Jun 28
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Becoming Jane a movie based on Jane Austen’s life

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Becoming Jane

Becoming Jane is a delightful movie, especially for those who love Jane Austen’s books (Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility).  In the movie you see that Jane Austen’s characters and ideas stem from her life experiences.  Jane’s life was filled with loving family and some heartache.

The movie covers Jane’s (Ann Hathaway) young adult years.  Her father is a minister who encourages her learning and ideas.  Her family lives a modest life on a farm with the children sharing the chores.  Jane has a close relationship with Cassandra, her sister who is engaged.

Jane is full of life: She’s intelligent, an independent thinker and loves to write stories.  She receives an offer of marriage from Mr. Wisley, a wealthy man who could help her family live comfortably. However, Jane doesn’t want to be forced into marriage, even to help her family.  She declares she wants “affection” in a marriage.

Jane does a reading of her latest manuscript for her family.  Thomas Lefory (Jame McAvoy) attends and makes a poor impression by not taking interest in her story.  Gradually they come to know one another and fall in love.  Unfortunately, Tom is a young Irish man without money.  He and his family are dependent on his rich uncle.

It’s an enjoyable movie made by BBC in Ireland.  It’s well-acted and has a great plot drawn from the book Becoming Jane and the letters Jane wrote. Some of the situations, witty dialogue and characters remind the viewer of Austen’s books.

After seeing the movie, I was curious about how close it represented Jane Austen’s life.  It turns out the movie is a blend of fact and fiction. Jane was born in 1775 in Hampshire, England.  She was the youngest child in seven siblings. In the movie her relationship with her sister Cassandra and her parents is the main focus with regards to her family life.  As in the movie, Jane received a marriage proposal from a wealthy man that she accepted, then turned down the next day.

She did know Thomas Lefory when he was on break from his legal studies in England. She enjoyed his company at dances while he was in Hampshire, but there is no evidence that they fell in love and wanted to marry.

Jane’s life was fairly private. Her sister destroyed many of Jane’s letters after she died, so there is much that isn’t known about her.

During her life, Jane wrote many short pieces and six novels.  All were published with the author being anonymous.  Jane Austen’s name didn’t come out until after she died of Addison’s disease at forty-two years old.  At that time, women weren’t supposed to be authors, since they weren’t thought of as independent thinkers, and the idea of novels was a new concept.

Jane Austen is considered a romance writer, yet she never had a serious romance or married.  Over the years people have wondered how she could write about experiences she never had.  However, she did attended many dances, received a marriage proposal and witnessed the heartache her sister suffered when her fiancé died of a fever in the West Indies. From her writing, it’s apparent that these experiences and her keen insight into human nature were enough for her to become an extraordinary writer.

Though Jane Austen had only modest success during her life, she became popular in the 20th century.  Today she’s considered one of the top one hundred English writers.

Here is a movie trailer

 

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Mar 10
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Review of the movie Ex Machina

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Ex Machina

If you’re a Sci-fi fan, you won’t want to miss Ex Machina, a 2015 movie that’s available on Netflix right now. In this story, a computer coder Caleb (Domhnall Glesson) spends a week at his employer’s extraordinary mountain home to evaluate the intelligence and consciousness of a lovely AI robot Ava (Alicia Vikander). It’s a thought-provoking, eerie movie that brings up many questions about AIs (AI stands for Artificial Intelligence).

 

The story opens with Caleb being congratulated at work after he wins a contest to go to the remote home of his employer, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).  He’s flown in by helicopter, dropped off in the middle of nowhere and told which direction to walk. He heads through the woods and finally reaches a house that could pass for a fortress.  He knocks on the door, his photo is taken, and then he’s issued an ID tag.  The door opens and he walks down the hallway until he comes to the kitchen, where outside the patio window he sees Nathan working out.

 

This opening scene gives the viewer the uncomfortable feeling that something isn’t quite right and we’re a little on edge, as is Caleb.

 

Caleb has to sign an agreement never to disclose what he is about to see.  He wants to have a lawyer look at the agreement, but Nathan tells him he can either sign it or spend the week just hanging out.  Caleb wants to see Nathan’s project, so he signs.  The room he’s given is more of a windowless cell than a guest room.  When he asks Nathan about it, Nathan explains his home is a research center that has high security.

