This is my third book review for an Amy Ruttan latest release. As I just celebrated my second blogiversary on Feb. 5th, this means Amy is smokin' hot when it comes to delivering new goodies to savour.
I know. She is amazing.
1 - You can check out all her reviews in My Book Reviews archive.
2 - Enemy Enchantress is the first book in Amy's three-book Enchantress series. In Enemy Enchantress, the heroine is a Anglo-Saxon Age Sidhe, born with one foot in the earthly realm and one in the realm of the fairy folk of yore. Not the tiny fairies we think of today, but a lordly race of otherworldly beings. She knows her kind is losing ground to the new cult of Christianity, and must take care to remain one step ahead of those who would see her burn for witchcraft. Especially when she's turned over to her enemies, the Saxons as a bride for one of their own.
3 - Part of Eternal Press's Fantasy Romance category, Enemy Enchantress gives us a Saxon hero with Norse blood who fights for his king and marries to secure peace with the same unshakable sense of duty. The heroine foresees a Saxon husband in her future, but the hero's tall Viking stature clouds her faith that she's foreseen the truth after all. Could her powers be waning under the force of the Saxon God?
4 - Enemy Enchantress is a 200-page novel. As a fan of the 300- to 400-page-length novel personally, a quick read like this just makes me want twice as much. Amy, why do you tease me so...? We won't even get into the 50-page Masque of Desire. That's cruel and unusual punishment...
5 - We meet Lord Edwin, loyal fighter for King Alfred in Anglo-Saxon Britain. The Treaty of Wedmore forces Edwin to bow to his king's command. He must take a Mercian bride to foster peace between their people. As he braces himself to couple with whomever he finds chosen for him, Edwin discovers a brilliant, ethereal warrior woman in the woods. He is instantly enchanted by her in every way.
6 - Aislinn draws a sacred circle in the forest and prepares to cast a spell, a prayer to guide her. She has been promised in marriage by her father to a Saxon lord. Her private meditations are disturbed by a mesmerizing, dark warrior with icy blue eyes and an unsettling way of looking at her. Why must he fire her blood so? Now that she's laid eyes on him, why must she submit to a man who was an enemy only a heartbeat ago?
7 - Amy gets a Three heat index from Eternal Press: "Frequent, explicit love scenes described using graphic and direct language." The love scenes are always perfectly intertwined with the storyline. She's a master at keeping character development front and center during every scorchy scene.
8 - Amy pulls us into Mercia and Wessex with absolute authority. I haven't felt this at home in one of my favorite time periods since I first opened the pages of Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave. Thank you, Amy. *mhua* *mhua* Thank you.
9 - Yes, this book has lots of steamy scenes. But it also has sword fights - yes! - witchcraft - *chewing nails nervously* - ancient healing arts - *sitting on the edge of my seat* - political maneuvering between noble houses - *wiping sweat from my brow* - brave individuals entering marriage as a peace offering - *heart breaking for their courage and loyalty* - and main characters in real jeopardy *thud*. All I can say is...thank God there are four more books in this series.
10 - Amy really knows how to end each chapter with a hook. Like this, for example:
"Edwin’s voice was cold, his eyes dark and full of fire as he glared dangerously at Lord Cedric. 'Lord Cedric, I appreciate your hospitality, and I know you are a well respected thane and my friend, but kindly remove your hands from my wife.'
Lord Cedric stared at Edwin, his eyes narrowed as if weighing the options. It seemed like an eternity to Aislinn before he released his grip on her arms.
Lord Cedric began to chuckle uneasily. 'Come now, Edwin. Surely it does not matter which Mercian bride you get? I do not mind that you have bedded her and just think, you can have another virgin.'
'I am not some chattel to be traded, Lord Cedric,' Aislinn said hotly, finding her voice and her courage again. 'I am married to Lord Edwin and your religion states that a man and wife shall remain married forever, until death do they part.'
'Come now, my lady,' Cedric laughed coldly. 'You are a heathen. What do you know of religion? Besides can you honestly say you love Lord Edwin?'
