Sharon's INSPIRATIONAL Short stories of Faith and Romance can be found HERE or visit her
Facebook Page, which also has the links in the comments.)

Thursday, June 30, 2011

All about the Alpha Male

Today I am throwing out a question to all readers and authors. It’s all about the alpha male, a title quite significant in the romance genre. How  would you describe the perfect alpha male? What character traits do you look for in your perfect alpha? Do you prefer him to be all domineering or with a few soft edges? Tell me your thoughts and please tell me the genre in which your alpha male struts.

Sharon Donovan
Romantic Suspense with a Twist of Faith

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HER BIGGEST FAN

CHARADE OF HEARTS

MASK OF THE BETRAYER

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Wednesday Spotlight with Deb Thomas

Hello and welcome to another episode of Dear Oliver! Today’s special guest is Deb Thomas. You don’t want to miss her pet peeve, especially if you’re sick and tired of driving everyone and their brother around. So, come on in and belly up to the bar. And while you’re eavesdropping on Oliver’s sound advice, why not treat yourself to one of his legendary martinis! You’ll find his impressive venue listed on the sidebar. Not a martini fan? Not a problem. Oliver will make whatever drink strikes your fancy and serve it with a wink and a smile. Rumor has it his Buffalo wings are hotter than his Five Alarm Chili! With no further ado, let’s give a warm round of applause to Deb Thomas.

What can I getcha to drink, love?

A Buttery Nipple please…*batting eyes* Then after that a Tootsie roll.  Hey! Ya know what!? A Strawberry Margarita sounds really good too.  I know I have coffee at home to help me over the affects of all those…if I want help getting over the affects…that is…*wink*

Pouring the Buttery Nipple into a shot glass, Oliver sets it on the bar. He beams at Deb. So, tell me, why so glum, chum?

I am just tired of having to drive for everyone else. Driving for myself is hard enough! Never seems to fail though…there is always someone with a cell phone stuck to their ear or a blue tooth in it. Talking on a cell phone is not the same thing as listening to the radio.

When Deb points her finger to her empty glass, Oliver obliges with a Tootsie Roll. Speaking of music, my sweet, who can I play for you on the jukebox?

How about Double Vision by Foreigner? Then I will sit here and let the Double Vision get the best of me and then you can call me a cab, if you would please?

Rock n roll pulsates off the wall, rattling the windows. Oliver plucks Deb off the  bar stool and onto the dance floor where they bring the house down with their fancy footsteps. Thunderous applause explodes as they take their seats.

Placing a platter of sizzling Buffalo Wings with a generous amount of bleu cheese for dipping down, Oliver feeds one to Deb. Munching on one himself, he winks. Tell me, my pet, when did you develop this pet peeve?

I really don’t remember and the more I drink the more I will forget…lol

Arching an eyebrow, Oliver mixes a perfect strawberry margarita, humming a verse of ‘Margaritaville’ as he slides the drink to Deb. Where do you think utopia is, sweet thing?

Today? A deserted Island, with a steady supply of food and drinkable liquids *wink*… and of course all the books I can read.

Aside from keeping your glass full and playing your favorite tunes to chase your blues away, how can Dear Oliver help, my pet?

Bring common sense back. You heard that he died, didn’t you? I have his obit if you want to read it.  Now there is another pet peeve for another night….lol

Oliver’s eyes glaze over as he punches in the number for a cab. AMEN.


Thank you for lending an ear Oliver. 

Thank you, my sweet.

Final words from Deb Thomas

I am wife, mother and grandmother.  I am partially disabled, so I am home 99% of the time. I love to read and it helps to pass the time.

I have 2 dogs (Kallie and Shortie) and 2 tripod cats (Bean and Petra).

I started a blog not too long ago and I have started posting book reviews.  I would love to beta read too.

Deb



Tuesday, June 28, 2011

What's in a dream

I had the wildest dream last night and wanted to share. As with most dreams, it had no beginning or ending and didn’t make a lick of sense. But here goes.

