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James Cameron’s Avatar

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 19, 2009

For those of you that know me, beyond my reading and writing, I ran by the alias of 1920’s Movie Fan on Amazon.  Really, the moniker should have been Obsessive Movie Fan.  Beyond books, movies are my first love. I’m not talking the girly movies full of love scenes and angst, they’re not high on my list and it takes a lot to get me to sit down and watch one.  Nope.  I’m into action flicks with lots of gun play, thrills, karate moves, intrigue and action. 

I know, it’s not what you would expect in the lines of a romance writer.  **grin**

After all the hoopla on tv lately, I skipped out today and took off to see James Cameron’s Avatar with my younger boys.  I had great expectations, having seen Aliens, Terminator 1 & 2, The Abyss, Titanic, just to name a few of his blockbuster hits.  Cameron’s films always come rolling in, guns blasting, edge of your seat action, heart thrilling scenes and teeth gnashing bad guys.  The exact thing I love. 

Let me prepare you, this movie is two and a half hours long.  It is not something you take a child under the age of  eight to and expect them to sit still, unless they love video games and the entire idea of getting sucked into their own avatar. 

I’m into XBOX 360 so, if you don’t know what an avatar is, here’s the definition compliments of Webster:    the incarnation of a Hindu deity; an incarnation in human form; an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy)often in a person; a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity; an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user (as in a computer game).

That’s the entire idea behind this movie.  An alternative life from the one that you may have now.

I’ll give you a heads-up, whatever bad you may hear about the movie, if you love Cameron’s work, ignore it.

Avatar starts out a little slow.  If you’re a fan of NatGeo or The Discovery Channal programs, the start of the film involves the subject of basic  ‘Living Among the Na’vi’.    The Na’vi are the indigenous people thriving on Planet Pandora and their existence is being threatened by a major corporation that wants a crucial mineral that exists only on their homeland.  There’s a purpose for this, if you  have an open mind.

My thoughts:  So-Called Civilized man-made it a point to habitat foreign lands and either convert or destroy the locals for their own gain.  As always, the natives were refered to as savages, lacking any idea of the knowledge the civilized race brought them because they were just so backwards and ignorant. 

Avatar explores the question: Would civilized man’s thinking change if it were another planet?

Cameron paraplegic hero, Jake Sully, has the opportunity to live among the Na’vi in an alternate reality.  Jake molds, bonds and begins to understand.  He sees this new world and the natives for what they are, far more intelligent than his counterparts believe.  There is a bonding between the Na’vi and mother earth that is deep and profound, calling back to the tales we read from our own heritage.

This film is intriguing, beautiful, a dynamic explosion that bursts from the screen.  The jungle, the wildlife,the Na’vi,  the flora and fauna, there’s not enough words to describe the beauty of this movie.  It’s has captured the most breathtaking and believable artistic sense I have seen in years.

The drama and the greed brought on by what the Na’vi have on their land is brought to light with the savagery that must have been experienced by the indigenous people that populated our own world in the time of discovery.  Change or suffer the consequences, with the possibility of mass genocide by the so-called higher intelligence factor.

The hero, Jake Sully, has to decide what is more important.  The life he knew or the life that exists only in his dreams.

I’ll leave you hanging there because I hate it when the review tells the entire story.  All I can say was there was a hushed lull over the audience during the entire film, not a child cried, whimpered or whined.  Not a soul bounded up and down the stairs seeking refills or a bathroom break.  There was clapping throughout the audience when the credits rolled and my boys, ages 8 and 14, were among them.

 Great, great movie to add to your future hits!

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Obsession Everlasting–I was Hooked from Page One!

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 19, 2009

Recently, I picked up a copy of Obsession Everlasting and can say   Ms. Phillips had me hooked from Page One.  Her imagery was compelling, to the point I longed for the smell of wisteria in the dead of winter and felt like I was in the streets of Savannah, Georgia. Fallyn, with her eyes as green as the moors, is saucy and entirely enjoyable as our heroine. I was torn between Simon’s gentle elegance and the devilish Reece with his quirky sense of humor. Obsession Everlasting has a fairy tale quality to it that left me up reading until the wee hours of the morning. The tale is a classic romance, with all the essences of good vs. evil, vampires, and the sultry magic of the deep South.

Obsession Everlasting is available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934912182

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My Review of The Time Cavern by Todd Fonseca

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 18, 2009

Todd Fonseca’s The Time Cavern is a book that has retained all the wonder and charm of the novels of my youth. Our 10 year old hero, Aaron, is a fascinating character that exudes with this youthfulness that is believable and charming.

Not overly complicated, The Time Cavern was something my 8 year old enjoyed reading to me. He gushed about the story line and how ‘cool’ it was to be Aaron. Mr. Fonseca’s ease in storytelling drew my son into the vividness of the story and enable him to describe to me the wonder that he felt and imagined. When  I can get my 8 year old to read aloud to me without making a face, then the book is well written!

