Sidebar with a Guest: Is what you see REALLY what you get?

Sex, violence and adventure in a fictionary world.

What's one of the first things you think about when you see an actor or actress who starred in a sexy film? Well, other than 'would they do that with me?' quite a few people probably wonder if they are like the characters they played in real life.

As an author, I write in a number of different genres, some fiction and some non-fiction. In fiction, I tend to write romances, everything from sweet to erotic. And one of the first questions people ask me when they find out what I write: "Have you really done everything you write about in your books?

Well… yes and no.

Yes, I've had sex. Really. Sorry to burst any bubbles, but not all romance writers are frustrated, virginal librarians who are afraid to walk out their front door and experience life. While I like libraries (and librarians--virginal or not), I do walk out my front door quite often to take the dog out to use the … facilities. And I tend to step right into the steaming piles of--life--whether I want to or not.

No, I don't fight shape shifting monsters from another dimension on a regular basis, saving the world from the sex-crazed beasts. However, if I did run across one, I'd suggest they run. I still have room in my yard for more bodies, you know.

And no, I don't use my personal sex life as a blueprint for my erotic novels. I'm really not that exciting. Just my imagination is, although my husband likes to brag that I have to use him to do 'research' frequently. It's a guy thing, I swear!

Angelina Jolie probably doesn't kick everyone's ass chasing after Pandora's Box or the latest doo-dad (although you never know--all those kids can frustrate even the most patient of mothers).

Gerard Butler probably isn't leading a huge band of muscled Roman warriors to war every day. But if he is, I'm the first in line!

The vampires and werewolves shown in the Twilight movies really don't wander around Forks, Washington on a regular basis. Honestly, while I've seen some tourists sport some pretty impressive bling, I have yet to see any sparkling vampires. Werewolves, I am still on the fence over; there was this one guy with a really hairy back down at the beach…

Anyhow, the next time you happen to see Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson or even Shrek wandering down the street, just keep in mind that the characters they play in their movies most likely came from the twisted imagination of someone just like me… or you.

You never know what amazing characters or stories lurk behind the simplest of facades.

________________________________________________________________

Cassidy McKay
(Author of Erotic Romances)
http://www.cassidymckay.com
For hot, spicy romances that will tempt you beyond your boundaries.
Clothing optional. Inhibitions forbidden.

Review of Penelope

"It's not the power in the curse, but the power you give the curse ..." "Billy (Penelope, 2006)

Strong words from a little kid summing up the point of the whole movie. And there is one thing I learned from watching Penelope that I had never realized: I don't care for curse movies. Well, maybe Beauty & the Beast would be okay as it was the Beast himself, through his own actions, that brought it on,. However it is movies like Practical Magic or Penelope where the *ancestor* did bad and future generations must suffer for *their* actions. Hardly seems fair in this case of Penelope that her great, great, great grandfather did something naughty now she, three generations forward, lives daily with a mother who reminds Penelope she is not good enough and she must be fixed.

Penelope, star of the film, was born with the "face of a pig" and because of this no one will have her, either as a friend or lover. Played beautifully by Christina Ricci she takes us through a range of emotions as she looks inside to discover not only her independence, but her true heart. It's what she wants out of life that is important, not what her mother, society or any of the men who rejected her over the years want.

Max is the reluctant hero with a secret. James McAvoy, with his shaggy, straight hair carries his secret to the end of the film, never revealing who he is. He wants to break the curse, but knows he does not have the power within him. He is a hero with problems, one who spends more time at the gambling table than in his own apartment.

"You had to gamble all night?" he gets asked.
"Yeah," Max shrugs, "I still had chips."

He will have to come to terms with his own shortcomings, becoming a better man by the roll of the credits.

This wasn't your typical McAvoy part. There was no angst here as seen in some his period pieces though the hero's melancholy, as he realizes he wants something he can never have and his decision to live with that decision, shows depth not seen in the other characters of this movie. His noble gesture was Max's privilege to carry. He wanted Penelope, cared for her, yet walked away because he did not have the power to break the curse and set her free. That's what makes him the hero. He is silly in parts, singing and playing instruments, loyal as he defends Penelope, and horribly in pain as he starts to rebuild his life:

"You inspired me," he tells Penelope. ...inspired him to become the man he wanted to be, the man he really was.

The movie is love story where everyone needed to speak up a little sooner. However, when regrets are left behind we find ourselves with the happily ever after when the curse is broken and just about everyone finds what they were seeking.

Spoiler Alert! I want One.

This has got be be one of the most perfect posters/t-shirts for a site that talks about movies. If you don't want to see the film, just check out the poster hanging in your office!