E is for Edward

Debra is firmly in the Team Edward camp.

I know we've had the vampire discussion before, and I know some of you aren't big fans, but I couldn't let E go by without giving tribute to my favorite vampire: Edward Cullen.

Okay...now that's out of the way.

What I really want to discuss is Stephanie Meyer's intriguing twist on the original Twilight novel in honor of its 10th anniversary. She rewrote the story and switched the genders of the lead characters.

Here's the blurb:

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Twilight with this special double-feature ebook! This new edition pairs the classic love story with Stephenie Meyer's bold and surprising reimagining of the complete novel with the characters' genders reversed. In Life and Death, readers will be thrilled to experience this iconic tale told through the eyes of a human teenage boy in love with a female vampire. This edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new cover art. Fans of Bella and Edward will not want to miss the opportunity to see these iconic characters portrayed in intriguing new roles.

So now instead of vampire Edward, we have vampire Edythe. Bella has become Beaufort (Beau). And the other secondary characters have swapped genders throughout the book as well. I have not read the book (yet?), but apparently the story is exactly the same with just this reversal of gender.

Hmn? I'm not sure I get it. I'm not sure why she did it. I'm not sure if I'm going to read this new version...although I probably will at some point just out of curiosity. It's gotten some good reviews, but the first ones that pop up on Amazon are poor reviews (one and two stars).

I don't think I'd ever, ever do this with one of my own books.

At one point Meyer started writing Twilight from Edward's POV (the original is in first person from Bella's view point) but the beginning of the mss got leaked and she stopped writing, but made the draft available on her web-site. This I loved. I loved getting into Edward's head and seeing the story unfold from his POV. What I would have really liked, and several reviewers agreed with me, was to have her finish that particular endeavor instead of doing the gender swap thing.

All in all, an interesting choice to say the least, but who am I to disagree with a bestselling author?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Are You a ReReader?

My TBR pile is overflowing. Literally. This is what the area next to my rocking chair in the library looks like.

Not to mention that I've downloaded a bunch of new books to my Kindle. Some of them I'm saving for my cruise in March, but I do want to get to the Christmas ones this season.

So what am I reading? The Twilight series. For like the dozenth time. And I'm not exaggerating. I picked them up after seeing the final movie (twice) when it premiered a couple of weeks ago. I'm almost done with Breaking Dawn. We're not talking short stories here. These are big books, 500, 700, 800 pages plus.

I'm not sure what it is about these books that makes me come back to them time and time (and time) again. Yes, I love vampires. And yes, I have a huge crush on Edward. There are lines and sections of each of the books that I literally have memorized. Yet every time I sit down and read them, I love them.

I've reread other books, too. Probably not as many times as these. But there are books I always come back to. Why is it that with a huge pile of books I've never read before and revisions to do on my own mss waiting for me, I pick up something familiar? I think that must be the ultimate compliment to an author. To enjoy something s/he has written so much that you return to it again and again.

I had a compliment like that once. Last year in a review for A Christmas to Remember the reviewer said it was a book she'd read again. "I know I will keep this and read it over and over again every year." - MDobson, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews.

So, how about you? Are you a rereader? Or is once enough for you?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

V is for Vampire

One of my favorite types of heroes is a vampire. I know most of my fellow blog authors don't agree! But that's the fabulous thing about the romance genre. There are so many sub-genres, there's something for everyone.

But back to vampires. I love vampires. I always have, even before they became as popular as they are now. Linda Lael Miller has a fabulous vampire trilogy. And I will be the first to admit that I am one of those middle-aged women who are in love with Stephenie Meyer's Edward. Having the oh-so-charming Rob Pattinson play him in the movies is an added bonus.

And then there's the Sookie Stackhouse series. For me, it's Eric Northman all the way. I'll take him over vampire Bill any day, er night. This carries over into "True Blood", the HBO adaptation of the books. Just when I thought Eric couldn't get any yummier, along comes Alexander Skarsgard.

Logically, it doesn't make sense for a vampire to be a desirable hero. They're technically dead, yet practically immortal (Which kind of wrecks the whole growing old together thing). They're blood thirsty. And they're dangerous. Instinct would have us running from them, rather than into their arms.

Yet, vampires are sexy. Maybe it's the danger that makes them that way. Many are torn and conflicted about the life they live, so we see a little bit of the redeemable side to them. They are passionate. When their silent hearts come 'alive' with love for the heroine, it's truly a romantic moment.

Whether the traditional vampire who only wakes up at night, or the new breed of vampire who sparkles in the sunlight, there's just something about them. Something, for me, that's appealing.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

What I Read Other Than Romance

For a while I read romance. Exclusively. Probably beginning in high school, other than required reading for English literature classes, I didn't go far without a Harlequin American Romance in my hand. I eventually branched out into historicals and single titles, but for me, romance was queen.

In time I expanded my horizons further. A group of friends started a social book club, and we read a plethora of types of books: historical fiction, women's fiction, chick lit, best-sellers...but no real romance.

As I've gotten older, I still enjoy my romance, but my main fare these days is Young Adult Fiction. Ironic, isn't it? As a teenager I read adult romance and as an adult I'm reading fiction for teenagers.

The thing is, there's so much good writing out there for young adults these days. Perhaps not good in a 'classic' literature sense, but good as in a 'I can't put the book down' kind of way.

