Who among science fiction and fantasy fans doesn’t love a good fight scene?  The epic battle of Good vs. Evil, whether it is against monsters or aliens, speaks to us on so many levels.  Who hasn’t gasped as a costumed hero is dealt a potentially fatal blow or cheered when the good guy finally, after an epic battle, defeats the bad guy once and for all?

I grew up on heroes, and lived vicariously through them.  I was amazed when The Dread Pirate Roberts dueled against Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, though we weren’t entirely sure then which of them was the hero and which was the villain.  The scene combined spectacular fencing skills with humor and irreverence only Mel Brooks could produce.

When Leo and Trinity decided to go against the unbeatable agents to save Morpheus, I really didn’t understand what they were up against, until the scene in the bank that had security like an airport terminal.  Guns, guns, more guns, and shooting the guards midway through a one-handed cartwheel.  Cool.

I wanted to jump to my feet when Legolas used a shield as a skate board to fly down the stairs while shooting arrows, and Aragorn went over the cliff while fighting orcs in The Two Towers.  No matter how many times we’ve seen those movies; my family still likes to jump to our favorite parts.

My whole family did jump to our feet and cheer when we watched the Avengers come together to take out the alien horde. (Luckily we were watching at home on our 3-D DVD player.)  Then we laughed when The Hulk used Loki as a rag doll.  A Norse god is just no match for a gamma-radiated human.

Why do these things excite us so?  Is it because the characters we root for are doing things we could only dream about?  Or do they inspire us, with their bravery and selflessness, to be better versions of ourselves, to stand up to the obstacles in our lives?  I don’t think for most of us it’s because we want to go about our day in a cape and tights.  Whatever the reason, we will continue cheering for our fictional heroes as long as writers and movie producers keep creating them.

Anatomy of a Ghost Story

It’s funny how things can inspire us in unexpected ways.  Last spring my husband surprised me with a trip to a bed-and-breakfast on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  The place we stayed, called The Seven Gables Inn, was a beautiful Victorian-style hotel for adults-no children under the age of thirteen allowed.  There were wrap-around porches with rockers and a hammock, gorgeous gardens dotted with benches, and a gazebo with a swing.  All in all, a perfect retreat of nature and relaxation.

This memory of this hotel stayed in the back of my mind until several months ago, when I began a short story for an assignment that called for a piece heavily driven by dialogue.   I wanted to do a relationship story, but since I primarily write sci-fi and speculative fiction, I had to put my own twist on this romance.  In short, I wanted the characters to be haunted.

I began by placing my couple in a spot very similar to the hotel I had visited, but before I was finished the setting had changed drastically.  No longer the immaculate representation of a past era where I stayed, the inn transformed under my imagination to someplace far less settling.  I had a vision of an abandoned mansion, one that had for long years sat empty.  What if my characters were the first humans to set foot there in decades?  Would they bring their problems with them, and what else would they find there?  And, also, why would a couple willingly stay in such a place?

I decided to offer this story as a sample to my readers, and will post it for free both in part on this website and its entirety on my Goodreads site over the next week.  Please check out the sample and the link on my “Upcoming Works” page for “The Couple’s Retreat, and I welcome your feedback.

Thanks,

Amy Caudill

Remember When

I was six when the first Star Wars movie was released.  No one was quite aware then of the impact this movie would have, or the phenomenon it would become.  The next few years created a following of loyal fans, which grew along with the movie franchise.  They purchased action figures and dressed up in costumes, and sought out memorabilia.

After the saga ended, the fans kept the memories alive with conventions, websites and magazines.  To be honest, as I grew up I forgot about Star Wars.  I lost my Princess Leia action figure, and became too old to wear my hair in matching buns.  It was the discovery of Timothy Zahn’s book trilogy, and the re-release of the original trilogy which excited my six year old son, that renewed my own love of the original series.

It became a family affair.  I read books, my son collected action figures which he (sometimes) shared with his little sister, and my husband played video games.  We saw the prequel movies together, and shared our interest.  (My daughter was just finally old enough to appreciate Star Wars when Padme came along.)  There were lightsaber battles which endangered the furniture, and Halloween costumes that were worn around the house for everyday play.

My kids grew up, but their love of Star Wars and the genre stayed with them.  For this reason in part, I found myself in line this weekend to see a new addition to the saga-a part envisioned by George Lucas years before though he sold the rights to make it.

We went as a family to see The Force Awakens, decked out in brand new Star Wars tee-shirts.  The world had changed, but at the same time so much was so familiar. Our favorite characters filled the screen once more, and we laughed and cried and cheered.  We knew, this time, this was only the first part of a trilogy, and we will eagerly await each new piece of the story.

Our mutual love for the saga gives us common ground, and an excuse to spend time together.  That’s saying something for a family with kids in their twenties, that they still are willing to sometimes hang with mom and dad.