Grimm 1.11: "Tarantella"

"Tarantella" is at once the grossest, most disgusting yet simultaneously tragic and heart-breaking episode of Grimm thus far. This episode takes its inspiration from a Japanese short story entitled "The Goblin Spider," where apparently normal-looking spiders morphed into hideous, larger versions of themselves capable of horrific acts. The Grimm version of these Goblin Spiders are called Spinnetods, or Black Widows of the Wesen (creature) world. Spinnetods are female, plagued by a condition that causes rapid aging unless they literally suck the life out of three young men every five years. The tragic thing about these undeniable predators is that they are haunted by self-loathing -- they don't want to kill, but when the choice comes down to kill or rapidly age & die, well that is no choice at all. Talk about depressing!

The Spinnetod in question is played by guest star Amy Acker, which got a lot of Joss Whedon fans excited since she appeared on both Angel and Dollhouse (I never watched either, so all I can say is that I had a general impression of her as likeable). The episode opens with Amy's character, Lena, meeting a Fuchsbau (fox-like creature) on the prowl at a swanky art show. They flirt, she plays coy, he insists, and they end up back at his apartment. Apparently rethinking her decision, she tries to leave and is attacked -- quickly, and shockingly, turning the tables on the leech and transforming into a disgusting-looking spider woman, forcing him to swallow some sort of venom she's spitting up (but not before he bites off one of her fingers). If you can get past the gross factor, the set up here is pretty brilliant -- nothing about Lena's appearance or demeanor screams deadly predator, and her obvious horror and remorse in the aftermath of the killing immediately suggest that what she's just done is beyond her control -- the only question that remains is why?

Nick (David Giuntoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby) are understandably puzzled by how a killer can essentially suck his or her victims completely dry, leaving them in a dessicated state that suggests they've been dead for months or years rather then a matter of hours. When the coroner reveals that the corrosive contains spider venom, I just have to say I think it took Nick a little longer than it should have to hit the Grimm books looking for a culprit. Really that should be his default reaction by now. :P Anyways, Lena's killed again, suggesting she's a cold-blooded predator -- but what about the earlier tears? When a match is returned on the finger found at the first crime scene, Nick and Hank realize they have some sort of ritualistic killer on their hands -- the print matches one taken at crime scenes five and ten years prior, crimes that occurred in clusters of three. Cut to Lena once again, and just when we think she's marked her third would-be victim, we discover that she's flirting with her husband at their daughter's soccer game. This dichotomy, Lena's obvious desire to appear small and normal and unobtrusive, it's completely at odds with her earlier more brazen, flirtatious behavior.

When Nick discovers an ancient scroll in Grimm HQ (a.k.a. Aunt Marie's trailer) talking about deadly "spider women," he of course turns to Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) for more information (because OF COURSE asking a blutbad about spiders makes PERFECT sense *wink*). So OF COURSE Monroe is friends with Charlotte (Dalene Young), an elderly Spinnetod living in the local Wesen nursing home. 1) How hilarious is the idea of Wesen long-term care facilities? 2) How adorable is it that Monroe visits old spider ladies in nursing homes? I mean SERIOUSLY! Could he be more perfect?? ANYWAYS...Charlotte brings Nick face-to-face with the cost of turning one's back on the Spinnetod lifestyle -- she's actually 26 years old but looks 70 plus at best. The moment when she "jokes" about Monroe and Nick looking tasty -- the looks they exchange are priceless.

So, we cut back to Lena, who has given her husband Robert (Ryan McCluskey) the Rolex she took as a "trophy" of her first kill in this episode. Their daughter Sally (Nicole McCullough) is all "OOOH!!! SHINY!!!" and takes the watch to school to trade for a bike (weird?!?), which gets back to Nick and Hank, who take Robert in for questioning. Nick is immediately suspicious of Lena's bandaged hand, but apparently spider women can grow back minor appendages AT WILL! Who knew?! But Nick doesn't give up becaues HE'S A GRIMM, DANGIT, and pressures Robert to flip on his wife -- because it makes no sense if Lena is a Spinnetod that she could have a long marriage. And this is where their story gets MORE tragic, because they are so obviously in love with each other, yet Lena has to commit these horrible crimes in order to slow her aging process and stay with her family. Talk about a Catch-22...