For me, it all started with Harry Potter. I was hooked on those books from the moment I picked the first one up. I've found that I have a taste for the paranormal in teen books. I fell totally in love with the Twilight series. (I think I've read them all seven or eight times by now.) I've always loved romantic vampire stories, so this was right up my alley. Recently I read the available books in the House of Night series. (Again, more vampires.) A friend just gave me the first in The Immortals series. (Not quite vampires, but close enough.) This summer I read all of the Alex Rider (He's a teen-aged James Bond) adventures. Another favorite series is The 39 Clues.



Even in adult books I like series more than stand alone. Perhaps it's once I've found something I like, I want more and more of it. I really like the Sookie Stackhouse books. (More vampires, plus HBOs True Blood is my guilty pleasure!) The Chocoholic Mysteries are a fun read. And I really enjoyed Lois Greiman's Chrissy McMullen books. When I need some hard core adventure, I turn to Dirk Pitt or Kurt Austin novels from Clive Cussler.



Most of these are "keepers" and go on the shelves of my personal library, to perhaps be read again and again.

My girlfriends and I share book suggestions, so I'm never without something waiting in the pile to be read. I've also discovered that it's hard to read other romance when I'm writing a romance myself. Things tend to get all tangled in my mind. Still, I have quite a large collection of romance in my library.



So, how about you? What's on your list these days besides romance?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Hunky Heroes and Heart-Throbs

My first celebrity crush was Erik Estrada...Ponch from CHiPs. I think I was in fifth grade! In junior high and high school I was all about Rick Springfield (still am) until Jon Bon Jovi hit the scene. My heart still stutters when I see him. If anything, he's even better looking now than back in the 80s. (Although I really was into the hair band guys.)

James Bond is the ultimate hero, especially if he's played by Pierce Brosnan - who I will watch in just about anything. Although Sean Connery gets big points for that role as well. He's really a sexy older man these days still.

Others making my "list" these days are: Brad Pitt (without the straggly beard...thank goodness he FINALLY shaved that awful thing!) and Matthew McConaughey. I've used both as inspiration for heroes (looks-wise) in my own books.

I have, of course, been head over heels for all of my heroes at one time or another. Why write them if they weren't falling in love with?

In books these days, as you may well know, I am all about the vampires. Edward from "Twilight" and Eric from the Sookie Stackhouse series are both devine. They've translated well to the big/small screen, too. Robert Pattinson is the ideal Edward, and I've enjoyed some of his other work as well (although lusting after him does make me feel a little courgarish), and Alexander Skarsgard has the character of Eric down to a T in "True Blood". Not to mention both men are sexy as all hell. (I use posters of both my favorite vampires in front of my treadmill as motivation for working out.)




MY latest hunky hero is now available in paperback from The Wild Rose Press. This Can't Be Love is Zach's story. Zach is sexy, fabulous, and crazy about Jessica. (Digital release is November 5.) My cover artist did a FABULOUS job of depicting him, don't you think?!




Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Favorite Books

Okay, this one is even trickier than choosing a favorite movie. There are simply so many books out there, to narrow it down is nearly impossible. To be honest, I'm not really a big fan of the classics,(I know, I know, I can hear your shocked gasps.) but there are books out there I've become attached to and think of as my own classics.

As a kid I devoured Nancy Drew books. In fact, I'll still pick them up today if I need a quick read. I'm in the process of establishing the entire collection. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are also still among my favorites.

When I started reading "grown up" books, I headed straight for romance. I had a subscription to the American Romance line from Harlequin. Each month four new shiny silver and blue books were delivered to my house. Heaven on earth. Through these stories, I developed my love of the hunky hero, the sassy heroine, and the happily ever after. I dreamed of writing one of my own someday. For many, many years, romance was the only genre I read (outside of reading for classes and such).

When I became a writer, I found myself straying a bit from reading only romance. Part of the reason is, as we've mentioned, when I'm writing, it's difficult to be reading something in the same genre. But romance will always be my first love. In romance I enjoy contemporary the most. One of my favorite sets of books is an old SuperRomance series: Calloway Corners - Four stories by four different authors that follow four sisters - Mariah, Jo, Tess, and Eden. (My copy of Mariah is completely beat up because I've read it so many times.) In historicals my all time favorite is Heather Graham's Civil War trilogy: One Wore Blue, One Wore Gray, And One Rode West.

As I've mentioned before, I love vampires. I first fell in love with them in Linda Lael Miller's trilogy: Forever and the Night, For All Eternity, and Time Without End. These days it's the Twilight series (which I just finished reading for the eighth time) and the Sookie Stackhouse series.

For action-adventure, there's no one better than Clive Cussler. His Dirk Pitt stories are my favorites in that genre.

Obviously, I could go on...but I think we'll leave it at that for the day...

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

One of THOSE People

Okay, so I realized there was no way in the world I could come up with my favorite book or movie of all time. There are too many great choices out there. Curling up with a book and curling up with my hubby to watch a movie are my all-time favorite things to do in my spare time. I've read so many books and watched so many movies, I'm sure I've lost count.

So I'm going to go with my favorite books/movies at the moment. And, and yes, I'm one of THOSE people, so bear with me...right now I have to say the "Twilight" series.

I got hooked on the books right before the first movie came out about a year and a half ago. In the time since, I've read the series (four books) seven times. I know, I know...in a world with so many great books out there, how can I possibly read the same ones over and over again? That's how good they are.

There is something escapist and magical and alluring and sexy about these books. People of all ages gravitate toward them. And I've always been a vampire fan.

With the advent of the movies, the characters I've grown to love in the pages of these books have now come alive for me on the big screen. And I fell in love all over again in a completely different way.

So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Which leaves only one question...are you Team Edward or Team Jacob? For me it's Edward all the way.

Until next time,

Happy Reading (or watching)!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com