Vampires……..just the name conjures the image of a tall, dark figure in a long black cape, someone mysterious and deadly, sensuous and compelling. Think of Frank Langella as Dracula – in my opinion, the epitome of a vampire. He’s sexy, polite, suave, and charming, at least on the outside.
I’ve been fascinated with vampires ever since I read Interview with a Vampire. Whether portrayed as good guys or bad guys or something in between, there’s no getting away from the fact that vampires are one of the most intriguing paranormal creatures in literature today. Myths and legends abound: They can turn into mist. They can change shape. They are almost indestructible. They can hypnotize you, and read your mind. They are able to move faster than the human eye can follow. They can control animals and the weather. They have the strength of 20 men. They are almost always Alpha males who know what they want and how to get it. The list goes on and on.
These days, it’s hard to find the ugly scary vampires of years ago, no doubt due to the number of romance writers who have taken Nosferatu and changed him into a sympathetic hero. Think of Mick St. John from Moonlight, Edward Cullen from Twilight, Angel from Buffy. Strong on the outside, hungry for love on the inside, just waiting for the right woman to come along. How can you not love them?
DRACULA as portrayed by Frank Langella. For me, he is the ultimate vampire, sexy and dangerous. I watched the love scene in the movie many times while writing one of my books, because that love scene is easily the most sensual one I've ever seen.
DAMON (Ian Somerholder) , of The Vampire Diaires. He is my favorite contemporary vampire, and I don't expect that to change any time in the near future! He is sexy personified, and has the most expressive eyes on the planet. I love a bad boy, and he revels in it
MICK ST.JOHN (Alex O'Laughlin) from Moonlight. The vampire with a heart of gold. I will never, never, ever forgive CBS for cancelling this show and leaving us hanging. The least they could have done was tie up all the loose ends. However, I have to thank CBS for casting him in Hawaii 5-0.
JOSEF (Jason Dohring) also from Moonlight. An ancient vampire, and a bad boy, as old as he is, he still retained a boyish charm I found irresistable.
ARMAND (Antonio Bandaras) from Interview with a Vampire. The minute I saw him onscreen, I thought, "Now, there's a vampire!"
HENRY (Kyle Schmid) from Blood Ties, another fabulous tv series cancelled all too soon. If you haven't seen this series, rent it, buy it, watch it.
JULIAN LUNA (Mark Frankel) from Kindred, the Embraced, an excellent, short-lived series.
CALEB (Michael Easton) who starred in Port Charles. I've never been much of a soap opera fan, but I watched this one just to see Michael.
DRACULA as portrayed by Gary Oldham. Although I never sat through the whole movie - it was too bloody and gory for me - I loved the very beginning.
DRACULA as portrayed by George Hamilton in Love at First Bite. Tall, dark, suave, and funny, this remains one of my favorite movies.
OBLIVION ~ This was a little different but I really liked it. I didn't see the end coming in the beginning, but as the story went on, I saw where they were going. But it didn't matter. Plus, I love Tom Cruise. Always have. Maybe because he reminds me of my oldest son.
OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL in 3D - Visually stunning. I enjoyed it almost as much as my grandkids.
WARM BODIES ~ Probably the most bizarre movie I've ever seen. Got a kick out of it. Loved the humor.
JACK THE GIANT SLAYER ~Didn't get very good reviews, but I liked it.
PARENTAL GUIDANCE ~ Loved it. Lots of laughs.
LES MIZ ~ Great flick, wonderful actors. Love the music
THE HOBBIT ~ We all loved it. Can't wait for the next one!
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS ~ What a fun movie! Took my grandkids. We all loved it.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS ~ This got a bad review in the paper and it's not doing well at the box office, but I really enjoyed it. Anything with Gerard Butler in it has to be worth watching. It was a cute story. Predictable, yes. But good clean fun.
LIFE OF PI ~ A beautiful, thought-provoking film. I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed.
BREAKING DAWN Pt 2 ~ Loved it. The "new" ending came as a complete surprise. Well done!!!!!
CHASING MAVERICKS ~ The surfing was amazing. Take a hanky.
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA ~ It was cute. My granddaughter loved it.
