Cathy Spencer's Blog, page 25
March 14, 2013
"Harriet Walters" Reviewed on The Indietribe
The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster is reviewed on The Indietribe blog today. It's a good review.
Here's the link: http://theindietribe.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/charlie-brays-book-reviews-six-of-the-best
Here's the link: http://theindietribe.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/charlie-brays-book-reviews-six-of-the-best
February 27, 2013
Interview in the "Western Wheel"
I'm quite thrilled. I was interviewed by a reporter from the "Western Wheel," a weekly newspaper in the Alberta Foothills, about writing Road Kill and the difficulties of publishing in today's market, and it got published today. My thanks to Tammy Rollie, the "Western Wheel" reporter.
Cause for much celebration!
Here's the link to the article: http://www.westernwheel.com/article/20130227/WHE0302/302279981/-1/whe0804/author-pursues-new-trend-in-publishing
Cause for much celebration!
Here's the link to the article: http://www.westernwheel.com/article/20130227/WHE0302/302279981/-1/whe0804/author-pursues-new-trend-in-publishing
February 16, 2013
Les Misérables
My husband and I finally went to see Les Misérables. We both know the stage version and had heard good things about the movie, so we were looking forward to seeing it. We were not disappointed; it's a great film, if emotionally draining. I thought that I could keep some emotional detachment and avoid sobbing through two and a half hours of film, but it was difficult and I didn't always succeed. Most of it is set in winter, with people wandering through the snow in bare feet and rags, and the bleakness of the setting matches the despair of the starving mobs of Paris during the student rebellion of 1832.
The actors are film actors rather than musical theatre actors, with the exclusion of Hugh Jackman and Samantha Barks, so we weren't expecting the singing to be of Broadway theatre calibre. That was fine because the performances mostly made up for it. Mr. Jackman as Jean Valjean was wonderful. Physically, it is not much of a stretch for "Wolverine"to play a character who is renowned for his strength. Emotionally, he gives a deft and layered performance that had us in tears in several scenes. Anne Hathaway gives a phenomenal performance as Fantine, the unwed mother who sinks into prostitution after unjustly losing her factory job. Her singing is excellent, and the naked emotions on her face as she suffers one heart-wrenching degradation after another is so honest and real that it is hard to watch. Samantha Barks as Éponine, the unfortunate daughter of the thieving and heartless Thénardiers, is heart-breaking in her loneliness and unrequited love for the student, Marius. Daniel Huttlestone gives an endearing performance as Gavroche, the child revolutionary who believes in the abilities of little people to get things done. There were many other fine performances; my only disappointment was with Russell Crowe as the relentless Inspector Javert. I'm not sure why Mr. Crowe's rendition wasn't as powerful as it should have been; I have nothing but admiration for his work normally. But Javert is Jean Valjean's great adversary, a man who was born in a prison surrounded by the garbage that he believes all criminals to be, and it is his consummate belief in the sanctity of the law, without deviation and without mercy, that drives him into hunting for the escaped parolee for all those years. My favourite Javert was played by Tony Perkins in a 1978 TV movie. Imagine the deranged young man in Psycho playing the Inspector, and you'll have an inkling of the truly fine performance he gives. I just checked, and the movie in on You Tube. Check it out, if you get the chance.
The only other thing that I was not so crazy about was some of the really tight shots and fast-moving camera work. I sometimes have a problem with nausea with today's big screens if I'm sitting too close and the camera work is jerky and moving around a lot. I couldn't watch the second Jason Bourne film with Matt Damon for that reason. But my husband, who has done some film and TV work, suggested that those tight shots were necessary to hide the microphone booms since the actors were singing live during the recording, so what can you do?
Go see the film, but don't go alone or with children, and take a fistful of tissues.
