David M. Brown's Blog, page 49

Guest Post & Excerpt: eloves me, eloves me not – L.A. Johannesson

We are delighted to welcome L.A. Johannesson, author of eloves me, eloves me not, who joins us to share a guest post and excerpt.

Guest Post: Want to Take Your Writing From Good to Great? Add More Intimacy! Writing Dreams

Always wanted to write a novel? Is being a published author high on your bucket list? Do visions of launch parties and literary awards dance in your head?

The good news about the publishing industry today is that almost anyone can publish a book about anything. Yay!

The bad news about the publishing industry today is that almost anyone can publish a book about anything. Boo!

The barriers to access have been removed.  Opportunities in self-publishing abound. As a result, there is a great deal more publishing ‘noise’ than ever before – more format options, more titles, more authors, more publishers.

It seems everyone knows someone who has written a book, is writing a book or is, at least, pondering the possibility. Everywhere you look there’s a new service designed to help authors, publishers and readers-alike to maneuver the disrupted and dynamic publishing landscape.

How Do You Compete?

If you’re serious and you want to toss your beret into the author ring, how on earth do you compete? Because compete, you must!

The answer to this question is long, complicated and multi-faceted. So, for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on what I believe to be the foremost and fundamental necessity for great writing. You’ve heard it before. You’ll hear it again, but never has it been more important. “Write what you know.”

Write What You Know and Know Well

If you’re set to embrace the writing challenge, do everyone a favour and don’t go chasing the latest hot trend, don’t run down the purported fastest path to publishing cash (‘cause there isn’t one), don’t skim across a topic that is ripe for rich discussion because you have only a cursory knowledge of it. Leave that to someone else.

Write about a topic that you know intimately. You’ll know it as that thing you go on about at parties, the one that keeps you up at night, yet provides boundless energy, the one you just can’t stop learning about, talking about, sharing with others. It may even be that thing that people have already acknowledged in you. “She’s our expert in… ”, “You really should write a book about… ” “You are the King of… ”. If you’re not sure what your thing is, start listening to those around you for hints.

Equipped with knowledge of grammar’s basic principles, a few interesting observations and a decent vocabulary, most of us can be good at writing about a variety of topics. But, to be great, to demonstrate true insight, to be perceived as credible, to entertain a variety of viewpoints, to get deep enough into and broad enough across your subject matter, to really explore it, to “poke the box”, to turn it on it’s head, we need to have experienced it, and the more experience you have with it the better.  Whether we’re writing fiction or non-fiction, we need to be passionate about our subject matter because passionate writing creates passionate reading.

Creativity will certainly help, but nothing ignites the sparks of innovation like a deep understanding, appreciation and respect for your subject. There’s a noticeable authenticity in writing that comes from first hand experience. It’s more emotional, relatable and authentic. It’s somehow more human.

Make Your Dreams Come True

I encourage you to embrace your writing dream. I also want you to be great at it. So, write about what you know well. Share your special interests and be proud to do so from your unique and impassioned perspective.

As I see it, writing what you know is an imperative in making your writing dreams come true. It’s also that unique mix of experience that will differentiate you from everyone else.

 

Excerpt From Chapter 35 of eloves me, eloves me not

Dylan let out a short announcement bark. I glanced at my watch; it was Tommy time. I gave one last glance in the bedroom mirror. I was very pleased with the final result. My hair was full and curly. I had applied makeup with the detail and intricacy of a painter. The vision staring back from the mirror had dark, captivating and sultry eyes, cherry sun-kissed cheeks with a glow that extended across the top of my nose. It was punctuated by the shiniest and most luscious lips you could ever want to kiss. And the skin on my neck and chest – everywhere, for that matter – was so soft that it screamed to be caressed. I had massaged a half bottle of moisturiser into my entire body following my shower. For the final touch, I had just applied another dab to my hands.

The new top was paired with a clean straight-cut black and white print skirt that fell mid-shin and had a long slit reaching up to mid thigh exposing just enough well tanned leg. The skirt was one I had not been able to fit into for months so it added an extra air of confidence to the ensemble.

I drew in a long breath, threw back my shoulders, did the bat check then the tooth inspection (visions of Roger and his tooth refuse still haunted me), scanned the bedroom and bathroom to ensure I hadn’t left anything telling lying around.

