Tag: YA

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EC: Battleground Fun Hops

WIP The Movie! Blog Hop #cursescanbebroken

This blog hop is co-hosted by Kyra Lennon and Rachel Schieffelbein.

I have several WIPs at the moment, but the one I’m most excited about is the follow-up to my first novel. This first book, Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel,  just came out, but I’m not sitting around idly waiting for people to fall in love with it. There’s so much more of this story to be told. The idea of casting the characters of this book for a movie blew my mind, and don’t even get me started on the soundtrack.

So here is it, the line-up for, Eternal Curse: Battleground…Character Spoilers present but no plot points.

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Giovanni– He’s the title character of the first book and is actually a dual character. Giovanni/Bletsian is a kind of a shape-shifter with angelic and demonic ancestry. For him, I think I’d try to cast a complete unknown so there would be no preconceived notions about how this character would act. But I do have a specific look in mind when I picture him. I picture a handsome Middle Eastern man like Naveen Andrews with Hugh Jackman’s tall frame and Wolverine body, but with long black hair…Oh, and G/B has gray skin, so ethnicity doesn’t doesn really matter here.

 

      from Google search- www.fanpop.com  | from Google search- www.businessinsider.com

When I think of how G/B feels about and interacts with the overall story and the other characters, I think of the song, Thank You by Dido. (click here to watch video)

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Mira– She is human and is G/B’s love interest, and she’s also black (which some people find shocking). What is so special about this character in this second book is that because she’s been around G/B’s supernatural presence for so long, she too has begun to change. She is older and aging, but aging incredibly graceful. For her I picture a combination of two actresses:  Angel Bassett and Naomie Harris. Angela looks more than good for her age making her idea for the role, but Naomie fits her better in every other possible way.

  

from Google search- kissrichmond.com | from Google search- www.hellomagazine.com

When I think of Mira, from both the first book and the second, I think of Superwoman by Alicia Keys. (click here to watch the video)

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Tori (Victoria)- She is a new character to the series and pretty much the heroine of this installment. She is Mira’s daughter, but there’s more to that story than I’m currently willing to giveaway. Needless to say, they don’t really look alike. Tori is also human. She sounds nice and sweet, which she is for the most part, but later on it becomes clear why her name means “victory”. For her I picture someone like either of the Mowry Twins (more Tia Mowry-Hardrict) or Sydney Tamiia Poitier.

 

from Google search- www.eurweb.com | from Google search- www.fanphobia.net 

When I think of Tori, I think of Fighter by Christina Aguilera.

(click here to watch the video)

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Sheldon– He is also a new character to the series, and is by far, the saddest character in my story simply because of who he is. He’s a pale prepubescent boy with pointed ears, a tail, and an inability to grow up. He is G/B’s son and also a supernatural being, in case that wasn’t clear. For him I might also go with an unknown simply because kids grow up so quickly. When I think Sheldon, I think compare him more to other child characters. I guess for him, I could image some actors when they were younger, such as: Ernie Reyes Jr., Dante Basco, and Noah Hathaway.

  thelastdragontribute.tumblr.com | rufiozuko.tumblr.com | hermes-trismeg.blogspot.com

When I think of Sheldon, the song Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve comes to mind. (click here to watch the video)

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The next few characters I won’t spend so much time on because I could just keep going on for days and pages. These are secondary characters who are vital to the overall story.

Jack– He is new to the series and is another human who is up in age, though he hasn’t aged so gracefully. However, he is strong and physically fit from never faltering on an active military-like lifestyle.  For him I image someone like, Stephen Lang.

Google search- screencritix.com

Lilly– She is also human but is a returning character to the series. When my readers first meet her she is a young child, but in the second story she is a simple elderly woman of Asian descent.  For her I imagine someone like Amy Hill.

from Google search- www.asiansonfilm.com

Michael (Michelangelo)- He is another human and new character to the series and just happens to be crazy about Tori. For him I image pretty much any young, tall, blond actor. For now I’ll go for Colton Haynes with a dye job.

from Google search- instinctmagazine.com

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Up top are the major players, but I have so many more worth mentioning, but I’ll only throw in a few.

Fred– He’s a supernatural character who is new to the series. He’s tall, dark-skinned, and nice looking from the front, but from behind has a spine lined with spikes. His knees and elbows are also spiky.

Ester– She is a very important supernatural character who is also new to the series. She is a symbol and representation of purity; for that reason her skin is white like marble. She is completely hairless; yes that means she’d bald, but she still exudes femininity.

Iris– He is also new to the series and is a supernatural character. He’s a very serious character and a leader. He’s very tall and muscular and looks like a tar statue. His skin is actually black as tar.

Marcos– This is the same villain from the first book. Just as in the first story, Marcos remains a hideous troll, the opposite of his once beautiful self. In this story however, Marcos spends most of his time hidden in the form of his host. He’s uses his host body so that he’ll not have to face the harsh reality of his true appearance.

Ivor– He’s the host for Marcos in this story. He’s an average looking man, but even before he encounters Marcos he is deeply troubled and has a rather menacing look about him. He was once a gypsy.

The overall feel of this second Eternal Curse book makes me think of Uprising by Muse.
(click her to watch the video)

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ECGA coverWhile I’m making efforts to get this manuscript out to some beta readers and lastly into final edits, why not check out the first installment in the Eternal Curse Series to see where all this stared.

