A New Milestone in Film 12/21/2009
In the ‘70s and 80’s, George Lucas changed the face of sci-fi film with the first three Star Wars features. New technology needed to be created in order to make the movies possible, and that technology took special effects to a level never before imagined. Moreover, the plot was exciting, heartfelt, and insightful, capturing the hearts of children and adults alike. The movies defined a generation and made sci-fi fans of both males and females from all walks of life. Avatar is the Star Wars of the 21st century. I went into the theater already knowing that I would be witnessing history in the making. Having worked with one of the digital imaging technicians for the film, knowing his attention to detail and his eye for perfection, I couldn’t wait to view the completed product. I knew I was about to embark on an amazing journey—but nothing could prepare me for the breathtaking masterpiece I saw today. Avatar is by far the most visually stunning film I have ever had the pleasure to watch. The digital effects were flawless, the story was beautiful, and overall the work was brilliant. The characters were believable, even the digitally generated Na’vi, and the scenery was amazing. I have read criticism that has called Avatar “Dances with Smurfs,” and I can only shake my head. All filmmakers know that there are seven basic plots; storylines and characters can change, but they will always fit into one of those basic plots. James Cameron meshed the plot most associated with Dances with Wolves and The Last Samurai, placed it on an alien planet, and added an impeccable hero’s journey. There are no Smurfs, here—Avatar is thoughtful, meaningful, and artfully executed. I only have a couple of minor criticisms of the film. If you have not yet watched Avatar and do not wish to read any spoilers, please do not continue. Spoilers ahead. This is your last chance to turn away. My main criticism is with the plot dumps at the beginning of the film. While I realize that Mr. Cameron was working under time constraints and had no choice but to use them, the dialog felt a little choppy: characters were telling other characters pieces of information that they should have already known, in ways that seemed slightly out of place. A revision in those couple of pieces of dialog would have made a huge difference in the beginning of the film. My second criticism is the “unobtainium.” The name alone takes away from the serious realism the rest of the movie achieves, the play on words being just too obvious. More importantly, we never see any characters actually mine the precious metal—and it is never made clear just why it is so precious. Online searches reveal that the mineral is supposed to be a superconductor and powerful energy source, but we are never given this information in the film. We are told that Earth is a dying planet; wouldn’t something life sustaining be more worth fighting over? Why are the humans mining “unobtainium?” Why is it worth so much? Can it save lives? Can it save our dying Earth? Eliminating the unobtainium and making the planet itself the commodity would have eliminated the out-of-place plot dumps about the mineral. Thirdly, but just as importantly, Mr. Cameron could have reallocated several precious screen minutes to better use by making the main character’s initial loss of his twin brother available through plot dump, as opposed to actual footage. The film is nearly three hours long (which does fly, given its amazing content); the beginning would not have suffered had the cremation scene been cut and the information about the brother been offered through a few well executed lines. Beyond those small criticisms, I have nothing but positive words to offer about Avatar. I laughed, I cried, I gasped with awe, and I left the theater feeling as though I had just watched a top-notch live action movie. I did more than that, though; I witnessed the beginning of a new era in digital film and I experienced a story that will stay with me for years to come. And I didn’t even watch the 3D version. This is a great interview with editor and literary agent Lori Perkins: http://libertyconspiracy.podomatic.com/entry/2009-12-17T09_10_45-08_00 On Gods and Monsters 12/17/2009
As a writer, I deal with fictitious entities all the time--but no matter how unreal they are, they always have some type of base to reality. My fiction does what the fiction of many authors does: it offers commentary and insight on our world by integrating reality in fiction. The unreal becomes a tool to state what might be otherwise too sensitive or difficult to touch upon. There are real monsters out there--they might not be supernatural or superhuman, but they do exist. Rarely do I blog about issues that have nothing to do with my writing. There are plenty of opinions out there and mine is but one of them. However, upon reading the news today--and the responses to it--I could not hold my peace. Today an NFL player, Chris Henry, was reported deceased. The man, according to previous reports, had engaged in numerous criminal activities, including battery