gus. Loved him! Now in the next Divergent film it’s going to be awkward for me because the actor playing Gus is Hazel’s brother in that franchise and seeing these two as brother and sister is going to feel just wrong after this movie. And, don’t worry about the cigarette. It’s a metaphor.

The Villain: The villain in this film is cancer. It’s a sick twisted villain and the most devastating scene to me was when Gus was in the car at the gas station and called Hazel to come and help him. My heart broke for him in that scene.

Best Line:

Hazel Grace Lancaster: “But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”

AND

Gus: “I hope you realize, you trying to keep your distance from me in no way lessens my affection for you.”

Best Scene: Hazel giving her eulogy.

Recommended for YA Fans: Absolutely. A Must See!

Trailer

Grandma’s Review

Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of seventeen with one bun in the oven (not my oven). They’re all great. None of my kids are duds-you know, like the popcorn kernels that don’t pop. My father taught me to love science fiction and mysteries. I’m a dreamer whose secret wish was to be an actress and sing and dance on stage. I have lots of things I still want to do. A few of my favorite things include-discovering new restaurants, going to movies, traveling, seeing plays, children, my dogs, Elvis, reading books, The Beach Boys, and Rhett Butler because he doesn’t give a damn AND he can carry Scarlett up the stairs.

Definition of Kicky-providing a kick or thrill, exciting

Review:  The Fault In Our Stars was a compelling movie. It had great acting and a heartwrenching story. It wasn’t a feel good movie but it was well worth seeing because it reminds us about what’s important in life. I’d recommend it to everybody, young and old. I loved seeing Amsterdam and now I want to go there on a vacation. It’s a thinking movie, not high action, but that’s okay. I look forward to seeing these young actors in other movies as they are very believable in whatever role they take on. Good job Hollywood! I’d give it 8 kicks out of 10. will giIve it 8 out of 10 kicks.

A Guy’s Perspective

Bio: I’m Colleen’s husband, Brad. I’m the youngest of four kids. I’ve been Deaf since I was five so I watch every movie with caption glasses. I love sports and reading (I’ll admit I’ve read Twilight but prefer thrillers like Jack Reacher). My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I’ll never turn down a taco. I write poetry. My man credentials include: a high school career in wrestling, watching sports every time my wife is too busy to notice, a receding hairline, two repaired ACL’s, and a stockpile of Axe body wash.

Review:
Some Faults in Their Stars

I walked away from this film with mixed feelings, but in more of a good way. This wasn’t a terrible movie. The acting was rather superb—Shailene Woodley (Hazel) and Ansel Elgort (Gus) gave surprisingly likeable and credible performances, considering the amount of emotion demanded of their roles as cancer-stricken teenagers with mortalities fraught with pain, uncertainty, and near-certain death. But that’s pretty much all the movie was about—a meeting of star-crossed lovers crippled by disease, but without the drama and familial animosity.

Don’t get me wrong—in real life it is inspiring to watch people courageously struggle, and sometimes on film it comes across as forced fodder attempting to emotionally manipulate with over-sentimentalism. However, the genuine acting and a decent non-cheesy script made for a bearable two hours that I didn’t feel manipulated, which I was kind of expecting.

However, if there was any fault in this film, then the lack of real conflict/drama unfolding was missing, and perhaps it wasn’t necessary, but it would have been more satisfactory to my emotional intellect. Instead, I was left to ponder the purpose of the movie other than viewing a developing relationship that inevitably and predictably ends in tragedy. I mean, by comparison Romeo and Juliet is a tragic classic because there is great conflict/drama that eventually brings the rival families together, and yet, watching Hazel and Gus, I felt like I had just eaten plain vanilla ice cream without the scrumptious toppings.

This is perhaps the anti-bullying film our society badly needs. Hazel and Gus represent any number of teenagers who are easy targets for bullies and jerks. If anything, they teach us that none of us chooses the hand we are dealt, and that everyone needs compassion, support, and love. Without the brief bedroom scene, I suppose this is a perfect film for middle-grade schoolers and anti-bullying campaigns. Other themes can be gleaned, such as being popular is not required to feel important as long as we are loved by another. I would give this film 7 Hulk smash fists.

LADY IN WHITE, FOREVER TRAPPED

A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE MYTH BEHIND LADY SILKWORM

I stand neither in your world nor the other,

but in the fold in between.

To see me wandering the woods, among mulberry trees,

Stone walls veil my face and I am hidden from all.

Poisoned am I with human hope,

Only to glimpse love through the threads I weave.

~My interpretation of Lady Silkworm

 

Houck’s brilliant imagination captures many exciting (and usually tragic) mythological stories, twists them up and pours them into her books. In TIGER’S VOYAGE, she explores the legend of Lady Silkworm (or Horse-headed Lady) found in Chinese mythology.

China boasts various myths and legends about the origins of silkworms and silk production. One myth is about Cancong, the founder of the ancient Shu kingdom and his contribution of sericulture in local mythology. Another well-known legend is the “Horse-headed Lady”. As the legend goes . . .

“In the dim ages of the past there once was an old man who went on a journey leaving his only daughter and their white stallion. The daughter fed the horse day by day, but she was lonely and yearned for her father.

So it happened that one day she said in jest to the horse: “If you will bring back my father to me then I will marry you!”

No sooner had the horse heard her say this, than he broke loose and ran away. He ran until he came to the place where her father was. When her father saw the horse, he was pleasantly surprised, caught him and seated himself on his back. And the horse turned back the way he had come, neighing without a pause.

“What can be the matter with the horse?” thought the father. “Something must have surely gone wrong at home!” So he dropped the reins and rode back. And he fed the horse liberally because he had been so intelligent; but the horse ate nothing, and when he saw the girl, he struck out at her with his hoofs and tried to bite her. This surprised the father; he questioned his daughter, and she told him the truth, just as it had occurred.

“You must not say a word about it to any one,” spoke her father, “or else people will talk about us.”

And he took down his crossbow, shot the horse, and hung up his skin in the yard to dry. Then he went on his travels again.

One day his daughter went out walking with the daughter of a neighbor. When they entered the yard, she pushed the horse-hide with her foot and said: “What an unreasonable animal you were—wanting to marry a human being! What happened to you served you right!”

But before she had finished her speech, the horse-hide moved, rose up, wrapped itself about the girl and ran off.

Horrified, her companion ran home to her father and told him what had happened. The neighbors looked for the girl everywhere, but she could not be found.

At last, some days afterward, they saw the girl hanging from the branches of a tree, still wrapped in the horse-hide; and gradually she turned into a silkworm and wove a cocoon. And the threads which she spun were strong and thick. Her girl friend then took down the cocoon and let her slip out of it; and then she spun the silk and sold it at a large profit.

