Book Review--Smallville: Dragon by Alan Grant

Smallville: Dragon by Alan Grant




I thought for a change, I'd review a sci-fi style book. And being as I am a fan of the TV show Smallville, I was excited when I found out that some spin-off novels had been written. Unfortunately they are all out of print now but you can still find them here or there.

Dragon is a fast read. I bought it at BN on a Saturday, started it Sunday, and finished it Monday. That is a feat when you have two kids. Overall, it is a cute story especially for those who always wanted Clark and Lana together in the first season. As the story does take place in the first season, there is a FOTW (freak of the week) plot which is adequate. But I found the characterizations a bit off. For instance, the author has the characters saying things that the characters in Smallville would never say. For example – Clark saying pal or swell. The best was when Clark said to Lex 'As if' - like he was from the movie Clueless. The time line seems off as well because Lex is celebrating his first year in Smallville even though it is only the first season proven by the fact that Whitney is still a senior at Smallville High. Other errors include: Whitney only being two years older when he is three years older, and the Sheriff not being Ethan but Bryan Shugrue. Okay, I'm not looking for perfection here it is just a Smallville novel after all.

That said, I did enjoy the book. It just seems that this author, though he is a well-known comic author for Batman, did not know or understand Smallville well enough to capture the essence of these characters. This was the first of the Smallville novels that I read. I have since read two others and enjoyed them much more. For example: Smallville: City by Devin Grayson was very good. She understood the characters much more and crafted a believable scenario outside of the events taking place in the show. In fact, she wrote that she viewed the DVD's for season 2 many times before starting to write this book. She took the time to know the show and the characters.

If you love Smallville, go ahead and get Dragon. If you are only somewhat interested, pick up one of the others.

Happy Reading!

New Cover for Snow Kissed

I’m pleased to say that my out of print short sweet story–Snow Kissed–has been contracted by White Rose Publishing (the new imprint of The Wild Rose Press). I rewrote the story as an Inspirational and doubled the length.

Today is one of those days Logan Reilly wished he’d stayed in bed. Not only does he have to deal with the annoying Winter Wonderland Carnival but his close friend, that whimsical lover of snow, Holly Armstrong, is leaving town forever. The question is why didn’t she tell him and why today, of all days, does he realize she might be more than a friend?

Holly can no longer stay in town knowing the man she loves only sees her as a friend. It’s time to move on; besides she has other career prospects.

As the carnival unfolds, watch God work in amazing ways. Can He change Holly’s mind and make her stay? Can He help Logan see beyond the friendship? Only time can tell.

Coming in late 2009 to White Rose Publishing

Classic Friday~Dickens' Characters: David Copperfield

Those who are not readers of classic literature will often ask, ‘What’s the big deal with Dickens?’ And my answer would be his characters. Dickens created some of the most enduring characters in all of literature.

We can all argue on which Dickens novel is best, but I don’t intend to discuss that today. One thing that I hope we can all agree on is that out of David Copperfield have come some of the best characters he ever penned. As an author myself, I know how important it is to have memorable characters. Characters tell our stories. Without them, no matter how exciting the plot, the book will fall flat. I’ve learned a lot about characterization from my love of classic literature and a big thanks goes to Mr. Charles Dickens.

David Copperfield is the title character and yet he is probably the most boring of the lot because…well, he is so infernally good. It is interesting that ten years later, Dickens would write Great Expectations with a similar story of a young boy and his journey to manhood. Yet, Pip isn’t the perfect young man that we see in David Copperfield.

The number of characters in the novel are overwhelming, but here are a few of the important ones. Wilkins Micawber (one of my favorites) is habitually in debt but with a good heart who eventually prospers, Uriah Heep is the hypocritical clerk whose plotting eventually leads to his downfall, Clara Peggotty the kind and devoted nurse of dear David, Edward Murdston the stern and cruel step-father, and of course Betsy Trotwood the unbending and austere great-aunt of David’s who becomes his salvation in his young life.

