NBC’s Dracula: Have you been bitten?

NBC’s Dracula featuring Jonathan Rhys Meyers premiered on last Friday night.   Did you get a chance to see it?  Since I’m such a huge fan of Bram Stoker’s classic, Dracula, I had to watch it.  My thoughts?  Truthfully…I’m on the fence.  Check out a sneak peak below:

Warning:  Spoilers are mentioned.  Read at your own risk.

NBC's Dracula was entertaining but completely different from the original story.  If you want a brief overview of the classic lit novel, see my review here.  The NBC version of Dracula is definitely unique because he's more of a vigilante and not necessarily a soulless bloodsucking monster (not yet anyway).  Interesting huh?  In the late 1800’s Dracula is awakened and reinvents himself as a wealthy American industrialist named Alexander Grayson.  He’s sworn vengeance against a secret group of ruthless business and political leaders called The Order of the Dragon.  This group did unspeakable things to Dracula hundreds of years ago, and he demands revenge.

Some of the original characters are present in this tale, including Mina, Jonathan, Lucy and even Van Helsing but the story has of course deviated.  Since this is a series, NBC must create plots that will entice viewership beyond the original tale.  And so how will Dracula extract revenge from his adversaries?  In short, Dracula wants to launch "wireless electricity technology" to the world and put the Order of the Dragon out of business.  I said it was a different story line, didn't I?    

Was it entertaining?  I suppose.  Will it be enough for me to watch an entire season or two?  I hope so, but I’m not sure.  Did you see the premier?  What were your thoughts?  If not click here to watch episode 1!  

Mina B.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

The Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is here hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.  With Halloween just around the corner this has become one of the biggest book blog hops of the year.  Are you ready for Halloween yet?  Have you read any good books that awaken your spirit this season? No?  Well don't fret.  There are over 375 blogs participating this year giving away lots of wicked books.  How cool is that?  

Since this giveaway must be book related, I'm giving away one (1) FREE Amazon Gift Card so the winner may pick their own poison.  How's that for keeping things simple?

To enter…

You MUST be a follower of my blog and MUST fill out this entry form. (And yes, I do check GCF)

Extra entries…
+1 Like me on Facebook/MinaBurrows
+2 Follow me on Google Plus
+1 Retweet this Twitter (limit 1 retweet)

Again, the giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Oct. 15th - October 31st, midnight. Contest is open to International participants. 

Want to see who else is participating?  Visit I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and check out all the links and hop on by.

Update: Congrats to Tiffany D. for winning the Spooktacular Book Hop. The winner was chosen by the reputable Random.org and has been notified via email. They have 72 hours to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mina B.

On the blog: Partners in ParanormYA

Hey, friends, I have two very special guests I'd like to welcome to my blog today.  The female version of the dynamic duo, Partners in ParanormYA featuring Gwen Gardner and Angela Brown.  

Hi girls!  *waves emphatically*  I'm so excited to have these mystic babes here and so should you.  Sit back and take a tour as both Gwen and Angela give us a sneak peak at their new releases and give us a special treat.  

Popcorn to Go

Abby: Fighting should be used as a last resort, at least that’s what I was taught at V’Salicus Academy.

Indigo: I’m not much of a fighter, or a lover or any of that. Why are we doing this in the first place?

*Abby moves her head in a slow circle, stretching her neck muscles.*: Get you ready , you know, for another investigation.

*Indigo tugs at her sweatshirt.*: I can’t really touch ghosts…not even trying to get close to the Soul Collector.

*Abby reaches her arms above her head, then resituates her sweatpants on her hips after checking that her sports bra was firmly in place*: I’m talking about the flesh and bone perps that don’t take too kindly to you and the gang asking questions.

Indigo: Oh…them. Yeah. *her face reddens*

*The door to the Partners in ParanormYA training room opens and closes. Badger and Basil settle on the floor leaning back on yoga mats propped up against the wall. Soda pops, popcorn and candy fill their arms.*

Abby: Uh, we’re busy here.

