Stephanie Abbott's Blog, page 21
April 10, 2012
Past Lives #1: Rachel — now available for all ereaders
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/121148
Filed under: Books, London, Past Lives Series, Steampunk, Stephanie Abbott, The Order, The Serapeum Tagged: barnes & noble, e readers, iTunes bookstore, kobo, lesbian, nook, Past Lives #1: Rachel, Past Lives Series, reincarnation, smashwords, sony ereader, superpowers, victorian romance
April 8, 2012
Movie Mention: The Conspirator
A man in uniform...
I suppose I should subtitle these posts, "Commentary by the last person on earth to see this film." What can I say? I've been busy. I missed The Conspirator altogether in the theater, though I went right out and bought the DVD the day it was released, 8/16/11. And now, on 4/8/12, I watched it! Pretty good turnaround time for me.
The Conspirator, a film by Robert Redford, was created by the American Film Company, which is dedicated to bringing accurate film portrayals of historical events to life. In other words, this isn't the Bad Beards Club of Gettyburg or the unflinching false "history" of star vehicles like The Patriot. Every attempt was made to transmit the story of Mary Surratt, the first woman executed in the United States, as accurately as possible. This includes not only a nuanced script and knockout sets but a terrific stable of actors: James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Colm Meany (the Irish character actor best known for Star Trek: the Next Generation), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) and Stephen Root. (Full disclosure: I adore Stephen Root. He's a genius. I first noticed him as Jimmy James on News Radio and have enjoyed his work ever since.)
Director Robert Redford with James McAvoy (Capt. Frederick Aiken)
The Conspirator is about the trial of Mary Surratt, accused of aiding and abetting John Wilkes Booth in the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln. In a time of war, uncertainty and national mourning, the head of the War Department, Edwin Stanton (Kevin Kline) decides that a quick trial, execution and burial of all conspirators is necessary for national healing.
Mary Surratt, the mother of a conspirator, is also a loyal Southerner and a devout Catholic. In 1865 Washington, these sins are enough to send her to the gallows. Trouble is, she might not be guilty. And even if she is, should she be denied due process? When no one else will take her case, Union war hero and attorney Capt. Frederick Aiken (McAvoy) is strong-armed into providing council. Through his eyes we see what it means to disapprove of another American's philosophy or allegiances, yet still believe tossing aside individual rights in favor of vengeance is always wrong.
http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xhwwdb
Conspirator – It's not justice you're after… by teasertrailer
Filed under: James McAvoy, Movies Tagged: Abraham Lincoln, james mcavoy, John Wilkes Booth, mary surratt, robert redford, robin wright, the american film company, the conspirator, tom wilkinson
March 21, 2012
2012 Movies Based on Novels I Have Read
Reblogged from Fandango Groovers Movie Blog:
I read the book A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs many years ago when I was at school although I enjoyed it at the time hadn't given it a second thought until the trailers for the movie John Carter appeared a few months ago. Judging from the trailer it is a lose adaptation at best taking characters and ideas but not the plot from the novel originally published nearly a century ago (1917).
Interesting...
Guest Post: In the Mind of an Angel by Amy Lignor
In the Mind of an Angel
When I began I was very dedicated to writing about other worlds. I didn't even care if my characters were supernatural, per se, I just needed them to be in a different place. Of course, I was thirteen at the time and so unbelievably tired of my small-town existence that I was ready to tear to my hair out.
One of the luckiest parts of my life was the fact that my terrific mom was a career librarian, so at my fingertips I had the newest releases whenever I wanted them, the 'insider' information on all the titles that were 'the best of the best,' things like that. My favorites were the magical ones – witches with cauldrons, psychics, hauntings, ghosts, etc. I guess you could say I was a Harry Potter wannabe a decade before he and his owl appeared on paper.
As the teen years went on, I began to get more into the romantic aspect of the magical/supernatural teens. (We didn't have the glistening Edward but our generation had some hotties, too.) And I also noticed early on that my favorite supernatural characters seemed to be angels. I had been dreaming about them, wondering about them – if they were real, what they would say, and if they'd even come down here considering how bad it was. Matt, oddly enough, was the one that really spoke to me.
When writing the supernatural you have to make sure your 'being' is not like everyone else's. Matt, my warrior, could've easily been a prototype; a tormented young man with a job to do. But when I thought back to Matt and how I would portray him on paper, I remembered him as more of that funny, excited guy who couldn't be tormented; he couldn't be among the 'fallen' because he was a pure innocent.