But the girl’s relatives longed for her greatly. So one day the girl appeared riding in the clouds on her horse, followed by a great company and said: “In heaven I have been assigned to the task of watching over the growing of silkworms. You must yearn for me no longer!” And thereupon they built temples to her in her native land, and every year, at the silkworm season, sacrifices are offered to her and her protection is implored. And the Silkworm Goddess is also known as the girl with the Horse’s Head.” Article found here.

A mulberry tree 400 years old

There is yet another myth that tells of a girl who was out collecting grass for her step-mother and visited “another world” where she stayed with a heavenly creature dressed in white. So the story goes,

“Long ago, in the province of Hangzhou lived a beautiful, capable little girl named Ah-Qiao. When Ah-Qiao was 9 years old, her mother passed away, leaving Ah-Giao and her 4 year old brother alone to her father.  Soon the evil stepmother came into the scene. One day, in the dead of winter, stepmother commanded Ah-Qiao to fetch grass for the sheeps. But in the midst of this deep freeze, where would there be fresh grass? Ah-Qiao ran from morning till night, from the streams to the valleys, and found no fresh grass. She was cold and scared. She sat by a rock and wept. Suddenly, she heard a voice,

                           “To get fresh grass, go to the valley!”

                           “To get fresh grass, go to the valley!”

 “Ah-Qiao lifted up her head and saw a whit- necked bird flying toward the mountains. She stood up, wiped her tears and took follow. The white-necked bird suddenly made a turn and disappeared, but Ah-Qiao was taken aback by the scene ahead of her: there was an old juniper, whose luscious branches were as big as an umbrella. It canopied over the entire area. Ah-Qiao brushed away the branches, made her way around the statuesque tree and saw water flowing through a stream. Beautiful flowers and green grass adorned the banks, looking like a beautiful spring day.

Ah-Qiao proceeded to cut and collect the grass.  But unknowingly, she was slowly making her way down stream.

As her basket became filled, she stood up to wipe her forehead. Not far away stood a beautiful lady all dressed in white.  She was smiling and waving at her:

Ah-Qiao looked up, in front of her eyes appeared another world! There was a row of houses with white walls and white shingles. In front of the houses was a small grouping of trees, whose glossy leaves were larger than her palms. There were many white clothed ladies. Each of them carried a basket, singing and laughing, picking leaves off those trees.

                “Little girl, what a rare guest! Come stay with us for a few days!”

                Ah-Qiao was quite pleased with the offer, and decidedly stayed on. 

Ah-Qiao made this place her home. She picked leaves during the day and during the nights she fed these leaves to white little caterpillars. Overtime, these caterpillars grew. They spun walnut-like snow-white cocoons. They were silk. The white-clothes ladies taught Ah-Qiao to pull, spin and color the silk threads. These white caterpillars are known as “heaven worms”(天虫). The leaves are mulberry leaves.  They made beautiful dresses and gowns out of these silk. These clothes were to be worn by the heaven god and goddesses.

Three months had passed. Ah-Qiao missed her brother dearly. One day at the crack of dawn she took leave, without saying goodbye to the white clothed ladies. But before she left, Ah-Qiao took with her a sheet of freshly laid “Heaven worm” eggs. She also took with her two bagful of mulberry leaves. As she walked on, she threw them onto the ground,  marking her trail for next day’s return trip.

Ah-Qiao arrived home and found 15 years had already gone by. Brother and father anxiously inquired Ah-Qiao’s whereabouts. Ah-Qiao told them the whole story. The neighbors heard, and they said she had rendezvoused with the fairies.

The next day morning, Ah-Qiao started to head her way back to the mountain valley.  Instead of finding a trail of leaves, she was surprised upon by the fully grown trees. She followed the tree-outlined trail and reached her destination. The old juniper stood the same but she couldn’t find the way in.

As she stood there looking dumbfounded, the white-necked bird flew from behind the tree, and quacked

“Ah-Qiao stole treasure! Ah-Qiao stole treasure!”

It suddenly occurred to Ah-Qiao that she didn’t say her goodbyes to the white-clothed ladies before she left.  Not only that, they must also be upset with her for taking the eggs and the mulberry leaves. This was the reason that the roads had become hidden from her.

Ah-Qiao returned home and hatched the eggs and fed them the remaining leaves. She started rearing “heaven worms” in her home.

This was how “Heaven worms” ended up on earth and became domesticated by the humans.  The Chinese character, “heaven”(天) when placed above the character “worm”（虫）becomes the character  “silkworm” (蚕).  Legend has it, that the white clothed lady that Ah-Qiao met with, was the goddess that raised and watched over the silkworms.

  She was Lady Silkworm.”

 

 

The myth of Lady Silkworm are both tragic and magical. They took root in Colleen’s mind as she wrote TIGER’S VOYAGE and from it, bloomed a delightful new creation of the Lady Silkworm. Here’s an excerpt from chapter 13,

“We caught up with Ren and Kishan and walked into the dark temple together. Its inky gloom was made even denser by the overhanging eaves blocking the moonlight. Kishan turned on his flashlight so we could navigate.

“This way,” Mr. Kadam said, “The inner sanctum would rest directly under the central dome.” We explored the smaller of the two structures and found nothing out of the ordinary. Mr. Kadam pointed to an uncarved rock set in the middle of the room. “This is the murti-the idol, or icon, of the shrine.”

“But it isn’t carved to symbolize anything.”

“An uncarved icon can represent something just as much as a carved one. This room is the garbhagriha, or the womb of the temple.”

“I can see why they call it a womb. It’s dark in here,” I said.

We all stepped to the walls to study the carvings. We’d only been at it a few minutes when I caught a flash of white at the door. I turned my head, but nothing was there. Mr. Kadam said it was time to move to the next shrine. As we passed an arch that opened to the outside, I looked down at the ocean. A beautiful woman, dressed in white with a gossamer veil over her hair, was standing on the shore. She pressed a finger to her lips as she gazed up at me before melting into a nearby mulberry tree.

“Kishan? Mr. Kadam?”

“What is it?” Kishan asked.

“I saw something. A woman, she was standing there. She was dressed all in white, and she looked Indian or maybe Asian. She sort of disappeared by actually, walking inside that mulberry tree.”

Kishan leaned out and scanned the grounds. “I don’t see anything now, but let’s stick together.”

“Okay.”

He took my hand as we walked into the next shrine. We passed Ren, who I hadn’t noticed standing in the darkness behind us. His arms were crossed over his chest in one of his classic “watching me” poses. In the next shrine, I stayed close to Kishan while we scanned the carvings on the wall together. I found a carving of a woman weaving at a loom and traced the outline with my finger. At her foot rested her thread basket, and one of the threads had become unraveled. Curious, I followed its thin line through several more carvings.

