It’s spring break here, which means my gremlins are home 24/7 until next Monday. I’m trying to get some writing done while they’re home, but it’s a struggle. Over the weekend we were here (see photo on right) at Black Butte Ranch in Central Oregon with friends who own a house there. Saturday the guys took the kids golfing (it was 66 degrees). Sunday my girlfriend and I took them snowboarding 15 miles up the road at the Hoodoo Ski Area. Where else but in Oregon can you go golfing one day and skiing the next, all within 15 miles of each other?

This week is a wild one for me. On top of writing, I’m speaking at the PLA Conference in Portland on Thursday with John Charles from the Chicago Tribune/Booklist, Elizabeth Boyle, Christina Dodd & Nicole Burnham. My editor’s flying in for the conference as well, so she and I are gonna grab dinner one night, which I’m really looking forward to. Tomorrow I have an “online appt” to get my computer fixed (grrr…it’s still giving me fits) and I’m hoping that takes care of my tech issues. And somewhere in there I promised my kids I’d take them to see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, which opened last weekend.

I also have some good news, but I can’t share yet. Kinda waiting for the official announcement. Will let you know more when I can (hopefully soon!)

In the meantime, if you’re browsing for something to read, I’m over at the Bradford Bunch talking about reviews. And if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter yet, go do it. I still have MARKED ARCs and I’m going to draw a name from my newsletter and send someone a lucky book. Friday. Let’s say I’ll do it on Friday! So go sign up!

Finish the end of the sentence. Go on, I dare you.

I just have to say right now that I have never been a big vampire fan. I mean, the blood, the immortality, the whole biting thing…ick. I have a hard enough time donating blood. I can’t imagine voluntarily allowing two giant fangs to pierce my skin.

That said…my relatives on my mother’s side come from that famed region in (what used to be) Hungary known as Transylvania. Yes, you heard that right. Somewhere back in my lineage there’s probably a link to Dracula, the king of all vampires. Being the paranormal author I am, I’ve had fun with this little bit of info. You see, when my 5 yr old was little, we used to tease him that he was a vampire, and the link to Transylvania? Fodder for the story. He hated the sun (still does), he had the sharpest little fangs you ever saw (they’re worn down now but not gone) and he used to growl at people he’d meet in the grocery store or on the street or, heck, anyone he knew for that matter. Little vampire. That was him. However lately, it’s gotten out of control.

Over the weekend my daughter was watching Twilight. I came downstairs and sat on the couch and watched with her for a bit, and after a few minutes the 5 yr old sauntered into the room. He snuggled in next to me, watched for a while and then said, “Mamma?”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t we sparkle?”

It took me a minute to figure out what he was asking. And then bingo, I realized, I have teased him so mercilously that he now believes we are real vampires.

There are two reactions a mother would have to this. The first (and most logical) is to say, “Oh, honey, mommy was only teasing. We’re not real vampires.”

But that wasn’t my reaction. Oh, no, what came out of my mouth was,

“Not all vampires sparkle.”

At this point my husband, who was also in the room, looked over at me with raised eyebrow and said, “Oh, there are different kinds of vampires now?”

“Yes,” I answered. “It’s all up to the author, you know.”

This, of course, would all be fun and comical if the 5 yr old hadn’t then leaned over to me and whispered, “Daddy doesn’t get it cuz he’s not a vampire like us.”

And my response?

“I know. Just ignore him.”

You Know You’re A Paranormal Author When…you convince your 5 yr old he’s a vampire.

Egad.

Your turn. Make me feel better. Change it up based on whether you’re a reader or writer:

You Know You’re A Paranormal Reader/Writer When…

short synopsis of the movie. I walked out of the theater thinking it reminded me too much of Dance With Wolves. But Carrie hit it spot on…this movie WAS Pocahontas, just done up with special effects.

Okay, I’m a writer. I realize that plots are reworked all the time. I know when you take a story down to its most basic elements, there are really only seven original plots:

Overcoming the monster
Rags to riches
The quest
Voyage and return
Comedy
Tragedy
Rebirth

I also know that all stories–books and movies–are simply variations on these seven original plots. But, come on. James Cameron, the movie god, couldn’t give us anything more original than Pocahontas?

