*sitting in a chair in my room with my laptop* Hey, everyone! It's time for this month's character interview. Today I have Pro, a side character from my science-fiction series Subsapien. If you'd like to get to know her a bit more before starting the interview you can check out her bio. Thank you to those who submitted questions! This exercise really helps me develop my characters. If you'd like to get some tips on how to writer a character interview yourself, you can check out the post. Let's get started now. *turns to Pro* Hey, Pro. Are you ready for the questions today?
Pro:
*has a Southern accent* I haven't done this in too long. I'm chomping at the bit. My fans have missed me. *smirks*
Me:
*chuckles* All right the first question is from Sara Letourneau: Why don't you like your full first name? (Sorry, I had to ask. *lol*)
Pro:
*shrugs* It just doesn't fit me. Promise makes me think of a chick in booty shorts and tube tops. I'm a muscle tank and basketball shorts kind of person.
Me:
Next question is from Imogen Elvis: How do you feel about your mechanical parts? Has there ever been a time when you haven't liked, or have resented them?
Pro:
*fleshes metal fingers hidden under flesh* I'm kinda back and forth with them. Sometimes I like them, because, well, shooting your fist out of your arm like a grappling hook is fun, but other times I wish I could be whole again, I wish I didn't have to owe someone for parts of myself. I also don't like how I'm treated like a lesser human being because a lot of me is metal.
Me:
*nods* Here's one from Sara Letourneau: What are your favorite subjects in school? And your least favorite?
Pro:
*trills lips* I'm not a huge fan of school honestly. I'm more of an after school program kind of person, but if I had to choose I like P.E. and I hate science. After being a science experiment, it just gives me the willies now.
Me:
*types that into my computer* Another from Imogen Elvis: Which family member are you closest to?
Pro:
My brother. I never saw my mom much growing up because she's always working. Phin and I usually had to make dinner and stuff and look out for each other.
Me:
*types that* The next question is from Sara Letourneau: How would you describe Bryce and Caleb in your own words?
Pro:
Those guys. *smacks* Caleb's all right. He's nice and kinda awkward sometimes, like when he spaces out. He's smart too. He always gets straight A's in everything. Bryce is weird. I mean, he has a cheetah tail and makes cat noises all the time. He's cute, but it's hard to get past the scratching his claws on the couch habit.
Me:
The next four are from Liz Brooks: What do you think happened to your roommates who
tried to escape?
Pro:
I don't know. I try not to think about it. *wrings her hands*
Me:
*shifts in my chair* If you were to try to escape, how would you manage it and
where would you go?
Pro:
I don't know how I would manage it. I lived in a high security building in the biggest lab in the country. I have no idea how I'd get out, but if I didn't I don't know where I'd even go. I couldn't go home or I could endanger my family. I just have to stay here. It helps them anyway. I just have to accept it.
Me:
What is your biggest fear?
Pro:
That I'll have to live this life forever and at the same time that I'll mess up this opportunity and Rota will take away my family's penchant. I always feel torn between those two.
Me:
*nods* Do you have nightmares, and if so, what are
they about?
Pro:
Deep questions ... Well ... I sometimes have nightmares that I'm not human anymore. That I'm all robot and there's nothing left of the old me.
Me:
The last question is from Imogen Elvis: What is one small thing about your life that you'd like to change?
Pro:
More free time would be nice. Most of it is spent doing tests.
Me:
That's all today! Thanks again for all of the questions! If you want to know more about Pro, check out her first interview and her dual interview. You can also learn more about her books by checking out the character interview below. Thanks for reading!
Pro:
Thanks for the questions, y'all! *smiles*
My recent drawing of Pro.
What do you think of Pro? Do you have any further questions for her? Have you done character interviews before? Post a link in the comments!
A top-secret agent. A high-profile assignment. Danger at a NASCAR track.
Lady Anne, a top operative of the OJL, the American government's most
clandestine intelligence organization, is paid to be paranoid, and she's
good at her job. So good, in fact, that she singlehandedly stops an
assassination attempt at the White House. When newspapers splash her
photo over the front page for saving King Ahmad-a Muslim recently
converted to the Christian faith-not only is her cover in jeopardy, but
the secrets of her enhanced strength and the entire agency. Then she's
given another assignment-to escort King Ahmad to a NASCAR track....