Much like Madison in Vertigo, I found myself walking along in a cemetery, seemingly looking for a grave. Upon reaching my destination, I gasped. Lo and behold, I found myself gazing down in awe at the glass-entombed tomb of Mona Lisa, her enigmatic smile intact. An eerie whistle swooshed through the barren trees in the cemetery. Soon after paying my respects, I fled  the graveyard and sat upright, bewildered by my peculiar dream, and a bit spooked.

So what would make me have an odd dream like this? Could it be my recent obsession with Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Vertigo that I just bought and watched. Never in my life did I follow an obsession to ghost hunt or explore cemeteries. Perhaps with this image so vivid in my mind, the forces are persuading me to try my luck at a paranormal. Tell me your thoughts, your dreams, your interpretation.

Sharon Donovan
Romantic Suspense with a Twist of Faith

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Monday, June 27, 2011

Back by popular demand

Back by popular Demand
WEDNESDAY SPOTLIGHT with Sharon and oliver

Beginning July 6th with Celia Yeary to discuss her latest release
Heart of a Hero


Please join us for an entertaining respid in these hot days of summer.

A DEAR OLIVER FAN?

Tune in this Wednesday June 29th when Oliver serves drinks with a wink and a smile to
Deb Thomas
http://sharondonovan.blogspot.com

Thursday, June 23, 2011

HOT SUMMER GIVE AWAY

It’s a Sizzling Hot Summer Give Away! Considered the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock made 53 films in his 54 year career, my personal favorite being Vertigo. .

For a chance to win a Vertigo Collector’s Edition DVD, try your luck on the trivia quiz. In honor of The Master’s birthday, winner will be announced on August 13th on my blog.
http://sharondonovan.blogspot.com

1. Name all three films that Grace Kelly starred in
2. What was the name of Hitchcock’s first American made film?
3. In which of Hitchcock’s famed cameo appearance does he wear a cowboy hat?
4. What year was The Birds produced?
5. Which model made her debut in The Birds?
6. Who starred in Dial M for Murder, both the male and female leading roles?
7. Name Hitchcock’s first color film
8. Who played in Torn Curtain?
9. Who played Marion Crane in the 1960 original Psycho?
10. How many films did Jimmy Stewart star in?
11. What color did Kim Novak object to wearing in Vertigo?
12. What was the name of the restaurant that Scotti first sees Madeline in Vertigo?

Please send answers to
and put Hitchcock trivia in subject line Good luck!

Sharon Donovan
Romantic Suspense with a Twist of Faith
www.sharonadonovan.com

Monday, June 20, 2011

To be or not to be

I watched the old classic Vertigo last night. Some say this psychological thriller produced in 1958 is Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece because of the special effects of the movie. Let’s explore that concept.

Set in the almost dream-like haze of the empty San Francisco streets, Vertigo portrays obsession and lost romance through surrealism, a true hallmark of the master’s movies. In this story, Scotty (Jimmy Stewart) pursues Madeline (Kim Novak) as she slips in and out of her dead great grandmother’s persona. So even back then, there was a touch of paranormal in the books Alfred Hitchcock wrote

This movie is most definitely the type one may watch again and again and still miss things. Some of the props that are essential to the storyline are flowers, a painting and necklace. Although the  plot of the movie is a brilliantly planned murder, it’s all about obsession.

Scotty is obsessed with Madeline, who is seemingly obsessed with a dead woman,  and follows  her around the streets of San Francisco. Midge (Barbara Bel Gettes), an ex-girlfriend, in love with Scotty and obsessed with getting him back, follows him around as he pursues Madeline.

Alfred Hitchcock used a 3-D effect twice in this film. First in the opening scene to illustrate Scotty’s fear of heights when on a rooftop during a police chase. By using a special zoom  feature on the camera lens, perspective distortion  is achieved through trick photography.
This movie does not have a happily ever after ending, but one that is quite chilling and will leave one a bit unsettled. What are your thoughts on this? As we all know, sadly, real life does not always have a fairy tale ending. Is this essential to you when reading a book or do you prefer reading a book where the  hero and heroine, for whatever reasons, do not ride off into the sunset?

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Vertigo Contest

Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Waxwork

A writer must spend a night in a wax museum’s murderer’s gallery to make good a gambling debt knowingly paid with a bad check to a testy Englishman. The museum’s owner is so obsessed with the accuracy of his replicas, he’s as scary as they are. Especially to a US magazine writer who’s already facing deportation or a stretch in a London gaol.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents also known as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour aired on television (1955-1965) on NBC and CBS and was viewed in black and white. As a young and impressionable child, the 30 minute broadcast chilled me to the bone.

They say pictures paint a thousand words because of the unforgettable impression they sketch. The beginning of each episode painted a very vivid picture in my mind. It began with the camera fading in on a simple line drawing caricature of Hitchcock’s rotund profile. As the program’s theme music
Charles Gounod’s Funeral March of a Marionette played, Hitchcock appeared in silhouette from the right edge of the screen, and then walked to center screen to eclipse the caricature.

Hitchcock nearly always began the show with a chilling “Good Evening.” Can you hear it? Can you see it? Does it take you right back? Do you have goose bumps? Even though I was quite young when The Waxwork aired, the figures terrorizing the man locked in the museum left an indelible impression on my memory.

Other than imagery, auditory hallucinations sketch pictures in our heads. Music sets the scene. Think about a scary movie. Right before a murder or something dangerous, the chilling music clues us in and has our hearts racing. When I wrote Her Biggest Fan, a romantic suspense set in stormy New England, I chose Moonlight Sonata to haunt the reader. As you read, you’ll swear you can hear the eerie spiking of piano keys because I have planted them in your head.

Visualizing the wax figures in Hitchcock’s thriller, I created wax gargoyles with wings as props in the ballroom.

Here’s a little teaser. Do you sense the danger? Feel the music crawl beneath your skin?

Tess stood at the entrance, polarized. Goose bumps prickled her flesh. When the icy instrumental of Moonlight Sonata started all over again, she took a step back and gasped. Peering into the massive hall, she stared in disbelief.
On either side of the mahogany bar, standing candelabras gleamed, long white tapers flickering in the dark. Open terrace doors banged in the wind, bringing in the pouring rain. The air carried the mingled scent of jasmine and stale tobacco. Pleated silk drapes billowed out like wings.
Rain puddled the cherry wood floor that once sparkled beneath the mirrored ceiling and crystal chandelier. The ghostly sound of piano keys escalated as Moonlight Sonata played on the old Victrola. And in the center of the room, looking for all the world like guests of honor at a grand masquerade, two wax gargoyles danced cheek to cheek, costumed in feather masks as bizarre as the setting.



HER BIGGEST FAN
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ISBN: 1-60154-813-3

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A few months ago, I held an Alfred Hitchcock contest, asking the following questions

What's your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie of all times?
Which actress in today's Hollywood do you picture playing the role of the perfect femme fatale?
Who do you see playing the role of Tess?

Witchy Woman won and here’s what she had to say.

"It's so hard to pick a favorite, as I'm a huge Hitchcock fan, but I'll have to go with Psycho; besides all the wonderful reasons that people list (and they're all true!), it was the first Hitchcock movie that I ever saw.....and you always have a special place in your heart for your first....:)

Angelina Jolie would do a great job, I think....she's more than proved that she isn't
just another pretty face...."

I see Tess as having a Claire Danes kind of face, if that makes sense....


Congratulations, WW!

SUMMER CONTEST

Considered the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock made 53 films in his 54 year career. For a chance to win a Vertigo Collector’s Edition DVD, try your luck on the trivia quiz. In honor of The Master’s birthday, winner will be announced on August 13th. Good luck!

1. Name all three films that Grace Kelly starred in
2. What was the name of Hitchcock’s first American made film?
3. In which of Hitchcock’s famed cameo appearance does he wear a cowboy hat?
4. What year was The Birds produced?
5. Which model made her debut in The Birds?
6. Who starred in Dial M for Murder, both the male and female leading roles?
7. Name Hitchcock’s first color film
8. Who played in Torn Curtain?
9. Who played Marion Crane in the 1960 original Psycho?
10. How many films did Jimmy Stewart star in?
11. What color did Kim Novak object to wear in Vertigo?
12. What was the name of the restaurant that Scotti first sees Madeline in Vertigo?

Please send answers to
and put Hitch trivia in subject line