Selene Castrovilla's Blog, page 4

Writing the Storm Out: A Campaign to Create Create and Renew

Greetings my friends,

This is a tough thing to write, but I need your help. I’ve started a GoFundMe account. Please take a look, and if you’re so inclined, please spread the word. I thank you so much.

The campaign is called  Writing the Storm Out

(You can find it at www.gofundme.com/writingthestormout)

XO

 

This is the Widget (let’s see if it works, I’m clueless):

Goodreads Giveaway for Melt!!!

Goodreads Giveaway for Melt!!!

Have you read Melt? Here’s your chance to win a signed copy.

Signs of Life, Book Two in the Rough Romance Trilogy, releases June 21! You’ll be all set for it once you’ve read Melt.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Photo by Sarah Delk, taken at an abandoned Wizard of Oz themed amusement park! It was perfect for the cover of Melt!

Signtology Day 3: Countdown to Signs of Life (give or take)

We’ve hit a bit of a roadblock, folks…

The Signs of Life release has been postponed until June 20. Alas, if only I’d learned this three days ago…

I don’t think I can keep this countdown up until June, so we may have to start over in May. I’ll be in touch. Sorry for the dashed hopes.

 

 

 

Signtology Day Two: Countdown to Signs of Life

Day 2 of the countdown to Signs of Life Release Day March 29!

 

 

So what do I use as the backdrop for Signs of Life? Famously, I used The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Melt. As you may know, I didn’t choose it. A voice told me to use it. (The details are in my daily meltdown posts from Melt’s pre-release.)

I feature William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying in Signs of Life. I did it consciously, though I feel the die was cast when I read As I Lay Dying in my MFA program years ago.

As I Lay Dying was the book which inspired me to write in dual voices. Faulkner showed me the power in perspectives, that a story was as different as its tellers. What a revelation!

I’ll be discussing the parallel, timeless themes between As I Lay Dying with Signs of Life in my upcoming posts.

Here is one thought I’ll leave you with:

“Themes that critics have highlighted [in As I Lay Dying] include…the nature of heroism, the nature of time or being, isolation, dehumanized humanity, and language.”

— An interpretation of William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying

(Source: As I Lay Dying: Stories out of Stories

by Warwick Wadlington, p. 21)

Maybe you can see why I’m so drawn to it!

 

 

 

 

Signtology Day 1: Countdown to Melt’s Sequel!

The countdown to Signs of Life begins!

 

 

One month from today Signs of Life, the sequel to Melt, is releasing. 

I’m going to blog every day about some aspect of writing the book, just as I did for Melt. 

The particular problem with sharing about this book is that a major part of the theme reveals a plot twist, so I can’t discuss much of why I wrote it, or the details. Oy.

So let me begin with my beginning. When I faced the challenge of re-visiting two teens who I only wanted to leave alone so that they could enjoy what I believed was their happy ending.

Readers let me know early and often that they wanted more. At first I insisted that they decide for themselves, but as I received more and more mail, I know I had to return to my story.

And this put me in despair. Because writing Melt was torture. Their pain was my pain!

More than that, I had no idea what came next – at least consciously.

But when I let myself go “there” I realized that I did know. And it was not the happy ending I’d fooled myself into believing in. No, there was more – so much more that it would require not one sequel but two.

This book follows a trajectory which began when I was a kid visiting a friend. Her mom took us to a movie which stayed with me and quietly defined my life. I cannot tell you the name. It’s revealed in the note at the end of Signs of Life.

So, I do believe I was destined to write this book. It is, for all my complaining, the book I was meant to write all my life. Things came out of me that I had no idea were even in me!!! 

I’m going to explore this idea of destiny, and pieces coming together, during this month.

I hope you enjoy it!

Stay tuned for a wild ride inside my imagination.

XO,

Selene

 

 

 

 

How George Washington and His Army Spent Christmas, 1776

Think you’ve got a lot going on for Christmas?

