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Gothic Romance– Alive and Well in 2015?

October 13, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , ,

Is the  Gothic Romantic Novel Dead?

Gothic literature has some element of horror in it, something terrifying, spooky, or horrific. It also often has mysterious elements, sometimes supernatural or dream-like qualities. These stories often take place in a spooky, dark, confined space like an ancient castle or empty manor house, a crypt, or a damp cellar. The themes of guilt and sin repeatedly appear in gothic literature, usually in reference to some crime committed or secrets kept. 


Popular gothic authors include Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Brockden Brown, Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe, and William Beckford. 


Other famous examples of Gothic literature include The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Dracula. Since the Gothic novel has branched off into numerous sub-genres, I am speaking of the Gothic in English literature ( classic texts) that created the building blocks for what we know as Gothic today.


My personal favorite (as well as Dracula) is Jane Eyre,  In this example, we discover the  Gothic can also refer to stories involving strange and troubling events that, while they have logical, natural explanations, seem to originate from unexpected forces. Charlotte Bronte employs this element of the Gothic in Jane Eyre, published in 1847. While living in Thornfield Hall as a governess, Jane frequently hears strange noises and laughter coming from the third story of the mansion that no one will explain, and odd things keep happening in the dead of night, such as her master Mr. Rochester’s bed catching fire, and the attack on a guest.  We later discover the force behind these events is his insane wife.

Characteristics of the Gothic Novel

The term Gothic novel broadly refers to stories that combine elements from horror and romanticism. The Gothic novel often deals with supernatural events, or events occurring in nature that cannot be easily explained or over which man has no control, and it typically follows a plot of suspense and mystery.
Here is a list of some common elements found in Gothic novels:


  • Gloomy, decaying setting (haunted houses or castles with secret passages, trapdoors, and other mysterious architecture)
  • Supernatural beings or monsters (ghosts, vampires, zombies, giants)
  • Curses or prophecies
  • Damsels in distress
  • Heroes
  • Romance
  • Intense emotions


Today, however, there are also a ‘new’ brand of Gothic Novels. Southern Gothic is a subgenre of the gothic novel, unique to American literature.
Southern Gothic is like its parent genre in that it relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events to guide the plot. It is unlike its parent genre in that it uses these tools not solely for the sake of suspense, but also to explore social issues and reveal the cultural character of the American South.


The Wilderness Gothic, Suburban Gothic, Space Gothic, and Fantasy Gothic sub genres are also finding a place under the umbrella of 21st century Gothic stories, novels and novellas .


As a long time member of OCC/RWA, I am published in contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and YA historical sweet romance.  However, I am also the president of RWA Gothic Chapter (GothRom) of Romance Writers.


If you’d like to learn more about this romantic genre please visit one or more of these links:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/timelines/zyp72hv  A time line and more information about Gothic Literature via BBC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_fiction

Thank you for stopping by to visit my blog post here At “A Slice of Orange“.


Connie Vines

To learn more about writing a Gothic Romance (the perfect October blog topic), please visit  the GothRom Chapter of RWA.

http://gothrom.net








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Comics and the Civil War: Girls want to have fun, too by Jina Bacarr

October 11, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,
Imagine curling up between the sheets with a broad-shouldered, hunky hero. 
Drooling over those abs. Page after page.
Wishing you were the heroine captured in his big, strong arms.

Spread out over gorgeous pages of…

Comic books.
Last month, I wrote about how the characters in my Kindle Scout winner, LOVE ME FOREVER, wanted to be video stars.
Comics give historical romance a whole new perspective. 
Heroines in pretty gowns running for their lives, hoop skirts flying up over their heads. 
Southern belles flirting with that hottie in a Union Army uniform, hoping for more than a kiss. 
Secrets to help the Confederacy…
Sassy talk. 
Sassier looks on their faces. 
And those love scenes…oh, my.
If guys can have their comics, why can’t we girls have our heroines and hunky heroes in comics, too?
Romance comics.

 LOVE ME FOREVER 

Would you read a historical romance in comic book or graphic novel format?
~Jina

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Featured Image -- 2069

If you love Civil War romance and time travel and TWO hunky military heroes, check out my Kindle Scout winner:

LOVE ME FOREVER

She wore gray.
He wore blue.
But their love defied the boundaries of war.
And time.

LOVE ME FOREVER is now available from Kindle Press at Amazon.com

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How do you read?

September 24, 2015 by in category Archives

I was discussing a book with a friend and commented that I still read like a 12-year-old. Then realized that comment might need a bit of explanation!

For me, that means that my reading experience – even after all these years and all the books- is one of total immersion, utter commitment to the characters and story.  I believe in the characters – they are people to me – and I enter the space they inhabit for the duration of the story.