Badger: Don’t mind us. Just here for the show.

Abby: I’m trying to teach Indigo how to fight.

Basil: Exactly. This should be fun.

*Badger and Basil fist bump then grab their bags of popcorn.*

*Abby and Indigo share a glance. They saunter across the room and snatch the popcorn from their fingertips.*

Abby: Not this time, fellas.

*And the girls take their popcorn to go.*

Will the girls get to make up the botched session? Will Indigo need a few kick-butt pointers for A Guilty Ghost Surprised? Will Abby get to put her skills to use in They All Fall Down? Answers to two of three of these questions await discovery.

About A Guilty Ghost Surprised: Indigo Eady and gang are back with a feather and a Chance setting off another twisting-turning investigation to bring a cold case, and loved ones, closure at last.

Get your copy here:  Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About They All Fall Down: Free of their duties as Cleanser and Harvestor, Abby and Basil try to move on with their lives. But some secrets remain. And what is done in the dark won’t be good when it comes to light.

TAFD buy links: Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About Partners in ParanormYA:

Gwen Gardner and Angela Brown - YA paranormal authors embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Share with us as we take the Indie journey to bring our works to the world. Buckle up! There'll be mystery, mayhem, action and emotional roller coasters...oh, and a few things that go bump in the night.

Hauntings are scary but we love interaction:

Angela’s author FB page | Gwen’s author FB page

Tweet Angela | Tweet Gwen

Angela’s blog | Gwen’s blog

And don’t forget about the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks girls for stopping by.   Congrats to you both.

Mina B.

Insecure Writers Support Group: Why not?

It's October and time for another Insecure Writers Support Group.   This monthly meme is brought to us by non other than  Alex J. Cavanaugh.  Thank you Alex for giving us an outlet to release our demons.  This month Alex has enlisted these fine folks, Julie Luek, Rachna Chabria, Beverly Fox, and Ilima Todd!   Thanks guys!  Don't forget to visit our awesome IWSG helpers.  Oh, and use the hashtag, #IWSG.

Like most aspiring writers, I tend to get an exorbitant amount of unsolicited advice from publishing firms, agents, writer acquaintances,  blogs and so forth.  For the first few stories I wrote, many harangued me with sometimes subtle but mostly damaging statements like “You can’t do this,” or “You can’t do that.” 

As I embarked on my writing adventure, I took copious notes on what was expected.  And so what happened after that?  Well, this list grew and grew to the point of nausea.  Don’t get me wrong there was a ton of excellent advice I found along the way.  Honestly though, there was also a ton that I found crippling.  Soon after, I grew more and more insecure.  To give you an example, here are a few lists of "You can'ts" that I heard when writing my YA novel.   

1. You can’t self-publish.  
2. You can’t be that graphic in a YA novel. 
3. You can’t have prologues in novels.
4. You can’t write about religion like that. 
5. You can’t write about personal stuff. 
6. You can’t have character be evil and then good.
7. You can’t make a plot rule and then break it.
8. Oh, and my favorite...You can’t write about vampires.

Well, as you can see the list goes on and on.  I felt like not matter where I turned, I was incapable of making these rule-makers happy.  After a couple of years, I realized that the growing expectation from others wasn't worth all the hype I’d given it.  In fact, it wasn't worth much at all.  The truth is when you constantly have people tell you, “You can’t do this or that,” it stifles the creativity. 

Soon I realized my best course was to ask the inevitable…Why not?  Now that I understand much more about myself, using this tactic has helped me stave off the naysayers and focus on what’s most important….the story.  

If you want to write about a purple elephant who possess magical farts, then by all means write about it.  As the owner of any story, what’s most important is you have total control from the beginning to end so make it a great one.  Write a story that way you want to and don't listen to every little bit of crap out there.  

Have you ever been plagued by this type of insecurity?  Did you fall in line or did you eventually break from the crowd?

Mina B.