April 11, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 10: Captain Jack Sparrow

J is for — Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean

Another favorite character in the good-hearted rogue category is Captain Jack Sparrow. Pirate, philanderer, and all-around scoundrel, Jack spends most of his time trying to talk his way out of whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into. His convoluted schemes leave you wondering whose side he’s on, but in truth, of course, he’s looking out for his own best interests.

Yet, every so often, that spark of goodness prevails, such as when he saves Elizabeth Swann from drowning in the first Pirates movie, Curse of the Black Pearl, and when he gives up his chance at immortality by helping the dying Will Turner stab the disembodied heart of Davy Jones, saving Will’s life, in World’s End. He again forfeits an opportunity for long life by giving the chalice with water from the Fountain of Youth and the mermaid’s tear to poisoned former flame, Angelica, instead of drinking it himself in the fourth Pirates movie, On Stranger Tides.

Of the four Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the first is by far the best, in my opinion. The others are okay, and each has its good moments, though in the fourth movie they are fewer and farther between. I read that a fifth movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, is in the making, but that various delays, including script and budget problems, have pushed the release date to 2017. I hope they can get the series back on track and recapture the magic that made Curse of the Black Pearl so entertaining.

Photo Credit: http://www.fanpop.com

April 10, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

Celebrate the Small Things! and A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 9: Indiana Jones

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here.

This week, my son has been home sick with a bad cold for three days, but he’s finally feeling better, so I’m celebrating that and the fact that it looks like spring may finally be getting here. The temps are reaching into the 40s and 50s, and the snow is almost gone. Yay!

And now for today’s A to Z —

I is for — Indiana Jones

When I first saw the ad trailer for the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, I didn’t really catch what it was about, but thought it looked like it might be a good action movie. I went to see it, not expecting anything special, and got wowed. The adventure, the stunts, the humor, the snakes — I was hooked right from the first scene. In fact, I liked the movie so much I went back and saw it again the next day.

Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, is such a cool character. He gets to travel the world to seek out priceless antiquities and live the adventures that people like me dream about. He survives by his ingenuity, his daring, and his bullwhip. He’s not one of those perfect characters who always wins, either. He’s had his share of heartbreak and defeat. He keeps going, though, with dogged determination, saving the treasures of the world for posterity.

My favorite quote from the movie is when Sallah asks Indy how he’s going to get the Ark back from the Germans. Indy utters his classic, well-thought-out line: “I don’t know. I’m making it up as I go.”

I’ve never been able to decide which movie I like better — Raiders or The Last Crusade. Sean Connery is excellent as Indy’s father, and their exchanges make the movie. I didn’t care for Temple of Doom. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was better and marked the return of the awesome Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. Now, there’s another favorite character…

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Photo Credit: http://www.moviesofhollywood.com

What other celebrations are going on out there?

April 9, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 8: Han Solo

H is for — Han Solo from Star Wars

Some of my favorite characters are good-hearted rogues. Their good sides may be well hidden, and they may not always be on the right side of the law, but when it’s all on the line, the good shines through.

Perfect example: Han Solo. He’s a good-looking guy — a smuggler, soldier-of-fortune-type, cocky and cynical. He’s in it for the money. Just pay him, and he’ll ask no questions. He and his sidekick, Chewbacca the Wookie, travel the galaxies, dodging the authorities and bounty hunters, in his souped-up ship, the Millennium Falcon. He’s proud of his exploits and brags of them to Luke Skywalker, when Luke and Ben Kenobi want to hire him to take them to another planet.

When things go wrong and he gets tangled up with the Rebels, he extricates himself as quickly as possible, takes his money, and leaves. He wants no part of the rebellion against the Empire. He finds, though, that Luke’s and, particularly, Princess Leia’s regard is more important to him than he wants to admit, and that good side of himself, buried deep, begins to emerge.

I saw the original Star Wars movie in the theater, and my favorite moment was right at the end where Luke is careening down the trench, pursued by Darth Vader and the TIE fighters. Vader is just about to blast Luke into oblivion, when from out of nowhere, laser fire shoots into the trench, takes out the TIE fighters and sends Vader spinning through space. Han in the Falcon is yelling, “Yahoo!” and everyone in the audience, including me, is cheering along with him. Han the rogue became Han the hero, a key member of the rebellion, and I became a Star Wars fan for life.

Photo Credit: http://dstatic.computeruniverse.net

Photo Credit: Star Wars Wikia

Photo Credit: http://www.desktopextreme.com/

April 9, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

Charles E. Yallowitz’s Legends of Windemere: Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue — Now Available

LEGENDS OF WINDEMERE:
SLEEPER OF THE WILDWOOD FUGUE
LIVE on Amazon Kindle!

