The Boarding House by Sharon Sala

I've been reading the backlog of books downloaded to my Kindle since my move.  There's no cable hook-up in my bedroom.  During the holidays I clicked on The Boarding House by the incredible writer, Sharon Sala. 

I can honestly say it grabbed my interest from the beginning of the book and held it long after I read the last line.  I've told several friends about it and encouraged each of them to read this amazing novel.

Though known for writing romance both as Sharon Sala and Dinah McCall, the talented author has penned a strong novel not of the romance genre.  The Boarding House will be appreciated by anyone who loves an excellent story, major conflicts, memorable characters, and a plot twist that still has me cocking my head and thinking "Whoa, I never saw that coming!"  A little voice in my head says with my career, I should have realized the secret.  But I was so spellbound by the brilliant novel, I did not see the surprise until it was revealed.

And no, I am not going to do Ms. Sala the disservice to reveal it to you.  All I will tell you is that this is one of the best novels I have read in many years.  It is the story of unimaginable pain, the kind that would destroy the average person.  Yet, the lead character, Ellie Wayne, not only copes, she triumphs in the end.

I'll leave the blurb below to describe the plot for you.

As for me, I bow down to Ms. Sala for her ability to portray a tale of ongoing abuse and ultimate redemption in a realistic way. Only an author with deep understanding of the human condition could create this story and bring it to such vivid life.  Brava!

This is a novel that will make you applaud and tell your friends.  Read it, you won't be sorry.

Oh, and by the way, this would make one heck of a movie!  Listen to me Hollywood, this is the stuff Oscar voters await. 

I truly give this one all five stars!


Blurb:

Ellie Wayne doesn't just live. She survives.

New York Times bestselling author Sharon Sala brings emotional intensity to an unforgettable story of survival, empowerment and raw courage.

Ellie Wayne has grown up in frightening circumstances, damaged by a sexually abusive father and mentally fragile mother. Scarred and still threatened by a father she hates and fears, Ellie believes her future holds nothing more than danger, shame and secrets . . . until the unspeakable happens, and Ellie is forced to choose. She can claim her life or continue to hide in the shadows.

One amazing man might be the miracle worker who can help Ellie see that she has the power to move on with her life, to hope for something more. If she can trust him.

Readers will cheer for this amazing woman as she struggles to leave victimhood behind.

Sharon Sala is a long time member of Romance Writers of America writing as Sharon Sala and Dinah McCall. She writes romantic suspense, Young Adult, and Women's Fiction. First published in 1991, she's a seven-time Rita finalist, winner of the Janet Dailey Award, four-time winner of the Career Achievement award from Rt Magazine, five time winner of the National Reader's Choice Award and five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence as well as the Bookseller Best Award. Her books are New York Times, Usa Today, Publisher's Weekly mass market best-sellers. Writing changed her life, her world, and her fate.

Look for her Young Adult paranormal mysteries, the The Lunatic Life series from Bell Bridge Books.

 

www.amazon.com

I'm Baaaaaaaaaacccckkkk!!!

I know now that many of you have your own move-from-hell stories, so I won't bore you with mine.  The fact that I've been offline since December 18th should tell you something.

It's been a strange few weeks, lots of drama-rama around the holidays.  Why is it some people invariably act up during the holidays?  Must be something in the eggnog or chemicals from the artificial trees.

Oh, and I'm still not completely unpacked nor able to find certain things...oh well.

I don't know about you, but it's perishing cold here today.  It got down to about 24 in my neighborhood, which isn't as low as some places, I know, but this is Florida.  We're not really equipped for such temps.  There were a few diehards walking on the beach this morning in their UA thinsulate, but they were obviously delusional.

I layered up and walked the tzus, who were clad in their own thinsulate coats.  Ming, the macho, promptly stepped out of his, having none of it.  Oh well, we survived.  I am happy to report the fountain on the lake beside my place did not freeze overnight.

