The School For Good And Evil And Expectations
Warning – I’m talking about the Netflix movie – The School For Good And Evil – in this post. There will be some (mild) spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this movie, you might wish to skip this discussion.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I watched The School For Good And Evil on Netflix. This fairy tale magical academy movie was based on the book by Soman Chainani and we quite enjoyed it. It was light and fun and had a girl power message.
It also does a brilliant job at using our expectations to create plot twists.
Sophie and Agatha are best friends. But they seem more different than similar.
Agatha wears all black. She loves her cat and her potion-creating mom. She has all the makings of the stereotypical witch in the fairy tales.
Sophie dresses in bright, happy colors. She’s a gifted seamstress and she dreams of being the princess she resembles.
When they’re transported to the School for Good and Evil, we assume Sophie will be placed in the good school and Agatha (whom I LOVE) will be placed in the evil school.
But the exact opposite happens. They are placed, they believe, in the ‘wrong’ schools, becoming instant and obvious outcasts.
I thought this was superbly done and I was extremely inspired by it.
***
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Grin And Bare Him
This cyborg will be the warrior his female requires.
Cyborgs are designed to fight. That is their primary purpose and 98.2356 percent of the manufactured warriors enjoy battle. Tremendously.
Grin, a K model, is one of the rare exceptions. When he escaped his cruel creators, he set down his sword and allocated his processors to less violent pursuits. He projects he’s left his war-waging planet rotations behind him forever.
Then he meets his beautiful, beguiling female, the one being he’s destined to protect, to claim, to love for all eternity, and his plans for peace are completely decimated.
Mohini needs a ship.
She has a dangerous mission to complete and the first step in that assignment is arranging transport to an enemy-controlled planet. The vessel she has set her sights on is guarded by the sexiest cyborg she’s ever seen.
To gain access to his ship, Mohini is prepared to kiss, caress, seduce the muscular male. The mission is her focus. The pleasure she experiences will merely be a bonus.
A female has to do what a female has to do to save the universe.
Grin And Bare Him is a Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a humanoid female undertaking a dangerous mission, a cyborg intent on keeping her alive, and an enemy with enough firepower to blow up an entire sector.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/grin-and-bare-him/id1622100495
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grin-and-bare-him-cynthia-sax/1141413965
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/grin-and-bare-him
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1145153
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The School For Good And Evil And Expectations
Rosaline And Shrewish Characters
Note: This post will talk about the Enemies-to-Lovers Romance movie Rosaline. If you haven’t yet watched this fun, light-hearted, HEA film, you might want to skip this post.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I watched Rosaline, a YA movie based on the book When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle. This story covers some of the scenes in Shakespeare’s Romeo And Juliet but from Rosaline’s POV.
We both really enjoyed this movie. It was light and fun and had the expected Romance ending. The soundtrack was awesome. The two main characters had delicious chemistry. And their romance had layers. I could see how they would grow together as a couple.
One of the (many) things it did well is give us a likable ‘shrew’ heroine and that’s very difficult to do. Often shrew characters are so harsh they’re mean. Or they are so soft they’re not truly shrew characters.
Rosaline balances this well. She will list everything she hates but then she’ll admit she does likes something. She’ll tell her hero off and then she’ll ask if he’s coming with her or not. She’ll say something harsh and then immediately and visibly regret it.
I liked her as a heroine. And I understood why her hero falls in love with her.
***
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Grin And Bare Him
This cyborg will be the warrior his female requires.
Cyborgs are designed to fight. That is their primary purpose and 98.2356 percent of the manufactured warriors enjoy battle. Tremendously.
Grin, a K model, is one of the rare exceptions. When he escaped his cruel creators, he set down his sword and allocated his processors to less violent pursuits. He projects he’s left his war-waging planet rotations behind him forever.
Then he meets his beautiful, beguiling female, the one being he’s destined to protect, to claim, to love for all eternity, and his plans for peace are completely decimated.
Mohini needs a ship.
She has a dangerous mission to complete and the first step in that assignment is arranging transport to an enemy-controlled planet. The vessel she has set her sights on is guarded by the sexiest cyborg she’s ever seen.