Stuart Jackson, age 33 and at the peak of his career as the reigning Cup
Champion of NASCAR, has everything anyone could want-fame, fortune,
success. But after he's nearly blown up by a bomb at the White House,
his achievements lose their allure. Nor can he forget the mysterious
Lady Anne.
Series: Fast Track Thriller (Book 1)
Genre: Adult Christian Thriller
Publisher: OakTara (February 12, 2014)
Page Count: 232 pages
A year or so ago I won a raffle at a conference and the prize was I could pick any book I wanted off a table. This was the only one that seemed good out of the bunch. Last year I really wanted to read all of the books I owned before I got new ones (a two year endeavor I accomplished) and this one was on the list.
The Plot: The thing that bothered me the most with this book was the plot. At first it seemed like it would be all about protecting this Muslim-converted-to-Christian king with explosions and assassination attempts and then the book descends into making sure this NASCAR driver is saved. The main character's goal got lost. The beginning starts off with a bang, but then the tension degrades into a sorely lacking climax. The action came too suddenly in the beginning as was climax material not opening material.
The Characters: Lady Anne is an interesting protagonist. She had a lot of interesting elements. Her being superhuman was pretty cool, but I wish the story went into that more. She used her powers a few times, but the weren't as central as I wanted them to be. I liked her emotional journey with trusting God and her home issues.
Stuart started off as an interesting character then steadily got annoying. He starts getting curios about Lady Anne's Christianity to the point he gets stalkerish and starts putting her in danger. It's selfish.
There wasn't really a set antagonist, just random Muslim terrorists trying to assassinate the king. They seemed a bit one dimensional and dripping in melodramatic maniacal Muslim behavior.
The Setting: It's set in various cities present day US like St. Louis. and D.C., so nothing too thrilling. I thought it was cool that the book was set in Atlanta at one point. The majority of the book is set on a NASCAR race track which I don't really care much about. The author obviously knew her stuff about racing, I'll give her back, but as someone who really isn't a sports enthusiast it didn't grip me.
The Writing: The writing was mediocre The contrived description and infodumps and crappy foreshadowing and random POV annoyed me though. It didn't stand out very much to me and the editor missed a few typos. I didn't like how the author treated Lady Anne and Joanne as two different people for the first fifth or so of the book then revealed they were the same person. I'd think that Joanne would call herself inwardly as her own name and not Joanne. That "twist" fell flat to me.
Epic Things: The most interesting thing was Lady Anne's enhanced abilities, but they weren't used to their fullest. The fact that she's a homeschool mom is pretty cool as well as Stuart's like for hunting.
The Theme: The message about God working things out different to plan, faith, and how things of the world don't ultimately satisfy seemed really pushed.
Content Cautions: People are shot and injured in other ways. Brain matter, heads craced open, exposed broken bones, and chest sliced are mentioned. Some people imbibe and Lady Anne is tempted to be with another man out of wedlock.
What We Can Take Away For Our Writing:
1.) The beginning Was Too Exciting and It Took Away from End Climax - This book started with explosions and terrorists and the president and a king of some fictional country almost dying. It was exciting and intense and ... the most action-packed part of the book. Fast forward to the climax and it couldn't even compare to this live wire beginning, which left me feeling ... jipped.
How this can be applied to writing: A story is supposed to escalate in tension as the story goes. Don't make your beginning overshadow your climax or it will feel like you're working backwards in the tension. The stakes must raise with every stage of the story.
2.) Messing Around with the Characteristics of A Genre Didn't Work - When I think of a "fast-paced thriller," my mind goes to James Bond or a Tom Cruise film or Steven James' novels. I want action, I want to be on the edge of my seat, I want a mind blowing plot twist, I want a terrifying bad guy, and I want lots of cool fight moves. This book didn't give me that. I felt cheapened out of this genre. I got patchy action, family drama, a half-baked plot twist, cardboard bad guy, some cool fight moves, and a preachy message. This book didn't live up to the genre expectations. I believe the author was trying to do something new, but if the new messes too much with the nostalgia of the old, then a problem arises.
How this can be applied to writing: Have you ever thought of redefining a genre? Have you ever watched or read something where the genre didn't work? Or when it did? Firefly redefined a genre and that worked amazingly, but books like this where they try to do something new, but the execution is bad just brings disappointment. Take care when messing with the core elements of your respective genre.
