Sexy, funny, smart, witty, decent. I could go on about all the things I think of when I think of Will Smith, but those few are a good start. Always thought he was kind of cute in Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Will has only gotten better with age.
This is a shot of him in I AM LEGEND. I definitely would recommend you see that movie. Really interesting, although I’m not so sure about the ending. Don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but the ending bothered me on various levels, but I would still say go and rent/buy this movie.
Here’s a little more of Will and the movie for you to enjoy on this Guilty Pleasure Monday.
Thanks for sharing that behind the scenes look, Jacquie!
It only seemed right to follow Jacquie’s wonderful lead and give you some behind the scenes info about SINS OF THE FLESH. Hopefully you’ll find some of the places that will be appearing in the book interesting and worth a trip next time you’re in the area.
Today I’m sharing with you a bit about the hero’s home – Bradley Beach, New Jersey. According to the town website, “(t)he earliest accounts of Bradley Beach can be traced back to 1679 when it is said that Captain William Kidd anchored his vessel off Duck Creek, now known as Sylvan Lake.”
Captain Kidd! How cool is that, although I don’t have any pirates in my book, just some arguably mad scientists doing weird gene experiments.
The town was named Bradley Beach in 1871 and over the next century, became a popular beach resort. It’s the kind of small town where you feel safe walking around and people say “Hello” and “Good morning.” It’s got a gorgeous paved beachfront walk dotted with gardens, gazebos, a playground and mini-golf course.
I love taking long walks along the beachfront and through town. It’s quite relaxing and because of that, it was a natural choice for me to be Mick Carrera’s home. As a mercenary, Mick needs somewhere to go where life is safe, relaxing and people can be trusted. Bradley Beach is the kind of a town where I can imagine Mick having a Happily-Ever-After.
Bradley Beach is also where Mick’s family lives and runs a Mexican restaurant along Main Street. If you visit Bradley Beach and come “down the shore” as the Jersey natives say, you’ll find that Main Street is just loaded with an assortment of different restaurtants, ice cream parlors, and bakeries.
I visited Bradley Beach several times to do research and am continuing to go back for more research as I write the second book in the series which will feature Mick’s little sister Liliana. Liliana is a doctor at a local hospital and is doing a residency in orthopedic surgery.
Since I’ve been visiting, I’ve got some recent shots to share with you so you can appreciate the laid back and friendly vibe of this Jersey Shore town.
Hope you enjoyed a slightly different Wicked Wednesday. I’ll be giving you some more behind the scenes snippets into SINS OF THE FLESH so you’ll get to meet all the characters and know a little bit more about the various places you’ll see in the book.
Besides attending the monthly meetings of the Liberty States Fiction Writers, I have a smaller group that meets once a month at a local bookstore.
Last night we were discussing an oft-used phrase: Show, Don’t Tell.
One of my friends asked, “How do you know you are doing telling and not showing?”
My friend Anne Walradt is an expert on the subject and does a wonderful workshop on the concept. I can only offer some very basic advice and examples.
First, if you read it aloud and it sounds like a laundry list — You’re telling. An example of telling:
The alley was dark. It smelled of old garbage. There was movement at the end of the alley. It was a large man. He looked like a criminal. Fear gripped her. She ran away.
Was that interesting at all? Did you get involved in what was happening? Did you impart any of your knowledge to the scene, thereby becoming involved in the story?
If you answered “No”, then you understand what’s bad about telling rather than showing. So how you do write the above scene by showing? Here’s a shot at it:
Darkness swallowed her up as she entered the alley. Days old garbage filled a dumpster, making the air rank with the smell of decay. Shadows shifted at the end of the alley. A man stepped forward into the muted pool of light cast by a security lamp. Blue-black prison tattoos covered his arms and his face had the look of a boxer who had lost one too many fights. Her stomach clenched and a cold sweat erupted across her flesh a second before she whirled away.