I encourage you if you have not yet read this novel to give it a try sometime soon. You might be surprised at the festival of characters waiting to be discovered. Happy Reading!

P.S. Don't devour Dickens--savor it. Do what I do, download the electronic version from Project Gutenberg and read it off your PDA or e-book reader (if you have one) a chapter at a time or when you have a moment. Or like me, before bed. It may take you a couple months that way but you might enjoy and remember it that much more. Another tip is to watch a movie version of the book before reading. It will help you understand the plot and figure out the characters before trying to go through it on your own. I suggest the 1999 version with Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, and Ian McKellan. (Even my 10 y/o enjoyed it.)

Book Trailer for Dilemma of the Heart

I’m on a roll with making book trailers. After having had so much fun making one for NovelTea Next Door, I decided to make another one for Dilemma of the Heart. It was the first time I’ve attempted to make one for a historical. It is definitely more challenging getting the right images but the video came together fairly nice. Well, you tell me what you think. Thanks.

Classic Friday~A Look at Pride and Prejudice

Having read most of the Austen novels between the ages of 14 and 18 and a couple of them again in my early twenties, I decided to begin reading them once again in 2005 just before the new Pride and Prejudice film adaptation released. And I’ve read several of them every year since. The most recent of which was Mansfield Park. So, the question most JA fans discuss amongst themselves is which of her novels is their favorite.

This is hard for me. I suppose P&P was always my favorite growing up, but now I find Persuasion to be a fav read. Yet P&P is probably her most popular. Why do you think that is?

To begin with, it’s the characters—especially Elizabeth and Darcy. A couple years ago, I took a fiction writing class where we had to choose three literary characters and tell what we liked about them. I used Elizabeth Bennett as one of my choices. And to give reason for my choice, I used a quote from the book. She was described as having a “lively, playful disposition.” I love these kind of playful, free thinking, independent characters and I find myself writing my characters in the same way. Jane Austen loved her Elizabeth character, as well, when she wrote, “I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print, and how I shall be able to tolerate those who do not like her at least I do not know.” She needn’t have worried. Elizabeth Bennett is now considered one of the most beloved heroines in all of literature. Elizabeth was unusual for a Georgian period character because she was interested in more than just getting a husband. She was a woman way before her time.

Darcy also is a likeable character; although, he may not appear to be so much at the beginning. Just like Elizabeth, we the reader have to take the time to get to know Darcy and peel back his layers before we too can fall in love with him. There is a complexity about him. It must be true because so many people have so many different takes on his character. If he were simpler, we would have all come to the same conclusions on him. Some see him as proud, aloof, and a snob. I see much more in Darcy. There's a lot of smoldering passion there. I love reading this book more than watching the movies because you get a whole lot more of what Darcy is feeling and struggling with in the text. This is especially true throughout the chapters when he and Elizabeth are guests at the Bingley home of Netherfield. He is constantly struggling and convincing himself to give up this nonsense, but this is when he falls in love. He’s wonderful!!

But those aren’t the only well-crafted characters in the book. The secondaries really bring this tale to life. Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Bingley, Wickham, Caroline Bingley, on and on. I think this is the reason so many of the recent Jane Austen spin-off novels have failed. They weren’t able to capture the essence of these characters. A few talented authors have pulled it off and those are the ones I will read, but it really is hard emulating a master at the craft.

Other than the characters, the best part of this book is the love story. The interaction between Elizabeth and Darcy (the spark) is terrific. JA plotted a tale of two characters who seem to dislike each other upon first meeting but eventually come to the conclusion that they are made for each other. Austen is good for a whole lot more than a simple love story, but you must admit she can spin a great romance. And I have always been more moved in that respect with this book than most others.

If you’ve read Austen, do you have a favorite novel? Please share.

Classic Fridays

Most people who know me know I love classic literature--that I am a certified Jane Austen fan or JaneJunkie as I like to call them. So, I thought it might be fun to start posting on classic literature on Fridays. I won't promise to do it every Friday but most Fridays at any rate.