3.) Pushing A Message on Your Reader Doesn't Work - I thought Peril was going to be an exciting thriller, but it turned into a sermon. The author was so focused on getting her message across the plot suffered. The message is a good one, but the execution made it sound hokey.
How this can be applied to writing: The message or theme of your story should never come at the plot's expense. It's bad writing and it'll put off a large portion of your readers. I did a whole post on this topic, because this is a serial problem in Christian media.
Conclusion: Unfortunately, I didn't care for this book very much. I was anxious to get it done and over with. It went from thrilling to a sermon. The writing was low quality and it was too Christian-y. Any elements I liked were just not included enough. Only two stars for this one.
About the Author:
Suzanne Hartmann is a homeschool mom of three and lives in the St. Louis area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Composition & Linguistics from Western Illinois University. On the editorial side, she is a contributing editor with Port Yonder Press and operates the Write This Way Critique Service. To relax, she enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and Bible study. PERIL: Fast Track Thriller Bk. #1 is her debut novel. She has also written a book on the craft of writing titled Write This Way.
If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)
Welcome to this week's Writerly Bundle! A post where I hope to inspire you with three of the world's greatest things: music, words, and tea.
This week's Writerly Bundle is Persuasion by Jane Austen themed!
The Word:
vicissitude
noun
1.) a change or variation occurring in the course of something.
2.) interchange or alternation, as of states or things.
3.) vicissitudes, successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions, as of life or fortune; ups and downs:
They remained friends through the vicissitudes of 40 years.
4.) regular change or succession of one state or thing to another.
5.) change; mutation; mutability.
Example Sentence: Anne strives for a vicissitude for her future.
Image not mine.
The Song:
"Main Theme"
Persuasion
Since I've never read the book and I've only watched the movie in bits and pieces, I decided to finally sit down and give the Persuasion film a lot. Though I didn't care much for the style of filming, I found both the story and the soundtrack intriguing. The strings and the piano in this piece are very moving and emotional with an air of romance. This piece suits historicals, perhaps contemporaries and fantasties as well depending on the style of writing.
The Tea:
Anne Elliot's Hope
Poor Anne..... No fruit, no petals or plumes for flourish. However, like Anne, this tea is beautiful as itself and is the ideal tea companion to pouring over letters even with only the smallest hope. Indeed, this green tea is a beautiful example of what a tea should be. Her virtues shine most when helping others in hot water. This green, silky, hand crafted tea from a jin xuan cultivar like Anne, is well rounded and from a quality family just waiting for love. This special cultivar from Taiwan produces a rounded and comforting cup with a smooth, lingering finish and a slight umami character that is sometimes found in lighter Japanese teas. It is a favorite of seasoned tea sippers as well as those just discovering green tea. Difficult to over steep because of its unique traits, this cup shares qualities of our heroine in that is most dependable. Certainly a most calming cup of tea after a trying visit with relations or a reviving cup while sitting by the fire with good friends. And, you need not retrench in your tea budget either. This tea does very well with multiple steeping at a lower temperature.
Be sure to read the Emma's Perfect Match and Lizzie Bennett's Wit blend reviews!
The Tea: After trying over fifty different types of tea, I feel that I'm pretty well-versed in many different types, but I'm still trying to master the appreciation of oolongs. Oolong flavors are most of the time very subtle. There are exceptions such as Oriental Beauty, but most are very light with only light notes of flavor differences.
That said, Anne Elliot's Hope is one of the plainer oolongs I've tried. I've tried a lot of scented oolongs such as Ginger Lily or specially grown oolongs such as Alishan Jin Xuan, but this tea is very simple and fresh. It has notes of Alishan Jin Xuan since it does have jin xuan tea in it, but it doesn't have the distinct creamy taste of Alishan Jin Xuan. This is a very high quality green tea, which, especially with oolongs, is very important. A low quality oolong can ruin the overall flavor such as with the Coconut Pouchong I sampled a while back.
This tea is very calming and soothing with a lingering light finish. It's a good tea for spring since it's very gentle. I believe it fits Anne's responsible and nurturing nature. It certainly fits her character.
Serving Recommendations: I steeped this tea at 195 F for three minutes and added sugar.
How much is it and where can you get it? This tea is available at the Bingley's Teas website. You can get a 60 g package for $16.95. This amount makes at least twenty cups of tea, so you get your money's worth. You also get it in the beautiful boxed packaging above. The presentation of Bingley's Teas are just gorgeous. I can't get enough of it!
