Angelia Almos

If you haven't caught Raising Hope on Tuesdays yet you are seriously missing out. Probably the funniest show on television today. I wasn't too sure about it when I first heard the premise, but I caught an episode purely by chance and laughed the entire time. Onto the lesson from Raising Hope. Finding humor in everyday occurrences and challenges. The charm of this show is Jimmy (the dad) and his determination to give his daughter, Hope, a better upbringing and life than he had. Jimmy makes mistakes, often helped into those mistakes by his family, but he learns from them and his faith and devotion to Hope never wavers. Jimmy is another "normal" person (like the Secret of NIMH's Mrs. Frisby) who is pushed past his comfort zone for the love of a child. Have your characters make mistakes. They can be humorous (Riasing Hope) or tragic (NIMH), but making those mistakes and soldiering on is what makes your readers(viewers) connect to your characters.

I remember watching The Secret of NIMH when I was a child. Don't remember exactly when, but I do remember being terrified by this movie. I recently rediscovered it thanks to Netflix Streaming. Both of my girls were insistent on watching it overruling my cautions of it being frightening. Thankfully, both of my girls weren't frightened by it as I was, but then again I was one of those kids who got sucked into movies (I still can't watch Bambi and have a hard times sitting through E.T.) What I noticed as an adult is what a wonderful character study this movie is. Mrs. Brisby is intent from the beginning on saving her children. The family must move as the field they reside in is about to be plowed by a farmer, but they can't leave because her sick child will surely die if moved and exposed to the elements. Thus her journey is launched. This movie is a perfect example of an everyday character doing extraordinary things despite the fear and terror she feels. Several sequ...

I loved Race to Witch Mountain . I know, I know, total kid movie, but kid movies can be a lot of fun. This is a remake of the classic Escape to Witch Mountain which I watched and loved when I was a kid. So, I really wasn't certain if I would like it. Saw it in the theater and the above picture features one of my all-time favorite FX-action scene ever shot. On to the Lesson and Spoiler. Lesson: If you are writing paranormal, fantasy, or any type of book where your characters have unusual powers, I highly suggest you watch this movie and consider Seth's powers. Ahem, picture above. He can vary his molecular density. This allows him to put parts of his body or his entire self through other objects - think walk through walls. This isn't something which is that unusual in fiction, but what I love is the flip side where he can make himself almost invincible by "hardening" his density. This allows him to stand in front of a speeding SUV and basically total the car lik...

This is a movie which is in our home library and I've seen it I don't know how many times. Aquamarine is the story about two teen girls who find a mermaid and are promised any wish if they can help the mermaid find true love (spoilers below). The lesson I want to talk about actually doesn't have much to do with the plot itself, but with a topic I've covered in previous "Lessons from" posts. Mainly, having your characters act age appropriate. Most of my books have some sort of romance in them even if the main plot isn't a romance - a romance will most likely come in somewhere. With my first young adult fantasy, Horse Charmer , currently out, I've been brainstorming other young adult and middle grade stories. Something I noticed with Horse Charmer was that though the story is young adult because of the age of the heroine and a romantic element, my tone is more middle grade fantasy. The romance was very light and sweet - on purpose. Lesson 1 - Aquama...

*** Permission Granted to Forward *** RWA Online presents: The Plotting Wheel Presented by Becky Martinez and Sue Viders June 6 - July 1, 2011 (Dates arranged so writers attending the RWA National Conference can still take this class!) About the class: Plotting a novel can be a daunting task, but no matter what method of plotting a writer uses, there are certain elements that need to go into any well told story. Don't get bogged down with a story going nowhere. This class illustrates how to tackle those various elements by using “The Plotting Wheel.” Learn how to build a plot from idea to satisfying conclusion by moving the story along using the spokes of the wheel. The plotting wheel can help the writer make certain they’re headed in the right direction with their characters and that the story is moving forward through meaningful action, while building tension and making use of good pacing. The plotting wheel gets a story off to a quick start, props up the sagg...

I just rewatched Back to the Future with my daughter who had no idea what I was talking about when I made a BTTF reference. So, of course, I had to rent it for her. :-) I can't even remember how long it has been since I had seen it last, but it completely lived up to my memories of it. The lesson I want to cover, which for some reason I didn't consciously remember about the movie, is layering .  Wow, go back and watch the opening twenty minutes of this movie and notice all of the little details of visuals and dialogue which come into play later on in the movie. It's a feast for the eyes if you know what you're looking at. If it has been a long time since you've seen the movie, I would actually recommend you rewatch it twice so you can go back to the beginning and see all of the groundwork and layering the filmmakers did with BTTF. Consider layering and hinting with your own work. Your reader might not consciously notice it in the first run through, but it w...

Horse Charmer is now live and available as an ebook at Smashwords , Barnes and Noble , and Amazon . Through Smashwords Horse Charmer will shortly be available through Apple, Sony, Kobo, Borders/Borders Australia, Whitcoulls, Diesel Ebook Store, and ScrollMotion. Horse Charmer by Angelia Almos At sixteen years old, Cassia would rather spend her days in the royal stables than in the royal court. But as the eldest child of King Robet and Queen Sarahann she obediently performs her duties as the Princess of Karah. Her safe world changes forever when her father is murdered in the neighboring kingdom of Vespera. Cassia grapples with his loss as her mother prepares her for her new role as queen. Her first task - she must travel to Vespera to marry a prince she barely knows to fulfill the treaty her father signed just before his death. Nothing is as simple as it seems with political intrigues and unusual powers shadowing Cassia on her search to find out who killed her father...