The tale reminded me of The Hardy Boys, The Alfred Hitchcock Solve-Them-Yourself Mysteries, and Encyclopedia Brown genres. 

Well written, wholesome and enchanting. A recommended read for those up and coming adventurers in the family!

You can find purchase a copy of The Time Cavern at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1605520101

 

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The Joyous Holiday Fare continue, so pass the Salsa!

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 17, 2009

Just as WordPress has the delightful image of falling snow on our screens for the holidays, I’ve come back with another recipe for my readers.  Snacks, sides or whatever you wish to call it,  all of us love to eat when the weather becomes cooler. 

Here’s a new one for all my readers that are addicted to cheese dips smothered with jalapenos.  We all love to dip out tostadas into thick, creamy cheese dip, still hot from the crock pot.  Back east, up north, wherever you may be in the world, there is a condiment you can add that will strip the pickled jalapeno from your pantry for a long while!

**Be careful snacking on this–it’s great on sunny side up eggs , meat, and dip for chips.  For for many of us, it’ll singe the sides off your tongue!

 3   8 oz. cans of tomato sauce

1  capful regular white vinegar

2 T. finely minced garlic

1 finely chopped onion

3 oz. dried chile de arbol or chile pequin (they can be found in most grocery stores or Latin grocers.  If you can’t find these, look for small eastern chiles.  Remember, the smaller the pepper, the hotter!)

1 cup of water

2 T. of fresh cilantro or parsley

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Mix the tomato sauce, garlic, chopped onion and vinegar in a reliable blender.  Pulse until it resembles a thick tomato sauce.  Stem the dried peppers and rinse under cold water. 

Using only 5 or 6 peppers at a time, add the peppers to the blended tomato sauce.  Add the cilantro or parsley.  Add 1/4 c. of water at a time to adjust the thickness of the sauce.   Blend on pulse until the chiles are pureed.  Add water and continue  to blend to the desired thickness.

Refrigerate the sauce overnight in a covered dish.  Before serving, stir to blend flavors.

Most chile will last for a week or two, if properly refrigerated.

This recipe, as well as many others, can be found in my cookbook, I Can’t Cook Because I’m a White Girl, on Amazon.

 

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I’m in LOVE!

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 16, 2009

Yes, dear readers, my heart is full of that magical emotion that makes toes tingle and ears burn!  I wanted to share every juicy detail with you and here goes…

Yesterday, I had received horrible news about Kindle formatting errors on my contemporary romance, My Lord Raven.  Lacking a Kindle, I downloaded Kindle for PC into my computer (a free program) and viewed a sample of my book.

I fell for Kindle for PC, hook, line and sinker!  I’ve been busy for the past few hours, downloading books that magically appear in seconds.  Kindle for PC is readily accessible for Windows 7, Windows XP and Windows Vista.  The fonts are magnificent and the ease and readability is fantastic. 

Amazon has amazed me more than once this week and I can honestly say they are doing a wonderful job. I am impressed!

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The Paranormal Romance Author Page has been updated.

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 16, 2009

For those of you that are deep into the Paranormal Romance Genre, I have a wonderful page entitled Paranormal Romance Authors and Book Listings on my WordPress site.  This is an intense compilation of various authors and their particular brand of paranormal that is updated by the magnificent Melanie Nowak, author of the scintillating Almost Human.  The list has been revised and you can update your soon-to-be-read pile by clicking on the page at the top of my columns.  A special FYI for those that are true, dedicated fans of the Paranormal, stop by and become a member at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PNRList/.

Fascinating Reading to each and every one of you!

 

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My Thanks to Amazon for their Prompt Response

Posted by Tamela Quijas on December 15, 2009

My dear Readers:
 
Earlier this morning, My Lord Raven met with an unexpected fate, causing me to cringe is disbelief.  Post-haste, I sent out and inquiry to the DTP team, to find some solution to the unexpected formatting errors.
 
The wonderful, wonderful people at DTP answered my inquiry within a few hours and I can breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief.

Quote:

 
“I see Kindle book My Lord Raven is currently under review by our operations team. –Which was absolutely darling of them to do for me– I also see that you’ve uploaded your revised content (HTML) and it appears fine, with no formatting issues. Please note that the readers have the option to choose their preferred font size in Kindle device. You may suggest your reader to choose appropriate font size. If he still have any issues in reading your book, please get us the locations where he experiences formatting issues, so we can research this issue further. “

Absolutely wonderful response and response time. Thank you so much Amazon!

 
The new uploaded versions of Blood of the Beast and My Lord Raven should be available in a few hours, on Amazon. 
 
Thank you for your patience!

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