The door bell rang again as I reached the top of the stairs. I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest, harder than during my run earlier that day. I didn’t think I’d be this nervous. All that was left between Tommy and me was for me to descend the stairway that led directly to the foyer. From the front door he could see halfway up the staircase so I had an opportunity to make a grand entrance. Hopefully, as I descended each step he’d be getting more and more excited, just as I was.

My heart had almost reached my mouth. I hesitated. Then, quelling my inner date critic I gathered my composure, set one foot in front of the other and began down the stairs. I took the next step, took a breath, the next step, another breath. My chest was heaving. I could feel my cheeks high on my face from my animated grin and I knew my eyes had to be sparkling with excitement. I could see Tommy’s frame filling the doorway from my perch. I was noticing his broad shoulders and full chest, giving him a good look over as I took the next step. The adrenalin was pumping. I was just about to welcome him into my home. Hopefully he’d greet me with a strong lingering hug.

I took another step closer to this sexy man who had captivated me for weeks now. My right foot hit hard rubber where carpet should have been, twisting to the right and throwing me off balance. The object rolled from beneath my foot and Dylan’s favourite chew toy, a black kong bounced randomly down the remaining five stairs. I grabbed for the handrail to steady myself and my newly moisturised hand found it then slid right off. In that instant I knew I was going down. My butt hit the stairs. Then it was my back’s turn, then my left shoulder blade. I slid down the remaining steps, twisting and pulling my skirt up around my waist, exposing both of my freshly shaven and well tanned legs. I landed in a thud onto Dylan’s bed that sat at the foot of the stairs. Given it was nothing more than a big material cushion that sat atop ceramic tile floor, both it and I then slid into my final resting place, knees pressed against the glass front screen door where Tommy stood watching every moment and taking in every excruciating detail.

I was mortified, but happy I had purchased new underwear.

I looked out the door and was staring directly at Tommy’s crotch. After a cursory inspection, I timidly raised my humiliated gaze up his chest to his face.

Tommy’s expression was a mix of shock, concern, helplessness and I think I detected a wee bit of laughter.

I was speechless. Thankfully he broke the ice. “Well I’ve had women fall for me before but none quite so enthusiastically. I’ll tell you what, I’ll definitely give you an 8.5 for artistic impression.”

I wanted to cry but I couldn’t quell the laughter that was erupting inside me. I knew one thing. This was not the impression I had planned on making, but I could sulk and make it worse or laugh and get on with the evening.

About eloves me, eloves me not (2012)[image error]Still single at 39, Kayte Wexford has everything but Mr. Right. With keyboard at the ready, she turns to technology for help. 

Kayte dives fingers first into a sea of online dating, instant messaging and email exchanges where she connects with some charming, hilarious, bizarre and downright frightening characters. Each encounter teaches her something and tests her optimism, intuition and commitment, while advancing her that next necessary step in her quest for love. With so many fish in this cyber-sea, Kayte must decide which ones to toss back, which to reel in and which, if any, should be proudly mounted. 

Thankfully she doesn’t have to make the journey alone. Her dog Dylan is not only a good listener but a great judge of character, her best friend Chloe is Kayte’s consummate cheerleader, while her friend and cyber coach Roman provides dating tips and hints as he schools Kayte in the lessons required for online dating success. 

e-loves me, e-loves me not is a contemporary romantic comedy that examines the effects of technology on communication, dating and love. It focuses on the relationship of four (five if you count the dog) main characters, each with their unique views on love: there’s Kayte the ever-hopeful romantic idealist who has done, and will do, almost anything to find it, Roman the consummate bachelor who has played the dating game for far too long, Thomas who’s new to all this and wary about trusting love again so soon and Chloe who appears to be living the perfect version of it. 

Join this eclectic ensemble on their journey and see if you can predict where Kayte will end up and with whom!

 

Amazon USAmazon UKGoodreads About L.A. Johannesson[image error]I’m excited about the fresh challenges of being an independent novelist and publisher. While there are definitely similarities, it’s a nice change from a 20 year corporate career in marketing and communications.

My breakout novel, ‘eloves me, eloves me not’, is a romantic comedy chronicling the adventures and antics that ensue when its main character turns to online dating to find love. It’s now available globally through most online channels.