The climax of this episode, with Nick and Hank attempting to prevent Lena from committing a third murder, is actually one of the more suspenseful sequences the show has featured. Nick's hunt for Lena on the eerie marina made me jump more than once. And I loved how Nick really seemed to struggle with shooting Lena -- she needed to be stopped, but Giuntoli played it in such a way as to hint at Nick's acknowledgement that on some level, Lena couldn't help who she was. This seems to make Aunt Marie's injunction to "hunt down the bad ones" that much harder -- because how do you deal with the bad ones who don't want to be bad? And even more than that, what do you do when you know there's a murderer in the making (Lena's teenage daughter), but since she hasn't done anything yet, you just have to wait for her to act first? Talk about a burden, yeesh. So Lena meets her inevitable fate in jail, rapidly aging and crying over her lost family -- it's AWFUL. I mean we shouldn't feel sorry for her but we DO because she looks like Amy Acker who is SO DANG LIKEABLE.

This episode also featured a potentially disturbing development on the homefront for Nick as far as his relationship with Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) is concerned. Wesen children have taken to egging his house, which gets Nick concerned about his unwanted notoreity (side note: Nick & Monroe hanging out for coffee? WIN). So Nick has to Grimm-it-up if you will and instill a little healthy fear of repercussions in the Wesens spreading the news about his Grimm-status -- in this case the culprit is that pesky refrigerator repairman who got all whigged out when he realized who Nick was. It's been coming at a bit of a slow burn all season, but Nick is really stepping up in the Grimm department, becoming more proactive without (thus far, anyway) letting his "powers" go to his head. All in all, a very solid episode, though the deaths-by-corrisive-spider-acid were a bit gross. And shout-out to Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) for continuing to look friggin' awesome in nice suits. Makes me happy. :)

look at THIS!

In what is perhaps the most exciting musical news I've gotten in years (YEARS, I tell you, I do not exaggerate when it comes to Chris Botti), Chris Botti (a.k.a. Ruth's Future Husband as he was known affectionately for many years on my previous blog) has a brand-new album coming out April 17th. That's next month people! I haven't been able to discover much about the album other than the cover (thanks to Amazon) and the tracklist (thanks AOL Music) --

1. Concierto De Aranjuez
2. Losing You
3. Tango Suite
4. You Are Not Alone
5. Oblivion
6. Per Te (For You)
7. Setembro
8. Sevdah
9. Summertime
10. Prelude No. 20 in C Minor
11. Contigo En La Distancia
12. Over the Rainbow
13. What a Wonderful World

And for anyone reading this who may be unaware of the sheer awesomeness that is Chris Botti, here's a video from his Chris Botti in Boston concert special, performing "Emmanuel" with violinist Lucia Micarelli --

Grimm gets a 2nd season!

Congrats to Grimm! TVLine broke the news this afternoon that NBC has renewed the show for a second season! This means more Nick, more Hank, more Captain Renard, and most critically and importantly, MORE MONROE! :)

Congratulations to the cast & crew, I couldn't be more thrilled.

Mesu Andrews Interview

I am absolutely thrilled to welcome author Mesu Andrews to the blog today in celebration of her latest release, Love's Sacred Song! Her debut novel, Love Amid the Ashes, was one of my favorite books of last year -- a moving retelling of the Job story (click here to read my review). My review of Love's Sacred Song is coming in the next few days -- rest assured it is every bit as good as her debut, a story I'm savoring as each chapter unfolds! Without further ado, here's Mesu --

Booktalk & More: In Love Amid the Ashes you explore the role of pain and suffering in faith and how that impacts one's relationship with God. What drew you to Solomon's story next and the very different subject matter of the Song of Songs, and what do you hope readers take away from the book?