Art by Jason Pedersen

The final champion stirs and reaches out to any who can hear her voice. Yet all who heed her call will disappear into the misty fugue.

Awakening their new ally is only the beginning as Luke, Nyx, and their friends head south to the desert city of Bor’daruk. Hunting for another temple once used to seal Baron Kernaghan, they are unaware that the game of destiny has changed. Out for blood and pain, Stephen is determined to make Luke wish he’d never set out to become a hero.

By the time the sun sets on Bor’daruk, minds will be shattered and the champions’ lives will be changed forever.

Don’t forget to mark it as ‘To Read’ on Goodreads too!

Charles E. Yallowitz

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: Legends of Windemere
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz
Website: www.charleseyallowitz.com

Read the Previous Volumes of Legends of Windemere!!!

BEGINNING OF A HERO

PRODIGY OF RAINBOW TOWER

ALLURE OF THE GYPSIES

FAMILY OF THE TRI-RUNE

THE COMPASS KEY

CURSE OF THE DARK WIND

April 8, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 7: Hermione Granger

G is for — Hermione Granger from J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series

I enjoyed immensely all the Harry Potter books and movies, and Hermione Granger is one of the main reasons why. Harry and Ron would have been toast many times over if not for her intelligence and her quickness with wand and spell.

When we first meet Hermione, she gets on everyone’s nerves because she knows every answer to every question ever asked. Harry and Ron soon learn, though, how valuable that knowledge is and how lucky they are to have Hermione as their friend. Her strength, courage, and loyalty far outweigh her annoying know-it-all-ness.

Two of my favorite Hermione moments from the movies — the poignant scene from Deathly Hallows, part I, when she uses the spell on her parents to erase their memories of her existence, and the scene in Prisoner of Azkaban, where she punches Malfoy in the nose. Not that punching people is the best way to solve problems, but with a creep like Malfoy… yeah, he deserved it.

Photo Credit: http://www.fanpop.com

Photo Credit: epn.tv

Photo Credit: Harry Potter Wikia

April 7, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

Alex J. Cavanaugh’s Dragon of the Stars Release Day Scavenger Hunt! and A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 6: Princess Fiona

Available today!

Dragon of the Stars By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military

Print ISBN 9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/ http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…

The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. But when the Alliance declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray and told he won’t make captain. One chance remains – the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

SCAVENGER HUNT! Comment to win an autographed copy of Dragon of the Stars, tons of bookmarks & postcards, and a $20.00 iTunes gift card – where is Mini-Alex? Visit Alex for a list of the participants. (Open through April 11 – winner announced April 13 at Alex’s blog.)

Amazon Amazon print Amazon UK Barnes and Noble

Kobo Chapters iTunes Overdrive Goodreads

Now on to A to Z!

F is for — Princess Fiona from Dreamworks’ Shrek films

Princess Fiona starts out as the typical fairy tale heroine — the beautiful damsel in distress, trapped in a tower, awaiting a handsome prince to come to her rescue. In a creative twist to the story, Fiona’s “handsome prince” turns out to be an unhandsome, un-princely ogre named Shrek.

Fiona soon proves that she’s not what she seems, either. When surrounded by enemies, she shows off some pretty cool ninja moves, both as a human princess and as an ogress. In Shrek the Third, she organizes the other princesses and fights against Prince Charming and his minions, and in Shrek Forever After, she rescues herself from the tower and leads a band of rebel ogres against the evil Rumplestiltskin. No helpless damsel is she.

I also like how Fiona embraces her ogre side. She realizes that, for her, this is “love’s true form.” So what if she’s not the most beautiful in the land, or if she has to shave her face like Shrek, or if she makes rude noises like he does? She’s beautiful on the inside where it counts, and she’s found someone who loves her the way she is. And, most importantly, she’s happy just being herself. You don’t have to be the “fairest one of all” to have a happy ending.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Photo Credit: http://fairytaleadaptations.wikispot.org/Shrek_Films

Photo Credit: Amazon.com

April 6, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 5: Edmond Dantes

E is for — Edmond Dantes from Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo

I’ve always been a fan of Alexandre Dumas’ adventure novels — The Three Musketeers, which I wrote about last year with D’Artagnan; The Man in the Iron Mask; and this year’s entry, The Count of Monte Cristo.

