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Dahlia DeWinters - Author

Quirky Heroines, Happy Endings

Must See Events for October

Greetings all and Happy October!

hello-october

Over here in New Jersey, USA, it’s hurricane season, which means the winds are blowing and the skies are deliciously overcast. Rain falls, mist gathers and there’s fog in the mornings. A perfect start to October, wouldn’t you say?

So what are these must see events, you’re asking? With no further ado, let’s get the list going.

Black Speculative Fiction Month

Speculative fiction: (according to Wikipedia):
Speculative fiction is a broad category of narrative fiction that includes elements, settings and characters created out of imagination and speculation rather than based on reality and everyday life. It encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism.[1][2][3] It typically strays strongly from reality and so may feature fictional types of beings like mythical creatures and supernatural entities, technologies that do not exist in real life like time machines and interstellar spaceships, or magical or otherwise scientifically inexplicable elements. The term’s popularity is sometimes attributed to Robert Heinlein, who referenced it in 1947 in an editorial essay, although there are prior mentions of speculative fiction, or its variant “speculative literature”.

Easy enough, right?  This is by no means a complete list, just something to get you started.

Good Reads LIst – Black Speculative Fiction

 

Speculative Fiction by Authors of Color

Black Women Horror Writers

 

Colors in Darkness Halloween Event

This is the second year of the mighty successful Halloween Party from last year.

cid-halloween-party-2016

 

You’ve got to attend.  And why not?  It’s going on the whole weekend.  At least stop by to have a little fun.

Click the pic to be taken to the event.

Black Girl Magic Lit Mag’s ALL HORROR ISSUE will hit the virtual stands on October 15, 2016.  Don’t miss getting your copy!

 

 

Charred Remains Horror Trivia 2016:

Char of Charred Remains Treat for Trivia Horror Game. Beginning end of September through October 31st. A test of player’s horror knowledge. High scores will win prizes. Game rules on www.charredremainsreviews.com

Six week event!

 

Click this link to be taken to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1145943362142469/

 

Blogtoberfest, my yearly fun of things scary, creepy and Halloweeny, is now located at darkindigohearts.com.  Click the pic to be taken there!

blogtoberfest-banner-2016

 

 

 

 

Looks like this October will be a busy one!

 

Dahlia

 


Filed Under: Blogtoberfest, Uncategorized Tagged: black geek girls, black girl nerd, black girl nerds, black speculative fiction, black women in horror, blogtoberfest, colors in darkness, dahlia dewinters, female geek bloggers, halloween, Halloween fun, horror, trivia

Blogtoberfest – Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Good Lord.
Good Lord.

In another life, I was an elementary school teacher, which meant nearly every holiday was a par-tay.  Valentine’s Day parties were the most stressful, because, as a teacher, you really had to sit on the “who likes whom” bit and keep it all nice and friendly.  Christmas was nice, but the overabundance of cookies was a little much.  The party that hit the perfect spot (besides the end of school party) was Halloween.

Between the Halloween-themed worksheets, coloring sheets, Halloween parade and Charlie Brown, the whole day was a whirlwind of costumes and candy.  The best part for me, and I hope the class, was when I read from Scary Stories to Read in the Dark.  First of all, take a look at this cover.  It’s the stuff of nightmares, sorry.  I’d keep the book face down on the desk if I had a softcover, and remove the dustjacket if I were using a hardcover that year.

Jeez.
Jeez.

Note.  Yes, I do write about zombies, but only before 2 pm. I’ll tell you a little story – when I was editing Loving Among the Dead, my first zombie book, I stayed up late at night, making sure everything was super scary and ended up giving myself nightmares!  So now, yeah, early afternoon is as far as I”ll go with working, watching or reading scary stuff!

Back to the the main story.  There is a story in the book called “The Big Toe” and it ends with a jump scare.  The story goes like this:  A boy digs in the garden and finds a big toe. He takes it to his father and the father cuts the toe up into three pieces so the family can have something to eat.  Later in the evening, a voice comes ’round saying “Who’s got my toooooooe?  Who’s got my tooooooooe?”

 

 

I would walk around the classroom repeating Who’s got my toooooooe? in a spooky voice until I jumped at one child and yell:  “YOU’VE GOT IT!”  The resounding screams, well, now I know a little of how satisfied Alfred Hitchcock felt when audience screamed during the shower scene in Psycho.

So, pick up the book.  There are three of them, but the first one has the best stories and weirdest drawings.  Like this one:

 

scary-stories-to-tell-in-the-dark-3
She cut off her nose to….SPIDERFACE!!!

 

Pleasant dreams!

