Stephanie Abbott's Blog, page 6
April 26, 2016
Game of Thrones 6.1: “The Red Woman”
Warning: This post is packed with spoilers and a lot of pure speculation.
Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am a Game of Thrones superfan. So they won’t be surprised that as I recover from these various medical issues and get back in the habit of writing daily, I’ll spend five minutes tossing off a blog post about it. Especially since the HBO show’s storylines have at last moved beyond the books and into unmapped, Here Be Dragons territory. So I present my thoughts on the episode.
Jon Snow: Still Dead I wasn’t expecting him to be resurrected in the first episode. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t make us wait until episode five or later. I did notice that although Ghost howled to be set free, we viewers were spared the usual do-si-do they apparently teach screenwriters in film school: animal companion rushes to dead human’s side. Tries to rouse him with increasingly pitiful sounds and actions. Whines to grieving human, who intones, “How can I make you understand? He’s gone.”
But Ghost didn’t sniff and paw uncomprehendingly at Jon’s body, because Jon “warged” at the last second and shifted his soul/consciousness into Ghost. (Making the direwolf’s name prophetic, we see what you did there, GRRM.) So fear not, I have no doubt Jon’s body will be resurrected and his soul will then be returned, so he won’t be a bleak revenant like Beric Dondarrion or an outright monster, like the blue-eyed wights.
Daenerys Meets Her Future Cavalry So, the Dothraki respect strength above all else. We know Drogon is on the loose and we saw in the preview that Tyrion says “Dragons don’t do well in captivity” before apparently setting the other two free. I predict that when Dany arrives at the Dothraki’s most sacred place, the Mother of Mountains, and three dragons turn up to humble the horse lords, the general Dothraki attitude toward Khal Drogo’s widow will be transformed. Giving her three dragons, an army of fine foot soldiers, and a cavalry. All she’ll need to complete her conquest of Westeros is a fleet.
Jaime Lannister: Back Under the Spell of that Wicked Woman All I can do is sigh. No. Brienne. Brienne is the right one for you, Jaime. I really hope he wakes up to this fact.
Sansa Stark Bolton Has New Allies Thank goodness. Theon really stepped up and proved himself, in my opinion, worthy of trust. When he tried to divert the searchers, he risked the thing he fears most–being sent back to Ramsay for punishment. And Sansa finally allowed Brienne to swear fealty. Remember when Roose Bolton warned Ramsay about how hard it would be to overcome a Lannister Army? If a Lannister Army goes north, Jaime will be at its head. If Brienne can get him to fight for Sansa (to fulfill his part of the oath to Catelyn) then Sansa will regain Winterfell and the Bolton lands, too.
In fact … and here’s where I’ll go off the rails a little. But Theon is still heir to the Iron Islands, and on a map of Westeros, you’ll see the proximity of those islands make them an ongoing threat to Winterfell. If Ramsay dies and Sansa is carrying his child, she can claim Stark and Bolton lands. If she then marries Theon, she will be the most powerful ruler the North has seen in a long time. Of course, with the Others mobilizing and the army of the dead walking, real estate values up north are plummeting.
The Red Woman Okay, so she’s old. Yet when she wears the ruby at her throat, she looks and seems young. Somebody steal that ruby and pass it under Jon’s nose like smelling salts!
That’s enough out of my re: GoT for one week. Back to work on my novel!
Filed under: Emma Jameson, game of thrones Tagged: brienne of tarth, Daenerys Targaryen, game of thrones, Game of Thrones Season 6, George R.R. Martin, GoT, GRRM, hbo, jaime lannister, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, The Red Woman, Theon Greyjoy
April 21, 2016
BN.com Nook Sale and a Personal Update
Hello all!
First things first. I’d like to thank BN.com for including my books Ice Blue (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #1) and Black & Blue (Lord & Lady Hetheridge #4) in their 5oo Under $5 Spring Sale. It’s lovely to be included in such well-reviewed, bestselling company!
Next, a personal update. Last week I had a third surgery on my right eye. As of this moment, I am doing well and in good spirits. I am at work on Divorce Can Be Deadly (Dr. Benjamin Bones Mysteries #2) and I’d like to thank each and every one of my readers for their kindness and great patience during this interval. Those who know me know I simply cannot hit PUBLISH until I’ve written the absolute best book I can. So while I regret making you wait, I feel confident you’ll appreciate the end result. I’ll never give you less than my absolute best.
