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Book-Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Elley Arden Interview @elleywrites- Running Interference: Virtual Book Tour & #Giveaway

Greetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors and welcome to The ToiBox of Words. I’m your host Toi Thomas, author of Eternal Curse, and today I’m sharing a special interview with author, Elley Arden, about her fiction book entitled, Running Interference. Enjoy!

Where did the idea for Running Interference: Cleveland Clash 1 come from?

During revisions for Heal My Heart: Kemmons Bros. Baseball 3, my editor expressed much love for a secondary character, Tanya Martin, who played women’s full-tackle football. I jokingly made a note in the margin that I would be willing to write an entire series based on these women football players. My editor jumped all over that.

What genre is this book and why did you choose to make it so?

The book is a short contemporary romance. I like setting my characters in today’s world, where there is so much color and flexibility. I write shorter (50,000-60,000 words) because I’m a busy reader who often doesn’t get to finish longer books. I like to read short romances that pack as much punch as possible, so that’s what I write.

What would you say is the overall message or the theme of this book?

The overall message was captured best by my publishers when they came up with this for marketing materials: Who says tough isn’t sexy? I love the idea that women are stepping into traditional male roles and rocking them while still maintaining the beauty and allure they’re noted for. It’s empowering to know we no longer have to pick one or the other.

Tell me about the experience of writing this book; how long did it take.

It took about two months to write this book. It took another month to edit and revise. I’m blessed to have a sports medicine doctor husband who was once a team physician for a women’s football team, so I picked his brain endlessly. I wrote this book during the NFL’s domestic violence explosion, so that was interesting. There were many times when I wondered if I was writing a football book at the wrong time.

Tell me about the main storyline within this book.

NFL MVP Cam Simmons comes home to convince his mother to move to Boston with him, but while he’s there, he bumps into his high school friend/crush, Tanya Martin, who has run into trouble with debt collectors at her father’s gym. They ban together to keep the gym, a neighborhood staple, from foreclosing. But banning together brings a whole lot more than they bargained for.

Who is the protagonist of this story?

Tanya Martin is the main character of Running Interference. She’s fiercely loyal and strong. She’s also guarded with her heart, having seen too many people in her life messed up by divorce. She’s a protector on the football field and off, always anticipating the next threat so she can thwart it. Like I said, she’s fierce.

Who is your favorite character in this book?

Wild child Jillian Bell, the heroine’s roommate, and the Cleveland Clash’s star wide receiver is my favorite character. Even though she’s a secondary character, she really stands out to me. She has a sleeve of tattoos, one of which is rather alarming, and I adore her for it. I’m hoping other readers will gravitate towards her big personality and fun-loving spirit, because she’s the heroine in the second Clash book, Crossing the Line.

Are there elements of your personality or life experiences in this book?

There’s one element of this book that is highly personal and on purpose: the location, Cleveland. I was born and raised a Cleveland Browns fan, so I’ve lived through many disappointments. When I knew I was writing about a football team, I knew it was going to be a Cleveland team, because I desperately wanted a Cleveland football team to win a championship.

What is one thing from this book you wish was real or could happen to you?

I’d love to participate in a bachelor auction. It would be hilarious Of course, I’m happily married, so I wouldn’t be bidding on anyone, but I would pay to see the shenanigans.

Let’s say your book is being turned into a feature length film; quick- cast the main two characters and pick a theme song or score.

Cam Simmons, would be played by Morris Chestnut. For the heroine, I love the strength and humor of Queen Latifah, and the sass of NeNe Leakes, but Tanya Martin appeared in my head looking more like Serayah McNeill, from Empire, or Chaley Rose, from Nashville. The song would be Eminem’s Lose Yourself.

Do you have any special plans for this book in the near or far future?

The second book in the series, Crossing the Line, releases in May. I’m happy to build on this world and give other characters their own HEA. I’m hoping at some point the entire series will be bundled into a box set, but that’s up to my publisher.

Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today. Be sure to follow this blog to see who will be visiting next time. To obtain your copy of Running Interference, please visit the links provided.

Kindle | Nook | iBooks | Google | Kobo

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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

Death to Smoochy Review – Mock Squid Soup No.7 #cinephiles #film #review

Wikipedia

Please note, this review contains mature themes.

This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability.

1. What is this film about?

This movie tells the interconnecting stories of two children’s programming entertainers. Rainbow Randolph is on his way due to bad behavior and Smoochy, a Barney look-alike, is about to be discovered.

I’d classify this film as a dark comedy and perhaps even a satire about the way things are, could be, and should be when it comes to the entertainment industry and children’s programming. I choose to review this movie for three reasons.

–1. I never dealt the matter of Robin William’s death for myself. As a movie lover and kid at heart, I appreciate the years of entertainment he provided allowing me to grow and develop my tastes and understanding of different kinds of comedy.