Mesu: Solomon’s story was actually my first manuscript and started as an allegorical Bible study, but no one wanted to publish it—because I have no credentials. Which totally makes sense when you think about it. So we changed the format, making it fiction, and created more life-like characters, and wallah! Contracted in 2008, Revell requested a delay on publishing Solomon until March 2012 in order to release after Jill Smith’s Wives of King David series, which allowed me to write and publish Love Amid the Ashes during the interim. So my first book was actually published second!

I love the shadowy characters in Scripture, the ones few (if any) have written about. It’s fun to find previously obscure passages and show how they intertwine through separate books of Scripture and through ages of time. What a joy it is when readers tell me, “I had no idea that Scripture had anything to do with so-and-so!” Love it!

Studying Song of Songs totally changed my relationship with Jesus, and this book has been a part of that. I never understood how to love an invisible God. Scripture says I’m to love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. But how? When I can’t see Him with my eyes, touch Him with my hands, or hear Him with my ears?

Though Love’s Sacred Song is not strictly allegorical (because the characters are not totally good or totally evil), the thread of Christ’s story runs through it, and I see the ferocious, unrelenting love of my Savior for me. I found, in the pages of Song of Songs and while writing the book, a God that I truly love with a sacred love. That’s what I pray my readers will find as well.

Booktalk & More: Why Biblical fiction? I love a well-crafted tale that breathes fresh life into the "dry bones" of a story immortalized in the pages of scripture, but others may have concerns when it comes to "embellishing" the scriptural texts. What is your perspective and what would your response be to those who share the latter view, and do you ever share any such concerns?

Mesu: (Whew! That’s a mouthful! Tee-hee) Did you know there are books out there called “biblical fiction” that would never be categorized as Christian? I began reading biblical fiction in 2001 when there were very few Christian market choices. Some of the general market titles were startling because of the total lack of regard for biblical text. That concerned me deeply! I felt it tragic that someone curious about Hannah or Solomon would form their flawed opinions from those books rather than from biblical stories based on God’s infallible truths from Scripture.

Jesus used parables to teach, stories to make a lesson more memorable. Because our western culture is so far removed from the Eastern minds that wrote the biblical text, I think it’s important to understand some of the setting, geography, and world events surrounding the circumstances of the biblical stories we see in God’s Word. The Truth becomes more memorable when it’s placed in its historical context by Christian authors who are committed to meticulous research.

When I’ve chatted with other biblical fiction authors, we all agree. Our purpose is NEVER to replace the reading of Scripture, but rather to awaken readers’ curiosity and send them back to the Bible for answers.

Booktalk & More: A major Hollywood studio has optioned Love's Sacred Song for a film. Who would you like to see play the leads of Solomon and the shepherdess Arielah?

Mesu: Did they really? Wouldn’t that be cool! This was actually a question on my cover questionnaire from Revell for Love Amid the Ashes. I always thought Harrison Ford would have made a great Job.

I’m thinking the guy they got for the Solomon cover was a good choice, eh? Yikes! Hmmmm. I, personally, think Gerard Butler is perfect for any part, but he’s a bit old for young Solomon. I saw a guy named Darren Criss—uh-huh. Yep. He looks like a fantastic young Solomon to me! And I think Minka Kelly is that natural beauty—with or without make-up—that could make a beautiful Arielah.

Booktalk & More: I'm intrigued by your casting choices -- I'll have to let you know if I come up with any other ideas! :)

Mesu: Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to share a bit with your readers! If anyone would like to keep in touch, they can visit my website @ http://www.mesuandrews.com/. Or sign up for free weekly e-devotionals @ http://www.mesuandrews.com/deep-o-tionals-2/acts-of-the-apostles/. Also, I’ve added pictures of a potential “Solomon” and “Arielah” to my Pinterest Board for Character Faces...check it out and leave a comment! Or give your own suggestions!