To gain access to his ship, Mohini is prepared to kiss, caress, seduce the muscular male. The mission is her focus. The pleasure she experiences will merely be a bonus.
A female has to do what a female has to do to save the universe.
Grin And Bare Him is a Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a humanoid female undertaking a dangerous mission, a cyborg intent on keeping her alive, and an enemy with enough firepower to blow up an entire sector.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/grin-and-bare-him/id1622100495
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/grin-and-bare-him-cynthia-sax/1141413965
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/grin-and-bare-him
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1145153
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on Rosaline And Shrewish Characters
Dune And Foreseeing the Future
Warning – This post will contain some spoilers for Dune. If you haven’t yet watched the 2021 movie, you might wish to skip this post.
In the 2021 version of Dune, based on the book by Frank Herbert, Paul, the hero, sees the future in his dreams. He dreams of beings he’ll meet and events that could happen.
That’s great skill for a character to have but it makes creating an interesting story much more challenging.
Because, if Paul can see the future, he should be able to avoid nastiness like loss and death. He has the ability to live until he dies of natural causes.
We, as readers and viewers, will know he’ll always safe in battle or other dangerous situations. There will be no fear of him dying and no suspense.
The solution to this is Paul dreams about events that COULD happen. If he changes his responses, he changes the outcomes. He changes the future. It shifts from being known to being unknown. And in that unknown future, he COULD die in battle.
Seeing the future gives Paul an advantage but it doesn’t make him invincible.
***
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Seizing Power
This cyborg believes he’s in control.
Power is the self-appointed leader of the cyborg council. Other members might debate situations. He makes the ultimate decisions.
When a threat to Homeland is revealed, he takes command of a fleet and ventures to the edge of cyborg-controlled space to investigate. He finds a rebellion led by a mysterious upstart he calls Cadet.
The plan Power derives is simple—he’ll quickly quash the uprising and teach its leader a lesson the warrior will never forget.
NO ONE challenges his authority.
Eirene Ours might be called a cadet by Power but she is NOT his subordinate. She is the arrogant E Model’s genetic match.
For much of her mature lifespan, she has desired the male, yearning for his dark-eyed gaze, craving his sure hands, longing for his respect.
That esteem was never granted. And Eirene Ours can no longer wait to earn it. There’s an external threat to their kind, a danger that might destroy them all.
Having lured Power to her home terrain, she now plans to use everything within her means — her fists, her daggers, her ship-destroying missiles — to pound that truth into her stubborn warrior’s thick metal skull.
The future of every cyborg is at stake. She can’t fail them.
Power will believe her. Or he will die.
***
Seizing Power is an enemies-to-lovers Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features an epic battle between two equally strong cyborg leaders, plans that go terribly yet passionately wrong, and a love that will shake the entire universe.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09HT5RMH8
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09HT5RMH8
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09HT5RMH8
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/seizing-power/id1589084775
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seizing-power-cynthia-sax/1140305634
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/seizing-power-2
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1108292
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on Dune And Foreseeing the Future
Wonder Woman 1984 And Tightening Scenes
Spoiler Alert – This post will talk about Wonder Woman 1984 and it will involve spoilers. If you haven’t yet watched this movie, please consider skipping this post.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I recently watched Wonder Woman 1984. We enjoyed it. It was light(er) and colorful and entertaining.
The script, however, did have major issues.
Some reading buddies have asked me in the past what I mean about a plot being ‘tight.’ That’s easiest illustrated by using a plot that ISN’T tight.
Wonder Woman 1984 is a great (or, rather, bad – grins) example of this.
At the beginning of the movie, for example, a jewelry store is being robbed. The thieves aren’t seeking to steal jewelry. They want the antiques being sold out of a back room.
That’s a very specific goal…especially for thieves who are portrayed as being inept and unsophisticated. They don’t seem to be the types to choose hard-to-resell antiquities over easy-to-fence diamonds and gold.