Edmond Dantes is a fascinating character. He is the hero of the story, but as the Count of Monte Cristo, his actions in the name of vengeance could easily be described as villainous. He manipulates everyone around him and destroys the lives of three men. Yet who could blame him, when these three men so thoroughly destroyed his, in the past?

Edmond had everything to live for. He’d just returned from a successful sea voyage, he’d been given the captaincy of a ship, and he was about to marry his beloved fiancée. Three men wrongfully condemned him as a traitor, and he was sentenced, without trial, to life in prison in the grim Chateau d’If.

Thoughts of revenge sustain him during his grueling imprisonment and fuel his daring escape. Edmond discovers, though, that vengeance can leave a bitter taste, and it’s not only the guilty who suffer as a result of his actions.

The Count of Monte Cristo has been adapted into numerous movies, TV shows, and even a comic book series. I enjoyed the 1975 movie with Richard Chamberlain as Dantes, though I wish it had stuck to the original ending from the book. The 2002 version with Jim Caviezel is on my to-be-watched list.

Photo Credit: http://www.mooviees.com

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

April 4, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 4: Donald Duck

D is for — Walt Disney’s Donald Duck.

I grew up on Walt Disney cartoons. Out of the Mickey Mouse gang, Donald Duck has always been my favorite. Whenever he’s on the screen, you just know his famously short temper is going to get the best of him. His epic tantrums are hilarious, and so is his distinctive manner of nearly-unintelligible speech.

He’s a bit of a prankster, and his mischief-making gets him into trouble with just about everybody. Some of the funniest cartoons involve battles with his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and with those loveable chipmunks, Chip and Dale. And Donald, usually deservedly, gets the worst of those, too.

Donald Duck was created by Disney in 1934 as a friend for Mickey Mouse. Interestingly, I read that Disney gave Donald his less desirable character traits because he wasn’t able to show this type of personality with Mickey Mouse any longer, since Mickey had become more of a role model for kids.

While it’s true that Donald Duck’s actions are not always the kindest, he pays the consequences so thoroughly and hilariously that I forgive him. If there was ever an example of why you should control your temper and think before you act, he’s it.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Photo Credit: Disney Wikia

April 3, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

Celebrate the Small Things! and A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 3: Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau

This week I’m celebrating getting my book into a local independent book store! I’ve always wanted to see my book on an actual brick-and-mortar store shelf. I’m really excited about it!

And now for today’s A to Z —

C is for — Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau from Blake Edward’s Pink Panther films.

Jacques Clouseau is a police inspector in the French Surete. Dimwitted, bumbling, and hilariously inept, he, nevertheless, and usually completely by accident, manages to solve the case. At least, most of the time.

Anyone who has ever watched any of the Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers knows he is a slapstick comedic genius. The first time I watched the movies, I laughed myself to tears. The silliness of his clumsy antics and his over-the-top disguises still bring fits of giggles. And his warped French accent is priceless. How he did all that with a straight face, I’ll never know.

The movie series with Sellers includes The Pink Panther (1963), A Shot in the Dark (1964), Return of the Pink Panther (1975), The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), and Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978). Other Pink Panther movies were made with other actors, both before and after Sellers’ death in 1980, but in my book, Sellers owned the character, and none of the others even comes close to equaling his portrayal.

Here’s a brief example of Sellers’ inspired lunacy from The Pink Panther Strikes Again:

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

What other celebrations are going on out there?

April 2, 2015 by Lori L MacLaughlin

A to Z Challenge: More Fictional Favorites! Day 2: Bard the Bowman

B is for — Bard the Bowman from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit

No list of my favorites would be complete without at least one Tolkien character. (I had three last year.) 🙂

Of all the characters in The Hobbit, I found Bard one of the most heroic. When Smaug wreaks havoc on Laketown, Bard alone faces down the terrifying dragon and kills him with his black arrow. He is courageous, fair-minded, and compassionate and does his best to help his fellow townspeople regroup after the destruction of their town.

I love Luke Evans’ portrayal of Bard in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies — the way he loves his children, how he stands up for what he believes, and how he helps the Dwarves against his better judgment because he can’t ignore those in need. I feel for him every time someone brings up his ancestor whose missed shots long ago failed to kill Smaug, as if it were Bard’s fault and he who should be ashamed. The confrontation between Bard and Smaug at the beginning of Battle of the Five Armies was, for me, the highlight of the whole movie. That and Bard’s interactions with the hilarious Alfred.

After the battle, Bard oversees the rebuilding of the city of Dale. As a descendant of the Lords of Dale, Bard eventually becomes King of that city and returns the city and its people to prosperity once more. I wish the real world had more leaders like Bard.