My days are split between promoting book number one and writing book number two, My Social Life. My big hairy audacious goal is to author a series of successful contemporary romantic comedies that pair the latest in technology with women who are confident, accomplished and sensual creatures – think romantic fiction with a decidedly geeky twist!

A Canadian, originally from Toronto, I now call Sydney, Australia home. I guess you could say that I’m a bonafide ‘Canstralian’ who’s a girl-geek and a passionate ‘foodie’. I suspect that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never get my fill of travel, photography, interesting people or inspiring stories.

I work from home where I happily share life and my heart with the Aussie bloke I met in writing class and our Golden Retriever.

 

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Guest Post & Excerpt: eloves me, eloves me not – L.A. Johannesson | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: In a Lonely Place

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About In a Lonely Place (1950)[image error]Nicholas Ray’s classic piece of film noir in which Humphrey Bogart plays a heavy drinking, brawling and tormented screenwriter, who becomes implicated in a murder charge. While under suspicion, he gets embroiled with a Hollywood star (Gloria Grahame). There was some speculation that the central relationship between Bogart and Grahame reflected Ray’s own disintegrating marriage with the star.

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy, Carl Benton Reid, Art Smith

Directed by: Nicholas Ray

Runtime: 94 minutes

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

 

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Review: In a Lonely Place 

Nicholas Ray’s classic film noir is about screenwriter Dixon Steele (Humphrey Bogart) who has something of a bad temper and is not unfamiliar with violence. Meeting with his agent, Mel Lippman (Art Smith), Dix is persuaded to adapt a book for the big screen and is told to go home and read it. Dix invites a hat-check girl Mildred Atkinson (Martha Stewart) home with him to summarise the story and save him reading it. Arriving home, Dix and Mildred pass a neighbour, Laurel Gray (Gloria Grahame) before Mildred summarises the book in Dix’s apartment. He gives her money for a cab home as he is too tired to drive her himself. The next day police detective Brub Nicholai (Frank Lovejoy) takes Dix downtown for questioning by Captain Lochner (Carl Benton Reid) after Mildred is found murdered with Dix being the prime suspect. Dix’s neighbour, Laurel, confirms the girl did leave Dix’s apartment alive and her alibi seems enough to satisfy the police. Dix and Laurel get to know one another in the aftermath but the closer they get, the more Laurel starts to doubt Dix’s innocence.

The film initially seemed more akin to a comedy with Bogart’s sardonic exchanges with Stewart being particularly amusing. Dix is a volatile customer when provoked and displays his violent tendencies before and after Mildred’s murder. Under questioning, he is cool but seems to show an absence of concern and emotion. Getting to know Laurel, Dix is soon in love and it seems a story of true romance will run a smooth course but Laurel becomes suspicious and with the police still sniffing around for clues, Dix becomes irritable and paranoid. Will his relationship with Laurel survive? Is Dix innocent or guilty of the murder?

I thoroughly enjoyed In a Lonely Place. Bogart is fabulous in the lead role, his performance rivalling his iconic appearance in Casablanca. Grahame is equally good as the love-struck but suspicious Laurel. The film will keep you guessing right up until the conclusion. The ending is the film’s high point though, filled with surprise and tragedy, it leaves a bitter taste but the overall experience is an unmissable one.

In a Lonely Place is a well-scripted, brilliantly acted film noir that deserves the acclaim it has built up over time. Bogart and Grahame are a wonderful pairing and the combination of romance and dark thriller bounce off each other well. The unexpected ending is the perfect way to round off this masterpiece.

Verdict: 5/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: In a Lonely Place | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: Galaxy of Terror

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About Galaxy of Terror (1981)[image error]Gory sci-fi horror film directed by B.D. Clark. The spacecraft Rebus is dispatched to the planet Morganthus to discover what happened to a previous expedition. On arrival, their worst fears are realised when they find a score of shipwrecks – and a gigantic pyramid structure which houses an awesome power. It is a power which they must overcome or die…

Starring: Edward Albert, Ray Walston, Robert Englund, Erin Moran

Directed by: Bruce D. Clark

Runtime: 81 minutes

Studio: Shout! Factory

 

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Review: Galaxy of Terror

Bruce D. CLark’s sci-fi film was somewhat lambasted on release but has gained a cult following in the years that have followed. The film begins with two characters involved in some game. The Planet Master whose head is obscured by glowing red light decides it is time for a crew to head to the distant planet of Morganthus. A previous crew have been to the planet and haven’t fared so well. A new crew captained by Trantor (Grace Zabriskie) heads for the planet and a team sets out to explore what became of the last crew and also delves into the heat of Morganthus to a mysterious pyramid.