Hope all of you enjoyed your holidays, or at the very least did not suffer serious injuries or food poisoning during your clan's holiday hoopla.  To bypass those indignities is always a plus.

Today, I am posting a new blog, Sharon Drane's Free Reads.  I am posting a Christmas story I wrote recently called "Christmas Is For Kids."  I will post pieces of my fiction from time to time.  There will be short stories or chapters of longer works, whatever takes my fancy.  I hope you enjoy them.

So here we all are in 2014.  I truly hope it will be a better year than this last one.

Take care and keep warm while we experience the Polar Vortex currently blanketing most of the US.

Until later...

sd

My Red&Green is Black&Blue

Well, I am in the process of moving.  This computer will be disconnected this afternoon.  I won't be back up for a day or two - assuming I can hook it up correctly...

So for all you country fans out there, here's a little ditty from a Texas gal...

My bed's too high - I fall out before I can even get in.

I've been forced to move, really took one on the chin.

All in all I find reasons to smile.

After all, I'm moving less than a mile.

My family's been great, really helping me out.

My Tzus are the only folks around here starting to pout.

Shaky and jittery, they constantly have to go.

And you know it doesn't help at all to scream, Miss Myrna, NO!!!

Stubborn little furballs, but I love them still.

I know this move will be finished soon, at least I hope it will.

Christmas is coming, but this year, what the heck is that?

The only thing I'm grateful for is that I'm no longer so fat.

And the last straw that knocked me to the floor?

While I was out they came and painted my front door.

The paint was still wet, the lock was taped shut.

I demolished the rest of my manicure, and muttered about kicking the painter in the butt.

So, now I'm going off the net for awhile.  Merry Christmas to you.

But none for me.  My Red&Green is Black&Blue.

(and so is the painter...when I catch him...)

Froeliche Weinachten! Feliz Navidad!

I'll catch you later.

The paint-stained pop diva.

I Dream of Packing - The Epic Saga of Moving

Again, the Universe is having a huge horse laugh at my expense.  While other people fill their thoughts with holiday parties, presents, delicious food, the smells of pine and cinnamon, and loving thoughts of being together, all I can think about is packing.  I spent the morning swathed in bubble wrap...sounds kinky, but believe me it's not as much fun as it sounds. (although I could tell you tales of an actress taking a bubble bath onstage, really swathed in bubble wrap...you had to be there.)

Picture it, an aging diva, wearing an old Dallas Cowboys' sweatshirt with her jeans, furiously wrapping pottery, kachinas, fetishes, etc. in bubble wrap  and putting them in tote bags to take to the new apartment.  Make-up is running down her face, hair's all over the place.  Her face furrows in mature concentration.  Glamorous image, huh? I need to watch Kinky Boots again...

My father chided me for working so hard.  He said, "you've been cleaning out and packing for two weeks now.  Nobody needs that many clothes!"  To whit I replied, "I haven't even started on the clothes.  It's all been books, dvds, vhs tapes, and my collections of STUFF."  And to think I could have had the movers pack everything!  Uh huh.  In your dreams, kiddo...After all, this is just a move inside the apartment complex, not a cross country trip.  (Read that, I'm too cheap...although I have reconsidered that decision in my odd moments.)

Do you think I could call myself a pop culture diva without a huge book collection, dvd collection, vhs collection, cd collection, and theatrical memorabilia?  I'd be drummed out of the union, stripped of my sequins, and told to exeunt stage left.  I could never let that happen.

I will be very glad when this is all over, but I won't be in any kind of holiday spirit.  There's no time for it now.  I did manage to have a gift sent to a loved one (a family of loved ones).  And I got my best friend to postpone our exchange.  But the rest of my family members are all getting cash.  Sounds crass, I know, but that's the best I can do this year.

I'll probably be unpacking until after Christmas, anyhow.  Oh, and the piece d' resistance - the interior of my new place has been renovated, but they haven't painted the exterior yet.  So I look forward to having my poor garden exposed to more bleach water and spray paint.  I also look forward to having my back door painted shut again...took me a good ten minutes to get the one open on this place after that event.