 

D


Filed Under: Blogtoberfest, Uncategorized Tagged: black geek girls, black girl nerd, blerd, blogtoberfest, dahlia dewinters, fall harvest, geek girl, halloween, scary stories, writer

Gotham Recap – The Mask

Fish, to her Friends
Fish, to her Friends

 

Note:  This is a quick slapdash, done on the fly.  It most definitely contains errors, which will be fixed in the future.  Thanks, though, for reading!

The episode opens with some men in Wall Street clothes, fighting in an office where the lights are flickering. It’s pretty brutal and they are beating the crap out of each other using office supplies. The w

inner hacks the loser with the blade from a paper cutter, the likes of which I haven’t seen in ages.

Body on the docks. Nygma has all the answers and pulls a thumb out of the dead man’s mouth. Eck.

Penguin stops some rich broad on the street and says she has a very nice brooch, and asks for it. Yeah. Next scene he’s giving the brooch to Fish and they seem to be playing nice with each other, but we know that’s a sham.

Fish uses the pin from the brooch to stab Penguin in the hand and licks the blood off the end. Go, FISH! She also tells Penguin that he’d

Penguin blood is sweeeeeet
Penguin blood is sweeeeeet

better hope that Falcone keeps in good health.

Finally, Bruce going to school. He couldn’t stay in that house forever. I can’t see Alfred being a huge advocate of hiding away and homeschooling.

At a loss to do with the brooch, Penguin gives it to his mother. She opens her arms and pushes her chest out, saying “Pin in on!” We are saved from another creepy moment when she exclaims over his injury. After hearing the story, she says she, too was bullied by a girl in school and ended up reporting her and her family to the Secret Police. Mama Penguin is gangsta!

Gordon and Bullock at a black market doctor who has apparently treated these Gordon Gekko Fight Club folks. Gordon arrests him because of the link between the doctor and the dead body. Cops don’t like that, but Gordon is playing hardball.

Sigh. Gordon goes home. Drunk Barbara waiting for him with gun drawn. She’s still scared of Zsasz, blah blah. Guess she’s not scared of a little vodka tho. Eh, I have tried with Barbara. I don’t like her character.

At least we have cheese with her whine....
At least we have cheese with her whine….

character. She’s wishy washy and kinda dull. “Go, stay, go, stay….” I know it’s all plot device, but give the character something to do, please.

So Ed Nygma is also the Medical Examiner, like Quincy, and he also likes cranberry muffins. And he tells himself jokes. This is the most ill-lit forensic examining lab that I’ve ever seen. Dr. G would be so put out. Whoops NOPE! He gets chased away by the real medical examiner. Pretty funny.

Back to Bruce at school. Two boys sit down with him. As a teacher, I smell a bullying scene coming up. Yep. And the main bully’s haircut is terrible.

Fish and that girl who is dating Falcone is reporting to Fish in a confessional. This girl, who’s name I can’t even remember, is rather boring. Oh, thanks Fish, it’s Liza. Liza is supposed to copy something from Falcone’s journal. Liza asks what would happen if one of his men catches her, and Fish is like…well, then you’re dead. Ha!

Bullock and Gordon show up at a busy office where the employees are looking kinda beat up. The man who is the head of the firm seems to be familiar to me, I recognize the voice. Gordon and Bullock go into the good cop/bad cop act (with Gordon as the bad cop, lol)

and main dude is acting pretty shady. They talk about mask. “A mask speaks truth.” And he is become weirder and weirder by the second.

Nygma gets a clue
Nygma gets a clue

They leave the office and there is blood on the floor leading to the restroom. Oh, look, it’s a man with a bloody nose. Whoops. But wait! A dude comes out of the restroom with a bloody bandage on a hand. He hits Gordon and leaves. Bullock comes in and tells him “You should have waited for me.”

Back at Bruce’s school. Here it comes, the bullying escalates. Bruce isn’t intimidated, but when it’s three against one, those are tough odds. Bully starts to talk about his mother and Bruce bats him across the face. Good for him.

Back to Penguin. Uh oh, he’s eating an apple and a knife. This isn’t looking good. Timothy, one of Fish Mooney’s men, is brought in and Penguin has him beat up.

Gordon and Bullock interrogate no-thumb guy. Bullock reports out that the three top candidates for some job had to fight it out, but not to the death. Blah Blah. Here comes Nygma, thank god, to offer some color to the scene. Apparently, it wasn’t black in, it was printer toner. Turns out four bodies were found having been killed with office supplies. What? No thumb dude has lawyered up before he could sign a confession.

They briefly discuss how the death of the Waynes sparked the evil that is coming up from the bowels of Gotham.

And Bruce comes out all beat up and Alfred is like what’s going on. Bruce says “Don’t tell the school.” Alfred is like “Not bloody likely.” Which means those bullies better watch out!

Bullock and Gordon have a bit of a falling out and guess who’s on the phone. Barbara, wanting to check it. Gordon is like “I’m busy” and hangs up.