The crew sent out to explore Morganthus are a strange bunch. Trantor is somewhat unstable following a previous mission in which she was the only survivor, Baelon (Zalman King) is the annoying and arrogant team leader, Cabren (Edward Albert) is the tough hero of the film, Alluma (Erin Moran) is Cabren’s girl, Daemeia (Taaffe O’Connell) is the main reason this film achieved cult status, Kore (Ray Watson) is a cook and then there’s Quuhod (Sid Haig), a guy that throws crystals. As the crew explore Morganthus they begin to succumb to some pretty unpleasant demises. The planet is able to manifest itself as their worst fears and pretty much all of them perish. Most amusing was watching Quuhod despair when his crystal weapons shatter only for Cabren to give him a manly shoulder squeeze before Quuhod insists that he lives and dies by the crystals. If that’s the case why does he throw the damn things around to begin with? Honestly, Quuhod, now that’s just asking for trouble.

The acting is pretty lousy in Galaxy of Terror and there are so many embarrassingly bad moments. The cult status of the film owes a lot to the infamous scene involving Dameia and a giant maggot. You can probably draw your own conclusions from what happens when the two of them come together mid-way through the film. This is one of those films you watch for a laugh but certainly not one you turn to when searching for quality.

Galaxy of Terror is another poor eighties sci-fi flick. I’m not sure if Alien (1979) was just so good that it crushed the spirits of other sci-fi directors but the next ten years turned up some utterly lousy films in this genre. Galaxy of Terror has some comical moments,the acting and effects are awful and many people will undoubtedly find the main talking point is the scene with the giant maggot which I couldn’t decide whether it was funny, disgusting or just plain bizarre.

Verdict: 1/5

(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)

Film Review: Galaxy of Terror | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave

Film Review: Dragon

Review: Dragon This is at least the third pairing of Peter Chan and Takeshi Kaneshiro and that seems to be a wining combination. I’ve seen Dragon, Warlords and have Perhaps Love on the list to watch soon. This is a nice, genre-bending flick. If you expect Kung-Fu, it’s there. It’s been called ‘noir’ Kung-Fu and after(...)
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Film Review: The Burning

Review: The Burning  Drawing on Friday the 13th Tony Maylam’s The Burning brings more terror to a summer camp and makes you wonder why people go to these places when there tends to be a resident killer lying in wait. The film begins in 1976 where a group of teenagers play a prank on Cropsy(...)
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Film Review: Pretty in Pink

Review: Pretty in Pink  The Eighties. It was a decade of bizarre hairstyles, weird, wonderful and cheesy music and, of course, Brat Pack films. I’m slowly ticking these off my list off must-see films and Howard Deutch’s Pretty In Pink is next in line. Would it be the best of the bunch I’ve seen so(...)
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Game Review: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Review: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (Nintendo DS) When Sora first wielded the Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts back in 2002 it was hard to imagine just how far Square Enix could take this enduring story. With Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days another layer of delightful complexity has been added to the saga. Taking a break from its(...)
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Film Review: Idle Hands

Review: Idle Hands Rodman Flender’s Idle Hands tells the story of layabout teenager Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa). At the outset his parents are both murdered but their son is so often high on drugs that he doesn’t notice. After being informed by his best friends Pnub (Elden Henson) and Mick (Seth Green) of murders in town,(...)
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Book Review: The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo – Edward S. Creasy

Review: The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo Every battle in history has mattered. Whatever the outcome, so much has been riding on that one moment in time, that one swing of the pendulum. Back in 1851 Sir Edward Creasy published his narrative about 15 battles from history. Creasy’s intention was not(...)
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Film Review: Puppet Master

Review: Puppet Master The Puppet Master franchise is now more than ten films but it all started in 1989 with this one. The film begins in 1939 in Bodega Bay, California, where an ageing puppeteer Andre Toulon (William Hickey) is working on living puppets. One puppet known as Blade comes racing to the hotel room(...)
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