But I don't have time to worry about that now.  After all, I have to focus and make sure I don't wrap my Tzus in bubble wrap and pack them for the move...

Take care.  Enjoy your holiday festivities.  I'll write more before the move since I will be confined to a Blackberry for a couple of days next week, if all goes well...(no comments, please...)


I told you - the U is laughing big time.  Oh well.  It makes an entertaining story.

The Sound of Music

Last night, NBC made a brave choice and aired a 3 hour LIVE presentation of the stage version of Rodger's and Hammerstein's "Sound of Music."  I had seen the promos for several weeks, including interviews with the stars, namely Carrie Underwood, and Stephen Moyer (Bill from True Blood.)

I had my doubts about Ms. Underwood in the part.  For one thing, due to the huge success of the 1965 movie, the world is imprinted forever with the image of the young Julie Andrews as Maria.  Ms. Andrews had a lovely classical (read that operatic) voice in those days.  So I worried about Ms. Underwood in the role, even though she is a good singer. 

Then I remembered the original Broadway production starred Mary Martin, probably known to most of you as Larry Hagman's mother.  Yep, she gave birth to JR Ewing.  Mary Martin was a little girl from Weatherford, TX near Fort Worth.  She had a lengthy career in movies, on Broadway, and on TV where she played the title role in "Peter Pan" a couple of times.  I remember that production from when I was a small child, maybe six or so the first time it aired.  Ms. Martin was an energetic performer all of her life.  She brought spunk and sparkle to the roles she played.  That's the way she played Maria when she originated the role.  She didn't have a classically trained voice, but she could carry a tune and fill it with emotion.  I read an article today that reported "The Sound of Music" was written for her.  Maybe it was.

By the way, on a side note, I used to have to visit state contractors in Weatherford, periodically.  They had a statue of Mary Martin dressed in her costume as Peter Pan, right in the center of town. My mom and I got to meet her after we saw a wonderful production of "I Do, I Do" on Broadway, in which she co-starred with the incredible Robert Preston (aka The Music Man.)  Ms. Martin was so gracious to a pair of star-struck fellow Texans.  I'll never forget it.

I read a review today of the NBC production which panned Ms. Underwood's acting ability, but said she sang well.  The reviewer also acknowledged if not for her, the production would never have come to NBC. Her name with its star-power was enough for NBC to finance the expensive production.

I agree she's not the best actor, but there's a reason for that.  She's never had to do it, nor has she had much if any training.  Acting isn't easy, folks, even in musical comedy. She did a fine job in the part that carried the show.  That's not easy, either.  I, for one, was happily surprised at her vocal range.  She made every note in the difficult score.  And as Stephen Moyer said in one interview filmed for a promo, she certainly can yodel.

As for the rest of the cast - the children were good.  The little girl who played Gretl, the youngest Von Trapp, had a surprisingly deep voice but knew how to use it.  Liesl was wonderful and the actor playing her beau, Rolf, portrayed the character perfectly.

Stephen Moyer surprised me with his mellow, melodic voice. He reminded me of folk singers from the 1960s.  I knew from the promos for the show that he has had several roles in musical theater.  It's good to know he can do other things besides play a emotionally conflicted vampire.  When True Blood is over, he'll have lots of options.

The woman who played his first love interest, the Baroness, is an established star of Broadway, and has a beautiful, classical voice. 

Finally, the woman I consider to have one of the BEST voices ever to grace a Broadway stage, Audra MacDonald, played the Mother Abbess.  I could hardly wait to hear her version of "Climb Every Mountain."  I was not disappointed.  If you have never heard of Audra MacDonald and you want to be blown away, check out the soundtrack from the original Broadway production of "Ragtime."  That is one of my all-time favorite musicals and she was astounding in the show.  I cry every time I hear her songs.  Also she starred as Bess in a revival of "Porgy and Bess" in the last year or so.  Check out that soundtrack.  It's another gem made richer by her incredible voice.

