FAVORITES - MARGARET TANNER

FAVORITE PLACE FOR AN AUSSIE ON HOLIDAY

 What can I say?  All the razzle dazzle, flashing lights and excitement, we loved it.

We stayed in the older part of Las Vegas at a casino called the Four Queens in Fremont Street. Unbeknown to us there is what they call the Fremont Experience every night. A domed roof that was several hundred yards long was the venue for an incredibly colourful laser show. There was music, bands, performers and people walking around dressed as Elvis Presley, Batman, Superman, Mary Poppins, Dracula and heaps of other well known characters. Not forgetting the show girls, decked out in their skimpy costumes, fans and feathers. It was amazing, bus loads of tourist came down every night to see the display, but we were right in the thick of it, standing at our hotel door.

 

Many of the casinos on Las Vegas Boulevard - The Strip, have themes. We visited Paris Las Vegas which was very French with a giant Eiffel Tower as the main feature. You could actually take a ride right to the top, but for us unfortunately, it was too windy, so we missed out. Someone told us that the Eiffel tower here was exactly 1/3 the size of the Eiffel Tower in France, but it was still a huge structure. While we were there I bought the most decadent French pastry I have ever eaten. It was to die for.

New York New York, was another interesting casino, Circus Circus was actually like being at the circus, we were only there for a short time, but watched a world class juggling act. Hubby won $100 on the poker machines so he was happy. I wanted to stay and keep trying our luck there because he was on a winning streak, but he grabbed his money and ran. Another very interesting themed casino was Treasure Island, and the name truly said it all. It really did look like an island from one of Robert Louis Stevenson’s books, pirate ship and all.

We went through the Bellagio, luxury personified. Unfortunately, this poor Aussie author didn’t have enough pennies in the piggy bank to be able to afford to stay there.

Did I mention the shopping? Wow. So cheap. We had to buy an extra suitcase to bring home all the goodies that we bought.

All in all we had a wonderful time. The only downside was the trip home, talk about the flight from hell. We were diverted to Sydney because the plane was running low on fuel, then after sitting on the tarmac for an hour, a passenger became ill and had to be rushed off in an ambulance, then security stepped in because the passenger’s luggage was on board and he no longer was.  Three hours later it was all sorted out, and we took off and headed home, but Las Vegas was and always will be one of my favorite places.

 Margaret is an award winning Australian author who writes Australian Historical Romance and Western Historical Romance.
Savage Possession published by Books We Love.

A sweeping tale of love's triumph over tragedy and treachery in frontier Australia.

A mistaken identity opens the door for Martin Mulvaney to take his revenge on the granddaughter of his mortal enemy.

An old Scottish feud, a love that should never have happened, and a series of extraordinary coincidences trap two lovers in a family vendetta that threatens to destroy their love, if not their lives.

 http://amzn.com/B008EL0FTI

 

 

Website: http://www.margarettanner.com/

 

 

Holiday Books? Who has time to read them? (An oldie but goody re-post!)

I'm totally going off (manu)script here. Our theme this month is supposed to be favorite holiday romance books, but I have to confess I don't have one. I don't think I have ever even read a holiday-based romance novel.

But holiday FILMS are another matter entirely. So I snuck off to Amazon to see if my favorite romantic Christmas movies are available as books.

Of course #1 is It's a Wonderful Life. There is no need to tout that film's virtues, but it wasn't ever a book. A Christmas Story isn't a romance. White Christmas is a romance, but it's not a book. And Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has a couple of romantic subplots, but they aren't the point of that story. The Holiday was, again, not a book.

Hmm. Well... One of my adult daughters told me her favorite Christmas movie is now Love Actually. Really? The one with the porn star stand-ins?

Not to brag, but my daughter is pretty sharp. And she was an English major in college. So I rented the film and re-watched it a couple years ago. I was stunned. I cried through the whole dang film! So many poignant romances all neatly packaged into one interwoven storyline? Brilliantly done!

Next question: was it ever a book? Um. Sort of.

If you go by the terminology that a script is called a book, as in actors are asked to memorize their lines and get "off book" during rehearsals, then yes. Love Actually is that kind of book. And it's a romance. It's a dozen romances. So I looked up the writer.

Er, author.

Richard Curtis is a British screenwriter, music producer, actor and film director, known for romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and The Girl in the Café. Not a bad resume.

Er, backlist.

Okay. I'm totally cheating here. I own that. But if you have never seen the film, or saw it years back and were put off by a couple of the storylines, I urge you to watch it again. Yes, there are half-nude actors standing in for a porn film. But listen to their dialog - it's priceless. Especially the naked hero's comment after asking his set-mate on a date: "That was the most embarrassing thing I've ever done."

A recent widower calls his stepson "Ye wee motherless bastard" and we know the bond between them is growing stronger.

And there is the young man who, after having no success with women in England, steps into an unbelievable fantasy in Wisconsin. Compared to some of the other, heavier stories it's a relief to just giggle at this one.

And near the end when you hear the line "Just in cases," think of me. I'll be going on my fourth Kleenex by then.

So what does this have to do with writing? Everything. This screenplay, er, book, gives us an excellent example of how we can impart true emotion without dumping tons of back story explanations on the reader. It's lean. It's precise. We learn exactly what we need to know as we go along. Nothing more. And nothing less. And the way the different stories are seamless connected is a sign of genius. We should all aspire to write that well.