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Dahlia DeWinters - Author

Quirky Heroines, Happy Endings

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

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

Music Monday – Rock Plaza Central

the road of successNew (to me) music that doesn’t have a host of different mediocre pop stars collaborating on the same tired old riff.  A song that doesn’t have a rap as a bridge.  A song that uses real instruments – folks aren’t singing to a track.  A song that can sound different every time it’s performed.

In other words, a breath of fresh musical air.

Rock Central Plaza is the name of the group and they’re classified as “indie rock”, whatever that means in this musical age.  I suppose it means they didn’t win a television talent show and/or aren’t manufactured acts pushes on an unsuspecting public as “music.”

Where did I find this gem?  It’s on the soundtrack of an independent (of course) post apocalyptic film called “The Battery”:

From IMDB:

Two former baseball players, Ben (Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim), cut an aimless path across a desolate New England. They stick to the back roads and forests to steer clear of the shambling corpses that patrol the once bustling cities and towns. In order to survive, they must overcome the stark differences in each other’s personalities. Ben embraces an increasingly feral, lawless, and nomadic lifestyle while Mickey is unable to accept the harsh realities of the new world and longs for the creature comforts he once took for granted. A bed, a girl, and a safe place to live. When the men intercept a radio transmission from a seemingly thriving, protected community, Mickey will stop at nothing to find it, even though it is made perfectly clear that he is not welcome.

I found it to be a pretty interesting movie. While not heavy on zombie gore, it is an in-depth look at the character interplay and how their differening personality effect decisions that are made.  I’d recommend you checking it out if you’re into that kind of thing.  Again, I warn you, this is no Resident Evil. Zombies aren’t popping out from every crack and crevice to be slaughtered in spectalcular gouts of putrefied blood.  It’s a quiet, introspetive film.

All the music used in the film was apt, but this song stuck out to me, which is why I post it for you here.  Enjoy!

 

 


Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: black geek girls, black girl nerds, blerd, dahlia dewinters, erotic romance, geek girl, interracial romance, romance author, romance novel

Music Monday – Inspiration for Loving Among the Dead

Picture-of-Music-Notes-300x300As most authors do, I have a playlist of songs I work with when I’m writing. It’s the playlist I think embodies the story, the characters and the mood of a certain scene.  I have all that set out before me, at my fingertips so I can access it at the press of a button.

However, there are those songs that occurs to you after the story’s done, edited and published.  That song which pops up out of almost nowhere and declares itself an official sponsor of your story.

It continues to amaze me how much music can not only soothe the savage beast but also bare one’s soul.

Judith Graham holds her own in her zombie-proofed fortress that was once her childhood home.  Through the foresight of her survivalist parents, she’s set for at least a year, but overwhelming loneliness and crushing boredom drives her out into the deserted, yet still dangerous streets of her neighborhood.  She crosses paths with another traveler, Sky Beckett, who has decided to take the dangerous journey South to find out if his family is still alive in Tennessee.

A reluctant Jude allows him to stay at her home.  Determined to remain a “Lonely Stranger”  …..

When I walk, stay behind
Don’t get close to me
‘Cause it’s sure to end in tears
So just let me be
— Eric Clapton

she doesn’t want to get close to anyone because anything could happen, at anytime.  Sky takes more of a moderate, if not almost optomistic  view of post-apocalyptic life, wherein you keep trying until you can’t try anyone.  He struggles to get her to see the facts as they stand and staying in her house is only going to get more dangerous, no matter what fortification she thinks she has.

He also sees that Jude is perhaps not as strong as she thinks she is.

Who’s gonna tell you when
It’s too late?
Who’s gonna tell you things
Aren’t so great?

You can’t go on
Thinkin’ nothing’s wrong,
Who’s gonna drive you home
Tonight?

****

Just by chance, those songs rolled up on my playlist (while I was cleaning no less)   and I was struck at how apt they are and I had to share.

Thanks for reading!

1Love

Dahlia

Haven’t read Jude and Sky’s story?  Check out “Loving Among the Dead” at the following outlets

All Romance E Books

Loose Id


Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged: blerd, dahlia, dahlia dewinters, dahliadewinters, erotic romance, geek girl, interracial romance, quirky romance, romance

What's your Favorite Bond Theme? Free For All Fridays

BondTuxI was going over my Google Playlists and I found one that I created a long time ago  with the James Bond themes.  Back in the day, I would never miss Bond movies on the television.  Being a woman of a certain age, my favorite Bond was Sean Connery, next George Lazenby (even though he only appeared in one Bond film) and I tolerated Roger Moore.  By the time the franchise worked its way around to Timothy Dalton (yuk!) and Pierce Brosnan, I had lost interest.  Thought my interest was somewhat  revived with the new Bond, Daniel Craig, my heart still belonged to Sean.

Never mind the movies, though, what about the songs?  The iconic songs that told you that a cool movie was about to start?  Many of these songs were sung by the hot artists at the time and were almost always chart worthy.

For this blog post, let’s take a look at my top five favorite Bond themes, starting with number five. As always, I’ll add some tidbit of trivia!

 

Number 5

Die Another Day – Madonna

I can’t even tell you which Bond was in this movie, but the song is hot.

 

Number 4 

Skyfall – Adele

Her dramatic rendition of this theme recalls the old days of Shirley Bassey.  While I did not see the movie, Adele does a wonderful job with this song and it won the Oscar!

 

Number 3

For Your Eyes Only – Sheena Easton

Sheena is the only singer to appear in the opening credits of a Bond movie singing the theme song.

 

Number 2

Nobody Does it Better – Carly Simon

When it comes to Bond, we all know what the “it” is.

 

Number 1

Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey

Aww, you knew it.  Of all the Bond themes, Dame Shirley Bassey does it the best.  She has also recorded the most Bond themes.

From Wikipedia:   Bassey did initially have issues with the climactic final note which necessitated her slipping behind a studio partition between takes to remove her brassiere. Bassey would recall of the final note: “I was holding it and holding it. I was looking at John [Barry] and I was going blue in the face and he’s going, hold it just one more second. When it finished, I nearly passed out.”

Bad for her, but good for us.

 

 


Filed Under: Free For All Fridays, Uncategorized Tagged: bond movies, dahliadewinters, erotic romance, favorite bond themes, goldfinger, interracial romance, james bond, romance, shirley bassey

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