Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 147

In NY This Week: Film: Tales Of The Night by Michel Ocelot

I posted about Film: Tales Of The Night by Michel Ocelot early last year and it is finally getting a US release this week at the IFC, New York. The trailer is just absolutely gorgeous.

From GKids:

TALES OF THE NIGHT
IN ENGLISH - FULL THEATRICAL RELEASE - ONE WEEK ONLY!
Starts Wed, Sept 26, 11:00am - IFC Center

From Michel Ocelot, director of Kirikou and the Sorceress and Azur & Asmar, comes a magical and visually stunning new 3D feature. Silhouetted characters are set off against exquisitely detailed Day-Glo backgrounds bursting with color and kaleidoscopic patterns, as the film weaves together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, to the Land of the Dead. History blends with fairytale as viewers are whisked off to visit enchanted lands full of dragons, shape-shifting werewolves, captive princesses, and enormous talking bees - and each fable ends with its own ironic twist.

From Zippy Frames:

The new, silhouetted animated film by the French master Michel Ocelot Tales of the Night (Contes de la nuit) has its North American theatrical premiere at IFC, New York.

GKids releases the 3D feature of the acclaimed French animator Michel Ocelot. Tales of the Night screens for one-week run at IFC Center, New York, from Wednesday, Sept 26.

After Kirikou and the Sorceress and Azur and Asmar, Ocelot binds togehter several stories (originated from the successful French TV series, Dragons and Princesses), and continues the silhouette tradtition in animation that stems from the German animator Lotte Reiniger.

Contes de la Nuit weaves together six exotic fables from Tibet, to medieval Europe, an Aztec kingdom, and the African plains. [Read the Zippy Frames film review].

Tales of the Night premiered in the 2011 Berlin Film Festival, and has made its North American festival premiere at the New York International Children's Film Festival (15-16 October 2011).

Michel Ocelot recently directed a new adventure series for Kirikou (to be released in France next October), entitled Kirikou et les hommes et les femmes.

GKids distributes Tales of the Night, which wlll be screened in English (recommended ages 5 to adult).

Click here for info and tickets.

Ed McBain's Fairy Tale Series featuring Matthew Hope

Last year I posted about Ed McBain's Fairy Tale Series featuring Matthew Hope, a criminal lawyer in Florida. The series borrows from fairy tales, not necessarily in plot in my understanding, but still grabbing some tropes and characterizations. I've never read any of the series, but it sounds interesting if dark and gritty, definitely not cosy mysteries if that is your taste. McBain died in 2005 so the series has ended and was mostly out-of-print until this week when it is being released in ebook format. Hopefully it will never go out of print again through the beauty of ebook publishing. Even book cover images were elusive to find when I wrote my last post.

The first part of the series is published this week with the rest coming in October, except for the second to last book which has been released by a different publisher. If you have Amazon Prime, many of these books are free to borrow, too.

Here's the series in publication date order:


Goldilocks (1978)
Book description:

Goldilocks, the other woman. She didn’t have to be a blonde. She could have had hair as black as midnight, eyes as pale as alabaster. But she’d always be Goldilocks, stealing into your home, taking what she wanted as her own.

Jamie Purchase enters his home late one night to find the bloodless bodies of his wife and two daughters. It was no secret Jamie’s ex, Betty, hated the new wife—Goldilocks, she’d called her, and the name stuck. But could Betty hate Jamie’s new family enough to slaughter them? Lawyer Matthew Hope can believe it. He’s seen his fair share of heartache and deception, but he knows better than most that Goldilocks only wanders in when you’ve left the door wide open. And when that happens, everyone’s to blame. Now Hope must immerse himself in a family drama too close to home in order to find a cold-blooded killer.

From the thrilling Matthew Hope series, Ed McBain’s Goldilocks tests black-and-white morals and finds we’re all a little platinum blonde.