So how good is it? This tea didn't wow me but it was a very nice oolong nonetheless. Three stars!
Bonus! If you are a first-time Adagio customer I can send you a $5 giftcard! Ask in the comments for details! (This is no joke and no catch I seriously can. It's part of the amazingness of Adagio Teas)
Have you seen or used this word before? Have you heard this piece before?Have you tried this tea? Have you seen or read Persuasion?
If you liked this post, come back every other Tuesday for book reviews; Friday for tags, character interviews, and link-ups; Saturdays for writing advice and life updates; and Sundays for the Writerly Bundle which includes a new soundtrack piece, vocabulary word, and tea review! To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)
The Prince of Egypt is by far my favorite Biblical film ever made. The animation is gorgeous, the soundtrack is moving, the voice acting is well-done, and this story of the Bible which millions of people worldwide and through out history, including me believe to be true. Movies like the Nativity and Joseph: King of Dreams are the only ones that I've seen that are close to the power that the Prince of Egypt holds. I get chills every time I watch it. Just a warning, my inner love of great musicals comes out in the post. I've been a fan since childhood. I even used to act out sequences with my cousins.
I believe there is much to be learned about how to adapt a Biblical or any true story from the Prince of Egypt, and that's what I'll be discussing today.
Warning: Some spoilers.
Here we go!
1.) Creative License with Biblical Stories - Creative license is often taken when writing anything historical based on a true story whether it be speeding up events, altering events to make the story line smoother, or cutting out characters because that one doesn't work for the story line. This is often necessary, especially for films.
In the Prince of Egypt, a few of the creative license changers were Moses actually knew his parents growing up and in the movie Moses did not. Another change is Moses actually had a speech impediment, but in the movie he doesn't or Moses actually had two sons when he returned to Egypt from Midian, but in the movie he didn't. However, these changes didn't effect the essence of the Biblical story.
There's a point when creative license goes too far such as in Noah (2014). That movie was in a word: a disaster. The story barely resembled the original and doing this to a story that's so critical to the Christian faith was disrespectful and I might even say, blasphemous. It was unsettling to me, to say the least. Noah was not some crazy naturalist that valued a plant more than people, the Nephilim were not rock people, and Noah didn't get high to see visions from God.
Young Miriam watching the Queen find Moses.
How this can be applied to writing: Take caution when using creative license. A little is fine, a lot can be harmful. Do this whether you're adapting something like the Story of David and the Goliath or a historical figure such as Mother Theresa for instance. You want to portray the event as accurately as possible with respect to those connected to the event.
Tzipporah & Moses
2.) Respect Toward the Christian Faith - Another thing I love about the Prince of Egypt, is I really feel like my faith was respected. The writers even write at the beginning and the end of the film that they did this in respect to the millions of believers of these stories. This was a great feeling. The notes aside, I saw it in the reverence the believer characters had to God, the way the plagues, the first Passover, and the Angel of Death were animated, and in the song lyrics.
With Noah on the other hand, I felt like my faith was shoved in my face. The director didn't give a crap whether he was damaging a timeless and might I add true story. He didn't realize how the ill portrayal reflects badly on my Christian faith or maybe he did realize and he just didn't care.
Parting of the Red Sea
How this can be applied to writing: If you write a religious story, please, be respectful to the people who believe in it. I believe Moses made turned the Nile into Blood and that he parted the Red Sea. I believe God flooded the earth after humanity became corrupt in Noah's time and Noah built an ark so his family would be safe from the flood. Please, do not diss my faith shared by millions because you don't believe in it or you want to change it around to make a bigger buck.
The Nile turned into blood.
3.) Having God in A Film Without Being Cheesy or Contrived - Portraying God, a real, living, omniscient being is difficult. I get a bit nervous about it when writing my stories. God is so complex. He's wrathful yet merciful, He creates and destroys, He speaks to us in so many different ways, He wants a relationship with us, He brought the entire universe into being for crying out loud.
The Prince of Egypt did a great job in showing the elements of God that I described. In the famous scene, where God speaks to Moses while in the form of the Burning Bush, the writers quoted from scripture and obviously did their research. I get chills every time at this scene, because of the accuracy and the mind-blowing fact that God actually did this. That a mortal man actually spoke to the Almighty. They portrayed God as He is, without making him seem hokey or contrived.
