Samhain Publishing Ltd. Weblog

So Many Men

Mad Jack Madden, the man from Immortal Illusions was a great hero to write. Balls to the wall, a sinful, sexy rouge who never said ‘die’. He talked trash, played the game like a master, and knew his way around women. My modern rake, he really showed me a good time. And Gideon Sinclair, from Immortal Protector? Dark, daring, and dangerously hot. My first hero, he was a challenge I’ll never forget.

You’d think I could show some loyalty, but right now I’m too busy wondering about that next man. Call me fickle, and you might be right. But you must admit, there’s something to be said for the novelty of masculine mystery, the allure of enigma, and the certain promise of passion found on untried ground.

I think that’s one of the things I really enjoy about reading, and writing romance. Love abounds. Over and over, you get to relive the thrill of the hunt, and savor the bliss of the fall. Each time from a new angle, with a fresh twist.

You wonder: who will he be, this new hero of mine?

Is he an All American blonde with a killer smile and bedroom eyes, or the dark man of mystery hell bent on seduction? Will he sear your soul with a single, inescapable glance that melts you where you stand? Is his voice rough, or smooth, or a pleasurable mix of both? When he stands beside you, does the air charge? Can you feel his heat wash over you as he lingers, just inches away, far closer than is proper for people who are not intimate? You’ll wonder: does he realize he’s in my personal space? Is he doing this unknowingly, or by design? Did he hold my gaze, my hand, a bit too long, or did I imagine it all because my libido is torqued to the max and ready to snap me in two?

You won’t get the answer directly, his eyes are inscrutable, his actions quixotic and mysterious. Maybe he’s doing it, knowing he’ll pay a price later on, but he just can’t resist. Even if he can’t touch, it’s so close, it might as well be skin to skin. And when he can touch, he takes his time even though convention dictates otherwise, because it feels so damn good.

He’ll make your breath hitch in your throat. Sometimes, he’ll catch you with that stare, and you’ll wonder, where could this go if I let it? And is hell to pay too big a price? You start out thinking yes, but the more time you spend in his deliciously wicked company, the more you think, sure, I’ll pay hell, I’ll give up the world, chuck everything I own out the damn window, if it ensures that toe curling kiss is followed by more of the same. So close for so long, you can’t help but give into the attraction and all else falls away.

Is he laconic, or mouthy? Mad cap, mad, maddening? That kiss: was it lazy, demanding, tender, possessive? And what kind of lover will he be? Slow, and sure, taking his time to make time, knowing things about you even you didn’t know? Or will he come on strong, and fast and hard, burning every well planned defense to dust, pushing you so beyond every wild limit you’re consumed and reborn a thousand times in his blaze? Either way, he’ll blow your mind, so everyone wins.

Yes: Everyone wins.

That’s the best part. No matter who he is, what skin he walks in, how he deals out that first kiss, and every one there after, we all go home happy.

And some people think romance sucks.

Weenies.

Paranormal Pot Luck: Mine, Yours, Theirs, Ours

My 106 year old house is haunted. There’s a guy in denim work clothes who stays mostly in the basement, where I don’t go. I caught a glimpse of him the first fall we lived here. We also hear him or deal with his antics when too much work goes on in the basement. Doors open that should stay closed, for instance. Which explains why, when we moved into the house, the door to the basement, and the upstairs level and living room all had chain locks. The regular ones don’t work when the basement guy is pissed. And there’s Ghost Kitty. She’s grey and playful and has showed herself to many of our surprised visitors who mistake her for our cat. Our corporeal cat is far larger, more sedentary, and haunts the vicinity directly in front of the upstairs radiator. She never comes out to see visitors, unless it’s to hiss at them and shoo them away.

Asian Cinema: Snacking Outside the Box

Grace Slick sang about feeding your head in the song White Rabbit.
I think she was on to something.

Writers are often required to stretch limits, push boundaries, asked to stay fresh and cutting edge, while still giving the audience of readers what they will enjoy.

One of the ways to stay out on that edge involves the snacks you give to your senses. What foods do you indulge in? Are you sampling from the same buffet as the majority? Or do you have a few exotic items on that menu? An out of the way little restaurant, off the beaten path, where you occasionally bring your imagination to feast?

One of my favorite snacks, a mainstay of Saturday movie nights at my household and a major ingredient in my novel Immortal Protector: foreign films. Primarily Asian Cinema. To list all the great flicks would take more time and space then we have here today, but I’m going to toss out a few for you adventurous folk to get started on, if you want to try something to jazz your palate.

My husband is a big movie buff, and this is where I first got my exposure. We watched Chow Yun Fat and Sammo Hung gangster, action and caper movies. We viewed offerings from such edgy directors as Ringo Lam and John Woo. These guys heavily influenced American film heavies like Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, both individuals known for non-linear story telling, deft use of heroic (both light and dark) iconic characters, take no prisoners action, and seductive out-of-the-box dialogue that was so weird, it resonated on a powerful level with viewers. Here on our side of the ocean, Tarantino and Rodriguez are lauded because they step beyond the norm. Who knew what pirates they were?