–2. Every time I thought about reviewing some of William’s greatest works, I admit, it made me cry because of the way he left us all. So, not wanting to back down on my plan to review something of his, I settled on Death to Smoochy. Nothing about this film makes me want to cry.

–3. I really wanted to review something quirky or perhaps little know. I think I hit the jackpot with this one.

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

I’ve seen two different posters for this movie and neither one really does anything for me; they’re okay. As for the title, is it bad that I really like it? I mean, you know up front, there will be a matter of death in some capacity and when paired with the poster; you can pretty well determine there will be some uncomfortable laughter involved. I never saw the trailer before watching the movie, but have since. It gives you a pretty good idea of what you’re going to see.

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

Okay, what I’m about to say next may not seem like a big deal, but for me it’s painful. While Robin Williams is always entertaining, I felt like he did quite a bit of overacting in this role of Rainbow Randolph. Don’t get me wrong, he hit the mark quite a few times with great one-liners, the portrayal of a mentally unstable person, and even delivered one scene of poetic sorrow that really tugs at your emotions…but then he followed it up with a slew of obscenities and sexual innuendoes.

I loved Ed Norton as Sheldon/Smoochy and Catherine Keener and Nora. It was so amusing to see the conflict of wholesome vs. bitter turn into something more between these two characters by the end.

Then there are the smaller parts and bit roles played by Jon Stewart, Danny DeVito, and Michael Rispoli. I think they all did a nice job playing the parts they were given, but on the whole, everyone had their over-the-top moments when less would have been just fine.

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

Well, since Danny DeVito directed this movie you can probably guess that I had some issues with the way it was filmed. For the most part, I loved the interaction between the characters, but the depiction of New York seemed a bit cartoonish. I think everyone knows by now that New York can be more than a little gritty and harsh, but to emphasize that with shadows, poorly lit rooms, and dark alleys and tunnels was a bit much.

Considering all that, DeVito actually made it work. I know it sounds like I’m contradicting myself, but it’s true. Everything over-the-top, shrouded in darkness, and packed with awkward angles and props made this adult cartoon-like movie work, but I wouldn’t call it genius by any means.

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

This movie has a fun soundtrack. It’s a mixture of popular music, classical, and original songs, which I can’t deny, just make me laugh. I keep thinking of “My Stepdad’s Not Mean”; you’ll have to see the movie to get that reference. It’s one of the original songs. Whenever a movie ends with “Your Love is Lifting Me Higher”, it’s hard for me to walk away feeling dissatisfied.

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

I liked the way most of the characters with all of their diverse backgrounds and personal tastes, in the end, really did want to do what was best for the kids, even if greed and personal vendettas kept getting in the way. It’s not an easy or clear message to pull from the action of the movie, but I think the overall message is a positive one. There are good people out there trying to make a different; they have so much going against them.

7. What did I not like about the story?

I did not care for the overacting, the excessive use of the “F” word, and all the unnecessary sexual jokes. Comedy and sexuality definitely have a place in programming made for adults, but some of this was just too much and very silly.

8. Would I recommend this movie to others?

It depends. On the whole, as an adult, I actually liked this movie. I admit, that part of this probably stems from my disdain of the original purple dinosaur Barney. However, by the end of the movie, I couldn’t help but root for Smoochy. That doesn’t mean others will feel this way.

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

This is a special kind of dark comedy for a special kind of movie viewer who “gets it”. I could see some of my teacher friends liking this, while I know others would be appalled by it. So far, the few no-child couples I’ve shared this with have liked it.

On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 4 reels, but only because I don’t really do halves and 3 is just too low.

MLikeIt

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

I haven’t written anything like this and don’t plan to anytime soon. Comedy just isn’t my thing, even though I really enjoy it. I have been told, however, that I have a way with writing disturbing things, and this movie is a little disturbing…Just a little.

Watch, rent, or buy this movie here.

Mock Squid Soup – Film Society

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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

Categories
Movies

Napoleon Dynamite Review – Mock Squid Soup No.6 #cinephiles #film #review

Wikipedia

This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability.

1. What is this film about?

Napoleon Dynamite is an awkwardly entertaining film that follows a few days in the awkward life of a very awkward teenage boy in a time I haven’t quite been able to determine. I guess I missed something here. In any case, Napoleon is a dreamer fully aware that he’s not one of the popular kids, but he seems to okay with that. As odd as he is, like all teenagers, he’s normal enough to be embarrassed by his strange family. While Napoleon seems content to be who he is, he’s also happy to accept the prospects of friendship when Pedro moves into town and Deb drops her gear on his doorstep. Between first meetings and the big school election at the end, Napoleon learns a lot about friendship and has a moment in the spotlight as a hero instead of an underdog.

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

When I first hear of this film I was excited to see it only because I was expecting it to be absolutely crazy. I was not disappointed, but it still wasn’t what I had expected. It’s quite wholesome and sweet. It still blows my mind that there is no foul language in this movie at all. Even Goonies, a 1985 release, has a handful of curse words in it; all the major characters are middle school or junior high aged kids, not high schoolers like this film.

Once I started to watch the movie, I was afraid I’d made a big mistake. The opening scene still perplexes me to this day. While “What are you gonna do today, Napoleon?…Whatever I feel like I wanna do. Gosh!” are great lines, I still don’t understand why he wanted to drag that poor action figure behind the bus.

Also, when I first heard of this film, I was expecting the title to be a nickname or code word. I was amused to learn that is the character’s actual name. Too bad though that there’s forever a controversy over where the name came from, but I’m not talking about that today.

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

This movie starred Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite, Aaron Ruell as Kip, Efren Ramirez as Pedro, and Tina Majorino as Deb. There are many more characters I could list, but these are the ones I liked the most. I was excited to see Tina in this teenage role having been a fan of her childhood work. People can say what they want, but I still think the best film version of Alice in Wonderland is the one she’s in from 1999; no disrespect to Disney or Jonny Depp.

As far as I know Heder was a newcomer in this role. Not sure how true this is, but I member people saying that he was paid like a $1000 up front and part of the profits, if there were any. True or false, lucky for him, this movie did make money and built up a cult following.

I’ve seen Efren in a few other things since the movie, but I haven’t really liked any of it; I do, however, think that he’s very talented. He’s played some very strange role quite convincingly.

Don’t know much about Aaron Ruell other than he looks nothing like the Kip character he plays. I think it must be a sign of good acting since he’s not wearing any lavish special effects make-up or prosthetics. He’s just playing his part well.

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

I don’t know much about director Jared Hess other than he also did Nacho Libre, a film I’ve grown to appreciate thanks to my husband’s repeated showing of it in our living room and random quotes belted out throughout our daily routine.

Hess seems to have a very laid back approach to filmmaking. He doesn’t focus or zoom in a lot. He lets you, the viewer, take in the whole picture and focus on what you choose. Aside from occasional crowd scenes that prove necessary at some point, most of Hess’s scenes are intimate, with few characters in each shot. It seems like, in most movies, even when you are focusing on two characters, those two characters are sounded by other people in the background via: coffee shop, dinner, drug store, busy street, etc… Hess isolates his characters so you can look around them and see what there is to see and then focus in when you’re ready.

Whoa, I think I just got a little too deep there.

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

I was excited about this soundtrack so I did just a little bit of research. This movie’s soundtrack included a score, but not all the songs that appeared in the movie, which is understandable, but… The opening song? Yeah, the opening song and the montage music isn’t part of this soundtrack, but I’ll come back to this in a minute.

The score was written and or performed by John Swihart, I think. I’m going to assume that many of quirky organ pieces and the some of the poppy instrumentals I heard came from this guy. I like it. It gave the movie a very light feel, which was needed, since some of the movie was uncomfortable to watch, but not in a bad way. You’re just constantly wandering and wondering with this film.

Back to that opening song, “We’re Going to Be Friends” by The White Stripes- why is this not part of this soundtrack? I mean, this movie is about friendship. That was the perfect intro song. I can’t talk about this anymore. Visit Wikipedia to see what other songs didn’t make it.

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

It took a while, but after making it through the first screening, I loved this movie and appreciate the creativity that went into writing this story.

I do wish that someone would clarify for me, what year exactly this is supposed to take place. What year has walkmans, VHS, and Backstreet boys? Seriously, why don’t I know this?…

I really should do more research on these movies.

7. What did I not like about the story?

The whole chicken coop and egg lunch scene could have been omitted for my taste. It was just gross to me, but maybe I’m weird like that.

Also, not to rock the boat, break the peace, or start trouble, but why does it seem like Deb likes Napoleon more along when Pedro is a perfectly good guy?

8. Would I recommend this movie to others?

Yes. I get that this will not be for all those strictly mainstream Hollywood Blockbuster lovers, but I feel like most people would like if they gave it a chance and it’s totally family friendly.

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

I’d recommend this anyone. 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 me or anything I have written?

We’ll I’ve not written anything this quirky, but there’s always hope for the future.

Unfortunately, everyone seems to know someone like Uncle Rico and out of respect I won’t mention the person I’m thinking of. It’s tough to live your life feeling and or knowing that you hit your peak in high school, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something special for you in the future.

While I’m not going to be trying to time travel anytime soon, it did write about time travel in my short story “Clepher’s Heart”, which is featured in the Of Past and Future anthology.

Watch, rent, or buy this movie here.

Mock Squid Soup – Film Society

41375-mocksquidsoup2
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