May! Winner!

May has arrived! I hope your day is full of flowers, dancing, and joy. After all the amazing comments and Buffy love I think I'll be watching Buffy episodes all day.

And now - winner of the WOLFSBANE ARC:

I was a bit tricky because for quote 5: "Bored now." I was specifically looking for Vampire/Evil/Doppelganger/Alternate/Dark Willow rather than just Willow. But fourteen of you saw into my nefarious brain! Good job!

The winner is: Rayshelle!

Congrats!!

And since season 6 of another favorite show, Doctor Who, has just begun let's celebrate with the best of both worlds:



Thanks to everyone who entered and keep watching for more contests before WOLFSBANE hits stores on July 26!

Beltane and Buffy

April 30 is my favorite of the eight sabbats. Beltane/May Eve is a harbinger of summer honored with fabulous festivals replete with fires and dancing. The world of Nightshade is steeped in the tradition and history of witchcraft and Wolfsbane draws readers deeper into that world. To celebrate this holiday I'm holding a contest and the winner will receive a Wolfsbane ARC!

Since my last blog post touted the greatness of Buffy I want to have a Beltane Buffy quiz. May is the fifth month of the year, so here are five of my favorite quotes from Buffy. Correctly identify the Buffy character delivered each of the five quotes and you'll be in the running to win the ARC.
1) "What's the matter Watcher? Life flash before your eyes? Cup o' tea, cup o' tea, almost got shagged, cup o' tea?"

2) "Forgiveness makes us human, blah, blah, blah."

3) "Rain of toads. One minute its 'oh no, pop quiz' and now it's rain of toads."

4) "That's beautiful...or taken literally incredibly gross."

5) "Bored now."

Good luck! Entries taken until 12 a.m. May 1.

Please leave your answers in the comments section. This contest is open to international entries!

My Generation

Courtesy of Karsten Knight and Stacey of Page Turners Blog I've been inspired to post about films that supplied priceless pop culture knowledge that I internalized as eternal. I think it's perfectly reasonable that each generation assumes its points of pop culture reference will forever be relevant, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "Each generation must write its own books, or rather each generation for the next succeeding."

There are certain pieces of culture that I refuse to believe will lose their relevance. For example, I will go to my grave proclaiming that everyone should know Buffy the Vampire Slayer and relish her (and Joss Whedon's) contributions to our sorry world.
I'm forced to admit, however, that some of my cherished films will languish in history. To forestall this decline I'm going to do a series of posts about films that left indelible marks on my psyche and creative life.

Because this endeavor was inspired by Karsten's reference to She's All That. I'm starting with RomComs and the movie in question.

My brother and I used to watch She's All That constantly. It's a great mood lifter - funny and sweet. And has one of the best choreographed prom dances ever - Fat Boy Slim FTW! (And yes, that IS Usher)



Ten Things I Hate About You is another priceless romance. A retelling of Taming of the Shrew it features clever dialogue and young Heath Ledger (RIP) opposite Julia Stiles. Bonus: Proof that Joseph Gordon Levitt was awesome before Inception.

Another adapted tale is Clueless with Alicia Silverstone as Jane Austen's Emma. This film is hilarious! Clueless is the 90s prep to counter Ten Things 90s grunge - both of which were essential 90s trends.Taking few more steps back in time to 1980s, I'd be remiss to leave off a John Hughes film. I think they are all worth watching, but I have a soft spot for Sixteen Candles. In terms of feminism this film has some really messed up ideologies, but given that it's John Hughes my presumption is that such hyperbole of sexual and racial stereotypes are written with both irony and purpose (or I'm just naive). The kiss over the candles with Thompson Twins singing in the background is an alltime favorite scene.

Sixteen Candles also has young John Cusack, but of course Cusack's famous 80s movie moment featuring a window and a boombox and Peter Gabriel happens in Say Anything.

Also of the 80s - Girls Just Want to Have Fun. SJP and Helen Hunt in the 80s! Best slumber party movie ever. I went through about four birthdays where this was the featured film.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun is about a forbidden dance contest, but it's very PG in content. So of course I have to mention the more risque forbidden dance film: Dirty Dancing.
No one puts Baby in the corner!