Click here or on the image up top to visit more stops on this hop.

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

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Excerpts Guest Posts

Death of the Mad Hatter: Excerpt Three by Sarah J. Pepper

From GoodReads, click to add to your bookshelf.

“Out of all my ill-fitting hats, one has never given me a headache like you do.”

“I’ve only begun to give you a headache,” she whispered and turned around and walked down the steps.

She got to the landing before I was close enough to grab her wrist, stopping her escape. She wiggled, freeing her hand. When I refused to back off, she moved her leg like she was going to knee me in the groin, so I completely closed the gap between us, pressing my hips against hers. She had no movement to strike.

“I’m done with this charade!” I yelled even though we were millimeters away from each other. “Everything you say doesn’t make a lick of sense. Why did you come here? Surely it wasn’t just to annoy me.”

“Just because you don’t understand my way of thinking, it doesn’t mean that I don’t make sense!” she yelled. “You’re such a—”

“A what?” I interrupted. “An Otherworlder?”

She stepped closer, even though I hadn’t thought it possible, making it clear that I hadn’t intimidated her. Even though I was taller than her, she stood on her tip toes, making us closer to the same height.

“Actually, I was going to say that you are such a boy! What’s an Otherworlder, Ryley? I’m not sure that word even has a definition, or did you make it up? Now, who sounds crazy?” she said, spreading her arms wide.

I’d forgotten about everyone else in existence. Everyone was staring. Judging from the context spoken, I did sound more insane than she.

“What is Wonderland, Alice Mae?”

“Do you not remember anything?” She seemed genuinely frustrated.

“I’m not in the habit of remembering places I have never been, you stupid girl!”

“Don’t call me that!” She socked me in the gut. Normally, I would have thought it cute that she tried to attack me since she was so feeble, but today it only aggravated me.

“I was alerted that your father’s car had moved,” Alice Mae said. “Was he able to answer any of your questions?”

The hall got so quiet, not a single person coughed. I wanted to rip the damn rabbit’s head off, but it was in my backpack that I’d dropped when I noticed the hat carnage in my locker.

“My dad is not around,” I said.

“Interesting phrasing,” Alice Mae said, analyzing my comment. She tapped her finger on her chin like she was deep in thought. “You didn’t say he was dead, nor did you confirm it. Perchance you and your mom made up a series of lies about him?”

I had to shut her up before she told everyone the truth! I wanted to strangle her. I hated how she could completely destroy me with a few simple words. She knew my deepest secret, and now she was telling the whole school about my whacked-out dad!

“—where does he live Ryley? I can’t seem to remember its name. It was some kind—”

I slapped my free hand over her mouth. She bit down. I pulled my hand away. Teeth marks were embedded in my skin. Smirking at me, she licked her lips.

“You instigated this war!” she said. She spoke more loudly. She was right. Her voice did carry. “Your father isn’t dead. He’s insa—”

In a stated of extreme panic, I did the only logical thing I could think of to shut her up.

I kissed her.

∞∞∞∞

Visit Sarah J. Pepper’s website to learn more about her unique retelling of the classic Wonderland tale, right here at: http://www.peppersreadingcorner.com/.

Also, check out her special Facebook interview here.

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
Excerpts Guest Posts

Death of the Mad Hatter: Excerpt Two by Sarah J. Pepper

From GoodReads, click to add to your bookshelf.

There were the types of girls who dressed for guys, the type who still played dress-up, the type who lived in sweatpants, and then there was an entirely different breed who wore mismatched socks with pride. This chick fell into the last category. Why anyone could possibly think bright orange and blue would go together, unless they were a Boise State fan, was beyond my thought process. Her shoes were quite possibly handcrafted a hundred years ago, and her tattered skirt looked as though she found it in a dusty box tucked away in an attic. However, the zebra patterned gloves actually appeared to be from this decade.

“Well, it’s rather fortunate that you didn’t dribble. Mr. Ruth would have a fit if he became familiar with the underside of your pet-soaked shoe,” the girl said, petting the stuffed animal’s head. Her accent was none that I’d heard before—and I’d lived in a lot of different places. She sounded like a British gal impersonating a southern bell. “It’d be quite regrettable if anything happened to him on the first day of school. He must have fallen out of his hidey-hole.”

“You named your stuffed rabbit, Mr. Ruth?”

She covered the bunny’s ears. “Rutherford is his real name, but he hates it and makes all the other rumperbabbits call him by his nickname.”

“Rumperbabbits?”

“Bunnies, rabbits, hares—rumperbabbits. Same thing,” she said with a wink. She had the most volatile light-blue eyes that were so electrifying I couldn’t look away.

Time out—just for reference, I didn’t believe in juvenile notions, like love at first sight. In my book, time didn’t cease to move forward when two people fell in love. As a matter-of-fact, I’d have to be drunk (not on love) for such an irrational thought to enter my mind.

But, there was something magical about her. A mischievous charm. I wouldn’t have said that I necessarily liked it, but it was intriguing. She was intriguing… and new. For a town whose newspaper’s biggest story was the harvest report, having a new girl in school would most likely be headlined on The Gossiper’s front page.

∞∞∞∞

Visit Sarah J. Pepper’s website to learn more about her unique retelling of the classic Wonderland tale, right here at: http://www.peppersreadingcorner.com/.

Also, check out her special Facebook interview here.

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