THE BOURNE LEGACY ~ Thought it was great. I mainly went to see it because Jeremy Renner (of The Avengers) is in it. What a ride!!!!!
THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN ~ I have to say, of all the Spiderman movies, I've seen, this is my favorite. Looking forward to a sequel. Loved Andrew Garfield's performance.
ICE AGE 4 ~ Enjoyed it. Lots of laughs, some subtle, some not.
BRAVE ~ I loved it!!!!! The look, the sound, the characters, all terrific!
MADAGASCAR 3 ~ What can I say? I loved it.
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN ~ Anything with the guy who plays Thor in it is aces in my book. Not your mother's Show White.
MEN IN BLACK3 - On a par with the first one. Lots of action and laughs. Hoping for MIB4
THE AVENGERS ~ Loved it! Especially Thor :) Since the movie has already made over a BILLION dollars, I see an Avengers 2 in the works. Also a Thor 2. Yes!
WORLD WAR Z
I think....not sure about this one, but, hey, Brad Pitt is in it!
IRON MAN 3
5/3
STAR TREK Into Darkness
5/17
MAN OF STEEL
6/14
THE LONE RANGER
Johnny as Tonto??? Can't wait!!!!!
7/3
NEW WOLVERINE
7/26
THOR 2 - The Dark World
11/8
CATCHING FIRE
11/22
SNOW WHITE SEQUEL - The Huntsman
Oh, yeah!
THE SEQUEL TO RED
* * *
MY FAVORITE MOVIE LINES....
Can you name the movies?
"There's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."
"Let's face it. I am hotter than you."
"I've never been that drunk."
"Doesn't he own a shirt?"
"So, the lion fell in love with the lamb."
"You're gonna need a bigger boat."
"Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?"
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage."
"I never drink...wine."
"Women need a reason. Men just need a place."
BEST HAPPY-EVER-AFTER ENDINGS.........
Knight and Day
A Knight's Tale
French Kiss
Sweet Home Alabama
Enchanted
Tangled
The Holiday
Legally Blonde
Doc Hollywood
Last of the Dogmen
Charade
Rob Roy
Field of Dreams
Ladyhawke
Joshua
Leap Year
The Tourist
Letters to Juliet
MOVIES THAT ALWAYS MAKE ME CRY
Meet Joe Black
The Way We Were
Spartacus
Somewhere in Time
Jason Baca is a popular cover model. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for me.....
Mandy ~ How about the basics - age, height, weight?
Jason - I'm somewhere in my late 30s. My height is 5'10" (going on 5'11") weight is
right around 170lbs. depending on how close a shoot is.
Mandy ~How did you get into modeling?
Jason - I was discovered while being a double in a movie called "I Know What You Did Last Summer" way back in 1997. One of the photographers on set used me for some test photos while awaiting the
main actors. It turned out to be my first big deal with all of this.
Mandy ~How many covers have you done?
Jason - I've currently been on 112 book covers with 3 on the way.
Mandy ~Which one is your favorite?
Jason - That would be a tough question to answer as there are so many great covers that I'd have to choose from. I have a top 10, one of which is a book called Legacy Found by NJ Walters.
Mandy ~If you weren't a cover model, what would you be doing?
Jason- I'd hopefully had found a fun long term interest that I'd feel is an odd journey. I am not your average guy that likes to live a normal life. I enjoy when people ask what I do and I tell them that I'm a romance novel cover model. I enjoy the looks on their faces as their eyes hit every quadrant of their brain as they scramble for a response back.
Mandy ~Have you ever thought of writing a romance novel of your own?
Jason - No I haven't.. BUT, I have thought many times about how I'd make a good character for one of the authors to write about. My writing would lose readers whereas the books that I've seen you authors come up with would grip them if they found out the kind of interesting person I was..
Mandy ~Do you read them? If so, who's your favorite author?
Jason - Yes I do. It would be way too hard not to read these books. There are a list of authors that I enjoy reading. One I like is a Gena Schowalter (spelling) I love her covers and can't wait until I'm on one myself. That would feel like quite the accomplishment.
Mandy ~What's your favorite movie?
