A Romance Author's Vacation...Fourth and Final

Our last place on the tour for Ireland is Waterford!  Yes, the amazing and sparkly crystal that I’ve been waiting for.

We watched artisan’s create the blown glass and etch the famous designs we all want shining on our holiday tables.

Not a place to have a problem with the credit card.  I chose a large selection of crystal and jittered with anticipation and smiles as the very helpful salesman (who had traveled to a Wisconsin Waterford store) rang up my choices.  I had carefully selected pieces made at the store we were in.  The card didn’t go through.  OMG!  And the bus will leave in ten minutes.

I had to leave without the treasures.

Later called the credit card by their 24/7 free call from anywhere in the world. 

The day before, my husband had tried to use a Tyme machine by putting the card in at least five times.  The card company though it may have been stolen, so they closed it.  After the call, all was settled and the card open.  We weren’t near the Waterford store anymore.

Long story, short, I ordered pieces online, Ireland said they don’t ship to the U.S. (only for tours), so I ordered on a different site.  The nice UPS man brought me a huge box and placed it inside my door.  Yeah!  Four days later I received another huge box.  Both orders came.  My husband laughed and said “keep it all.”

Sometimes errors work in your favor!

Across the channel and into Wales.

We visited Cardiff Castle, which was amazing with decoration and history.  This is the same castle that Harry Potter was filmed in, and on the day we arrived a wedding had been scheduled.  The groomsmen wore handsome kilts.  The bridesmaids had crimson satin dresses.  The Groom arrived in a black Jaguar with a bridal bow across the hood of the car-English tradition.

The castle was the first English castle to have electricity and plumbing because of the owner’s great wealth.  Each room had murals full of stories.  The wooden trims along the walls are embedded with real garnets, rubies, and emeralds.

During the ride back to London, I updated my notebook.  I have a hoard of ideas for another novel.  The mystery and cold of exquisite castles, the churning waters of the channels, the austere atmosphere of Heathrow, the personally ordered pieces of crystal, and the running prowess of the horses are all parts of an upcoming novel.  As soon as I write it!

 

Have a grand holiday,

To Shave or Not to Shave

Every once in a while, I like to see a hero with facial hair. Oh, I’m not talking about big bushy beards like the men who used to be on the Smith Brother’s Cough Drop box, but rather a nicely groomed mustache or goatee or even a full beard, if it’s well kept. For some reason, I am attracted to this and I’m not sure why. 

I used to love watching men shave, which somehow doesn’t quite fit with the attraction to facial hair (and we’re not even going to discuss chest hair which I like on a man but you never see on a book cover) but I digress.  

I once heard that publishers don’t like heroes with facial hair because they didn’t quite look right on the cover of a book so it makes me wonder why there aren’t more heroes with beards or mustaches or both. Is it reader preference? Writer preference?         

I love Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott, but both must be sporting their mustaches (somehow, they don’t look the same without them, don’t you agree?). Hugh Jackman? Well, that’s unfair because he looks fabulous with or without.

             

What about you? What’s your preference? Do you like your heroes clean-shaven? With a five o’clock shadow? Sporting the scruffy look Don Johnson made famous? Or full on hairy face, like Hagrid in the Harry Potter films? Or somewhere in between?

             

Whatever your preference, I’m sure you’ll find what you’re looking for within the pages of a book!

           

Happy reading!

Marie

Movies from Books

Do you like it when your favorite book is turned into a movie? Are you satisfied the actor/actress playing the characters are a good choice? Who would you have chosen instead? Have you ever been disappointed? Or surprised?

When I read a novel, I have a clear picture in my head of what the hero looks like, what the heroine looks like and the setting, all based on the author’s description. In most cases, what Hollywood puts out never matches what I’ve already seen in my mind.

I loved the book Misery, by Stephen King – I will admit, the story scared the heck out of me (actually, Stephen King has been scaring me since I was fourteen – and I love him for it). What happened to the hero of the story could happen in real life. An obsessed, crazed fan. An isolated place. A devastating car accident leaving our hero at the mercy of said obsessed, crazed fan.

James Caan and Kathy Bates were not who I pictured in my head when I read the novel but I was pleasantly surprised (maybe pleasantly is the wrong word here) by how wrong I was about Hollywood’s choice of performers. Ms. Bates’ performance still makes me shiver! And I can’t picture anyone else in those roles.

The same for the Harry Potter series. Can you imagine anyone other than Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter? Or Emma Watson as Hermoine?

Although movies can never replace books in my heart, I do enjoy seeing what Hollywood can come up with and always wait with anticipation to see if what I pictured in my head will translate to the screen. Are there any books that were turned into movies that you really liked? Do you have a favorite book you would like to see on the big screen?
Happy reading (and watching)!

Marie