Making time for TV

So many people recommend TV shows to me. I have a list of shows that I want to try and ones that I need to finish (last season of Grimm, new season of Strike Back, new season of Versailles). I struggle to make time for even them. I want to watch Lucifer and the Magicians and Knightfall and the Killjoys.

While I have no trouble making time for reading (after dinner in the sitting room while the kids do their quiet reading), making time for TV is that much harder. By the time the kids go to bed neither hubby or I want the commitment of focussing on a TV show we want to watch so instead it’s random drivel or keep reading.

I think it’s important to refill the well from a variety of sources, not just fiction or nonfiction, but music (I went to the Queen/Adam Lambert concert this week and it was amazing) and art and dance.

I often joke that I have issues with commitment particularly if a TV has 20+episodes, that’s a lot of hours so I often don’t start.

So what is the secret for getting TV time?

In honor of Valentine's Day week, my favorite fictional couples!

On Goodreads this month, because of Valentine’s Day, I received an author question asking me who my favorite fictional couple was. And since said holiday was this past Tuesday, I thought I’d make my post on Here Be Magic today an expanded version of my answer to that question!

So here you all go, in no particular order, my list of ten of my favorite fictional couples:

#1:

Heroine: Luthien Tinuviel

Hero: Beren

Source: The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Why I like them: Because they are a shining example of a romance in which both involved parties actively contribute to the story. In particular, I love that Luthien takes on no less than Morgoth himself, the biggest bad in Middle-Earth EVER, to save her man.

#2:

Heroine: Sira di Sarc

Hero: Jason Morgan

Source: A Thousand Words for Stranger, by Julie E. Czerneda

Why I like them: This was the Czerneda book that made me fall in love with this woman’s writing, and decide that she was the writer I wanted to write like when I grew up. The story starts with the “captain with a heart of gold takes on mysterious stowaway” trope and I’m a sucker for that. Once the truly staggering strength of Sira’s telepathic gifts is revealed, I adore how Jason does not flinch from standing at her side.

#3:

Heroine: Amelia P. Emerson

Hero: Emerson

Source: The entire Amelia Peabody series, by Elizabeth Peters

Why I like them: Because Amelia is a parasol-wielding force of nature, because Emerson is adorably gruff, and because I love how every scene-closing cry from Amelia of “Oh, Emerson!” is totally code for “and then sex was on”. ;D Plus I love their mutual proposal to one another at the end of Book 1, and Amelia’s assertion that “I embroider very badly. I think I would excavate very well.”

#4:

Heroine: Nefret

Hero: Ramses Emerson

Source: ALSO the entire Amelia Peabody series, by Elizabeth Peters

Why I like them: Because I adore how the series outlines the developing relationship between these two characters, from when they meet as children (and Nefret is established as the only living creature capable of making Ramses shut up) clear up to when they finally declare love for one another. He Shall Thunder in the Sky, when that climactic resolution finally happens, is one of my very favorite books in the entire series.

#5:

Heroine: Isabella, Lady Trent

Hero: Suhail

Source: The Memoirs of Lady Trent series, by Marie Brennan

Why I like them: The dynamic between these two had strong callbacks for me to the aforementioned Amelia and Emerson, in no small part because what draws them together is mutual interest in science. Also, their mutual interest in science is all about dragons! Which is awesome. +1 as well for Suhail coming from an Arabic-analogue culture, which makes him a hero of color.

#6:

Heroine: Marion Ravenwood

Hero: Indiana Jones

Source: The Indiana Jones movies, but in particular, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Why I like them: There are REASONS Raiders of the Lost Ark is my all time favorite movie. But the ones that are pertinent to this list is the crackling chemistry between Indy and Marion all throughout the movie, starting with how she greets him with a punch to the jaw. Also, Harrison Ford.

#7:

Heroine: Leia Organa

Hero: Han Solo

Source: The Star Wars movies, but in particular, The Empire Strikes Back

Why I like them: See previous commentary re: mmmmmm Harrison Ford mmmmmmm. Also every single one of their scenes together in Empire. <3 “I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee!” “I can arrange that!”

#8:

Heroine: Lois Lane

Hero: Clark Kent/Superman

Source: Multiple adaptations in TV and movies, but in particular, Christopher Reeves’ original Superman movie, the 90’s TV show Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the WB Superman, Batman, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited cartoons

Why I like them: Because all my favorite implementations of Lois stay true to her core as a fearless reporter, and all my favorite implementations of Clark/Supes uphold his inherent heroism. And when they’re thrown together, their feelings for one another are radiant. Of my three favorite Superman adaptations, I’m most partial to Lois and Clark, because Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain spent all of season 1 being adorable cinnamon rolls at each other. <3

#9:

Heroine: Buffy Summers

Hero: Angel

Source: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Why I like them: Because Buffy and Angel were delicious, delicious angst. “Ohnoez they can never actually be together” (for values of ‘be together’ meaning ‘actually have sex’) “because Angel will turn evil!” And, of course, they went there, which leads to one of Buffy’s most badass moments at the end of season 2 and arguably in the entire series.