Like me at that age, the only thing Matt wanted was a taste of freedom. He wanted to get 'down here' and see what all the fuss was about. He trained, he cared for his partner, he dealt with his teachers – everything a normal teen goes through. But Matt's real test was when he ran head-first into a world packed with human emotions. He'd studied but, like the rest of us, he didn't discover what it was really all about until he was smack-dab in the middle of it all.
When it comes to Matt and Emily, they're young, fresh and ready to do the job they were assigned, but they have no idea that the passion and desire, envy and secrets, that reside in the human world will truly test their faith in each other.
The romance factor also had to be unique. I wanted a love triangle to exist that no reader would guess. In most novels, let's face it, you already know who's going to end up to be the friend (the second choice), and who will be the ultimate soul mate, but Emily has a very different problem. She has a soul mate on earth as she does in heaven, so her various journeys will twist and turn to the point where no reader is really going to know her true love until the very end.
The magic of The Angel Chronicles comes from the hearts and souls of Emily and Matt who must save, love, judge and kill…and I can't wait until you see what happens next!
Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy
http://www.the-angel-chronicles.com
Filed under: Stephanie Abbott Tagged: amy lignor, the angel chronicles
March 18, 2012
March 16, 2012
St. Patrick's Day Blowout! 30 Great Books by 26 Authors, All Reduced to 99c!
Reblogged from David Gaughran:
Get ready to fill up your Kindle! In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, I have selected 30 great books by 26 different authors, from bestsellers to undiscovered gems, across all genres – all reduced to 99c this weekend only. Many of these books have been cut from $3.99 or $4.99, so there are some real savings here. And as a final treat, at the very bottom of the page, you'll find details of a competition where one lucky reader will win all these books, just by sending a tweet. Thriller Devil's Deep | Michael Wallace | $3.99 $0.99 | Amazon | Amazon UK
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday only, pick up all these books (including Past Lives #1: Rachel) for just 99 cents!
March 15, 2012
Winners of the Goodreads Giveaway for PAST LIVES #1: RACHEL
Thanks to everyone who entered to win a paperback copy of Past Lives #1: Rachel. Tomorrow the winners' books will be mailed out! Here's the roll call:
Amanda from Ontario, Canada
Emily from New Brunswick, Canada
Samantha from Nebraska
Christin from Texas
Emily from Maine
Mersaides from Oklahoma
Peter from New York
Keri from Massachusetts
Angie from Alberta, Canada
Natasha from Michigan
Jessica from Colorado
Emily from Massachusetts
Serquei from Washington
Ken from Massachusetts
Sophia from California
Leigh from Colorado
Bree from Michigan
Rachel from West Yorkshire, England
Kelli from Kansas
Cassandra from Massachusetts
Congrats to the winners and thanks again to all who entered!
Filed under: Past Lives Series, Steampunk, Stephanie Abbott Tagged: free, giveaway, goodreads, Past Lives #1: Rachel, Past Lives Series, Stephanie Abbott, winners
March 13, 2012
Movie Mention: Game Change
Game Change is HBO's latest offering, a look at the 2008 election. It features Ed Harris as John McCain, Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin and Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist and kingmaker. The movie details how McCain chose Palin, how his staff became disillusioned with the pick, and how Palin struggled to live up to her role as a game changer while not letting "John down," a fear she confides to Schmidt.
Julianne Moore as Gov. Sarah Palin
Generally, I try to steer clear of politics in my blog. In modern US life, political allegiance is the great divider — disagree with a position and you virtually guarantee alienating 48% of the nation. But this movie interested me not simply because it detailed the inner workings of a failed presidential campaign. It also seeks to illuminate the human frailties that allowed such a failure to occur.
Woody Harrelson as Steve Schmidt
In Game Change's opening, Senator John McCain brings Republican strategist Steve Schmidt into the campaign. No sooner has Schmidt arrived than the pollsters reveal the grim truth: unless McCain closes the "gender gap" between himself and female voters, he cannot hope to become President of the United States.
These early sequences are a crucial examination of John McCain. We learn of his strong friendship with Joe Lieberman as the two men sit, giggling like schoolboys at a YouTube video chronicling John Edward's boundless vanity. Yet Lieberman is derided by McCain's advisers as pro-life and a Jew. (Not to mention Al Gore's former running mate and rather goofy-looking.) According to those advisers, if McCain wants to be president, he needs to choose a game changer as vice-president. And McCain, like a dissolute gambler, proves unable to resist the dare. In the moment that matters, he cares about nothing but proving his own label as a maverick. So he vows he WILL choose a game changer — a female — if his team can vet such a woman in a very short time.