I assumed someone hired them. Yet they aren’t searching for a specific item when they rob the place and they clearly can’t take everything. Some of the items are too large to be easily or discreetly carried out of the store. They appeared to be stealing random sh*t.
If the thieves were hired by someone, we never find out who did that hiring. Or what that person was seeking to find.
We never see or hear about the thieves past that early scene. They are throwaway characters.
The two purposes of the scene seemed to be showcasing Wonder Woman’s powers and transferring the dream stone, via the FBI, to the Smithsonian where Wonder Woman works.
That’s a loosely written scene. It does the bare minimum, moves one plot point forward.
A tighter scene would have the thieves working for the villain or for an alternate villain. That they were chosen by the villain would relay things to us about this big baddie, about his connections, his personality, his goals.
We’d then see the thieves a few more times during the movie. The thieves might reveal or reflect more aspects of the villain.
Or maybe the thieves flip on the villain and align themselves with Wonder Woman. And then they reveal or reflects aspects of our heroine.
There are a gazillion other ways to make this scene do more. Maybe the happy little girl Wonder Woman saves appears in the world is going to Hell scene (instead of a random family). Or there is a running joke about shopping malls being dangerous.
That would tie this early scene to future scenes. It would mean more, would make the plot more cohesive, be ‘tighter’.
The movie would feel like one work of art instead of a series of random scenes.
***
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Under Strain
A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.
***
Strain is severely malfunctioning. The D Model cyborg was the sole survivor after a horrific decision was made by his cruel manufacturers. He hates all humans, and when he attacks one who is under his cyborg leader’s protection, he is reprimanded, stripped of his weapons, and told to watch and not actively participate in the next mission.
That mission takes place on a small remote planet. Its lush terrain should only be inhabited by the cyborgs they were sent to rescue, but Strain senses another presence on the surface. She is watching him, tracking him, hunting him.
A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.
Strain wants to claim her. Forever.
Kamyelle is the only one left of her kind. Warriors have killed the other nonviolent human inhabitants of her planet. She survived…barely…by hiding in the trees, observing her enemies, and covering herself with lifeform scan-concealing mud.
When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.
She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.
***
Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08R322L7S
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/under-strain
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10602
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on Wonder Woman 1984 And Tightening Scenes
Something Borrowed And To Be Continued
I finally watched the 2011 romantic comedy Something Borrowed this week. This movie is based on an Emily Giffin book with the same title.
I resisted watching this movie and reading this book based on the premise – A woman falls in love with her best friend’s fiancé. Yes, ouch. There are only two outcomes I can predict with that premise – either the woman ends up broken hearted or a close friendship ends. I like happy endings and neither of those outcomes are happy.
I won’t talk about that in this post. What I wanted to talk about is the ending. Don’t worry. This will be fairly spoiler-free.
The ending is a Romance Novel sexy brother ending amplified.
In what I call a sexy brother series (other writers have other names for this type of series), every story has a couple (or more) with their own romantic happy ever after BUT another intriguing character or couple (or more) is also introduced in their story.
Seasoned Romance Novel readers such as myself (and I suspect you) know that character or couple (or more) will have their own story told next or soon after. This is often implied rather than outright stated.
Why isn’t it outright stated?
Because a gazillion things could prevent that next story from being published. And if the next story isn’t ever published, making a too obvious link between the two stories will hurt our enjoyment of the first story. I can’t recommend to buddies a book 1 that needs a book 2 if the book 2 will never be published.
The odds of a next movie being produced are even lower than the odds of a next book being published. Yet Something Borrowed ends with a very strong link to the next movie, a movie that 9 years later hasn’t happened and likely will never happen.
The link might have been forgivable if it hadn’t been for the message they placed at the end of the movie – To Be Continued…
These three words took away my ability to think of Something Borrowed as a completed story or film. There was no doubt left in my mind. I had watched only a portion of the story.
It was frustrating and completely unnecessary and is a great lesson for writers everywhere. Unless we are certain there will be a next story, we should think carefully before strongly linking stories.
