The Scarlet Letter

I have always been a big classic literature fan and 90% of the books I read are authored by the classics.
But I'm not always happy with the movie adaptations of those books. 
So, I decided to read a classic, then watch the movie, and share my opinion.
Mind you, there will always be SPOILERS in my posts; don't say I did not warn you.

The first 'victim' is "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

http://www.amazon.com/Scarlet-Letter-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486280489/

First of all, I need to say that I love the story. Rediscovering the human hypocrisy and false morality is always a big pleasure ;) We, the people, and especially the women, have been subjected to those false morals throughout the centuries, and sadly, we still don't want to let them go.

With all my love for the story, I found the book so boring that I had hard time finishing it, despite that it was only 200 pages. Mr. Nathaniel Hawthorne has a writing style which I found unappealing. Sometimes I did not understand what was going on in the scene and later had to look for explanations. Maybe I need to blame the fact that English is my third language? Or maybe my poor brain is to blame?

Overall, I'm glad I read the book. I had been keeping it on my to-read list for too long.

And now, the movie!

From the first scene I doubted it was The Scarlet Letter. An Indian funeral for the opening scene? There were Indians in the book, one or two, who had almost no lines. This was the first warning that the movie might have very little to do with the story.

Indeed, it was loosely based on the book. The only similarities were the characters and the scarlet letter that Hester had to wear.

But then, we all know that the movies always differ from the books. While reading the book, I could not imagine what kind of movie would come out of it: there was too little action, and those 200 pages were nothing but symbolisms, pangs of the characters, and the ideas of the author.

Nevertheless, there was one very good thing about the movie: Gary Oldman. Yes, I am one of those who admire Mr. Oldman and consider him breathtakingly beautiful.

The movie was not bad; maybe a bit boring at times, but I watched it till the end for the sake of mesmerizing Gary.

Celtic Lore

Thought to share my favourite Celtic music.
This one piece served as a huge inspiration for the "Witch Hollow" books.
Enjoy!

P.S. Thank you, Adrian von Ziegler.

Second snow

Now this is much better.
There's so much snow outisde, that it's only a matter of short time until the snowmen, snowwomen, and other snowcreatures grace the streets and yards of the town.
As always, I will be taking photos of any interesting snowthing I meet on my way, and will be posting them here.
Happy Holidays!

Witch Hollow and the Wrong Spell

My new novel "Witch Hollow and the Wrong Spell" is currently on Amazon and will be free for 3 days!
You can download it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hollow-Wrong-Spell-ebook/dp/B009QOLA2S

That spell was wrong!

When three young witches, Electra, Cassandra, and Medea, decided to practice witchcraft, they had no idea what consequences the wrong spell would have. Specters that lurk in the town, a ghost house in the middle of the dark forest, and an old witch with an eerie wail are their minor problems.

Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Eric O’Brian is sent to live in a small town named Hollow as a punishment for his constant truancy and bad behavior. Shortly he finds out that the beautiful town full of colorful ravines, green highlands, and dense forests is not an ordinary one: flowers that whisper, a strange old curiosity shop that steals the time, and a hanged man coming to life on the Halloween night lead him to believe that Hollow is a mystical place inhabited by witches.

After meeting the mysterious red-haired girls and befriending them, Eric becomes a part of the world with time travels, medieval bards, flying umbrellas, and paintings with parallel reality.

Soon a murder happens in Hollow, and Eric and his friends have to find out the truth about the murder before the town’s vengeful sheriff accuses the witches in the crime and starts another witch hunt.

A bonus for the poetry lovers: you will find poems by Robert Burnes, Alfred Noyes, Lord Alfred Tennyson, and Oliver Herford in the book.

First snow

One of the best feelings that has stayed with me since childhood, is the joy that the view of the first snow brings. That moment I believe in magic.
My only wish was that there would me more snow, so that when I tried to immortolize the moment, it would not have melted away already.
Still, winter has just began, i might have many other chances...

Interview

Check it out this interview and the story behind the cover of The Billion-Dollar Girl.

http://karensdifferentcorners.wordpress.com/2012/12/02/a-book-cover-and-an-interview/

 “The Billion-Dollar Girl”
  
I like the cover of this book very much, for it truly depicts the idea of the story: a coquette, wearing diamonds and jewelry, sitting on a bag of money, and being constantly photographed by the paparazzi.

The Billion-Dollar Girl: a tale of vanity and greed. A savage satire about vanity and modern socialites.

What happens when all you wish is fame, but you are untalented?
What happens when all you wish is money, but no one wants to hire you?

Discover the story about the socialites and their worshippers in this short novella, which makes fun of their decisions and choices, such as quick marriage and divorce, tabloid addiction, immense squandering, wastefulness, and the adulation that surrounds them.

And Now on to our interview!

First question.
Many people don’t like the name they were given at birth. Do you like your given name? If not, what would you rather have been named?
Translated from Greek my name means peace, and as I’m a peaceful person, I absolutely love it 

Do you write under your given name or a pseudonym?
I have a pen name, I.D. Blind, which is an abbreviation of the first letters of my first and last names, and I also added Blind in honor of my favorite metal-band Blind Guardian.

Is there a routine you go through before you begin writing?
I outline everything I need to write that day, make a list of events and follow it. For me this is a productive way of writing and lets me fill 6-10 pages per day.
Also I do a lot of research when the story demands it.

Is there anyone you admire?
Anyone unprejudiced. Also the ones who don’t demand much for being happy.

What do you like to read?
Anything from the classics. And creepy, scary stories.

Do you have a favorite author?
Lots of favorites: M. Twain, Ch. Dickens, L. Tolstoy, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.D. Salinger and many, many more.

Does it have to be quiet when you write or do you like background noise? TV, music, etc.
Cannot write without music.

Beach or mountains?
Forest.

What inspires you?
Celtic music. Beautiful poetry.

Favorite snack food?
I am such an eater, I will eat anything edible.

Doesn’t matter who we are, man, woman, child, all of us get freaked out by something. Spiders, mice, snakes, bugs, geese, etc. What freaks you out?
Fast moving cockroaches with long thin feelers (brrrr).

What is the most unusual job you’ve ever had?
Teacher at an orphanage. I quickly became a mom of many little kids.

I read on another blog, that a writer was working on 10 novels at once. Confusing! Do you work on one or multiple novels at a time?
Yep, I do. But I can work on one novel and a few short stories at once. Two novels at a time can be too confusing.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Reading.

And last question…Do you have anything new coming out that you’d like to share with us?
Oh, yes, I do.
My first novella was a satire, though I never even thought I would write in that genre. In ten days I will publish my novel, The Witch Hollow and the Wrong Spell, a young adult adventure/fantasy/mystery full of my favorite poetry by Robert Burns and other great poets.
And at the end of the year I will also publish my collection of short horror stories.

Here are A few links.

“The Billion-Dollar Girl” Is available here  http://www.amazon.com/The-Billion-Dollar-Girl-ebook/dp/B009K5DV6Q

 I.D. Blind’s new blog: http://idblind.blogspot.com/

I.D. Blind at facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002673823150