Amanda Hocking

Amanda's Blog

Top Ten Lady Villains + Giveaway

August 6th, 2012 by
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Hi guys! I’m here to take part in Amanda’s adventure filled blog tour, and give you all a little break from the excitement with a post from me, Eric Goldman, Amanda’s personal assistant/creative adviser/life coach/viceroy/roommate/friend/punishment in life.

One of my favorite things are villains. Not real-life villains like Hitler or the writer(s) of “Call me Maybe,” but villains in films and literature, particularly villainesses, or as I like to call them “Lady Villains.”

One time Amanda and I were talking, as we tend to do, and we were trying to figure out why I like lady villains so much. I obviously knew part of the reason was because they tend to be much more over the top and campy than boy villains, and I’m sure that’s the biggest reason…I love me some campyness. But, we also decided that lady villains usually have a more emotional reason for doing the things that they do. Rarely do you find a lady villain pointlessly murdering people, or plotting against them for no reason. More often than not, they’re doing things out of insecurity, or revenge, and I know all about being insecure and seeking revenge on enemies from my past…I’m still coming for you, guy who stole my donut at work last year.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun (for me at least) to create a Top Ten List of my favorite lady villains from films, so let’s get to that, because pictures are enjoyable.

But first, a WARNING-
If you hate spoilers, and a lady villain’s photo looks unfamiliar to you, I recommend not reading the accompanying description. I have incredible taste, and I would hate for such an amazing film to be ruined for you…Especially if Amanda’s Mom reads this, because she still has to watch something I lent her. Otherwise…

Here we go:

10. Margaret White

Carrie’s mom (from “Carrie”) is definitely over the top, but not so much in a good way. Margaret White is starting off this list, because while she does portray the qualities I seek in an enjoyable female villain, she is also batshit crazy, and scares me quite a bit.


9. Debbie Salt

For #9, we have another insane woman. (I’m guessing insanity is going to play a role in this list.) Debbie Salt, the mother seeking revenge for her son’s murder in “Scream 2.” Debbie’s intentions are admirable, but…maybe she should have looked at things from other people’s point of view, and tried to understand why her son might have been killed. Just throwing that out there, Deb. (I still like you though.)


8. The Wicked Witch of the West

I’m sure you already guessed that she would make the cut. She is amazing, and the lengths she goes to for a pair of shoes are remarkable. My favorite things: She’s green, she’s a witch, and this line: “Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness? Oooooh, look out! I’m going! Oooooh! Ooooooh!” Someone should make a remix of that. Dubstep.

7. Annie Wilkes

Annie Wilkes is pissed off that her favorite author isn’t doing things the way she would have liked. Watch out, Amanda…if I’m not pleased with the ending of “Elegy” I might have to try a few of Annie’s tricks, until I get the ending I want. (I know where you keep the sledgehammer.)


6. “Baby Jane” Hudson

Stuck in the past, and jealous of her sister’s more recent brush with fame, “Baby Jane” Hudson spends her free time getting drunk, hanging out with a hired friend, and feeding Joan Crawford dead pets that make her spin around in her wheelchair 8 times. That’s my idea of a fun retirement.


5. Rodmilla

*Sigh* Anjelica Huston is so great at playing a bitch. I really enjoy her. I was torn between Rodmilla, and whats-her-face from “The Witches,” but this character in “Ever After” has to be my favorite. Her jealousy of Cinderella’s neatness makes for some enjoyable viewing. If/When the Trylle Trilogy films are made, she has my vote to play Elora…but, unfortunately, I don’t have any power over anything in this world.


4. Poison Ivy

“Batman & Robin” is a really horrible film, and that’s why I like it so much. Unfortunately, most of the people in the movie don’t seem to realize that it’s awful, except for Uma Thurman, and that makes me love her. She saunters from soundstage to soundstage delivering over the top soliloquies like it’s nothing. She’s a pro. (2nd place vote for this film goes to the reporter, who thinks she’s best friends with Bruce Wayne. If she were a villain, she would probably be #1 on this list…maybe she’ll make the Batman reboot. But, she at least deserves a picture…so, here you go, Gotham City Gossip Columnist:

3. Cruella DeVille

This lady decides that spots are going to be the next big thing in fashion, and decides the only way she can get that look is by killing “101 Dalmatians.” I’m no fan of puppy murder, but the lengths Cruella is willing to go for a coat are astounding. Also, she has a cigarette stick that I’m jealous of. Also, she’s played by Glenn Close. All neat things.