Around this time on Christmas Eve, 1776, George Washington was probably busy planning his deadly attack against the Hessians. You know it as when Washington crossed the Delaware. But what happened after that – when he marched his troops to Trenton, NJ – made it one of goriest Christmas nights ever.

He had to do it, I know. War is indeed hell. And after all, those Hessians had it coming. Heartless mercenaries. They preferred to kill American soldiers rather than go to the trouble of taking prisoners. They really had to go.

The problem I have with the whole thing is the fact that so many people glorify this moment in Washington’s military career – often citing it was his greatest. Slaughtering a bunch of drunk and sleeping men on Christmas night is not glorious.

Much more valiant were his actions following the Battle of Long Island, when he managed to cross his 10,000 men across the East River to safety. Perhaps no one brings this feat up because he lost the battle. Or maybe it’s because no one captured the moment in a painting.

It was a noble thing to not give up even after losing at the Battle of Long Island, and saving all his men. There would not have been a crossing of the Delaware if not for the crossing of the East River first.

That said, it was a necessary, sad, grim thing which Washington set out to do on Christmas night, 1776. Remember him for both feats, and remember the men who left their families and spent Christmas fighting for our freedom.

Enjoy that freedom, and enjoy your holidays.

May peace and love be with you.

PS: If you’d like to see illustrator Bill Farnsworth’s depiction of the retreat from the Battle of Long Island, check out my book, By the Sword. They are stunning paintings – and the writing’s not bad, either

George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday? George Washington thought so. His first presidential proclamation, issued on October 3, 1789, declared a national Thanksgiving Day for the purposes of thanking God. There is no mention of pilgrims or Indians here.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and

Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

For you dedicated history lovers, here’s the rest:

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Source:

A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, Volume 1. James D. Richardson, ed., New York, Bureau of National Literature, Inc., p. 56.

Let’s Flip our Hats at #NCTE15!

The time is drawing near for us to head to Minneapolis. I have one “touristy” goal: To toss up my hat like Mary Tyler Moore. If you’re interested in doing this too, here is the address of Mary’s hat-tossing statue: 7th and Nicollet, downtown Minneapolis. I believe this isn’t far from the convention center – but what do I know? It would behoove you to check for yourselves

How To Get Away With Murder: The Future of TV?

Last night, I heard a clip of How To get Away With Murder‘s Viola Davis speaking, in which she said she was glad to be part of the conversation about the future of television.

You might ask: why is a book writer blogging about a TV show? Well, TV is another creative outlet. And while I think we get more out of books, I enjoy occasionally watching TV shows. It’s rare that I become so wrapped up in one, so I decided to figure out why. I come at this from a writer’s perspective: someone whose job it is to consider  humanity and how it’s represented.

Is How To Get Away With Murder the future of television? And if so, what does this mean? It’s a show packed with amoral characters, all of whom turn on each other at the drop of a coin (literally, Wes lied about the result of a coin toss last season – leading to the cover-up that drove the season.) This is a show in which everyone gets away with murder. Is there to be no consequence for horrendous actions here? (Well, Sam did get what he had coming. And possibly Rebecca did, too.)

Still, there has been a lot of getting away with murder. I’m not a moralist, but it’s getting to me. It doesn’t really matter who shot Annalise, because they’ll get away with it.

It’s too much getting away with murder. Someone must pay – or at least feel remorse, for the love of God!

Let’s look at these people:

+++Spoilers aplenty+++

Wes: The first person we meet in the pilot. This would indicate that his journey is a primary focus on the show. At the onset, he seemed to be a “hero” – as “heroes” go here. He shot Sam to save Rebecca. He did so much to save Rebecca, and promised to take care of her. But where was he when Bonnie was suffocating Rebecca? And why did he allow the gang of law students (ha) to abduct her and tie her up in Annalise’s basement? If he had a problem with her, he should have dealt with it alone. He let Rebecca down. He is no hero. (This indicates that the show is about the hero’s fall. Dark, dark, dark!)

