Do's and Don'ts for Wednesday

I would be doing everyone who visits here a disservice not to mention the sheer volume of time travel entertainment that continues to enter mainstream media. Soft market, my-well you know.

Not so much into cop dramas, although I have been known to watch a few moments of Law and Order SVU here and there to try to exact a friend's celebrity crush in my brain. Life on Mars may use time travel as a gimmick to resurrect the detective shows of the 1970s and follows on the heels of the much mourned Journeyman, which actually used time travel as an integral part of the plot. Guess we'll see if this is a Beretta revival capable of surviving in the land of mediocre TV dishes.

A play in Philadelphia called The Dos and Don'ts of Time Travel opened this week. While the protagonist's thesis is that time travel movies all have the same problem-they all suck-the play explores much more than the surface issues of scientific time travel theories. Characters encounter different temporal versions of themselves and are able to trade places. According to Philadelphia Inquirer's Tony Zinman, "Dos and Don'ts isn't a play just about philosophy or film or science; it's also about love and grief and neediness and memory."

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Kim Lenox, a talented writer and frequent visitor to the Vortex, is celebrating her debut novel, Night Falls Darkly, this week. Love, love, love the dark romance. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Here's a tease:

Death is inevitable.
But there are some souls, more wicked and disobedient than most, who defy Death’s claim.
Rebellious souls who must be called to heel.

ARCHER, Lord Black, returns to England at the behest of Queen Victoria to immerse himself in the dark, hellish streets of London’s East End. Among the immortal Shadow Guard, he is the most prolific and cunning of the Reclaimers. He revels in the hunt of his current prey: an ill-mannered, reluctant soul reviled in the daily newspapers as Jack the Ripper. Archer has only one weakness … one distraction … the young woman he spared from death two years before.

ELENA WHITNEY has never wanted for anything – not since coming under the protection of her mysterious and absent guardian, Lord Black, who has gifted her with everything a young woman of quality could ever hope for, including an enviable address, an unlimited income and entrée into the drawing rooms of high society. But now, after nearly two years of indifference, he believes he can sweep into her life and rid himself of her by marrying her off. If he knew anything about her – anything at all – he’d know she had greater aspirations than that.

Be sure to check out Kim's blog for the latest information on booksignings, links to excerpts, contests and the fantastic reviews pouring in for Night Falls Darkly.

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Literary Agent Donald Maas is giving away a free download of his book The Career Novelist, packed with information on everything from breaking into publishing to staying viable in an ever-changing market.

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And finally-maybe because I'm back to staring again at my opening line-I offer up the Top 15 Worst Opening lines of Romance Novels. A cautionary tale for any writer, but funny because there's no way any of them are legit. Sounds like Blazing Saddles meets a group of male writers over tankards of lager. Viva la romance!