The actors are film actors rather than musical theatre actors, with the exclusion of Hugh Jackman and Samantha Barks, so we weren't expecting the singing to be of Broadway theatre calibre. That was fine because the performances mostly made up for it. Mr. Jackman as Jean Valjean was wonderful. Physically, it is not much of a stretch for "Wolverine"to play a character who is renowned for his strength. Emotionally, he gives a deft and layered performance that had us in tears in several scenes. Anne Hathaway gives a phenomenal performance as Fantine, the unwed mother who sinks into prostitution after unjustly losing her factory job. Her singing is excellent, and the naked emotions on her face as she suffers one heart-wrenching degradation after another is so honest and real that it is hard to watch. Samantha Barks as Éponine, the unfortunate daughter of the thieving and heartless Thénardiers, is heart-breaking in her loneliness and unrequited love for the student, Marius. Daniel Huttlestone gives an endearing performance as Gavroche, the child revolutionary who believes in the abilities of little people to get things done. There were many other fine performances; my only disappointment was with Russell Crowe as the relentless Inspector Javert. I'm not sure why Mr. Crowe's rendition wasn't as powerful as it should have been; I have nothing but admiration for his work normally. But Javert is Jean Valjean's great adversary, a man who was born in a prison surrounded by the garbage that he believes all criminals to be, and it is his consummate belief in the sanctity of the law, without deviation and without mercy, that drives him into hunting for the escaped parolee for all those years. My favourite Javert was played by Tony Perkins in a 1978 TV movie. Imagine the deranged young man in Psycho playing the Inspector, and you'll have an inkling of the truly fine performance he gives. I just checked, and the movie in on You Tube. Check it out, if you get the chance.
The only other thing that I was not so crazy about was some of the really tight shots and fast-moving camera work. I sometimes have a problem with nausea with today's big screens if I'm sitting too close and the camera work is jerky and moving around a lot. I couldn't watch the second Jason Bourne film with Matt Damon for that reason. But my husband, who has done some film and TV work, suggested that those tight shots were necessary to hide the microphone booms since the actors were singing live during the recording, so what can you do?
Go see the film, but don't go alone or with children, and take a fistful of tissues.
For the Love of Classic Movies
I love old movies. Let me put a qualifier on that - I love good, classic movies.
There was a time in my life after I finished university but prior to finding a full-time job when I used to stay up after everyone else had gone to bed to watch the 11:30 PM Late Show. Those were the days when the American TV networks used to program a late show of movies from the 1930's and 40's. That's when I came to appreciate the work of some great actors: Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jean Harlow, to name just a very few.
Nowadays, I usually sit down in front of the TV with my bowl of instant peach oatmeal around 7:30 AM and flip to TCM to see what old movie they're showing. They usually program "B" movies at that time of day; most of them really deserve that label, and I'll often flick to "House Hunters" after about five minutes.
Today I saw a film with Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan (the Wizard of Oz), and Robert Montgomery. I stayed because I had never seen this one before, and because I'm a big fan of Myrna Loy. The bit I saw before I had to leave for work was about how Loy, an author, was unhappily in love with her married book editor, Morgan, while a newspaper reporter (Montgomery) was getting in the way. Now, I've never seen Morgan in a romantic role before, so that was fun. The baby-boomers might remember Montgomery as the father of Elizabeth Montgomery from the popular 1960's television show, "Bewitched," but he had a long, illustrious acting career of his own. He was very funny playing a drunk interrupting a rendezvous between the two lovers, and quite charming being creamed in a golf game with the editor's wife.
I looked up the movie, and it's called "When Ladies Meet," made in 1933. Please watch it, if you can; I hope to be able to catch all of it one day. You see, I'm afraid that these actors and movies will be lost to future generations. Even if university or college students take a film class, I doubt that they'll be showing this movie. I've tried to expose my two daughters to classic films, and they probably know more about old movie musicals than a lot of my contemporaries. But when I sat in on an undergraduate writing class last Fall at the university where I work, the students didn't know who Clark Gable was. That's sad.
There was a time in my life after I finished university but prior to finding a full-time job when I used to stay up after everyone else had gone to bed to watch the 11:30 PM Late Show. Those were the days when the American TV networks used to program a late show of movies from the 1930's and 40's. That's when I came to appreciate the work of some great actors: Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jean Harlow, to name just a very few.
Nowadays, I usually sit down in front of the TV with my bowl of instant peach oatmeal around 7:30 AM and flip to TCM to see what old movie they're showing. They usually program "B" movies at that time of day; most of them really deserve that label, and I'll often flick to "House Hunters" after about five minutes.
Today I saw a film with Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan (the Wizard of Oz), and Robert Montgomery. I stayed because I had never seen this one before, and because I'm a big fan of Myrna Loy. The bit I saw before I had to leave for work was about how Loy, an author, was unhappily in love with her married book editor, Morgan, while a newspaper reporter (Montgomery) was getting in the way. Now, I've never seen Morgan in a romantic role before, so that was fun. The baby-boomers might remember Montgomery as the father of Elizabeth Montgomery from the popular 1960's television show, "Bewitched," but he had a long, illustrious acting career of his own. He was very funny playing a drunk interrupting a rendezvous between the two lovers, and quite charming being creamed in a golf game with the editor's wife.