2. Winifred “Winnie” Sanderson

Everyone knows that I love Bette Midler. Or, at least they do now. Anyway, seeing Bette Midler playing a witch that hates her sisters and pretty much everything around her is a very enjoyable time. The ending always makes me sad, because the three witches are so much more enjoyable than anyone else…even the cat, voiced by James Marsden’s brother.

And finally…..

1. Ursula (Duh.)

I love Disney movies, I love Disney villains, Ursula is my favorite Disney villain, so here she sits. My number one choice. I love her voice, I love her song, and I love that while she’s singing, she just shouts her entire plan loud enough for Ariel to hear, but Ariel doesn’t care…she just wants legs. She kinda had it coming, don’t you think?

There you go…those are my Top 10 Villainesses. Agree? Disagree? Did I forget anyone? Oh, by the way, if you like lady villains as much as I do, (or if you hate them, and like everything else that’s good) you should totally pick up “Wake” by my friend Amanda. If I had included books, they would have definitely made it on this list, because they’re pretty creepy, and pretty neat, and pretty pretty. Oh! And I’ll give you things too. Enter the giveaway below, and you might win a relationship with me, Eric Goldman! Or, you can win your choice of 3 of the films mentioned above…your pick. Good luck!

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Meet Alex Lane

August 3rd, 2012 by
This post currently has 47 comments

I’m going to do a “meet a character from Watersongpost. It’s just a quick questionnaire that hopefully work as little introduction to the characters, as well as a pictures of actors that I think closely resemble how I imagined them.
This week it’s Alex Lane, the boy who lives next door to Gemma and Harper in Wake.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as “Alex” would be awesome, but only if we had a time machine, because he’s like 30 now, and Alex is 18. But I can’t help it. I pictured a younger JGL, because he’s pretty and has that really respectable boy-next-door-quality about him, and I can’t un-picture him now just because he’s too old.

  1. Real Name: Alexander Lane
  2. Birthday: December 5th
  3. Age: 18
  4. Zodiac: Sagittarius
  5. Boy or Girl: Boy
  6. High School: Capri High School, but I just graduated
  7. College: Sundham University in the fall
  8. Job: None right now, but I was a dishwasher at a restaurant for two years
  9. Hair Color: Brown
  10. Eye Color:Brown
  11. Height:5’10
  12. Piercing/Tattoos: None
  13. Boyfriend/Girlfriend: None at the moment
  14. Best Friend: Harper or Luke
  15. Last person you talked to: My mom
  16. Last person you texted: Harper
  17. Last person you watched a movie with: My friend Luke. We saw The Avengers.
  18. Last song you listened to: “It’s Tricky” by Run-DMC
  19. Favorite Movie: The Dark Knight
  20. Favorite Bands: M83 and Miniature Tigers
  21. Favorite Books: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  22. Favorite Food: Nachos
  23. Favorite Beverage: Mountain Dew
  24. Favorite Possession:Probably my X-Box
  25. Favorite Place: I don’t really have one. Just wherever the people I care about are, I guess.

Show & Tell Giveaway – eReader Skins

August 2nd, 2012 by
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While planning for Under the Seapalooza, I was trying to come up with some fun ideas for things to and asked for input. Nikki Jefford (author of Entangled and the awesome guest post & giveaway, which you should check out: here) came up with the idea for weekly “Show & Tell” memes.

Here’s how it works:

Unlike ongoing meme’s, this one is temporary – every Thursday throughout the month of Under the Seapalooza. Each week, I’ll show off my favorite something (this week it’s bookmarks), then you show off your favorite thing and enter to win a prize.

This is the schedule for Show & Tell Thursdays:
July 25th – Bookmarks
August 2nd – eReader Skins
August 9th – Journals
August 16th – Book Trailers

When I first got my Kindle two years ago, I discovered GelaSkins, and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since. I’ve gotten skins for my eReaders, my cell phone, and even my laptop. I’ve changed them a few times, but here are my current skins:

My nook skin is called “Coffee Angel” by Caia Koopman.

My Kindle Fire skin is called “Meow” by Lora Zombie.

So what about you? Do you have a skin for your eReader? If you don’t have an eReader, do you have covers for you cell phone or laptop?

If you’re like me and love decorating your electronics, then you’re in luck. Because I’m giving away a $50 Gift Certificate to Gelaskins. What’s awesome about them is they have skins for phones, laptops, eReaders, iPads, gaming, etc. You can design your own skin, or even order prints from their artists. So even if you don’t have an eReader right now, you should definitely enter the giveaway.

All Show & Tell Giveaways will run until August 25th. It’s open to the US & Canada only, sorry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to Nikki Jefford for coming up with such a fun idea!  

Enchanted Music from J. L. Bryan

August 1st, 2012 by
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“Enchanted Music” from the Real World
Guest post from J.L. Bryan
Music has always held tremendous power over human beings, offering solace, inspiration, and a little something to help you fall in love.  Music is both an escape from life and an enrichment of our lives.  We can hardly have a holiday, festival, or even a war without music to accompany it and bring everyone to a shared emotional tone.
With the powerful effect music can have on us, it’s no surprise that stories of magical music have been with us for thousands of years.  Amanda’s new Watersong series draws on myths of sirens, beautiful women whose fatally attractive songs endangered ancient Greek heroes like Jason (of Argonauts fame) and Odysseus.  My Songs of Magic series was inspired by a tradition of fae folklore that describes people being enchanted by irresistible fairy music, sometimes wandering off with the fairies forever.
Instead of looking at mythology, though, I thought it might be fun to look at some examples of music from the real world that people have believed to hold magical properties.
Aeolian Harp

An Aeolian harp is an instrument originally devised in Classical antiquity, played by the wind rather than any human hand.  Poets of the Romantic era celebrated the harp as a metaphor for the physical world, played upon by the spiritual like an instrument. (In America, Ralph Waldo Emerson described this single consciousness behind all material forms as “the Oversoul.”)  Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote in The Aeolian Harp:
And what if all of animated nature
Be but organic Harps diversely framed,
That tremble into thought, as o’er them sweeps
Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,
At once the Soul of each, and God of all?
Romantic and Transcendentalist thinkers of the 19th century believed this harp was a symbol of the deeper nature of reality.  Here are some sounds of harps played by the wind:
“Rumble”
The 1958 song “Rumble” by Link Wray was banned from many radio stations because it was believed to lead to juvenile delinquency.  While this may have been a common belief about the strange new rock and roll music in the 1950’s, “Rumble” is particularly interesting because it is purely instrumental.  The guitar sound alone, introducing the world to power chords, was believed to have a corrupting effect.
Here is the banned rock song…but neither myself nor Amanda Hocking can be held responsible for any wild criminal acts you may commit after hearing it:
 
The Devil’s Interval (diabolus in musica)
The tritone, or “Devil’s interval,” was banned from ecclesiastical music for its dissonant sound and evil connotations.  Franz Liszt used the infernal sound in Dante Sonata, and Black Sabbath used it in their song “Black Sabbath.” (In his autobiography, Ozzy Osbourne reports that the first time they played this song live, much of the audience ran out screaming.)
So now you’re delinquent and possessed by the Devil, but also in better touch with the universal pantheistic consciousness behind all forms.  You win some, you lose some.

If you’re interested in enchanting music, here’s a chance to win the first three books in my Songs of Magic series: Fairy Metal Thunder, Fairy Blues, and Fairystruck, in your preferred format.  This giveaway is international!  Just enter using the Rafflecopter below.  The giveaway closes at 11:59 PM Eastern time on Tuesday, August 7.  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Thanks to Mandy Hocking for having me visit today!  Don’t forget to see Amanda’s post today on my pal Jenni’s blog, Alluring Reads.
J.L. Bryan is the author of The Paranormals series (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, Alexander Death, and a fourth book to be released in fall 2012, Jenny Plague-Bringer).  He is also the author of the Songs of Magic series (the fifth book, Fairyvision, should also be available sometime in the fall of 2012).

Watersong Reveal #2

July 31st, 2012 by
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The first week of Under the Seapalooza has gone by, and there’s been a lot going on. There are too many giveaways to list in one post, so check it out the Under the Seapalooza tab. 

Also, it’s only ONE week until Wake comes out! It’s crazy how fast/slow time is going by. I cannot wait for it to hit shelves, though!

The book trailer for Wake is set to premiere on August 1st. Until then, stills are being revealed over at my Facebook. There’s been six so far, and in case you missed them, I’ve posted the first three: here, and now I’m posting the next three.

Still #4

Still #5

Still #6

 Also, just for fun, I’m posting a picture of the newest, most adorable member of my family.

Meet Sophie! 

Sophie is a birthday present from my mom, because I was talking about getting another cat. She’s a rescue from the Mower County Humane Society, where they have many other adorable cats and kittens who need homes. Sopie’s been with us for two days, but she’s adjusting pretty well to living without her brothers and sisters. My dog likes her, but my other two cats are cautiously getting used to her.

Sophie meeting Elroy