The thread was wrapped around the ankle of a farmer, and then a cat toyed with it. The thread trailed on through a wheat field, where I lost it and had to search several carvings before finding it again. It joined a scarf wrapped around a woman’s neck, and then wove itself into a thick rope that blazed with fire. It became a fishing net, it wrapped around a large tree, it tripped a monkey, it was held in a bird’s talong, and then. . .it stopped. It ended at the corner of the room, and, though I searched the adjoining wall, I couldn’t find a place where it continued.

I pressed my thumb against the carved line to feel its texture. It was so thin, my thumb could barely sense it. When I hit the corner at the end of the trail something strange happened. My thumb glowed red-only my thumb- and when I stepped back from the wall, I saw a butterfly crawl out of a crack. It began flapping its wings rapidly, but it didn’t fly. I peered at it closely and realized it wasn’t a butterfly but a large white moth.

It was hairy, almost furry, with large black eyes and some kind of brown feathery antennae that reminded me of the teeth on a baleen whale. When it flapped its wings, something happened to the wall. This small section of wall had been smooth, which was odd because the rest of the wall was covered in detailed carvings.

Thin white lines appeared, and they all radiated from the carved thread I’d been following. They glowed with a light so intense, I had to squint to watch them. When I reached to touch one, the light jumped from the wall to my hand. At the same time, the white lines burst with all the colors of the rainbow. They outlined Phet’s henna design on my hand with white light that quickly began shifting color.

I turned to look back at Kishan, but behind me was only blackness. I couldn’t speak. There was nothing I could do except watch the wall as the lines stretched faster and faster. They were drawing something-a woman, sitting by a window, embroidering. One second I was standing next to the wall, looking at the drawing, and in the next second, the woman breathed and blinked, and I was inside the drawing with her. She was the same woman I’d seen standing on the beach. She was dressed in a white silk gown and wore a gossamer veil over her hair.

She smiled and pointed to the chair across from hers. When I sat, she handed me a circular embroidery frame that had the most lovely stitched version of Durga. The stitches were so small and delicate, that it looked like a painting. She’d created flowers that looked real, and Durga’s hair flowed from her golden cap in waves that looked so soft that I had to touch it. The woman passed across a needle and a small box full of tiny seed pearls.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Durga needs her Necklace.”

“I’ve never sewn with beads before.”

“Look here. . .they have tiny holes. I will show you the first two, and then you can finish it.”

Deftly, she threaded the needle, made the tiniest stitch, slipped a seed pearl onto the needle, tied the thread around it, and inserted the needle back through the fabric. I watched her go through the same process again before she handed the needle to me and placed the box of pearls on the windowsill.

She picked up her frame, selected some blue thread, and continued working. After I’d affixed two beads and was satisfied with my effort, I asked, “Who are you?”

She kept her eyes on her work and answered, “I am called by many names, but the one most commonly used is Lady Silkworm.”

“Durga sent me to you. She said you would help to guide us on our journey.” I blinked. “Oh! You’re from the prophecy. You’re the lady who weaves the silk.”

She smiled while looking at her needle, “Yes. I weave and embroider silk. Once it was all I lived for, but now it is my penance.”

“Your penance?”

“Yes. For betraying the man I loved. . . Many, many years ago, women were admired for their skill in needlework. Girls were trained at a very young age, and those most highly skilled were taken to sew for the emporor. Some, a very few, even became wives for noblemen, and because of their skill, their families were well provided for. At the celebration of every New Year, young girls were chosen to learn this skill. They gather around a bowl of water and dip their fingers in at the edges. A needle is then placed on the surface of the water and spun. When it stops, the girl who the needle points to is taken away for special training in embroidery. . . I was such a child. I was praised as being the most talented worker of the needle in the entire empire, and the designs I created with highly sought after. . . A few years later, at age twenty, I met someone, a handsome young man who worked with silk. His family formed the worms, spun, and dyed the threads, and they were very good, the best in the country. . . I made a point of only ordering from them. I’d been commissioned to make a wardrobe for the future bride of the emperor. . . I was to live at the palace for a year and sew marvelous clothing and a bridal veil for the emperor’s new wife. The prospect was exciting to such a young girl. I was given generous living arrangements near the emperor himself, and I wanted for nothing. . .

The emperor was very selective and his tastes changed every day. He visited me every week to check on my progress. I would only just begin a design, and then he would change his mind. He’d want birds one week, flowers the next, gold one week, then silver and blue, and so on. The man changed his mind more often than he changed his bathwater. Perhaps that was why he took so long to select a bride. . . Over time he made romantic overtures on his visits. Because of the emperor’s eclectic and varied tastes, I became very familiar with the young man who delivered the silk fabrics. . .Sometimes he’d sit and talk with me as I sewed. Soon I began to look forward to his visits, and it wasn’t much later that I started to invent new reasons to have him come. I often found myself daydreaming of him, and my work began to suffer. I lost enthusiasm for the emperor’s projects and attentions. I stared out the window one day when I saw my young man walk across the courtyard. Inspiration struck, and started a new project. I’d never made anything uncommissioned before. It was a gift for my young silkmaker. I couldn’t sleep, so enthralled was I by my task. . . When I gave him his gift, his eyes lit up with surprise and happiness. He carefully opened it and picked up the scarf. Mulberry trees ran down the length of the golden fabric, and silkworm cocoons hung from the branches. White silkworm moths sat on some of the leaves, and silken threads of every hue were wound around a shuttle on either end of the scarf. He told me he’s never been given anything so fine. He told me he’d never been given anything so fine. I confessed that I would give him more. . . if he asked.

He touched me then and said he could not be with me. . . [Because of his station, it could never be for he had not the money with which to offer in exchange for my hand.] . . I tried to accept that we couldn’t be together. Still, I watched for him week after week and as the year passed, we fell deeply in love. . .We made plans to secretly elope as soon as I was finished with the emperor’s commission. When I had finished the veil meant for the emperor’s bride I presented it to him. He lifted it over my head and pronounced that he was now ready to marry his bride. Then he declared that I was to be his bride that very night. . .

I panicked and begged him for another day. . . I sent word to my young man, demanding that rose thread be delivered at once. When he arrived, I wrapped my arms around him and held him close. I explained that the emperor had made plans to marry me and that my father had accepted. I begged him to take me away, quickly, that evening. He made plans to ask for help from someone, a wizard, and advised me to wait for him, that someone would come for me that night and wear the scarf I’d made. He asked me to trust him.”

“What happened?” I asked. “Did someone come?”

“Yes. An ordinary brown plow horse came.”

“A plow horse?”

“Yes. He trotted slowly to my window and neighed softly. He wore the scarf wrapped around his neck.”

“The horse wore the scarf? Where was your young man?”

“I didn’t know. I was frightened. The horse stamped his feet and neighed louder, but I stood at the window, wringing my hands. I didn’t know what to do. The horse became agitated, alerting the guard and men were summoned to take the horse to the stables. The horse kicked and bit until one of the head guards came out and told them to shut the horse up before it woke the emperor. The scarf slipped from around its neck and fell into the mud.