No, she could not say that. She didn’t know yet if she loved Edwin. She wanted him, she desired him. He was a respectful man, a great warrior, but did she love him? She didn’t know, and could not answer that. Fortunately Lord Cedric saved her from answering. He took her hand and held it to his chest. She could feel his heart beating.
'I will keep you safe and in luxury all your days. I will honor you always.'
'Lord Cedric, I am married to Lord Edwin.' Walking away from them, she headed towards the stairwell, hoping that she would be able to find a serf who could direct her to where Edwin and she were staying for the night. She did not look at Edwin as she left. She didn’t want to see his face because she couldn’t express how she felt and she did not want to hear Edwin say that he did not love her either. Even though it was too soon, she knew it would hurt too much if she heard Edwin say it."
11 - Amy's upcoming Enchantress releases:
Sorceress From the Sea, Book 2
Edwin's brother Alfwyn rescues a woman from the sea, only to embark on a passionate adventure with Scottish witch Morag, fighting to escape a demonic warlord and to protect her new love.
Healer of the Heart, Book 3
Bridgit of Mercia, a healer, rises above her father's calculated arranged marriage for her to haunted widower Lord Cedric. But can she protect herself from her father's wicked plan to sell her into a second marriage? Or convince Lord Cedric that her betrayal is not of her own doing?
12 - Amy also writes for Cerridwen Press and Ellora's Cave.
13 - I leave you with an excerpt from Enchantress: The Fey. Enjoy!
"Aislinn's hand curled under the pillow and her hair spread around her head like a halo. He walked to the side of the bed and brushed back her silken strand, tucking it back behind her ear.
By Loki, her ear is pointed. He took a step back when he saw that pointed tip through the red curls.
Aislinn stirred and then opened her eyes. She sat up and covered her ears with her hair. She looked panicked, frightened.
'What did you see?'
'Why are your ears pointed?'
Her face fell. '’Tis nothing, my lord.' She waved the question off.
He sat down on the bed beside her, taking a delicate hand in his. 'It is not nothing, Aislinn. Are you fey?'
She nodded. 'I am Sidhe, an enchantress of the Sidhe. One of the last in this world.'
'So that is why the abbot at the monastery said you were a blasphemy.'
Her gray eyes flew open in shock. 'You heard that?'
'Aye, and I am to say that this,' he again pushed back her hair to reveal her fey ear, 'is the reason he called you an abomination. Being Sidhe is nothing to me. I was worried he found a devil mark or something.'
Leaning forward, she smiled at him, her eyes twinkling. 'I do have a devil mark you know.'
Cocking an eyebrow, he chuckled huskily. 'You do, do you? Well then perhaps I should try to find it.'
'Oh please, my lord. That could prove to be quite exhilarating.'
Brushing her cheek with his knuckles, he gave her a kiss. 'Good. I look forward to finding this devil’s mark on your person. Now, where can it be? Is it here?' He began to tug at the laces of her nightgown, pushing it down her shoulders.
A soft sigh escaped her lips. This would be the first time he would get to really see her naked. Swallowing, he took a steadying breath. He was going to enjoy this. They had not been together since their wedding night, when she had mounted him. How different this would be. He was going to take his time with her and leisurely make love to Aislinn in a comfortable bed.
She tried to pull the gown back up her shoulders, but he took it in hand, pulling it off over her head.
'Lean back, I need to find this mark.' She smiled at him and laid back against the pillows, naked save for the sheet that covered her from the waist down. Well, he would change that momentarily. He peeled off his tunic. She reached out and ran her fingers down his chest, her touch firing his blood. Her fingers traced over the pale puckered battle scar on the right side of his body.
Sucking in a deep breath, she sat up and pushed him down, straddling him against the mattress. The light from the fire licked her body like a lover. Like he wanted to. He ran his hands down the curve of her back to her hips.
She leaned over him, her hair brushing his skin. She kissed him and bit his lip playfully. 'Do you see the mark yet?'
