Movie Review - Snow White and the Huntsman

One of the best things about being a mum of daughters? The fact that I can legitimately go and see loads of movies that I really I'm too old to go and see by myself. The latest of these, is Snow White and the Huntsman, and here's my review!

The movie looked beautiful. The evil queen - Charlize Theron, was of course very beautiful on the outside, but not so beautiful inside. In fact, the story was very much as one would expect as far as the evil queen was concerned, although the script did give a reason for her evil nature - one that might have gone some way to make her less of an evil queen, and more of a mixed up one, if she wasn't so darned evil!

Kristen Stewart did her Snow White thing - and certainly looked the part, and found an inner core of steel at the movie's end - looking positively Joan of Arc like in the battle scenes.

All the stuff you'd expect are in there, dwarves, apples, handsome suitors - no surprises as the story trucked along to its conclusion.

But for me, the best part was definitely the huntsman. Chris Hemsworth played him well (although the accent?! I won't mention the accent), and was lucky enough to be given a character who was wounded emotionally and not quite as cardboard cut-outy as he might have been. As a romantic soul, I wanted more in the love department, but as my companion stated "Why do you like him?" I guess there was probably enough there for the pre-teen audience!

In conclusion nothing ground breaking in this movie but a pleasant enough way to while away an afternoon.

50 Shades of Minxiness - The RNA Conference 2012

I chose the title of this post partly because people googling '50 Shades' might end up visiting our blog but also because in virtually every conference session it got a mention. Publishers seemed very excited (if you'll excuse the accidental pun!) about the current erotica trend and are unsurprisingly very open to having the next '50 shades' submitted to them.

However, if you can't write the word 'naked' without blushing, fear not - the overall message of the publisher talks I attended was 'what we can do for you' as opposed to the 'what you can do for us' of previous conferences. They are actively acquiring in all sorts of areas and are open to something 'new'.


One of the highlights of the conference for me was Julie Cohen's talk 'Learning story structure from Pixar films'. Although she made us cry by showing the prologue to "Up", the lessons she taught about circular story structure, repeated motifs and character arcs as reflected in external conflict were invaluable and will hopefully help me write better stories.

Jane Wenham Jones also had us in tears with her talk 'What a way to earn a living' but this time it was tears of laughter. Her stories were wildly entertaining  and I don't think I've ever laughed so much.

That brings me to my favourite part of the conference - meeting lots and lots of friendly people (including Sally and Romy Minx and the lovely Susan Wilson :-), having a great time and going home excited about writing again.

If you attended you might have noticed the Minx contingent - we were carrying Minx bags (see photo) and were the ones acting like goofy idiots whenever we saw India Grey. And yes, she is just as lovely as she seems, not to mention glam and…okay will stop there before I embarrass myself again.

Minxy Summer Reads

We had two new minx books out in June, and one in July, so instead of the author spotlights today, I'm going to feature these 3 new books.

First up : Dear Julia by Rae Summers (aka Romy) which came out on June 6th...
The discovery of a long-lost love letter in a house she’s redecorating sends Rosalie Stanton on a quest to find its rightful owner.
Since his return from the Great War, William Cavendish has lived as a recluse. His peaceful existence is shattered by the return of the letter that once held all his hopes — and by its bearer, the irrepressible Rosalie, who bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love.
As Rosalie sets out to lure William back into society, she realises that in him she might just have met her match.

Here's an excerpt:
He leaned against the doorjamb, effectively blocking her view into the house. And making it quite clear she was not welcome. No woman had stepped foot in this house in close on ten years, and he wasn’t about to let this Julia doppelganger change that. “Yes?”
“I have something I think might belong to you.”
“Oh?”
She pulled an envelope out of the silk purse attached to her wrist, and his chest pulled tight as he recognised it. He’d been frozen so long he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel again, but as she unfolded the envelope, his heart clenched so hard it was almost painful.
“Where did you get that?” His voice sounded choked.
“Let me in, and I’ll tell you.”
He recovered just in time to stop himself from snatching the envelope from her hand. He had to know if it had been opened. If the ring was still there. Letting her in was a small price to pay for getting his hands on that envelope.
Slowly, very slowly, he backed away from the door. “Come in.”
Dear Julia is available from Amazon (UK & US), The Wild Rose Press, and all other ebook places.

Next: Challenging Andie by Sally Clements (aka me) which came out on June 23rd...
Jaded war correspondent Ryan Armstrong reports terrible events without letting them pierce the armor covering his heart. When his colleague Emily Harte is murdered, he feels responsible for her death, and travels to England to return Emily’s effects to her daughter.
Bereaved, primary school teacher, Andie Harte has set herself a list of challenges to prove she can be as brave as her recently murdered mother, but when she’s hounded by the press the need to escape means she must accept help from Ryan. During their time in seclusion, attraction blossoms into an affair. Their relationship was only supposed to be a fling. When the time comes for Ryan to return to Bekostan, can she risk loving a thrillseeker, or is that a challenge too far?
Ryan avoids love, knowing the pain losing it can bring. A life without Andie is sensible, but is it possible?

