My Heroes: Heathcliff, Rhett Butler, and Edward Rochester

     I'm such a homebody, typing away on a Saturday night. Woo - hoo! What an exciting life I lead. Just a few minutes ago, as my husband flipped through the channels sighing "there's nothing on," I saw something I wanted to watch: the original Wuthering Heights from 1939 (adopted from the novel by Emily Bronte). I love the remake with Ralph Fiennes so much that I vow to see the original one day. Well, today isn't that day. After stalling for a few minutes on the black and white version, I told him he could turn it once I saw the bored look on his face. But, seeing just a few scenes reminded me of an old classic I DID watch the other day, Jane Eyre. This one is by Emily's sister Charlotte.
     I've always wondered what the big deal about Jane Eyre was. I don't wonder anymore. The romance is so nail biting that the hour and a half of the movie felt like days. (This is the 1944 version with Orson Welles as Edward Rochester and Joan Fontaine as Jane Eyre.) Oh, I wanted to be Jane Erye as soon as she walked into Thornfield. I'm not sure what it is about classic movies when men were honorable and chivalrous and women were feminine and demure, but I could watch these old classics all day and night. To watch as both Edward and Jane were secretly attracted to each other, but neither had the nerve to show it, is right up the romance meter with Scarlett and Rhett. Where are guys like Rhett Butler and Edward Rochester now-a-days? And Healthcliff for that matter?
     And, if you look closely in Jane Eyre, you can even see a very young Elizabeth Taylor as Helen. After seeing this classic, I now understand the big deal, why it's a classic. The Bronte sisters had it going on in the 1800s and in my opinion, they still do. Wonder what classic I'll get to watch next?
     If anyone reads this post, give me some good classics, romance not action. Still haven't seen Casablanca. I hear it's good though.

Wanting to be an Outsider

This piece was recently rejected, but I love it and am posting it to my blog.

“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.”  S. E. Hinton

            What better things to illuminate a reader’s imagination in one sentence than the words sunshine, a movie, Paul Newman, and a car. Adding a hint of mystery is that we don’t know who the narrator is from the introduction. Is it a man, a woman, a boy, a girl? Is the narrator happy, sad, confused, or excited? What is going on with him or her? What is going to happen? From twenty-nine words, an entire world opens up. A world we all wished for at one time or another. It was a world where adults were not allowed. It was a world for teenagers, a world only for The Outsiders.

            As I stare at the 1967 worn hardback, which I just somehow “forgot” to return to the Sam Houston High School library, complete with yellow highlights that correspond to movie lines, vivid memories of being sixteen years old flood my mind. I remember thinking as I read page after page, “Man, this writer is good.” After I finished it, I even inscribed inside the front cover, “This is the best book I have ever read.” I swear I did. The date reads January 24, 1987. Fast forward 25 years, and I feel the same. 

            The way James Dean embodied confusion, rebelliousness, and identity for teenagers on the screen in the 1950s, The Outsiders paralleled the same feelings for a new generation of teenagers. We were confused, mad, misunderstood, friends were everything, and the world seemed life-and-death serious. It was as if I my secret fears of not fitting in, my insecurities of not having much money, and my own desires to be grown up jumped out of the pages at me. 

            Reading of Cherry Valance, I wanted to be her. She was pretty, cool, rich, confident, and outspoken. Secretly, she liked Dallas Winston but they ran in different circles. Exploring her self-doubt in wanting to get to know Dallas, someone different, mirrored my own insecurities of wanting to talk to the new boy on the school bus that smelled great but was quiet and kept a low profile. He later actually became my boyfriend, but that’s another story.

            Before reading The Outsiders, posters of Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe plastered my bedroom walls. After reading the book, and seeing both Matt Dillon and Rob Lowe in the movie, my fascination with the actors, the book, and the movie grew into an obsession. 

            As I read how the Curtis brothers survived on their own, without the watchful eyes of their parents, who were deceased, inspired me. Teenagers cooking, having jobs, bathing, living, going to school, and being self-sufficient was new. I was amazed as I found myself stuck in their world. Yet, underneath their unconventional circumstances, an inner fire glowed for the family unit, just as it secretly burned inside of me. Despite my thoughts of, “I can’t wait to be on my own,” burned against shameful thoughts of never wanting to leave the comfort of my family. I really did, and still do, love them.