Liza, spills some of the knock out syrup she is supposed to pour in Falcone’s tea.

Gordon, along in the crazy office place from the opening, finds men in cages, but he’s tasered from behind by Crazy Head Office guy.

A peek at Cat-tween, coming out of the basement of some shop that she stole from.

Alfred gives Bruce his father’s watch. Bruce goes to the home of the bully and punches him in the face right on the sidewalk. Ha! Alfred says “Point well made”. Then Alfred does the clean up.

Back to where Gordon is knocked out. Wake up Gordon, it’s time to fight to the death. It’s like Wall Street meets Fight Club with a well-heeled audience.

Bullock is asking for help in the police station, no one wants to help. Bullock is like “eff this, Gordon is a cop, you better help him, he might be in trouble.” Cops start to step up.

Back to the fight. Gordon kicks the people’s butts, of course. Mask guy taunts Gordon “Where are your policeman friends? Did they abandon you?” Gordon says “I don’t need them.” Mask guy fights Gordon with his sword, but Gordon gets the better of him. Long pause with Gordon holding the sword over Crazy Office Guy. We all know he’s not gonna stab him. Just then the DA comes in and wraps up.

Fierceness Squared
Fierceness Squared

Fish listening to another singer, an old woman. Liza wants out. She asks Fish Mooney if it’s worth it, what’s she’s doing. Fish gives her a little back story. She grew up in poverty and her mother was a prostitute. She used to sleep behind a curtain when her mother entertained men. One of Falcone’s men killed her mother because he “didin’t like th eservise” and she was there. It’s not about revenge, it’s about power. Fish promises Liza that she won’t let anything happen to her.

Poor Timothy. Hung upside down. He finally gives up that Fish has someone close to Falcone to Oswald.

Bullock and Gordon make up. Gordon gives another rally the troops speech about how he’s not going to give up until the city is clean.

Say what? Fish’s mother isn’t dead? Ha! Gotta love Fish.

Oh, look Barbara has left again. Honestly? Who cares.

Cat-tween asks to see Gordon. I hope this goes somewhere.

Bruce admits he enjoyed punching the crap out of the bully. He also admits that he’s angry all the time. Is this teen Hulk? He asks Alfred to teach him how to fight.

And


Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: black geek girls, black girl geeks, black girl nerd, black girl nerds, blerd, dahlia dewinters, erotic romance, fish mooney, gotham, gotham recaps, multicultural romance, oswald cobblepot, quirky romance

5 Fandom Friday – My Five Gateway Fandoms

  • fandom.5.fridayColor me super excited!  I am so pleased to throw my blog in the link-up with The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick for this Friday’s topic – Five Gateway Fandoms.

Now, if you’ve read my blog, you know that I like a looooot of stuff.  But, even little Dahlia had her  predilections (I love that word) and exquisite tastes.  Which of course, were the gateway to even more predilections and super exquisite tastes.  So sit back, dear reader, and find out what made me what I am today!

1.  Girl Rockers – Joan Jett and Pat Benatar

Back when I was a wee impressionable one, they didn’t have a lot of ladies to identify with.  Sure there was Babs and a folk singer or two, but the roof was really raised when Joan Jett and the Blackhearts hit the scene with “I Love Rock and Roll”  and “I Hate Myself for Loving  You.”. The heavy, recognizable guitar riff (wielded by a girl!) along with the tough look of black jeans, eyeliner and cool-ass hair…well, you can’t get any better than Joan Jett!

While Pat had a sweeter, smoother voice and her husband and band did most of the heavy musical lifting, “Hell is for Children”, “Promises in the Dark”, and her “breakout hit”, “Love is a Battlefield” had me singing in front of my mirror with a hairbrush and cutting my hair short!

2.  The Police

I don’t even know where to start when these fellas.  Suffice to say that I’ve seen nearly every movie Sting was in, even if he was simply there like…Dune (all I can say is….whaaaa? about that movie.)  I even tracked down a 1983 Playgirl magazine to read his interview and I’m sure there’s a stack of magazine cut outs, Tiger Beats and Rolling Stones with them on the cover.  That’s not counting the magazines my friends and I would BEG to order from England because just had to have the latest Police news.  Also, purchased Carl Jung’s Synchronicity.

3.  Star Wars

1977 in a movie theater that has since long closed.  Feet sticking to the floor (of course) I watched the spectacle unfold.  I had a remote control R2D2 robot.  I was Darth Vader for Halloween.  I was a Han Solo girl to the max and even have an autographed picture of Harrison Ford somewhere at my mom’s house.  Before les Internets, we sat down and wrote our fave stars letters….and sometimes got and answer.  I remember standing in the RAIN to line up to see Return of the Jedi.  Wow.  When they came along with those….other films…I kinda ignored the whole thing.  However, I will sit down and watch Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and to a lesser degree The Return of the Jedi when they are on.

