Cassandra Dean's Blog: Blog of Bloggy Blogness, page 33
April 28, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday – Rough Diamond pt 3
Yay! It’s Six Sentence Sunday. As always, Thanks to the lovely peeps at Six Sentence Sunday for this awesome initiative.
A quick note before we commence – I’ve recently changed the design of my website. I think it looks pretty nifty, and I’d love to know what you peeps think. Feel free to comment!
Ok. Back to the project at hand. This week’s six sentences are again from Rough Diamond. Have fun!
As one, they lunged at the other.
Pulling on his lapel with one hand, she plunged her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck even as his tangled in the strands piled atop her head. His tongue swept her lips and she opened eagerly, his taste exploding in her mouth, as full of fire as the whiskey she’d teased him with.
God damn, she had wanted to do this then. She had wanted his hands on her, his mouth on her, his hair in her hands and his taste in her mouth. Now she had what she wanted, his hand tightening in her hair, his body hard and delicious against hers, and she wanted more.
If you would like to read some other wonderful six sentences, click on the picture below to be taken to the list.
Thanks for dropping by, peeps!
April 25, 2012
OMG, you guys, The Avengers is amazing!
Oh my god! Oh my god, peeps! Today I saw The Avengers!!!!
Written and directed by my writing hero, Joss Whedon, The Avengers is the culmination of Marvel Studios multi-movie plan. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk all come together to form the world’s heroes – The Avengers. Also part of the team, but without solo movies, are Black Widow and Hawkeye.
Yeah. It was awesome.
So, why was this movie so awesome? Let me detail the ways!
No spoilers, peeps, so proceed without fear
Cost
One of things that mightily impressed me is how the cost to the characters was portrayed. These guys are superheroes, right? Nothing hurts them, correct?
Well, no.
The best way to show the power and might of an enemy is to show the damage they can wreck. If our heroes are SUPER, show the physical cost of their battles. If a demi-god, a super soldier, and a man in an iron suit can be beaten about as if they are annoying flies, what does that say about the might of the bad guys?
Our heroes get beaten up A LOT, and it takes it out of them. Each character shows the physical cost fighting bad guys takes on them, and yet they pick themselves up and continue fighting. This is a theme Joss Whedon visits often, especially in Angel. True heroism is picking yourself up when you’ve been beaten down, and continuing to fight.
Character-informed Dialogue
Joss has an amazing ear for dialogue. There are ten main characters, and each one sounds unique and different. Loki’s voice sounds nothing like Tony Stark’s voice, which sounds nothing like Agent Coulson’s voice, which sounds nothing like Natasha Romanoff’s voice. Each character’s dialogue informs their personality and goals.
When Thor speaks in his grandiose, Shakespearen way, you know this is because he is from another world. When Tony Stark makes smart-arse comments, you know he’s doing it to piss everyone off.
Undercutting
A big action or dramatic moment, where your heart is racing and you feel you are about to leap out of your skin, is immediately undercut with humour. You bark a laugh, and realise this is pacing at its finest.
Also, watch out for Hulk and Thor’s moment – fried gold.
Witty Banter
The Tony Stark/Pepper Potts scene. LOVE.
So there’s a few reasons I HEART The Avengers. I’m definitely going to rewatch this as soon as I possibly can.
And YAY JOSS!!!
April 23, 2012
WINNER! Hunky Hero Giveaway Hop! [CONTEST]
And we have a winner! Congratulations…
Amber Shah!
Amber has won an ebook copy of ENSLAVED, a signed TEACH ME postcard and a TEACH ME magnet. I hope Amber enjoys Lucia and Marcus’s story immensely!
Congratulations again to Amber and thank you to all who entered. Also, a BIG thank you to you all for opening my eyes to a plethora of hunky heroes 
xx
April 21, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday – Rough Diamond pt 2
It’s that time, peeps! Six Sentence Sunday is upon us once more! Thanks to the lovely peeps at Six Sentence Sunday for this awesome initiative.
This week, the six sentences are again from one of my works in progress, a western historical romance entitled Rough Diamond. Have fun!
“Liquid slides down your throat. The flavour explodes, a glorious rush that overwhelms and consumes. You curl your tongue, revelling in the lingering sensation. Then, after it fades, you look at the bottle.” She met his gaze. “And you know you can do it again.”
April 15, 2012
Hunky Hero Giveaway Hop!
The Hunky Heroes Giveaway Hop is being hosted by Riverina Romantics. Check them out for more fabulous prizes!
Hey peeps!
Welcome to the Hunky Hero Giveaway Hop. I’m so pumped to be a part of this great giveaway. Hunky heroes are SUCH a fave of mine, I’m sure we’ll all enjoying hopping around to see them in all their glory.
*happy sigh* This is going to be a fabulous few days!
So, let’s talk all things hunky and heroic, shall we? First off, the hero from ENSLAVED:
Name: Marcus
Occupation: Slave; Gladiator; Merchant (he gets around, that Marcus)
Hunky attributes: Lean; muscular; wears loincloth (mmmm)
Heroic attributes: Loves well and faithfully; believes in his heroine and supports her in all things. Never gives up on her, even when she gives up on herself
Hunky hero points: Seven hundred million thousand*
Now that we’ve met Marcus and, ahem, assessed him, shall we move on to the hero of TEACH ME?
