Hot or Not – James Cameron’s Avatar
Happy almost Friday Ocean Dreamers!
This morning I was listening to Ryan Seacrest on the radio {my morning ritual} and he happened to be interviewing James Cameron about his new film that will be coming out on December 18. 
Apparently it took him 4 years to film Avatar, a year an a half to come up with a language strictly made for the film with the correct syntax, and a new digital way of incorporating the computer graphics with real life actors.
Here’s a little summary with pictures for you…
The story’s protagonist, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a former Marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down in combat on Earth. Jake is selected to participate in the Avatar program, which will enable him to walk. {hotness alert!!}
Jake travels to Pandora, a lush jungle-covered extraterrestrial moon filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. Pandora is also home to the Navi, a sentient humanoid race that are more physically capable than humans, although considered primitive. Standing three meters tall, with tails and sparkling blue skin, the Navi live in harmony with their unspoiled world. 
As humans encroach deeper into Pandora’s forests in search of valuable minerals, the Navi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence. Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Navi hybrids known as Avatars.
The Avatars are living, breathing bodies that are controlled by a human “driver” through a technology that links the driver’s mind to their Avatar body. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake can be whole once again. Sent deep into Pandora’s jungles as a scout for the soldiers that will follow, Jake encounters many of Pandora’s beauties and dangers. 
There he meets a young Navi female, Neytiri, whose beauty is only matched by her ferocity in battle. 
Over time, Jake integrates himself into Neytiri’s clan, and begins to fall in love with her. 
As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Navi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of an entire world.
So what do ya think? I know we haven’t seen the film yet but from what you have seen and read…
Does this film look HOT or NOT?
I personally think this film looks HOT and I hope it does well in the theater. I think James Cameron always has made brilliant films that feature fantasy, action, romance, and more. Plus he is the man who came up with Titanic, love that film.
I’ll let you know more when I see the film later this month! Have a great day!!
XOXO,
*movie summary from IMDB.com and pictures from google.com!
Victoria Janssen – Setting and Characterization Through Food
Setting and Characterization Through Food
Victoria Janssen
I love food, both eating it and reading about it, and that interest sometimes translates into my work. I use food for several different purposes, most notably to establish setting and to deepen characterization.
My December 2009 Harlequin Spice book, The Moonlight Mistress, is set in the early days of World War One, and there are scenes set in Germany, England, and France. Not only did I take into account local cuisines of those places, and what people might ordinarily eat in 1914, but what might be available to eat in the specific situations I was portraying.
For instance, in an early scene, two characters are trying to escape Germany. They stop in a small town and buy “sausages, cheese, fresh bread, a thermos of strong coffee, and bottled beer and lemonade,” even though the French character would really rather have croissants. This idea is revisited when they’ve arrived safely in France: “She could really have croissants, with thick creamy butter and clots of strawberry jam.” In fact, they get buttered rolls and an “omelette…dense with soft cheese and thin ham and fines herbes,” subtly giving an impression of safety through plenty of good, fresh food.
So far as characterization goes, the character Crispin likes a particular kind of chocolate, “nutmilk choc,” and it appears several times, as a gift from his sister and when he shares his favorite with others. This is a fairly simple use of food as characterization.
I got a bit more complicated with a werewolf character, Tanneken. Her appearance, a small woman in widow’s weeds, contrasts with her sometimes savage werewolf nature. I tried to show these contrasts through the ways she eats while in a tea shop, and also show that she has recently been through a terrible experience.
For example: She…ate a madeleine in one bite, then another. She chewed, swallowed, and said, “You will not lock me up. I would kill you first.” She took one of the cream pastries and studied it a moment before popping it into her mouth. She’s very hungry, but also somewhat detached from the everyday business of it. Her words are at odds with her behavior.
The waitress set down their plate of sandwiches. Madame Claes took one and popped it into her mouth. She did not appear to take any pleasure in the food, Pascal noted. She simply ate it for fuel, like a soldier too long in the field. The point of view character picks up on the above and learns something about her.
“I prefer to strike directly whenever I am able, since my government will not allow me to be a soldier. Even though I can rip out a man’s throat in less than a heartbeat.” She picked up the last remaining madeleine and nibbled on it, delicately. And, here, the contrast between manners and words is even more direct.
Food detail also works wonderfully as contrast between the actual situation and what the characters feel. A conversation about afternoon tea takes place in a shell hole, while the two soldiers are under bombardment: “What was tea like at home, when you were a boy? Cucumber sandwiches and little cream Napoleons? Or beans on toast?” We learn much more about the characters through this seemingly innocuous discussion than we would if they had simply continued to talk about the military situation.
I’m only sad that my book is set too early in the war for me to include ANZAC cookies. Which are delicious!
http://www.victoriajanssen.com/index.html
Military and Romance
In casting about for a topic about which to write, two people suggested independently that I talk about the military and romance. Not military romances, mind you, but how the (US) military and the romance genre interact.