I cried and wondered where my young man was. I despaired thinking he’d been shot or killed on the road. He never came. I watched for him at the window all that night. The next morning the emperor came to me and had me escorted to a bathing chamber. I was bathed and dressed in the beautiful clothes I had made, and just before I was led into the great hall, the emperor came into my chamber, sent out the servants, and closed the door behind him. ‘I have a wedding present for you, my dear.’ He handed me the scarf I’d given to my young man. It had been cleaned and pressed but many of the delicate stitches were torn.

Tears fell down my face. He said that an interesting incident had occurred last night. ‘It seems a plow horse entered the palace grounds wearing this very scarf. He was locked away in the stables but by next morning, to our surprise, we found not a  horse but the silkmaker in the stall. We asked him what magic he used and why he’d come. He won’t speak. He refuses to share his reason for infiltrating my palace in the middle of the night. I can only assume he came to assassinate me. How fortunate you are that your husband-to-be is safe.’ Before I could guard my words, I exclaimed that he didn’t come to assassinate him. The emperor was not a fool. He quickly learned of our love for each other. Then he called me to the window overlooking a courtyard. My dear love was tied to a post, while a man stood nearby with a whip. The emperor raised and lowered his hand abruptly. I heard the whip snap in the air and whimpered as if I too could feel the burn of the lash as it tore across the back of my love.

The emperor whispered coldly, ‘Did you think I wouldn’t recognize your handiwork, my dear? You have bestowed your favor on this man.’ I begged him to not hurt him. He said, ‘You can stop his torture whenever you wish. Just tell me that I’m mistaken and that this young man did not come for you. That all of this is just a simple misunderstanding. And . . say it loudly so that all may hear.’ I heard the groan of the one I loved and turned to the emperor, ‘This young man-’ “‘Louder, please. And make sure everyone outside can hear you as well.’ “‘This young man did not come for me, and I do not love him.’ . . My loves looked at me and his eyes burned with my betrayal. I wanted to shout that it was all a lie, that I only wanted to be with him, but I kept silent, hoping to save his life. “‘That is all I needed to hear,” said the emperor. He shouted down to the men, ‘Put him out of his misery.’

“They raised their bows and filled my love’s chest full of arrows. He died believing that I didn’t care for him. I fell to the floor in despair while the emperor threatened that I remember this lesson and to compose myself for the wedding. I wept bitterly. If only I had trusted what I did not understand. He had been the horse all along. I just refused to see it. Because I was shortsighted, I lost everything.

Later, a kind woman rested her hand on my shoulder and dried my tears with her silken handkerchief. She said she loved my work and that my gifts could still be used to benefit others. That woman was Durga. She offered to take me away, to help me escape from the emperor, but said that I could never return to a mortal life. She picked up his golden scarf from where I’d dropped it and told me that my silkmaker would always be near, for I had sewn love into each stitch.

So here I sit. I am Lady Silkworm. Still wrapped in my cocoon of sorrow. Stitching, always stitching. I sew to bind others, but I remain alone. I tie threads together to give my existence meaning, to have a purpose. It does give me some happiness t help others weave their lives together.” She leaned forward, “But I will tell you now, young one, without your love-life is nothing. Without your mate, you are utterly alone.” She dropped her frame and grasped my hands.

“Above all else, I beg you to trust the one you love.”

She picked up my finished work from my lap. “There now. You see? you did an excellent job.” She smiled, “It’s time for you to return. Take this with you.”

She slipped the fabric she’d been embroidering from its frame, carefully folded it, and pressed it into my arms. “But I-”

She shushed me with a look and guided me to the wall. Lifting a delicate hand, she traced her finger across a carved thread. “I cannot speak of this anymore today. The sadness is too great. It is time for you to leave. Follow the silkworm, young one.”

She cupped her hand against the wall, and when she removed it, a white silkworm clung to the carved thread. As it began advancing along the line, I turned to say good-bye, but Lady Silkworm had disappeared. The worm made slow progress to a crack in the wall and then slipped inside. I tentatively touched the same crack. First my fingers and then my whole hand disappeared into the wall. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward to find myself encompassed by blackness.”

 

I love how Houck’s story always leaves me wanting more. She seamlessly transports me to a magical and enchanting new world and I just can’t wait for her new novel to hit the shelves in 2015!!

If there’s something from Colleen’s works you’d like the inside scoop on whether it’s a mythical creature, story, character, or place, give a shout out and leave a comment. We will be featuring something related to this very topic once a month as possible.

~ Hope you enjoyed this blog and until next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

 

 

Kelsey’s Favorite Places to Visit and Foods to Eat!

If Kelsey could share some of her favorite things with you she would want to take you back to the village of Silvanae, home of the tree nymphs and fairies. In the second novel, Tiger’s Quest, Kelsey and Kishan journey to a place where time doesn’t exist, a place of healing, a place all together magical. This strange world surrounded them in a lush green forest, vibrant skies, fragrant blossoms, birds and tame beasts. Then, guided by a tree nymph named Faunus, Kishan and Kelsey discovered a place she considers her own garden of Eden, the enchanting village of Silvanae.

Faunus

 

Tree Nymph

Village of Silvanae

World Tree

Fairy Pool

Kelsey would love to share some of her favorite things about the fairies as well as recipes for the foods she and Kishan feasted on!

Below are some pictures of clothes the fairies might wear,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kelsey’s dress

The fairies’ dresses were made from the flowers that grew in the village and matched the soft glow that came from their wings. Their wings were like beautiful butterfly wings ranging from pink, silver, turquoise, orange, yellow and violet. The fairies were beautiful beyond description and smelled so sweet. What Kelsey probably loved most of all was their tinkling giggles that filled the forest skies with music.

Another of Kelsey’s sweetest memories of this place is the banquet fit for a princess, no, a fairy princess. The food was displayed on a long table decorated with flowers, pine cone glasses, leaf napkins rolled in ivy, plates carved from white stone and bowls of large pink rose petals. Under foot was lush green grass and above head hung ropy vines with lanterns that draped down from the largest trees. The vision of this place surpasses all description. For fun, why not try setting a table that brings the essence of this enchanting village into your own home or garden. See picture below for some ideas,

 

 

Cute idea for “mushrooms” at your own fairy party

Some of the recipes I’d like to share with you are from the banquet Kelsey and Kishan shared with the silver haired tree nymphs and fairies. They include; delicate lace cookies, honey cakes, lemon meringue tarts, stewed fruits in sugary syrups, baby quiches, cinnamon crepes, blueberry scones, pumpkin cups with cream cheese filling, honeyed flower nectar, watermelon spritzes, and much much more. Last year I featured Kelsey’s magical visit to the village of Silvanae and with it a recipe for the delicious Orange Blossom Honey Cake with Fresh Blueberries (I’ve included the recipe at the end). For this blog, I’d like to share a fabulous Blueberry Scone recipe along with a refreshing Watermelon Spritzer (both perfect for the summer time and currently these fruits are in season). So. . . put on your aprons and lets make some tasty goodness!

