Characters Just Like Me #LongandShortReviews #BlogChallenge

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

This week's topic: Characters Who Remind Me of Myself and Why

Excluding my own books because I put a lot of myself into my characters, I've read books written by other authors that have resonated with me regarding their main characters. 

The first one that pops into my head is Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. Oh, if Penelope Featherington isn't me, then I don't know who is! She's a shy wallflower who is considered plain, a bit overweight and has clothes that make her look...blech! She's intelligent, but quiet. No one ever really sees her. She's always in the background, never the center of attention. And trying to withhold certain spoilers, I'll just say that Penelope has a hobby of rather scandalous and witty writings that she keeps secret. I may not keep my writing as secret as Penelope, but Penelope Featherington is just like me! 

If only I found my Mr. Bridgerton like Penelope did! I love this story! It brought me to tears!

Another heroine that I fell in love with was Daphne Pembroke from Mr. Impossible by Loretta Chase. She's another bookish heroine (I guess I have a type), who has a secret passion for studying languages and heiroglyphics. When her brother is kidnapped, she has to come out of seclusion to rescue him. So, she finds a man who will provide the brawn while she provides the brains. She's rather strait-laced, no-nonsense, insecure and self-conscious. But she's so much more inside, more than even she knows, and I enjoyed watching her discover this part about herself as well as the journey she makes with Rupert Carsington (who also remains one of my favorite heroes!). Since my pending divorce, I've discovered I'm more than I thought I was, too. Even if no one else can see it.

Stephanie Plum. Ha! I laugh just saying her name. From the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. I don't look like her, I'm sure I'm not as brave as her, but so many parts of her life just mesh with mine that it's impossible to think of characters who remind me of myself without thinking of her. Her family is a lot like my family. Okay, neither of my Nana's were gun-toting grandmas, but if I could combine both of my grandmothers into one, I'd have Grandma Mazur for sure! And Stephanie's luck seems to be about the same as mine. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. She sort of stumbles through life, doing the best she can and helping others along the way. She's always trying to get her bills paid with little income and no food ever seems to be in her kitchen. She's got some crazy and outlandish friends (you know who you are!) and her love life is always a mess. Yep, sounds a bit like me. Okay, so I don't have a Ranger and Joe Morelli do deal with (oh, if only!), but the rest feels spot on. I often feel if anyone did a movie of my life it would be a drama/comedy. What is that called these days? A dramedy?

Elinor Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility and Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane Austen. These two women pulled me into their stories like none other! They both were devoted to their families and had to be the responsible ones, taking care of everyone including their parents. They both were also taken for granted, expected to give up their dreams for the sake of caring for their families and the responsibilities forced upon them. Both had financial strains that left them destitute. 

They're both quiet, keenly intelligent, and often overlooked, being outshone by their prettier and more outgoing siblings. Both of their stories made me cry, especially when they both found their happily-ever-afters! They both deserved that incredible happiness!

When it comes to movies, the character who reminds me of myself is Evelyn Carnahan from The Mummy, starring Brenden Fraser and Rachel Weisz. She's another intelligent, bookish heroine who is quite comfortable with her life in a library studying ancient texts and languages. Being without parents, its come to her to take care of her brother, even with him old enough to take care of himself, she has a sense of honor, duty and family loyalty. She's also passionate and yearns for adventure. Although, she stumbles along and makes plenty of mistakes, often getting her into more trouble, but she has the bravery to keep going forward and at the end saves the day. I'm hoping to save the day one day, too. And find my own Rick O'Connell!

One more movie, then I'm done. Bad Moms. Oh, there's so much about this movie that resonated with me! I fall into a blend between the characters of Amy and Kiki. To the outside world, I had the illusion of a perfect life. A wonderful husband, nice house, great kids. But inside, my world was complete chaos. I was overworked, underappreciated and considered myself a married single mom since I had no support from my husband with raising our kids. With all the activities and responsibilities and being a caretaker for everyone, but having no one to take care of me, I'd often find myself sitting in my minivan after dropping my kids off at school, in my driveway where no one could see me and just sob until I had no more tears left. If you haven't watched this movie and you're a parent, I highly recommend it. It's hilarious and touching. Now, I haven't gone to the extreme as these moms have, I can't say that I haven't thought about it. But my life has gotten amazingly better since my husband left and I don't cry in the driveway anymore! I wrote a blog post that you can read here because this movie hit me so profoundly. Right in the feels! 