Rumpelstiltskin (Matthew Hope) (1981)

Book description:

When Victoria Miller and her backing band, Wheat, broke out with a string of gold records in the sixties, the sultry chanteuse seemed shy of crowds, refusing to perform in public. Years after her last success, Victoria makes her stage debut, but the magic is long gone, and shortly after that, so is she—the victim of a brutal murder. Victoria’s six-year-old daughter, Allison, is missing too, but nobody’s come forward for a ransom. The only clue is a mysterious call—I’ll be stopping by to collect—but who’s collecting, and what? Even if Allison could be found, lawyer Matthew Hope can’t seem to locate Victoria’s missing will with Allison’s guardianship. And when Victoria’s old producer comes forward, claiming Victoria wasn’t quite the natural talent she’d seemed to be, Matthew’s left wondering who gave her the golden touch and why they’d take it back right now.

Part of Ed McBain’s masterful Matthew Hope series, Rumpelstiltskin finds the good-hearted lawyer in a plot where everyone’s a suspect, and all debts are paid in full.

Beauty and the Beast (Matthew Hope) (1982)

Book description:

Matthew Hope is a divorce lawyer in the town of Calusa, Florida, where the Gulf waters are warm and the women on the beach topless. One such woman, Michelle Benois Harper—a striking beauty with cascading black hair—enters Matthew’s office revealing swollen eyes and a bruised and battered body. After making a statement with the cops saying her husband did it, her body is found on the beach, burned beyond recognition.

George N. Harper is a hulking man with pockmarks, flaring nostrils, and rheumy eyes—the ugliest accused man Matthew has ever seen. But something’s not quite right about the case—Harper loved his wife. Yet the cops and lawyers are ready to hang the man who could extinguish such a beautiful woman, and it’s up to Matthew to prove his innocence.

An instant classic in the Matthew Hope series from Ed McBain, Beauty and the Beast pairs the good-hearted lawyer with a client who tests his prejudices and proves beauty may be skin deep, but ugly is in the bones.

Jack and the Beanstalk (Matthew Hope) (1984)

Book description:

Jack McKinney is a bright-eyed twenty-year-old in the business of buying a snapbean farm with forty grand in cash, and attorney Matthew Hope assists with the deal—until Jack’s found dead in his condo, stabbed fourteen times.

The backwoods seller wants his forty grand pronto, but nobody can find the cash. And when Matthew pays a visit to the McKinney ranch, he gets more than he bargained for. Jack’s mother, Veronica, is a woman who looks half her years, with cool gray eyes to match her ambivalent attitude toward her son’s death. The only thing more dangerous than Veronica is daughter Sunny, the mirror image of her mother and a girl who can hold her liquor. Everyone seems to have a theory about the missing money, but Matthew’s the only one who can get to the bottom of the bum deal.

The fourth installment of Ed McBain’s Matthew Hope Mysteries, Jack and the Beanstalk delivers our lawyer into a world of seedy folks, sour deals, and a family gone afoul.

Snow White and Rose Red (Matthew Hope) (1985)

Book description:

Sarah Whittaker is a green-eyed beauty with a love for Danny Kaye and white knights. Lawyer Matthew Hope can see all this clearly, despite the fact that whenever they meet the two are under constant surveillance by the mental institution staff. You see, Sarah’s crazy…or is she? Sarah pleads with Matthew to take her case, claiming that her mother wrongfully had Sarah committed in order to seize her inheritance money. And while the mother and doctors in question seem shady, almost cloying in their belief that Sarah is a paranoid schizophrenic, Matthew can’t tell day from night, or Rose Red from Snow White. Meanwhile, the corpse of a woman about Sarah’s age washes ashore in a town nearby. Is there a connection? Is Sarah Whittaker really pure as snow? Is she the Virgin Queen she says she is? It’s up to Matthew to find out.

In Ed McBain’s Snow White and Rose Red, Matthew Hope plunges into the noir, twisted world of the most complicated of mysteries—the human mind.

Cinderella (Matthew Hope) (1986)

Book description:

No description yet! Or cover image. Hmmm...

Puss in Boots (Matthew Hope) (1987)

Book description:

A long shadow looms above her. Then a hand clamps over her mouth and a blade sinks into her back. Blood splatters on the film reel case beside her, and a young life is cut short.

Lawyer Matthew Hope gets a call from Carlton Markham, who’s been arrested for his filmmaker wife’s murder but says he didn’t do it. Witnesses fly forward to proclaim his guilt, but Markham’s not giving up that easily on his innocence. And when Matthew digs deeper into the victim’s business—from heavy financial backers to sleazy egomaniacs—he finds she may not have been the perfect lady she had seemed. The one piece of evidence that could set Markham free and finger the real killer is the victim’s film reel. Only it’s gone, along with the film’s sexy star. Now Matthew needs to infiltrate the seedy side of the film industry in order to find the missing reel and solve the murder.