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Blueberry Scones:
 
Adapted recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Tyler Florence
 

2 cups of flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into chunks
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing on top of scones
1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sift together the dry ingredients into a bowl. Using 2 forks, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together until just mixed; do not over work the dough. Fold the blueberries into the dough, taking care not to mash the berries.

Press the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a rectangle. Cut the rectangle in half then cut the pieces into half again, giving you 4 squares. Cut the squares in half on a diagonal to give you a triangle shape.

Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat then brush the top with a bit of heavy cream. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze:

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Place all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Place in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps then drizzle on top of each scone. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Watermelon Spritzer

Ingredients:

watermelon


lemons


honey


seltzer water


fresh mint or lemon balm

First, juice the lemons.

Next, cut up the watermelon into chunks.

Place the watermelon chunks, lemon juice, and honey into a food processor and blend together until smooth. Strain the mixture into a large bowl using a strainer and press out juice from remaining seeds and pulp.

Place juice in a container and keep refrigerated until chilled and ready to serve.

Serve with a splash of seltzer water and mint or lemon balm. Enjoy!

Orange Blossom Honey Cake with Fresh Blueberries

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup orange blossom honey or any you happen to have on hand. Just remember that it is the star of this dessert so pick one that really shines.

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground mace (I used nutmeg instead, forgot to replenish my mace. It was still wonderful!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups blueberries (Try to use the tiny wild blueberries if you can find them, which I could not.)

Preheat your oven to 350° and prepare a Bundt Pan with butter and flour.

Cream together the butter, sugar and honey on medium high speed until light in color and texture.

Slowly add the eggs, lemon juice and zest. Mix until smooth. The mixture will be very wet at this point.

Add the flour, baking powder, mace and salt with the machine on low.

Mix until it is all well combined, but no more.

Remove from machine and fold the blueberries into the batter with a spatula.

Spread the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Smooth out the top.

Bake for about 55 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack for 15 minutes and then unmold.

Finally, brush the entire cake with lavender simple syrup OR melt 1/2 cup of honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon to brush over the cake (I thought the addition of lavender would be wonderful).

Serve at room temperature. If you refrigerate the cake make sure you bring it back to room temperature before serving.

 

Lavender Simple Syrup

**The following recipe can be made with rosemary, lemon thyme, star anise,  cinnamon sticks, organic edible rose petals or any other aromatic that you want to flavor your syrup with. I love to have these flavored syrups around to sweeten tea, use as a drizzle over sponge cake, sorbets and lemonade.

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

3 tablespoons dried or fresh lavender flowers

In a sauce pot bring the water, sugar and lavender to a simmer. Allow to simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat and let sit until cool. Use or store in the refrigerator for up to a month. The longer you let the lavender steep in the simple syrup the stronger the flavor will be. I store it in the refrigerator with the flowers still in the syrup and strain it when I need it in a recipe.

**I hope you enjoy these recipes shared from Kelsey’s favorite things! If you want to revisit this part of Colleen Houck’s story, read chapter 18, Good Things, in her second novel Tiger’s Quest!

***I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts of your own impressions of Kelsey and Kishan’s visit to Silvanae and/or if you’d like to share your own recipes that would nicely accompany the buffet Kishan and Kelsey had with the fairies.

~Till next time!

Linda Louise Lotti

 

Goodreads Video

Here is an interview I did with Goodreads in June 2014.

 

Eye Makeup Fun (**Win A Prize**)

Hi Tiger Fans!  I’m another one of Colleens sisters, Shara.  During the recent convention in New Orleans I came prepared to do some fun eye makeup for the big events Colleen was taking part in.  As I started to put this blog together somehow all the before and after pictures I took  magically disappeared.  :-(  Sigh. Even the pictures of the make-up we used are gone.  So I will piece it together and add a list of what we used with links.  I knew Colleen wanted to do some purple shades to match the book art for the upcoming release of Tiger’s Promise.  So I was thinking I was going to somehow do a mix of Yesubai and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen.

Exotic Eyes

Bright, colorful, and just PRETTY!

Something like Scarlett’s look.

I purchased some false eyelashes to glam things up a bit.  Here are the two we used.

This set was for Friday

Natural, flirty, and loved the adhesive.

This set was for Saturday for all the pictures with fans.

Full, inky, better for night.

I LOVE to try new brands and test out new styles, colors, and techniques.  The only new products were the eyelashes for this trip, but all the other products were proven favorites that live in my personal make-up bag or Colleen’s.  They have earned their spots!

Colleen had already applied her foundation primer like Smashbox Color Correcting Primer to even out the redness, foundation, powder, and blush.  Suki has almost finished pinning up her hair and adding little flower hair pins throughout to mirror the lotus flowers in Tigers Promise.  So it was my turn to make her eyes ** sparkle.**

I started by using Urban Decay Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  I just got this a few weeks ago, and I love how it keeps my shadow from melting off my face here in Arizona.  So I knew it would be perfect for the New Orleans humidity.  The deep purple eye shadow Lancôme Purple Drama Shimmer and Maybelline Color Pink Rebel stayed on all day.  These colors complimented Colleen’s warm brown eyes. We used my new favorite brand of eyeliner Urban Decay Empire.  The dark eggplant matte eyeliner glides on smoothly and then dries and stays put.  I then added flirty eyelashes and discovered I like the adhesive wand applicator from the Katy Perry Lashes since I can put the adhesive right where I want it, and how much I want.   The  Ardelle 101 Lashes looked really pretty, but I didn’t like squirting the adhesive out like toothpaste.  It was hard to get an even coat on the lashes compared to the wand applicator.  We finished off the look with some mascara Colleen bought at Sephora called Buxom Lash.  The mascara wand is huge and really blended the falsies with her naturally long lashes perfectly.  Lastly we used Urban Decay Glitter Eyeliner right above the lash line in purple.

The best part is I discovered a new technique for evening out eyebrows that are slightly uneven.  Colleen’s left eyebrow is slightly higher than her right eyebrow, giving a perpetually perplexed expression.  ;-) (giggle, giggle) So I filled her brown in with a chocolately brown eye pencil below the natural brow on the left to make it appear lower on her face.  Then I filled in the right brow more on top of the natural brow to give it a lift.  Genious!!!  I’m sure others have figured this out way before we did, but it made for some good giggling and wondering what other body parts are uneven!?!

Colleen all glammed up for the big day with her fellow YA author Suzanne Lazear.

When the long fun day was done Colleen used  Simple Eye Makeup Remover Pads to wash off the day.  These little cleaning pads, perfect for traveling, made quick work of cleaning off every bit of makeup.

