Nicki Elson's Blog, page 32

January 23, 2013

"That's Reality" - On Hollywood Endings

Most people seem to sniff derisively at the idea of a "Hollywood Ending," but let's face it---most of the sniffers must be lying. Because the only reason Hollywood Endings get shoved down the throats of movie and fiction writers is because people want them. Or I guess at the very least have been trained to expect them, and Meeting Expectations = Satisfaction, right?

But isn't that boring? Wouldn't the happy endings be even more satisfying if we didn't know to automatically expect them 95% of the time? And wouldn't we learn to appreciate different kinds of endings if more of them made it to the marketplace? Or are tied-in-a-bow happy Hollywood Endings simply what people want and there's no changing it, so if you endeavor to write in certain genres, you've simply got no choice other than to give the majority of people what they want?

My perspective on this seems to have changed in the two decades since I first saw The Player. Back then, when I saw the scene I've linked to the photo below, I was 100% with Bonnie in her insistence that the writer was a sellout. But now I don't know, I think he makes a valid point when he says, "Everybody hated it. We re-shot it, now everybody loves it. That's reality."

The setup: Throughout The Player, a screenwriter (the gum chewer) has insisted that his movie will have no movie stars in it (yes, that's Julia Roberts at the height of her popularity) and that the evidence to clear the main character, who's been falsely accused and faces the death sentence, will only be discovered after she's been executed..."because that's reality." 
Click image to see how the gum chewer's vision played out.
How do you feel about Hollywood Endings?Like 'em? Bored with 'em? What?
P.S. I've already packed three items in my time capsule from the future. How about you? 
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Published on January 23, 2013 04:51

January 16, 2013

On Jinxing

Do you believe in Jinxing? Not the kind where you say the same thing at the same time someone else does and then you pinch and poke and owe someone a Coke. I believe in that kind of Jinxing too; that's just not the kind I'm talking about today. I'm talking about the kind where you make something happen, or not happen, because you so much don't/do want it.

Like you plan for something, prepare, get all your ducks in a row, count all your chickens, other cliches concerning fowl that are eluding me right now, and then BLAMMO, the thing you were preparing for ain't gonna happen. Or at least not in the way you expected. When something like that happens, do you feel like you were the cause of it? Like you showed the universe too much of your heart and it smacked you down?

If you get what I mean, and it's ever happened to you---what do you do afterward?


And since we're thinking all philosophic-like, you might want to skip down to the post below to sign up for a very fun bloghop that'll really get you digging deep inside yourself.


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Published on January 16, 2013 07:30

January 11, 2013

Back FROM the Future, Bloghop Extraordinaire

Just when I was in dire need of something to break me out of my funk and get revved up for the new year, along come Suze and M.Pax with an invitation to co-host a most excellent bloghop adventure!  Enough looking back upon the past that was 2012, we're jumping forward to 2023.

Your adventure instructions are here:


You're up before dawn on a Saturday when the doorbell rings. You haven't brewed your coffee so you wonder if you imagined the sound. Plonking the half-filled carafe in the sink, you go to the front door and cautiously swing it open. No one there. As you cast your eyes to the ground, you see a parcel addressed to you ... from you.


You scoop it up and haul it inside, sensing something legitimate despite the extreme oddness of the situation. Carefully, you pry it open. Inside is a shoebox -- sent from ten years in the future -- and it's filled with items you have sent yourself.
What's in it?



Totally fun, right? Sign up below and then prepare to meet 2023 you as you put together your post for March 1. What's in your capsule? 
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Published on January 11, 2013 06:13

January 2, 2013

IWSG: Mojo

As I sit here struggling with what to contribute to the first installment of this year's Insecure Writer's Support Group, created and hosted by the illustrious Alex. J. (we meet the first Wednesday of each month, in case you didn't know and would like to join), it strikes me that there's my insecurity - am I going to be able to re-energize and effectively keep all my plates spinning this year? (Like the circus trick tie-in, Arlee?)

Silly question, of course I will. I sort of have to as indicated by the trumpet-blaring angel above. Not to mention the other factions of my life that will all soon be rearing their ugly heads again. It's just that I've become so massively great at chillaxing over the holidays and I'd like to stay here for a bit longer. So what do you say, give me 'til Monday before I have to fully awaken from this eggnog-laden hibernation?



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Published on January 02, 2013 04:02

December 24, 2012

Merry, Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas to all. As a gift, how about a very fun, heartwarming holiday movie rec? It's a film I'd not heard of until my lovely Brit sister passed the DVD to me yesterday. Last night I watched with my little family, and we give it an enthusiastic Eight Thumbs Up:

Click image for a preview
May peace be in your heart and on your lips and all around you.  See ya next year, cheeky monkeys. ;)

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Published on December 24, 2012 06:00

December 17, 2012

Happy Book Birthday to Embrace


It’s Embrace’s Book Birthday and to celebrate the success of her debut novel Cherie Colyer is giving away a copy of her book plus swag. Before we get to that, here is a brief excerpt and some information about Embrace.
“I’m beginning to realize I’d do whatever it took to keep someone I care about safe—expose what I am, harness my anger, let my darker side take over. That’s one promise I know I can make without regret.”[…]I was about to protest when he then asked, “What about you? Just what are your feelings toward me?” I must have hesitated because he laughed, light and warm, yet there was a bitter edge to it. “I just told you I’d embrace the dark to protect you, and you still can’t open up to me?”
Embraceby Cherie ColyerFrom Omnific Publishing
How far would you go to save the people you love?
Synopsis:Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.
Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.
Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.
Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.~
To view the book trailer click here. If you’d like to curl up with Embrace today you can download the eBook on Amazonand Barnes & Noble.
To win a copy of Embrace, all you have to do is fill out this form
Find Cherie: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter 


