First Word

All right I'm going to protest because frankly this episode's opening of Jason and Eric hooking up (sorry for spoiler) was just plain ole gratuitous! It was the chance to get hunk no. #1 and hunk no. #2 naked, and it offered no other value to the story line. Why (and maybe they will explain later) they had the vamp sex connection with a vampire in which if my memory serves me at all they never exchanged V ... no clue and really turned off. I don't mind sex in context. I do MIND when it's just a sex scene to serve nothing apparent. That said, the teacher (again sorry for spoiler) literally disintegrating between Arlene's thighs was almost too priceless and a great campy scene a la classic True Blood . Shall we take that as one massive and bloody menstrual cycle (wink from the writers maybe)? And did Eric have the disease or not? I was a little confused but I think he did ... which for the final season explains where Eric is headed or not headed; but I would still...

True Blood -- Season 7 Episode 1: Vulture I was hugely disappointed last season with the show's declining writing after creator Alan Ball changed directions and left the series in the hands of the other directors and writers. As this season opened I was also a little apprehensive with the prospects of the "zombie-vamp" mutation story. But as the show began with an explosive slaughter of humans, and the fates of some show favorites like Arlene and Holly on the line, I was quickly absorbed into it. I liked the way they got back to basics with Sookie being able to read the entire "accusing" citizens' minds as they blamed the "vampire whore" for inviting this havoc upon them. The show had deviated so far off her fairy powers in connection to citizens in recent years it lost a little of its humanity. The intensity of the opening scene though immediately invited you in for an absorbing episode where we find Andy and Vampire Bill on the hunt to fin...

Welcome back my campy True Blood characters as June 22nd marks the beginning of the end of this truly unique vampire show that even from a non-vampire lover such as I managed to be absorbed  season after season. I have read that the sexy Viking vamp Eric Northman as played by the red-hot Alexander Skarsgard (my future daughter-in-law and I had quite a conversation about sexy men, and we had a mutual meeting of the minds that Skarsgard AKA Skarscandy wins! Well, she did have an admiration for Tatum Channing, which I can feel her on). I did ask Kirk for a hall pass should I run into Skarsgard and his eyes narrowed and he scoffed, "No! You're too pretty! He would probably go for it." LMAO ... maybe ... ;). Last season sadly went down the tubes as creator and executive producer (and master storyteller) Alan Ball stepped down and his directing team and head writers stepped up. The story line took on this discriminatory hate theme that ended with our favorite vamps locked aw...

Spoiler alert : some people hate spoilers so don't read this if you haven't seen the True Blood Season 6 Finale. Now I don't usually write spoilers, but hey! They made my favorite character Eric Northman catch fire in Sweden while he sunbathed. Many of you maybe wondering if he really died or not since we didn't actually see his demise into a pile of goo. I'm thinking our show's writers kept that window of possibility open that they did not kill off this immensely popular character played by the sexy Alexander Skarsgård. As for the rest of the finale ... sorry fan boys and girls! Ugh, it was absolutely terrible. The six-month later shift felt wrong. It was more like what? What? And what? Sookie and Alcide? Really ? When did that happen again? And I thought Eric had glamoured Alcide (season 5) into zero romantic interest in Sookie. Now Sam is mayor and Arlene owns Merlotts? What? Huh? And the most important question, why? Oh, and now we have a rapidly spreadi...

I am an avid True Blood fan. This year, the show's creator Alan Ball stepped down for season six. I've been so busy I have yet to watch any of the show's trailers. I have no idea how Ball's absence will affect the show and the storytelling. I've always said Ball is a savant storyteller whose attention to details throughout the seasons is unsurpassed. I will find it curious if the storytelling takes a dive or manages to maintain at the level and quality of a Ball series. If any of you do more than just watch TV shows but study them for dialog and storytelling then I'm sure you're aware of Ball's massive gifts. He is also the show creator of Six Feet Under , which is another well-done show that I never missed an episode. Now we are on season six of True Blood , and last year's cliffhanger left us with Bill gone crazy transforming into "Billith" all covered in red blood and goo. Billith made some dinosaur-like shriek and prepared to pursue ...

It's the shocker of the decade ... I actually missed last Sunday's episode of True Blood and didn't see it until last night. A day before the next episode. I was traveling without access to HBO! Oh man! Total withdrawal ;). All right so let's get down to business here. What did I think of episode 7? Well, I am loving the vampire storyline for sure. The "V" trip on Lilith's blood was excellent. The vampire feeding frenzy in the New Orleans club where the betrothed sang "You Light Up My Life" absolutely priceless. Just hearing that awful song -- perfect -- and then Russell Edgington jumping on stage just rocked it. The rest of the episode I have to sadly say whatever. Sookie realizing she can deplete her magic to be human ... whatever. Sam chasing criminals ... whatever. Werewolf wars ... whatever. I did like Tara's humanity showing with her relationship with her mother, and Pam's coaxing that in 100 years she wouldn't even remember th...