Name: James, Earl of Malvern
Occupation: Earl-ing; being dissolute; remaining unimpressed by everything but secretly longing for more (totally original, I know )
Hunky attributes: Coolly handsome; ice-blue eyes; looks good in formal wear, looks better out of it.
Heroic attributes: Non-judgemental; Loyal; Sympathetic, but hides it; When he does finally fall, he loves intensely and completely.
Hunky hero points: Fourteeny One Trillion Hundred*
Ohhh, it’s a toughie! Maybe I’ll throw in a latecomer and declare Michael Fassbender the winner!
Ohhh, yeah. ;p
And now, the contest#!
Comment below on your favourite hunky hero. Who do you think is drool-worthy? Who really pushes your buttons? What do you think of the highly technical point scoring system*?
One lucky commenter will win an ebook copy of ENSLAVED, as well as a signed TEACH ME postcard and TEACH ME magnet!
Thanks for hanging with me, peeps. I look foward to reading your comments
xx
*Highly technical point scoring system is based upon numerous algorithms and calculations. It’s been trademarked and copyrighted, and used extensively around the world. Or I could be making this up. You chose
Click below to see the other awesome giveaways!
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# The small print: Comment before midnight on 23/04/2012 (Australian Central Standard Time) to be entered to win one (1) ebook copy of ENSLAVED, one (1) signed TEACH ME postcard and one (1) TEACH ME magnet. Winner will be selected via random.org, with winner’s name posted on this blog by 26/04/2012. Cassandra will also contact the winner by e-mail; the winner will be required to reply with their postal address so Cassandra can send the prize to them. Only one entry per ISP address. International entries are welcome. No purchase necessary to enter. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.
April 14, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday – Rough Diamond
It’s that time, peeps! Six Sentence Sunday is upon us once more! Thanks to the lovely peeps at Six Sentence Sunday for this awesome initiative.
This week, the six sentences are from one of my works in progress, a western historical romance tentatively entitled Rough Diamond. Enjoy!
Taking a breath did little to still the churn of her stomach. “Do you—That is, would you come to Paris? With me?”
His smile faded and changed, becoming a soft, lovely promise. “I’ve chased you half across the country, Alice. Do you think I’m going to let you go now?”
April 8, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday – Teach Me
This week's snippet is from TEACH ME, my latest release from Decadent Publishing. Hopefully next week I'll have something for you from the new project!
Elizabeth stood, her hand pressed hard into her stomach, the tracks of tears stretching her skin as they dried. When had she stopped crying? She remembered trying to control the tears, control herself, but in the end she hadn't cared anymore, the pain inside her too great, and she had stopped caring. Unheeded, the tears had fallen and James had not noticed, he had kept going, his words precise and incontrovertible. She had felt as if each tear was dissolving her, who she had been, until there was nothing but a shell. An empty Elizabeth-shaped shell that stood here now in this unknown room, her hand pressed to her stomach and her eyes staring at nothing.
April 5, 2012
Excellent writing advice from C.S. Lewis
In my travels across the interwebs, I came across the below advice from C. S. Lewis. In response to fan letter from a young Narnia fan, Joan Lancaster, Lewis wrote the following:
1. Always try to use the language so as to make quite clear what you mean and make sure your sentence couldn't mean anything else.
2. Always prefer the plain direct word to the long, vague one. Don't implement promises, but keep them.
3. Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean "More people died" don't say "Mortality rose."
4. In writing. Don't use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was "terrible," describe it so that we'll be terrified. Don't say it was "delightful"; make us say "delightful" when we've read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, "Please will you do my job for me."
5. Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.
source: io9
I was a big, BIG fan of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and from this gateway book grew to love the whole Chronicles of Narnia series. To read advice like this from an author I loved as a kid is infinitely inspiring.
April 4, 2012
April 1, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday
Hi peeps!
Happy Sunday! I hope you are having an awesome one, and don't get caught out too tremendously on this fine April's Fool Day. Speaking of which, did you see what Google Maps did?
Sunday also means it's time for Six Sentences. After the break, there's a sneak peak at a story I'm working on, currently entitled "The Duchess and the Tutor"*. Enjoy!
*Excerpt is not suitable for kiddies or workplaces. Proceed with caution!
The Duchess and the Tutor
(work in progress)
Sophia, Duchess of Worsley, possesses a shocking fascination for the tutor of her ward. Then, one fateful day, she discovers he feels the same in the most incindiary of ways. Their passion should not–must not–be, and yet they ignite time and again.
Can a duchess and a tutor ever be more than what society dictates they must? Can Sophia and Aidan ever be together?
The bark was rough against her back, even through her gown. She didn't care that it likely ruined the fabric, that his body pressing her into the tree creased the front of her gown. She only cared for his hand, and his mouth, and what they both were doing to her.
Rubbing the front of his trousers, she traced the line of his cock, and abruptly he abandoned her slick folds, gathering her bottom in his hands to lift her against the tree. Eager, she wound her legs about him and he started to thrust against her, the fabric of his trousers rough against her aroused flesh, his mouth demanding against hers.
"Mr Markham! Come see what I've found!"
