Author Interview and Giveaway!

Today we are very pleased to have Vanessa Morgan with us. She is the author of Drowned Sorrow and The Strangers Outside.

Her upcoming screenplay, A Good Man, will be released on April 15th. It's actually being turned into a French feature film by Radowski Films.

Here is a short blip of her bio, stolen straight from her webpage:

Vanessa Morgan was born May 24, 1975 in Vilvoorde, Belgium. She graduated from Vrije Universiteit Brussel and she first worked as a freelance journalist, a language teacher and a pet supply store manager before becoming a full-time writer. Her native language is Dutch, but she loves to write in other languages such as English and French.

Vanessa Morgan lives in Brussels, Belgium, where she is at work on a French vampire screenplay for Radowski Films and a comic book series starring her beloved cat Avalon.

And on to the interview:

It's great to have you Vanessa. So, tell us about your upcoming release, A Good Man.

A Good Man is a dark comedy with a few horror elements.  I could best describe it as American Psycho with a vampire. Some people have also compared it to the TV-series Dexter.  It's a fun and moving story and it turns the vampire myth completely on its head. It's not the kind of vampire story you've seen before and if you think you know how things will turn out, then think again.

It sounds pretty exciting! Can you tell us a little more about Louis as a character. Is he your stereotypical vampire?

Not at all. Have you already seen an old, Botoxed, self-conscious vampire with arthritis? Probably not. And that's just the beginning. Louis has several other traits that set him apart from 'normal' vampires. He's a funny character, obviously, but he's also touching and even a bit tragic at times.

Is A Good Man the first in a series?

I don't have the intention of turning it into a series, but who knows... Only the future will tell.

This is actually a screenplay. It's being made into a French feature film; will we be able to see it in the states?

Sure. It will be a big production with a French star cast, so it'll be available on DVD and it should make it to the American screens as well.

What made you decide to start writing?

Seeing movies and stage plays that I adored and recognizing something of myself in it. It's all about creating emotions and about sharing something that 'rings true'.

Can you tell us a little more about yourself?

I'm obsessed with my cat, horror movies, tea and spicy food. All the rest is secondary. I've come to a point where writing has become my day job, so that means that I'm fortunate enough to combine my job with everything I love.

When will A Good Man be available to readers and where can we get a copy?

The Screenplay of A Good Man will be released on April 15, 2012 and will be available in all the digital formats such as Kindle, Kobo, Nook etc. It will also be released in French as Un homme bien. The movie itself is still in preproduction, so you will all have to wait a little for that one, but the screenplay is an excellent way to have an exclusive preview.

Where can fans go to learn more about you and watch for upcoming releases?

I have a personal blog at http://vanessa-morgan.blogspot.com where I post updates about upcoming releases, pictures of book signings and extracts of guest posts. I'm also doing a cute web comic about my cat at http://avalon-lion.blogspot.com.

Vanessa is giving a way a copy of A Good Man to one lucky reader! Enter below, and a winner will be announced on Friday April 20th. You must verify your winning email address within 48 hours or another winner will be chosen. 

Good Luck! (Click the Read More link to enter)

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A new Mr. Darcy?

I love me some Pride and Prejudice. Seriously. I think it's the ultimate sick day movie. Really, any version of the movie is the best, and I've seen a lot of them. I don't know what it is about the story that I love, I just love it. And of course, who doesn't love Mr. Darcy? In the end, anyway.

The other day I was flipping through the catalogue online at our local library and came across Masterpiece Theatre Jane Eyre. I saw the play in college because my roommate was in the orchestra. The only thing I remember was there was a lunatic hidden in the attic and something about fire... I thought I might give the movie a shot. I liked the play (at least I think I did) so I would probably enjoy the movie.

Let me just say this. The movie is 4 hours long, and I have somehow managed to watch it twice, yes twice, in the last three days. I guess that's what happens when your husband is working late hours. That's beside the point. The fact that I stayed up late and got up early to watch it tells you how much I loved it. Well, that and I skipped over the parts with Mrs. Reed being Mrs. Reed and Bertha haunting the halls. Seen it once, didn't need to see it twice. But the rest of the movie, I loved.

I especially loved Mr. Rochester. Good heavens, the actor is brilliant. He's rough around the edges, beastly and mean at first. Ok, that's a lie, he's rough around the edges, beastly and mean through most of the movie, but for Jane he changes. For Jane he is a completely different animal. He really made me believe that he was in love with her.

I do a pretty good job of keeping one foot in reality at all times when I watch a movie. Books are different - I like to lose my mind in a book. But with movies I always point out, "That actor also played in..." or "Yeah, like that would happen in real life." I like to remember that life is not a movie and this didn't really happen.

But with Jane Eyre, I think I lost my focus and had both eyes trained on the imagination of Charlotte Bronte. Is Mr. Rochester real? As real as Edward and Bella, or Harry, or even Mickey Mouse. But for those few hours I forgot the word "fiction" and thought how lucky Jane was to have someone like Mr. Rochester. Well, lucky until she met Bertha.

