#MovieReview - Cloud Atlas

So, depending on your religious beliefs, you may or may not like Cloud Atlas.

I haven't read the book, but couldn't wait to see this movie.  I wanted to see how someone would treat the idea of multiple lives and how they intersect over time be good or bad.

Also, I love the idea of how the same people continue to crossover each other's lives again and again.

The movie begins so slowly that it was a bit painful.  But, we understand that they needed time to set up each character's timeline.  They needed to be able to make sure the movie watcher was well-rooted to each individual character before they started twisting them all into one.

I enjoyed the movie, but as I said, it begins slow.  Without giving away too much, the futuristic characters sounded a bit live historic slaves.   I found that odd for so many different reasons.  It will take a minute before you get comfortable with their language.  But, its easy enough to catch on after you hear it a few times.

The amount of roles each actor plays is absolutely amazing.  You miss many of them.  At least, I did.  Women play men, men play women.

But, connecting the dots is half of the fun of watching the movie.  You want to see how much of a role they play in each other's lives.  And sometimes, it's just a brief moment that's never even noticed.

I enjoyed the movie, and I think if you have an open mind to reincarnation, you will, too.  But, don't leave at the very end.  Just in case you missed something, you will get to have a few questions answered.

Guest blogging @FTHRW Voices from the Heart blog

Instead of just once a month, I'm now blogging twice a month on the 12th and the 27th over at Voices from the Heart!  A blog from From the Heart Romance Writers!

Who knows what I'll talk about each month :-)  But, whatever it is...why don't you join me, and stay for awhile.

And while you're there, take a look at some of the great posts from other members of FTHRW.

#BookReview - Anne Rice's The Wolf Gift

Finally, I've finished reading The Wolf Gift! It took longer than I'd planned, not because of the quality of the book.  But, because I dreaded finishing the book.  For many reasons, would the characters I'd grown to love die, where were the other werewolves, was there a bigger plan?

Anne slowly folded back the layers of the story.  She did it in such a way that my emotional connection with Reuben built to a level of true love for him and his well-being.

I still couldn't help writing the story in my mind.  I wanted more for Reuben's family.  When I say more, I mean I wanted them to be included more in the story of Reuben's life as a man wolf.  I kept imagining how his brother, mother, and father could contribute.

When I think about the men of the pack, I think of how great the members of Reuben's family would fit right in with them.  Including Reuben's girlfriend.

So,what does this mean for the book overall?

For me, it means that I wanted more at the end.  Maybe, Anne Rice's plan is to write a sequel.  Or, this will become a series.  And I know exactly how it should go :-)

But, I'll leave it to Anne.

For now, know that this book takes its time introducing you to Reuben.  But, you become so connected to Reuben that you fear for his safety and hope for his love.  You want his parents to be able to become part of his inner sanctum.  You cry for his brother's pain.

When the members of the pack finally make themselves known, you feel their power and the fear they place in those around them without even trying.  And you want to know more.  You want to know why they are feared so.

The ending has a little too much talk and not enough action because Anne preferred to leave all explanations until the last chapters of the book.  She keeps the readers as confused and two steps behind as she does Reuben.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who wants a good read with a well-developed character and story.  It's not a pace quickening thriller.  But, a comfortable read.

#GuestAuthor - K.M. Jackson

This week at Romancing the Pen, my guest is K.M. Jackson.  Her debut novel is Through the Lens!

Kwana discusses something that's really close to my own heart.  Strong heroines!

Kwana will also giveaway a free digital copy of Through the Lens to one lucky person!  So, don't just lurk...tell Kwana what you think.  Leave a comment, and you might be the lucky winner.

Blurb: Mika Walters is a normal-sized woman working in the not-so-normal world of New York fashion. As longtime assistant to uber-sexy photographer Alejandro Vega, she's tired of being the girl in the background. Just once she wants Alejandro to look at her with the same smoldering look he gives to his willowy models and now she has her chance. Stranded. After a travel mishap where the rest of the crew and the models can't make the remote island location shoot for another three days, Mika is taking her moment to catch Alejandro's eye and put herself in front of his camera and if all goes to plan, his bed . . . at least until the real world catches up with them.

Alejandro doesn't know what's gotten into Mika. Maybe it's the sand, maybe it's the sun, but he doesn't really care. All he knows is that he's finally opened his eyes and is seeing her clearly for the first time as the smart, gorgeous, and incredibly irresistible woman she is. But why can't she realize that what he's feeling for her is not one of his usual one, well, three night stands. This is real. Real love, real passion. What's it going to take for him to prove to Mika that she's the woman he wants? Now and forever.

Rules for writing fiction

As written for The Guardian by Colm Tóibín, novelist and short story writer.

1 Finish everything you start.

2 Get on with it.

3 Stay in your mental pyjamas all day.

4 Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

5 No alcohol, sex or drugs while you are working.

6 Work in the morning, a short break for lunch, work in the afternoon and then watch the six o'clock news and then go back to work until bed-time. Before bed, listen to Schubert, preferably some songs.

7 If you have to read, to cheer yourself up read biographies of writers who went insane.

8 On Saturdays, you can watch an old Bergman film, preferably Persona or Autumn Sonata.

9 No going to London.

10 No going anywhere else either.