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EC: Giovanni's Angel Fun Hops

Wined, Dined, and Read Blog Tour and #FreeBook Giveaway!

I was invited to this, pretty cool, blog tour by the lovely M.C.V. Egan, author of the powerful novel, The Bridge of Deaths. She knew this food themed tour would be right up my alley. I actually have an intimate relationship with food and always find ways to slip it into my stories. So, without further ado, here I go comparing my book, Eternal Curse to food…Be sure to check out the giveaway at the end.


About the book:

1) If your main character were a glass of wine, which one would they be?

I think that if Giovanni was to be compared to a glass of wine, it would have to be something rare and exotic, perhaps something made from a very small and exclusive vineyard. He’d definitely be a dry red. The wine would have undertones of currant, sage, and perhaps even Rosewood (or some other strong wood). He’d be a drink to take with caution, not something to sip daily, but something to savor in desperate moments or in celebration of great triumphs.

2) Describe your book in one meal:

This is the question I’d hope to be asked. I believe meal time is important to the human condition. The way people cook their food, prepare their plates, and then gather or commune around a table or a circle on the floor says a lot about the character of the people and the relationships they develop. In Eternal Curse, I describe a few meals that my characters partake in as they develop their “family unit”. The one that I feel embodies the overall tone and message of the story, goes like this:

Three Green Pea Soup (an original recipe written for this book), Grilled turkey and mozzarella Panini’s with sun-dried tomatoes, and a pear tart for dessert. A great deal of planning, time, and love went into this meal and it was shared by my characters at a time when their bonds were just beginning to form.

3) What candy would your book be?

I know it sounds cliché, especially if you’ve read the book, but I’d say semi-sweet dark chocolate. It’s a great representation of the light and dark elements of this story.

4) What does your book smell like?

This is another easy question to answer considering the abundance of smells that appear in my book. In the olfactory sense, I’d describe this book as: a cup of green tea-coco (a drink designed for this story) being sipped in a garden just after dawn when the morning dew is still fresh.

5) Your book’s snack would be:

I actually had to think about this one or a while. I don’t think my characters do a lot of snacking in this story and I’m not a big snacker myself, so this required some extra thought. Then I considered a very small but important part of my story’s setting and then thought of one of the few things I do actually like to snack on. In the book, Giovanni’s home, Sinclair Manor, has apple trees leading up to his house and I adore eating apples. So, there you have it. It’s a healthy snack.

About the author:

1) Describe your most memorable meal:

I could go on for days describing countless meals that have stayed with me for positive reasons, but there is one that reminds me of home and family. My mother isn’t a bad cook; she just never cooked a lot. It’s not her thing, but she did make this one thing on a regular basis during my childhood. It’s a vegetable stew infused with rice and southern cornbread. Just thinking about it, doesn’t necessarily make me hungry, but it does make me long to be with my family. I may have to call my mother when I finish writing this.

2) One food word to describe your writing style:

Filling: I pack quite a bit into a relatively small portion.

3) What will someone find you eating/drinking when you’re really into a good book?

I’m probably drinking tea unless it’s really cold outside and then I switch to coco. I don’t usually eat while reading, but when I do it’s usually some kind of fruit or toast.

4) Sweet or Salty?

Both: homemade trail mix with sesame sticks, peanuts, crasins, and banana chips


For next week, I’ve passed the baton to two wonderful authors you’ll definitely want to check out.

Be sure to see what Glynis Rankin, Bridget Straub,  and Andrew Hess will be sharing, next Friday, September 12th.

Win a Free paperback copy of Eternal Curse.

Share this post with one of the options listed below and then leave a comment letting me know how you shared. Please also, tell me why you’re interest in a copy of this book.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Fun Hops Reblogs

ღ ☼ WINED ~ ღ ☼ ~ DINED ~ღ ☼ ~ AND READ ღ ☼ by M.C.V.Egan

For me and so many others books, food, and drink (wine) go hand-in-hand. There a lovely little blog tour making its way around the blogosphere at moment, and next week I’ll make my contribution. For now, let’s see what author, M.C.V. Egan is sharing.

“It is about pairing books with food and drink. As an avid home cook and a huge Foodie I could not resist.

Some of my answers are just too obvious!

The characters in The Bridge Of Deaths do indulge from time to time on a particular wine, others answers did have to simmer a while.” ~M.C.V.Egan.

See the rest of her post here: http://4covert2overt.blogspot.com/2014/08/wined-dined-and-read.html

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

Categories
Movies

Stand By Me Review – Mock Squid Soup No.1 #cinephiles #film #review

Hi there and welcome to the first ToiBox movie review. Today I am reviewing the film, Stand By Me. This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability. So here I go…

Google search – harrypotterforum.com

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1. What is this film about?

