Movies, here's to storytelling

Sunday, February 26, 2012

As I watch the Oscars, I think about the first movie I remember seeing. While I know I saw several Disney movies before, the one that first made an impact was the original 'King Kong'. I don't even recall how I managed to swing seeing it since I stayed up waaaaaay past my bedtime to finish watching it on the television.

I suspect my parents figured I would learn a lesson about begging to see it.  Noooo, Mom. Of course I won't be terrified. The movie won't give me nightmares.

 

Right.  Even then I didn't like to watch frightning movies. 

And scary didn't even begin to describe how 'King Kong' came across to a young, impressionable girl.  Although technology is now leap years beyond the 1933 film, then the ape was pretty darn impressive.  Still the Empire State Building scene was traumatizing.

My parents were right. I began to have nightmares with King Kong chasing me.  Finally one night I decided I was going to change the dream.  I made the ape my friend, and we suddenly were going on great adventures in my dreams with me riding on his shoulder.

This was the start of my storytelling albeit in my dreams.  As I experienced more  and more movies, I would replay them in my dreams and change those bits I hadn't liked.  I would make them mine.

Later I would write my own stories, but I still imagine riding on King Kong's shoulder as we swept across my dreamscape.

:) Carol








  



 

Not Your Usual Suspects

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I'm blogging today about theme braiding and writing light bulb moments on Not Your Usual Suspects.

http://notyourusualsuspects.blogspot.com/2012/02/theme-braiding.html

:) Carol

Grammy Trivia

Sunday, February 12, 2012

The Grammys

As I write this I’m watching the Grammys since so many trivia questions are about music.  As I only listen to country, I always look at my team mates with a blank expression.  [Except last week when the DJ asked what is the drinking implement featured in Toby Keith’s latest hit (answer: Red Solo Cup)]

I admit much of it the program’s isn’t thrilling me so I decided to look up trivia. I smiled when I found out that the Grammys were originally called the ‘Gramaphone Awards’…that name certainly wouldn’t cut it with the current audience.  I wonder if the kids even know the gramophone once was used to play records.   Likewise do the winners know they’re latching on to a ‘stunt’ trophy because the real one, which is handmade, is too delicate?

I like the fact that the person who has won the most Grammys at 31 awards is conductor Sir
Georg Solti, who led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 22 years.  Alison Krauss comes in 2^nd with 28 awards.

Age doesn’t matter in this peer-based award: LeeAnn Rhimes is the youngest to win at age 14 while Pinetop Perkins is the oldest at age 97.

The most Grammys for consecutive albums honor goes to Pat Metheny and his band at seven while Jimmy Sturr [18 out of 24 Best Polka Album before the award was discontinued in 2009] and Bill Cosby [6 years running for Best Comedy Album] have won the most consecutive awards in the same category.

Someone who doesn’t want to be confined to any particular music genre is Béla Fleck, who has been nominated in more categories than any other musician, namely country, pop, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk and spoken word, as well as composition and arranging.

With respect to the song of the year, the only multiple winners in this category include Henry Mancini 1962 and 1964), James Horner (1988 and 1999) and the band members of U2 (2001 and 2006) winning two times each. On the other hand, songs written for Andy Williams and Roberta Flack have received this award twice.

Has a song in a foreign language ever won song of the year? Oh yes, “Volare” in 1959 by Domenico Modugno in Italian. Best music memory ever for me…listening to ‘Volare’ while gliding along the Venice canals.  

:) Carol

Sketching a Book

Sunday, January 22, 2012

I don't often post about the writing process as there are a lot of blogs with inciteful posts about writing. However, as I slide back into a writing frame of mind, working on a new book, I am aware of one different approach I use: sketching a book.

I already have an OneNotebook [electronic notebook] in process for HIS DARK GUARDIAN with GMC'S in process, research growing, etc. Over the weekend I curled up with sketch pad in hand and jotted notes. I started with one central plot idea in a corner and drew from there. Nothing has to make sense or be sequential as the sketch is not a chart. They're thoughts. 

They may trigger notes to research; they may lead to taking a second look at a character. What they mean is the book starting to mesh together.  I am a visual person and need to 'see' the ideas laid out. For a while I toyed with changing the hero's occupation but when I saw the fleshing of the theme, I knew I'd been right with the original decision.

My next step of the process is to draw columns for each major character and start listing various incidents and possible reactions to them.  As I braid the events in the columns, the characters' themes emerge. In my latest release 'Her Dark Protector', the themes were justice is society's glue, law of the jungle, 'I am above the law', justice has failed. Depending on his/her theme, a character's going to take a certain action in response to a situation. Their reaction may cause another character to react, again in accordance to his/her theme, etc.   :) Carol

Let There Be Friendship

Saturday, December 31, 2011

This year's theme for the Times Square crystal ball really struck a chord for me: 'Let There Be Friendship'. My parents are both deceased and what little family remains is scattered throughout the country.

However, over the years I have been blessed with circles of friends. Friends from writing, friends from practice of law and friends from playing trivia, etc. This Christmas I sat at the table along with ten others at a friend's house. We'd had a great meal and were simply talking when one person brought out a deck of Christmas trivia cards. Whenever a question pertained to a song, we would break out singing; for other questions we would shout out answers before the question was completed. At some point I looked around at the laughing, smiling faces and realized over the years I had built myself a family. Not one of blood but of love and fellowship.

So for 2012, my wish for everyone is friendship. I only hope your life is as enriched by friends as mine is.

Happy New Year! Love, Carol and Maddie

Xmas Traditions: Food Glorious Food

Monday, December 19, 2011

Food from the mundane to the unsual plays an important role in festivities across the world. Sit down for Xmas dinner in Norway and you may smell the aroma of old blue cheese. What you are actually getting a whiff of is Kiviak, a delicacy made from the raw meat of an auk in an advanced state of decomposition after the bird meat has been buried under a stone encased in a sealskin for a few months.

Belgians serve cougnou, also called bread of Jesus. A sweetbread molded in the form of baby Jesus, it is given to children on Xmas along with a cup of hot chocolate.

In Slovakia not all food ends up being eaten. Slopping the ceiling is a tradition at Xmas Eve dinner. The head of the family takes a spoon of Loksa (a dish made out of bread, poppy seed filling and water) and throws it up at the ceiling. The more mixture that remains glued on the ceiling the richer his/her crops will be the following year. 
















Want your wish to come true? Then in Great Britain you would stir your Christmas pudding clockwise.

Expect a few surprise guests in Portugal where 'consoda' is a special feast served on Xmas morning. The table is set with extra seats for the souls of the dead and food is offered in the hopes the souls will bring the family good luck. 

In Japan come Christmas day fried chicken is the food of choice and lines form around Kentucky Fried Chicken. However, McDonald's is offering chicken specials . Hold the pickles...speaking of pickles...

:) Carol

Her Dark Protector cover is here!!!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

We interrupt our exploration of holiday traditions to bring you the just received cover for Her Dark Protector, my Marh 26, 2012 release. The Carina Press art department has done it again. I love this one!
:) Carol