LMM pictured here with 'stripper-mom'

Read a recent blog post–and the accompanying comments–about authors who use/rely on tropes.  The upshot was:   TROPES = BAD! FOR SHAME FOR SHAME I KNOW UR NAME! BAD AUTHOR! No Cookehs For U!

Interestingly enough, about the same time that all this took place, I watched the remake of HALLOWEEN–the Rob Zombie directed remake.

U know what I saw?

TROPE CITY, BABY…Read it and weep.

The upshot is, the viewer actually get to SEE how Meyers ended up a 7 ft. tall, slow walking death machine.

Psst!!!  It’s the mask baby THE MASK!  Whenever LMM puts on the mask, he kills.  When he takes off the mask, he doesn’t kill.  Logic would dictate that someone (*lookin’ at u mom*) take the fricken mask away but no one does.

Now, while I have to say this was a really well done remake and while I enjoyed seeing HOW LMM became BMM (Big Michael Meyers), Zombie fell down and went BOOM all over his uh…trope.

Let’s take a look cuz the tropes they abound!

Rob Zombie says, 'Leave that long, haired country boy alone!'

1. Stripper mom: pretty, sweet, loves her poor, misunderstood son but makes bad man choices.  Fails to protect her son because she’s…stripping.

2. Stupid drunk boyfriend of mom (or step-dad – not sure which): Constantly berates LMM because he’s poorly dressed, has long hair and is a 12-13 YO wearing a clown costume for Halloween.  Do not laugh or the child will strap you to your barcaglounger with duct tape and kill yew.

Dude…Should have taken the kid shopping for something better but I guess that broken leg (and ur beer) was in the way.

3. Slutteh sister:  Screws boyfriend Halloween night while mom is at work instead of taking LMM trick or treating like mom told her to.  My CP, Denise, who loves those classic 80’s horror movies, will tell you that the slutty girls always die after secks!

4. Bullehs:  Yes there are bullies who harass LMM about his stripper mom and how they want to do her.  This is accompanied by much lip smacking and while said boys have shorter hair than LMM, they’re dressed no different than he is  (FYI the movie begins in the mid-late 70’s–so pre term-coinage of the phrase affectionately known as ‘MILF’).

I have to admit, I actually felt SORRY for LMM so in that regard, the tropes worked.  At the same time, the writer in me was going, “Uh wow….even Rob Zombie’s not above resorting to tropes. Who knew?!”

Much like the classic slasher/horror movies of the late 70’s and most of the 80’s…the slutteh girls die.  If nothing else, maybe the resurgence of horror remakes will cause more teenage girls to practice abstinence–especially when their little brother is around.

Okay…enough with the funny.  Seriously, where this movie FAILED in the trope dept is…well…it used the tropes? Is using a trope a failure?  I’m thinking….NO, not really.

I think the failure lies in not doing anything different with the trope (and ‘failure’ is probably a rather harsh word so don’t take it literally, Rob).  In Halloween, Rob showed us only a glimpse of why LMM became BMM instead of showing us the whole picture.  Obviously, horny teenagers everywhere have no desire to sit through a recap of BMM entire life story from the day he shat his first diaper.  OTOH, if every kid whose mom was a stripper, sister was a slut and step-dad was a belligerent drunk watched that and said, “OK hey I know my destiny,” the world would be a much emptier place.

When you get down to it, a trope is nothing more (or not that different from) the classic character archetypes and classic archetypes whether they’re the Brooding Alpha Male or Slutteh Sister, are classic because they’re so widely used, so widely recognized that, in a way, we (the viewer/reader) take comfort in them.  We KNOW them as well as we know our own children.  They are so familiar to us that we quickly identify with them.

I think where the trope falls down is when it’s abused.  Yes, Trope Abuse.

So, share with me some authors or movies that abused tropes–and tropes you love.  One of my all-time faves?  The Ugly Duckling.  *sigh*

Well, that’s something the Doris Day movies were usually pretty good for too, weren’t they? Seems to me, Meg and her romantic comedies are very much like an updated version of Doris’s romantic comedies and musicals. Don’t think I ever saw her in Annie Get Your Gun but I had an old cassette tape (remember those?) of it and I could just envision her - she could be so sweet, and so sassy, with a real core of strength. Hmmm, talk about the kind of heroine one of us would write!

And Rock Hudson. The way women drooled over him - and then they found out he was gay. What a shocker! LOL. It proves a good actor can play any role. And of course, in those days, gay roles really weren’t around anyhow.

Pillow Talk - seems to me Doris used to wear those loose flannel PJs, didn’t she? Or did she ever make it into at least a sexy negligee? I really must watch one of those old movies again. A nice treat for a night at home alone with a glass of wine (make that 2 glasses).

As for Diana Gabaldon - yes, I remember reading Outlander. Claire and Jamie were utterly sexy. Before I read the book, I saw Diana at a conference and she read aloud, which made me run out and buy the book, then I heard Claire through Diana’s voice which added even more to the experience. If you ever get the chance to hear Diana talk, grab it!

I don’t know The Faith Club, but do know a number of books are shaking up the way people view religion. Like The Da Vinci Code. I’m just finishing Jodie Picoult’s Change of Heart, which has a priest and others questioning their faith. I highly recommend it - her books are always guaranteed to make me think as well as entertain me (and often make me cry too, so be warned). It’s really interesting - her heroine is a lot like my Rina in She’s on Top. A very curvy brunette with wild hair who thinks she’s fat and unattractive, who finds a very attractive man who thinks she’s gorgeous and wonderful. Like Rina, Maggie was raised by Jewish parents but no longer religious herself - both books even mention the Jewish concept of tikkum olam (essentially, repairing the world through your own good works). Isn’t that an interesting coincidence?