Simple Makeup remover pads

 

If you like to play with makeup like I do leave a comment on your favorite eye product that has earned a coveted spot in your makeup bag and don’t forget to tell us why.  For a prize,  tweet a picture of your favorite day time and/or going out night eye make-up look to @CollenHouck and @shara_lane.  (prize only domestic)  I’ll give a prize of my new favorite mascara Covergirl Bombshell Mascara.  (see below)  I wear contacts and it doesn’t flake off into my eyes!!!  It takes more time than my go-to Lancôme Hypnose Drama mascara, but I still love it.

Contest starts 6/14/14 ends on 06/28/14. 

 

** I think I’ll also surprise the lucky winner with extra bonus beauty goodies as well. I’m thinking some eyelashes, eye shadows, and some makeup cleaning pads, etc. ** See below.

 

Covergirl Bombshell Mascara

Prize-10 Beauty Items

1-Yes Facial towelettes

2-Loreal Infallible Black Brown Eyeliner

3-Covergirl Bombshell Very black mascara

4-Stila sample pack of Beauty Balm, Foundation, and Concealer in light

5-Katy Perry Lashes Sweetie Pie

6-Garnier Fructis Shampoo and Conditioner Sample

7-Ulta 3 piece brush set (eyeshadow, sponge tip, and contour brush)

8-Lancôme La Base Face Primer (I use this every day)

9-Ulta Eyeshadow Quad (Bone, Ice Queen, Truffle, Gunmetal)

10-Hot Pink Ulta Make up bag

 

Here are some fun Makeup 101 videos.  I want to try the silver shadow on Colleen next in the 2nd video.

Beginner Eye Makeup Tip & Tricks

Brown eyes with contrasting silver from makeupgeek.com Beginner Eye Makeup Tips

Shara

PS-Here’s what I’m playing with this week…elongating cat eyes like Taylor Swift.  I discovered I have to start from the outside of the eye and come down towards the eye otherwise I totally screw it up.  I really want to do this on Colleen since she already has eyes shaped like this.  I’ll be practicing all week. It’s a classic sophisticated look.  It make your eye look like a precious jewel framed in inky lashes.  See my 1st attempt below.

Taylor Swift Cat Eye

I used an angled brush to line the top of my eyes with my new Urban Decay 2 palette. I love this palette but was scared to take it on an airplane to use on Colleen, and break it. Great colors and deeply pigmented so it stays on. I used all colors from this palette in this look.

My 1st attempt at a cat eye. I’m still not brave enough for a longer one. But after 5 long stares from my hubby…I might reconsider. :-)

I also tried to do some contouring and highlighting the cheekbone to give that warm sunkissed look but also to thin out my chubby cheeks.  (like I said I watched a lot of makeup tutorials this week.) I thought it looked weird until I saw it in the pictures and wondered why in the world I waited until age 40 to learn how to do make up differently than I did in the 80′s and 90′s.  I need a better brush to do this but I think I will do this everyday from now on.

Even in the dark my cheeks lost 5 pounds!

I’m not even sucking in my cheeks. I’m going brush shopping tomorrow.

A pale pink lip goes with darker eye makeup.

My next looks to tackle are…

Look at those fun lips!

And…

Smokey eye…but how to do it without covering your contacts in eyeliner. I wonder if Colleen will let me do this on her?

Movie Review Double Feature: Maleficent & X-Men: Days of Future Past

Movie Review: Maleficent

I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned.

Colleen’s Movie Review

Romance: There were two couples in this film. One was Prince Phillip and Aurora. I liked them okay but wow they are young. Too young for me to feel any romancy kinds of flutters. I mostly wanted to scold and separate them.

The other couple was Maleficent and Aurora’s daddy, Stefan. They were a much cuter couple when young than when they grew up. I didn’t really feel much in the way of chemistry between the adult actors.

Now there was a lot of chemistry between Maleficent and her raven boy. Loved the two of them together though I’m not sure that’s technically a possibility.

 

 

Special Effects: Saw the movie in 3-D and it was really pretty. Especially the scenes in the beginning. The costumes were amazing. The magic was cool. The only thing I thought was cheesy were the happy CGI creatures who lived in Maleficent’s kingdom. They reminded me of old school Star Wars puppets or even Captain E-O creations. Love the tree creatures though and her awesome wings.

What I Liked: Angelina. She was amazing in this film. I was utterly transfixed by her and her story. The twist on Sleeping Beauty was well developed, interesting, and lots of fun. To date this is my absolute favorite Angelina film by far. She did such a great job! Oh and LOVED the Once Upon a Dream song she did. Fantastic!

What I’d Change: The ending. It was a little predictable for me. I knew she would be the one to break the curse. What would have made it more interesting and emotional would have been if Maleficent hadn’t been able to break the curse and then had to sacrifice herself by allowing Phillip to kill her. I get that they wanted to change it up but it wrapped up with happily ever afters and because of that I was a touch unsatisfied. There needed to be a heroic act of some kind in there somewhere.

The Tagline: There were two.

1) Evil has a beginning.

2) Don’t believe the fairy tale

I like them both.

Hunky Hero: Whew. Not really much going on in this department. I’d have to say the raven, Diaval.

 

 

The Villain: Stefan was the villain. He did a pretty good job at making me hate him but the character was a bit one dimensional. I like a meaty villain.

Best Line:

Princess Aurora: I know who you are.

Maleficent: Do you?

Princess Aurora: You’re my Fairy-Godmother!

Maleficent: What?

Best Scene: The curse when Aurora is presented to the kingdom.

Recommended for YA fans: Umm…yes! Go see this movie. It’s awesome!

_________________________________

Trailer

________________________________

Grandma’s Review

Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of seventeen with one bun in the oven (not my oven). They’re all great. None of my kids are duds-you know, like the popcorn kernels that don’t pop. My father taught me to love science fiction and mysteries. I’m a dreamer whose secret wish was to be an actress and sing and dance on stage. I have lots of things I still want to do. A few of my favorite things include-discovering new restaurants, going to movies, traveling, seeing plays, children, my dogs, Elvis, reading books, The Beach Boys, and Rhett Butler because he doesn’t give a damn AND he can carry Scarlett up the stairs.

Definition of Kicky-providing a kick or thrill, exciting

Review: Maleficent the historical villain wasn’t evil after all. Having been hurt and betrayed by someone she loved, she overcame her bitter feelings and became a true hero. The weak, cowardly, greedy friend who became King via his treachery was the true villain. The story was a breath of fresh air and had fun twists through out. The fairly land was magical. I was happily surprised and entertained by this new soon to be classic remake fairy tale. I give this movie 10 out of 10 kicks.

