Smarter Characters Than Authors?

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As a reader, I often wonder how much of the characters I love are based on their authors' lives. I imagine Sara Paretsky as an outspoken champion of those who struggle, just as is her character V.I. Warshawski. I wonder whether John Sandford has a lot in common with Lucas Davenport, the main character in his Prey novels. (Maybe better if he doesn't, depending which one you're reading.) I wish I could live in Three Pines and want to visit the town in Canada Louise Penny modeled it after. ...
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Release of The Charming Man: A Blizzard, A Killer, A Missing Woman

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The Charming Man (Q.C. Davis 2) It's new release week for the latest novel in the Q.C. Davis suspense/mystery series. As a blizzard rages through Chicago, a killer lurks in the halls of an isolated apartment complex on the river's edge. And Quille must find a missing woman before it's too late. Buy Today: Kindle Nook Apple Books Kobo Google Play Paperback P.S. Haven't read Book 1, The Worried Man, yet? You can start with The Charming Ma...
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The Protagonist Might Be Anyone In Transcendence (Women & Men in the Movies No. 10)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and how they interact with other characters, in the science fiction thriller Transcendence. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) Spoiler Warning: I usually try not to spoil any major plot points in my articles. For Transcendence, however, I found that particularly difficult. The conversational topics often require revealing aspects of the plot. If you want to watch the...
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Leia Says Little In The Last Jedi (Women & Men in the Movies No. 9)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and how they interact with other characters, in the 2017 Star Wars film The Last Jedi. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story On an isolated island, young Rey tries to persuade unwilling Jedi Master Luke Skywalker to train her. General (and former princess) Leia struggles to lead what remains of the Resistance against the tyrannical First Order even as her son Kylo ...
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A Quiet Place: Defying Monsters and Common Sense (Women & Men in the Movies No. 8)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed in the horror movie A Quiet Place. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A family struggles to live in a silence in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters hunt and kill based on noise. Spoilers: I’ve done my best not to spoil anything major that wasn’t shown in the previews, but if you want to remain completely spoiler-free you may want to watch the movie first ...
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Avengers: Infinity War – Women Talk, Men Talk More, & Everyone Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 7)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and interact with other characters, in the 2018 Marvel film Avengers: Infinity War. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Superheroes the Avengers and their allies fight to defeat the seemingly all-powerful Thanos who is seeking out and stealing Infinity Stones. With these stones, he can alter life as we know it. SPOILERS: The ending of the movie and major plot ...
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Terminator 2: Sarah, Action Hero, But… (Women & Men in the Movies No. 6)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed and interact with other characters in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the sequel to my favorite movie, sci fi thriller The Terminator, which I wrote about last week.. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A powerful computer network sends a cyborg back from the future to kill John Connor, the leader of the humans who defeat it, when he's a boy. The human resistance send...
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The Terminator: Men Talk, A Woman Fights (Women & Men in the Movies No. 5)

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This week I look at how women are portrayed and how they interact with other characters in the sci fi/thriller classic The Terminator. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story A young woman, Sarah Connor, must flee from and ultimately fight a cyborg from the future intent on killing her. Chasing Bechdel (Does a named female character talk to another named female character about anything other than a man?) Who’s ...
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Annihilation: Five Women And The Unknown (Women & Men in the Movies No. 4)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed and interact with other characters in the 2018 suspense/thriller film Annihilation. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story Annihilation was written and directed by Alex Garland, who also wrote and directed last week’s movie Ex Machina. In Annihilation, Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist and professor grieving the disappearance/ presumed death of her husband o...
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Ex Machina: If An A.I. Were A Woman (Women & Men in the Movies No. 3)

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This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and interact with other characters, in one of my favorite suspense/thriller movies, Ex Machina. (Find out more about 3 tests that guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story In Ex Machina, a programmer, Caleb, is thrilled and overwhelmed when he wins a week at the isolated mountain retreat and research compound of Nathan, the brilliant founder of the search engine company where Caleb works. Nathan wants Caleb t...
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