Note: I now self-publish all my stories which means, barring any huge disasters, I’m in complete control over my next stories. I can talk about Power’s story because, if there is any life left in my 40-something currently-relatively-healthy form at all a year from now, Power’s story WILL be written and, soon after that, released.
I still prefer that my stories stand on their own as I know not all heroes or heroines or premises appeal to all reading buddies. And hey, things happen.
***
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Testing Truth
A fun-loving cyborg gets serious about love.
***
Truth lives each moment as though it were his last. The cyborg warrior rushes into danger, teases beings he shouldn’t provoke, accepts every call of adventure he encounters.
When a prissy little human princess floats into the Rebel structure Truth is occupying, seeking a mercenary to assist her and her unusual entourage, he volunteers to be her warrior. She claims their assignment is dangerous, warns him he might not survive the task.
That is exactly the type of fun he has been seeking.
Princess Nanette of the planet Royaume must rescue her estranged brother from an enemy prison ship. That is her duty, and she has been trained to always place the needs of her planet and her subjects before her own. Nancy doesn’t have the freedom to indulge her passions for a certain dark-haired, gray-skinned cyborg. Not permanently and not publicly.
But she is unable to resist the warrior. Truth, with his laughing eyes, smiling lips, and rough hands, tempts her as no one else ever has. He could be her one fleeting act of rebellion before she’s matched with the powerful ruler her planet requires.
If they survive their current mission.
Their love is doomed. Their lifespans are at risk. This cyborg and his princess will need the help of every ally they have if they wish to see another sunrise.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B08BTYN7TT
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/testing-truth/id1520415369
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/testing-truth-cynthia-sax/1137237855
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/testing-truth
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1029497
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on Something Borrowed And To Be Continued
Vivarium And Aliens Thinking Like Aliens
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I watched Vivarium on the weekend.
This movie has romantic elements but it is NOT a Romance. Don’t expect a Romance ending.
It is also a SciFi Fantasy. The world and premise have HUGE plot holes in it. They are intriguing but they make no d@mn sense.
For example, there is a huge amount of effort expended for very little payback and I’m almost certain aliens with that amount of power could design a more efficient means of achieving the same results.
If you plan to watch this movie, put logic aside and simply enjoy it.
Because it IS an enjoyable movie. The world is fresh and interesting and it sparked my muse.
Most alien movies feature an alien species that looks excitingly different but thinks very similarly to humans. One of the things I loved about Vivarium is…they flip this. The aliens in it look similar to humans yet they THINK very differently.
And it isn’t due to culture as it is with the aliens in many of my stories. The BRAINS of the aliens in Vivarium are different. They can’t dream, as one example, and it was implied they don’t have the capacity for imagination or creative thought.
Imagine not being able to imagine. Yeah, that freaked me out a bit. Because much of what we do every day is based on creative thought. That’s how we tackle problems we face for the first time.
And sleep for these aliens must be endless darkness. I LOVE dreaming. That is one of the many enjoyable parts of my day…or night. (grins) Dreaming is like watching a movie that has been especially filmed for me.
I am unlikely to craft an alien hero/heroine who has a different type of brain. Why? Because I adhere to Common Ancestor Theory with my humanoid aliens. That proposes that all humanoids and humans come from one common ancestor, which is why my aliens can make babies with my humans. Their genes are extremely similar. That means their brains would be extremely similar also.
But for writing buddies who don’t adhere to Common Ancestor Theory, messing around with the brains of aliens can be an awesome variation in your worlds. It would cast ripples across every facet of your societies and make them excitingly different.
***
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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.
She sees the warrior hero he never believed he could be.
* * *
Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.
That best isn’t the barren, dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining the war.
After many solar cycles of living alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky. Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.
He also insists they must part. Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once more.
Every additional moment Lea and Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled might be their own.
* * *
Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.
Book 1: Warlord Sky
Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty
Book 3: Warlord Unarmed
Book 4: Warlord Reunited
Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy
Book 6: Warlord’s Return
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlords-mercy-cynthia-sax/1116524052
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-mercy-1
SmashWords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1020349
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on Vivarium And Aliens Thinking Like Aliens
