S. K. Yule's Lycan Lover

Finished reading a novella in one day. Perhaps that's why they call it a novella. Hold on...let me "google" that word...

Definition of Novella from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novella (the free encyclopedia) : A novella (also called a short novel) is a written, fictional, prose narrative longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. A novella has generally fewer conflicts than novels, yet more complicated ones than short stories. The conflicts also have more time to develop than in short stories. They have endings that are located at the brink of change. Unlike novels, they are not divided into chapters, and are often intended to be read at a single sitting, as the short story, although white space is often used to divide the sections. They maintain, therefore, a single effect.
And blah, blah, blah with more in depth details. Ok...now that we know the official definition of a novella...

S. K. Yule's Lycan Lover (http://skyule.com/) was a stimulating read, and especially so since I hadn't devoured any werewolf stories in a while! It's also interesting to learn the mythology and "rules" for another writer's paranormal characters...as compared to my own "rules" on werewolves, vampires, etc. in my novels. Such fun! With the length of it being short, you are never left tapping your fingers, waiting and wondering when the next exciting scene or action will take place...because exciting things are constantly happening and you don't want it to end!! It is considered and labeled an erotic paranormal...so it's quite the sexy/hot story!

The synopsis:
After her last boyfriend hid the fact he was married, Karen Samson decides to take a break from dating. Lately she’s burned out and bored with the daily humdrum routine of life. The only thing breathing spice into her ordinary existence is erotic dreams of a sexy green-eyed man.

After suffering years of loneliness, Anthony Wolfson finds his mate, Karen Samson. The problem; he’s werewolf, she’s human. His instincts scream to claim her. His need to protect urges him to woo her. Unbeknown to him, fate has another plan for them involving a young, cocky werewolf and a dark alley.
~~~~~~~
In S. K. Yule's Lycan Series you'll find: Lycan Lover, Lycan Lust and Lycan It. Don't ya just love the title of that last one!

Finished Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy

I just finished reading Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy. Definitely got hooked on the characters and invested in their lives. I don't want to spoil anything for people who might want to read her series...but I will say there were sections of the story where I was crying! That is considered a compliment to Amanda's writing ability to deeply affect a person's (MY) emotions! I will read her My Blood Approves series soon. And probably Hollowland, too. I am crazy when it comes to reading series and prefer that reading style over individual, stand-alone books. I get so involved in the stories and characters and crave to find out what happens to them next.

I am very excited and happy for Amanda Hocking and her incredible success both with her own self-publishing and her new contract with a publishing house. She has and will experience both worlds of the publishing business.

Twilight's Breaking Dawn will have to be PG-13

The final book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, is more graphic, darker and gruesome. The majority of the readers are screaming for the film to remain true to the book. For that to happen, the movie would have to be labeled with an R rating. And that's not going to happen. It will be PG-13, fans.

Many of what are considered R-rated scenes have been or will be filmed. The directors, producers and editors will obviously have to work some creative editing magic to either blur those scenes or have them "take place off camera." Since the other movies in the series have all been PG-13, they cannot suddenly throw an R rating on the last of the franchise finales.
To read the entire article, go here:

http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/twilight-s-breaking-dawn-will-be-pg-13

Skyline on DVD

New article I compiled on the movie Skyline...on DVD & Blu-ray...Synopsis:  Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.

If interested:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/skyline-on-dvd

True Blood DVD

Just received an email from Amazon (love them) informing me that True Blood, The Complete 3rd Season -- on DVD (& Blu-ray)-- is now available to PRE-order. The price is $39.99 with free shipping and is to be released on May 31, 2011. Guess you know what I'll be doing next! Ordering it! One time I placed a PRE-order with Amazon (perhaps for Season 2 of True Blood), and their price protection guarantee that they butter you up with actually came into play & I saved an additional $4 or so. Nice! We don't have HBO and this is the only way I watch it. It's a shame the seasons on DVD aren't available months earlier. I'm literally a year behind all the HBO viewers on what the heck is happening on the show!

Red Riding Hood News & Snippets

Internet Movie Database Voters gave Red Riding Hood a 4.8 rating out of a 10 (1,076 votes)  http://www.imdb.com/  That's not very good for a movie with such an outstanding trailer. The visuals, tone, specific coloring of items (that darn red cape/hood), music and anticipated plotline obviously fell short for many theater-goers.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke  (Also the director of the first Twilight film)
To read the rest of my article, go here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/red-riding-hood-news

Hereafter Movie

Hereafter

As the movie starts, most viewers don't quite know what to expect. Many think it will be spooky or similar to Inception.  It presents you with interesting characters and the actors portraying them do a wonderful job. Clint Eastwood, as the director, is highly praised. The viewer feels emotionally connected to these characters, rallying for them and wondering what fate has in store for them.

View the entire new article I've written here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/hereafter-on-dvd

The Adjustment Bureau

New article I wrote on The Adjustment Bureau (2011).  

105 min, Romance | Thriller, March 4, 2011 (USA). Internet Movie Database Users (http://www.imdb.com/) gave it a rating of: 7.4 out of a 10 with 2,938 votes.

Synopsis: The affair between a politician and a ballerina is affected by mysterious forces keeping the lovers apart.

To read the full article & my "observation" when I saw the previews, go here:

http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/the-adjustment-bureau

BBC Being Human Back in Full Force

After last Saturday's episode (2/26/11) of Being Human, I sat down last night to watch the latest and kept my fingers crossed that they would redeem themselves. I don't know about anyone else, but that 2/26 show was weird. I blogged about it a few posts ago if you need to refresh your memories. I don't want my memory refreshed!! But two big thumbs up for last night's episode! Super! Perfect! Extremely well-done! The acting by everyone was right on and the bits of humor were thankfully tossed back in to my satisfaction. I loved the camera angles, too! The zombie thing (did we ever find out if the girl was considered a "type" of zombie or not?!) with the experimental surgeries being done to them...a different twist. Speaking of twisting, did you hear her neck popping/cracking whenever she'd turn it?! EEEK! And then we have George and Nina with her surprise pregnancy...that will bring a whole new aspect to the show. I am loving the Mitchell & Annie romance that's blooming. Then again, I LOVE Mitchell...ahhh...what was I saying?! Their relationship brings many questions to my mind with her being a ghost. Well, he can't "kill" her or turn her into a vampire if she's already dead. I suppose that's a plus. I still have a hard time understanding the physical body thing with her. I can totally handle that supernatural beings are the ones able to see her, but for her to have substance - a solid body that Mitchell (& those others) can embrace & touch?! Not complaining, just curious & interesting. I wonder if he still plans on telling her he was the one that killed all those people on the train or if she'll find out on her own & how she'll react. Last night, he started to tell her, but she stopped him & made it sound like the person that saved her from purgatory is the one she wants & she forgives him for anything else...till next week.

I Am Number Four

I'm not positive that this movie falls under the Paranormal category or not, but here you go:

In researching viewers' opinions on this film, many voiced that it was "so cliché"...The common remarks stressed include: it involves a teenage boy with a strange past who stays to himself, boy meets cute girl who he has feelings for, bullies get into a conflict with boy, boy finds out he has supernatural powers and fights the bullies and kicks a major villain's butt.

To read the rest of the article, click here:
http://www.examiner.com/speculative-fiction-in-st-louis/i-am-number-four