'Well, I cannot tell with you holding me down.' He quickly sat up, grabbing her wrists and pinned her to the mattress. 'That’s much better. Where should I start to look for the mark, my lady?'
She grinned and shrugged. 'Usually the mark is hidden someplace where people do not usually see it.'
He began to kiss his way down her body, brushing his lips against her hot skin. He could hear her sighs of pleasure, feel her body tensing under him. 'No, no mark there.' He let go of her wrists and slid further down. 'None here either.'
'Sweet Freya,' she cried out. She looked at him, her gray eyes glowing and glazed in passion.
He couldn’t remember anyone else he had been with. All he could remember, all he could think of was her. Past dalliances were a blur of meaningless couplings to satisfy an urge. This was something more, something deeper that was beginning to grow and unfurl.
She reached out to him. 'Any mark there?'
He smiled. 'I did not look.'
Leaning over, she kissed him. 'Well, you’re just going to have to check again.'
- Amy Ruttan, 2009
Join me next week when I review Susan Helene Gottfried's Shapeshifter: The Demo Tapes - Year 1.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Thursday Thoughts - 7 - Book Review - Enemy Enchantress by Amy Ruttan
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
2009 Blog Improvement Project - 4 - Blog Basics and Bloggy Bingo Update - Scroll down for Through the Opera Glasses
Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness suggested the following change-ups during the last challenge. I only managed to complete half of them, because my blog has a pretty set schedule and I could only manage those. But I was very pleased with how they did change things up for me, and I'll comtinue on with the other styles until I've got the whole list completed:
"1 - A Link Post - share a series of links your readers might find interesting * Here's a list of sites I frequent on the web. *
2 - A Short Post - less than 200 words * This redirect post pointing the way to my missmakeamovie post clocks in at 19 words. *
3 - A List Post - simple as it sounds, a list of some sort * My list of tins pictures for Dorte H fits this one. *
* A second list post: My Favorite Female Film Characters From the Past Ten Years *
4 - An Opinion Post - take an event, news, or another blog post and share your opinion on it
5 - A Poll or Question Post - post a poll or ask your readers a specific question for feedback
6 - A How-To Post - You’re an expert in something; big or small, share how to do it * My fiction writing research led to The Common Tea Bag and Its Uncommon Use In First Aid.*
7 - A Long Post - more than 700 words
8 - A Review Post - self-explanatory, I think. * Here is a review of the HD broadcast of the ballet La Fille Mal Gardee at Empire Theatres across Canada, this past Jan. 31st. *
9 - A Definition Post - show your expertise about a topic related to your blog
10 - FREE SPACE - a type of post of your choice (that is not the same as one of the previous posts)" * My Second Blogiversary post is a once-a-year extravaganza, so I'll count that as my free space. *
This week's challenge:
"Write (or update) your “About Me” Page — Make sure you can see your About Me from the main page of your blog because someone just arriving at the site should be able to easily see a little information about you
Update your contact information
Add some sort of picture of yourself (if you’re comfortable with that)
Update your Blogroll
Create a link to your Archives on your front page (there are a lot of widgets for this, or you can find other ways to do it — either way, it’s important to do so people who want your archives can find them to get a sense of what they can expect from your blog)
Add a link (or make sure a link is there) so readers can subscribe to your blog via RSS
Get to work on other basic blog maintenance you’ve been meaning to do" - Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness
I'm very, very interested in finding out how Archives widgets work. And a redo of my About Me page would definitely be in order, as well as perhaps moving it up from the very bottom of my sidebar...
Monday, February 16, 2009
Through the Opera Glasses - 4 - My Top Ten Male Film Characters From The Past Ten Years
Last week I took a look at My Top Ten Female Film Characters From the Past Ten Years. This week I'll let you in on my favorite male film characters from 1999-2009.