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Published on December 17, 2012 05:00

December 14, 2012

Hobbit Blogfest & Cover Reveal



What better way to celebrate An Unexpected Journey coming to the big screen than with a Hobbit Blogfest, hosted by Tyrean Martinson and M. Pax? Here are my answers to these very hobbitty questions:
What is your favorite hobbit characteristic/or the one that you think closely resembles you . . .?
Hairy feet.  Just kidding!! Blech! I like to think that I have the loyalty of Samwise Gamgee.
If you could choose between a scrumptious second breakfast and a perilous unexpected journey – which would you prefer?
I'm getting better at it, but I'm still not comfortable with anything unexpected, so I'll take that second breakfast, please. 
Have you ever left behind something on a journey (expected or unexpected) and wished you could have it over and over again? (a pocket handkerchief?)
Oh yes. I still occasionally think about the camera I left behind in a Denny's during a family trip out west. We must've been pretty far away by the time I realized, because my Dad would not turn the station wagon around to retrieve it. It wasn't so much the camera that I longed for, but rather the black vinyl case decorated with a single pink puffy pony sticker---it had googly eyes and everything. 
What is your Favorite part or quote from the book that you hope will be in the movie?
Confession time: I don't actually remember any details of the book. I haven't read it since the 5th grade and yet I always cite The Hobbit as one of my favorite stories from childhood (right next to Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe). That's because I remember the absolute awe it evoked in me and how whenever I was away from the story, I couldn't wait to dive back in. So this is the perfect situation---I get to have my inner hobbit reawakened without being disappointed by any possible deviations from canon. 
~.~.~.~.~

And now for a cover reveal for a brand new series to immerse in...
Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn (Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy)
Now Available!When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.Congratulations to Susan on completing this very successful series of unique YA Paranormal reads. As you see by all the book cover below, she's been a busy lady. Visit Susan's website to learn more about the series and see the great reviews she's been getting---you can also ENTER TO WIN one of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collection. All Mindjack stories available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes(Note Free Souls is not yet available on iTunes)



Thanks for including me in your reveal, Susan, and thanks Mary & Tyrean for the fun fest! So when will you be seeing the movie?  I've already got my tickets for Sunday in the IMAX!  I typically don't brave opening weekends, but when my favorite hobbit enthusiast happens to be my 15-year-old son and he actually wants to see the movie with his mom---in public!---I'm not going to make him wait.

More Hobbit Blogfesters:
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Published on December 14, 2012 04:00

December 12, 2012

Inspiration

Look who's arrived at the second-to-last question for The Next Big Thing:

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I'm sure you all know, there's a difference between being inspired with a story idea and being inspired to invest the months and months it takes to write the thing out. We covered the inspiration behind the idea for Divine Temptation  in my answer to question #2, but the credit for the inspiration to actually write it goes to my very good friend, the pre-reader I mentioned in my answer about first drafts.

The idea for the story was born before I knew him, but through his curiosity about this story in particular (he's also currently working on a very different kind of angel story) and his persistent interest in seeing more and more of my writing, he made me want to put this one into words. And he was there every step of the way to encourage me to continue until it was finished. Ya might say he's rather like my real life angel.



Speaking of inspiration...the Holidays Without Rules Kindle giveaway sponsored by Omnific Publishing inspired me to put together an 80s Christmas Mix, includes a bonus image of all Three Daves playing with their Christmas lights....

Ho, ho, ho!


One more day left to enter to win an eBook of Three Daves at Kate Evangelista's 24 Days of Guest Posts and Giveaways


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Published on December 12, 2012 05:00

December 10, 2012

Cheers! To Alex J. Cavanaugh


Today's the day we make this kind and generous soul squirm.  But I'm not the evil one---it was all Mark “The Madman” Koopman,  Marvelous” Morgan Shamy,  Stephen “Breakthrough” Tremp &  David “Kingpin” Powers King's  idea.
Let's get to this, shall we?


What does Alex look like?

I'm not sure why, but I'm betting heavy on mustache. 

Who could play Alex in a documentary?

Lenny Kravitz. With a mustache, of course.

Who does Alex remind you of?

Santa Claus.

Flash Fiction:
The Ninja crouches. He is alone, but far from lonely, for he's accompanied by the imagined classical guitar riff that he mentally jams to while biding his time. Waiting. Watching. There it is! He leaps into the Cosbolt and speeds to his target. As always, the spacecraft is first on the scene—comments are still at zero.

“Not for long,” he murmurs, his mustache twitching ever so slightly. He delivers a witty one-liner, maneuvers around the word verification, and is off to the next post. “IWSG!!!” His infamous battle cry reverberates throughout the blogosphere. He is victorious. He is…Cavanaugh.


Bonus:
Behind every good man is an excellent woman, ergo the mystery Mrs. Cavanaugh is one terrific lady. As for “sharing” Alex...speaking as someone who's come to appreciate my husband's away time, I'm thinking it's a win-win situation. Hehe.

Read more Cheers to Alex, who makes blogging more fun for all of us.

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Published on December 10, 2012 04:00

December 9, 2012

24 Days of Guest Posts & Giveaways

Whether you're having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit or are already fully Kris-Kringlefied, Kate Evangelista's blog is a great place to be. Since December 1, she's been posting Christmas-themed guest posts, and each one includes a giveaway! It's a marvelous way to stoke your festive fires in the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve---and you could end up with a whole bunch of gifts before Santa even makes his way down your chimney. 
My post is up at Kate's today, so please stop by to learn of the top 5 things on my Christmas wishlist.   
What's at the top of your list? 



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Published on December 09, 2012 07:00