Phew! I know this was a lot and if you hung around to the end, you're my hero! This was fun and surprisingly therapeutic to write and gave me an insight into myself that I didn't think about before, so I want to thank Long and Short Reviews for suggesting this topic!

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I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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Beth-Ann Miller returns to her Tennessee mountain home to find chaos erupting between her family and their shape-shifting neighbors. Her father is convinced the were-cougar clan is responsible for the murders occurring in their area and interrogates one of the shifters, Boone Evans, her childhood sweetheart. When Boone declares several members of his shifter family have gone missing including his little brother, Beth-Ann suspects someone else is behind both the murders and abductions.

Boone never expected to see Beth-Ann again. When she frees him from her father's cabin and promises to help find his brother, Boone doesn't plan on rekindling their passionate love affair or facing the pain of past mistakes. Nor does he plan on coming face to face with the man responsible for altering his family's life forever.

With men hunting the were-cougars, can Beth-Ann and Boone risk all to have a future together? Or is loving Boone too high a price to pay? 

AMAZON

Books I Love that Became Films or TV Shows

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Today's topic: Books I Love that Became Films or TV Shows

It's a general consensus with readers that the book is always better than the movie. Typically, I agree. But, there are some instances where the movie is just as good as the book, maybe for different reasons. Sometimes, things get changed, which I know upsets readers, but the movie and television format is different than the novel. Instead of arguing which is better, I just accept entertainment for what it is...a great story in whatever format suits it.

This is a list of books that I love that became movies or televisions that I enjoyed.

The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris ---> 

First published 2001

True Blood on HBO (2008 - 2014) 

Starring:
Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammel, 

Ryan Kwanten, Tara Thornton, Alexander Skarsgard, Kristin Bauer van Straten

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ----> 

First published 1991

Outlander on Starz (2014 - Present) 

Starring:
Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe

A Game of Thrones series by George R. R. Martin 

First published 1996 --->

A Game of Thrones on HBO (2011-2019)

Starring:
Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, 

Kit Harrington, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams,

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

First published 1954 --->

The Lord of the Rings 

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 

The Two Towers (2002)

The Return of the King (2003)

Starring:
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom,

Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Sean Bean, Liv Tyler,

Billy Boyd, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic Monaghan,

John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis,

Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

First published 1937 --->

The Hobbit 

An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Starring:
Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Scott, Graham MacTavish,
William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman,

Aidan Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow,
Adam Brown, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee,

Andy Serkis, Sylvester McCoy, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch 

The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

First published 1997 --->

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

Starring:
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson,

Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon,

Tom Felton, Warwick Davis, Julie Walters, Matthew Lewis,

Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham-Carter

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

First published 1847 --->

Jane Eyre (1997)

Starring:
Ciaran Hinds, Samantha Morton

Emma by Jane Austen 

First published 1815 --->

Emma (1996)

Starring:
Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette,

Alan Cummings, Greta Scacchi, Ewan MacGregor

 

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

First Published 1811 --->

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Starring:
Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones,

Alan Rickman, Robert Hardy, Elizabeth Spriggs

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 

First published 1843--->

A Christmas Carol (1999)

Starring:

Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Joel Grey, Desmond Barrit,

Ian McNeice, Elizabeth Spriggs, Bernard Lloyd, 

Saskia Reeves, Laura Fraser, Annette Badland

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 

First published 1936

Gone With the Wind (1939)

Starring:

Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Hattie McDaniel,

Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

First published  --->

The Princess Bride (1987)

Starring:

Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin,

Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest,

Peter Falk, Andre the Giant

Dracula by Bram Stoker 

First Published 1897 --->

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Starring:

Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves,

Richard E. Grant, Billy Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits

And I know this hasn't been released yet, but the announcement was recently made that Julia Quinn's The Bridgertons will be made into a series to be produced by Netflix. If the TV series is as good as the books, then I'm going to love it!

The Bridgertons by Julia Quinn

First published 2000

Coming Soon!

I hope you found something interesting to read or watch! Until next time!

 Happy Reading!

~Tricia

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I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Sign-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

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A Year of Harry Potter

I have a confession to make. For the longest time, I did not like Harry Potter.

I can hear the gasps of horror from Potter fans all over the world. Trust me, this is the reaction I've received for many years. Let me explain my irritation with The Boy Who Lived.

I worked at Waldenbooks during the HP phenomenon when fans went crazy with passion to read each new book release. Do you remember stores opening at midnight to greet lines of customers who had camped out (yes, camped out!) on the sidewalks to await Release Day? Were you one of them?