1 - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace 1999
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones 2002
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith 2005
2 - Anton Gorodetsky (Konstantin Khabensky) Night Watch 2004
Day Watch 2006
3 - The Phantom (Gerard Butler) The Phantom of the Opera 2004 
4 - Maximus (Russell Crowe) Gladiator 2000
5 - Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) X-Men 2000
X-Men United 2003
X-Men: The Last Stand 2006
6 - King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) 300 - 2006
7 - Dwight (Clive Owen) Sin City 2005
8 - Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban 2004
Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix 2007
9 - Leopold, Duke of Albany (Hugh Jackman) Kate & Leopold 2001
10 - John Worthing (Colin Firth) The Importance of Being Ernest 2002
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Poetry Train Monday - 88 - Our Babe
Today I was over the moon when I sat down to watch a documentary air on CBC's Land and Sea. The producer and writer of the documentary is none other than my cousin Julianne MacLean's husband, Stephen MacLean.
WOO HOO!! Bravo, Stephen!!
Here's the write-up for the episode:
The sinking of Titanic is probably the most famous marine disaster in the world. Fifteen hundred people lost their lives when the majestic ocean liner struck an iceberg. One body recovered from the frigid waters became a symbol of the tragedy and the horrible loss of life. It was a young boy, a baby really, less than two years old. He was called the Unknown Child because he could not be identified.
The Unknown Child was buried in Halifax with other Titanic victims and only now has the mystery been solved.
Modern science has made it possible to prove who the Unknown Child was. He now has a family and a name. - CBC.ca, Titanic Child
For my latest effort in my found poetry series, I've crafted a poem from several sources, telling the story of one of the tiniest of Titanic's victims. The sources include Lardner heads grisly task after Titanic disaster, Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, The Search For the Dead, and Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog.
Having grown up in Halifax, the last resting place for many of the Titanic victims, I can say the shock never wears off as you approach the grave of the Unknown Child and see the continuous gifts, toys and flowers laid at the base of this granite marker. 97 years later, locals and visitors alike stop at the grave and pay their respects to this baby lost to the sea.
Photo by maritzburgmerle
Our Babe
The MacKay-Bennett
Commissioned with a grisly role
Her task
To retrieve as many bodies of the
1,517 passengers who perished
Before the Gulf stream
Swept them away
Captain Frederick Harold Lardner
His crew
Double wages. Captain gave his crew
The chance to sign off
Without penalty
No one took advantage
She left Halifax, Nova Scotia
Stocked with ice
Coffins
Embalmers’ instruments
Wednesday April 17
While the Carpathia headed for Pier 54
New York to land the
705 survivors from Titanic
306 of Titanic's victims
Of the 1517 Titanic victims
Were found by Mackay-Bennett's crew
The little body floated up
Alongside the searchers' boat
It was tenderly brought aboard
The sight of this little form
Floating
Face upwards
On the deep
Brought tears to the eyes of the
Hardy sailor men
His entry in the ledger
Simply stated: "No identification. No effects."
He was one of two children found
The only child that had not suffered
Great trauma to his body
Even the toughest of crew members
Wept openly over the discovery
Of Titanic's smallest of victims
Reports of mob scenes in New York
Reporters
Families
Conmen
Spectators
Overwhelming the White Star Line
And Cunard Line offices
The Halifax Police
And two detectives boarded the
Body-recovery Mackay Bennett at the
Harbour entrance
Securing it. They docked
At the Naval Dockyard
Protected by the just-created Canadian navy
By a large contingent of the Dominion Police
Forerunners of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Brought in from Ottawa
The bodies
Clothes
Personal effects
Guarded by the small Halifax Police department
Bolstered by army soldiers
24 hours a day
Nearly 200
Little piles of clothing
Neatly tied up by the
Ship’s company of the Mackay-Bennett
Clarence Northover
Halifax Police Department Sergeant
1912
Helped guard the bodies
And belongings
Clothing was burned
To stop souvenir hunters
But
He was too emotional when he
Saw the little pair of
Brown leather shoes
Fourteen centimeters long
And didn’t have the heart to burn them
NO. 4 - MALE - ESTIMATED AGE, 2 - HAIR, FAIR.
CLOTHING - Grey coat with fur on collar and cuffs; brown serge frock; petticoat; flannel garment; pink woolen singlet; brown shoes and stockings.