From master storyteller Ed McBain, Puss in Boots is another Matthew Hope Mystery classic, the tale of a woman who aimed too high and the many men who fell for it all.

The House that Jack Built (Matthew Hope) (1988)

Book description:

The morning after Jonathan Parrish’s fortieth birthday party, the guest of honor is found lying dead in a pool of his own blood. Police arrive at the scene to find his older brother, Ralph, covered in red and clutching the murder weapon.

From behind bars, Ralph insists he didn’t do it. He claims he heard a scream from the other room, saw a man dressed in black running away, and rushed to pull the fatal blade from Jonathan’s chest. But his explanations don’t sway the Florida police, especially when several witnesses saw the brothers arguing about Jonathan’s homosexual lifestyle the night before.

But attorney Matthew Hope believes Ralph—call it instinct, call it a hunch, Matt’s law partner, Frank Summerville, calls it Matt’s “code.” But with Frank too distraught over his crumbling marriage to pitch in this time, Matthew enlists private eye Warren Chambers to help prove Ralph’s innocence. And with few clues to go by, the duo will have to dig through a world of closet cases, secret trysts, and a community on edge to capture the real killer.

Three Blind Mice (Matthew Hope) (1990)

Book description:

When three Vietnamese immigrants are found murdered and savagely mutilated in Calusa, Florida, police finger wealthy landowner Stephen Leeds as the prime suspect. The now-deceased trio had recently been acquitted of raping Leeds’s wife, Jessie. From his jail cell, Leeds insists that, while they may have gotten what they deserved, he didn’t dispense the vigilante justice.

That’s enough for attorney Matthew Hope to take on the case. But every piece of evidence ties his client to the grisly killings, from Leeds publicly vowing to avenge his wife’s assault to the discovery of his wallet at the scene. And it doesn’t help matters that Hope is going up against Assistant State Attorney Patricia Demming, who is dead-set on seeing Leeds fry for the crime.

Acclaimed author and fan favorite Ed McBain blends powerful suspense with master storytelling for a thrilling and charged tale of two men—one whose life hangs in the balance and one who must follow a convoluted trail of secrets, seduction, and sabotage to get to the truth.

Mary, Mary (1993)

Book description:

When the bodies of three young girls are unearthed in Mary Barton’s garden, the retired Florida schoolteacher insists she didn’t do it. But an eyewitness—the woman next door—has a different story: she swears she saw “Mary, Mary quite contrary,” so called by her neighbors, burying something the night before. Mary’s former student Melissa Lowdnes can’t believe the fun-loving teacher she once knew could ever carry out a murder—much less three—and seeks the help of lawyer Matthew Hope. Matthew only takes on clients he feels are innocent, and he’s got a hunch that Mary could be telling the truth—that is, when she isn’t ranting about the neighbors she feels have done her wrong. Matthew follows clues and builds a solid defense, but his strategy runs into a major setback: he’s going up against “killer” assistant district attorney Patricia Hemming, and she’s got an offer on the table that compromises the entire case.

Good fences make guilty neighbors in this suspenseful thriller from crime-fiction master Ed McBain.

There Was a Little Girl (1994)

Book description:

Attorney Matthew Hope lies in a coma after catching two bullets to the chest outside a Calusa, Florida, bar. That he was anywhere near the seedy establishment is a bit of irony; he had recently taken a break from the criminal side of his practice after his last case made him question his instincts as a defender.

Now it’s up to Hope’s friends and associates—PI pals Warren Chambers and Toots Kiley, law partner Frank Summerville, police detective Morris Bloom, and girlfriend Patricia Demming—to retrace the attorney’s steps and piece together just who wants him dead. The puzzling and sinister trail leads to a big Florida land deal, a kinky circus troupe, and a seductive woman—no taller than a yardstick—who’s been brutally killed. The answer to the riddle lies with Hope, who, even in unconsciousness, replays the events leading up to the shooting. But can he wake up in time to name the killer before someone puts him to sleep for good?

From master of suspense Ed McBain comes a Matthew Hope series classic that opens with a bang—or two.