In my own words, this film is about four friends learning just how harsh reality is when people aren’t trying to sugarcoat things. Gordie, Chris, Teddy, and Vern head out to find a missing boy’s body in hopes that they’ll become local celebrities, but along the way they learn about the frailty of human life, the unavoidable truth of death, and power of true friendship.

2. What did I think of the title, poster, and or trailer?

I saw this movie a long time ago and don’t remember the trailer, though I’m sure I could look it up. I remember as a kid not understanding why the movie was called Stand By Me, since no one actually says these words in the film. Thinking of the title and looking at the poster makes me think this will be a sad movie, but now I know it’s so much more than that.

3. What did I think of the main character(s) and how the actors performed them?

I like these characters and also the cast. Watching child actors is always a bit unnerving because you want them to be good in their role, but there’s always the chance that they’re just not ready for the part. The only character I had a bit of a problem with in this film was that of the junkyard owner. Still to this day, I don’t know why he was so mean and obsessive with the boys, constantly yelling at them “Come back here.” There aren’t many happy characters in this film even though the overall message seems to be one of encouragement.

River Phoenix does an outstanding job as Chris Chambers and is a talent that left the world too early. Who knows what he would have accomplished in his field. Unfortunately, for Cory Feldman, all of his best work happened in his youth. Perhaps he lost his passion for the craft of acting somewhere along the way.

Will Wheaton and Jerry O’connell also played their parts well, but I don’t think their roles were as challenging for some reason, but I do feel that Wheaton was the perfect choice to play Gordie.

4. What did I think of the direction and cinematography?

I always seem to enjoy films that take place in Castlerock, Oregon especially since it’s not a real place. This film is directed by Rob Reiner and is an example of his classic masterpiece. There are no special effects or high-tech lighting and filtering done in this film. It tells a simple story and shot to reflect that. I like the Reiner is able to capture of sense of “vastness” throughout the film with wide angles and shots of the sky. In the film, we follow four boys on a journey of discovery within their small community and their own isolated worlds, but as a viewer, you never lose sight of the fact that all of this is relative to these specific characters. Nothing that happens in this story is going to affect the world, but it will affect the lives of those involved.

5. What did I think of the soundtrack and score?

I thought the soundtrack was fun. It consisted of a lot of mainstream classic rock’n’roll hits to reflect the times in which the story takes place. The score, on the other hand, is quite different. Whenever there was music present that wasn’t something people were listening to on the radio, it was sad and serious music. There are times in this film when you’ll just laugh out loud, but the score would always come along shortly to remind you of the seriousness of the film. Even the character Gordie points in out in one scene when he says that finding a boys boy shouldn’t be a party.

The title song Stand by Me, performed by Ben E. King is so fitting for this film. There’s nothing more I can say about that.

6. What did I like about the story as a whole?

Overall, I adore this story. It’s a wonderful coming of age tale that’s not too sappy, but does pack an emotional punch.  Also, the film is full of comical moments that stick with you long after you’ve watched. I still chuckle a bit each time of think “What the hell is Goofy?”

7. What did I not like about the story?

The main thing I didn’t like about this story was the whole train dodge scene. I’m not talking about the one with the character, Teddy, acting like a child because he is, but the one where they all have to run for their lives over tracks laid over a bridge.

Seriously, I don’t care if I knew without that the rail system had been completely dismantled, I would have never taken my time and strolled across that bridge. I would have crossed it as quickly as possible from the start. As far as friendship goes, it Vern didn’t care enough not to get both, him and Gordie, killed with his hysterics and slowness, Gordie should have stepped over him and went on.

Sorry for the rant; it will happen from time to time.

8. Would I recommend this movie to others?

Yes, I would definitely recommend this movie to others.

9. If so, who? What would I rate this movie?

I would actually say that this is a good family film for pre-teens and up. There is an issue with language and some of the themes, but it could be good to get families talking about things they normally would just ignore. On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 5 reels.

MLoveIt

10. Was there anything in this movie that could be related to my work or anything I have written?

I like the fact that Gordie wants to be a writer. I wish I knew at his age that this is what I wanted to do.

Some of the themes in this film didn’t seem so profound to me as a kid, but now they are truly thought-provoking. Crappy parents, more specifically fathers, is always an interesting topic and one that I write about in my story, It’s Like the Full Moon, soon to be published.

Then there’s the issue of gun safety and gun control. I know this film is a reflection of the time, but kids playing with guns is no laughing matter. I haven’t written about this topic but have touched on ideas of destruction by youth, in my story Legend of the Boy.

Not that is has anything to do with what I’ve written, but I love the fact that this movie is based on a novella by Stephen King, called “The Body”.

Well, that’s all for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed this ToiBox movie review of Stand By Me, and hope that you’ll join me again for more reviews down the road.

Watch, rent, or buy this movie here.

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Mock Squid Soup Film Society

 

MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to a particular movie.  We invite others to watch the same film and post their own reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀


Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords