Behind the Scenes of
3. Her Infinite Variety
Dear Louise,
Thanks for the great review! Here are my comments.
Ch. 1: I like it that this change in time has allowed me more freedom with Straker. I’ve been able to make him much more spontaneous and fun than I ever could with Sheila. We catch glimpses of this in his personality with flashbacks in the series, but we don’t see nearly enough of it to please me. So with Chandra I am able to bring him back to that sweet/ornery little boy aspect of his character. It’s great! (And I have long wanted to have him make love on his studio couch! As you said, it’s just so naughty!)
About Miss Ealand’s reaction to Chandra’s influence. I see her as extremely proper, and proud of her boss for being the same. Any deviation from that would worry and distress her, because she would be bound to see it as him conforming to the rest of the acting world’s mind set. At least, that’s how I see her. I am hoping that time will prove to her that Chandra is good for her boss.
Ch. 2: I love words! And the languages that use them! It was great fun to sprinkle Shakespeare’s speech with Old English and Middle English words. My biggest concern was that I’d get too carried away and make him unintelligible. But my daughter assured me that it sounded natural. I’m glad you think so too. That means that I probably didn’t overdo it. I’m hoping sometime in a future story of this series to get some Klingon Hamlet quotes in. Don’t know how just yet, but when the opportunity arises – it’ll go in! Stay tuned!
I am so glad that you get the mindfry of Straker’s conversation with Alec. It went right over my daughter’s head. I’m hoping that most of the readers will get it – and enjoy being in the know about that "alternate" timeline!
I too really liked Straker’s line to Alec about his fiancee at the end of the chapter. It would be extremely daunting to be with someone who could kill you merely by touching you. As he said in the first story, it would make you concerned about ever making them mad. And although I don’t want the reader to think he’s afraid of her, I do want them to realize that he’s aware of the risks of being involved with such a person. To me, it gives her a bit of balance where he’s concerned. Because he too would be a very intimidating partner to have.
Ch. 3: I’m so glad you asked the question about Shakespeare knowing Straker is a commander! It’s a little thing, easily missed. And it shouldn’t be! Of course, it’s always possible that he heard the SHADO guards referring to Straker that way. But the truth is that he researched him and found it out. And you can bet he also knows whether Earth wins its war against the Thoelians! Not that anyone’s asking him. Yet. *grin*
So many people love Shakespeare that I was concerned that I would have people up in arms from my portrayal of him. But he has always reminded me of my father in many ways. So I made him like my dad would have been in his place. The original Shakespeare had a very sad view of women, and although my version isn’t that bad (because of Chandra’s mom’s influence), I thought it would be fun to sometime have him chatting with Straker about women, since Straker also has a jaundiced view of women from his exposure to actresses. Don’t know where that scene would fit into a storyline, but you can bet I’ll find a way!
Ch. 4: Face it – weddings are boring for everyone but the bride and groom! So I didn’t want to spend much time on it. Doing it from his perspective made it so that the reader wouldn’t mind hearing about it. At least, that was my goal. If it didn’t bore you, then I succeeded!
Sometimes things come out of my characters' mouths that I had no idea about until it happens. Chandra’s comment about John at the reception was one of those times. Who knows what we’ll end up seeing where that boy’s concerned? There are infinite possibilities, after all! *grin*
I modeled this John after the best aspects of my two sons. I really enjoyed them when they were in their early teens – so inquisitive and interesting to talk to! I don’t want John to grow up too fast. I want to enjoy this time with my boys again.
I know that traditionally the groom dances with the bride second, after the father’s dance. But I wanted Straker to end the reception on a romantic note, so I had him dance with her last. I loved their conversation, so I’m glad you enjoyed it too! It makes me gooey inside every time I read it! And my daughter burst into laughter when I read her where Alec told John to grab what he could, because the reception was over!
When I began the chapter, I didn’t know how the time with Straker’s dad would play out in the story. I didn’t want to add a jarring note to their honeymoon, but I wanted things resolved by the time they left. Somehow the story just went that direction and fixed everything without any work on my part. "I love it when a plan comes together!" *grin*
Ch. 5: It’s almost a shock after the romance of Chapter 4 to come back in at SHADO with Straker being Straker. But that’s a good contrast for the storyline. Fun’s over; time to get back to work! I like Ford – he makes a great comic foil! And he’s smart, so it’s usually a witty joke he’s involved in. I really wanted to include the explanation Straker gives him about his wife in the story. But it would have bogged things down just as we were winding down, so I elected to leave it out. I may include bits of it in later stories as Ford thinks about the Commander’s wife. We’ll see.
And Chandra – like Sheila – is ornery! Well, they’re both modeled after me, so what can I say? I think some readers may consider her biting his finger a juvenile gesture, but it’s what I would do in a similar situation, so it works for me! *grin* My favorite part of her payback is that she doesn’t tell him that she’ll be getting pregnant, letting him find out when he reads the report. Serves him right for withholding information!
Thanks again for the wonderful review. And thanks for letting me talk over the story with you!
