I watched A Little Chaos last night, a film about a female landscape artist who wins the honor of designing a part of Versailles (Kate Winslet stars in it. Alan Rickman both directed and appears in it). I loved it. I don’t understand why I haven’t heard more about this movie.
Or maybe I do.
Because the lead character is female. She’s strong, stocky, wildly intelligent and super independent. There’s a love story. Yes. But her hero makes her even stronger. She’s a brilliant engineer and a savvy leader. Strong men choose to follow her.
I suspect that makes (mostly male) critics and award voters uncomfortable. Thank goodness I write romance. Romance readers EXPECT strong heroines. They EXPECT love interests to make these heroines stronger. They EXPECT heroines to find their own solutions and not wait for someone else to save them.
They expect a heroine like Sabine De Barra, Kate Winslet’s character. Sabine has a gripping back story (she’s a widow and is dealing with her grief, something all of us have struggled with). She has numerous goals and an unique view on the world. She isn’t perfect, far from it, yet she’s sympathetic (The director, Alan Rickman, sets this up beautifully with showing Sabine’s friendship with another woman right at the beginning. This woman clearly loves Sabine and that makes me love her also.).
She’s a character I could happily write a series about.
Aside: One of my favorite parts of the movies is when the ladies at court are talking about the deaths they’ve experienced. I found it interesting that Sabine doesn’t cry yet I felt the emotion even more strongly than if she did break down. It reminded me that I don’t need tears to convey a character’s sorrow.
Another note: There is debate about whether or not Sabine is a real historical character. That there is even a discussion around this tells me the film is historically accurate enough to make me happy. It COULD have happened.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Crash And Burn
Crash was manufactured to be one of the best warriors in the universe. The cyborg has spent many human lifespans fighting the enemy. But, unlike his battle-loving brethren, he doesn’t enjoy killing. When he escapes the Humanoid Alliance, he vows to never end another life.
Then he meets Safyre, an infuriating human female, and he considers breaking his vow.
Safyre will do anything to save her friend, the being she loves like a sister. She’ll ravish a huge hunky cyborg, kiss his best friend, and invoke scorching hot desires the male never realized he could feel. Dark soulful eyes, a quick wit, and a tempestuous passion won’t divert her from her mission.
Love, and a planet-destroying weapon, however, might stop her permanently.
Pre-order Now:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B019EBKIF2
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crash-Burn-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook-x/dp/B019EBKIF2/
On ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crashandburn-1950244-147.html
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crash-and-burn-cynthia-sax/1123141101
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/crash-and-burn-13