******

Mesu, thank you so much for your willingness to visit my blog and the time and thoughtfulness with which you answered each of my questions! I've thoroughly enjoyed our little chat, stop in anytime! :)

Grimm 1.10: "Organ Grinder"

I haven't blogged about Grimm since JANUARY. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?! (I am so distractable...) Rest assured by love for this show has by no means faltered -- in fact, I could make a good argument that episode ten turned the show from good to great, and the uptick shows no sign of a downturn in subsequent weeks. "Organ Grinder" is Grimm's deliciously (no pun intended) creepy take on the Hansel and Gretel story, and people it works so well.

The episode opens with two emaciated teenagers running through the dark woods, with creepy looking creatures replete with vulture-like, hooked noses chasing them. One of the teens is grabbed and dragged back to an isolated barn where we see a girl being thrown into a FIRE PIT. The other teen ends up going over a waterfall and washing up on shore the next day -- enter Nick (David Guintoli) and Hank (Russell Hornsby). Just prior to being called to the scene, Nick is at Monroe's (Silas Weir Mitchell) house, trying to drum up the courage to tell Juliette about his newly discovered-Grimm "abilities." Monroe is no help -- as he tells Nick, most regular humans can't process creature transformations, so her brain would likely turn to mush. Anyways, skip ahead to the autopsy results on the teenager -- he was completely drained of blood, lots of vampire jokes are exchanged, and Nick and Hank decide to canvass Portland's street kid population to see if anyone knows anything.

Generally speaking I've liked Nick since the beginning of the show, but this episode marks a turning point in Giuntoli's performance, an added "spark" that really makes me buy him as a Grimm and everything that is supposed to involve. This is first exhibited in Nick's interactions with two street kids who knew the victim -- Gracie (Hannah Marks from Necessary Roughness) and Hanson (Daryl Sabara -- remember Spy Kids?). I absolutely loved Nick's compassion for their rough lives, and the way that translated into a resolve to make sure this doesn't happen to others. He gets Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) to join him in TAKING THE KIDS TO DINNER! How adorable was that?! I mean seriously! (The icing on the cake being his clear appreciation of Juliette's ability to get Gracie to open up to her -- his love for Juliette, his appreciation for everything she is and can do, well that makes just the idea that he might have to break up with her in order to protect her absolutely gut-wrenching!)

To make a long(ish) story (somewhat) shorter, Nick and Hank discover links to their victim at a free clinic frequented by street kids, followed by a disturbing call to an accident where a man (revealed to be one of the beak-nosed creatures) is found illegally transporting HUMAN ORGANS. Now this is all kinds of disgusting, but as far as transforming the Hansel and Gretel story into a modern-day police procedural? Well, people, it works brilliantly. The witch of legend preyed on children in order to cook them, and these creatures prey on young, healthy humans in order to harvest organs for creature "enhancement powders." Oh, and the doctor at the center of this hot mess? Played by Valerie Cruz, a.k.a. Kathy Sullivan on the SyFy show Alphas.

The discovery that human organ trafficking is involved brings me to Monroe, who as we all know is consistently the best part of this show. :) When Nick goes to Monroe seeking information about the Geiers, our long-suffering blutbad finally snaps and there's this hilarious discussion about how everything is ALL ABOUT NICK ALL THE TIME. This is over dinner and a conversation that gets really awkward REALLY FAST when the subject comes to "creature enhancement" (HA!). I really like Nick and Hank's partnership, but Nick and Monroe -- oh they make my heart sing. Their bromance is a gem, a GEM I tell you! Anyways, all of this leads to more hilariousness when Nick gets Monroe to go buy some human gallbladder powder, which is hilariously awkward (it is getting to the point where Monroe should ask to be an official police consultant, don't you think?). Side note: wasn't Monroe's hat in this scene amazing?

When Nick learns which shop is selling human organs, he makes a trip there and this is the first of at least two times in this episode we get to see him really start to leverage his status as a Grimm. He's not circumventing the law, which is great because I like the fact that he is a very conscientious cop, but he's using his legendary Grimm status to influence creature/people and quite frankly I LOVE THAT. Moments like ordering the shop owner to cease & desist in the organ powders trade or basically scaring a creature nurse into flipping on her fellow "doctors" -- well, Nick as a Grimm cop adds a little extra spark and verve to his investigations. Giuntoli's always been good, and pleasant, and easy on the eyes -- but this episode marks a turning point, where I really started to buy him as someone who could live up to the legend of his ancestors.

So anyways, Gracie and Hanson are snatched by the fake Geier doctors and taken to their super-secret location to have their organs removed. EEEK! In an unexpectedly neat nod to the original story, Nick and Hank discover the kids' location by following a trail of shell necklace beads (as opposed to bread crumbs). The kids are saved, the evil witch Geier doctor is cooked, all is well, and this is one of the best episodes of Grimm to date. Oh! But I can't close without mentioning Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz), because when he gets a severed ear in the mail from the Reapers -- well things are getting really interesting with him, are they not? Plus, I can't hide it any longer -- the man is HOT. When he shadows Nick & Hank on the mobile home sting, and he's all waving around a friggin' RIFLE...you know the man means business. *wink*

Between Mr. Gold on Once Upon a Time and Captain Renard on Grimm...I have just got to say, TV this year is good for morally ambiguous, attractive men in suits.

A Night to Remember

Five years after the less than authentic but unarguably heartfelt Barbara Stanwyck/Clifton Webb Titanic film graced movie theater screens, the story of the doomed ocean liner returned to theaters in A Night to Remember -- a straightforward and relatively frank appraisal of the sinking, based on the non-fiction work of the same name by Walter Lord. Now it has been YEARS since I've seen this film, but as I mentioned earlier with the 100th anniversary of the sinking fast approaching I wanted to take the time to revisit some of cinema's classic portrayals of Titanic. I feel as though I was able to approach this film with relatively fresh eyes since it has been years since I've seen it, so the particulars of this film were rather hazy in my memory. But I couldn't have asked for better timing -- having just finished the Walter Lord book for the first time, to watch this film immediately following made for a powerful, immersive Titanic experience.

From the opening frames, the first thing that struck me about this film is its air of authenticity when compared to the 1953 Titanic. Unlike many (most?) films from this era, A Night to Remember has an almost documentary-style feel, with an astonishing attention to detail. This is a film that has stood the test of time and holds up brilliantly today, its understated grace lending it an unparalleled air of authenticity and realism. It is almost a beat-for-beat, word-for-word visual realization of the book. Of course it has the limitations of 1950s special effects at its disposal, but focusing on "just the facts" and foregoing the temptation to embellish the film with fictionalized characters/occurrences, A Night to Remember stands apart as an unmatched visual document of the sinking, an authority lended credence by the knowledge that the reminiscences of so many survivors were available, lending their invaluable perspective to Lord's book and the subsequent film.

A Night to Remember doesn't spend a lot of time establishing its core cast, instead briefly introducing major players such as Chairman of the White Star Line J. Bruce Ismay (Frank Lawton), builder Thomas Andrews (Michael Goodliffe), and Captain Smith (Laurence Naismith). While there is no "star" couple focus with which to romanticize the storyline and "hook" viewers, Second Officer Herbert Lightoller (Kenneth More) stands the closest to the role of a central star. Lightoller was the seniormost officer to survive the sinking, and his actions as documented in Lord's book and this film are nothing short of astounding, and More's performance a revelation. Lightoller's position in the ship is unique in that it is a window into both the crew and passengers' experiences, since as an officer Lightoller could walk in both worlds -- and he was a critical player in the dispatching of the lifeboats after the collision.