So thanks again, and have a wonderful day!
Me in an Anderson shelter in the Imperial War Museum.
Filed under: Black & Blue, Books, Dr. Benjamin Bones, Emma Jameson, Lord and Lady Hetheridge Series Tagged: 500 Under 5, bn.com, british detective, cozy mystery, emma jameson, Ice blue, lord & lady hetheridge, Lord Hetheridge, nook, Spring Sale
April 12, 2016
Massive Cozy Mystery Giveaway!
Here’s a terrific giveaway opportunity from my friend Shea MacLeod!
To celebrate the Spring, I’ve teamed up with Storytellers Unlimited and over 35 fantastic mystery authors to give two readers more than 35 cozy mysteries, and a Kindle Fire to one lucky winner!
I’m giving away my book, The Corpse in the Cabana.
Enter the contest by clicking HERE.
Filed under: Emma Jameson
April 3, 2016
My Favorite Cozies: The Caribbean
Ah, cozy mysteries. There are so many wonderful things that make a cozy fun. From interesting settings to unique hobbies, the options are endless.
One of my favorite settings for a mystery is the Caribbean. I think my first exposure to this setting was Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit, A Caribbean Mystery. Our sleuth, Miss Marple, is vacationing in the tropics when someone asks her, ‘Would you like to see a picture of a murderer?’ If you’re a movie lover, you can watch the excellent version with Joan Hickson on Amazon. Or if you prefer the more recent version with Julia McKenzie, you can watch it here. Both versions are excellent in their own way.
Of course the inestimable Jessica Fletcher visited the Caribbean not once, but twice (Widow, Weep for Me and Ship of Thieves). You’d have thought they’d have asked her to stay away…
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March 20, 2016
And Then There Were None
I have this recorded on my DVR and look forward to watching!
One of the most iconic of Agatha Christie’s tales of murder most cozy is the 1939 novel, And Then There Were None. It also happens to be the very first of her books I ever read as a twelve year old girl thirsting for something more exciting than Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.
So, imagine my excitement when I discovered Lifetime was going to be showing a four hour “mini series” starring such wonderful British actors as Toby Stephens (Black Sails), Aidan Turner (Poldark), Miranda Richardson, Charles Dance, and so on. Believe me, my DVR was set and I was on pins and needles!
What did I think? Well, it’s been awhile since I read the book, but from what I recall they stayed very true to it. Certainly they stayed true to the spirit of the book (unlike many adaptions which change the…
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February 23, 2016
Cozy Mysteries Onscreen: Gosford Park
Before gave us Downton Abbey (2010), he gave us Gosford Park (2001). It’s a treat for the eyes, ears, and your Anglophile heart, if you’re anything like me.
Gosford Park is a mashup of all things cozy. There’s a sumptuous setting: an English country manor house. A collection of very different people: upper class and working class, old and young, wide-eyed and jaded, cruel and kind. A murder with dozens of suspects, all of whom had good reason to want the victim dead. As for the acting… well. Let’s just say it stars Maggie Smith (playing a proto-Dowager Countess), , Michael Gambon (most famous to an entire generation as Professor Dumbledore), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister on Game of Thrones), Kristen Scott Thomas, and many more. Julian Fellowes’s screenplay won an Oscar.
Gosford Park opens as lady’s maid Mary Maceachran () accompanies her new mistress, the imperious Constance…
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February 14, 2016
Writer Milestones, or My Best Failure
I’m not one for handing out writing advice. Mostly because there is so much out there, some from credentialed authors I admire, some from random folk on the interwebz incessantly posting homemade manifestos. But today, something came up that I think aspiring authors, frustrated writers, and other creative types might appreciate. To wit: I just put all this in the recycling bin.
What the heck is it? Those two giant manuscript boxes (yes, two!) contain the earthly remains of the first novel I wrote as a grownup (as opposed to a kid or a teenager.) And yes, the book actually was that long, almost three times the length of a typical novel. Like many developing authors, my early works ran long. It’s hard to know what to cut and what to keep in the beginning. And in the beginning, it all seems so… well, good.