Here's an excerpt:
They were close as peas in a pod in a tiny metal carriage. Linked palm to palm, while within, Ryan battled down a totally inappropriate desire to kiss her.
Her vivid blue eyes widened as the carriage slowed at the base of the first rise. A series of slow clicks filled his ears as the carriage winched slowly up the incline.
“I’m here,” he said. “It’s all right.”
“Thank you,” she whispered a moment before the carriage crested the top and dived.
She was screaming. Her eyes were clamped tight, and the high, terrified sound rang out in the clear air.
Ryan’s insides churned as the carriage jerked to the left. He held on tight, hoping to provide some comfort that she wasn’t alone.
Around them people were screaming in shock and delight as the coaster tilted at a perilous angle and shot down into an underground cavern. Another shift, this time to the opposite angle, and they were soaring skywards again.
The ride slowed. His heart raced with adrenalin overload. Breathing deeply, Ryan let the thrill flow through him. The track twisted and rose higher and higher.
He glanced over. She’d stopped screaming, but her white face with eyes scrunched tightly shut told its own story. She really hated this. Distress bled from her, like a tangible mist of fear.
For the first time ever, he wanted a rollercoaster ride to be over.
Long, black eyelashes dusted against her cheekbones.
He’d known she was pretty, of course.
The pictures on the front pages had shown that clearly, even while her face was transformed by grief, and her eyes reddened by tears. The instant kick of attraction he’d felt standing in the queue next to her had been unexpected.
He hadn’t felt so strongly attracted to a woman since…since forever. It was damned inconvenient that it was this woman. The woman who’d doubtless hate him when she discovered the truth.
Challenging Andie is available from Amazon (UK & US) in ebook and paperback.

And finally: Love on the Vine by Sally Clements (aka me) released July 9th.
Bella St Clair must keep her business, Celebrate! afloat to prove she can succeed without her controlling family. But she needs a big contract, and soon.
New owner of the St Clair Durand Vineyard, Vintner Etienne Durand hangs his dreams for success on hiring an event planner to organize a launch party. Upon entering Celebrate’s office, he’s stunned to discover its owner is none other than the enticing nymph recently spotted skinny dipping in his lake—as well, the daughter of the vineyard’s previous owner, a man set on destroying Etienne’s business.
Can he trust Bella when she denies she’s anything like her father—in spite of evidence to the contrary? In surrendering to the attraction for the handsome Frenchman, can Bella overcome her fear of being controlled and take another chance on love?

Here's an excerpt:
Her eyes sparkled and shone, and her cheeks were pink. Her body moved in perfect harmony with the relentless beat.
Ice chilled his top lip as Etienne took a long swallow of his drink and smiled back. With any luck, she wouldn’t see how much her dancing affected him.
With a flip of her hand, she pointed at her feet, mouthing watch. A mock frown creased her brow.
Of course, he’d watch her, he couldn’t drag his gaze away as her feet repeated the steps. The pattern didn’t look too hard. And he’d always had a good sense of rhythm.
The music faded. Bella returned quickly to the table and picked up her glass. “Okay, so those are the basics.” She drank deeply. “Are you ready to try it?”
“I’d prefer to just watch you.” He trailed a finger down her cheek, feeling the sharp tug of attraction as her eyes darkened to jade. “You look beautiful.”
“So do you.” She tilted up her chin.
Etienne stood and snaked a hand around her waist to hold her close.
At the action, her lips parted and her eyelashes fluttered closed.
She looked like a woman who wanted to be kissed. Instead, he moved his lips to her ear, speaking words intended for her alone. “Would you like me to kiss you?” He felt her shiver. “If you do, you have to tell me, remember?”
Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened, staring straight into his.
The arousal in their depths stunned Etienne to his core.
“I want you to kiss me,” she murmured.
Love on the Vine is available from Amazon (UK & US), The Wild Rose Press, and all other ebook outlets.

Penrith Conference 2012

Since I'm typing up this post while on a train headed from Penrith to London, and on Monday I fly out to South Africa, this post is going to be short and sweet. I'll post a more in depth report on my own blog on Thursday.

The best thing about attending the conference was getting the chance to meet fellow Minxes. There were three of us in Penrith this year: Lorraine, Sally and I. This was the first time I'd met Sally, which made the occasion extra special. It really is odd meeting someone you know so well online in person for the first time. You know so much about them... yet they're still strangers. Luckily, by the end of the conference, we were definitely no longer strangers!

The Minxes

Sally Clements, Scarlet Wilson, Lorraine Wilson (no relation!)

 

Sally with The Irish Contingent

The workshops were interesting, the food rather good, and the weather dry. All three of us Minxes got to have our fan girl moments with favourite Harlequin author India Grey, but really every author present was just fabulous.

For even more pictures, check out Liz Fenwick's Facebook page.

Huge thanks to the conference organisers, Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson for a lovely, smooth, educational and entertaining weekend.

Roger Sanderson

A little taste of India

As I've been telling anyone who would listen on the interwebz, I'm going to India in a couple of days for my brother's wedding. Now leaving for a flight journey that's going to take at least 26 hours with two little kids is already robbing me of the little sleep I usually manage, but....

But seeing that I haven't been home (this is something our 4 y. old asked Hubster and I with remarkable perspicacity- whether we considered India or the US home and he said it was both) in 3 years, and I'm going to a wedding, makes it all worth it.

So I thought I would give everyone a little taste of all the things I'm looking forward including buying sarees  as in pic1, salwars in pic2, getting mehendi done on my hands and feet, buying lots of jewelry and of course eat lots of food during the whole stay......