Mary Higgins Clark: Where are you now?

It took quite a while to finish the book since my interest wavered a bit during the first half of book which, was devoted in piecing the mysterious disappearance of Mack Jr, his lingering promise to his mother, Olivia MacKenzie, who he always calls on Mother's Day without fail. This went on for ten years and Carolyn (his younger sister) is fed up with the absurd arrangement her brother has made them put through so she devoted her time to finding him.

Thoughts

It was never easy reaching out to the past because you don't know what else you'll shift through the dormant dust accumulated through the years but Carolyn went through her brother's last footsteps, reconnected with his old college roommates, reading about the new kidnapping incidences that reflected the same situation as Mack Jr, which led the police to believe that Mack Jr is alive and that he had gone off the deep end by kidnapping women.

However, Carolyn believed her brother was innocent and strove to the truth. I was half expecting from  Carolyn to start as quickly as she could  instead she was shown to plan out who she needed to talk to in her own pace. She also had to contend with the horde of reporters camping outside her apartment and despite having scenes where she came home to an empty apartment and feeling frustrated, I felt more story movement went on whenever the kidnapper made his moves.

The scene at the basement of a decrepit building was heart-wrenching and the revelation who was behind it left me a little winded. I didn't expect it at all. Of course, the epilogue was also a heart-tugging chapter since a piece of Mack Jr lived but to Carolyn and her mom that piece seemed too far. I imagined that once Barbara Galbraith finally told her son, Gary about his other family affiliations, Carolyn and her Mom will finally have the closure they needed. I thought that chapter can even inspire a TV movie. ☺


Extras

I went over to Storycasting to place my cast choices since during the time I was reading it, I thought of who might portray the characters. I always do that when I read books. I think it was just a way for me to visualize the story.

Here are some of my choices and the  rest are below since I was experiencing limitations. *grins* I hope more actor names will be added in Storycasting site database. :D

Finding my book list...

Going back to The Broke and Bookish  I've stumbled upon their Dark Mirror's Review.  It piqued my curiosity reading halfway through the summary. The review was good too. I wish I could join the giveaway but as it is, I'm halfway across the globe. So I'll check if my fave book shop carries this title. Too bad I couldn't add this to my friend who's already buying two books for me.  :)

If the book cover doesn't grab at least a smidgen of your attention then maybe it's time to take off those jaded color shades for the moment and view the book in fresh eyes. 

I wonder how Tory came upon her magical uniqueness.  Visit  MJPutney's site  for other YA books.  

Another book "The Wizard Hunters" that has been sitting in my list is from author Martha Wells.  Ever since I've read Stargate Atlantis: Entanglement and Reliquary, I wanted to read more of her works and I'm also crossing my fingers the book shop carries this book. :) This will be another dip into the fantasy world. The first introduction was The Hobbit all the way through Return of the King. :D 

Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves

In no way in any order....

1. Dog-eared, lined pages, missing pages or highlight passages. While it would be great to cite that memorable dialogue, it's unfortunate for the next reader to find that the ink from a felt pen made  a paragraph or two unreadable. I wish people would show care to a book as if it were their own, unless they practice the same thing to their own books.... *sigh* Lastly, if you have to remember where you left off, place a bookmark than fold that corner page. 
2. First person point of view.  It was too tiring to read.  
3. Verbose.  We poor readers need to be armed with pruning shears just to help us understand what's going on the book.
4. Too much techno-babble. It distract me to the story. 
5. Out-of-character.  Encountered one time in a TV tie-in book. I'm not sure how much creative leeway was given but the characters' voices weren't captured well on print. 
6. Too many characters. Apart from the principal ones and supporting, there are others running rampant. 
7. Slow scenes. I usually skip them.
8. Feels flat and looks flat. There were books that I wasn't drawn into the painted worlds of the characters.
9. Fine print. Blame it on staring at the computer for too long. Tsk. My eyes were never the same. 
10. Cover page. I would like to have some imaginative design going on the cover. 

For more Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves, head straight here. This is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each Tuesday will issue a different Top Ten Tuesday. 

Story Cast....

Have you ever had the discussion with your friends about your favorite book and share your dream casts with each other? I always get a kick out of it whenever I hear someone casting choice.  Even in mailing lists or forums, they hold similar discussions for our respective favorite books. Well, a site takes it up a notch to gather everyone's dream casting into one location.  For example:

Storycast for The Fire Within (Elemental Knights Chronicles 1)

I haven't found this book at the book shop or I might not be looking very hard. These days, I'm very much into Mary Higgins Clark and I'm planning to contribute my casts too as soon as I remember who's who since for the book, "On the Street Where You Live," I was able to come up with three choices. Tsk. The main character, the perp, and the detective, which hardly constitutes a complete cast of characters for the book. I also find it interesting to see other peoples cast choices too, wouldn't you?  :)

I haven't periodically visited Storycast after stumbling into it about a couple years back but I've read that they've increased the casting number to 25. I don't recall how many you could cast before though.  There are still books aching to be cast so if you've read one, why not give it a try. 

If you're an avid fan of Cassandra Clare's work, you can add your cast faves too.  The site also offers forum for book fans to chat with other fans who have read the same books and share also their cast faves with the group.

This seems to be a good respite from screenwriting and throw in your two cents for casting choices.  Who knows, it might even spark an idea. *grins*  Everywhere this is story waiting to be told, it's a matter of finding it and weaving an interesting tapestry. Good luck and keep writing.

25 Hardy Boys Titles Writers Should Study | scribbleplay

Two days ago I was struck with a story idea after watching a Jane Seymour movie over at HBO channel called "A Memory in my Heart."  I have a character but I haven't found a good scene to introduce her and why she was admitted to a mental institution. Well, aside from losing several marbles.  Then, when a visiting psychiatrist takes her case history, some sort of six-degrees of separation type of thing happened inside the hospital and that her life started to piece together.

Anyway, while as I was mulling over that and getting into numerous dead ends, I received an e-mail about thinking a compelling title.

Credit www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

" Each title includes a an interesting element or two along with the mystery readers will be trying to solve during the read."  Wow! And the short article  made sense!

I remember every time I picked up a Hardy Boys book or a Nancy Drew book, I was trying to solve the connection of the title to the story inside. Why was it the Mystery of the Four-headed Dragon or  who is the Captive Witness? The Melted Coins  title was compelling from the list prepared at the site and I haven't read this one. 

Read more here: 25 Hardy Boys Titles Writers Should Study | scribbleplay