Mariposa's Musings

I'm pleased to announce Brandy B as the winner of a free copy of Howl. There's still a chance to win a copy of Howl through the LASR Scavenger Hunt.

Please join with me in welcoming Beth Caudill. Tell me about yourself. How long have you been writing? I’m a stay-at-home mom of two boys living in central North Carolina with my husband. I’ve been writing fantasy and paranormal short stories since 2005 when I discovered Kelley Armstrong’s Online Writing Group Forum . Writers could get chapter critiques and there were challenges to get the creative juices flowing. I no longer have time to keep up with the group but I really enjoyed my time there. I serve on the Board of my local RWA chapter Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. I currently have three short stories available at The Wild Rose Press and a novella from Whispers Publishing. You can read excerpts and reviews of my stories at my website . You've been really busy. How did the inspiration for Healer’s Fate come to you? Most of my stories start from a single scene I’ve imagined or dreamed. For Healer’s Fate, I started thinking about how werewolves would throw a...

“…his hideous howl a dirge of death.” Tagline from The Wolf Man (1941) Even with its debut following the attack on Pearl Harbor, The Wolf Man became Universal Picutres’ largest grossing movies of the season. The script had the working title of Destiny. While fate was key to the plot, audiences were captivated by romantic tension between the nobleman, Larry Talbot and Gwen Conliffe, an antique dealer’s daughter The Wolf Man established much of the werewolf lore that would appear in later novels and movies such as: · Transformation triggered by the full moon · A werewolf bite dooms the victim to become a werewolf · Werewolves can only be killed by silver · Werewolves revert to human form upon death Due to the popularity of the Wolf Man, Universal had Lon Chaney Jr. portray Larry Talbot in four more films, including Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1943) Fun Facts The “wolf” Larry Talbot fights was Lon Cha...

I'm chatting about Howl this week with the Chicks of Characterization . Come by and see me!

In 1906 Creighton Chaney arrived in the world nearly stillborn after a difficult delivery. His father, Lon Chaney, revived him by plunging him into the frigid waters of Belle Isle Lake. Young Chaney later made his debut at the age of six months as a prop in his father’s stage act. Chaney worked as a stunt man and extra under his given name. When he realized studios were more receptive to him as the son of Lon Chaney, he used the name Lon Chaney Jr. professionally. As the Wolf Man, Chaney Jr.’s transformation was an arduous four-hour process while the gradual changes in his make-up were made and filmed. The removal of the layers of yak hair and make-up took a painful 45 minutes. Though Chaney Jr.’s character perishes at the end of The Wolf Man, the popularity of the character caused Universal to resurrect the werewolf to live again in four more movies. With a career that spanned nearly four decades and included more than 150 film credits, Chaney J...

I'm in the spotlight at Pam Thibodeaux's blog today http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/ I met Pam at The Wild Rose Press Writers Conference in Bandera, TX. She is a gracious author on-line and in person. Stop by and visit!

“Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make.” Bela Lugosi as Dracula (1931) Long before Robert Pattinson appeared in Twilight, audiences were captivated by Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Dracula. Known for his versatility as an actor, Lugosi toured with the National Theater of Budapest until political unrest forced him to flee the country in 1919. Learning his lines phonetically, the Hungarian actor honed his characterization of the legendary count during 500 performances in the 1927 Broadway production of Dracula. Due to the death of Lon Chaney, Lugosi was selected for the role of Dracula. Lugosi did his own make-up for the 1931 film. Audiences were entranced by Lugosi’s European accent and aristocratic presence. At one point, he reportedly received as much fan mail from the ladies as Clark Gable. Lugosi would appear in more than 100 films primarily in the roles of vampires, werewolves, ghouls and mad scientists. He was one of the cha...

This week I'm thrilled to be chatting about Howl at Naughty Novelist s http://www.cheriedesues2.com/naughty-novelists.html I love the title of her site, don't you? Leave a comment for the chance to win a copy of Howl. Hope to see you there!

The silent film start began his career in 1913 as an extra at Universal Studios earning $3.00 per day. Chaney faithfully brought his leather make-up kit each day so he could play any character the studio needed. Chaney played over 150 different roles from 1913 to 1930. He later wrote the article on move make-up featured in the 1929 Encyclopedia Britannica. Chaney said of his diverse roles, "The parts I play point out a moral. They show individuals might have been different if they had been given a different chance." Chaney often took incredible measures to create his characters. For his sole vampire role in London After Midnight (1927) he inserted fish hooks in his cheeks and used wire around his eyes to achieve a corpse-like leer. Chaney pulled back his eyes and nose with spirit gum and used cotton and collodian to broaden his cheeks in order to create the Phantom's skeletal appearance for Phantom of the Opera (1925). Chaney wore a 50 pound hump to portra...