_______________________________________

A Guy’s Perspective

Bio: I’m Colleen’s husband, Brad. I’m the youngest of four kids. I’ve been Deaf since I was five so I watch every movie with caption glasses. I love sports and reading (I’ll admit I’ve read Twilight but prefer thrillers like Jack Reacher). My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I’ll never turn down a taco. I write poetry. My man credentials include: a high school career in wrestling, watching sports every time my wife is too busy to notice, a receding hairline, two repaired ACL’s, and a stockpile of Axe body wash.

Review:

Deliciously Cruel Maleficent Lacks Story Punch

I watched Maleficent with no pre-conceived ideas of what to expect. I love to be completely surprised by a film for which I have no expectations, and in some regards it was surprising. But I have to say that overall it could have been so much better. It was good, but not great. With a $200 million budget, the CGI and special effects were outstanding. Unfortunately, a substantial budget won’t buy you a great story.

Make no mistake, Angelina Jolie was phenomenal—that girl has serious acting chops. She wanted that role, she got it, and she delivered on Maleficent with delicious cruelty. Ellie Fanning played the role of Aurora to perfection as well. No spoilers here, but her winning smile and ebullient innocence was so infectious, exactly what the director wanted, in order for the story to progress the way it did. The two actresses alone along with the CGI—especially that dragon!—certainly were the movie’s saving graces, and made it well worth seeing.

With the exception of the Prince and Maleficent’s crow/servant, all the other males were baddies. The three fairies—adult women in little girl bodies—guarding Aurora were intended to be comic relief but they came across as annoying flies you wanted to shoo away. For a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, I felt the story was not as creative or as challenging as it could have been. The ending was somewhat anticlimatic for me. Thus, I would give it 7.5 Hulk Smash Fists out of 10.

Brad

Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

I always give spoilers so consider yourself warned.

Colleen’s Movie Review

Romance: There was a little bit of steamy action between young Magneto and young Raven but it never progressed past steam.

Special Effects: The sentinels and the future world were amazing as were all the effects of the super powers the mutants had. Overall a stellar job on special effects. Everything felt real and believable.

What I Liked: The story. Trask. The 70′s. Hugh Jackman. Both version of Professor Xavier. Both versions of Magneto. All the mutants. The teaser at the end. And everything else I didn’t list.

What I’d Change: Huh. The only think that would make it a touch more interesting would have been to develop a relationship between either Magneto and Raven or Charles and Raven. Not complaining about Hugh Jackman’s anything but I was a little surprised at the nudity which seemed to be added just because Hugh Jackman is nice to look at.

The Tagline: There were three.

1) His past. Our future.

2) Every hero, every power will unite.

3) The future begins.

I’m not sure who ‘his past’ is referring to. I would assume it’s Professor Xavier but it could just as easily be other people. The second is okay but nothing exciting or even terribly accurate. The third doesn’t blow me over either. Don’t think they gave much thought to the taglines.

Hunky Hero: Umm Hugh Jackman anyone? There really isn’t enough I can say about this actor. He is amazing and gorgeous and talented and a good husband and a better father. He’s really the whole package…which is kinda what the movie wanted to put on display I think. I even liked him with the grey in his hair.

I also have a soft spot for young Magneto, young Charles, and the older version of Bobby. Lots of good looking men to feast your eyes on.

The Villain: Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask was amazing. His character was well defined, interesting, and he commanded the screen every time he was on it. Fantastic villain and he should be in a lot more. He’s an incredible actor.

Best Line: I can’t find the line I’m looking for. It happened when old and young Charles are having a conversation. This line is good but it’s not the one I’m thinking of. I need to bring a notebook to write these down.

Charles Xavier: Charles.

Professor X: Charles.

Charles Xavier: Erik was right. Humanity does this to us.

Professor X: Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn’t mean they can’t be saved.

Best Scene: Hmm I think the scene when Wolverine wakes up in the 70′s is fun and I also like the fight between the future mutants and the sentinels.

Recommended for YA fans: Absolutely. Go see this movie!

_________________________________

Trailer

http://youtu.be/pK2zYHWDZKo

________________________________

Grandma’s Review

Grandma’s Bio: My name is Kathleen and I’m Colleen’s mom. I’m a mother of seven and grandmother of seventeen with one bun in the oven (not my oven). They’re all great. None of my kids are duds-you know, like the popcorn kernels that don’t pop. My father taught me to love science fiction and mysteries. I’m a dreamer whose secret wish was to be an actress and sing and dance on stage. I have lots of things I still want to do. A few of my favorite things include-discovering new restaurants, going to movies, traveling, seeing plays, children, my dogs, Elvis, reading books, The Beach Boys, and Rhett Butler because he doesn’t give a damn AND he can carry Scarlett up the stairs.

Definition of Kicky-providing a kick or thrill, exciting

Review: X-men, Days of Future Past, a super hero action film in 3-D, was a pretty good flick. Any time I get to see Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman in anything I’m excited. They are two of my favorite actors. There are many things I loved about the movie such as: great visual effects, likeable characters, a fairly good story, etc. But, there were things I did not particularly like also such as: the little mad scientist who developed the Sentinels (not very believable) and the magneto character (he was pretty weak & didn’t have much of a personality). The movie was entertaining however and worth seeing.  I give this movie 8 out of 10 kicks.

_______________________________________

A Guy’s Perspective

Bio: I’m Colleen’s husband, Brad. I’m the youngest of four kids. I’ve been Deaf since I was five so I watch every movie with caption glasses. I love sports and reading (I’ll admit I’ve read Twilight but prefer thrillers like Jack Reacher). My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip. I’ll never turn down a taco. I write poetry. My man credentials include: a high school career in wrestling, watching sports every time my wife is too busy to notice, a receding hairline, two repaired ACL’s, and a stockpile of Axe body wash.

Review:

X-Men: Day of Future Past

Anytime you gather Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellan together on screen, that means you have a guaranteed blockbuster film in the making. Director Bryan Singer makes the most of a star-studded cast with smart writing and action all rolled into a mesmerizing flick that kept me relishing and regaling the full experience.

While there were new Mutants, they were hardly the focus nor were they noticeable because I wanted to watch Wolverine whose look remain unchanged over time, and both the young and old Professor X (Stewart and James McAvoy) and Magneto (McKellan and Michael Fassbender) in the years 1973 and 2023. And yet, the entire outcome of the movie focuses on Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and she does get significantly more screen and action time. Though she doesn’t have as many lines, she does manage to steal some of the boys’ thunder (a role that literally belongs to Storm, but she appeared for maybe two minutes).

Peter Dinklage (Dr. Trask) was an unexpected pleasure to watch. He portrayed a chilling and evil efficiency in his objective to wipe out the Mutant race, and he absolutely commanded attention with ruthless, underhanded subtlety.

Yet another $200 million budget, the film delivered on CGI and visual effects to perfection. Though I wasn’t crazy about the Sentinels, they were well designed and convincing in their invincibility—a worthy adversary for the collective Mutants, bringing them near the brink of X-tinction. This is one of those rare films I would pay full price to see again. I give it 9 mash Fists out of 10.