No marks whatever.
Probably third class
Prior to his funeral
The White Star Line had been
Inundated with offers
To sponsor the child's funeral costs
Only one request was granted
That request came from
Captain Lardner and his
Crew of the Mackay-Bennett
The burials began
On Friday, May 3rd, 1912
At all three cemeteries
As sad as all of these funerals were
No amount of mourning could
Surpass the following day
Saturday was the day
The funeral of the unidentified
Little boy found
By the Mackay-Bennett's crew
Hundreds of mourners
From Halifax and surrounding area
Packed St. George's Anglican Church
To pay their last respects to this
Little unknown victim
Six of her crew members carried
His little white coffin
Covered in flowers
To the hearse
For burial
At Fairview Cemetery
The young boy was laid to rest
With the other casualties
From Titanic. His tombstone
Made of granite
Bears the inscription:
"Erected to the memory of an
Unknown child
Whose remains were recovered
After the disaster to the Titanic,
April 15th, 1912"
In the years following the
Retrieval
The Mackay-Bennett's crew would
Reveal many stories of those
Horrifying days in the North Atlantic. However
There was one victim
The crew
Even years after the
Incident
Had a difficult time
Talking
About
When no relatives came
To claim the shoes
Police Sergeant Clarence Northover
Placed them in his desk drawer
At the police station and there
They remained for the next six years
Until he retired
In 1918
When she visited Halifax
For a math conference in the 1980's
Carol Goodwin found time to stop by
The grave of the young Titanic passenger
Known simply as the Unknown Child
"I remember standing there
Having a very spiritual feeling.
I wished my grandmother was there."
In 2002, the child was
Erroneously identified
As 13-month-old Eino Panula
Based on ambiguous
DNA analysis
Forensic odontology
On several teeth
Found
In the grave in 2000
Suspicions were aroused
The child’s shoes
Held by the Maritime Museum in Halifax
Found to be too large
For a 13-month-old
Forensic genealogist
Colleen Fitzpatrick was called in
Following initial tests
On another boy's
DNA
"I had to go up the family tree
And down the tree," she said.
A third test showed
A mutation in the
Maternal DNA
An exact match
To a living relative
On the boy’s mother’s side
Last year
DNA tests revealed
The unknown child
Is actually Sidney Leslie Goodwin
The 19-month-old English boy's
Entire immediate family
Died when the Titanic
Sank in the North Atlantic in 1912
Carol Goodwin organized a
Memorial service at the grave
In Halifax’s Fairview Lawn Cemetery
Carol Goodwin now knows
The boy in the grave belongs to her
Sidney Leslie Goodwin
Birth: Sep. 9, 1910
Death: Apr. 15, 1912
Friday, February 13, 2009
Naughty Meme of Firsts
Isabella Snow tagged me for this naughty meme, and I saved it for Friday the 13th, a wicked sort of day just before all the hearts and flowers tomorrow.
Isabella's blog is one of the blogs I have to save to read at home. It's definitely Not Safe For Work. But it is delightful and joyously risque. And very frank. Isabella is a woman who is very secure with her sexuality. It's a wonder to me that more women aren't. But the popularity of women's erotica gives me hope that more and more women are taking charge of their own sexual lives.
Rules to Isabella's Naughty Meme of Firsts:
1. Please post these at the beginning of your meme.
2. Please include a link to Sex Talk For Men.
3. Please include as many sordid details in your answers as possible - if you haven't got any, make them up!
4. Tag 3 people.
1. First French kiss?
That would be my first boyfriend, Philip. We had a long build-up to my very first kiss. I was 15 and he was the first person I was truly attracted to, more than a crush. We were part of a large group of music and drama nerds who all hung out together.
It took several months before I could believe that it was more than just me being attracted to him. He was attracted to me! So when The Kiss finally happened, it was more romantic and more super-charged with desire than a normal, awkward teenage kiss. I actually remember thinking, "So this is why they always say kisses taste sweet."
That happens to me a lot. Things happen to me, and a part of me 'records' it in my writer's sense-memory bank.
