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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Dean Cain the Writer
Dean Cain in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
As many of you know I created my character Mack in Beneath the Wall after the then 28-year-old Dean Cain from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-1997), but just recently I also made a more up-to-date version of him in my latest novel, Falling for Shock (now available on Amazon – just click the title). Dean was in my…
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Fiction Friday: The Titanic
Fiction Friday: The Titanic
I thought I’d do something a little different today and give you one of my very first public historical fictions ever. I knew early on that I wanted to be an author. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I started out writing New Kid on the Block “fan fictions” back in high school with my best friend, Dawn Taylor. For our senior project in school we illustrated and wrote a children’s book…
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Fan fiction Friday - A Star is Born - Perhaps
Fan fiction Friday – A Star is Born – Perhaps
This very short story came to me after watching the performance of Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga on the Academy Awards this past Sunday. Everyone in the media has been speculating whether or not these two actors were indeed a couple, but when I watched them sing… I didn’t see Bradley and Lady; I saw Jack and Ally from A Star is Born. From there I wondered, if this was part of the movie, how would…
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Books and Wine... Be Mine?
Books and Wine… Be Mine?
Are you tired of crappy Valentine’s Days? Tired of waiting for dates or even to find that special person your heart has been longing for? Well, this year, if you are near Bloomington, IL you don’t have to worry about that at all! Four amazingly talented romance authors and I will be in the Hy-Vee Tasting Room reading samples from our books, giving away prizes, and selling and signing our…
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Reading People
Reading People - The art of body language and the author.
As an author one of the most important things that we do is read people. It’s how we build characters; how we bring them to life. We watch and listen to how people around us act and react to situations. We look for clues in body movements, in eye movements, in the tone of their skin; we see the wrinkles around their lips, their cheeks, by their forehead or bridge of their nose, around their eyes.…
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Fan Fiction Friday: The Underworld - Milah's Story
Fan Fiction Friday: The Underworld – Milah’s Story
In the same light as the Rapunzel story I posted back in August, I’m fixing some of the plot mistakes, holes, or just bad story writing we were subjected to in Once Upon A Time. Yes, it’s my favorite show but there are flaws. Today, in particular always bothered– not having Killian and Milah meet in the Underworld. Killian/Captain Hook spent over a century avenging Milah’s death and in the last…
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50 Things That Make Me Smile
50 Things That Make Me Smile
In no particular order
1. Children’s laughter – From babies to teens, hearing true laughter from the innocent little ones of the world is a joy unto its own.
2. Puppy sounds – Is there anything cuter?
3. Animal videos – From otters climbing on kayaks to pissed off cats defying their owners and knocking over glasses on a table – I freaking love them.
4. Flourishing gardens
5. Nature hikes
6.…
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I thought I’d take the time and talk about something I truly love–animals. There are only two animals that I dare not go near– mice/rats and snakes (okay make that three– mosquitoes too); I don’t like them, they freak me out, but if you like them then all the power to you. Anyhow, back to my point. Animals– as humans, we can learn from their behavior… pets especially. If you own a pet and you are kind to the animal, feed it, give it water, take it to the bathroom, and give it attention, they are loyal. They’ll snuggle you and play with you; they’ll generally want to be around you. Animals show unconditional love in return for the love you show them.
But if you yell at a pet and hit it or kick it, neglect it and leave it to wallow in its filth, they will cower, withdraw, and not want to be around that situation. An odd sense of loyalty (or a chained collar) may keep that pet around, but if they were nature, they’d run away.
We, as humans, are the same way. If someone is there for us when we need them, if they help us through a situation– physical or mental, if they put their well-being on the line to help you then the trust we have in them grows.
A perfect example of this is the time I realized I truly loved my husband. We had been dating a while, and he was the first to say, “I love you.” I had said it back, but my heart wasn’t completely there yet. That was until the day I got sick for the first time with him. He took care of me, helped me, and comforted me without a single hesitation. I knew right then and there that he was it. He loved me unconditionally and in return, my heart enveloped that love on a deeper level then just saying “I love you”.
Adversely, I’ve had people I thought were friends (sadly, I can think of a few people that fit this bill, from old school or church friends, to guys I thought liked me), I opened up to them, shared things with them, and yet something in their lives kept them snappy and mean. No matter how many times I tried to please these friends, they’d treat me unkindly. I couldn’t go to them when I was hurt, I couldn’t confide in them out of fear that they’d use my words against me. My trust waned. My heart closed. I recoiled and fought against them, or left to free myself from their hurt.
Shouldn’t we all be like that? An animal wouldn’t stand for constantly being beat down and neither should we. We should treat others like we would want to be treated ourselves. That’s why the age-old verse is called The Golden Rule… because it’s valuable knowledge that should be heeded: “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.”
Animals know this unspoken rule internally and perhaps we could take a lesson from them. Love all who love you and be free from those who beat you down. And when in doubt, hold a puppy to cheer you up.
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The Unconditional Love of Animals Can animals show us how to be better humans? I thought I'd take the time and talk about something I truly love--animals. There are only two animals that I dare not go near-- mice/rats and snakes (okay make that three-- mosquitoes too); I don't like them, they freak me out, but if you like them then all the power to you.