All in all, it was an enjoyable production.  I know that some Broadway devotees apparently belittled the NBC version, but so what?  They're entitled to their opinions.  But I say, if they think they can do better, let them try.

Staging a production of any kind is hard work.  Staging a production for the stage and doing it on television is harder.  I was especially impressed with the staging that moved seamlessly from one set to another last night, with the cameras following the actors.  It was a huge soundstage, built to accommodate the different scenes.

When the Andrew's film came out, I was literally "sixteen going on seventeen" and a young voice student.  My teacher started me out on that song and we progressed through the score.  I used to be called upon to entertain my family and their friends at various gatherings by singing "Climb Every Mountain."  If I was feeling rebellious, I'd sing it with a heavy Texas drawl...of course that detracted from the quality of my voice.  Oh well, I was always hopeful I wouldn't have to perform (sing for my supper) each time.

For those of you who missed the show last night, it will be available on video soon.  WalMart, one of the primary sponsors of the show, will be selling it, along with a "sing-along version" of the soundtrack.

Finally, my last comment is, why do critics always think they have to criticize?  It's not mandatory.  I'd much rather celebrate the creative spirit and rejoice in the many choices we have for entertainment.

Until next time, take care, and enjoy our glorious pop culture!

The World's End

Obviously from some of my posts, I am an anglophile - translated I like British entertainment, especially the humor.  This stems from my checkered days in college where I got to watch what I wanted, instead of my parents' choices.  I discovered such wonderful things as Masterpiece Theatre and my personal favorite, Monty Python's Flying Circus.  I was warped for life!

I watch Monty Python whenever I get the chance, as well as Keeping Up Appearances - the saga of Hyacinth Bucket (no, it's Bouquet!!!)  These shows make me laugh, always a good thing.

Though I came late to the party, I've discovered the writing team of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright.  They have given us such irreverent films as Paul, Hot Fuzz, and my personal favorite - Shaun of the Dead.  What hoots these films are!

And, of course, the fact that Simon Pegg plays Montgomery Scott in the Abrams Star Trek franchise delights me as well. He makes a wonderful Scotty.

I recently watched The World's End, which is the latest collaboration from this talented team.  Like all of their films, there are some surprises in this one.  Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play friends since childhood.  Nick Frost usually plays the more outlandish of the pair with Simon Pegg the more conventional one.  Those roles are reversed in The World's End.  Simon Pegg makes a surprisingly good slacker/bad boy who never grew up.  Nick Frost makes a surprisingly good conservative business man who doesn't even want to see his old friend in the beginning.

This one is the story of a group of friends who, at Pegg's insistence, recreate their historic pub crawl in their home town for one last chance to finish it.  You see there are eleven pubs (public houses - bars) in the small town from whence they came.  When they were graduating from school, they tried to make all of them in one night, but they failed.  They never made it to the last pub on the list - The World's End.

One by one the friends are coerced from their conventional adult lives to join Pegg's character on one last fling.  Do they make it?  I'm not telling.

I will say they encounter some adventures on the way.  It is a life changing experience for them all, some more so than others.

There is a quirky take on the term "blue blood" which feels like a slam at British aristocracy, in the most comic way possible.

The climax is a big surprise.  The last pub is aptly named.

This is howlingly funny in places.  I guffawed while watching it.  There are a few serious bits, but that balances out the story.

The World's End is now out on video and pay-per-view for cable subscribers.  In my opinion it is much funnier than the recent comic version of the apocalypse.

If you haven't seen their other films and like to laugh, you should rent them.  Hot Fuzz is the story of a small town police force and the London officer who is transferred into their midst.  It has some hysterical moments....Yarp!  The straight-laced London officer gets corrupted by action films and becomes a super cop.

Paul is a must see for any Sci-Fi fan.  It's about two fans who go to World Con and meet a real alien, who is a trash-talking cigarette smoking little guy (with the voice of Seth Rogan.)  Look for Signourey Weaver in an offbeat role for her.  Great cast in this one.