 

As the viewer, we feel we’re trapped in this cell with Caleb. He is trying to figure out what’s going on, but Nathan only lets him know what he wants him to know.

 

Caleb finally gets to meet Ava, the AI robot.  Her body reveals she is a robot, but her face is that of a beautiful woman.  As Caleb meets with her, he begins to see her as a conscious being and is attracted to her, especially when she puts on clothes so she looks human.  After interviewing Ava several times, the difference between a human and a machine begins to break down in Caleb’s mind.  He even wonders if he is a machine.

 

The world inside the house is filmed in muted colors while outside colors are bright with a river, rocks and trees.  Ava has never been outside and can only see it through the glass in her room.  To Nathan she’s just one machine in a series of machines that keep evolving.  But to Caleb, who has formed an emotional attachment to her, she is a being with consciousness.  He wants to help her escape from Nathan.

 

The title Ex Machina is a play on the Greek phrase Deus Ex Machina—“God from a machine.”  A machine refers to the machine that held a god over the stage in Greek drama.  In the title, Deus (meaning God or deity) is left out.  The movie examines the theme of humanity as it relates to God.  Ava reminds of us the name Eve, for the first two humans, Adam and Eve.

 

Writer and director Alex Garland also uses mirrors and reflections as a device.  Ava and Caleb only see each other through glass.  What is real and what is a reflection?

 

Caleb begins to see that Nathan is manipulating him.  He didn’t win a contest at all. Nathan picked him and created an AI female he would find sexually attractive. Ava also has the ability to be seductive, and she tempts Caleb as Eve tempted Adam.

 

Other sci-fi movies exist with AIs that are so intelligent they become dangerous to the men who invented them.  2001 One Space Odyssey was probably the first with HAL, the computer that ran the ship, eventually taking it over.   Other well-known movies with AIs include the Terminator and Matrix series.

 

This movie is different in that the AI looks like a beautiful, innocent woman who is trapped in a glass room and serves only as part of Nathan’s research.  She will be destroyed when he’s through with her for the development of a new, improved model.

 

The question the movie asks isn’t only: Can AIs destroy us as they become more and more advanced? (and more intelligent than us), but If AIs have consciousness, should they have rights?  Or, should they be kept as slaves for their owner’s use, subject to being destroyed when their owner gets a new model?  We think nothing of replacing our computer with a newer, faster, more powerful one, but what if that computer looks like a person, complete with intelligence and consciousness?

 

In this movie, the line between man and machine is blurred. To Caleb, Ava becomes real and his belief in Nathan (as a God-like figure who created this amazing AI) is shaken.

 

Ex Machina is a brilliant movie with good acting and excellent photography that will leave you thinking long after the movie is over.

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Mar 10
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Review of The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker

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Knowing of my interest in the Vikings, my sister gifted me a copy of The Half-Drowned King.  My interest in the tale piqued when my husband told me he was related to one character, King Harald, who was the first king to rule all of Norway.

 

The main character in the book, Ragvald Eysteinsson, pledges his sword to Harald Fairhair after he has a vision while nearly drowning.  The vision is of a great wolf with golden fur and blue eyes with sparks flying from its fur.  Ragvald understands the wolf is symbolic of the legendary king Harald.

 

Ragvald’s father died when he was a child.  His mother remarried with the understanding that his stepfather Olaf would hold the family land until Ragvald grew up.  Instead his stepfather betrays Ragvald and he’s nearly killed by Solvi.

 

Ragvald wants revenge on his stepfather, in order to reclaim his family land and marry the woman he loves, but hasn’t the means.  He signs up to serve King Hakon in hopes of eventually being able to achieve his goals.

 

Ragvald also wants to find a good husband for his beloved sister, Svanhild.  She stays with the family of the woman he wants to marry when he leaves with King Hakon.

 

When King Hakon joins forces with young King Harald, Ragvald’s fate becomes swept up with the prophesied King of all Norway.