and destruction of property. He died trying to pursue a woman clearly attempting to flee him. Despite the man's history, fans are treating him like a fallen hero. According to a Yahoo Sports commentary, Henry was a role model in waiting who simply did not have the chance to prove himself due to his untimely death. This is nothing short of outrageous. This man had a lengthy rap sheet, with numerous violent offenses. As the survivor of domestic violence, I know how a domestic dispute can progress--and what measures a person will take to flee a real-life monster. If Henry was anywhere near as violent a person as my ex, whom I left in 2001 (I am making no assumptions or accusations, here, just an innocent comparison for the sake of a point) then more power to the young woman who was behind the wheel of that fleeing truck. When I finally left "Jeff" for good, it was with a cracked skull, torn rotator cuff, split lips, and bruises from head to toe. When he was on a rampage and I tried to leave, he would block my way out--he even ripped the telephone cords from the walls, so I could not call for help. He would truly become a monster: irrational, unreasonable, out of control, literally foaming at the mouth. Had there been a time when I could have gotten as far as the car, I would have thrown him off the back if he had tried to pursue--and if that had resulted in his "untimely" death, then good riddance. I know one of his exes had once tried to run him over with her car, forcing him into a ditch to keep from being killed; I don't blame the woman--actually, I applaud her--he was probably trying to block her escape. Jeff is nothing more than a worthless, abusive bully who is so spineless that he has to pick on women half his size in order to feel in control of his life. There are too many "Jeffs" in this world. Why is it that people are so quick to defend and deify certain talented people, despite their horrific acts? Does being a gifted athlete negate a person's rotten personal life? Does one's physical prowess make up for his or her personal transgressions? How is it that we live in a world where violent criminals who just happen to reach stardom are treated as saints, and those who might call them on being the monsters they are find themselves being branded as jaded and unduly judgmental? What is wrong with society? Where have our values gone? Are most people so superficial that they really don't care to see a person for who he or she truly is--that the image is more important than the potential monster hiding behind it? I just don't get it. Happy Birthday, Ravenous Romance! 11/30/2009
On December 1, 2008, New York literary agent Lori Perkins teamed up with longtime publishers Holly Schmidt and Allan Penn, to embark on a literary venture that promised to be innovative, provocative, and unafraid to take chances. Ravenous Romance has met all of those goals and then some, and I’m so pleased to be among their list of authors. I learned about Ravenous Romance just a few months before the launch. Being an avid follower of Lori Perkins’ blog, “Agent in the Middle,” I responded to an open call for submissions, for an anthology that would feature creative short stories about Sex and Shoes. I wrote a chancy piece featuring a married couple who appear at first glance to have a shared shoe fetish ... only at the heartfelt end does the twist reveal itself and the real meaning of the story shine through. Ms. Perkins accepted it, and then invited me to submit more of my stories for other upcoming anthologies. I ended up having two stories being accepted in the Men in Shorts anthology, at which time Ms. Perkins requested to see some of my longer works. My erotic horror vampire trilogy, The Darkness and the Night, had been on the back burner for some time, and decided to add a little romance to the story and see if Ravenous Romance might be interested. They bought the trilogy, and then commissioned me to work on the most delightful project I have ever had the privilege to write: an erotic space trek, inspired by some of my favorite episodic sci-fi shows (Star Trek, Red Dwarf, Farscape, etc.). It was a closet-geek’s dream come true, and to this day my tribute, Lust in Space, campy and kinky in all the right places, has been a fan favorite. I contributed a couple more short stories (my personal favorite is “Blood and Money,” which can be found in the Sex and Taxes Anthology), and had a blast with those, as well, but nothing prepared me for the next proposition I would receive: Ravenous Romance had teamed up with the Home Shopping Network, planning the first ever television release of an exclusive romance collection. The owners had hand-picked six books each in three different subgenres: paranormal, historical, and contemporary, and they wanted Lust in Space to be among the paranormal group. However, they wanted me to rewrite the story and create a sister book, of sorts: whereas Lust in Space is an experimentally kinky erotic work (I had fun seeing how far I might push my limits), Love in Space was to be romantic, sweet, and completely vanilla. It turned