Jumping back into the 90s - some might not consider Mallrats a romantic comedy, but I do. And I adore it! Shannon Doherty and Magic Eye make this film indispensable. Plus - filmed in Minnesota, home of the first enclosed shopping mall in the country.

Another 90s film that I consider priceless is Beautiful Girls. Though this movie focuses on a high school reunion of late 20 somethings, its message is relevant for young adults and adults.

In the last year of the 90s But I'm a Cheerleader made a wonderful and important contribution to rom coms. This film is poignant and hilarious. And has RuPaul in an amazing role!
I could probably go on, but I'm happy with this list. What do you consider defining romantic comedies for your generation or simply for you?

Coming soon: Children's films, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, and Horror!

Pick Your Apocalypse

This weekend I took in a film: Battle: LA. I will pretty much see any spectacular disaster movie, whether good or bad. I'd put Battle: LA in the good camp - it was an enjoyable romp with explosions abounding.

My husband and I bond over a shared love of the imagined apocalypse. While its depictions range from eye-rollingly ridiculous to thought provoking, there's something fascinating about the end of the world as we know it. In Buffyverse, though not one of my favorite character's, Riley Finn delivered one of the best lines of the series: "I find myself needing to know the plural of apocalypse."

Pop culture has indeed dreamed up a plethora of means by which the world might end and I tend to enjoy society's demise in all its forms. The Ides of March seem an appropriate day to examine a foreboding subject. Let's have a look see:

Alien apocalypse
Since I started out with Battle: LA I might as well continue in this vein. The alien apocalypse can be zany (Mars Attacks), insidious (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, X-Files), or bombastic (Independence Day, Battle: LA). It's interesting to see what our extraterrestrial neighbors look like, covet their superior technology, and wonder how humans will manage to prevail.

Viral ApocalypseMaybe more frightening because of its plausibility, the supervirus apocalypse (The Stand, Survivors) gets popular play though not as often as other armageddons. Sometimes it wipes out the population, sometimes it makes people into vampires (Daybreakers).

And in case you were worried that all this world-ending mayhem was mutually exclusive, sometimes viruses even bring...

Zombie apocalypseA perennial favorite, the zombie apocalypse comes in many forms. Whether wrought by the slow moving undead (George Romero's oeuvre) or the hyper-charged rage-diseased variety (28 Days Later), zombies spell bad news for society but give us lots of tips for survival. Double tap.

In fact, I'm not that frightened by the onset of zombie apocalypse because I think a good portion of the population is living in a zombie-apocalypse-ready state.

Climate apocalypse
A relative newcomer to the end of the world scenarios, you'll find a few blockbusters (The Day After Tomorrow) but mostly made-for-tv fare (Category 7: The End of the World is pretty awesome). To get serious for a moment, the climate apocalypse scenario hits pretty close to home when horrible disasters (and yes, I know tectonics isn't climate, but still) are affecting sites around the globe. If you aren't already donating to the Red Cross, please consider doing so.

Nuclear apocalypse

Like viral and climate apocalypses, nuclear apocalypse is plausible enough to be truly unsettling. But saw its popularity (Dr. Strangelove, The Day After, Reds, On the Beach) wane in the 21st century. I think "too close for comfort" is part of the we don't see more films of this variety. Also because the Cold War ended. Duh.

Biblical apocalypse
Classic. Who doesn't love a good angels vs. demons battle for the fate of the world? And the four horsemen: pretty hard to top. Whether the anti-Christ is being born (The Omen, Constantine) or Lucifer's running rampant (End of Days), this type of apocalypse is chock full of supernatural goodness.

Though I'd hope none of us are rooting for the end of the world, I'd still wager that we all favor a particular armageddon. My husband is a devoted nuclear apocalypse fan, I'm torn between zombie and biblical, which makes sense given that science fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres.

What's your apocalypse of choice?

Happy Thanksgiving

Buffy style!



May your ritual sacrifice and your pie be scrumptious!

In Which I Am Opinionated

I generally consider myself to be a peaceable person, but a few things make steam come out my ears. At the top of the list: bigotry, sexism, and misogyny.