 

Meanwhile back home, Svanhild runs away rather than marry an old man she’s pledged to by her stepfather.  She ends up falling into the hands of Solvi, the man who tried to kill her brother.

 

Both Ragvald and Svanhild must make many hard decisions as they navigate the violent world of the Vikings.

 

Grab a copy of The Half-Drowned King and prepare to read an exciting Viking saga set in ninth-century Norway during the birth of the nation.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dec 05
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Star Rider and the Golden Threads

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Star Rider and the Golden Threads has gotten some great reviews.  Here are two of them from Amazon.

Star Rider and the Golden Threads

“The honeymoon’s over. The stakes could not be higher. The newlyweds are poised to confront the very face of evil, intent on conquering their universe. This is Heidi Skarie’s most intriguing work to date. Surprising twists and insightful peeks into the ongoing battle between the human and spiritual natures within each of us.” by D. E. Munson, Author

 

“I love this book! I read the first of the Star Rider series and was looking forward to the next installment. It kept me up too late reading because I didn’t want to put to down! If you like a book with action, danger, mystical insight and characters you care about, this fantasy series is for you.” by Laura E.

 

Link to Amazon

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Dec 05
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Holiday Gifts and Entertainment

By | Art, Movie review, photography | No Comments

Holiday Gift Show

If you’re looking for unique gifts, check out the Holiday Gift Show at the Art Center in Victoria, Minnesota.  The ACCC Arts Center (recently opened in 2018) features visual art, jewelry, sculpture, pottery, photography, CDs and books by local authors.

I’m featuring books and photo cards at this show.  Forty percent of the profits goes to support the Art Center, so when you’re shopping for holiday gifts be sure to stop in.  The event runs from November 15 to December 24.  The Art Center is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 5:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.   It’s located at 7924 Victoria Drive (studio level), Victoria, MN.

If you’re looking for a good movie at the theaters this holiday season, check out Instant Family.  It’s a fun movie about a couple Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) who decide to check into the world of foster care adoption.

They take a six-week class with other potential foster parents with the intent of adopting a younger child.  Instead they decide to take in a 15-year-old girl (Isabela Moner), but when they find out she has two younger siblings they become an instant “family” with three children. 

The movie is full of humor and multiple challenges, including the possibility of losing their fledgling family when the children’s biological mother decides she’s ready to take them back.  Underneath all the hilarious situations are Pete and Ellie’s joy when the younger children call them Daddy and Mommy. It’s a great testament to the great need for loving homes for so many children in the world.  The movie is rated PG-13.

Click here to see the trailer

If you have younger kids or grandkids, try The Grinch based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic.  The story is about the Grinch, who wants to steal Christmas from the town of Whoville and a little girl, Cindy Lou, who opens his heart.  It’s currently playing at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis and at local theaters.

Click here to see the tailer

Have a wonderful holiday season.

 

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Sep 13
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Review of Heaven’s Sweet Embrace

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Heaven’s Sweet Embrace by Sheri Kramer is a beautifully written novel about our journey as we wander through time and space learning through our experiences about wisdom, compassion and love.

In the Prologue the opening lines are:

“In a blink of an eye time can collapse and the curtain between lives blow open before settling back in place… Who are you? Where are you? Imagine your many selves in that moment all aware of you, as you are aware of them.”

The novel interweaves four different stories from different times periods and places.  The main one is about Shin Seo in 13th century Korea who has bought his freedom from the ruling class and is about to enter a new life.  After sharing a meal at a tavern with two companions, he goes with them into the forest and finds a cave that is already inhabited by a family of runaway slaves.

The second story is of Rivka and Hannah, a Jewish mother and daughter who are trying to escape from the Ukraine to join Rivka’s husband in America.

The third and shortest story is about Mongke who is twelve and wants to join the troops in battle, but first has to pass tests to see if he is ready.

The fourth story is about two Korean comfort women, Shin Ae and Jinju, who are freed after the Russians drive off the defeated Japanese in Manchuria at the end of World War 2.

In each story the main characters are at a transition point in their life and their stories are told with such vivid details and poetic language that the reader is drawn into their world.  The scenes are often told as the character wakes up and remembers bits of dreams that weave into the other stories being told.  Gradually we come to realize the characters are the same set of souls reincarnated in other lives.