out to be, in my opinion, my best published work. Love in Space has it all: action, adventure, space travel, aliens, romance, wit, literary “Easter eggs”—and intergalactic war. I can’t thank Ravenous Romance enough for challenging me as they did with this story. Lori Perkins and Holly Schmidt knew how to make a great story even better, and they pushed me to turn a fun and kinky space trek into a heartfelt and fun romantic adventure. Moreover, they gave me the chance to prove myself as an author—in a market of mass closed doors, stiff competition, and form rejection letters, during a time in the recession when being a no-name writer like me would have been otherwise left sitting cold in the dark. Writing for Ravenous Romance has been an amazing experience. I’m delighted to have so many people reading my work, and I’m delighted to be working with such a great group of people. Happy Birthday, Ravenous Romance—here’s to another great year! Congratulations, Trinity! 11/01/2009
Huge congrats to Trinity Blaico, for winning my The Darkness and the Night contest at Savannah Chase's Halloween Bash! Trinity received a copy of The Darkness and the Night: Blood and Coffee. Thanks for playing, Trinity! My thanks to everyone else who participated. Add my blog to your RSS feed for chances to win books in my future contests. I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween! Until next time.... Join me on October 30th at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/savannahchase/ from 9 pm to midnight EST (6-9 pm Pacific), for her third annual Halloween bash! There will be dozens of horror authors, lots of prizes and tons of Halloween fun--hope to "see" you there! TWINS OF DARKNESS is now on Amazon Kindle! 09/22/2009
For those of you who have been waiting for The Darkness and the Night III: Twins of Darkness to become available at Amazon's Kindle store, your wait is finally over. Twins of Darkness, which readers and reviewers alike agree is the best in the trilogy, is slowly earning the respect of erotic horror and romance readers alike. I have been delighted with the response, so far: The author’s style makes for effortless reading; Lane’s novel is interesting, variable and complicated without the heaviness often associated with stories of substance, and she balances her many characters and plot lines like a master. --Clayton Bye, The Deepening: http://www.claytonbye.com/ Book III is best experienced if you read its prequels. The characters take some time to understand if you do not know their history, but regardless they are very well written and exciting. This is certainly one of the most unique vampire novels I have come across. It is chock full of imagination and feeling; a totally fresh look at the dark side. --Loloty, Coffee Tome Romance: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com Having read the first twenty-nine pages off and on, I continued straight through to the end. As I’ve already said, the plot is superb, and when such a plot comes along, I always marvel at the human imagination and what it can produce. --Fanny, Cerebral Reviews: http://cerebralreviews.com  Make sure to rate and review Twins of Darkness, should you go through Amazon for your copy--which will make it more accessible to other customers who might also enjoy it's unique and provocative flair. The story does stand alone--and may be better suited that way for those who do not have the patience to read an entire trilogy before reaching that much-desired "Happily-Ever-After" ending. However, reading the full trilogy does make for a richer, even more provocative experience, as there are a number of plot twists that do intertwine throughout the different individual story lines. However you approach the trilogy, all three books are now available through Amazon's Kindle store, and Twins of Darkness should join its predecessors' paperback status soon enough. I will keep you posted. Happy reading! LOVE in Space 09/13/2009
 LOVE IN SPACE, a “sweet” romantic revisiting of my erotic short novel, Lust in Space, will be featured on the Home Shopping Network (HSN) on Monday, September 14, along with several other phenomenal paperbacks. For show times, or to view the beautiful romance collections available before the airdate go to: http://electronics.hsn.com/escape-with-romance-exclusive-6-book-collection_p-5700283_xp.aspx?cm_mmc=rss*Browse*2*NA I’m so pleased to be a part of HSN’s romance novel debut. The stories are top-notch, the covers are breathtaking, and the prices can’t be beat. If you’ve been curious about my fast-paced space trek, my homage to the great sci-fi space shows of our time, but do not read explicit erotica (or are curious about the new adventures I have added for the colorful and diverse crew of Pandora’s Hope), you’ll not want to miss Love in Space. About Love in Space Captain Nora Bradley has full intentions of keeping her relationship with former classmate, and now First Officer, Robert Smith, purely professional, when she hires him. The two, along with a crew of top professionals in their fields, embark on a journey into regions of space not yet charted. Along the way, the crew endures a space flu that puts the entire ship in fevered frenzy, alien races that change the crews’ perceptions of size, compatibility, and companionship, and hitchhiking shape-shifters that will do just about anything to keep their sensuous human forms. As the crew endures, Nora and Robert find it increasingly difficult to hide their love from one another. Once they profess it, however, can their love survive a mix-up with the shape-shifters, the unexpected takeover of their ship, and intergalactic war? Escape with Romance Exclusive 6-Book Collection Features: Paranormal Genre:
Historical Genre:
My thanks for your readership and support. My thanks to Steven Hart and Erotica Revealed, for reviewing Lust in Space. From the review: "I found myself reading this book very slowly because it was so much fun at bed time to come back to its lively and imaginative adventures that sometimes remind you of Rocky and Bullwinkle. It may help that my other reading is the modern history of the Middle East and a biography of J. P. Morgan. But still, you get to liking these characters a lot. They are sexy with a naïve sense of right and wrong just like bad boy, Captain Kirk. The secret is that Ms. Lane has been able to harness all the cliché’s of TV Scifi, and tease them out to an entertaining place between parody and homage. Lust in Space provides a lot of fun. It gives good lift off." Go to http://www.eroticarevealed.com/current_reviews.php?panel_id=1 to read the full review. For more reviews on Lust in Space, as well as for my erotic horror series The Darkness and the Night and short stories, go to http://www.cerebralwriter.com/reviews.html.  There has been much opinion expressed recently on the appropriateness of certain individuals and groups that entertain themselves by tearing apart the works of their fellow writers. Knock on wood, my stories have (as far as I know) not fallen victim to such attacks, but I do have fellow author friends whose works have. This puts me in an interesting position, allowing me a perspective that, I believe, lies squarely between most of the opinions thus far expressed. I do not have any firsthand experience with the sites in question, as I refuse to buy into the drama, but the implied level of maliciousness regularly expressed by followers of such groups leads me to believe that there are personal matters behind those behaviors. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. Who hasn’t disliked—or even hated—a book? However, does one person’s dissatisfaction with a particular work merit such cruelty? Might there be a more productive way of offering harsh critique? Moreover, is a novice or self-published writer really the best person to be critically reviewing others’ published works? Just because a person has an opinion on something, does that make the person an authority on the matter? For example, I love to cook, and I cook well, but that does not make me a gourmet food critic. Is anyone who belongs to #romfail or any similar group actually formally educated in literary theory, let alone remotely qualified to do what they are doing? What degrees do these people hold? How many books have they published, beyond vanity presses and self-publishing houses? Or do they just have opinions—uneducated, demeaning, vicious opinions? Let’s assume that the works in question do contain good examples of bad writing. No one is perfect, and even the best of writers sometimes have an off day. Even more, no one but the author and his/her editor knows just how much of a particular problem in a book is the result of poor editing. Granted, it is an authors’ responsibility to ensure his/her publishing house employs good editors; for the novice author, this problem is not always as simple to remedy as it would seem. Is it acceptable behavior to treat an author with such disrespect and nastiness, simply for having a book that was poorly edited? Is it the intent to embarrass the author (and/or his/her publisher) out of the industry? If so, do the offending individuals actually believe they are doing anything beyond upsetting and alienating their peers? On a final note, I would love to know what kinds of reviews these “mean girls” are receiving for their books. I would like to know how these people would feel if it were their books being offered up for sacrifice, and just how much fun it would still be if it were they who suffered the humility and heartache over having one of their beloved books torn apart—with quotes taken out of context—for all the world to see. Some people need to grow a soul; please don’t feed their emptiness. These people are mean for the sake of being mean and deserved to be ignored. Enough said. Please check out these blogs, which inspired me to write this post: http://culinarycarnivale.blogspot.com/2009/08/mean-girls-of-romfail.html http://nlberger13.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-i-spend-most-friday-nights.html http://mrsgiggles00.livejournal.com/25967.html | The other side of Cerebral:
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