Rebecca: Tried to show Lila her boyfriend was no good by sleeping with said boyfriend. This indicates her twisted view of life, but the horrendous thing she did was driving her first law student neighbor mad by spiking weed – just so he wouldn’t be able to share what he’d witnessed. She needed an alibi for a crime she didn’t even commit, so she sacrificed someone’s mind. Perhaps she got what she had coming too, you might say. But I would be inclined to give her more of a break had she been charged, as she is unstable and was apparently raised by wolves. Also confusing is that she was set up to be a character we sympathized with. When we learned she did something horrible, it was almost unfair to us, because the information had been held back. We should at least have been given an inkling (the scratches on the wall were not enough!) When something like this happens so late, it’s like the rug has been pulled out from under us, and we feel cheated.

Bonnie: Suffocated Rebecca without a flinch. That was cold. Then, she was repulsed by Asher’s tie with a gang rape. Like she had a right to judge anyone. Bonnie went on with business as soon as Rebecca ceased to breathe, but Asher finding out that Bonnie was molested sent her onto the shower floor for apparently hours. Hmmm…

Frank: It’s hard to say who’s worse: Bonnie or him. Okay, it’s him. He’s a stereotypical hitman.(Down to his family, and his dialect.)  He choked Lila on command, without a care. The difference between Bonnie and him is that he’s seasoned. We might believe that Bonnie’s exposure to amoral behavior at the firm drove her to murder. At any rate, it was her first. And then Frank cleaned up, of course. Frank also framed Levi (what was the point of Levi if he was just shipped off like that?) And apparently Frank frames Catherine and dumps her in the woods (but that might be okay if she did help Philip kill her parents – but is it when a part of her defense team is doing the framing? I think it’s clear that Frank arrived lawless, while Bonnie absorbed through osmosis. But can you “learn” to be amoral, or is it inside you all along? This might be the deepest question posed by this show.

Laurel: Frank sleeps with Laurel, and I’m pretty sure he’d choke too and not feel badly about it – but that’s okay because she’s also amoral. No, she hasn’t acted on it yet – but give her time. We know she would’ve gotten rid of Rebecca because she said so. But Bonnie beat her to it. Laurel always scowls, except occasionally when she’s in bed with Frank the sociopath. This doesn’t make her amoral, but it sure makes her unlikable.

Nate: On the whole he seems okay – kind of a brooding Batman type, scarred but not “bad.” However, he picks up the students after Annalise is shot. That might also be explained, but when they hear that Annalise is still alive, he reacts adversely and says he’ll handle it. This leads me to believe that he’s playing Annalise, wanting revenge. You can’t blame him. A cop being in jail is no picnic, and she also had someone beat him up there (I can’t remember why. To get him bail, perhaps?)  He took it all pretty passively, but what was going on inside? If he’s playing Annalise to the point of having something to do with her shooting, this would destroy his “heroic” image. I guess we’ll see. (I just remembered, our introductory shot of him in the pilot was menacing. It this indicative of his true character?) (Also, cheating on his dying wife is a character flaw. Even if she approved, which is unclear.)

Oliver & Connor: I put them together because they are a cute couple – and they show more morality than the others. Oliver is on the fringe, and doesn’t know the darkness into which Connor has plunged. Connor wants to protect him. Awww. Also, Connor gave the DA information about a guilty client. Okay, I guess he has a conscience. He helped bury Sam, but he wasn’t responsible for the murder. I think he even walked in late (can’t remember.) So, this couple is voted moral – for now. I think Oliver might be written off (the “kidnapping” with “spilled milk” might have been foreshadowing – and the milk might stand for the mistakes made that he and Connor can’t take back.) If Oliver dies, Connor might sink into the badness waiting to consume him at Annalise’s house.

Asher– Seemed like he could be a hero, as he was kept out of the Sam’s murder cover-up. He was an innocent, literally. Perhaps sleeping with Bonnie was the beginning of his fall. That a crime he didn’t actively participate in led to his near-betrayal of Annalise is ironic. Also ironic is that he didn’t go through with it to protect Bonnie from the murder she didn’t commit but claimed she did, and then he unwittingly sacrificed his dad. It’s interesting that he severed his tie to his dad without meaning to. But the fact is, he has joined the dark side. It’s only going to get worse for Asher.