            Each character, from Two-Bit Matthews, to Darrell, to Johnny, to Dallas, and even Steve, seemed to be different aspects of my personality. For example, Two-Bit was my silly side that seldom emerged. Darrell represented the responsibility that comes with being the oldest of five children. Johnny was the part of me that stayed quiet and shuffled along with others, even though he didn’t want to, just so he wouldn’t be alone. Dallas represented the wild side I longed for. Steve represented the loyal friend to all. All those facets of my character summed me up pretty well at sixteen. At forty two, they still do.

            Over twenty-five years ago I buried myself in the world of the Greasers. Although it was a work of fiction, it was real. It was real because I related to so many things the author described. It was real because she wrote on my level. It was real because I felt other kids were going through the same crises as me and I wasn’t alone.

            S.E. Hinton made me want to be an outsider. I wanted to sit on the Curtis brothers’ couch and eat cake for breakfast. I wanted to work at the gas station with Sodapop. I wanted to sit in front of Dallas Winston at the drive in. I wanted to visit Johnny in the hospital. 

            I wish I could meet her and thank her for describing my thoughts, feelings, confusions, and hopes. The Outsiders should be mandatory reading in high schools. For this is not only a book, it’s literature to me.

My Celebrity Interview

After over 100 published pieces, guess my determination is paying off. For those who don't know yet, and unless you've been living in a cave on Antarctica, the new issue of Southern Writers Magazine came out on May 1st and guess who is in it? ME! Yes me, the diligent, determined writer with an interview with none other than Viggo Mortensen! Yes, you read that right too THE Viggo Mortensen. So, check out the website at southernwritersmagazine.com and subscribe to read his excellent advice to writers.

And the Winner Is...

The right answers to my contest are:

1. I
2. D
3. H
4. G
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. J
9. E
10. F

So, with half of the answers correct, Keaghan is the winner. Thanks again for playing, Keaghan. I'll have a book for you the next time we meet.

Since No One Wants to Play...

For ten days I've been waiting and hoping someone, anyone, would at least leave a comment on my previous post.  I guess in my way of challenging, I've made it too hard. So, here is a list of authors which corresponds to the titles in the previous post:

1. Curt Iles
2. DiAnn Mills
3. Gene Hackman and Daniel Lenihan
4. Nicholas Sparks
5. M.R. Alienroc
6. Rodney Hennigan
7. Jonna Turner
8. Colleen O'Brien Arthur
9. DiAnn Mills
10. Noah Lukeman

Ok, now that you have the authors, am I still the smelly kid no one wants to play with? Now, you only have ten more days to play.

Who Did It or Wrote It?

Here’s my second attempt at hosting a contest. You’ll notice I did not list the authors to make it a tad bit more challenging. Plus, if you know the authors you may get a few correct right off the bat! Forgive the format. Copying and pasting doesn't work that well. 

Rules:  Just match the letters in the column on the right to the numbers in the column on the left. You must leave your answers as a comment on this blog. Facebook answers will not count. The person(s) with the most correct matches wins.   

Contest opens April 10th and ends at midnight April 30^th.

Winners announced on May 1^st!

1.  A Good Place                                  A. This Westlake, Louisiana writer has 7 sons.

2.  The Fire in Ember                          B. This author spelled her real name backward.

3.  Escape from Andersonville           C. A mystery whose heroine is Jeagan Christensen.

4.  Nights in Rodanthe                        D. Thought of as a boy, the main character is actually a girl!

5.  The White Castle of Louisiana     E. A follow-up book which goes with one on the list.

6.  My Father’s Gift                             F. The author of this book is also a literary agent.

7.  The Desk                                          G. Strangers try to figure out their lives.

8.  Louisiana Called My Name         H. One of the co-writers is known from the big screen.

9.  A Woman Called Sage                   I. A story told by Mayo Moore.

10.  The Plot Thickens                        J. Short stories about a woman’s life and loves.

April is National Poetry Month

To celebrate National Poetry Month, I'm posting one of mine with one of my photos.

A Building in New Orleans

by Sherry Perkins

Don’t stop loving me because I don’t look like I once did.

Walls jaded

Bricks faded

Paint peeling

Wind reeling

If you come in, I’ll show you who I was.

Love

Life

Laughter

If you let me, I can be again.

Family

Friends

If I scare you, I’m sorry.

Dust

Spider webs

Broken glass

Missing pieces

Don’t give up on me.

Don’t let me die.

I want to live.

I want to live, again.