From a bookseller's viewpoint, it was both glorious and overwhelming to have so many customers clamoring for these books. Over time, however, it simply wore me out. Customers kept calling and asking about the newest HP book. Preorders were recorded in a huge binder for months before the release date. Each and every customer had to be called as a reminder. Shipments kept arriving week after week filling our tiny backroom until we could barely reach the bathroom. We needed to co-ordinate with mall security on release day to control the crowds of people. Our entire staff needed to work that day (no exceptions!) to assist all the people who couldn't wait a moment longer to read what happens next to Harry Potter. We had meetings to discuss and plan events for the big day. And, then, after unpacking hundreds (dare I say thousands?) of these books, we had to find floor space in our small mall-based store. I grew weary of hearing Harry's name.

Every single day.

For years!

Frankly, I didn't understand the appeal of these books. Our staff was required to read the first chapter of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone so that we might have knowledge to chat about and sell these books to our customers. Honestly, I was unimpressed with J.K. Rowling's writing. I'd seen better writing. A lot better. Being in my early 20's, I had moved on in my reading choices and it wasn't a genre I was interested in at the time. Also, I was studying the writing craft and I had become critical and choosy about the books I read. That first chapter did not entice me to read more.

But, I continued my job, chatting with customers about this magical world and the witches and wizards who lived there. From these conversations, I grew to understand the stories, the characters, the plots and settings. Still, wasn't interested though.

Of all people, my husband (then boyfriend) jumped eagerly onto the Harry Potter bandwagon. He bought the books and devoured them, sometimes in only a day or two! This is a man who at that time only read Stephen King books.

Then the movies were released. At that time, my husband and I spent each Friday with our best friends for movie nights. I was out-voted and forced to watch the HP movies. Thankfully, Alan Rickman, made this endurable by far. If he didn't play in the movies, I'd really have had no reason to watch them. Alan Rickman was and remains to this day one of my favorite actors. And I loved his portrayal of Professor Snape. I loved him being a bad guy! He really played bad guys wonderfully!

And then Gary Oldman was cast as Sirius Black. Another of my favorite actors! And to my pleasure, David Thewlis played a werewolf. Now, we're talking! Werewolves are a weakness of mine. Suddenly, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban became one of my favorite movies. Although, I wouldn't admit so to my husband who kept trying to turn me into a HP fan. Still, I refused to read the books.

Fast forward, many years later. My husband and I now had children and they were reaching the age that they'd become interested in these Harry Potter movies. I would read books to my kids at night, and one night my oldest asked me to read Harry Potter.

Being a book lover, how could I say no to my son? And HP was a kid's book, after all.

So, I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to my 2 young boys.

And, I hated it.

Yeah, I finished the entire first book and was still completely unimpressed with J.K. Rowling's writing. How in the world did this woman get published? She's addicted to adverbs! I kept hearing Stephen King's writing advice in my brains talking about adverbs. It was difficult to read. I got half-way through Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets until I just couldn't take anymore and stopped reading. My boys didn't ask for anymore, so I moved on to reading other books to them.

Fast forward again to March 2017.

Now, I have 4 children between the ages of 1 and 10. I was singing lullabies and reading Goodnight Moon to get my youngest to go to sleep at night.  After several, several, several weeks of reading Goodnight Moon every night, I asked the kids to suggest a new book to read. One of them suggested Harry Potter.

I groaned. Not again.

But, I was out-voted, so I reluctantly picked up the books. Every night I read a chapter from The Sorcerer's Stone. Again, I found the adverbs grating my nerves. However, I found a new determination to read at least until Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This has remained my favorite HP movie and I was curious to see how the story was handled in the book. After all, the books are inevitably better than the movies, and I wanted to read more about Sirius Black.

We finished the first book, and I made it through the second. Finally, I figured I could finish with the third. That was as far as I was willing to go.

But, something happened.

I don't know how, or exactly when (probably with the third book), I began to enjoy reading about Harry Potter. Actually, I was slightly disappointed with myself. After all these years of finding The Boy Who Lived irritating, I was starting to get interested in the books.

After we finished reading The Prisoner of Azkaban, I asked my kids if we should continue with the series or take a break from HP and move onto other books. Here I was out-voted (I should be getting used to this), so we continued with Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. The ending of that book is probably what clinched it for me. The resurrection of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was a powerfully gripping scene. Adverbs aside, that scene was good! Page-turning, suspenseful, exciting, and scary!