If you want to peer into my brain for a few minutes - stop by the Book Faery's blog to check out my guest post on sexual double standards in fiction, plus you have the chance to win a Nightshade ARC!

And don't forget to submit your designs for the Wolfsbane cover contest.

2! Romantagonists

REMEMBER: CONTEST SUNDAY! BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY!!

Anyone out there like me who when faced with saccharin sweet, gooey love sometimes roots for the baddies?

Anyone? *crickets*

Even if I'm on my own, I'm giving it up for my top Stop-Love-At-All-Costs Villains:

Maleficent. Okay - so admittedly Prince Philip is one of the hottest Disney heroes out there, but how can you not love Maleficent. She is awesome (rumor has it she's getting her own movie. You go girl!)


Brett and Jemaine.Though not villains in the strictest sense, these two are their own worst enemies when it comes to romance. From petty rivalries to wonky habits I don't think a Mrs. Flight of the Conchords is viable.

Wicked Witch (Snow White's Step Mom). This poor lady doesn't even get a name. But how awesome is her box?! I want a box like that. And Snow White is sooooo annoying. I'd give her a poisoned apple too.

Jacob.
I'm Team Edward, but I still like having Jake around. Do I need to say why? Look at the picture.

Adam. He ultimately fails due to Buffy's awesome kick-ass skills, but at least he tried. Because Riley is a doof. A doof I say.

Any thorns between the roses you like to cheer on?

Bundle

I have a problem with Februrary. It happens every year. While I love the shifting seasons and cycle of nature, my enthusiasm for the slow turn of Mother Nature's wheel wanes this month. Right now it's just about ground to a bone-crunching halt.

We're having another blizzard. Sigh. And while the days are getting longer, there's not yet evidence enough of sunlight to pierce the haze of winter grimness.
If I were a big fan of Valentine's Day, it would help. Some celebrating would break up the month, offering a nice dose of anticipation. Unfortunately I'm kind of a Valentine's hater. I love romance, but the oversell of this particular holiday undercuts my enjoyment of it. I tend to snark at the icky rhetoric deployed by jewelry adds (i.e. love = diamonds!!!) instead of losing myself in a chocolate coma like I should.
In light of my grumpy mood, I thought I'd put out a call for all things comfort. I'm actively creating my favorite Comfort Bundle. While the snow drifts and wind wails outside I am sitting with my dogs on the couch. They are happy, little snuggle bugs that make me smile.

I also love macaroni and cheese made with extra cheese and hot sauce. Yum.

I will be drinking lots of coffee.

And I will watch Buffy.

And maybe these things will add up to take my February blues away.

What's your go-to comfort bundle?

Dear Buffy

I've been putting this off, but we need to talk. (Could you put the crossbow down...please?)

You know I love you. No one can take your place. The Scoobies will be first in my heart, forever.

But lately I've been seeing someone else.

At first I didn't think it was serious. I couldn't help but notice the way they bandied about clever dialogue, twisted fright and funny into a glorious knot, and peppered plots with pop culture references, drawing me in. There were so many similarities to the greatness that is your show, Buffy, and now I have to confess. I'm falling hard for Sam and Dean.
Buffy, if you met the Winchester brothers I think you'd understand. And you certainly would appreciate all the hotness going on there.
You will always be The One, Buffy - the show I know backwards and forwards, that I have each episode all but memorized - but I hope you'll forgive me for making room in my heart for Supernatural.

I wanted to be honest and avoid another Veronica Mars fiasco like before.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Yours always,

Andrea

A Real Character

Main characters (MC) he or she is the one we're supposed to love, loathe, relate to. How can writers construct an MC that readers become invested in?

The Screaming Guppy is doing all of us a wonderful favor by sharing experiences from Donald Maass' 'The Fire in Fiction' workshop, and has a great post up about MCs.

In my own writing, the key to a great MC is identification. In some way the MC has to develop an intimate relationship with the reader. This connection can only be maintained if the MC is accessible. Translation = he or she cannot be perfect or larger than life.

Let's revisit Buffy once more, because Buffy teaches such lessons so well.

