Authors Being "Oncers"...

Happy Monday Everybody!

Hello! For those of you who don't know me, I'm author Bethany Averie. I'm also owner of this blog, and author of 4 published novels.

I’m so excited about today’s blog post. I’m doing something I’ve never done; although, I have talked about my love of the TV show, Once Upon A Time, I've never invited other authors who are fans to weigh in on what they love about the show. Well, all that changes today! Today you'll get to hear what myself, and other authors have to say about the show. Maybe they're authors you've heard of, maybe not. Perhaps there's a book they've written that intrigues you. You get the chance not only to find out more about Once Upon A Time (if you're a fan either agree or disagree with what we say) and maybe pick up new favorite author.

Once Upon A Time airs on ABC at 7 p.m. Central / 8 p.m. Eastern on Sunday nights. Sunday (November 30th) episode was really good. A show is really a hit when it can elicit a wide range of emotions from you, and draw you in. For all of us, OUAT has done just that. (P.S. A "Oncer" is a nickname for a fan of the show).

If you're interested in the show, it's highly recommend you start from the beginning. There's several ways to catch up on  all the episodes. You can try Hulu. It's possible they're available from NetFlix. And of course, Amazon, too.

All of us answered 5 questions having to do with the show. Information about each author can be found at the end of this post.

**SPECIAL NOTE FROM AUTHOR Bethany Averie, owner of this blog:  ALL COMMENTS LEFT COME THROUGH ME FIRST. IF YOU DO NOT SEE YOUR COMMENT SHOW UP BY THE END OF THIS WEEK, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I WILL PUT IT IN MANUALLY. THANK YOU!***

QUESTION:  Who is your favorite character on the ONCE UPON A TIME show and why?

CHRISTINA KIRBY: For me, it’s a toss up between Emma and Christophe – Emma because I like her character and Christophe because I like the actor playing him. (Cappy anyone?)

JOVEE WINTERS:  HOOK! Okay, now that I got that out of the way, yeah, it’s definitely Hook. Love him! For various reasons, but I always felt that poor guy got the shaft in the stories.

MAGGIE MUNDY:  Regina. I love her because she is so complex. Every time you think you have her figured out, she twists things. She has done awful things that you think you could never forgive her for, but then has done wonderful things to help people. She truly loves her son and would do anything for him.

LUCY GAGE: Emma Swan, because I love that her story is being written as we watch. We're witnessing the creation of a wholly new fairy tale, and that's exciting!

ELIZABETH JOHN:  My favorite character has to be Mr. Gold.  Although he’s a villain, we’ve seen how he came to be that way and we can sympathize.  He’s complex and has lots of secrets.  Just when we think he’s changed and really is good, he does something twisted.  He’s entertaining!

BETHANY AVERIE: Probably Rumpelstiltskin, for a lot of the reasons. He’s a complex character who can make you root for him one minute, wonder what the heck he’s thinking, and be afraid all in one episode. The actor who plays him, Robert Carlyle, does a superb job at showing each side in-depth. There are moments where he’s such a sympathetic character and other moments where you just want him gone. I believe he’s redeemable and I’m all for redeemable characters.

QUESTION:  As Romance authors, we like seeing couples come together, which 2 couples are you MOST rooting for on ONCE UPON A TIME and why?

CHRISTINA KIRBY: Emma and Hook. He truly loves her and is willing to do whatever it takes to help her. Also, and this may not be a popular answer, but I’d like to see Regina and Robin end up together. She deserves to find happiness, too.

JOVEE WINTERS:  I’m rooting for Emma and Hook, because I feel like the 2 of them are really just fated to be. I’m also, surprisingly, rooting for the Evil Queen (Regina) and Robin Hood. I was always curious who Regina’s true love was and once I found out it was Robin Hood, I thought, well, if there’s any chance of redemption for her, this could really be it.

MAGGIE MUNDY:  I love Belle and Rumpelstiltskin. He believes he is so bad and yet she sees the goodness in him. I really what them to get their HEA. Snow and Prince Charming have been through so much they deserve a break.

LUCY GAGE: If I have to pick one, I say Robin and Regina, because I really want Regina to get her happy ending. She has been through so much, and she's earned it after how she changed from the first season.