Okay, so it took JK Rowling about 4 books to make me a fan. After that, I was eager to keep reading to my kids, even after my youngest had already fallen asleep at night, I just kept reading to the older kids. Now, its became our bedtime routine for all of us to gather round the rocking chair after pajamas and teeth brushing are finished so I can read the next chapter. And that's how we continued our nights from March until October. This is actually the first time that I can recall that I read an entire series back-to-back. Most times, I take a break in between reading books in a series.

What made reading these books even more enjoyable was the conversations I had with my children during those nights, too. They already knew I loved Professor Snape, but they couldn't understand why. They hated Snape. He was the bad guy! From watching the movies to the conclusion, I knew what to expect of Snape's character, so I kept quiet. Spoilers! My younger two kids had never even seen any the HP movies, and my older two had watched them when they were so young that they didn't remember much.

So, after completing each book from the series, my kids and I would watch the corresponding movie with a great big bowl of buttered popcorn and then compare the differences between the books and the movies. We'd talk about character and plot development. They'd tell me their favorite parts and the characters they liked or didn't like. Our discussions would sometimes take up our reading time at night.

And, now our year (or almost) of reading Harry Potter has come to an end. We finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last week. We watched the Part 1 movie last weekend and have the Part 2 planned for this coming weekend. And then we're done.

To my amazement, I'm sad that we've finished. I want to read more! I enjoyed reading and living in the wizarding world so much that I feel bittersweet about finishing the books. Finally, after all these years (decades?) since my days of selling HP books, I now understand why my customers were clamoring for more. Writing style notwithstanding, these stories are good! Page-turning. Addicting. The story is the appeal. Not the writing style (adverbs!).

I'm now a Harry Potter fan. Yes, I admit it. But, I can honestly say that I never would have read these books if not for my children. I read them because they asked me to. I owe them!

Our Harry Potter year is finished, but our reading is not. We've established a routine that, frankly, I enjoy. I'm reluctant to end that, so this week we started reading a new book. I pulled together a list of possibilities, books that I loved to read when I was a kid. So many books on my list, but again, I let my kids vote.

They've chosen The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

My children are awesome! 

Are you a Harry Potter fan? What do you think of the books? Do you have a favorite? How about a favorite character? 

As always,

Happy Reading!

Tricia

Favorite Christmas Movies #JoysHop2016 #giveaway

One of the best ways for me to get into that Christmassy feeling is to watch Holiday movies. I have a collection that I keep stocked on my DVD shelf that I begin watching from December 1 to 25. We usually have a movie playing in the background while we're decorating the Christmas tree, too. My kids need some kind of distraction. They love to help with the decorations, but with 4 eager helpers, things get a little carried away at times!


 

Anytime I need a laugh or maybe a good-feeling kind of cry, I watch these movies to get into the spirit of the Season. From Clark Griswald's attempt to have the hap-hap-happiest family Christmas to Ebenezer Scrooge learning about the true meaning of Christmas, there's practically a holiday movie for everyone!

Also, there are the classics that are a must-see every year and my kids like to keep the tradition of watching Holiday movies going. We've already watched a few last weekend! Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye crooning Christmas carols to little Suzy believing in Santa Claus, these are wonderful feel-good movies that I recommend everyone watch at least once a year!

Here's a list of my favorite Holiday movies in no particular order:

• White Christmas (1954)
• It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
• A Christmas Carol (1999)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Elf (2003)
• Scrooged (1988)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Santa Clause: The Movie (1985)
• Die Hard (1988)
• The Polar Express (2004)
• Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version) (1966)
• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
• Frosty the Snowman (1969)
• Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
• Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

"Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!" — George Bailey

"Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings." — Zuzu Bailey

Ralphie: "No! No! I want an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!"
Santa Claus: "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."

"It's Christmas Eve! It's... it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we... we... we smile a little easier, we... w-w-we... we... we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year, we are the people that we always hoped we would be!" — Frank Cross 

 "Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"— Buddy


And for those special people who include it in their holiday movie watching experience as I do, yes, I did include Die Hard on this list, too!

What are your favorite Holiday movies? 

I'd love to know! I'm always looking to add more 

favorites to my list. 

We are giving away prizes to two randomly selected winners: 1) an ebook bundle, including books in various genres by various authors participating in the hop (see the list of books at the bottom of this page); or 2) a $50 Amazon gift card. Please visit the main hop page here to see a list of books included in the bundle.

Enter now for your chance to win!

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