I looked up the movie, and it's called "When Ladies Meet," made in 1933. Please watch it, if you can; I hope to be able to catch all of it one day. You see, I'm afraid that these actors and movies will be lost to future generations. Even if university or college students take a film class, I doubt that they'll be showing this movie. I've tried to expose my two daughters to classic films, and they probably know more about old movie musicals than a lot of my contemporaries. But when I sat in on an undergraduate writing class last Fall at the university where I work, the students didn't know who Clark Gable was. That's sad.
February 15, 2013
Classic Movies
I love old movies. Let me put a qualifier on that - I love good, classic movies.
There was a time in my life after I finished university but prior to finding a full-time job when I used to stay up after everyone else had gone to bed to watch the 11:30 PM Late Show. Those were the days when the American TV networks used to program a late show of movies from the 1930's and 40's. That's when I came to appreciate the work of some great actors: Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jean Harlow, to name just a very few.
Nowadays, I usually sit down in front of the TV with my bowl of instant peach oatmeal around 7:30 AM and flip to TCM to see what old movie they're showing. They usually program "B" movies at that time of day; most of them really deserve that label, and I'll often flick to "House Hunters" after about five minutes.
Today I saw a film with Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan (the Wizard of Oz), and Robert Montgomery. I stayed because I had never seen this one before, and because I'm a big fan of Myrna Loy. The bit I saw before I had to leave for work was about how Loy, an author, was unhappily in love with her married book editor, Morgan, while a newspaper reporter (Montgomery) was getting in the way. Now, I've never seen Morgan in a romantic role before, so that was fun. The baby-boomers might remember Montgomery as the father of Elizabeth Montgomery from the popular 1960's television show, "Bewitched," but he had a long, illustrious acting career of his own. He was very funny playing a drunk interrupting a rendezvous between the two lovers, and quite charming being creamed in a golf game with the editor's wife.
I looked up the movie, and it's called "When Ladies Meet," made in 1933. Please watch it, if you can; I hope to be able to catch all of it one day. You see, I'm afraid that these actors and movies will be lost to future generations. Even if university or college students take a film class, I doubt that they'll be showing this movie. I've tried to expose my two daughters to classic films, and they probably know more about old movie musicals than a lot of my contemporaries. But when I sat in on an undergraduate writing class last Fall at the university where I work, the students didn't know who Clark Gable was. That's sad.
There was a time in my life after I finished university but prior to finding a full-time job when I used to stay up after everyone else had gone to bed to watch the 11:30 PM Late Show. Those were the days when the American TV networks used to program a late show of movies from the 1930's and 40's. That's when I came to appreciate the work of some great actors: Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, Clark Gable, Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jean Harlow, to name just a very few.
Nowadays, I usually sit down in front of the TV with my bowl of instant peach oatmeal around 7:30 AM and flip to TCM to see what old movie they're showing. They usually program "B" movies at that time of day; most of them really deserve that label, and I'll often flick to "House Hunters" after about five minutes.
Today I saw a film with Myrna Loy, Frank Morgan (the Wizard of Oz), and Robert Montgomery. I stayed because I had never seen this one before, and because I'm a big fan of Myrna Loy. The bit I saw before I had to leave for work was about how Loy, an author, was unhappily in love with her married book editor, Morgan, while a newspaper reporter (Montgomery) was getting in the way. Now, I've never seen Morgan in a romantic role before, so that was fun. The baby-boomers might remember Montgomery as the father of Elizabeth Montgomery from the popular 1960's television show, "Bewitched," but he had a long, illustrious acting career of his own. He was very funny playing a drunk interrupting a rendezvous between the two lovers, and quite charming being creamed in a golf game with the editor's wife.
I looked up the movie, and it's called "When Ladies Meet," made in 1933. Please watch it, if you can; I hope to be able to catch all of it one day. You see, I'm afraid that these actors and movies will be lost to future generations. Even if university or college students take a film class, I doubt that they'll be showing this movie. I've tried to expose my two daughters to classic films, and they probably know more about old movie musicals than a lot of my contemporaries. But when I sat in on an undergraduate writing class last Fall at the university where I work, the students didn't know who Clark Gable was. That's sad.