Gladly the Cross-Eyed Bear (Matthew Hope Mysteries) (1996)

Book description:

Lainie Commins, a freelance designer of children's toys, hires attorney Matthew Hope for a lawsuit against her old employers, Brett and Etta Toland. At stake are the lucrative rights to Gladly, a teddy bear with crossed eyes and corrective lenses. It's a straightforward case--until Brett Toland is shot in the throat aboard his luxury yacht and Lainie becomes the chief suspect.

The Last Best Hope (1998)

Book description:

Leggy Jill Lawton sits in Matthew Hope’s law office, hoping he can help her acquire a divorce. There are just two problems: first, Hope is a criminal attorney, and second, Mr. Lawton has vanished. Jill wants Hope and his crew to track down her husband’s whereabouts so she can get on with her new life. But when a body washes up with a bullet hole for a face and Jack Lawton’s driver’s license in its pocket, it appears the case is closed…except the victim is not Jill Lawton’s missing husband.

Now Hope must team up with the 87th Precinct’s Detective Steve Carella to ID the dead man and hunt down a deadbeat. What the two discover is an underworld of theft, lies, murder, and kink—where all the players have something, or someone, to hide.

Bringing together two of Ed McBain’s most engaging characters, The Last Best Hope is a pulse-pounding ride that brings the Matthew Hope series to a twisted conclusion.

Big Preview: Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora

What it is:
A purse-friendly mirror designed after the iconic clock that signals the end to Cinderella’s enchanting spell.

What it does:
Touch-up your look with style and grace with this mirror designed after the iconic clock from the film. This elegant compact, adorned with a gold overlay, is the perfect addition to any princess’ collection.

What else you need to know:
“It’s time for your moment.”

Sephora has their Beauty Insider Cinderella collection viewable on their site now, but I don't think it is visible to anyone but Beauty Insiders. Here are large images of the seven pieces that are on sale now to Insiders and will go on sale to everyone else in early October. I do like that compact mirror above. SurLaLune has no affiliation with Sephora but my previous post has been so popular that I thought I would share for those who are interested in this extended preview. I don't know if there will be more pieces, but I think this is it. Covers most of the bases and be sure to see the naming of the colors in the various sets. There may be larger versions of the nail polishes but I don't know either way.
Also, I am attending the Sephora Insider Cinderella screening Thursday night. I need to see it again--it's been years and years for me--and the tickets were a great price (free!) and it's a night out away from the final proofing of my upcoming Cinderella book, Cinderella Tales From Around the World. Yes, it is finally coming soon. So watching Disney helps me remember the standard vision of pop culture Cinderella vs. the hundreds of versions I am now more familiar with.
A Brush With Fate Nail Polish Set
What it is:
A six-piece set of miniature nail lacquers to make your manicure simply spellbinding.

What it does:
Walk into a fantasy with this set of polishes that promise to enchant your tips with sparkles, shimmers, and whimsical hues. Mix and match shades to create the spell of your choice and turn any situation into an occasion.

This set contains:
6 x 1.8 oz nail polish in:
- So Totally Enchanted (glittery silver)
- Step Off, Sister! (glittery purple)
- Blue My Curfew (glittery royal blue)
- Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Pink! (glittery pink)
- Self-Maid Millionaire (glittery gold)
- Rags to Rhinestones (glittery bronze)

What else you need to know:
“You may have many shoes, but the perfect shoe can change your life.”

Moonlit Kiss Lipstick Set
What it is:
A four-piece collection of luxuriously creamy, satin-finish lipsticks.

What it does:
Find your Prince Charming and seal the love with a perfectly pretty pout. This set of lavish lip formulas feature shades that mirror the dresses Cinderella wore in the film, adorning your lovely lips with hues of berry, peach, warm rose, and champagne.

This set contains:
4 x 0.13 oz lipstick in:
- Lady Tremaine (berry)
- Pumpkin (light pastel peach)
- Who Is She? (warm rosy mauve)
- My Moment (pink champagne glitter)

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens

What else you need to know:
“Remember, you don’t need magic to have a magical kiss.”

 
Midnight Hour Eye Shadow Palette
What it is:
A four-piece eye shadow palette with enchanting, smoky shades.