But I can hardly blame them. I did some of the same pirating. Watching spectacular action, seeing interplay between heroes, found it’s way into my own story telling. One thing that I love in many of the Asian films we see is the handling of hero, heroic vs. non-heroic, and honor. Many times you’ll have two male leads, in theory on opposite sides of an ideological divide (if not outright cop and robber), yet both connect because they have a deep sense of what is honorable vs. dishonorable. The villains are found on both the criminal and lawful side of the divide. It’s not unusual for your hero policeman to be fighting villains, his team members, the police, corruption in the system, and criminal masterminds…only to find a kindred spirit in some of the folks he wars with. And the hero, no matter his job (cop, or robber, in the simplest terms), is forced constantly to make difficult choices, perform difficult actions, and live with difficult circumstances as a result of those – each time demonstrating just how heroic they are. This is true for male and female leads. It was so easy to fall for these action oriented, take no prisoners, go to the edge for what you believe, heroes. And when I wrote Gideon, for Immortal Protector, I envisioned him as that hero. Make the hard choice, do the right thing, don’t whine about, just get on about your business, and keep on taking care of business. You don’t see that so often in American flicks, at least, not to the stark level you do in the Asian action dramas.

The settings fall away often times, as complex stories evolve, and draw you in, despite the fact you have to read subtitles. It’s not unusual for an Asian flick to seem like two stories in one. You’ll view half the movie, it seems to end, and another, deeper movie begins. You’ll also have mixed genres. One of my favorite movies is a dark action drama comedy love story. Talk about boundary stretching! It’s called Guns and Talks, and it’s a Korean flick about four young professional assassins who are at the top of the assassin game, and are total screw ups at all other aspects of life. It’s a well done movie, with a very off beat approach to story telling, appealing characters, crazy action, and laugh out loud scenes and situations.

There are heavy cultural message and overtones as well. Those come clear the more you watch and immerse yourself in the medium. There are interesting interplays between the sexes. There is much darkness, action, and unusual takes on life. And, there is Andy Lau. Not only a pop singer, this actor is incredibly versatile, and prolific. His movies run from screwball comedies to deep action. Favorite so far: Running on Karma. Andy plays a monk who leaves the monastic life, and indulges in all the sins of the flesh and ego, to escape a curse: his ability to see someone’s past life as a signal that their current life is about to end. In a flesh pit in Hong Kong, he becomes involved with a young female police officer who is the personification of honor, and all that is good and right with the world. He sees her past life, a Japanese soldier who slaughtered innocent Chinese. He tries again and again to keep her alive, hoping to avert the upcoming death. This leads him back to confront that death, as well as his past, and make peace with the Buddha inside and his own Karmic destiny. Deep, right? Well, get this: he starts the movie in a prosthetic muscle suit, as a male stripper named Big. Scene two, he’s running down a dark alley, but naked, police in pursuit. So yes, it is dramatic, and moving, with strong chemistry between two heroic characters, and at the same time it has these madcap moments you just can’t believe. Sort of like real life, in a way.

I watch these movies, out of the box for me and my cultural norm, yet I can connect with these archetypal themes at the same time. It all feeds my head, and comes out by giving me a fresh view and a fresh take on the tried and true.

So, what would I recommend from the menu?
Classics, with classic heroes, and foundation elements: Chow Yun Fat’s movies, anything by director John Woo.

Star Crossed Love Story with Mad Cap Edge: Drink, Drank, Drunk. Beer Girl hooks up with down and out French Chef, opens café by day, bistro by night, complete with nutty crime boss, freaky yet loyal friends, and lots of good old fashioned angst.

Andy Lau. Get his stuff, watch it, and enjoy.

Good old fashioned honor and dishonor among thieves and bodyguards complete with wild plot twists and turns, and full of hot, sexy leads: The Mission.

Actors to watch and love: Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Simon Yam, Ekin Cheng (almost as hot as Andy. Maybe hotter), Daniel Wu.

Good fun with sad love story and weird futuristic twist: For Bad Boys Only

Cops, Robbers, more Cops, and such: Heat Team.

Jackie Chan: he’s more than a funny martial arts guy: Police Story and the 10 years later sequel New Police Story. New Police Story will make you cry, so get out the Kleenex. It’s about breaking the cycle of violence. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.

You can get them all on NetFlix, and many at the local Block Buster. Just keep in mind that the descriptions are translations and don’t always match what the movie turns out to be. And that’s the other thing I really love: watching is always an adventure full of surprise. Who doesn’t like a surprise now and again?

Looking for something different to feed your head? Give the wild side of the menu a try. Sample some Asian cinema. It’s one of the ways I keep my imagination happy. There are a lot of other things that feed the need, but this is a mainstay.

How about all you good folks out there? Any favorite indulgences and snacks you like to sample, the things that feed your imagination, and keep it fresh, frisky, and dancing well outside the box?

Ursula

www.UrsulaBauer.com