Elliot Anderson (played by Kevin Costner) has already lost his daughter when she was giving birth to her daughter, Eloise. The fact that the baby’s father is black does not matter to him or his wife. That little girl is their grand baby. Plain and simple. The father however is a crack addict that could care less about his gurkfriend’s death, let alone the birth of his daughter. Together Elliot and his wife raise Eloise until she is 7 years old when tragedy strikes Elliot’s life once more when his wife is killed in a car accident. Suddenly Elliot is left to care for a 7 year old girl while trying to hold his grief in check. He has been drinking nonstop since his daughter died and now with his wife gone, it has only gotten worse.
Now in steps Rowena (played by Octavia Spencer-u may know her from the movie The Help as the s**t pie maker-another great movie to check out by the way). Rowena is the other grandmother of Elolise. Since Elliot’s wife is gone, she wants custody of Eloise. Wants her to be around the “dark” side of the family. Elliot is not about to lose a third female in his life so starts a custody trial.
During the course of this, Eloise’s father, Reggie, comes back around and Elliot, despite his knowledge of the lowlife Reggie, tries to connect his granddaughter with her father. But Reggie is still on a crash course with drugs. A path that his sister, Rowena, refuses to see.
Rowena’s case is loosely built on the opinion that Elliot has a problem with black people when in fact, it is just Reggie because of his actions. Right before the day the decision about custody, Reggie comes to get money from Elliot. $50,000 and he will go away forever. A fight ensues and Elliot nearly drowns while Reggie goes up to his sleeping daughter’s room. He finds photos of Elliot’s daughter on the wall and a drawing Eloise has made that brings him to tears. Running outside, Reggie sees Elliot in the pool and saves his life.
At the trial, things drastically change. Reggie decides to get help, Rowena decides to leave Eloise with Elliot, and Elliot decides to get help with his drinking. Eloise is to stay with Rowena for a few weeks while Elliot learns how to “breathe” again but not before Rowena gives him a big hug.
With all of the horrible things going on about racism and hate and killing, it was nice to see a movie that reminds you that no matter what, black or white, people are just people. There are good and bad in every race. And I just think, what if we could just look beyond the color of other’s skin and saw each other for what they are-people with hopes and dreams just like us? What if we could just see people as people and not as black or white? It’s nice to know that some of us do. That means there is still hope for everyone else.
This week I have C.D. Hersh on my blog and their book, Son of the Moonless Night. This is the third book in the Turning Stone Chronicles. This newly released book has everything. Fantasy, romance, suspense, and most of all, believable characters. And the cover is absolutely breathtaking. This book is definitely worth picking up today! Please take a moment and read more about this book and the wonderful C.D. Hersh below. Enjoy!
A. What made you decide to become a writer?
Catherine became a paid writer because she thought she could write as well as the reporter in the local paper. So she wrote an article, which they accepted, gratis. Then she managed to get a job as a freelance reporter for that paper. While writing non-fiction, she decided to pursue fiction, which she had written, but never published, since she had been a teenager. Donald on the other hand, had written what is now called “Fan Fiction” off and on over the years. But with a day job, and writing technical manuals, he wanted to relax at home. After we began writing plays and skits together for church, Catherine gave him a romance novel she thought was good. Donald couldn’t finish the book because he said the male was unbelievable to a man. We decided to take a whack at writing romance as co-authors. The rest is history.
B. What gives you the most inspiration to write?
Deadlines, because there are so many other things we like to do that we need the deadlines to put our butts in the seats.
C. Who are some of your favorite authors?
We like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Tolkien, Stan Lee, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Diana Gabaldon.
D. If you had a soundtrack to go along with your book, what songs would best tell the story?
We have no idea about soundtrack songs, but the music would be in a minor key with a dark overtone from stringed instruments. Some places would be very fast paced, and there would be sections with melodic, sensual, and sad movements. Something like the sound track from Doctor Zhivago, which we just realized in describing the music. Thank you.
E. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
No matter what genre you want to write in you have to learn the craft. Find out what organizations are out there that represent the genre you want to write in and go to the conferences or meetings. Get together with other writers of the same cloth and help each other. Ultimately, you have to make your own decisions on your work. Looking at the writing of others will help you grow as a writer. Last you should just keep writing. Get the ideas out on paper or in the computer so you can share them.
F. If you could have any super power of your choosing, what would it be?
Donald would want to fly like superman, not like some of our characters who have to change into hawks. Catherine would like super speed so she could clean the house really quick and eat anything she wanted since she would be burning so many calories.
Can’t Find A Good Book?
Hello every one. Are you looking for that one great book? That one that grabs you and pulls in you so close that there is no way you can seperate yourself from it until the very end, until you turn that last page? Can’t find it? Well I know a place that has just what you are searching for. It’s Soul Mate Publishing. Whether you are in the mood for a suspenseful thriller that give you the chills, a historical romance that will sweep you away or even an otherworldly sci-fi adventure, or something entirely different and unique, Soul Mate Publishing has over 25 different genres to choose from. And with tons of talented writers, you are bound to find that one, elusive book. The one that you just can’t put down. So stop on by and start searching for your newest adventure. Enjoy!
Hi everybody. I love watching movies. Romance, action, comedy, thriller, drama, sci-fi. It doesn’t matter what genre it is as long as it’s good. And Insurgent (the 2nd in the Divergent series) fits the bill. It’s got everything a person could want in a movie. Action, suspense, romance, great actors (including a very delectable Four/Tobias) and many “Oh-my-gosh,-I-can’t-believe-that” moments. If you are a fan of Twilight, Hunger Games, and Divergent, do yourself a favor and check this movie out. You won’t be disappointed. Enjoy!
Hi everyone. Do you love cherries, brownies, and cheesecake? Then your gonna love this. Enjoy!
Line a 9×13″ pan with tin foil and spray with cooking spray — this makes for easy clean up. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs and whisk until combined.
Add flour, cocoa and salt and stir until combined. Batter will be thick.
Spread half (or just over half) of the batter into the bottom of the pan.
With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar until smooth (it might be thin — that’s okay).
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter. Top with spoonfuls of cherry pie filling.
Drop spoonfuls of remaining brownie batter on top of the pie filling. You won’t be able to spread the brownie batter, you will just try to cover a good amount (but certainly all) of the filling with the batter. Smooth out the batter somewhat or try to swirl as desired, or just leave it alone!
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, until center appears set. Note that your brownies might still have a little jiggle to them — this is because of all of that gooey deliciousness below.
Let cool to room temperature before cutting. They will cut more easily if refrigerated for a few hours.