Love,
Denise
Thanks for the great review! Here are my comments.
Ch. 1: I like it that this change in time has allowed me more freedom with Straker. I’ve been able to make him much more spontaneous and fun than I ever could with Sheila. We catch glimpses of this in his personality with flashbacks in the series, but we don’t see nearly enough of it to please me. So with Chandra I am able to bring him back to that sweet/ornery little boy aspect of his character. It’s great! (And I have long wanted to have him make love on his studio couch! As you said, it’s just so naughty!)
About Miss Ealand’s reaction to Chandra’s influence. I see her as extremely proper, and proud of her boss for being the same. Any deviation from that would worry and distress her, because she would be bound to see it as him conforming to the rest of the acting world’s mind set. At least, that’s how I see her. I am hoping that time will prove to her that Chandra is good for her boss.
Ch. 2: I love words! And the languages that use them! It was great fun to sprinkle Shakespeare’s speech with Old English and Middle English words. My biggest concern was that I’d get too carried away and make him unintelligible. But my daughter assured me that it sounded natural. I’m glad you think so too. That means that I probably didn’t overdo it. I’m hoping sometime in a future story of this series to get some Klingon Hamlet quotes in. Don’t know how just yet, but when the opportunity arises – it’ll go in! Stay tuned!
I am so glad that you get the mindfry of Straker’s conversation with Alec. It went right over my daughter’s head. I’m hoping that most of the readers will get it – and enjoy being in the know about that "alternate" timeline!
I too really liked Straker’s line to Alec about his fiancee at the end of the chapter. It would be extremely daunting to be with someone who could kill you merely by touching you. As he said in the first story, it would make you concerned about ever making them mad. And although I don’t want the reader to think he’s afraid of her, I do want them to realize that he’s aware of the risks of being involved with such a person. To me, it gives her a bit of balance where he’s concerned. Because he too would be a very intimidating partner to have.
Ch. 3: I’m so glad you asked the question about Shakespeare knowing Straker is a commander! It’s a little thing, easily missed. And it shouldn’t be! Of course, it’s always possible that he heard the SHADO guards referring to Straker that way. But the truth is that he researched him and found it out. And you can bet he also knows whether Earth wins its war against the Thoelians! Not that anyone’s asking him. Yet. *grin*
So many people love Shakespeare that I was concerned that I would have people up in arms from my portrayal of him. But he has always reminded me of my father in many ways. So I made him like my dad would have been in his place. The original Shakespeare had a very sad view of women, and although my version isn’t that bad (because of Chandra’s mom’s influence), I thought it would be fun to sometime have him chatting with Straker about women, since Straker also has a jaundiced view of women from his exposure to actresses. Don’t know where that scene would fit into a storyline, but you can bet I’ll find a way!
Ch. 4: Face it – weddings are boring for everyone but the bride and groom! So I didn’t want to spend much time on it. Doing it from his perspective made it so that the reader wouldn’t mind hearing about it. At least, that was my goal. If it didn’t bore you, then I succeeded!
Sometimes things come out of my characters' mouths that I had no idea about until it happens. Chandra’s comment about John at the reception was one of those times. Who knows what we’ll end up seeing where that boy’s concerned? There are infinite possibilities, after all! *grin*
I modeled this John after the best aspects of my two sons. I really enjoyed them when they were in their early teens – so inquisitive and interesting to talk to! I don’t want John to grow up too fast. I want to enjoy this time with my boys again.
I know that traditionally the groom dances with the bride second, after the father’s dance. But I wanted Straker to end the reception on a romantic note, so I had him dance with her last. I loved their conversation, so I’m glad you enjoyed it too! It makes me gooey inside every time I read it! And my daughter burst into laughter when I read her where Alec told John to grab what he could, because the reception was over!
When I began the chapter, I didn’t know how the time with Straker’s dad would play out in the story. I didn’t want to add a jarring note to their honeymoon, but I wanted things resolved by the time they left. Somehow the story just went that direction and fixed everything without any work on my part. "I love it when a plan comes together!" *grin*
Ch. 5: It’s almost a shock after the romance of Chapter 4 to come back in at SHADO with Straker being Straker. But that’s a good contrast for the storyline. Fun’s over; time to get back to work! I like Ford – he makes a great comic foil! And he’s smart, so it’s usually a witty joke he’s involved in. I really wanted to include the explanation Straker gives him about his wife in the story. But it would have bogged things down just as we were winding down, so I elected to leave it out. I may include bits of it in later stories as Ford thinks about the Commander’s wife. We’ll see.
And Chandra – like Sheila – is ornery! Well, they’re both modeled after me, so what can I say? I think some readers may consider her biting his finger a juvenile gesture, but it’s what I would do in a similar situation, so it works for me! *grin* My favorite part of her payback is that she doesn’t tell him that she’ll be getting pregnant, letting him find out when he reads the report. Serves him right for withholding information!
Thanks again for the wonderful review. And thanks for letting me talk over the story with you!
Love,
Denise