2. First boyfriend/girlfriend.
Philip again. He was a perfect first boyfriend. He was very, very charming. Of course completely cute, tall, light brown hair, gray/blue eyes, parents from the UK so he had a bit of residual accent, played saxophone and a little Irish tin whistle, and acted in plays and musicals. He came from a huge family whom I loved spending time with. He was extremely romantic, wrote me little poems, sang me songs, packed up picnic lunches and sailed me over to a little island on the lake he lived beside, took out the tin whistle and played music for me.
We were only 15 and 17, though, so the only time we had alone together was often out in the woods. Which just added to the romance. One of the most romantic, steamy kisses we ever had was at Conrad's Beach, when we went for a walk along the shore, leaving my family in the distance. When we were out of sight, he grabbed me and we kissed. For awhile. It was great.
I go back to those feelings I shared with Philip all the time when I'm writing romance. It was the first time I felt desire directed at me from a man. Okay, he was 17, but to me he was older and sophisticated. All those feelings - Does he know how I feel about him? Can it be true? Does he really love me? He does love me! - that all of my fictional characters go through, they were at their most intense with my first boyfriend.
3. First type.
My first type is still my preferred type now. Tall, dark hair, blue eyes, British ancestry. Creative, very dark sense of humor, genius, compassionate. That sort of guy.
Exactly like my husband Brad.
4. First time you had sex.
This may be hard to believe, but my husband is truly my one-and-only, in every way possible.
Even though I feel strongly that women should be free to have sex if they want to, without being labelled for it - when it came to myself, I couldn't separate sex from my feelings. Until I truly, truly felt like he was The One, I kept my romantic partners technically at arms' length.
5. First celebrity crush.
That would be Les McKeown from the Bay City Rollers.
He's born on Nov. 12th, and I'm on the 11th, which has been a common attraction for me ever since. I can't resist those Scorpios. Like Gerard Butler, born on the 13th.
Or my husband. He's a Scorpio, too.
6. First sexual fantasy.
See if you can guess...
7. First person you fell in love with.
That would be my second boyfriend, Patrick.
He was the first person to truly see the real me. We had a very intense, very intimate, very mature relationship for our age. We went out for almost two years. He was a bit of a musical prodigy, and still plays bass for a living. He also wrote poetry for me, had a truly sinister sense of humor that kept me in absolute stitches, went to foreign films with me, came from a large family whom I adored spending time with, matched my intellectual craving for more, and dared to push me creatively.
I treasure the time we had together.
8. First proper sex toy.
No toys for me.
9. First porn video.
When my husband and I lived in Toronto, and I was in film school at Ryerson, Brad worked two jobs, including overnight shifts at a 24-hour video store. One New Year's Eve, I stayed at the store with him all night, and because the customers basically disappeared after awhile, Brad and I replaced the regular playing-in-the-background current release with Tracy Takes Tokyo.
Photo by Steve Granitz
10. First sexy lingerie item/sexy briefs owned.
I can't say I'm much for those. I need industrial-strength girder engineering on top, and those are never really that exciting. It's like cats - I'm allergic to them, so I don't let myself get too attached to how cute cats are. I can never have one, so I don't go there. It's the same for sexy lingerie.
11. First time giving oral.
12. First time getting oral.
As each new Number Two says in The Prisoner, that would be telling.
13. First orgasm given by someone else.
"Questions are a burden to others; answers a prison for oneself.” - The Prisoner
14. First one night stand.
"I used to be Snow White, but I drifted." - Mae West
My first and only one night stand was with a Greek sailor named Vivkelion Siriannis. Don't really know if that's how you spell his name correctly. I met him when I was out with friends at a Halifax bar, watching a band. Several sailors were there, and you couldn't help glancing over at them. They were dark and swarthy, and Vivkelion was really, really handsome.
I was single at the time, and no reason to say no when he asked me to dance. It was one of those pinch-me-I'm-dreaming nights. My friends were more than happy (wink, wink) to head home themselves, as I had my mom's car.