So, if you're sick or snowed in or just in the mood for some good tv...and you've got 4 hours to spare I'd recommend Jane Eyre. I haven't seen any other versions yet, just the BBC Masterpiece Theatre one. Sadly, that's the only one our local library has, so I don't think I'll be watching any other versions. A new one is coming out staring Mia Wasikowska, but after watching the previews, I'm still partial to the BBC version.

If you do check out this movie, here are three things of note:

1. Jane's profile takes some getting used to, but push passed that and you'll see she really can be very pretty.
2. The young Jane Eyre is played by Georgie Henley. (Aka Lucy Pevensie)
3. If you speak Spanish, cover your ears when Jane meets Bertha.

Please enjoy:)

PS. If you enjoy Pride and Prejudice, you will probably enjoy this book by Shannon Hale:

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Survey Says

Ok, so Kadie and I finally went and saw Twilight. We had a heck of a time getting our schedules to fit.

My verdict? I loved it!

Yes, it's a little corny. No, it isn't as good as the book. Yes, they left a ton out. But I definitely would see it again.

Dena, I highly recommend reading the book before you see the movie. There were a few times during the movie that you could tell who had read the book by the way they reacted to the scene. If you don't read the book, you will still enjoy the movie. But I think you'll like it better if you read the book first.

I was expecting it to be the stupidest movie ever, so I was pleasantly surprised. Like I said, I'd go see it again. In fact I probably will when it goes to the cheap theatre. Anyone want to come with me?

For those of you who have seen the movie, did anyone else notice the author, Stephenie Meyer's cameo appearance in the movie? She was in the diner the second time Bella and Charlie ate there. The scene opens with some random woman sitting at the bar or whatever. If you wondered why they did that, it's because she is the author:) Hey, if I ever have a book made into a movie, I want to be in the movie too! But first I guess I'll have to have a book published.

So. I loved Twilight the movie and I'm excited that they're making New Moon into a movie. (Haven't heard about that? Click here.) I'm not excited about New Moon per se, I'm just excited that the Twilight Movie franchise is going well because that means they'll probably make an Eclipse. New Moon is not my most favorite book ever, it's just sort of a speed bump. Something you have to go over to get to the other side: Eclipse.

PS. This is really weird, but I loved Bella's style in the movie. If I could go back to being a teenager, I'd dress just like her. :) Pin It

A league of its own

There are some questions I just cannot answer. How much do you weigh? for example. I don't know. Really, I don't know. But mostly I find the questions I can't answer have to do with favorites.

What's your favorite book? What's your favorite movie? Favorite color? Favorite food?

And I say "I don't know!"

There are too many to choose from, and they aren't comparable.

Movies. There are way to many movies for me to pick a favorite. And I'll quote one of the good ones, "I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the Heavens." I'll give you a dollar if you can name that movie.

I can't tell you what my favorite movie is. But if you give me to similar movies and ask me which I like better, I can do that.

For instance. Magician movies: The Prestige or The Illusionist? The Illusionist. Definitely. Don't get me wrong, I love Scarlett Johansson, but the Illusionist is just a better movie. You could say it's my "favorite" of the two.

Thief movies: Ocean's 11 or The Italian Job? Ooh. Now this is a tough one. In the end I prefer The Italian Job, however, I love the Ocean's movies and I think they're incredibly clever and funny.

Super Hero movies: Superman, Spiderman, Batman or X-Men? (What's up with all these men anyway? The Incredibles had it right.) X-Men. Definitely X-Men. Two words: Hugh Jackman - hello! Then Superman, then Batman, then Wonderwoman and then Spiderman. Sorry Tobey Maguire, I'm just not a Spidey fan...nothing personal. (That's why Wonderwoman ranked higher and she wasn't even on the list).

As you can see, if you give me similar movies and ask me to pick my favorite, I can do that. And there are some movies you just can't put into a category. Like Pride and Prejudice, or Second Hand Lions. And those are some of my favorites simply because they're good movies.


But watch out! Because here comes a movie that is slowly working it's way to the number one spot of my favorite movie of all time!




It is completely in a league of its own, so I have nothing to compare it with. It's the totally adorable story of a girl...what am I doing? I'm telling you the movie that's what I'm doing! No. You've got to go watch it for yourself.

Trust me. It's a feel good movie that teaches you...I can't tell you that part either or I will RUIN the ending, and I am so not ok with that.

I can tell you it's a very good movie, very bohemian, very clean. It's got James McAvoy (ranks right up there with Hugh Jackman in my book) and Christina Ricci (who's way adorable). It's made by Summit Entertainment, who are the same people making Twilight. So. Rent it, borrow it, steal it, beg, lie, cheat - do whatever you have to do to see this movie...except the stealing, lying and cheating part. Don't do that.



I love this movie so much that I even bought the sound track on iTunes last night. I can't stop listening to it. I even brought it to work on my iPod. Hey, if I'm trapped here, I'm gonna make the best of it!

If you've already seen Penelope, see it again. Usually I don't like to recommend movies because I worry someone else won't like something that I've given raving review. But in this case, I don't care. It's worth seeing at least once, but go for twice if you can.


Take Nike's advice and Just Do It. Pin It