What it does:
Reenact the drama and flash these whimsical shadows as the clock strikes twelve. Original artwork created by Disney brings the magic to life with an elegant screen print of the legendary countdown. Once opened, you’ll be swept away by the palette’s enchanting, smoky shades. The silky smooth formulas glide on effortlessly, providing a rich coat of color that blends and layers to create a stunning eye that lasts beyond the midnight hour.

This set contains:
4 x 0.049 oz eye shadows in:
- Gray (grey pearl)
- White (pearl shimmer)
- Champagne (champagne nude)
- Sparkles (charcoal shimmer glitter)

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens

What else you need to know:
“This time, it’s the exit he’ll remember.”


Storylook Eyeshadow Palette
What it is:
A 20-piece eye shadow palette with shades customized to match the original colors from the fabled movie.

What it does:
Begin a journey with this dazzling collection of fairy tale-inspired shadows. Original artwork created by Disney portrays Cinderella’s magical moment with elaborate silver and gold detailing. Inside, a luxurious velveteen tray holds a variety of shimmering shades, each customized to match the original pantones from the movie. The silky smooth formulas glide on effortlessly, providing a rich coat of color that blends and layers to create a stunning eye.

This set contains:
- 20 x 0.035 oz eye shadow in:
- Maiden (glittery magenta)
- All Aglow (shimmering tan
- Destined (light blue pearl)
- Cinderelly (sea foam green matte)
- Pumpkin Coach (cream gold)
- Ball Gown (pearl white pearl)
- Kill Joy (shimmering taupe)
- Fairy Godmother (periwinkle)
- Glass Slipper (light blue shimmer)
- Royal (matte bright blue)
- Gus Gus (gold shimmer)
- Charming (nude pearl)
- Chateau (brown shimmer)
- Palace (rose gold shimmer)
- Drizella (medium brown golden shimmer)
- Cinders (black with gold glitter)
- Jaq (mauve matte gold shimmer)
- Midnight (midnight blue with light blue glitter)
- A Wish (cream pearl)
- Rococo (plum w/multi glitter)

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens

What else you need to know:
“You’ll truly believe that fairy tales do come true.”


So This Is Love…
Become spellbound by the mesmerizing scent of So This is Love and leave a lasting impression. At first breath, fresh aldehydes shine like glass as they dance with warm plumeria and dewy hyacinth to create a top that is delicate and youthful, yet vibrantly dazzling. A magical bouquet of elegant tuberose, sheer jasmine, and exotic tiare flower crafts a royal, shimmering heart—the the perfect fit for the belle of the ball. A background of soft, supple musk accord wraps you in the arms of Prince Charming. Sensual peach skin and velvety woods shimmer with luscious texture for a sensation that lasts long after the stroke of midnight.

Notes:
Fresh Aldehydes, Plumeria, Dewy Hyacinth, Tuberose, Sheer Jasmine, Solar Accord, Musks, Plum, Creamy Woods.
Style:
Romantic. Dreamy. Delicate.


So This Is Love… Swarovski Edition
Become spellbound by the mesmerizing scent of So This is Love and leave a lasting impression. At first breath, fresh aldehydes shine like glass as they dance with warm plumeria and dewy hyacinth to create a top that is delicate and youthful, yet vibrantly dazzling. A magical bouquet of elegant tuberose, sheer jasmine, and exotic tiare flower crafts a royal, shimmering heart—the the perfect fit for the belle of the ball. A background of soft, supple musk accord wraps you in the arms of Prince Charming. Sensual peach skin and velvety woods shimmer with luscious texture for a sensation that lasts long after the stroke of midnight.

Adorned with twinkling crystals, this Swarovski-edition bottle sparkles like a glass slipper in the moonlight.

Notes:
Fresh Aldehydes, Plumeria, Dewy Hyacinth, Tuberose, Sheer Jasmine, Solar Accord, Musks, Plum, Creamy Woods.
Style:
Romantic. Dreamy. Delicate.

Finally, here's the search results page with all seven products listed. You can click to see it larger.

Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Mitchell Kalpakgian

Crisis Magazine (A Voice for the Faithful Catholic Laity) recently published an article touting the virtues of Hans Christian Andersen's works. From Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales by Mitchell Kalpakgian:

Proverbs, folk tales, and fairy tales provide a great source of the world’s accumulated wisdom and perennial philosophy. To read Andersen’s fairy tales is to rediscover the adventure of the human story, to experience the sweet taste of goodness, and to marvel at the miraculous nature of reality. In “The Travelling Companion” Anderson portrays good works as forgotten actions done for their own sake and left behind, yet these humble deeds to strangers in remote places performed in the darkness of the night or the silence of a church assume the nature of hidden buried seeds that have a fruitful, potent quality that produces an unforeseen abundance.

A good deed is a travelling companion, a powerful seed, a mysterious power that never really dies or remains unacknowledged even though the sower of these actions never thinks about them as deserving of recognition or rewards. As Andersen shows, the most momentous, surprising boons of good fortune can often be traced to these forgotten deeds of a pure heart. In the story poor John parts with his last $50 to prevent two vindictive rogues from violating the dead body of a man who never paid them his debt. In a lonely, obscure place John pays the debt and performs his simple good deed for a dead man who cannot even say thank you—only to discover later that the dead man is no more dead than a buried seed or the remembered past.

Click through to read the entire article. My favorite part is the discussion of some less popular HCA tales as well as the unexpected source of the article. I had to share the Travelling Companion excerpt here since it is also a Grateful Dead tale, a collection I hope to have out by the end of the year.

New Book: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult was released this past June in the US but I just realized it is a book that bears sharing here. The reader reviews are split, mostly from readers who didn't realize it was a YA novel, I think.

Book description:

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens, filled with romance, adventure, and humor.
What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

New Book: Red Rocks by Rachael King

Today I get to torment most readers with a new book that isn't readily available to them. Those of you in Australia and New Zealand--and there are more than a few of you!--should especially appreciate this one. Red Rocks by Rachael King retells the selkie legend and sets it in New Zealand. The rest of us are jealous because that sounds like great reading! I also like the cover.

Book description:

A novel for younger readers.

While holidaying at his father’s house, Jake explores Wellington’s wild south coast, with its high cliffs, biting winds, and its fierce seals. When he stumbles upon a sealskin, hidden in a crevice at Red Rocks, he’s compelled to take it home and hide it under his bed, setting off a chain of events that threatens to destroy his family.

Can he put things right before it’s too late?

Red Rocks takes the Celtic myth of the selkies, or seal people, and transplants it into the New Zealand landscape, throwing an ordinary boy into an adventure tinged with magic. With its beautiful writing and eerie atmosphere, middle readers will be thrilled and moved by this captivating story.

For background information, including links to useful websites, and reviews of Red Rocks, click on the links below and to the right.

You can read more about the book at King's site and at the publisher's page where there is a preview and teacher's guide. Here's hoping it does well enough to get picked up for international release!

And you can order the book from Fishpond New Zealand and Fishpond Australia. (SurLaLune is not affiliated with Fishpond.)

Alphonse Mucha on a Boot

Okay, so I have finally found something to lessen the loss since Zazzle quit offering customizable Keds and all of my fairy tale designs--oh how I loved designing those!--disappeared into the internet ether. Icon shoes, made in Romania, use fine art for inspiration. This is my favorite of their current patterns, The Moon by Alphonse Mucha. Anyone surprised that SurLaLune likes The Moon?


They have Degas, Renoir, Parisian, Venetian and other cityscape scenes, and an unfortunate short straying into Buddha images, to name a few but the styles are many and the art is gorgeous overall. There are sandals and slides and clogs and oxfords and boots, even ballet flats. It's an impressive array.


And they are available on Amazon and other shoe sellers. Right now on Amazon they also qualify for $20 off $100 orders or $50 off $200 orders of eligible items sold and shipped by Amazon.com.  Enter code 2012FALL at checkout. I am so TEMPTED!

See Icon Women's Hug Boot and Icon Women's Lea Wedge Slide and my personal favorite Icon Women's Tyler Ankle Boot.

Here's a link to all the shoe styles featuring Mucha's The Moon.