Here is an example: “Mongke wakes with a disturbing memory of enemy soldiers in strange uniforms, defeated and strewn about.  And then it is gone.  The dream is replaced with the excitement of the coming day.” P. 71

The scenes are often peaceful such as walking through the woods, swimming in the lake, eating a simple meal, learning to read, or a mother taking care of her baby.  But underneath is tension: fear that the run away slaves will get caught, or the Jewish woman and daughter won’t be able to escape the Ukraine, and or that the two comfort woman will be rejected by their family when they return to Korea.

The book begins and end in the middle of these four stories just as life doesn’t have an abrupt beginning and end.  Yet each of the four stories ends on a hopeful note that the characters will be able to make a good life for themselves.

I highly recommend this book for people who like visionary fiction and are interested in reincarnation.  Or to those who just want to open their minds to possibilities.

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Aug 27
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Pre-Order Give Away of Star Rider and the Golden Threads and Book Launch Party

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Star Rider and the Golden Threads

I will be having a book launch party for my new book: Star Rider and the Golden Threads on Sunday, September 16th at 1:30 p.m. in the party room at Powers Ridge Apts., 1371 Lake Dr. W., Chanhassen, MN. This event will include a reading and talk about the book.  Refreshments will be served.  All are welcome!

This book is the second of is my science fiction Star Rider Series.  It is now available as a paperback at Amazon.  It will be available as an e-book on September 1st.

I’m running a Star Rider and the Golden Threads Pre-order Giveaway!

Enter to win a paperback copy of Star Rider and the Golden Threads, a book lamp, galaxy postcards, and a galaxy metal bookmark.

There are several ways you can enter!

Here is a link to the giveaway: Giveaway

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Jul 12
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What is a Visionary Fiction genre book?

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I am a member of the Visionary Fiction Alliance on Facebook because my novels are in the Visionary Fiction genre as well as the historical or sci-fi genres.  Visionary Fiction is a relatively new genre and has a crossover with Spiritual Fiction.  On the Visionary Fiction Alliance site, some authors shared ideas of what Visionary Fiction means to them. 

 

Theresa Crater, author of  said:Beneath the Hollowed Hill

“I was recently invited to a book club and one of the women told a story about her experience walking into the Holocaust Museum in Israel. She said she was drawn to a particular corner and as she walked toward it, she knew what she’d find. She knew the names of those who’d been killed. Knew what the place looked like before she saw the pictures. She felt that she’d been in that place in a past life or somehow was spiritually connected to those people. Then she told me she’d always dismissed that experience because she didn’t think humans could have that kind of knowledge – until she read my book.

“Visionary Fiction affirms people’s spiritual experiences and offers a vision of possibilities. It does this without a lot of dogma. It teaches spirituality without preaching or requiring people to join a group. It portrays old traditions that have been lost or repressed, widening people’s ideas of religion and human potential. Plus, it’s fun to read and write.”

What Crater says is true. A story can validate a person’s own spiritual experience. It should be done in a way that doesn’t preach yet lets the reader draw their own conclusions about the character’s experiences. 

 

My historical fiction novels are based on my own remembrances of past lives, but are written in such a way that it’s good entertainment, whether or not you believe in reincarnation. 

 

In my sci-fi books, some characters have past-life remembrances, out-of-body experiences, or a near-death experience.  These episodes lead to the characters growing and changing from their experiences.

 

Another quality mentioned in the Visionary Fiction Group was at the end of the book the reader should be uplifted in some way. I feel this is important.  Even though the characters go through many challenges, they should show courage, perseverance and triumph in some way. I also like to include an element of love, both divine and human, and a character who serves as a spiritual teacher or mentor for the main character.

What books have you read that are Visionary Fiction?  Are you attracted to uplifting stories?

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Mar 11
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One the way Home: Walking the Road to Personal Freedom by Robert Munster.

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One the way Home: Walking the Road to Personal Freedom by Robert Munster.

 

In the dedication, Munster states the purpose of the book. “This piece of work is dedicated to all those souls who are trying to find their way through the myriad complexities of this life and become free to choose their own lives’ paths.”