4.  Mystery Science Theater 3000

This was what Saturday mornings were all about! Terrible movies with people actually cracking jokes about how terrible they really were.  My favorite of ALL TIME?  The Pod People.  Awfulness at its finest.  You can’t beat MST3K.

 

5.  The Chronicles of Narnia

Who hasn’t, after reading these books, gone and knocked on the back of a closet or two?  I firmly believe in the “you never know” and that magic can always around the corner.  I’ve gone through so many sets of these books…I order a new set every two years, so they’re always a complete set around.  My son had picked up an appreciate for Narnia also, and I certainly hope it brings magic into his life.

 

Some Honorable Mentions

Frank Sinatra – That’s cool music, baby!
Duran Duran
The Sims
The Little House Books

 

Most of these in this post, I still read and listen to today.

 

 

 


Filed Under: Free For All Fridays, Uncategorized Tagged: 5 fandom friday, black geek girls, black girl nerd, black girl nerds, dahlia, dahlia dewinters, fandoms, geekgrrlwriter, joan jett, romance writer, the sultry scribe

Banned Books Week – My Favorites

banned-books1_0001“It was a dark and stormy night.”
Ah, Banned Books Week always makes me rub my hands together in delight and dust off my old, decrepit paperback books. Taped covers, “bookworm” holes and dog eared pages – nothing beats a great book…..

Unless it’s been banned. Just like bad boys, if a book is deemed “bad”, well, hell’s bells, I can’t wait to read it, or at least see what all the fuss is about. Many of the books I’ve read, I didn’t even realize were banned.

Let me share the list of my top five banned books that I read over and over again.  You knew there was going to be a list!!

1.  1984 by George Orwell –  “Do it to Julia!” I can’t say that I “enjoyed” this book as a matter of entertainment, but it sure did make one think.  As a romance writer, I notice many authors are accused of creating insta-love between the two protagonists.  Well, 1984 has one of the quickest cases of “insta-love” that I’ve ever read, with note passing to boot!

Reasons for challenge:  “pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter.”

2.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”

Gosh another “downer ending” book.  Atticus lost the case, Tom Robinson got shot.  Poor Mayella Ewell.  But at least Bob Ewell got his just desserts….and Boo Radley….we’ll never know.  You laughed, you cried and yes, it has become a part of me.

Reasons for challenge:  Using the word “damn” and “hell devil”.  Does  “psychological damage to the positive integration process “.  Uses the word “nigger”.  “Conflicted with the values of the community.”  The book has also been charged with being unfit for junior high use.  “Contains profanity and racial slurs”.  “Is degrading to African Americans.”

The last reason make me laugh.  Anyone remember how tough Calpurnia was on Jem and Scout?

3.  A Wrinkle in Time: “Don’t try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are very limited. Use your intuition.”

I can’t say enough how much I adore this book.  Science fiction, themes of love and forgiveness, and a little love story to boot.  Plus a female lead who was smart and wore glasses AND braces? Sign me up!  The discussion of a tesseract (which is now termed a wormhole), space travel and life on other planets.

Reason for challenge:  Challenging religious beliefs, contains offensive language.

4.  In Cold Blood – First of all, let me say that Philip Seymour Hoffman was capitivating in his portrayal of Truman Capote in Truman.  It is also said that the characater of Dill in To Kill a Mockinbird was based on him.  Regardless of the personal history between he and Harper Lee, this book is one of the first “true-ish crime” books that I’ve ever read.  It’s not a “fun, light” read, not by any means, but a truly excellent and absorbing read just the same.  Capote knows how to write a book that captures the reader and pulls him in.

Reason for challenge:  “sex, violence and profanity.”

5.  A Separate Peace –  “Sarcasm… the protest of those who are weak.”

I saw this book the other day under my dresser.  Gosh, I read it so long ago, but it sure sticks with me. Gene’s jealously of Finney and what it ultimately led to.

Reason for challenge:  “filthy, trashy sex novel.”  “Offensive language”.

 

Honorable Mentions:

Lord of the Flies

Native Son

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

 

 

It’s funny now that I look over this list.  I read a lot of these books in high school and/or college, and to be honest, the real meaning and themes within the book didin’t hit home until I actually got out of school and began to “live”.  It’s interesting now, looking back, how many of these books were truly ahead of their time.

So hey! What are some of your favorite books that have been challenged or banned?

 

 


Filed Under: Free For All Fridays, Uncategorized Tagged: banned books, black girl nerd, blerd, dahlia dewinters, erotic romance, geek girl, geek romance, interracial romance, romance, sensual romance

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