ELIZABETH JOHN:  I’d like to see Regina get some happiness with Robin Hood.  She has a soft side, and has had love stolen from her. Even villains deserve to be happy! Now that Snow and Charming are happily together, Emma and Hook would be my next pick.  I think they are evenly matched and their relationship would always be a challenge for them both.  Things would never get boring with those two.

BETHANY AVERIE:  I’m a huge Belle and Rumpelstiltskin fan. Belle has an ability to see past Rumpel’s crap and see the goodness in his heart. Something that’s not always easy to do. My second choice is hard because there’s two couples vying for that space, but I guess I’ll say Emma and Hook. What can I say? Colin O’Donoghue makes an awesome Hook and Emma is an incredible character, Jennifer Morrison does a fantastic job playing her. (If I was given another choice it would be Regina and Robin).

QUESTION:  If you could be any of the characters on ONCE UPON A TIME, who would you be and why?

CHRISTINA KIRBY: Emma because she’s independent, always tries to do the right thing and she’s a little bit of a badass. She also has a fashion sense I can get behind.

JOVEE WINTERS:  I would be Regina. I love her dual nature. She’s bad, but she wants to be good she’s just not really sure how. Of course, it’s not so bad getting to be Emma cause her love match is Hook and yeah, that comes with its own set of perks. ;)

MAGGIE MUNDY: Rumpelstiltskin. I love the idea of having so much power and wondering if it would corrupt me. Would I use it for good or just to satisfy myself? If people wronged me would I hurt them?

LUCY GAGE: Emma! She got to kiss Graham, Neal AND Hook. Plus, she has magic, she's the savior, and she knows how to kick some butt.

ELIZABETH JOHN:  Now that’s a tough question.  I guess I’d wish to be Snow White.  No matter what happens, she tries to find the good in people, but she’s a fighter too and doesn’t appreciate people taking advantage of her or her family. Kind of like me, ha ha!

BETHANY AVERIE:  Emma…if I was thinking fantastical. She’s so strong and brave and has so much potential. But my friends would probably say I’d make a better Snow White or Belle. Belle is my realistic and “obvious” choice—hey what author doesn’t appreciate an avid reader? Plus she has her own bravery and awesomeness.

QUESTION:  Which character and/or couple would you like to see on ONCE UPON A TIME—that they haven’t had (yet)?

CHRISTINA KIRBY: I’m curious if Romeo and Juliet would ever be touched on. They are one of the original couples and it might be interesting to see how their demise would shake up Storybrook.

JOVEE WINTERS:  Flynn Rider. I bet he’d be awesome!

MAGGIE MUNDY: I loved the character of Maggie in Hercules. She is tough and no nonsense and has to make some difficult decisions. Hercules could be played as a more complex strongman who does not understand what he is. You could also involve other gods as well then.

LUCY GAGE: This one is hard! I'd like to see some more modern tales brought to life, along the lines of The Wizard of Oz characters and Peter Pan. Maybe CS Lewis' Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – I'm interested in seeing how they'd work with anthropomorphizing and maybe even some more shape-shifting the way they did with Red.

ELIZABETH JOHN:  Hmm, another interesting question.  How about the characters from Puss ‘n Boots or Hansel and Gretel?

BETHANY AVERIE:  Toughie question. I’ve been thinking that Jasmine and Aladdin would be fun to see.

QUESTION:  Do you have a favorite episode from ONCE UPON A TIME, and if so, which episode is it? (Which season, and either brief description of what it’s about or the title of the episode).

CHRISTINA KIRBY: I liked the early episode when we found out Graham was the huntsman. He was one of my favorite characters. Try Season 1 Episode 7 Here’s the synopsis: One of the town's residents begins to remember their fairytale past, and Storybrooke mourns the loss of one of their own. Meanwhile, in the fairytale world that was, the Evil Queen attempts to find a heartless assassin to murder Snow White

(Looking forward to 50 Shades of Grey)

JOVEE WINTERS:  My favorite episode is the one where Hook and Emma finally had their first date. Yeah, I ship them hard!

MAGGIE MUNDY:  I love the episode in season three when they go to Neverland and Regina helps win because she doesn’t have goodness in her and is prepared to do anything. It’s that whole antihero thing and I love it. I thought the whole concept of Pan being Gold’s father was very clever and cried when he stabbed them both. I know I’m soppy.

LUCY GAGE: I don't have a singular favorite, but I loved the Snow Drifts/There's No Place Like Home double episode at the end of season 3. Not only did some of my favorite couples get together, but we saw some major character growth and potential for the next season's storylines.