In the forward, he elaborates. “Many wise souls have taught us over the centuries that it is our personal responsibility to find our own way home… it is still up to each and every one of us to discover our own journey homeward.”

 

Munster worked for thirty-five years as an occupational therapist in medically related settings. In this book he shares some of what he has learned.

The chapters in the book include such topics as Ancestral Chains; Change, the Only Constant; Facing our Fears; Power and Control and The Dance of Relationships.

Each chapter begins with Munster’s ideas on a topic then he tells a story to illustrate his premise. He ends the chapters with a summary of the important points he made.

For example in the chapter Change, the Only Constant Munster says everything changes: the weather, the seasons, our bodies, feelings, friends, our attitudes, and beliefs. Munster poses a question. “How can we remain open to change, yet integrate the results into a life of peace, comfort, and joy?” Munster gives an example of a couple who raises their family and saves for their retirement but then one of them has a severe stroke and their savings is drained. The security they’d saved for is gone.

“So, what do we do? Live in fear of destruction or the possibility that something bad is going to happen or do we create the kind of life we really want to live.” p. 36

Munster suggests that when we seek out opportunities to change and grow life becomes exciting.

Munster also suggests journaling and goal setting to promote awareness and change. At the end of the day you can write down what happened during the day: what you did, felt, thought, learned and know and then set goals for the next day. This is to put you in touch with different aspects of yourself. You can also document your experiences of the past week, then decide what you want to change.

Change gradually becomes normal. Instead of saying “’Why is this happening TO me?’… What would happen if we changed this to ‘Why is this happening FOR me?’” or ‘What is this experience teaching me?’ or ‘Why do I need this experience?’” p. 50. This shifts the way we look at life’s events.

Munster concludes the chapter with these thoughts. “Once we begin to accept the responsibility for our own situations and do something about those things that inhibit our growth, real changes start to unfold. When an individual takes an active role in creating more of what he/she wants out of life, the magic begins.” P. 52.

Another interesting chapter is Facing Our Fears. In this chapter Munster states that everyone is afraid of something whether physical, emotional, or mental. “Fear prevents us from being free.” P. 53.

Munster says that many of us have fears that we don’t understand. He suggests that the fears often come from past lives. How we perished in another life may carry over like a fear of spiders or snakes or heights. Fears serve to protect us, but they can also hold us back. At some point “a door of opportunity opens for us. We can choose to walk through and challenge that fear.” As we grow we are able to handle more difficult situations.

Munster eventually realized he was Soul and nothing could kill him as a spiritual being. He also realized nothing can withstand the power of love. “When we do face and conquer, or live with, a fear, we gain another step on our way home. We become freer.” P. 65.

The book ends with “What is Next?” in our search for freedom and trust—we simply need to be ourselves. Gratitude and humility are essential traits as we continue on the path and doors will continue to open to more freedom.

If you are a seeker of truth and want a more meaningful life, you’ll enjoy this short, easy to read book packed with spiritual ideas.

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Mar 11
1

Timeless Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar

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Timeless Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic by Armand Baltazar is a fun read that is illustrated with over a 150 full-colored paintings. Baltazar is a visual storyteller who has worked for Dreamworld studios, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation.

Earth had a rupture of the time-space continuum and a new world was born where there are enormous robots, dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, and buffalos as well as new land masses.

The story is told in first-person by Diego, a middle school boy who just turned thirteen. His mother is a famous fighter pilot and his father is New Chicago’s top engineer. Diego’s father is kidnapped and Diego and his three friends join mercenaries who’ve been hired to rescue him.

Diego is a delightful character. Full of courage and resourcefulness, but at

times impulsive. The story is a coming of age story and tests Diego and his three friend’s mettle as they realize there are much large stakes than rescuing Diego and his friend’s fathers.

As the story unfolds, Diego discovers he has secret talents, why his father was kidnapped, and the terrible fate that awaits the children of the world, if he fails in his mission.

The book is geared toward a middle school and high school audience, but as an adult, I enjoyed reading this fantasy adventure full of lively, colorful illustrations.

This book is the first in a series and was an ambitious project. Well done Baltazar.

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