Michaela– She, like Laurel, hasn’t gone all the way bad yet. She did completely forget about Levi when he was framed, and switched course to the client, Caleb. That’s pretty cold. She’s the character I’m least interested in, because she hasn’t done anything meaningful either way.

Annalise– The most complicated for last. Is Annalise all that bad? She hasn’t committed murder, but she has been an accessory to them. She manipulates people, and destroys her students’ innocence (and lives!) She may be a sociopath, though she has a weakness: she wants to be loved. That didn’t stop her from framing her boyfriend for her husband’s murder. I think Annalise doesn’t mean to wreck lives. I think she believes she can straighten everything out – as she often says. She needs to control things, perhaps because of her mother. She covers up her vulnerability with a wig and make-up, but what’s really going on inside?

The verdict: Laurel and Michaela have yet to commit to their sociopathy. But they will. Things look bad for Asher. A little better for Connor, but the odds are against him. Oliver will probably be written off. Nate is suspect, but he may still be okay. (An aside: does this man have enough muscles???)

As for Annalise, she is an anti-hero. But I’m not convinced she’s amoral. She makes poor choices, affected by her low self-esteem from childhood and her desire for power now. I think she believes everything will work out, but she’s okay with the chaos because it gives her something to control. She gets off on manipulation, but the person she manipulates most is herself.

What does this all mean? I think I have more of a problem with the plot layout than the characters themselves. It’s the way things are laid out which make me feel slighted, and unfulfilled.

This show is f’d up – but I keep watching. I guess I want to know what will happen to these characters, even if I’m not thrilled with the approach.I do enjoy a psychological study. But I hope, by the end of this season, that I will have even one character left to root for.

Is it the future of television? I don’t know. I don’t watch much TV anyway. It may be the future of society. I hope not. Can we learn how not to behave by watching this show?

I’m going to continue to write books. And I need to go write one now.

 

 

 

 

Halloween For All Ages! (A Monster Mash-Up)

Halloween is upon us, so I thought I’d remind you about my Halloween posts on MomeeFriends, a blog I’m excited to be a part of. I also have some last minute literary Halloween costume ideas for all ages.

 

This picture appears at this link:https://greenishbookshelf.wordpress.c...

 

I write about history for kids in one column. For October, I feature Raynham Hall, believed to be haunted by one of Washington’s spies! Read about it here:

http://www.momeefriends.com/#!history...

In my other column, for teens, I discuss creative writing and give prompts. This month’s features, of course, writing horror.

Creative writing for teens:

http://www.momeefriends.com/#!creativ...

This picture is featured at:http://www.notable-quotes.com/p/poe_e....

Poe is the creator of the psychological horror story! You can read many of his quotes at NotableQuotes.com.

On to the costumes!

If you still need Halloween costumes for kids, here are some great literary ideas! My favorite, because you don’t need to buy a costume, is Oliver Twist & friends. Also, using a Cockney accent would be a blast!

https://greenishbookshelf.wordpress.c...

And a few for adults:

—For men, put on a suit, look sullen & serious (J.D. Salinger – you can also carry a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. He was obsessed with himself.)

—A couple could dress up in roaring Twenties costumes, as F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald.

—Don a Santa mustache & beard, carry a bottle of absinthe & you could be Hemingway. (See quote below.)

“Got tight last night on absinthe and did knife tricks. Great success shooting the knife underhand into the piano.” —Hemingway’s Letter to a friend in 1931

(Actually, you’re safe with pretty much any alcohol for Hemingway.)

—-Dress up as a fisherman and people can call you Ismael.

Maybe this inspires you to dress up as your favorite author or literary character! As for me, I’m staying home and writing. Enjoy!

Comments? Questions? Want to tell me how much you love me? Send me a note here:

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