ELIZABETH JOHN:  I’m really enjoying this season’s “Frozen” episodes.  What’s up with the ice cream lady?  Love her costume too!  It’s also fun to watch the Queen work together with her son Henry to find the author of the book, and I want to see her with Robin Hood.  Can’t wait to find out more!

BETHANY AVERIE: I always say I’m hopelessly romantic, so I’d have to say the episode SKIN DEEP from Season One is my favorite episode. I love the nod to Disney’s BEAUTY & THE BEAST, but I also really like how OUAT put its own spin on it. I think it was cleverly and very sweetly executed. I’ve loved that episode ever since. Sure, there’s other episodes I’ve really enjoyed, but that one has stayed with me through every single episode and season (and yes, I’ve seen them all).

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Christina Kirby, debuted her short story in Frozen: A Romance Winter Anthology, which is available in E-book and paperback. You can learn more on her website.

Jovee Winters writes fractured fairy-tales. Her newest release, The Ice Queen, will be available in the Spring of 2015. You can find more about Jovee here.

Maggie Mundy writes Speculative Fiction and her newest release, Unknown Protector is available on Amazon Kindle. You can find more about Maggie here.

Lucy Gage is a Contemporary/Women’s Fiction with Romantic Elements author of Ward Sisters Series (1-4) Box Set (coming soon). Her new website is currently under construction, but should be available soon.

Elizabeth John writes Sweet Contemporary Romance and will be releasing Judging Joey February 2015 through Soul Mate Publishing. You can find out more about Elizabeth on her website.

Bethany Averie is the author of the Immortal Dreams Trilogy, a “coming of age” (straddles Young Adult & New Adult) Paranormal Romance. She also write Romantic Fantasy (with Paranormal Elements) all of which you can check out in depth on her website.

Have A Marvelously Magical Monday!

Redeeming The Beast

Happy Monday Everyone,

How many of you all follow ABC's Once Upon A Time? I rarely miss an episode. Sunday's episode, Skin Deep, we see another side of Rumpelstiltskin.

The show re imagines fairy tales through taking what we know and adding in other details. More than one fairy tale might be mashed together to come up with another story.

The Evil Queen (also the mayor, Regina, of Storybrooke) has put a curse on all the peoples of the Enchanted Forest...brought into our world and our time they don't know who they were as fairy tale creatures. They end up in Storybrooke...living lives with false memories and no idea who they really are.

Emma Swan, who becomes the sheriff in later episodes, is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming (but she doesn't know that). All Emma knows is that she was given up as a baby and was passed from one foster home to another. Her son was adopted out, and it's that son that finds her and brings her to Storybrooke. Henry (Emma's son) is convinced that Emma is the only one who can break the curse.

However, Regina will stop at nothing for her plans to go as she wants them and nobody but Regina knows what those are.

Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin) is feared for his "deals" and ruthlessness, but was he always such a scary being? At one point he was a father, a man who was afraid to fight in a war and left the army. But when he grabs power for himself and is changed by it, he loses what's left of his humanity...or did he?

The episode was a fascinating re-telling of Beauty & The Beast told in a fashion I totally didn't expect. However, not all fairy tales in Once Upon A Time have happy endings and the Beast (or in this case, Rumpelstiltskin) might never know the truth.

So what do you think? Do you think a creature like Rumpelstiltskin could have redeeming qualities like the Beast in Beauty & The Beast, or do you think someone that ruthless will never change?

There's all kinds of books out there dealing with this kind of redemption. Love conquering all...and in a lot of ways, that's what the Romance genre is. In fact, that's what some of my own stories have in them...a sense of redemption...someone might not start out as a hero, but in the end, love changes him or her.

What books have you read with that kind of a story line and what do you think about love redeeming a character?

Have A Magical Monday!

I Return, Bearing News...

Happy Wednesday Everyone,

Life has been a bit on busy side. I was doing some edits and now I've been working on another novel. Offspring is dealing with weather changes and respiratory annoyances, but I think offspring should be okay. (And yes, I have started my Christmas shopping).

Most often you'll find me on Twitter. I'm finding that there's a lot going on there. Whatever you think of Twitter (good, bad, indifferent) it's definitely often where you get information first. I find out about blog posts, give aways and releases that way. You'll find the posts I post on Twitter in the margin of this blog under the header: Twitter Feed.