How this can be applied to writing: Whether you believe in God or not, please, give My Creator respect. I can't stand it when people in films have God look like an idiot whether he's directly in it or they have overzealous Christians running around. Evan Almighty actually didn't do a terrible God, despite me being slightly weirded out with God being an actual in presence character since if you actually looked at God He'd be too overwhelming for mortal eyes. Just saying. Basically, be respectful when portraying a Being of this magnitude. Do your research and, if you're a Christian, pray about it first. Let Him put the words He needs to say into your story.
I love the waves made from God's voice like the earth is reacting to the sound.
4.) Your Heart Broke for the Film's Plight - The goal of the film is to free the Israelites, God's chosen people. A brilliant move the director did was open with the suffering and the toil of Jewish slaves in the famous song "Deliver Us." Throughout this you see men, women, and children under the brutal oppression of the Egyptians. Whips crack against their backs. They carry heavy loads. The song is basically a cry out to their Lord to rescue them from this doomed lifestyle. This sequence immediately makes you care. It's incredibly powerful. I'm tearing up writing this post at what those people endured, what slaves have endured throughout history.
If that sequence wasn't enough to make your heart go out to these poor souls, we see Moses's mother Yocheved take an enormous act of faith in putting her youngest son into a basket in the Nile in the belief he will be saved from the massive purge of males under two years. We hear her personal plea for her son's life. This brought the plight home. It's heart-wrenching and the lyrics are just so beautiful. If you haven't listened to this song, I highly advise doing so.
How this can be applied to writing: When you are writing a story with a goal of saving a massive group of people, you need to make your readers care. How can you make their hearts go out to this cause? With any goal in fact, you need your readers to care about it. Having an emotional connection will make your reader keep turning pages to know if these people are going to be all right, if this goal is going to be accomplished. A book that did a great job of this is Starlighter by Bryan Davis. Break your reader's heart for the cause. Move them.
Yocheved
5.) The Crumbling Relationship Between Two Characters - One of the biggest conflicts of this film is within the relationship of Moses and Rameses. These two men grew up together as brothers. At the beginning of the film, they have a playful, loyal, and comedic relationship. But as their goals take them in two different directions their relationship erodes away with it to the point of becoming enemies. It's a sad, but very well done descent. I'll give you some examples through the great music of the film.
Rameses and Moses at the Beginning
The first song shows Moses being satisfied in his home before he realizes what's going on with the Jews. At this time, his relationship is good with Rameses. He is happy in his ignorance of the toil of his people. (The actual song starts at 1:39)
After Moses, realized the reality of the Israelite's suffering, his whole word changes and his views clash with Rameses. The reprise shows well of what their relationship has become. I love how they quoted directly from scripture with the line, "Then let my heart be hardened." Fangirling here. (The song starts at 0:45)
This shows how the clashing of views can be a huge catalyst in the breaking of a relationship and provides amazing conflict. The descent happened slowly with small gestures such as Moses giving back Rameses's ring to large ones such as turning the Nile into blood.
How this can be applied to writing: A descending relationship can add great conflict to your story. Doing it in a slow, crumbling way can add realism. Strong relationships such as between husband and wife or siblings or parent to child or long time friends are not broken easily. It starts with small things such as sharp words or gestures then can escalate to fighting or larger acts of severance. Do you think a descending relationship could add to your story?
Rameses and Moses near the End
Conclusion -I wish more people would model Biblically-based films and novels after this one. I'd love to see more high-quality Bible stories made like the Prince of Egypt. I didn't realize it until writing this post, but the actual Passover is today.
This is a day where the mercy God showed the Israelites thousands of years ago is remembered. The day where the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ were foreshadowed centuries before Jesus was even born. It's pretty amazing how God did that. The sacrifice of an innocent lamb symbolized the sacrifice of an innocent Son of God. But instead of only washing away the sins of his people for one night, Christ washed away our sins forever if we accept him. I just think that's so cool.
Whether you're a Christian or not, I ask you to take a moment to remember the Jews who have suffered through the hands of many conquerors, who died for their faith in the teeth of lions in Rome, who have carried the Christian faith for thousands of years.
Brushing the blood of a lamb on the lintel posts for the first Passover.
Have you seen The Prince of Egypt? Have you noticed these writing aspects? What movies have you noticed have good writing? Let's geek out together!