I drove us out to the Dingle Park (Sir Sandford Fleming Park, but no one calls it that) and we walked under the trees by the water of the Northwest Arm, chatting, arms around each other like long-lost sweethearts. It was really bizarre. I felt so comfortable with him instantaneously. He spoke English perfectly, and in fact was the manager of a sea sponge factory, but was required to put in military duty.
Everything about that night was so magical. We kept giggling with the delight of it all. I wish everyone could have one night like that.
15. First dirty book/dirty mag read.
I'd say my first real look at naughty pictures was in a T-shirt transfer store in the 1970's, when I was in elementary school. There were files to flip through until you found the transfer you wanted to purchase. Somehow I saw 'Ski bums', which consisted of ski bunnies skiing downhill without any pants. I found that strange, to say the least.
Moving on to an actual book: The Memoirs of John Milton Roderick was a favorite of mine. Here's the lo-down:
Torn from the sensual exoticism of Canton where his first initiation in the arts of love was at the hands of his French governess, young John Milton Roderick was sent to England to face the horrors and perversions of the Victorian public school. But it was not long before he was lured by the oriental delights of Madame Sin Sin's voluptuous Limehouse Brothel: and his troubles began. - Amazon.com
I actually adapted the governess part as a student film in third year. I can't resist a little heartbreak along with sexual desire. In 1880's Canton, John has a huge crush on his governess, and now that he's a young teenager, he can't help spying on her as she's bathing. She realizes he's watching, comes at him in a fury and plans to hand him over to his father for caning. He begs her not to.
She reconsiders, inviting him into her room. She says if he saw her naked, she may as well see him naked. She fetches a cane to do the deed herself. But she can't go through with it. The following day they try to get through lessons in the classroom but it all goes wrong. John runs crying from the room, but she follows. They have a huge heart-to-heart, and John sneaks in a very romantic kiss at the end. It's great! My film version differs slightly from the book - I needed it to work as a stand-alone short film, so I resolved several plot threads.
As for tagging anyone - play if you dare.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thursday Thoughts - 6 - My Internet Footprints
Just as a person's bookshelf will tell a lot about a person, the sites frequented by a person as she surfs the net is also a good snapshot into her inner life. If you look closely, you can find my internet footprints in the February snow.
1 - Art Renewal Center
This is where I find many of the art pieces which appear on my Sidebar Art Gallery - but not all.
2 - Ballet.co
This site salvaged my sanity when my husband and I first moved to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia from Toronto, Ontario ten years ago. I could read reviews of current ballet productions from companies all over the world. And it has a sizeable article archive, too. 
3 - Convicts to Australia
This site is one example of web research I love to do for my various works in progress.
4 - Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com
I refer to both of these sites more times than you might suspect...
5 - Empire Theatres
A great site to find out what's on the screens, where and at what times they're playing.
6 - Facebook
This is my Facebook page. Just love Facebook. It keeps me in regular contact with so many of my friends and family members who aren't in hugging distance. Come and find me! I'm listed as Julia Smith. 
7 - Internet Movie Database
What would I do without this site? I shudder to think. Although I have a somewhat photographic memory when it comes to remembering actors and where I saw them last, I rely on IMDB constantly when I want to check out an actor, director, etc. and what else they've done.
My favorite part of IMDB is the User Comments section attached to each film. Just love reading other viewers' reactions to films.
8 - Life Paths Animal Totems and Earth Medicine
This isn't the only animal totem site I go to, but it certainly is a comprehensive resource, as long as your totem is covered by this site. Otherwise, I simply Google search the animal in question and go where the results take me.
9 - The National Ballet of Canada
This one's a no-brainer...
10 - Poetry Forms and Terminology
A site I go to when I feel a poem coming on, and need to find a form to give it structure.
11 - The Quote Garden
I love including quotes in my cards to people. This is where I find many of them.
12 - Richard Armitage Online
My favorite fangirl site. I hit GB.net pretty regularly, too.
13 - YouTube
I'm listening to my YouTube playlist right now. Take My Hand, Precious Lord by Elvis, actually.
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