Gifts and giving

Hello everyone! After a really difficult year, I'm back at the Supernatural Underground and delighted to be here.

It's a great time of the year to get things going again. Even with all the stress of preparing for Christmas (I still haven't done my shopping - eek!), this feels like a time when anything is possible. Miracles can occur.

Such as the fact we once again have a good Star Wars movie on the screen.

I'm not going to spoiler it for anyone - although I do want to note it's been kinda interesting to see US friends talk about going to the opening night when I knew Aussies already on their third viewing. For once, the time difference has worked for us.

But for someone like me, who grew up with Star Wars (I was 7 when I saw the first movie), this new movie is a real gift. I sat in the theatre, almost giggling like a child, wriggling in my seat and shaking my hands in the air with excitement as each old favourite was introduced. I once again got to fall in love with Han Solo, and find a kick arse girl to worship (Rey is the awesome).

In short - JJ Abrams and the team gave me the gift of being a child again. Of being overwhelmed with happiness. Of being so excited I couldn't sit still.

With all the pressure that comes with adulthood (and while sometimes it is fun, sometimes it is damn hard work), it's great to have the moments where we can escape.

That's what The Force Awakens did for me. In the middle of a heatwave, with an ear infection building, it still pulled me from the world I knew into a wonderland where everything is fun.

Of course, we here at the Supernatural Underground know that books can provide that same wonderful escape. In particular, I've tried to do it with my Jorda series of SF romance (which was actually inspired by Star Wars and in particular Princess Leia).

So I want to give you all the gift of that wonderment. So anyone who tweets a link to this article (make sure you put me in it - @nicole_r_murphy) will be get a free copy of Loving the Prince, book one of the Jorda series.

I hope you all have a fabulous holiday time - and let's keep an eye out for those for whom this is a hard time and see what we can do for them.

Nicole

About Loving the Prince



From Escape’s fresh, exhilarating science fiction romance catalogue comes a story of corporate espionage, betrayal, sex, and bodyguards. Just another day in the colonies.

Cassandra Wiltmore is the heir to the throne of Rica, but it’s unlikely she’ll be stepping up any time soon. So she spends her days managing and building the Rican Balcite Mining Company. The company has made her family wealthy beyond imagination, but that kind of power needs careful control, and Cassandra is just the Wiltmore to control it.

When a new bid for the mining license is announced, Cassandra is determined to squash it. Then the thefts and threats begin, and every step she takes seems to be wrong. Taking on a new protector seems like an indulgence Cass can’t afford, but she equally cannot afford to be caught off-guard. If only the best man for the job wasn’t also the best-looking man she’s ever seen.

Kernan Radaton has ambition, and as protector to Cassandra Wiltmore, he’s well placed to reach all his long-held goals. If only his new all-business boss didn’t make him think of only pleasure. With the company, the heir and the family under attack, the last thing anyone needs is a distraction. But once everything is safe again, Kernan is developing new ambitions — ones that involve a lot of very personal time spent getting to know his boss on a very personal level.

When Parallel Worlds Collide . . .

A wie armageddon. by danirolli

High concept: it can lead to a breakout novel or film. Given that, it's not hard to guess why writers want a clear concept at the core of their work, but pinning down exactly what that means can be challenging.

I've heard a lot of mini, fractured definitions, but every writer, and reader, knows what high concept is when they see it.

It a nutshell, it makes the story sing.

Still, that's not a Webster definition.

According to Jeff Lyons, author of Anatomy of a Premise Line, high concept has:

• entertainment value
• originality
• uniqueness
• visual appeal
• emotional depth
• asks "what if"

Anatomy of a Premise Line:

High level of entertainment value High degree of originality High level of uniqueness (different than original) Highly visual Possesses a clear emotional focus (root emotion) Targets a broad, general audience, or a large niche market Sparks a “what if” question - See more at: http://www.scriptmag.com/features/story-talk-high-concept-yes-it-actually-means-something#sthash.LgUbQPEg.dpuf

You don’t have to slap your reader in the face with your concept - that's best avoided - but the writer needs to know what it is, to stay on track. My favorite support for this is with the tagline - the short-short sentence or catchphrase that resonates with the story's core values.

Condensing a novel or film to a tagline that reflects the richness of concept can be painstakingly difficult, but incredibly rewarding. Here are a few examples, some of which I am sure you will recognize.

When Parallel Worlds Collide . . . 

Journey by Night by Kim Falconer (the third book in my QE Series)


The last man on earth is not alone . . . 

I am Legend by Richard Matheson


Fifty million people watched, but no one saw a thing . . .
  
The Quiz Show based on Richard N. Goodwin's memoir


In space, no one can hear you scream . . .

Alien by Alan Dean Foster 


Winter is coming . . .

Game of Thrones by George R R Martin


Your Mind is the scene of the crime . . .

Inception written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan

 
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . .

Star Wars (1977)


An adventure 65 million years in the making . . . 

Jurassic Park  by Michael Crichton


Everybody Loves Ernest... But Nobody's Quite Sure Who He Really Is.  

The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde (2002 film)




She has the power . . .

Lucy (2014)


One last chance for peace . . .

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes  (2014)


You can see that the tagline doesn't include the full heart, essence, premise, design or images of the story, but if it has the same vibration, it will inspire readers to pick up the book (and writers to keep writing them). Once in the pages, or theater, the concept works invisibly behind the text and images to sweep the audience away.

What are some of your favorite film or novel concepts? Do the taglines reflect them?

Sup authors, I'd love to know what you're working on now. Do you start with a tagline in mind? A core concept to keep you on track?

Feel free to share in the comments.

Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, YA and epic science fantasy novels.

You can find out more about Kim at the 11th House Blog, and on FaceBook and Twitter.

She posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month and runs Save the Day Writer's Community on Facebook.

Her latest release is "Blood and Water" in Supernatural Underground: Vampires Gone Wild.

Loving the rogue

Each month, the fabulous Helen Lowe sends us ideas for posts - because sometimes, you get so caught up in your world (both the real one and the one in your head) that you just can't conceive of what to blog about.

I don't know if Helen was inspired by one of the comments on my last post, but one of her prompts about swashbucking rogues mentioned the one, the only, Han Solo. So, let's get our Solo love on.

What was it about Solo that attracted us (apart from the fact he was played by Harrison Ford - seriously, just look at that face!)? Why was it the bad boy, who wasn't supposed to be much more than a foil to show up how heroic Luke was, who became the star of the trilogy?

I've always kinda felt sorry for Mark Hamill. He should have been the one to come out of those movies a megastar. Instead, we've been gifted with decades of Harrison Ford.

I don't think it's just about the actors. I don't think it's about the fact Hamill had that accident and it changed his face. I think it was about the characters.

While Luke had the real hero storyline, he started off selfish and a whiner and I don't think any of us ever got over that. Whereas the first time we see Han he's poised, in control, and you bet your sweet patootie that he shot first! Not likeable, but still you see in the relationship with Chewbacca that there's something to him. Han knew who he was, and he wasn't apologising for it. Luke knew what he wanted to be, and did nothing to get himself there until circumstances allowed it.

In the end, I think that's the attraction of the rogue - it's his confidence. He don't care what people think, and we'd all like to be like that.

So let's drink a toast to Han Solo and his ilk - may we never lack for a good rogue!

What do you love most about Han Solo in particular, but rogues in general? I'd love to know. Help inspire me to write my own lovable rogue!

http://nicolermurphy.com