#10:

Heroine: Dana Scully

Hero: Fox Mulder

Source: The X-Files

Why I like them: Because through so much of the early seasons of the show, they took the time to set up deep working trust between these two characters. So when we finally got signs that the relationship was turning romantic, it felt like a logical progression to me. I could argue for hours about how the relationship has played out since then—but for purposes of this post, I’ll simply say that Mulder and Scully: yep, I ship it.

How about the rest of you? Tell me about your favorite fictional couples in the comments!

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Angela may not be a romance writer, but she is absolutely a romantic sucker and has love stories in both her urban fantasy Free Court of Seattle series (written as Angela Korra'ti) and the high fantasy trilogy Rebels of Adalonia (written as Angela Highland). If you've read her books, come tell her which characters you ship at angelahighland.com, on Facebook, or on Twitter! And if you haven't read her books, she invites you to start. ;D

Fall 2014 TV: What Are You In For?

Every year, at least since the great cable revolution, I get excited for the start of all the new fall shows. Sure, there's a summer season now...and a November season...and a spring season...and a late spring season....but the fall TV season is still impactful enough that that's when the US viewing public gets the biggest dose of goodies.

While I'm excited about returning shows like Once Upon a Time, Grimm, and Agents of Shield and may mourn the ugly, too-soon ending of Almost Human as long as I have Firefly, it's the new shows that have that special allure.

And for me, no shows have more shiny (see what I did there?) than the shows with speculative elements.

So here's what I see on the upcoming schedule:

The Flash -- DH likes  Arrow, but I don't watch that one. I couldn't handle another DC show on the CW after the travesty that was Smellville, though he assures me there's zero resemblance. The Flash claims to be a less dark show, so there's a 25% chance I'll give it a try.

Forever -- Originally I was like, "Meh, another cop show with a vampire prototype," but we tried episode two, and it was quirkier than I expected, so we'll give this one a whirl.

Gotham -- Tried it. I'm at about 75%. It was heavy-handed, very name-droppy. They'll have to start telling actual stories with actual characters if they want to hold my attention, not just nods to future villains and a hero who doesn't yet seem to have a sense of humor.

Constantine -- I'm kind of no-thanks on this one for some reason.

DH is telling me there's a series based on the Librarian movies starting in December which he hopes we can watch with the kids.

Z Nation -- Nope.

I checked out TV Guide's list of upcoming shows and left off the ones on premium cable (which we don't get) or that have no details yet.

What am I missing? What do you think of any of the new shows?

Oh, here's a photo of a cat and a TV.

　

Jody Wallace

Author, Cat Person, Amigurumist of the Apocalypse

http://www.jodywallace.com * http://www.meankitty.com

11 Shows You Don't Want To Miss...Unless You're On Deadline

I’ve been in revision hell, as I like to call it, for the past three weeks. Three sets of edits, two revisions, and a manuscript due by the 31st. Loads of fun for 2014. Ack. It doesn’t help that I’ve been distracted by some killer television. Since this is a blog devoted to magic and the paranormal, I thought I’d list some of my televised distractions. They don’t all involve the paranormal, but they sure are magical. You should check them out if you haven’t already. In no particular order, here they are...