Tuesday C.C. Hunter posed a question on her blog regarding her Shadow Falls series. If you've read them, are you Team Derek or Team Lucas. I answered on her blog (I am so Team Lucas I could start a cheer!) Anyway, go ahead and check it out--it's lots of fun.

I'm so far behind on things for this blog, I don't even know who I'm going to have on here for a December Author Interview. Not even sure if I will have an author interview for that month. I'm thinking of trying to have a give away--maybe 2 or 3 instead. You tell me what you prefer. There is a possible January Author Interview, but I have to talk to her and see if she's still interested.

Awesome news:  Tera Lynn Childs is going to have a 3rd book in her mermaid series called Just For Fins. I loved the first two, Forgive My Fins and Fins Are Forever.

I'm seriously having trouble keeping myself from begging Josephine Angelini to send me an ARC of Dreamless. I'm nuts about Starcrossed and would love to read and review on this blog, Dreamless.

I'm currently reading Jane Austen Made Me Do It, which is an anthology of short stories written by authors who have been inspired by Jane Austen. I'm almost done with the second story. It's really fun. You've heard me talk about Syrie James, and she has a story in this anthology (I enjoyed it).

My pile of books to read is huge...I'm trying to catch up, honest, it's just with everything else I've got going on, I've gotten slow. I have  a library book that isn't real long so I should have it done, soon.

I have become a big fan of ABC's Once Upon A Time. It airs on Sundays at 7 p.m. Central and 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Of course, you know I just love fairy tales, so it's no surprise that this show has me riveted.

What TV show (if any) are you into?

Have A Winsome Wednesday!

Books, Events, And Fairy Tales

Happy Monday All,

How many of you all caught ABC's Once Upon A Time on Sunday evening? I did! I love fairy tale stuff and I can already tell this is going to be a show for me. It's great to see the fairy tale people sort of in the "real" world. Wondering how every body is going to be rescued but it's still fun to see each character come across and introduced. The back and forth between fairy tale land and the real world is pretty seamless and I didn't mind it. Show comes on Sundays on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern and 7 p.m. Central times.

I finished reading Awake At Dawn (book 2 in Shadow Falls series) by C.C. Hunter. VERY good. I'm still a Lucas fan, folks! He's got my vote. Kylie's learning more and developing her many talents--and I can't wait to see where this is gonna lead. Taken At Dusk will be out April 2012--looking forward to it!

I also finished reading Don't Let It Show by Tess St. John. Tess is my critique partner (awesome person and writer, by the way). I really enjoyed it. Sam's a great hero. I'm looking forward to seeing Jake in Eyes Of Jade. I got to read/critique the first 3 chapters of that one and I want to see what happens to him and the heroine. It was cutting out to be a really good novel.

Wonder About More Events on here? Oh folks, I've got a really cool thing in the works. We haven't ever done this on Write By Bethany (okay, not quite THIS way, though) and I'm excited. An author friend of mine and I are plotting something really fun for this blog. You'll just have to come back and keep checking up for what and when!

Plus I got some other things going on...so don't be a stranger!

What are you reading these days?

Have A Magical Monday!

TV, YA & Pizza

Happy Tuesday Everybody,

If you haven't watched TLC's Surprise Homecoming I recommend it. Service Men and Women come home and surprise their family members. I usually end up with tears streaming down my cheeks. It's a heartwarming show.

Has anyone read any Jennifer Echols books? I saw a book of hers online and I was intrigued. It's called Love Story and it looks good (was released July 19, 2011). The blurb made me curious about her work.

Okay, so who likes pizza? Raise your hands!

I love pizza. Favorite topping is plain cheese (yeah, I know, boring). But I also like Hawaiian (Canadian Bacon with pineapple) and I'll eat pepperoni and I'll eat mushroom, but I really do like plain cheese pizza best.

I also like pizza rolls and calzones, too. Emeril on the Food Network was talking about calzones one time when I was watching his show and I thought "Hmm, I wonder if that's something I could do." So I got some ingredients, put it together and voila! Homemade (in a manner of speaking) calzones (my husband loves them).

What about you? Do you order pizza, make it yourself or a combination? What's your favorite pizza?

Have A Tasty Tuesday!

Fall Destination: Lone Star Conference

Happy Wednesday All,

All right, before I get on topic, I got a quick question (and of course the question at the end of the post, too):  anyone keeping up with the show Castle on CBS? I used to, then I got interested in other things on TV. So now I don't know what's going on with Castle.