I am a romance reader. I am an academic. But I also recently received a medical separation from the North Carolina Army National Guard after 7 1/2 years of service. I enlisted after 9/11, commissioned in 2003, and attained the rank of captain just before I was kicked out for the distressing habit of throwing up a lot if it’s more than 90 degrees. 
I was never deployed overseas, but I was involved in the National Guard’s nationwide response to Hurricane Katrina, spending 20 days in Louisiana.
What does this all have to do with romance? Leaving aside the obvious issue of the devastating Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy (which, yes, affected me), I’ve got three thoughts:
1. Research
I recently read a story in which a platoon sergeant was called “sir” by a lieutenant, ordered the lieutenant around, and was saluted by a private. All of which is so completely, unconscionably WRONG, I was utterly boggled. I was flung out of the story so hard I got whip-lash, and I couldn’t trust the story after that (and that was the first three paragraphs of the story!). I mean, the most basic of research would have told anyone that this was just wrong wrong wrong. And yes, this matters. If you’re writing a story about a world that’s not your own, don’t confuse the reason of “never been a part of it” with the reason of “making it up.” Don’t world-build something that should be researched.
2. Women and the Military
Women make up 14% of the US military and with the asymmetric wars we’re involved in, women see combat even if they’re not supposed to. They are also victims of the most vicious forms of sexual harrassment and are disproportionately represented in DADT discharges. And yet (maybe, somehow, as a result?) a woman just become the head of the US Army’s drill sergeant school. And we have our first female four-star general.
In not unrelated news, we have some serious kick-ass romance heroines nowadays, who overcome huge obstacles, go after what they want, save the world, and get their man. Women, in general, broad brush-strokes, don’t let much hold us down anymore. We can conquer the heights of military rank structure in ways that are not just tokenism. We can save the world–literally. That’s reflected in our books and that’s just awesome. Can I just say, “Go us!”
3. Military and Romance
Do you know how many of our beloved romance authors are veterans? I think many of us follow Jessica Scott’s blog as she’s deployed in Iraq and yet still writing. But to discover that so many authors are veterans fills me with pride.
And again, I think these things are connected. People join the military for lots of reasons, but I think the loyalty and honor, optimism and love for and pride in country that pervade the military mindset (at its best) are reflected in many romances, whether or not the authors are veterans. We all want our heroes (and heroines) to be honorable, steadfast, loyal. We all want them to believe in something larger than themselves, or at least to act that way, even if they profess not to believe. We want the love of two people, or the military service of one, to mean something, to be part of a greater good. And the soldiers, sailors, air-men and -woman, and Marines we honor ideally represent the best of the nation, as romances present and represent the best of humanity.
Melodramatic, maybe, but let me tell you how much I *miss* putting on that uniform once a month, the uniform with the American flag on one shoulder, US Army over my heart, and my family’s name emblazoned on my chest.
Copyright
Romance Writers Of America
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Every summer, the Avon Editors attend the Romance Writers of America conference which provides us the perfect opportunity to mingle with authors, reviewers, booksellers, and agents. This year, it’s in Washington, D.C., which is just the perfect place to host authors from across the country (and a few from Australia).
I always look forward to RWA because it gives us an opportunity to think about some of the things our imprint has achieved since the last time we all met. Authors new to the bestseller list, authors with new series, authors who are nominated for awards as well as brand new authors to the list.
Every day, I feel so lucky to have this job where there is always something new to think about: new online opportuntities (like our microsites for authors), our blog (of course), our ever changing approach to format (BLACK SILK by Judith Ivory coming in a beautiful trade format), new approaches to cover design (Thank you, Mr. Art Director!). Plus, I am constantly amazed at all the things my authors do both book-wise and otherwise. Eloisa James has an amazing column for B&N.com and Susan Elizabeth Phillips bungee jumped!
Obviously I’m just one editor, but some things I am celebrating this summer:
Eloisa James.
Two fabulous books.
One is Villiers’ Story! It’s actually my favorite Eloisa James book–ever!
Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
Sarah Maclean. New author! She has written a YA book for Scholastic, but look for her historical romance to come.
Margaret Carroll’s A DARK LOVE and RIPTIDE.
I hope to see people at the Literacy signing! Looking forward to meeting all those writers who make dreams come true!
It’s Memorial Day!
As a kid I loved Memorial Day.
Every year, our town would have a parade, and, even better, it meant that summer vacation was not far away. So, today, I thought it might be good to take a few moments to salute the many men and women who served in the United States Military, including both of my parents.
My dad was in the Army during the Korean War, and my mother was an Air Force nurse, stationed in San Antonio, TX. You could say dad was more reluctant to serve–I’m pretty sure a letter beginning with “Greetings” corralled him into the army.
But, even though I’m pretty sure she worked until she dropped, mom told me she loved her time in the air force. (She once told me she was the only nurse in charge of a ward of 100 men!) I share here a picture of her in front of her quarters in 1951.
So, while we’re enjoying our day off, let’s take a moment to remember the men–and, yes, the women–who served.
Happy Memorial Day!