Here are some more but not all of their shoe styles that come in many art patterns:
   

Cinderella Carriage on Shipping Wars

So I walked into the room the other night where John was falling asleep to some reality TV. The show happened to be Shipping Wars and one of the odd shipping items in this episode (Wheels of Misfortune) was one of the prettiest Cinderella carriages I have ever seen. Funny how that happens sometimes. I've watched two hours of TV this week (So You Think You Can Dance finale!) and an extra five minutes which happened to be this carriage by random chance. And as I saw them start to disassemble it, I refused to watch.



Let's face it. Cinderella carriages are practically a dime a dozen anymore. And, persnickety as I am, I never really cared to ride in one. The cheese factor is even higher than normal and despite my love of fairy tales, my dreams of living a princess fantasy have been pretty nonexistent most of my life. I didn't want to go through what fairy tales inflict upon them, I think. I always preferred to be a Charlie's Angel or a superhero as a kid and that instinct has stuck around. I was more thrilled with my oceanside carriage ride on Prince Edward Island--part of our travel package or I probably wouldn't have done it, silly me--back in 2008. That was more of a surrey so it had me thinking of Anne of Green Gables and Oklahoma!, not once of Cinderella. And, no, I am not an expert on carriage styles but I know a surrey from a phaeton. Usually.

But when this carriage was shown up close and personal in the show, I found myself wanting to ride in it. I didn't finish watching the episode but it lasted in my memory long enough to make me look it up the next morning. And then I went through several Cinderella carriages before I happened upon this one again. The seller has some amazing carriages but no more Cinderella ones, alas. I'm even more convinced this is one of the superior examples of its ilk. The carriage now resides in Kemah, Texas with a carriage ride company so I won't be riding in it anytime soon but I'll remember it for a while.

The picture doesn't do it justice but the $12,000 price tag may demonstrate it's expense and high level construction. All of that glass was pretty stunning and the wrought iron work was exquisite.

Jane Yolen Presenting Andrew Lang Lecture

     
Jane Yolen will be the speaker for this year's Andrew Lang Lecture at St Andrews in Scotland. She is the first woman to present the lecture since it was instituted in 1927.

From

The Andrew Lang Lecture series is named after the Victorian and Edwardian writer and critic, Andrew Lang (1844-1912), who studied at the University of St Andrews. Up until the time of his death, Lang was one of the most important figures in contemporary letters, a successful and respected fiction writer, poet, journalist, historian and literary critic. The University of St Andrews Library owns an impressive collection of Lang material, including Lang's manuscript and typescript works, a large body of correspondence between Lang and members of his family and others, and photographs and other miscellanea.

The Andrew Lang Lecture is a prestigious event, held only every few years by different Schools in the University. It was first delivered in 1927 by George Gordon, and the most famous Lang lecture remains J.R.R. Tolkien's 'On Fairy Stories' in 1939.

From SFScope:

Jane Yolen writes:

I will be giving the prestigious Andrew Lang lecture at St Andrews University in Scotland on November 1, at 5:30PM. The venue: Lower College Hall, St Salvator’s College, University of St Andrews. It is open to the public and free.

I hope all of you who are interested and able can come. My topic is: “Folklore versus Fakelore: An Imagined Conversation with Andrew Lang.” I will also be telling at least one story and possibly reading some poetry and signing books after a Q&A at the end of the speech.

Since I am the first woman ever to give this speech (the first lecture was in 1927 and previous lecturers have included John Buchan and J.R.R. Tolkien!), I hope we can make a good showing.

I think it’s worth blowing my anonymity in St Andrews for this. Hope you think it’s worth your coming out on the day. And be sure to tell all your like-minded friends to come, too.

Lower College Hall, St Salvator’s College, University of St Andrews, at 5:30PMon 1 November 2012.

Advertising: Red Riding Hood and Chocolat Lanvin circa 1950

For my birthday--back in May!--dear friend Valerie sent me a goody box which included a little zipper bag with a version of the above illustration on it. Apparently, the illustration by Hervé Morvan was done for Chocolat Lanvin circa 1950. I haven't taken a good picture of the bag but I wanted to finally share this--and thank Valerie and Eli again for the bag. I think it will be a great storage bag for my Little Red Riding Hood finger puppets set.

Here is the slightly different image which appears on my bag, if you want to play a quick game of Find the Differences. Actually my bag's wolf is black with no brown and the Lanvin text is green, but the blue wrapper is more accurate. This version is apparently a repurposed 1960s rendition to reflect new packaging from the original.