Now that I got that out of the way...

Okay, maybe I'm just being a little ahead of myself, but I'm already gearing up for the NWHRWA's annual Lone Star Conference (October 15, 2011). Three agents, and an editor are coming, not to mention the keynote speaker sounds very interesting. I am hoping to finish my edits for Surreal so I can pitch. I have a draft of a pitch written up to help me get started, but I'll have to go over it. You do not, and I repeat, you do not have to write romance to come to our conference.

I had a rhyming sales pitch for the Lone Star Conference written up here, but it got out of hand and very cheesy, so I deleted it...you understand. Ahhhh! I can't get away from the rhymes. I feel very The Princess Bride -ish--if you click on the title of the movie it'll take you to The Princess Bride Official Website--who knew there was one? I didn't! Anyway, Fezzik and Inigo would be so proud!

Some details about the Conference:  As far as I know, it's okay if you don't write Romance. For instance, as far as I know, if you don't write Romance, but you write thriller or mystery or YA or westerns or suspense or women's fiction or literary fiction--it's okay...you may attend the conference (so far I haven't been told otherwise, and we often have non-romance writers come). Just keep in mind the agents and editor do have their preferences so what you write will determine who you can pitch to.

So, while we're on the subject...if you're a writer what do you write and are you published? If you're a reader, what do you like to read?

Have A Western-Wear Wednesday! (you know you wanna wear cowboy boots).

Quite The Quotable

Happy Monday All,

I was watching one of the cable channels and it was saying Saturday they were going to show the movie Pretty In Pink. I love that movie. I had the VHS version of it, then my VCR broke and I haven't replaced the VHS version with the DVD yet.

There's just some movies that you hold onto, even twenty or so years later, you still love 'em. And can quote them.

A good example is The Princess Bride. I think my family can recite almost (if not the entire) movie. ("Chocolate helps it go down easier."--Valerie from The Princess Bride).

When I was growing up all it took to set me and my whole family quoting lines/songs from the musical 1776 was to say one line. ("Simple! Johnny here's obnoxious and disliked."--Richard Henry Lee, 1776).

Of course you can't forget Casablanca and "Here's looking at you, kid." (Humphrey Bogart's mannerisms help define the word "suave").

So what movies do you think are quite quotable?

Have A Memorable Monday!

The Call Of The Pen (er, computer)

Howdy All,

14 followers! Wow. I'm pretty excited. It means a lot to me that you all want to follow my blog, I appreciate the encouragement and support. (I do go and look up followers' blogs, too, especially the new ones so I can get to know you better as you get to know me).

My son has a sinus infection (thank you for your kind words in respect to his illness and me). Last night was a little better. He got restless about 4 times (all before I was asleep, so that's good) and this morning my husband got up with him (at 4 AM! Yes, I woke up, I can't help it, but I managed to get back to sleep). Then this morning my son woke me up at around 8ish and then ended up taking a nap. I got up first and he followed about a 1/2 hour later.

Last night I finally got back to writing. I didn't get a lot in, but it was something at least. I got started on chapter 3 of my dragon story and I'm looking forward to putting in some ideas I got last night (as I was trying to fall asleep, no less LOL).

Reading is going good. About 1/2 way through MaryJanice Davidson's Fish Out Of Water (her last mermaid book. Apparently it was only to be a trilogy. Too bad). Looking forward to reading the other 2 Royal books.

Last night I checked out from Blockbuster Post Grad. I haven't watched it, yet, but I've been wanting to see it (no, I did forget to put it on my list of movies I wanted to see, LOL, sometimes my brain decides to take a vacation).

Anyway, I knew I couldn't put the story calling me on hold for long (even if there was illness). Eventually I'd find a way to sit down and do some writing, no matter if I was congested. LOL

Oh, by the way, do any of you all like the show, Castle on ABC on Monday nights? I LOVE that show. I don't miss an episode. I think it's really cool and I'm hoping they bring a whole Castle-Beckett romance in soon (yes, yes, I am a romantic, I can't help it). Oh and I do watch The Bachelor but I'm not following it as closely as Castle. Castle is my favorite show right now.

I watched Ugly Betty last night. I thought it was sad. Goodbyes are often tough.

In any case, I wish you all happy writing, reading and a good day.

Have A Terrific Thursday!