Dear Friends,
First, let me say this: Brrr. We have a winter trifecta here in Pittsburgh—it’s icy, snowy, and well below freezing. It’s hard not to fall into a sort of Fifty-Shades-of-Grey-Sky melancholy in the northern U.S., though I’m wearing my fuzziest socks, trying to think warm thoughts, and reminding myself that our daylight lasts considerably longer now than it did at Thanksgiving, which gives even the coldest part of the year the sense that spring is just around the corner.
Outlander, or, why my husband will be pulling the plug on our TV this summer
I promised you my thoughts on the Outlander TV series. Many of you know I am a big Outlander fan. Outlander is the reason I decided to try to become a romance novelist. I am quite excited about the upcoming Starz series. For those of you who are attracted to shows with sex and nudity (I, of course, will only be watching as part of a broader research effort), the fact that Outlander will be on a pay-cable channel means LOTS OF SEX AND NUDITY (which I personally hope translates to lots of Jamie nudity since I’ve seen about all the naked, bouncing breasts I need to see on pay-cable TV. One penis per twenty-five bounces. That’s all I’m asking.)I’m also glad the sex will be romantic and loving instead of mean, thoughtless or revenge-filled sex (I’m looking at you, Game of Thrones, which isn't to say I don't love you, too.) Well, the sex will be mostly romantic and loving. I was watching a panel discussion online with Diana Gabaldon, Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, the actors cast as Jamie and Claire, and the show runner, Sam Moore. The moderator asked Gabaldon what scene she was most looking forward to seeing onscreen. She turned to Heughan and said [SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN’T READ OUTLANDER], “Please take this in the sense it was meant, but I’m really looking forward to seeing you raped and tortured.” The audience chuckled, and Heughan put on a sort-of “Hmmm, how do I respond to that?” face, which made them chuckle even harder. Rape is not funny, of course, and I can’t imagine even just pretending to do it will be anything but highly unpleasant for the actors involved. Nonetheless, as a writer I understand where Gabaldon was coming from. In a romance, your characters earn the right to be loved by facing challenges and overcoming them. The harder the challenge, the more the character grows in our estimation. Part of the reason we love Jamie is because he faces some of life’s hardest challenges and overcomes them. I’m sure Gabaldon is eager to see how her creation faces one of his darkest moments when portrayed by an actor onscreen. (On the other hand, maybe she just wants to see Heughan naked. Who could blame her?)
You can watch the whole panel discussion here and the highlights here.
Speaking of Time Travel…
If you haven’t seen About Time, it’s out now for renting and streaming, and I highly recommend it. It’s extremely romantic as well as sweet and funny and touching. It’s about a family where the men have the ability to time travel and how life and love are affected by that. Rachel MacAdams is radiant. Domhnall Gleeson, who played Ron Weasley’s oldest brother, Bill, is remarkably engaging as the twenty-something son who must deal with his newly-discovered talent. It was written and directed by Richard Curtis, the same guy who did Love Actually, and you know how much we love that. [Spoiler Alert: No Colin Firth.]Downton Abbey and more
Oh, dear, oh, dear. Anna is facing some tough times, and from the preview I saw, it’s going to get even more complicated tonight. I’ll be tweeting throughout if you’re looking for someone to share your nail-biting with. Thank goodness for witty and light Sherlock afterward or I know I wouldn't be able to sleep.Contest Winner and New Contest!
The winner of a signed Gwyn Cready book of her choice is Chris Gomberg. Congratulations, Chris! To enter to win a copy of Flirting with Forever, enter here. Contest ends at the kick-off of the Superbowl on February 2.Bouncing off into the cold,
Gwyn
old.cready.com gwyn@cready.com
Gwyn Cready , Romance Novelist on Facebook
@GwynCready on Twitter
Copyright©2014 Gwyn Cready. All rights reserved.
Author photos copyright ©2014 Garen DiBartolomeo.
Website design by avoCreative.
Illustrations of author courtesy of Design-Her-Gals.