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Something strange was going on in Hilary, Virginia — Noah Braxton felt it the moment he arrived when a golden-haired, blue-eyed witch cast a spell and stole his heart! RhiannonYork beguiled the slightly staid but definitely sexy New York lawyer with her bewitching eyes and her scent of exotic spices and wild flowers. Her touch of fire melted Noah’s hard edges and made him long to lose control in her arms, but was the sensual web she wove only a tantalizing illusion that would disappear with the dawn? Trailed by a black cat whose blue eyes shared Rhiannon’s hypnotic power, Noah tried to uncover the mysterious secret that had brought him to the small town, but he kept coming back to the lady whose lips tasted of moonlight. He’d shattered her peace, but Rhiannon feared he would never belong. Could the fiery enchantress teach Noah the joy of believing in dreams come true?
Except that the only enchantment here is just the age-old magic between a studly guy and a drop-dead sexy lady that only happens in romance novels, the only hypnotic power just the one that a beautiful woman can have over a man out of his element and feeling off-balanced in a strange situation. Rhiannon isn’t even a practicing witch, even though she looks the part, down to having a pet owl she named Merlin and that mysteriously-appearing black cat that is probably the only magical creature in the entire story.
Still, this novel has a place in the collection exactly because it doesn’t have those magical or hypnotic elements, rather, because of how is makes use of those elements in the advertising ‘flavor’ text on the back of the book to help sell it and to help set that image in the reader’s mind. Sure, this is a stereotype, and a pretty strong one at that, but just because it is a stereotype doesn’t mean I should ignore it.
The latest scenes posted online from the filming of the new Judge Dredd movie “Dredd” include a shot of Psi-Judge Anderson (Olivia Thirlby), alongside the title character, notably as she appeared in the 2000 AD comics without the standard judge’s helmet and what appears to be a Psi-Judge badge. (Its mostly covered by her arm but its significantly different than Judge Dredd’s badge.)
Psi-Judges were a special section of the the Judges in the Judge Dredd comic published in the 2000 AD comics magazine, individuals with psychic talents such as telepathy, empathy, precognition, etc. Psi-Judge Cassandra Anderson was a powerful telepath and also possessed a facility for precognition. She was considered one of the strongest telepaths in the section and was one of the few other judges, including Psi-Judges, that Judge Dredd himself trusted.
Although its unknown what use the character’s psychic powers will be in the storyline, it is still a good sign that she appears in the new movie. At least is should be better than the last attempt.
A Bewitching Hypnotist and a Cynical Rake Discover There’s More to Love Than Mere Suggestion!
Besieged with requests by social lionesses wanting to be considered au courant, Rowena Morely’s talent for hypnotism was dazzling the ton. Lord Barlow, skeptical of her abilities, watched with growing alarm as both his mother and young ward spent entirely too much time with the green-eyed charlatan.
Rowena could not resist a challenge, and Barlow’s ill-mannered cynicism dared her to hypnotize the confirmed bachelor that he would soon become enslaved in marriage.
Of course, it was all a trick, but the unsuspecting Barlow quickly discovered her spell was wreaking havoc on his mind and heart. For the woman who had ensnared him was the bewitching Rowena herself!
Lord Barlow is in a quandry: ever since he allowed the lovely young hypnotist with the enchanting green eyes place him under her spell, he is completely uncertain whether the attraction he feels toward her is the truth or just a trance.
⇒ Continue reading ““London Tangle” by Clarice Peters”
This month, being February, is Romance Month. I’ve got several romance novels and short stories to blog about, some of which I’ve never read.
Reading: As might be expected, I’ve never read most of the romance novels in the collection, but of those I have read, I found them easy reads, so I am trying to get a couple of them read this week so I can start writing about them. I already finished one, but it was a slight disappointment, as the only entrancement involved was the age-old power that a beautiful woman has over the man obviously meant to be hers. The one I am reading at the time I am writing this is definitely relevant, as the female protagonist is a hypnotherapist who is treating the male protagonist.
I’ve also discovered I have only about a dozen romance books in the collection, plus two short story collections, ranging from the traditional Harlequin romance ‘quickie’ novels and their competitors to the massive, complex bestseller books. There are almost certainly more out there, what with the resurgence of the vampire romance books: maybe by this time next year I will have a whole new set of books to blog about.
Writing: On and off writing for the first blog entry for March, which is turning out to be three or four times longer than most of my usual posts. I guess that’s what happens when I start writing about a comics character that was first introduced in 1966 (45 years ago): although the number of actual appearances is actually quite small, thankfully, because the appearances are complicated to explain properly.
Research: I discovered a book of definite interest: “Incognito: the Secret Lives of the Brain” by David Eagleman. He is a neuroscientist and wrote this book about the depths of the unconscious mind, some of which appears to correspond with some of the things I’ve been working out regarding how the mind and brain co-exist and cooperate, particularly in regards to the state of hypnosis and how to induce it. I am reserving a copy at the local library although I may want to get a copy for myself in the future.
[amtap book:isbn=0307377334]
Reading: I discovered the Doc Savage story “The Green Master” at the local used book store, as I was perusing the stacks in preparation for jury duty the following week (which never happened.) It was a relatively quick read, a much shorter story than the other Doc Savage stories in the collection.
Research: This week I give credit to passive research. I monitor a blog entitled Dr. Hermes Retro-Scans (now in its second incarnation, with More Retro-Scans). The author of the blog periodically reviews pulp era fiction, particularly the stories of the Shadow, the Avenger, Doc Savage, the Green Lama, among others. This is where I am discovering a number of Doc Savage stories that feature hypnosis-related material beyond the couple of stories that I was originally aware of. One of those is “The Green Master” which is the subject of this week’s regular blog posting.
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