Anchored by More's performance as the workmanlike, competent Lightoller, the entire film does an excellent job resisting the temptation to succumb to melodrama. Performances are excellent across the board, extremely honest, never giving in to the temptation to idealize (or, conversely villainize) individuals. This is a film that showcases both the admirable, best and bravest tendencies in mankind as well as those painful moments of "mob mentality" or cowardice. My favorite scenes evoke the genuine pathos of the moment without resorting to hysterics -- the moment when a father sees his wife and children into a lifeboat, and he and his wife exchange a final look knowing this will be their last, but refusing to speak of it. The moment just before the sinking when an elderly steward attempts to comfort a lost child with promises to find his mother, knowing they are about to plunge into icy waters. The moment when the members of the band silently acknowledge the futility of attempting to escape the sinking ship, instead regrouping and playing "Nearer My God to Thee." Taken as a whole the unvarnished honesty of the performances is just one of the factors that make A Night to Remember an unforgettable, classic document of the disaster.

Before closing there are a handful cast appearances I must point out. Honor Blackman, better known today as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, turns in a stellar performance as the wife and mother of the aforementioned gentleman who bids his family a heart-rending farewell at the lifeboats. Kenneth Griffith as wireless operator Jack Phillips gives a moving performance when he allows you to see the slowly dawning, horrific realization that perhaps his frustration with relaying useless personal telegrams blocked or slowed knowledge of the dangerous ice facing the Titanic. He's supported by David McCallum in one of his earlier film appearances as assistant wireless operator Harold McBride (McCallum best known for his roles in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and NCIS).

In the last week I've delved rather heavily into Titanic-related material, and the thing that strikes me the most -- and that this film drives home really well -- is the sense of unreality about it all, the disconnect between the impact of the iceberg and the initial complacency of so many of the passengers. Even the (lack of a) response by the nearby Californian -- all underscore the fact that in 1912 a disaster of this magnitude, occurring with THIS ship, was absolutely unheard of, completely unfathomable. Taken together, both the book and film versions of A Night to Remember document not only the disaster of the sinking and the horrifying, needless loss of life, but the beginning of the end of an era, a devastating crack in mankind's general confidence in themselves and their accomplishments. May carefully crafted works like this serve to ever remind us of our past, remind us of the best mankind is capable of when the unthinkable strikes, but perhaps most of all remind us in this very uncertain world remind us where true security lies -- the truth of the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee," may  it be ever so.

Review: A Night to Remember by Walter Lord

A Night to Remember
By: Walter Lord
Publisher: Owl Books
ISBN: 0-8050-7764-2

About the book:

First published in 1955, A Night to Remember remains the definitive, classic tale of the sinking of the Titanic. Walter Lord interviewed more than sixty survivors before committing their searingly vivid recollections to his minute-by-minute account of the Titanic's fatal collision and the experiences of both passengers and cew under pressure of the unthinkable: the swift plummet into icy waters of the ship promised never to sink.

With a new introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick, bestselling author of In the Heart of the Sea and Sea of Glory, this fiftieth-anniversary edition of Walter Lord's classic brings the drama of that night back to life. As Philbrick concludes in his introduction: "From first to last, A Night to Remember is about the people who briefly inhabited the Titanic, and never again will an author have the opportunity to speak to so many of them. In this most essential way, Lord's book can never be outdone, making A Night to Remember the ultimate survivor's tale."

