A blog for authors, about authors, written by an author
February 13, 2023 the Winners of the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Awards were announced. And yes, I’m very thrilled and excited to inform you all that ‘The Council of Twelve’ series has made the winner in the ‘Novellas & Shorts Series’ category!
2022 Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Award WINNERS! – Paranormal Romance Guild
The Paranormal Romance Guild nominated book 5, Dream Walker, and the entire ‘The Council of Twelve’ series for their ‘Reviewer’s Choice Award.’
Read here, when the voting is going to start:
https://paranormalromanceguild.com/2022-paranormal-romance-guild-reviewers-choice-award-nominees/
I will need your vote at the end of this month! Thank you very much!
Last night, like millions of others, I watched the ‘Golden Globes.’ I had a great time seeing the red carpet introductions and the comments… and knowing me, also the fashion.
During the show, the winners, at times, made me shake my head. I saw quite a few of the nominated movies and the involved actors and couldn’t understand some choices. – Just one example:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Kaitlyn Dever (“Unbelievable”)
Joey King (“The Act”)
Helen Mirren (“Catherine the Great”)
Merritt Wever (“Unbelievable”)
Michelle Williams (“Fosse/Verdon”) – WINNER
They had Helen Mirren nominated in ‘Catherine the Great’ – and they made Michelle Williams the winner? I’m sorry, I cannot understand that.
Also, they pronounced ‘Missing Link the Best Animated Film! Are you kidding me?? They had nominated Frozen 2, Toy Story 4, and The Lion King!! Every single one of them far better than the winner…
The complete winner list can be seen here:
https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees
I admit I’m not an expert, that is just my personal taste. I suggest you decide for yourself on the winners.
*****************************
I figured, I would concentrate on the ladies fashion (with one exception, maybe), since I ‘grew up’ in Ladies’ Fashion, learning everything, every single step from the design to the sales, I helped to dress models and organized Fashion Shows… that is something I know about. (I might not be a fully-fledged expert, but definitely a mini-expert with a good taste.)
Let’s pick some of the most impressive dresses and their wearers and have a closer look at them:
Trend: elegant, red evening gowns with an abstract ‘extra,’ like a ‘twist,’ a waterfall, a drapery or a train that pronounces the simplicity of the dress but shows the great taste of the wearer.
Another beautiful dress, worn by an extraordinary actress was Helen Mirren in Dior:
A different trend at this year’s Golden Globe red carpet was oversized sleeves, which in my opinion, were not very flattering. Olivia Coleman’s balloon-like puff sleeves added some weight to her attractive appearance.
Jodie Comer nearly disappeared in the monstrous green fabric, which, in my opinion, is quite a pity since she usually has a far better taste. She is so pretty, why hiding her in that green tent?
As for Beyonce’s dress: I think it is a quite tasteless construct with no decent form. The over-dimensional golden sleeves, to the same time, build the top, and can barely keep her cleavage at bay. Sometimes, less is more, Mrs. Carter.
Michelle Pfeiffer Rachel Weisz
Ana De Armas Renee Zellweger Reese Witherspoon
Jennifer Aniston Glenn Close Akwafina
Gillian Andersson Dakota Fanning Natalie Morales
I don’t think I need to explain why I find these ladies’ impeccable taste and wonderful choice of dresses simply a feast for the eyes.
Joey King hasn’t exactly hit the ‘jackpot’ with this Iris Van Helpen dress. I don’t think it’s an evening gown, predestined to be shown on the red carpet of one of the most important award events in Hollywood. (Besides, the iridescent pattern on the black and white dress is irritating my eyes.)
I read many scornful, malicious, and rogue comments about Cate Blanchett’s light yellow/silver dress with the unusual wing-sleeves. I cannot find anything bad about the design of this dress, and it fits Cate Blanchett’s slim body and fair skin perfectly well. To me, she looks as ethereal as a fairy princess. Stunning, in my opinion.
Billy Porter, in his white tux in combination with the bright white feathery train (which, in my opinion, isn’t even right for the wedding of a pair of crop pigeons), looks like the personified bird-flu, as I find. It’s just too much. This isn’t a ‘statement’… it’s a demonstration of a poor taste.
Rooney Mara, in her black lace dress, might look a little bit on the ‘goth’-side, but I can’t help myself: on her, this frock looks perfect. Since the lace is making the black dress quite vivid, she made a great decision by wearing her jewels in her hair. The only thing that’s missing is a smile.
Salma Hayek was another actress whose red carpet look got quite a few horrible comments. I personally think, compared to other dresses I saw her wearing, she did quite well with her Bombshell Gucci dress. The white and blue looks good on her, and even though the plunging top turned heads, the top fabric was still strong enough to hold everything where it belonged and present it nicely. Others might not share my opinion, but I think she looks awesome!
I’ll make this one short. Many seem to think Lucy Boynton looks stunning in this silver dress. I think she looks like she’s wrapped in aluminum foil and corded up on the neck like a trash bag. Sorry, not my taste.