A little better? Do you impart your own experience to what decay smells like? Did you wonder what the shadow was? Did the description of the man show you he was a criminal and/or trouble without telling you? How about the fear aspect? Didn’t use the word fear, but her reaction demonstrated it and you as the reader, recognized it.
That’s the biggest difference. When you show, the reader becomes involved in the story by interpreting what you are writing. With a laundry list, there’s no involvement on the part of the reader because it’s plan and simple. Of course, that does not mean that you should so confuse your reader with how you show something that they are lost.
So, that’s a very quick rundown on the concept of Show, Don’t Tell. I hope this Tuesday Tip was of help!
I realized after last Monday’s Guilty Pleasure (the manly Eric Dane), that there were a number of old time favorites I had been ignoring on our Mondays together.
Sure there are tons of glorious new men for us to share, but there’s also a host of oldies who will live on thanks to the many movies in which they appeared.
Here’s one of my favorites – Clark Gable – and in one of my favorite books and movies of all time — GONE WITH THE WIND. Definitely a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen!
Was Clark one of your favorite oldtime stars? If not, who else is? Share with us on this Guilty Pleasures Monday.
This video apparently created enough of a stir with PETA to make it onto CNN and Fox News. I thought it was a fun parody of the old Whack’a Mole arcade game and it doesn’t look as if the kittens were being hurt in any way. For the story behind the video, you can click here or cut and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.whack-a-kitty.com/about/
Since we’re on the topic of vampires, here’s another of the handsome ones! If you’ve ever been to a concert with a screaming teen, you will so get the caption. I’m convinced that if the Army could find a way to bottle those screams, they would have the most effective weapon ever!
Also check out this special which runs until June 30! Get an extra 10% off (for a total of 30% off the cover price). Also for right now, get free shipping on any purchase over $10! You can’t beat that deal! Just click on those sexy abs to visit eharlequin.com and use the coupon code AFFILIATE10.
Last but not least, it’s the LAST WEEKEND in the fabulous Brenda Novak auction. Please drop by to check out the items that I’ve made available at the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction!
First there is this amazing Sabor Latino basket put together by my friend, Olga. Besides some of my novels, there are some wonderful food items as well as a lovely pair of silver earrings and matching pendant.
Also take a moment to check out this basket from the Liberty States Fiction Writers which contains:
Autographed copies of:
A DAUGHTER’S PROMISE by Christine Clemetson
NOBLE BLOOD by Linda Parisi
ARC of SINS OF THE FLESH by Caridad Pineiro
DREAMS AND DESIRES by Lois Winston
VENUS RISING by Annalise
As well as an audiobook of Stephen Colbert’s “I Am America and So Can You!,†a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and lunch bag (color – red, B&W image attached). In addition, you will receive copies of thirty other romance novels (these 30 are unsigned). http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=1401815
This morning as I was thinking about what this Thoughtful Thursday’s topic might be, I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was already Thursday and that May was almost over. I thought, “Wow, time flies” and I should write about that and then thought, “Duh, you already did!”
Which of course led to today’s topic. Do you feel as if you can’t remember anything lately? That your memory is fading, draining from your brain?
Memory loss as we age is a normal occurrence and sometimes, forgetting things isn’t so much about forgetting, but about being distracted due to the many things we have to juggle. I know the first step to my not forgetting is to make a list to keep track of all those things I have to do!
When should you worry about memory loss? FamilyDoctor.org notes “A memory problem is serious when it affects your daily living. . . you may have a more serious problem if you have trouble remembering how to do things you’ve done many times before, getting to a place you’ve been to often, or doing things that use steps, like following a recipe.”
My friend Jacquie Rogers did a fun thing the other day on her blog – she told all about the setting for her novel 
I realized after last Monday’s Guilty Pleasure (the manly Eric Dane), that there were a number of old time favorites I had been ignoring on our Mondays together.
This morning as I was thinking about what this Thoughtful Thursday’s topic might be, I was overwhelmed by the fact that it was already Thursday and that May was almost over. I thought, “Wow, time flies” and I should write about that and then thought, “Duh, you already did!”