January 28, 2013
Revising Harriet Walters
After having carefully considered the reader reviews I received from my LibraryThing Members' Giveaway of The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster, I am working on revising and re-e-publishing the book. I confess to having made a mistake in publishing it before it was as polished as it should have been, but I felt the pressure to get it out there in time for the big Christmas push. There are some typos and grammatical mistakes in it, and I want it to be the best that I can make it. Fortunately, e-publishing is rather like taking a play on the road before it runs on Broadway - the playwright gets a chance to rewrite before it hits the big time. And, at $.99, the reader has still had a pretty darned good read.
Because I'm proud of the story. As I've said before, I wrote Good Intentions and Harriet Walters because I love the Regency period. The world was more relaxed and more courteous in those days. People traveled by two or four feet - the railways didn't exist back then - communicated by post, and courted each other. A frequent criticism I've seen was that the book was slow-starting, but once the reader got into it, s/he cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened next. Not a lot happens in the beginning, someone complained. But, consider the actual novels of that period and the lives of the women I'm writing about. Stories revolved around whether or not the hero danced with the heroine at the ball, the immorality of performing a play in one's own household, or making a quip about a too-talkative neighbour, to her detriment. Not thrilling by today's action-packed standards, perhaps, but it's all about the characters and the little things that happen in their lives.
So, pour yourself a cup of tea or chocolate, sit back in your chair, and enjoy an old-fashioned romance.
Because I'm proud of the story. As I've said before, I wrote Good Intentions and Harriet Walters because I love the Regency period. The world was more relaxed and more courteous in those days. People traveled by two or four feet - the railways didn't exist back then - communicated by post, and courted each other. A frequent criticism I've seen was that the book was slow-starting, but once the reader got into it, s/he cared about the characters and wanted to see what happened next. Not a lot happens in the beginning, someone complained. But, consider the actual novels of that period and the lives of the women I'm writing about. Stories revolved around whether or not the hero danced with the heroine at the ball, the immorality of performing a play in one's own household, or making a quip about a too-talkative neighbour, to her detriment. Not thrilling by today's action-packed standards, perhaps, but it's all about the characters and the little things that happen in their lives.
So, pour yourself a cup of tea or chocolate, sit back in your chair, and enjoy an old-fashioned romance.
December 5, 2012
My 2 Regency Romances are Published
Good Intentions, the first novel I wrote back in 2008, and The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster, my second novel, are now available as e-books through Smashwords and Amazon Kindle. Both are romantic comedies set just after the Napoleonic wars in England. Being a lover of Jane Austen novels since a young girl, my intention was to write novels that fans of Jane Austen would enjoy.
Buy them both at a special holiday price of $.99!
Good Intentions is available at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/259486
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEPAMYU
The Affairs of Harriet Walters, Spinster is available at:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260026
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFGBARG
November 7, 2012
"Followers" Widget
This blog is new for me, and I've just found out about adding a "Followers" gadget. That's the gizmo on the top of the left sidebar. If you click on it and add yourself as a "follower," I'll be able to see that you visited my blog. Sort of like signing an electronic guest book.
Hope to see you there!
Catherine Spencer
Hope to see you there!
Catherine Spencer
October 25, 2012
Road Kill is Published Online!I've got my cozy myste...
Road Kill is Published Online!
I've got my cozy mystery novel, Road Kill, published on Smash Words, which distributes it to other e-book retailers, and Amazon. Now I've got to work on the marketing so that it doesn't disappear.
My Smashwords profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/cmspencerMy Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Spencer/e/B009OI1KIA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
I've got my cozy mystery novel, Road Kill, published on Smash Words, which distributes it to other e-book retailers, and Amazon. Now I've got to work on the marketing so that it doesn't disappear.
My Smashwords profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/cmspencerMy Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Spencer/e/B009OI1KIA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Road Kill is Published Online!I've got my mystery pu...
Road Kill is Published Online!
I've got my mystery published on Smash Words, which distributes it to other e-book retailers, and on Amazon. Now I've got to work on the marketing so that it doesn't disappear.
My Smashwords profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/cmspencerMy Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Spencer/e/B009OI1KIA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
I've got my mystery published on Smash Words, which distributes it to other e-book retailers, and on Amazon. Now I've got to work on the marketing so that it doesn't disappear.
My Smashwords profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/cmspencerMy Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/CM-Spencer/e/B009OI1KIA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