My dislikes aside, I guess in a way the success of this movie is really a plus for writers like me. If Avatar were a book, it would be shelved in sci-fi romance. It has all the elements of a single title romance: happy ending, bad guy gets it in the end, world is saved, hero finds true love, heroine teaches hero about what’s most important in life. Those are the things *I* write about, and they’re the things my fellow romance writers write about. I have a feeling if you asked James Cameron if Avatar is a romance, he’d probably say no, it’s a sci-fi thriller. But you and I know the truth. And the next time someone bashes romance around me, I’ll ask them if they enjoyed Avatar. Fodder for the romance genre is one thing I have to thank James Cameron for.

Over the weekend I rented Jason & The Argonauts. It’s an older movie – ca. 2000 – about Jason’s quest for the Golden Fleece. As I’m in the middle of my own Argonaut series right now, I’m heavily immersed in Greek mythology, so I was really looking forward to watching this movie.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped. It was long (over three hours) and dry, and the romance between Jason & Medea left me yawning. But it was an interesting portrayal of the quest and for research reasons, I’m glad I watched it.

Now, what I’m REALLY looking forward to is the new Clash of the Titans movie, which releases March 2010. Here’s a brief synopsis:

In Clash of the Titans, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world.

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

This sounds like my kind of movie. And I’m pumped because it comes out just two months before the launch of my new Eternal Guardians series and the first book, MARKED. Hopefully it will have people talking about Greek mythology and pining for more.

What movies are you looking forward to?

As most of you know, I’m not a big TV-watcher. I just don’t have time. I write primarily in the evenings after the Gremlins go to bed, during prime TV-watching hours. After finishing a project though, I always take some time off to catch up on shows I enjoy (like House). Now is no exception. Especially with the DH off work due to his back surgery recovery. We’ve watched a lot of House, the series end of The Shield, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (have you seen this? If not, you’re truly missing out. Hi-larious) and I’ve become addicted to The National Geographic Channel (they have REALLY cool stuff on there!). But when I caught DH watching Martha Stewart the other day (he’s really getting bored being home during the day) I decided it was time to trade in the TV lineup and catch up on all those DVDs I’ve skipped over. Here’s what we’ve watched lately:

We Own The Night (2007) – Joaquin & Mark. No better combo out there. Don’t know why I didn’t see this one sooner either. Really enjoyed it.

There are more…lots on cable and a few in the theatre, most of which I can’t remember…but those are the highlights. It’s fun to veg out in front of the TV watching movies now and then, though I think I’m reaching my limit.

So did you see any of these movies? What did you think? And have you seen anything good lately you’d recommend? The DH still has another three weeks or so before he goes back to work, and the way things are going, if I don’t find some other interesting movies for him to watch, I may have to put a parental lock on the daytime TV selections…

How many of you had to suffer through watch this movie? I have a “tween”…she’s nine….and she’s in love with this series. Needless to say, I was stuck in a theatre on Sunday.

Twenty seconds into the first scene where the basketball jocks all break out into song during the middle of the championship basketball game, I leaned over to my daughter and said, “It’s a good thing your dad isn’t here.” She ignored me. My six year old son, however, who went with us because he foolishly figured ANY movie with popcorn had to be better than staying home, couldn’t agree more. He sat through the 2 hr movie with a frightened look on his face. And when it was over and we walked out of the theatre, his only comment was, “Mom? Next time *I* get to pick the movie, okay?” I called my hubby on the way home and told him he has nothing to worry about…his son is ALL boy.

There were some good things, don’t get me wrong. Though both of the first two movies in this “trilogy” were on TV, I never watched them all the way through, so this was my first time with the cast of HSM. I will admit that I did enjoy some of the dance numbers, and the romance between the two main characters was “sweet” (although very unrealistic…what 17 yr old boy do you know hides out in a treehouse with his girlfriend and DOESN’T put the moves on her???). And I like that it’s opened up my kids eyes to the idea of the arts. But as a parent, I kept thinking about how I’d have to discuss with my daughter the reality that real-life high school isn’t like this. Million dollar high schools with top of the line EVERYTHING (I’ve never seen a roof like that in my life!), dancing in the halls, double lockers and students dressed by Gucci don’t exist. At least not where we live. And sure enough, as we were leaving the theatre and before I could even utter a word, my daughter announced, “I can’t wait for high school!”

I’d much rather my daughter watch something wholesome like this rather than some of the other crap that’s out there, but I’m really glad this is (hopefully) the last movie and I don’t have to suffer through watch it again. At least until it comes out on video. Oh boy…