1. Grimm (NBC)—a new twist on fairytales, with a cop, who's also a supernatural cop--a Grimm--dealing with the creatures that go bump in the night…in Portland! Fun and always neat to see how they incorporate new fairytales.
2. Bitten (SyFy)—based on the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelly Armstrong. I never read the books, but the premise of the only female werewolf working with her pack and dealing with the whole man vs. animal issue is great. I’m not a fan of the many, many, many commercials though. The show clocks in at an hour long, but feels about 20 minutes long with all the friggin’ advertisements. I want to love this, but I don’t know that I’ll have the patience to hang around.
3. Helix (SyFy)—Billy Campbell. Check. Isolated genetics lab in the arctic with secret research. Check. People with secrets. Awesome. The threat of zombies...and I’m in.
4. Hemlock Grove (Netflix)—A terrific series about supernaturals in Hemlock Grove. Lots of gratuitous sex and violence. No, you will not be disappointed. *grin*
5. Almost Human (Fox)—Karl Urban. Need I say more? A police procedural set in the future where cops work side by side with androids. Urban plays John Kennex, a guy with attitude, whose partner is a quirky droid named Dorian—who also happens to be hot. Great chemistry between the leads, and it makes you think about what it means to be human. Love this show. (Do not confuse it with Being Human, which is about three paranormals living together.)
6. Sleepy Hollow (Fox)—Ichabod Crane, you debonair spy! That accent, that look…those clothes. Ew. If they’d get him some new pant and a shirt made in this century, I’d be very thankful. That said, the play on the headless horsemen, good vs. evil, and fun with history make this a quirky show that entertains. I love that one of the lead characters is a smart woman with no sexual designs on the hero. She’s terrific. Oh, and have I mentioned Ichabod’s dashing accent?
7. Blacklist (NBC)—LOVE me some James Spader. He plays a wanted criminal who turns himself into the CIA with some ulterior motive. He will only work with the cute young agent who may or may not be his daughter. Conspiracies abound, but Spader is so amazing in the role of Reddington you find yourself cheering when he kills people. Bad people of course. Except for… Well, watch it. It’s amazing.
8. Intelligence (CBS)—Sawyer from Lost. Hurray! Now he’s a snarky government agent with a computer chip in his brain that allows him to access anything he needs. And he’s after a conspiracy involving his wife. It’s got promise if they don’t drag out the wife plot-line.
9. Elementary (CBS)—Sherlock and Watson, where Watson is a woman! I love this show for its smart dialogue and snappy cases. And Jonny Lee Miller kills as Sherlock.
10. The 100 (Fox)—coming out in March. In the future, after a nuclear apocalypse on Earth, 100 petty criminals, considered expendable test subjects, are sent back to the planet to see if they can survive. It’s Lord of the Flies meets The Toxic Avenger with Young/New Adult angst. Wowzers.
11. Resurrection (ABC)—coming out in March. Based on the novel The Returned by Jason Mott. Looks promising. The dead return to life out of the blue. Not a take on zombies, but how to handle the return of your loved ones long after you’ve accepted their loss and moved on. Should have some real emotional pull and has a cast of great actors.

Would Paranormal Romance Make Good TV?

Yesterday's post by Jax Garren had a great discussion about the differences between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance: http://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2013/06/urban-fantasy-week-shelving-conundrum.html. One of the frequent designators I've seen lately is that when Urban Fantasy contains romance, it's generally between the same protagonists who are in each successive book. There's no guarantee of an HEA, though oftentimes there's a whisper of a promise of an HEA at the end of the series itself, should the Urban Fantasy be a series. This, of course, doesn't mean devoted readers will agree the HEA is all that happy (cue furious Sookie Stackhouse readers!), but the author's literary promise is most often that the protagonists will not be left dangling like a too-soon cancelled TV show that doesn't get its own Hollywood movie.

In Urban Fantasy novels the plot and worldbuilding bear more of the word-weight than the romance and relationship building. The complicated dance of romantic relationships are spread out over several save-the-world plot arcs since books, for various reasons, can only be so long.

Basically, what we're talking here is Urban Fantasy is Buffy/Lost Girl/Paranormal TV Series with definite romance subplots and Paranormal Romance is Underworld/Twilight/Paranormal movies with definite romance main plots. Technically an Urban Fantasy could also be a paranormal movie in which the romance wasn't that influential, but that confuses my simple parallel.

Some Urban Fantasies don't have romance in them at all. It's not a requirement. There are probably Paranormal Romances that don't have much save-the-world stuff going on as well. The thing they both have in common is the paranormal worldbuilding. It often takes place in a contemporary human world that isn't aware of all these supernatural shenanigants--what David Bridger called earlier this week "hidden in plain sight" (http://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2013/06/hidden-in-plain-sight.html).

And just like with the TV series/movies parallel, that's not always the case, since some stories include (or even revolve around) the concept of the paranormal types being known to the regular humans. The aforementioned Sookie Stackhouse series is a prominent example.

I have recently published my first Urban Fantasy with Samhain Publishing (Tangible) involving a secret society of folks whose nightmares create monsters and their attempts to keep the nightmares from taking over the world. I already know future volumes in the budding series will be more in the Paranormal Romance vein. They'll have recurring characters but different romantic leads in each successive volume. There will also be connecting plots and threads between all the books, in the manner of a TV series.

How do you think a TV series could handle some of the Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy hybrids like the one I've dreamed up? I know there are other hybrids out there! What are your favorites and how would you like to see them on the screen, if you would? Or do you think the TV medium is just better suited for the more classic Urban Fantasy style where all the characters' stories and relationships are ongoing and subject to change?

Jody Wallace
Author, Cat Person, Amigurumist
http://www.jodywallace.com  * http://www.meankitty.com