Zoe Kravitz’s two-pattern polka dot dress got quite different comments. From ‘boring’ to ‘doesn’t fit,’ ‘looks bad’, ‘bad taste’ up to ‘should have stayed home’ almost anything could be read – a few of the comments I read were carefully neutral, like ‘did her best’… I don’t know why the bad comments. Yes, it might not be the most elegant, the most head-turning, or even the sexiest dress of the event – but I think she looks simply cute! Well done, Zoe.
Beautiful Margot Robbie earned wonderful reviews and compliments for her Chanel frock with the metallic top and the white bottom. Even though it is a ‘safe side’ evening gown, I’m afraid with me it triggers an unsuppressible yawning reflex. She can do so much better.
Michelle Williams is a wonderful lady and quite a good actress. To see her in this orange dress is a bit sad to me. That gown looks like it accidentally slipped to the side, revealing some blue undergarment that doesn’t belong there. This gown here is, once again, an excellent example that shows Luis Vuitton should stay with designing travel baggage instead of Ladie’s evening gowns. It didn’t do Michelle Williams any good.
A ‘different’ kind of couple at the award was Jason Momoa and wife Lisa Bonet. I heard bad comments about Lisa Bonet, while, of course, Jason Momoa is and was the ladies’ favorite. I’m not sure what people are talking about. Lisa Bonet was never a candidate for conventional fashion, and I wouldn’t expect her to be one now. With her simple, floral Fendi couture dress in beige, and Jason Momoa’s combination of Ford and Valentino, carried over a black t-shirt, they both make a well dressed beautiful couple, known for their individual style.
I read many negative and positive comments about beautiful Charlize Theron’s dress choice for the Golden Globes this year. From ‘stunning’ to ‘breathtaking’ to ‘unfinished’ nearly everything could be read. I think the cut of her black and green Dior dress is almost impeccable, sexy, and flatters her slim frame. Would it be cream or apricot-colored, it could have been the perfect gown for her. But I think that particular green makes her look like a bottle of poison.
In this overblown and feathery pink monstrosity beautiful, Sofia Carson looks like exploded cotton candy.
Stunning Taylor Swift usually has impeccable taste when it comes to presenting herself the best. But this time she failed. Her green Etro Couture gown presents huge busy yellow blossoms that turn the wide princess dress with the cut-out into a monstrous pile of fabric that seems to swallow the singer. ‘Shake it off,’ Taylor!
Kerry Washington wore an Altuzzara design in black and combined it with a chain that started at her chest, ‘divided’ her chest into two, and showed far more than it should. The plunge line, in this case, was far overdone, even more in combination with the sky-high slit in the skirt. I’m sorry, but in my opinion, she looks like she just came straight from work – in a brothel.
This next picture here shows one of the two outfits that I could not find any positive reviews for. ‘Leftover Christmas present’ and ‘disastrous look’ were the nicest. One look, and I could barely hold back a burst of irresistible laughter. While the monstrous gold and green bow in the front helped to wrap the torso of the singer in a bizarre way, the bottom white skirt part looked like a bed-sheet after a college party. Oh – NO, J-Lo!
And here it is: on my list, it’s the number one worst dress of the evening. Welcome, Gwyneth Paltrow. When I looked at her, I literally shook my head, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. I couldn’t believe that’s for real. She wears nothing underneath a practically sheer brown laced and ruffled tulle-dress (not counting two different necklaces which looks like a child had dressed her). Why didn’t she just show up naked? It would have saved her getting into that sheer dumb fabric. If one could oversee her being naked underneath, which is practically impossible, but IF one could ignore it, in that rag, she looks like an 1870 workbasket.
I hope very much you had fun with these pictures and a recap of the Golden Globes 2020 red-carpet with my personal comments. If you have something to add, please do so in the comments below. I’m curious about your opinion.
On the ‘Writer Beware’ blog, I found a warning about ‘The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. Thank you for your ongoing and relentless effort to keep us informed and cautious about the dangers in the writer’s world!
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware®
Founded in 2010, The Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award bills itself as “the richest prize for a single short story in the English language.” And indeed, the prize is major: the winner receives a cool £30,000 (no, I did not add extra zeroes.)
With judges yet to be finalized, the selection process will include a 20-story longlist announced in May 2020, a six-story shortlist unveiled in June 2020, and the winner revealed on July 2. The shortlisted stories will be published in an Audible audiobook, with included writers receiving “an extra £1,000 fee, on top of a prize payment of £1,000”. To be eligible, writers must previously have had at least one work published in the UK or Ireland by an “established print publisher or an established printed magazine” (the Terms and Conditions include an extensive list of the kinds of publishers and magazines that don’t qualify). The contest is open for entries until 6:00 pm on December 13.
Congratulations Nicholas Rossis! Your book won two awards, this is amazing! I dream one day my books are going to be where yours are!