I try to read several classic novels every year. Most of the time I'm reading a...that's right a Jane Austen novel. At the moment though I'm reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Many Americans think of the North and South from our Civil War but Gaskell's North and South takes place in England. It is about the a Northern manufacturer, John Thornton and a middle class Southern woman, Margaret Hale. The North was very much turning to manufacturing at this time and the South is where you had more of the landed gentry and agriculture. These two just clash when they meet with their differences of opinion. It's a very romantic book. The author really gets into the head of the John Thornton character more than was usual in those days. But it is also a social commentary of workers and owners (or masters as they call them), unions and rights, and the plight of the poor . This is the second time I am reading this book. It's a good one not to be missed. I'll talk about it more in the future.


Until next Friday, keep reading those classics,
Cindy

Great News: A New Inspirational Market

March is White Rose Month @ The Wild Rose Press and as a surprise to EVERYONE (including the authors), the publishers and Sr. Editor introduced some exciting news and now I’m passing it on to you!

We’re excited to announce the arrival of White Rose Publishing.

On May 1, 2006, two writing critique partners, RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders, decide to open a “kinder and gentler” publishing company. That company was, and is, The Wild Rose Press. Their premise was to grow a “garden” where authors would be treated with respect, concern, and understanding. RJ and Rhonda wanted a publishing company that didn’t make authors wonder what was happening with their manuscripts. The two also believed that no one should ever again receive a form rejection letter. If the manuscript was not something the company could use, every writer who sent a query would receive a personal, prompt, and courteous letter of rejection explaining exactly why the manuscript wasn’t accepted and what the author could do to improve it. If an author was to receive a contract, the process would be as efficient as possible, and the author would be kept in the loop with communication every step along the way. In fact, communication was to be one of the key strengths of the company.

Almost three years later, RJ and Rhonda have successfully fulfilled their goals, and over five hundred authors in a range of fourteen different lines have been published at The Wild Rose Press, and a staff of close to fifty includes a Graphic Arts Department, Production Department, Proofreading, Marketing and, of course, Editing.

Continuing to cultivate The Wild Rose Press was to be the end of the story. However in late 2008, RJ and Rhonda became aware that some Christian readers and authors were reluctant to visit The Wild Rose Press catalogue site because of some of the non-Christian covers that sometimes appeared on the front page as new titles in the non-Christian lines were released. Not wanting to offend, RJ and Rhonda quickly built a White Rose portal at http://www.whiterosesbooks.com/ so that Christian visitors could avoid non-Christian content if they so chose. But, on further research, both agreed this was not enough.

VOILA! White Rose Publishing was born. With the experience of RJ and Rhonda behind it, along with the impeccable reputation and RWA recognition that The Wild Rose Press is an upstanding publisher, pays royalties promptly and on a regular basis, and is not a vanity or subsidy publishing house, White Rose Publishing sees its dawn as we move towards becoming the online place for quality Christian romance. We will publish books and stories in various lengths ranging from Rosettes (which are quick reads) to Roses (which are 100,000 word novels). All books over 65,000 words will be released in both print and ebook form. Anything less than 65K will be available as an ebook at a variety of distributors, including Amazon Kindle, Sony Ebook store, and Fictionwise, among others. Printed books will be distributed through http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, Target.com, and can be ordered by libraries, bookstores through such distributors as Bakers and Taylor and Ingram.

As a new publishing venture, we are actively seeking quality submissions in all romance subgenre. Senior Editor Nicola Martinez, holds to strict guidelines of what is and isn’t acceptable for a White Rose book. While we will publish some titles that might be considered “edgy” according to regular CBA guidelines, with her team of three editors, Ms. Martinez will work hard to bring readers entertaining, quality stories that also glorify Christ by upholding a strict code of Christian values. For information on how to submit, please read our submission guidelines.

So, if you read or write Inspirational please stop by. We are even building a library of FREE READ short stories so come on over, take a look around, enter our poll on favorite genre, download a free read and see what we have to offer.