Terrel, I thought Donald Westlake wrote mysteries? Is it the same guy?

Lucinda, thanks for the great compliment.

And to all of you for dropping by. I got up and decided to check the blog and wow, here were a bunch of comments! OK, now I’m caught up and going to have breakfast.

They kind of turn me on. How about you?

Okay I must state up front that I’m sick. I think it’s allergies actually and so my head is really fuzzy and I’m feeling a little…odd. Therefore, the odd post. But let’s continue.

Gordon Ramsey on Hell’s Kitchen. I lurve him. He’s so damn angry and he gets in their faces all the time. I worry about his mental and physical state. Calm down sweetie! No need to get so worked up.

I don’t find him that handsome but there’s so much passion there - I wonder if he’s any good in bed? Yes, these are the random thoughts I have when I watch him go off on some poor whimpering chef…

And well of course, there’s Simon Cowell. That man could criticize me all he wants in bed. Say something like, “That was the most horrible performance I’ve ever seen in my life,” in that sexy, mean as hell accent of his and I’d beg for more. Beg I say!

He could make that face at me and tell me I’m bloody awful and I’d fall at his feet. Seriously!

How about you? You like the sexy mean British bad boys?

Hi all!  And thanks to Shelli and the other naughty gals for having me here today.  You’re doing me a big favour, because I really, really need your help answering a question that plagues so many writers of spicy historical romance.  The question relates to the choice of heroine.  Will it be Virgin, Fallen Woman, or Widow?

I write sensual, Regency-set historical romance.  I like to create that lovely fantasy world, but I also want my stories to have some grounding in the cultural values of the period.  So I’ve got to come up with scenarios that work, both in depicting the period with some degree of accuracy, and in giving me leeway in developing a romantic and sexual relationship between my hero and heroine.  And, trust me—I like the sexy, as do most readers of historicals.  It’s rarely a problem developing erotic scenarios for the heroes of Regency romance.  After all, men could have sex pretty much anytime they wanted, with all sorts of women.  And there’s nothing like a good old fashioned rake to get a girl’s hormones flowing, is there?

mastering_the_marquess_1.jpgBut that’s the easy part.  What about the heroine?  When it came to sex, stakes were high during the Regency—especially for unmarried women.  Lose your reputation, whether you actually had sex or not, and you could be in serious trouble.  No marriage, and unless you had financial independence, you were probably looking at life as a poor relation, or as a servant in a stranger’s household.  A lucky few made a go of it as successful courtesans, but I suspect they weren’t the norm.

So, how to create a heroine in this time period who likes to have sex and can get away with it?  One option is to choose either the courtesan heroine or the merry (or not so merry) widow heroine.  But what if your heroine is a virgin?  How do you come up with scenarios where she can give it up and not get caught—unless, of course, you want her to be!

In my next book, Sex And The Single Earl (coming out in May 2010 from Kensington) my heroine is desperate to get rid of her virginity.  Sophie’s been on the town for several seasons, and she’s starting to feel as if opportunity is passing her by.  And she’s in love—madly in love with the hero, Simon.  But her life is fairly restricted, as it was for many young ladies of her day, so how the heck is she actually going to get the man she loves into bed?

My solution was to rely on that oldie but goodie—friends to lovers.  Simon and Sophie have known each other for years, and he got into the habit of watching out for her long ago.  He’s not really interested in her sexually—at least not initially—but he’s always felt responsible for her.  Sophie’s family trusts him and doesn’t for a moment think he’d ever act improperly.  So why not let them spend time together—lots of time?  What could possible go wrong?  Well, as it happens, lots!

My first book, Mastering The Marquess (still on the shelves), also has a virgin heroine, although she’s older and very independent—both emotionally and financially.  The book I’m currently working on has an experienced widow for a heroine.  I wanted each of these lovely characters to fall in love and lust, and have lots of good, hot sex.  So, each of them needed a scenario that made sense for the both the story and the time period, but also allowed plenty of opportunity for romance with a big dash of spice.  

Now, dear readers.  Here are my questions.  Which types of heroine do you prefer in your historical romance—virgin or experienced woman?  Are there particular stories you feel really lend themselves to a hot, sexy read?  What are they?  Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Mastering The Marquess.

Last Sunday my last living grandparent passed away unexpectedly. Well, about as unexpected as it can be for someone who was nearly 90 years old, I guess, but he was so energetic it came as a shock. Here was a man who still drove his car, barely needed a walker or cane, and was running from horse show to horse show with his “special lady friend” so often her kids joked they needed to make an appointment to see her. He was a busy dude, always on the go.

Grandpa was never without his cowboy hat, a big belt buckle, a pair of cowboy boots, and more often than not, a bolo tie. I used to love to go visit his farm and pick crab apples or play in the horse barn, where he had draft horses, cows, and my personal favorite, the stereotypical barn cat who always seemed to have delivered a litter of kittens just in time for my visit.

He had a great sense of humor and even as a kid, I knew he was a little bit of a jokester just from the twinkle in his eye he got whenever he was trying to pull one over on you. He had this fake monkey puppet (it might’ve been another animal, but monkey sticks in my head for some reason), that he used to try to convince my brother and I was real. He was so sincere and made the monkey’s movements so believable that I could never tell (as a kid) that he was the one making the monkey slowly turn its head to meet my eyes before quickly burying its head back in his shoulder because it “was shy.”

I’ll really miss him, and whenever I have a crab apple or see someone wearing a pair of cowboy boots, I’ll think of him and what a great, kind, wonderful grandfather he was.