Emotional Beats is an award-winning finalist in the 2019 TopShelf Indie Book Awards
Because of the way our brains are wired, readers empathize more strongly if you don’t name the emotion you are trying to describe. As soon as you name an emotion, readers go into thinking mode. And when they think about an emotion, they distance themselves from feeling it.
A great way to show anger, fear, indifference, and the whole range of emotions that characterize the human experience, is through beats. These action snippets that pepper dialogue can help describe a wide range of emotions, while avoiding lazy writing. The power of beats lies…
Hugh of Hugh’s Views and News provides us with an important blog post about the annual Blogger’s Bash. Thank you, Hugh!
We all have our favourite blogs and bloggers, don’t we? But how often do we shout about who they are to each other?
Of course, leaving them thoughtful comments on their blog posts, or sharing their posts on social media, are just a few ways we can reveal who our favourite blogs and bloggers are, but there’s also another way to tell the world who they are.
Once a year, you can support your favourite blogs and bloggers by nominating them for an award at the Annual Bloggers Bash. Not sure what the Annual Bloggers Bash is? Click here for full details.
To read the entire blog post go to:Storyteller (writer, filmmaker, public speaker) Mitch Teemley has nominated me for the Blogger Recognition Award and has really made my day! Thank you so much, Mitch. You know how to make a girl happy, don’t you? (Did I just say this? Oops *blush*)
Blogger Recognition Award Rules
How I started
When I finally got my guts together and decided to become a writer with the goal to be published I was told I needed to go public. “Be on Social Media, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – and in particular start blogging!” It took a while until I had found what to blog about: My craft. How do I learn to be a writer? What does it need for me to be a better writer – and how am I progressing? That’s why I started a blog for writers where I can share not only my own experiences, but introduce other writers and in particular share what I learn from them… great writers, more experienced ones than I am.
Two Pieces of Advice
My Nominees
At this moment, I want to thank Byford’s Books for nominating ‘Writer’s Treasure Chest’ for this wonderful award. I believe that the ‘Liebster Blog’ Award is an excellent chance to showcase our work and spread the word about our personal art as well as knowing other blogger’s inspiration.
I am proud and thankful to be given this opportunity to share a few drops of information about me if you like.
There are a few rules:
My questions from Byford’s Books:
If you could have afternoon tea with one fictional character who would it be?
I strongly think it would be Dirk Pitt, the manifold hero in numerous action books and stories, written by Clive Cussler. I am fascinated by a Character this eclectic that a heroic character can cold-bloodedly kill – and still be loved by women and readers (I figure in most cases they are one and the same.) As a side note, I would be quite curious if it’s true that Dirk Pitt makes ladies’ blood boil. Mine hasn’t even steamed for quite a while…
If you could live in a book, TV show or movie, which would it be?
That’s difficult to answer. But I’ll try. There was a TV show a few years back which I loved: ‘Leverage’. I think it would have been enormous fun to be part of this group of people. A thief, a hacker, a former insurance investigator, a fighter and weapon expert and a professional scammer form a team and start working for the good side.
Which book has influenced you the most?
I think I can with a clear conscience say it was James Clavell’s ‘Shogun’ who has as well impressed as also influenced me the most. John Blackthorn, the protagonist, is, in my opinion, one of the most complex characters I’ve ever read of. This book is, and I believe, justifiably so, called one of the best books ever written.
If you could time travel would you go to the past or the future?
To the past. (And please, don’t ask me why… I might reply that I loved the long, beautiful dresses that were worn by women back then.)
What is your favorite quote?
“Don’t let anyone ever make you feel that you don’t deserve what you want!!!” (Patrick Verona in ‘Ten things I hate about you’.)
Which author inspires you?
There are many authors. But I think I am inspired by Eric Van Lustbader, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Marc Olden – and many more.
Which author (dead or alive) would you want to be trapped in an elevator with for 24 hours? (I don’t mean dead in the elevator with you!)
Thanks for the clarification. *chuckle*
I would say; I’d love to be trapped in an elevator with Jane Austen. She seems to have been not only an excellent writer but also a unique and straightforward personality.
Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
I can’t tell you. Sometimes I’m not exactly sure where I’ll be in two weeks.
Who is your favorite band/artist?
Another hard question to answer. There are many great musicians. Before I start creating a list with 25 country music singers, be informed that I love country music, and it is quite hard to decide on one of them being my favorite.
I am, however, a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen!
And: there is one Country Music Band whose songs have helped me through a hard time in my life and which I will always be grateful for: “Brian Lynn Jones & The Misfit Cowboys”. They might not be known all over the world. But they’re amazing!!
What is your favorite movie?
I feel like being 300 years old replying to this question: My favorite movie is ‘Casablanca’… ugh… I’m so old fashioned!!
Tell me one random fact about yourself?
My favorite color is ‘teal’.
Thanks for reading!
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
Check out my Facebook Author Page
Welcome to my Website
Here are my nominees:
Nominees
My questions for you all: (Some borrowed from Byford’s Books)
Enjoy your Award and keep writing!!
Writer's Treasure Chest 
You must be logged in to post a comment.