So around the year 2004, I was trying to sell this ginormous pile of, er, writing the old-fashioned way, by shopping it to agents in the hopes one would sell it to a publisher. And like Paul Giamatti’s character Miles in the excellent movie Sideways (also 2004), if someone asked me about my novel* I would haul out these big boxes and wait happily to be told how great it, and I, was.
You can guess the rest. The book was rejected by all the agents I queried (with good reason, though I truly didn’t know it then) and my heart was broken. Considering myself badly used, unappreciated in my own time, and born under a bad star, I quit writing altogether for about three years. During that time, I used my free time to read novels by better authors, listen to unabridged audios by better authors, and slowly–very slowly–recognize why they were better.
By the time I wrote another novel, Ice Blue, I was in a very different place. Writing that behemoth pictured above, trying to get it published, failing, and taking a long time to reflect were among the best things that ever happened to me and my writing career.
Today, as I gathered donations for Goodwill, I came across these old things and decided to let them go. The book as written cannot be salvaged, and the best parts are still vivid in my mind. One of these days I’ll resurrect the story. If only my poor, heartbroken earlier self could have glimpsed this blog post and realized that everything was working out as it should. I guess the next best thing is posting it here. So if you’re an aspiring or frustrated writer, I hope you’ll find something helpful in my story.
*I apologize unreservedly
Filed under: Books, Emma Jameson, Writing Tagged: aspiring, authors, cozy mystery, emma jameson, failure, rejection, writers, writing
February 9, 2016
The Corpse in the Cabana #cozymystery
Shéa MacLeod, Author - More Than Magic
I can’t even tell you how excited I am to present to you my very first cozy mystery, The Corpse in the Cabana! Read on to find out more…
The Corpse in the Cabana (Viola Roberts Cozy Mystery – Book 1)
Sassy, snarky Viola Roberts quit her boring accountant job to pursue her dream of writing novels, even if it meant eating ramen noodles every day. Now that her career has taken off, she’s headed to a writers’ conference at an exotic Florida resort complete with white sand beaches and swaying palm trees where she plans to lounge in the shade drinking frosty beverages with little umbrellas. And, of course, no sojourn to tropical climes would be complete without her boozy, wise-cracking best friend, Cheryl. When Viola discovers the diva of the author world dead (as a doornail) of unnatural causes, the police immediately consider Viola their prime suspect…
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January 31, 2016
An Obsession With Agatha Christie
Wherein one of my dear friends discusses Agatha Christie and her upcoming novel. I hope to one day visit Ms. Christie’s house myself!
Shéa MacLeod, here, and I’m so excited to share my first post for Cozy Capers! The road to writing cozy mysteries was a rather winding one for me. Let me attempt to (briefly) share my story.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer, ever since the first time my mother took me to the library to select a stack of picture books. By the time I was ten I’d moved to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. By twelve I’d read all those and was begging for more mysteries. My mother handed me my first Agatha Christie. The first time I read it, I knew. I wanted not just to write fiction, but to write mysteries just like my hero, Agatha Christie.
Fast forward more years than I’d care to think about…
I still loved Agatha Christie. I binge watched Murder, She Wrote. I still dreamed of writing cozy mysteries…
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January 29, 2016
Cozy Mysteries Onscreen: Foyle’s War
Here’s a new post I wrote for Cozy Capers introducing the great British show, Foyle’s War.
I love a good British mystery. I grew up with them on PBS (in the dark times, before cable and streaming services like Roku and Amazon Prime) and these days, they’re easier to find than ever. One I’d like to recommend is Foyle’s War.
This series, which ran from 2002-2015 (twenty-eight episodes) is set in wartime Britain, beginning around early 1940 and continuing into the 1950s and the Cold War. Created by Anthony Horowitz, it follows DCS Christopher Foyle, charged with keeping the peace at home during a time of fear, privation, and new roles for women. In the first episode. Foyle, who doesn’t drive, is assigned a female driver named Sam. Sam, a pretty blonde, is serving her country in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), a branch of national service which trained females as mechanics and drivers. Think that sounds far-fetched for 1940? Not at all…
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