Ed Harris as Senator John McCain
Naturally, things go wrong. Palin proves far out of her depth on the national stage. As one character observes, "It's not that she doesn't know the answers. It's that she doesn't understand the questions."
I liked the movie's struggle to document what happened without assigning meaning from on high, if you catch my drift. Schmidt (Harrelson) seems justifiably incensed that a "real American hero" like John McCain is being ignored in favor of Obama, "a man with no accomplishments." At the same time, Schmidt quickly realizes how terribly the truncated vetting process failed McCain's campaign. Ed Harris is, as usual, quietly amazing in his ability to channel John McCain. And Julianne Moore is perfectly balanced in her turn as Sarah Palin. Palin isn't presented as a deep character, full of nuances and deep water. Quite the opposite. In Game Change, Palin is simple enough to be a Holy Fool, or at least an unholy one.
Portrayed as a devoted mother and uncomplicated local politician, we see her defend her pregnant teen against adult comedians and listen to her husband Todd's surprisingly on-target advice. We watch her bask in the praise of Fox News's talking heads, only to be quietly shattered by Tina Fey's impersonation . ("I can see Russia from my house!") But Palin never weeps, never openly betrays her inner despair. And that is Julianne Moore's achievement, so reveal so much by often revealing nothing at all.
Filed under: Movies Tagged: ed harris, election 2008, game change, hbo, john mccain, julianne moore, sarah palin, woody harrelson
Credit Where Credit is Due: Thank You, Mark!
March 13, 2012
Smashwords author/publisher update: PayPal Reverses Proposed Censorship
Great news. Yesterday afternoon I met with PayPal at their office in San Jose, where they informed me of their decision to modify their policies to allow legal fiction.
Effective last night, we rolled back the Smashwords Terms of Service to its pre-February 24 state.
It's been a tumultuous, nerve-wracking few weeks as we worked to protect the right of writers to write and publish legal fiction.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Smashwords authors, publishers and customers. You stood up and made your voice known. Thank you to every Smashwords author and publisher who wrote me to express opinions, even if we disagreed, and even if you were angry with me. You inspired me to carry your cause forward.
Smashwords authors, publishers and customers mobilized. You made telephone calls, wrote emails and letters, started and signed petitions, blogged, tweeted, Facebooked and drove the conversation. You made the difference. Without you, no one would have paid attention. I would also like to thank the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC). These three advocacy groups were the first to stand up for our authors, publishers and customers. Their contribution cannot be overstated. We collaborated with them to build a coalition of like-minded organizations to support our mutual cause. Special kudos to Rainey Reitman of EFF for her energy, enthusiasm and leadership.
I would also like to thank all the bloggers and journalists out there who helped carry our story forward by lending their platforms to get the story out. Special thanks to TechCrunch, Slashdot, TechDirt, The Independent (UK), Reuters, Publishers Weekly, Dow Jones, The Digital Reader, CNET, Forbes, GalleyCat & EbookNewser and dozens of others too numerous to mention.
I would like to thank our friends at PayPal. They worked with us in good faith as they promised, engaged us in dialogue, made the effort to understand Smashwords and our mission, went to bat for our authors with the credit card companies and banks, and showed the courage to revise their policies.
This is a big, bold move by PayPal. It represents a watershed decision that protects the rights of writers to write, publish and distribute legal fiction. It also protects the rights of readers to purchase and enjoy all fiction in the privacy of their own imagination. It clarifies and rationalizes the role of financial services providers and pulls them out of the business of censoring legal fiction.
Following implementation of their new policies, PayPal will have the most liberal, pro-First-Amendment policies of the major payment processors. Will Google Checkout and Checkout by Amazon be next now that the credit card companies have clarified their positions, and have essentially given payment providers the permission to adopt more enlightened policies? Finally, thanks to Selena Kitt of Excessica and Remittance Girl for helping me to understand and respect all fiction more than I ever have before.
This is a bright day for indie publishing. In the old world, traditional publishers were the arbiters of literary merit. Today, thanks to the rise of indie ebooks, the world is moving toward a broader, more inclusive definition of literary merit. Smashwords gives writers the power and freedom to publish. Merit is decided by your readers. Just as it should be.
Thanks,
Mark Coker
Founder
Smashwords
Filed under: Books Tagged: censorship, mark coker, paypal censorship, smashwords
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