Finally, if you haven't seen Shaun of the Dead, you're missing a treasure.  Of course there are zombies (don't say the Zed word!) galore.  There is some gore but trust me, it is funny.  As I mentioned, it's my favorite piece of all of these good films.  You won't catch everything in one watching.

Enjoy these wonderful films.  You'll have a great time and lots of laughs.

Oh by the way, we wave goodbye to the 2013 hurricane season today!  Yeaaaaaaaaayyy!  That's important to people in Florida.

Until next time...

Adventures in Time and Space

The wildly popular BBC series "Doctor Who" had the misfortune to debut on the same day John F. Kennedy was killed.  Very few people watched the original airing as the British people were glued to the news just like we Yanks.

So it's no coincidence that "Doctor Who" celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at the same time we commemorated JFK's assassination fifty years later.

Fortunately for generations of fans, the BBC decided to rerun the first episode, gathering fans, until it became the phenomenon we know today.

Adventures in Time and Space is a movie produced by the BBC and shown on their network, as well as BBC America.  Written by Mark Gatiss, who has penned several episode scripts for the series, it is funny, yet surprisingly poignant.

Brian Cox (Red, Red2, among many other roles) plays Sidney Newman, a brash Canadian hired by the BBC to update their image and the quality of their presentations.

Jessie Raine plays Verity Lambert, Sidney's former assistant, whom he hires to be the producer for this new "children's program" he's decided to add to the line-up.  A woman producer was not the norm in those days and Ms. Lambert had her own battles to fight.

Sacha Dhawan plays Waris Hussein, a Indian misfit among the all-English staff.

David Lambert (Filch in the Harry Potter series, and the sexual offender driven to suicide in Broadchurch) plays William Hartnell, the irascible older actor who originated the role of the Doctor.
While this cast works very well together as a true ensemble, it is Lambert's show.  He gives a measured performance going from angry curmudgeon to bewildered victim of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries.)  And the hardest part to take is that Hartnell begins to enjoy his fame as the Doctor.  He grows comfortable in the role and even likes teasing young fans in the park.  He tells them to run because the Daleks are coming.  They run away screaming, "Exterminate, exterminate" with their best Dalek imitations, to the delighted laughter of Hartnell. He loves playing the role he was so reluctant originally to accept.

The point of the script is that four misfits, Sidney, Verity, Warris, and Hartnell came together with an "impossible" concept according to the administrators at the BBC and made a magical show that has endured.  They bucked the considerably hide-bound system and won.  Doctor Who has an enormous fan base, all over the world, called Whovians.  (Sounds sort of like Trekkers, don't you think?)

After several years of success, one by one the originators leave the show.  Hartnell is the last to leave and he does so unwillingly.  He has been having serious problems with his lines due to his disease.  He cannot remember the correct words, says outrageous things, and is quick to fly into a rage.

Finally, the role is recast and he is informed.  He takes it very well, a true English gentleman.  But he has one more episode to film where the Doctor will be regenerated into someone else - something they have used throughout the series to recast the role.  Hartnell begins his lines and loses them as he looks around the set of his beloved TARDIS.  A young man appears to him, smiles and nods.  It is Matt Smith, the eleventh actor to play the Doctor.  Hartnell leaves knowing his character will continue.

I am a fan of Doctor Who.  My favorite actor in the part was David Tennant, the tenth actor to play the role.

But I'd be willing to bet even the most hardened cynic would be moved by Bradley's performance.  He's got the part down.  I cried as I recognized the elderly man dealing with confusion and fright.

This film is a fitting tribute to the series, to Hartnell, and the others who have come later to the role.

It's another wonderful job by the BBC.  Oh, and by the way, Doctor number twelve will be introduced next month.  I for one am looking forward to it.

Don't miss this film if you like Doctor Who.  You won't be disappointed.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Enjoy a good movie, a book, some music, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, football, whatever strikes your fancy.