Wow! I must be totally devoted, tireless or just nuts ... I am not up to posting this blog at all ;). But here I go anyway. Last night, my favorite show True Blood episode three aired. I've loved this season very much, but now I have to say the part of the story that just was sort of the "ew" factor: the chancellor bedded three men in one night. Who exactly was the whore in that episode? Pam who slept with Eric and actually displayed genuine affection or the chancellor who bedded Bill, Eric and the supreme one whatever his name is? Mind you, the chancellor is drop-dead gorgeous (obviously) and quite seductive (obviously), but here is the slang for that: really ? And the "sloppy seconds" comment from Bill, hilarious, poor taste and true. What about that just didn't work for me? Story lines working just fine: Jason comes to his sexual reckoning that maybe he did have a big "hole" that he was unsuccessfully trying to fill with sex. His ability to ove...

I am telling you, Season 5 of True Blood is hitting them right out of the ballpark. Finally! Instead of focusing on non-vampire-related story lines, Alan Ball reigned it back in. Now we're cooking with bloody good, silver-infused torture! Oh yeah baby rock that storyline with the Authority and torture no less. What creative and demented minds came up with the silver concoction to torture vamps into submission? Yeah, you writers knock yourselves out. I am duly impressed. Now add the nice touch of finally filling in the blank of how Pam and Eric Northman met in San Francisco, 1905, and you've just got this one being hit out of the ballpark. Anything Pam and Eric ... all good. Now follow this up with Tara's insane outrage at having been turned against her will, and you've just got the makings for a fantastic, hyper-fueled romp into True Blood land. I had driven home last night after nearly eight hours in the car and not feeling well, but I tell you this episode managed t...

Just got a notice in on a great spoiler alert that Season 5 of my all-time favorite vamp series True Blood will focus more on the vamps! Well good thing! I was starting to think they should call it True Witch Craft or True Maenads or whatever. Too much time got spent on the oh-so-whiney and not-very-interesting Marnie, the disenfranchised witch and memory stealer. So glad she's gone! Who liked her anyway? She wasn't even a sexy witch like Samantha! Somebody said she was supposed to be a woman in her forties. Hey people! I'm in my forties, and I thought Marnie looked more like she was pushing 60. Just my opinion anyway. So, back to the vamps! Yes, Alan Ball is giving us some much-needed vamp time, and I am absolutely positive that newly turned baby vamp Steve Newlin is sure to stir up loads of trouble. I can imagine he'll be all icky sweet topped with a heaping of hateful and vicious. He was a big hater before now imagine what he'll do as a self-empowered vamp on a...

I noticed on Skarsgardnews that my resident favorite vampire Eric Northman on True Blood got voted in the top 10 favorite vampires. As I have more than amply said, the Viking is my favorite character from 2011 and possibly one of my favorite all-time characters. I also smiled over the reference that he is the best vampire in a track suite, too. I guess unlike Dracula, his tastes in men's fashions don't involve a cape. Well, I do think I should point out that he likes to spend a lot of time in racer-back T-shirts and tanks too. If we're going to critic the wardrobe, my favorite outfits appeared in Season 3 when he dons various Talbot-influenced garbs including the oh-so-popular blue-green sweater and the famous brown-stripped shirt he ultimately disrobes from to reveal, a-hem, his very nice body when he seduces and kills Talbot. Hey, do you suppose Talbot's choices in designer clothes has anything to do with his name and the famous women's clothing store? Hmm ... I...

One thing I can say about Tumblr and the fan sites is that they are very keen observers of True Blood , the vampire series created by genius storyteller Alan Ball. I fell in love with Alan Ball's work the first time I was introduced to it via the film American Beauty, which I quoted Lester Burnham in my first book Second Bloom . Here is one of the most precious quotes (thank you Alan Ball): "Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst... And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life ... You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry... you will someday." He then created another one of my all-time favorites TV series Six Feet Under , which I own all the DVDs and occasionally revisit well-tread epis...

I wish I could remember all of the fantastic one liners and dialog I pick up on my favorite shows. I don't notice one liners in books so much. Maybe because I can't hear them said aloud. Well, the show that shines with a plethora of fantastic one-liners is True Blood . I know you all know it's one of my favorites, and the throw-away lines have a little something to do with it. So I thought for fun, and since it's Saturday, I would post a list of my top favorites. See if you like them too. Pam to Arlene's kids: “You make me so happy I never had any of you.” Eric: “Now come on, Pam, they're funny. They're like humans, but miniature -- teacup humans.” ( This is my favorite one-liner of all time on the show ). Eric: "Is there blood in my hair?" Lafayette: "I... I don't know. I can't see in this light." Eric: "How about now?" Lafayette: "Y... yeah t... there's a little bit of blood in there, yeah." ...

As a book coach (yes, 3L Publishing provides coaching services), I am working with a client who is writing a romantic fantasy book. As I was coaching her, I noticed she ran right into a problem with her love interests. She had them immediately bonding and kissing within pages of their initial encounter. After having written my first contemporary romance books California Girl Chronicles , I had stumbled across this great piece on writing sexual tension. When I pointed out to my author there was 12 steps, she was surprised. She didn't know there was so much involved in creating sexual tension between characters. But haven't you ever wondered why you're on the edge of your seat, demanding your favorite love interests get on with it already? It's an emotionally manipulative process for sure, but nothing wrong with that. So with a big acknowledgment to where this material originates from, here is the "12 Steps to Intimacy" written by Nancy Odell and reposted as ...