I see authors and their work, or really any creator/creative act, whether it’s creating a story, a painting, a piece of music, a song, as having a similar relationship as a parent might have in creating a child.

Sure, you’ve created it. And yes, you have significant responsibilities towards it, and a deep connection with it. But it is not you. You do not own it. It has the right to self actualize in the best way it can.

Your job as a creator is to enable it to be the best it can be. Not just on your terms, though your role is a significant one, but to achieve the three part balance: of what you have to offer, what the creation itself needs, and what is needed to enable it to survive in “the world.”

So to all the author/creators that incorporate helpful feedback, sometimes painful to hear, a giant thank you for your dedication to making your “child” the best it can be. For setting aside your ego for the sake of the work. And the same in my experience goes for editors: for not bringing personal preferences and agendas to the experience, but appreciating that your shared role is to enable that “child” to be the best it can be and face a challenging world with strength, self confidence, and the ability to withstand “The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks That Flesh is heir to” (to quote Hamlet). There should be a balance that is ego free for parent/creator, for editor/teacher, to be open to delivering, hearing and incorporating what is best for the child/work.

This perception has helped me understand and believe in the value of the role of an intelligent external opinion in the development of a work, and thus the external party’s ‘right’ to challenge the creator’s vision if it doesn’t feel right, doesn’t feel like it is best serving the work.

But my understanding of my reading style has also has helped me understand my own often quite passionate dislike of a story! Yes, I am sorry to say the offending work is often a very well reviewed, award-winning literary ‘masterpiece.’

I realize that in ‘literary’ or groundbreaking stories authors can have a goal, a point of view, something they wish to illustrate or challenge.  And they have chosen the compelling medium of storytelling to express that point. Their characters and plot serve the author’s vision.  The character’s lives, their actions and reactions, the events that occur in the story may at any point in time be subordinated to that Vision.  Manipulated to do their creator’s bidding.  The character’s integrity, consistency, their very selves are just a pawn to the author’s desire to present an idea, to illustrate a point, to surprise, to break new ground.

I know my horror and sense of betrayal is…well, perhaps naive. One could argue that the author created these characters; surely he or she can do whatever she likes to them?  But for me, those characters are real, and they are not being respected. It’s like watching parents force their musical child to play competitive sports, or harp on marriage for career minded one, or vice versa!

Luckily some stories deliver on both, offering profound insights, breaking new ground, opening minds and hearts to a new perception though the humanity and vivid evocation of their characters and the believability of their story. Those are the stories I treasure.

So just saying my recent foray into Pulitzer prize-winning fiction has not been a very successful reading experience for me! But this realization has also helped me understand why a good friend can totally adore a story that I have found emotionally bankrupt, and enabled me to stop thinking that my friend is an idiot!  I now realize that we read differently and derive sustenance and delight from different things. 

And that’s not a bad thing.



Isabel Swift

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Pets and Assorted Animals in Stories. Love ‘um or Not? By Connie Vines

September 13, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , ,
This month’s Topic: Pets or other animals in your stories? What function do they perform in the story? Do they need to have a function? Can they be a character? 

Since I am an animal lover and owner of a multitude of pets (exotic, barnyard, and typical suburban) at various times during my life, it only goes to reason that I will have them peppering my short stories, novellas, and novels.  

My Rodeo Romance Series (understandably) incorporates a cast of horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, cats, etc.  Some of these animals only have Cameo roles, while others are characters in their own right.  My Fun & Sassy Fantasy Series also features a pet as a main character in each story line.  Gertie, a pet Teddy-Bear Hamster, is Zombie Meredith’s BF in “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow”.  “Brede” Rodeo Romance, Book 2 features a horse and cattle dog.  “Lynx” Rodeo Romance, Book 1, features the hero’s horse named Texas. The next book in my series, “Rand” Rodeo Romance, Book 3 features a poodle who belongs to the heroine.  Rand’s interaction with this very unrodeo-like dog is priceless!

For realistic purposes I select animals/breeds that I either have owned, or have working personal knowledge (chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasant, pigs, sheep— bred for. . .well, dinner during my rural days).  My dogs: Greyhound (my favorite & a rescue) Poodle (AKC champion pedigree), and– my husband’s dog, a Chi-wienie (Chihuahua Dachshund mix). I also like to add my horses (Quarter horse, Arabian) into the mix. 

 Due to my allergies to cats, my info in developing feline characters comes mostly via friends and the Animal Channel.  Now the unconventional pet experiences, were discovered firsthand (I did raise sons and have three younger brothers).  Iguanas, horned toads & hamsters, parakeets, an Amazon parrot, a runaway (flyaway?) cocktail, all have a way of finding a place in my life and my stories. 

