Saturday, April 26, 2014

A Rant: Hobbits, Women, and Orlando Bloom

Last December, a review of the second Hobbit film "The Desolation of Smaug" ran in a local paper. It was no different than any of a thousand other Hobbit movie reviews, until I came to this line:

"… and the return of Orlando Bloom as elf Legolas. Now, besides hairy-footed hobbits and bushy-bearded dwarfs, women have a reason to get excited about this trilogy."

Excuse me?!

I didn't know I needed a reason to get excited over this latest trilogy. Silly me, I thought watching all of the previous trilogy (extended editions, no less!) and reading Tolkien's books was reason enough.

But, it turns out, I was wrong.

Because clearly I, as a woman, couldn't possibly be interested in any other aspect of these movies.


Not the richly detailed world. Not the story of an unlikely hero finding his courage and saving the day. Not the mind-blowing scenery of New Zealand or special effects. Certainly not the acting chops of some of the UK's most talented character actors (most of whom I'd have few other chances to watch here in the US). And of course I wouldn't be interested in a dragon!

Because clearly the only thing that could possibly make my girly little synapses fire is a so-called* pretty face.


It's not like I could possibly watch a movie for several hours without Hollywood's idea of eye candy to keep my attention. And I couldn't possibly find any of the other male actors compelling by virtue of their screen presence or acting ability.**

Because clearly I couldn't have been devouring fantasy books since I was old enough to read.


And I certainly couldn't make weekly trips to my library to find *more* fantasy and sci-fi books to inhale.

Because clearly women aren't interested in sci-fi and fantasy. Right?

* No offense intended to Orlando Bloom, who seems like a nice guy.
** Two words: Lee Pace.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN Cover Reveal!

I'm thrilled to present the cover of LAST NIGHT IN GHOSTTOWN, by the talented Diogo Lando:


Dev is a soldier, come to Ghosttown to drown his sorrows for one night before deploying to a war zone across the galaxy. He didn't expect to meet Rishi, a fugitive with a shadowy past, or get drawn into a whirlwind of colorful festivals and even more colorful strangers, of mysterious gemstones and missing princes. And his last night in Ghosttown will leave him forever changed...
Learn more at the official page from Eggplant Productions:
http://eggplantproductions.com/e-books/last-night-ghosttown-kathryn-mckade/

Or add to your GoodReads shelf!

Can't wait? Here's a taste:

Ghosttown: slum, theme park, and holy city all in one. The last place in the galaxy I should've been. I was due on base today--a flashing notice in the bottom left corner of my vision told me so, like I could forget it--and I could still make a transpod back if I hauled ass. If my CO and the other brass decided I'd gone AWOL, they'd hunt me down and have this new arm off me before I could blink.

Turn back now. Only smart thing to do. Instead, I stepped into Ghosttown.

Many thanks to Diogo Lando for the amazing cover art! Check out more of his work at his website: http://www.diogolando.com