Jason - Of the movies from the 80s, I like Rocky IV, Flashdance & Neverending Story;
90s would be Dumb & Dumber and Misery, and then for today's movies, The Perfect Storm I thought was pretty cool.
Mandy ~Your favorite guilty pleasure?
Jason - Well for food, its Reese's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. And as for a TV show... Jersey Shore..
Thanks, Jason! I'd love to see you on one of my covers one of these days!
Looking back...
Too good to be true! That’s what I thought when, after 31 rejections, I finally sold my manuscript to a book publisher.
I never thought it would happen to me. And then came the day when an editor at Dorchester Publishing said she liked my book, but wanted another 10,000 words.
Ten thousand words! Did she realized what she was asking? With trepidation, I re-read my manuscript, adding chapters, re-writing paragraphs, until, at last, I had come up with the required number of words.
With hopeful heart, I mailed off my revised manuscript, and then the waiting began.
No words have yet been invented to adequately describe the thrill of reading that letter of acceptance. At last, I was on my way to being a published author.
I jumped up and down, danced a little jig, and literally shouted for joy as I read that coveted phrase, “We want to publish your novel…” Those few words more than made up for the numerous rejection letters I had received.
As soon as I could speak coherently, I called all my favorite people and told them the good news. Their excitement added to my own.
Today, years later, just thinking about that first letter of acceptance (and the advance against royalties that followed) has the power to thrill me all over again.
So, if you’re still struggling to get that manuscript published, don’t get discouraged, and don’t ever give up. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
My Appy mare, Candy. Gone, but not forgotten.
Cowboy’s Lament
No horses in heaven?
Why, I’d rather stay outside
Unless my favorite old red roan
Is awaitin’ there to ride
Cause my idea of heaven
Is an endless sea of grass
An azure sky, a crystal stream
A snow-topped mountain pass
A well-broke Texas saddle
My battered old John B
But most of all that big red horse
A ploddin’ under me
Now I’m not knocking angels
Nor choirs of heavenly song
Nor golden streets and pearly gates
Or clouds that roll along
But I’ve no use for silver wings
A tune I cannot carry, and
While golden streets might be grand
I’d rather ride the prairie
I’ve spent my life a’wanderin’
From sea to shining sea
And that’s how we’d like heaven
That old red horse, and me.
Copyright Madeline Baker
Why "Star Wars" Is Better Than "Titanic"
1. Titanic's big, but it doesn't have hyperdrive.
2. Star Wars has WAY cooler action figure potential.
3. Yoda could use the Force to lift Titanic out of the water.
4. Leia is a princess, a senator, a freedom fighter, and Jedi material; Rose is just marriage bait.
5. Ewoks throw better parties than either first class or steerage.
6. When flying towards the Titanic, Wedge can't say, "Look at the size of that thing!" and really mean it.
7. It would be much scarier to get chased around the boat by a raving madman with a lightsaber as opposed to a handgun.
8. Titanic is egalitarian by portraying poor people as sympathetic characters. Star Wars is egalitarian by promoting bug-eyed amphibians to Admiral. And of course said bug-eyed amphibious Admiral manages NOT to lose his ship.
9.We know Cal is the bad guy because he sneers at the poor and treats his fiancee like property. We know Darth Vader is the bad guy because he strangles people and blows up planets for fun.
10. Yeah, Leo can dance, but can he fly an X-wing?
11.People have not lost their lives trying to re-create scenes from Star Wars on the bow of a cruise liner.
12. Rose braves icy water to rescue her man. Leia braves Jabba the Hut.
13. Han Solo would've missed the dang iceberg!
14. There are always enough escape pods in Star Wars.
15. Do you know what the Empire does to self-proclaimed "King of the World"?
16. If Luke were handcuffed to a pipe below decks in a sinking ship, he would use the Force to get the key.
17. "I'd rather be his whore than your wife" just doesn't have the same sting as "I'd rather kiss a Wookie."
18. Han is frozen in carbonite and turned into a wall ornament. Leo simply freezes.
19. We knew the boat was gonna sink. But who could've anticipated "Luke.... I am your father."
20. Two words: John Williams.
One more reason added by one of my readers:
Hayden Christiansen vs. Leo DiCaprio. Really, is there any contest?