Brad

Colleen Houck Book Club

BOOK FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE- AFTER THE END

 

I hope you all had the chance to enjoy last month’s pick, The Shadow Prince by Bree Despain.  If you didn’t get a chance to join this time ’round, be sure to catch the next one! For this month’s book selection, Colleen has chosen…

AFTER THE END

 by her good friend Amy Plum

Here’s a little teaser,

World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness.

They′e survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact.

Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she’s trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Admittedly, I have been very excited to read her book and I finally have a great excuse to push this book on my “top to read” list. 

So everybody who wants to join us, go get your hands on this book and if you’ve already read it then awesome! You can start leaving your questions right away (but don’t share spoilers just yet).

Join Colleen Houck and Amy Plum for a live chat on June 28th, at 9am (pacific time) on Goodreads! 

Also, stay tuned for the 3rd edition of THE MODERN INK SOCIETY featuring guest blogger- Amy Plum!

Happy reading everyone!

~Till next time,

Linda Louise Lotti

 

June Poetry Contest

JUNE CONTEST- A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

For those of you who love to read and also have a passion for writing, this contest is designed with you in mind. Or, if perhaps writing isn’t your thing but you are interested in winning an AWESOME prize package, then lend your ear for this month’s contest.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, we’d like to put it to the test (well, so to speak). Here’s how the contest will work. I will post a picture (shown below) and you will use that picture as your inspiration to write a short poem. The range and interpretation of your poem is only limited by your imagination, I only ask that somehow it is relate-able to the picture. Here are the rules for the contest entry:

*Must have a title

*Must be a minimum of 25 words but no longer than 100 words

*Must be a poem, not a story or essay

*Must be submitted by June 28th, 2013 by midnight PST

*Must submit writing to lindalouiselotti@colleenhouck.com

*Must provide your name and should you win, your mailing address for prize (only via email so your information remains private)

*Must be your own work and cannot be submitted on behalf of another

*Only ONE entry per person

 

OK, here’s the picture from which to draw your inspiration,

*Have fun!!!!

You won’t want to miss out on this month’s prize giveaway, it will be AMAZING!

Winner will be announced first week of July so stay tuned!!

~ by Linda Louise Lotti

 

Tiger’s Voyage Contest Winner

To celebrate the release of TIGER’S VOYAGE in paperback, we are offering up five autographed copies! Tiger’s Voyage has never been in paperback before now.

To enter we asked you to answer the following question, if you could step into the world of Houck’s Tiger’s Curse series, which book would you choose and why?

We love reading through the comments and seeing what some of your favorite moments in the tigers’ journey.

Here is what our winners had to say.

All of the books have great worlds, but I would have to go with is Tiger’s Voyage. I would want to go into Voyage because of the dragons and the adventures that the characters go through. With Voyage, I would get to punch Randi in the face. I mean, i’m not violent, but she is super annoying and got on my nerves so much. Nevertheless I really like the challenges the dragons set forth. The one that sticks in my mind really well is when Kells, Kishan, and Ren went scuba diving. That would be really fun- minus the kraken. (Maddie M.)

I want to start off saying how much I love All of the Tiger’s Curse books. If I could step into the world of any of the Tiger’s Curse Books, I would pick Tiger’s Voyage. This book is so fascinating and keep me on the edge of my seat the entire time, to actually be in the story along with Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam and Nilima would be to die for and the experience of a lifetime. To find out first hand what is going to happen next would be so awesome. Is Ren going to remember Kelsey? Her heartbreak knowing Ren forgot her on purpose!? Can she move on after her first love? The fact that Kishan is falling in love with her? Can she make a life with Kishan? And it seems that Ren is starting to fall in love with Kelsey all over again!!! Is Kishan going go get his “Happily Ever After”? How does Kelsey handle Ren moving on with another woman? Are they going to be able to finish the last 2 quests and break the curse? Who wouldn’t want to step into this book is what I want to know!!  But most of all, the main reason I would love to step into this book is because of Kishan’s heartfelt proclamation of love to Kelsey. I haven’t ever read or heard something so beautiful in my life to be apart of that is enough to make any woman swoon. (Kishan and Kelsey’s conversation during their date on the yacht)- “Maybe it’s what that idiot bird did to me in Shangri-la, butI’ve been able to see more clearly since then-not only about my past and about Yesubai, but also about you, about my future. I knew that I wouldn’t be alone forever. I saw that in the Grove of Dreams. And after that, I could see that you loved ME too. But I rushed it. I pushed you. Then HE came home and despite everything, you still wanted him. Maybe that won’t go away. Maybe you’ll always feel that connection with him.” I made a sound, and he touched a finger to my lips. “No. It’s okay. I understand it now. I wasn’t really ready to be in a relationship then. i didn’t have anything to give, anything to offer. Not to a woman of this time. But Shangri-la gave me something more valuable than six more hours a day as a man. It gave me hope. A reason to believe. So I waited. I learned how to be patient. I learned how to live in this century. And now…most importantly, I think I’ve finally learned what it means to love someone.” Kishan lifted a finger and trailed it from my forehead to my chin, tilting my face to look into his eyes. “So I suppose the only question remaining, Kelsey, is…are my feelings echoed in your heart? Do you feel even a small part of what I feel for you? Is there a piece of you that you can reserve for me? That I can name mine? That I can lay claim to and keep forever? I promise you that I will cherish it. And I will guard it jealously all of my days.” Kishan’s hands squeezed my waist, and he dropped his forehead to touch it to mine. “Does your heart beat for me at all, love?” I pressed my hands against his face as a tear slipped down my cheek. After only a tiny pause, I assured him, “Of course it does. I won’t let you be alone ever again. I love you too, Kishan.” -Colleen Houck is a genius. I just died and went to heaven!!! And that is why I would step into Tiger’s Voyage if I could.

I would step into Tiger’s Quest and experience the Grove of Dreams. That world with the various creatures, characters, and experiences was my favorite of the series. I like how Ms. Houck used this book to grow Kishan’s character. It was nice to see him move away from his initial withdrawn/bad-boy image to something more substantial. (Colette)

I would love to jump into Tiger’s Curse because all the places sound beautiful and awe-inspiring and you just meet the everyone for the first time in this book and even though everyone isnt together like in Voyage, they are together in a big event that Kelesy (or me since i would be jumping in) would be learning about and ita all amazing. Plus, I would go for all the romance even though its a little heartbreaking and quirky sometimes  (Nicole B)

I would step into Tiger’s Curse because that is where the stage is set. You would get to witness Ren and Kelsey meeting each other and their first epic journey together. (Blakely D)

Congratulations, winners! Please check your email for an email from me.

Stay tuned for an exciting new contest for June!

Tiger Series Character Interview

Jean BookNerd Character Interview