Okay, now I really want to get down to brass tacks. Seriously we have been talking about the tone and the feel of horror and why zombies are so damn cool and that’s great. But I think the real reason I love writing zombies is this:
I like to blow shit up.
Okay, maybe I should be clearer just in case the FBI decides to read this blog and expand my file. I haven’t ever actually blown anything up. My brother used to blow up his GI Joes with firecrackers, but I wasn’t really involved in that. But the idea of blowing stuff up is soooo cool. And what gives you a better excuse for doing it than a zombie apocalypse? I mean, seriously. Anarchy is the name of the game in Zombieville. If you aren’t blowing things up, you are doing it wrong.
And it isn’t just the blowing up part. Nope, you can also shoot people. Or say… kill them with their own stiletto. Or with a toilet seat. There are a hundred creative ways to kill a zombie and no one even bats an eye about the murderous rampage you are participating in (or… writing. Yes, writing, not participating).
Apocalypses are different from regular wars, I guess. In regular war you get soldiers with weapons and they’re trained. In an apocalypse we’re all soldiers and everything around you is a potential weapon. Those with the ability to creatively kill will be highly valued.
Oh and speaking of that, after the shit goes down, what we value in general will change. White collar workers, I’m sorry but you will be useless. People who can grow food, drive heavy equipment, run the electric grid and kill stuff will be GODS. They will rule and have many wives (or husbands) as a reward. Because as we know, in the post-apocalypse we’ll all go Lord of the Flies or Mad Max and run wild.
Sounds pretty fun to me.
Except wait, Mira, in FEED… it kind of didn’t go that way. So what’s up with still having a political and social infrastructure, man?
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Well, aren't you surprised to see me again? Wires got crossed & lucky you all, here I am :)
Today, I would like to start the discussion on emotion in romance. There have been a couple of books of late I've read that had an emotional level of 300% -- you know those books, "WOW, that was something", as you wipe the tears from your eyes. I'm really not that emotional of a person, but if something really hits the mark, or resonates with me in such a way, those feelings start to take on a life of there own :)
So! to start, I'd like to tell you about what I've almost finished reading, ETERNAL HUNGER by Laura Wright -- let me qualify this review by saying, even if you are not a paranormal romance fan, this story has characters you & I adore -- the heroes are very tortured, set apart from vampire society. The Roman brothers escaped the world of where they were raised. The culture, their family, did not support them & how they wanted to live their lives. Unfortunately, a threat to the Roman brothers emerges & guidance is needed from the higher power. The thing that sold me on this book was definitely the emotion but also the strong heroine - Sara works in a hospital, psychiatric ward, where her brother is a patient. Sara is a strong women, that cares about her family especially after all they went thru. Sara also feels responsible for the fire that killed her father, sent her mother away & is the reason that she has had to hospitalize her brother. The strength she shows as the book develops is one you can only respect, as does Vampire Alexander, the man who literally sweeps her off her feet. Now, Alexander is a very tortured character who finds a connection with Sara, his soon to be mate. Alex sees her strength & respects her loyalty & commitment to her family & in the end tries to help her heal her brother.
Together these characters fight their own battles but also help each find answers to their own demons. The emotion is huge & you feel the depth of Alexander's emotion immediately which makes you want to fly thru this book.
Characters readers, don't miss this -
Another book that I've recently read is Maya Banks, THE DARKEST HOUR.. The beginning of a new suspense series, The KGI, Navy Seal, Ethan Kelly, finds out his wife is still alive. After a year of guilt, feeling as if he drove her away from him & their marriage, he receives a message of her being alive & how she can be rescued. All works well & she comes home, however, what Ethan is not prepared for is her memory loss & the guilt that just gets stronger & stronger until he finally faces Rachel with his feelings & the truth. OMG, people, talk about emotion! & does this author know how to make you read until wee hours of the morning -- each chapter is a clincher to transcend you into the next -- WOW!
The reader is literally taken on an emotional roller coaster, so if you like that intensity -- read this book.
Robyn Carr's, PROMISE CANYON, is another one! No surprise there, as Robyn's Virgin River series has taken us on one big emotional ride -- well, in PC you meet a man & woman who are of Native American descent & learn a little about their very traditional cultures & families. The reader understands that partially because of their upbringing these characters are very committed people . . to their families, friends, work & in the end to one another, however, both have had pasts where someone has not felt the same way & has badly hurt them. The story is about being able to overcome the fear that comes with learning to trust someone again .. .. & if you've ever been there, it is something that is not easy to do. Robyn does a phenomenal job in portraying these characters & how they overcome their pasts. Need I say, this was a verrrrrrrrrrrrrry emotional book!
I could not find a cover but hopefully you'll enjoy this picture of the grand canyon :)
So see where I'm going here? I personally have thought, that this level of emotion I've described in these books has been missing in the genre. . . not that you want this commitment in every book you read, but you want there to be strong values, feelings . . help me out here . . . Ladies, where do you want the level of emotion/commitment in your books? What author does that for you?
Comment below, 2 randomly chosen will win Sue's Stash -- Thanks for chatting with me,
SueG
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