Review:

I cannot believe it's taken the impending 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic to compel me to finally delve into Walter Lord's 1955 recounting of the great ship's final hours, A Night to Remember. As detailed in the foreward to the fiftieth anniversary reissue, Lord possessed a lifelong, enduring fascination with the doomed Titanic, perhaps born out of a childhood trip on her sistership Olympia. Irregardless of the origin, Lord's passion for the subject shines in this slim volume's tightly-plotted recreation of the ship's final hours and the sinking's aftermath. Lord was in the unique and enviable position of being able to interview over sixty survivors of the sinking for his book, which he then incorporated into a blow-by-blow recreation of every moment -- from the collision with the iceberg to the Carpathia's rescue of less than a third of the Titanic's total passenger list. Lord's brisk, documentary style makes you feel as if you're watching a film of events unfold, lending the gradually dawning realization of the enormity of the danger facing the ship a depth and intensity that makes this an absolute page-turner.

As Lord comments in his acknowledgements, A Night to Remember "is really about the last night of a small town" -- and by extension the beginning of the end for an entire way of life. I confess that while I've always been susceptible to the "Titanic mystique" I never really thought about the socio-economic repercussions of the tragedy. From the massively wealthy movers & shakers (i.e. John Jacob Astor IV) to the poorest immigrants in Third Class, Lord lays out a convincing argument that the Titanic was the "last stand of wealth and society in the center of public affection" -- to wit, the loss of that class's exclusivity on privilege and relative immunity to bad press. A whole way of life, the close-knit culture of the First Class passengers, an air of civility and chivalry, all of that vanished on that icy night in April, rocking the world to its core and paving the way for the unsettled political and socially charged atmosphere of the 20th century.

This is an even-handed, balanced presentation of the events of April 14, 1912 and its aftermath. Lord manages to present what I feel is a relatively unvarnished view of events, but tells them in such a compelling manner that one never loses sight of the horror and human toll of that fateful day. A Night to Remember is not only an extraordinary document of the ship and her time, but of the best and worst that mankind is capable of, and of the dangers of letting the legend eclipse the great human toll of that night, and of what we can perhaps learn today from the ordinary men and women on that voyage who found themselves called to do extraordinary things.

Prize of My Heart by Lisa Norato

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Prize of My Heart Bethany House Publishers (March 1, 2012) by Lisa Norato
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A life-long New Englander, Lisa Norato lives in a historic village with homes and churches dating as far back as the eighteenth century. She was born into a close-knit Italian family that hungered as much for the things of God as they did for lasagna. After church, the family spent Sunday afternoons gathered in fellowship around a never-ending feast that featured her grandmother's homemade spaghetti and pizza.

From the time she learned to read, her mother impressed her with the joy of getting lost in a good book. She passed novels along to her as early as age thirteen, but it wasn't until many years later that Lisa felt compelled to write one herself.

She first discovered a love of writing when assigned to write and illustrate a children's book at the art college she attended. She balances writing with a career as a legal assistant specializing in corporate law. When not creating stories, she enjoys domestic pursuits like precious time with her dog and family, cooking, baking and eating vegan, reading, her Bible, her favorite television shows and crocheting.

Lisa is a member of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Rhode Island Romance Writers (RIRW) and American Colonial Christian Writers.

ABOUT THE BOOK

An unsolved mystery separates ex-privateersman Captain Brogan Talvis from his lost son--his only living relation, his only family. Shortly before her tragic demise, his wife abandoned their infant to strangers, refusing to reveal the child's whereabouts. Now, three years later, Brogan has discovered the boy at the home of a shipbuilder's daughter, Lorena Huntley.
Lorena guards a dark secret about her young charge. She finds herself falling for the heroic captain who has come to claim his newly built ship, unaware his motive for wooing her is to befriend the boy he plans on reclaiming as his own--until the day anothers evil deceit leaves her helplessly shipbound, heading toward England.

As the perfect opportunity to reclaim his son unfolds, Brogan is haunted by thoughts of Lorena in her dire circumstance, and he is forced to make a heartrending choice between his child and the woman who has begun to capture his heart. But only his unselfish sacrifice can win him the greatest prize of all--love.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Prize of My Heart, go HERE.