Buffy is the Chosen One. If you're the Chosen One it might seem like blessings from the Power That Be rain down without ceasing, making life full of perfect rainbows and never-ending bliss...right?
Nope. Buffy may be the Chosen One but, to steal a line from another great MC, Spiderman, 'with great power comes great responsibility.'

Buffy makes some very poor choices. She runs away from home. She lies to her friends. She sleeps with an abusive vampire (okay, Spike fans, I'm with you, I know he reforms later...but still initially, not a good choice for our Buffy). To quote Clem (one of my favorite supporting characters from BVS...more coming tomorrow on SCs) on Buffy's flaws: 'She's a nice girl. But hey...issues.'

Heroes and heroines that draw readers in are inherently flawed. Even wielding their exceptional super powers, they're burdened to desire and doubt, struggling between self-interest and the greater good.

The journey through a book is about secrecy and revelation; readers need to be compelled forward, struggling with the MC to make progress, to discover. If the MC is perfect from page one, what challenges could possibly lay ahead. Without flaws dogging our MCs steps, the plot lies limp on the page, failing to convey the tenuous condition that is life, unable to capture that essence of human experience that makes us turn the page...the breathless hope that things will get better, against all odds, despite the lack of perfection we humans embody every day.

Buffy Lessons

I'm devoting my next few posts to the creation and maintenance of exceptional characters. One of the best compliments I've received about my writing came from my amazing crit partner, Lisa Dez, who wrote in response to a draft of NIGHTSHADE, "You're clearly a character writer." And I was thrilled. (Thanks Lisa!)

The characters who populate my written worlds are almost closer than friends. As I write, I feel what they feel, fear what they fear, understand their motivations, and cringe when they make poor choices.

In Twitter's #kidlitchat last night, the topic was "What makes a strong character?" Some chatters took that literally - talking about physical strength over feebleness and fragility, but I considered the prompt a call for characters that are built by the author in such a way that they grab onto the reader and don't let go.

I'll be spending a day on the following character types: MCs, Supporting, and Villains (bwaaah-haa-haa).

But to start us off, I'd like to give a nod to my favorite, Jedi-Master character builder: Joss Whedon. Joss gives us the best kind of characters - sharp, engaging, and multi-faceted. Scott Westerfeld wrote a great essay on Whedon's strength in world building, and I've seen many posts about how amazing Joss is at dialogue. His characters deserve equal attention.

This post was inspired by my shock and horror at a Tweet I saw claiming that Buffy has no brains. Wrong, wrong, and wrong.I don't need everyone on this planet to be a Buffy fan. I'm a believer in personal taste, and Buffy is not for everyone. I don't care for the Beatles (no, really, I don't), but I can appreciate why others do and I understand what their contribution to the music world was. I respect that contribution and their art - I still don't like listening to them.

So if you don't wake up each morning and watch Buffy over breakfast like me, that is A-Okay. But if you insult Buffy broadly and disparage her as a character while demonstrating you know nothing about the show other than a one-glance write off...then I iz angries!!

It's exactly that Buffy does have brains, but that at first glance you wouldn't know it, which demonstrates why Joss is a master character writer. All the outward modes of Buffy (including her name) point to bubble-gum snapping, shoe obsessing, vacuous girlhood. But scratch beneath that surface and you find a complex, always evolving young woman who constantly balances a desire to belong with the isolation of being the Chosen One.
And in answer to the claim that Buffy has no brains, let me just say:

1)Her teachers always note her intellectual aptitude, but other things get in the way. (It's not her fault nice science teacher got eaten by a giant praying mantis and that her favorite college prof turned out to be a crazed bio-demon engineer whose creation made Frankenstein look like My Little Pony.)
2)She kicks ass on the SAT and is admitted to Northwestern (duty alone pushes her to attend the local branch of UC-Sunnydale).
And 3) She changes over time (and is still evolving as a character in the Season 8 comics) - and isn't the ability to grow as an individual the clearest sign of an open mind and intelligence?
But if you don't want to believe me, well "that's your purgative." (Ahem, that's a quote from Buffy's kid sister, Dawn (Season 6, 'Tabula Rasa.' And in case you were wondering - Buffy corrects her language.)