Future adventure with pets?  

Probably. 

Right now I seem to be fixated on goats–pygmy goats to be exact.

I simply adore baby pygmy goats.  Mind you, I reside in the suburbs of Southern California.  Frequently, my husband reminds me,  â€œYou cannot raise a goat in our backyard, there are zoning laws.” 

Of course I know there are zoning laws J.  I also know goats are herd animals.  “We will need to have two goats,” I remind him. 

“We?” He grunts and goes back to his ‘man-cave’.

If you look at a YouTube video and read the mentioned online article titled: Pygmy Goats. The opening hook states: You should reconsider your choice in pets if you want an animal to stay indoors with you.
Well, sugar.  I really don’t relish those cute little darling’s chewing my maple furniture.

I did find one particular fact of interest while websurfing —(probably only humorous if you’re the sole female in male household)  â€˜Goats are messy eaters too, pulling feed out of buckets and leaving it on the floor.  Once it’s trampled, they really don’t want to touch it.’  Ah, the bygone days of life with teenage sons and team members.

While my characters do not always have pet, my characters have often had a pet during childhood, interact with an animal, or (YA stories) would like a pet. 

Why, do I believe animals are important to a story line?
It is a way to show character, good and bad.

How people treat animals will give a reader insight into my main character, or my villain.  I believe treatment of an animal hints at how he/she will treat a vulnerable person (child/spouse).  If the hero seems uncaring and selfish to outsiders, give the heroine a view into an unguarded moment he shares with an injured puppy, or his care of his horse.  His truck may be battered and dirty, but his horse is well groomed, fed, and sheltered each night.

However, my animals need to have a purpose.  Sometimes it may only be comic relief, or a confidant in a YA novel, but unless it is a Cameo role (or red herring), my animals have a personality and a place in the storyline.

Who doesn’t remember, “Call of the Wild”, “Old Yeller”, “Misty of Chincoteague”?

I believe pets, can enrich a story—my novels, as are (in my opinion) as most genre novels, a story about life and the human need for love and companionship.

Not every novel calls for an animal to part of the story. 

Not every person wishes to be responsible for a pet.
I did a bit of research and discovered these stats (the info about fish surprised me).
*Stats: 2014, 83.2 million dogs live in U.S. households, 95.5 million freshwater fish live in U.S. household, and 85.8 million cats live in U.S. households.
* Statista.com

So, what do you think?  Do animals add depth to a story?  Do you love un, or not?

Happy Reading,

Connie

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Cinderella turns Video Belle: My Kindle Scout Experience Part 5 by Jina Bacarr

September 11, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

(You can read my previous posts about my experience with the Kindle Scout program by clicking on Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.)

Do your characters keep you awake at nights?

Mine do.

First, they wanted to be Kindle Scout winners…

Now they want to be video stars.

And it’s all Cinderella’s fault.

Cindy had so much fun at the ball and then meeting the queen and getting her picture taken everywhere she went, she didn’t want to give it up and spend her days sitting in the castle watching old movies.

So she riled up the characters in my Kindle Scout winner, LOVE ME FOREVER, and convinced them they could be stars.

Cindy went Hollywood on me.

She’s now producing a bunch of short videos with highlights from LOVE ME FOREVER and yes, she even convinced me to do the voiceovers.

How could I refuse? You want to shout your book to the rooftops and do your very best to promote it, so I’ve been slaving behind a hot microphone, and guess what, I’ve got some videos for you.

I hope you enjoy them…

 
Civil War: “Love Me Forever” time travel romance from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

 
Civil War Sister against Sister: “Love Me Forever” Time Travel Romance from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

 
Women Soldiers in the Civil War from “Love Me Forever” from Jina Bacarr on Vimeo.

So what’s the next step in the Kindle Scout experience? I’ve received tons of support from other Kindle Scout winners with retweeting, blogging, YouTubing, etc. It’s been an extraordinary experience, kinda like joining a sorority or fraternity. A sense of having each other’s back and always being there if someone has a question.

And we’ve started our own Facebook page: KP Authors. Check it out!

More exciting news: Ken Burns’ Civil War has been remastered and is being shown in high definition on PBS. This is the last night, so be sure to tune in! It’s been thrilling to see the battles in my romance novel come alive…

Thanks for coming along on my journey with me…and come back next month for more on my Kindle Scout experience as the program grows…I wouldn’t be surprised if I have more videos for you.

~Jina
Website: www.jinabacarr.com
Blog: www.jinabacarr.wordpress.com
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https://twitter.com/JinaBacarr
www.pinterest.com/jbacarr
https://instagram.com/jinabacarr/

And on Vimeo you’ll find my videos covering my books, poems, etc.:
https://vimeo.com/user216350

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