Friday's Film Adaption: Gidget by Frederick Kohner

Summary:
My English comp teacher Mr. Glicksberg says if you want to be a writer you have to—quote—sit on a window sill and get all pensive and stuff and jot down descriptions. Unquote Glicksberg! I don't know what kind of things he writes but I found my inspiration in Malibu with a radio, my best girlfriends, and absolutely zillions of boys for miles. I absolutely had to write everything down because I heard that when you get older you forget things, and I'd be the most miserable woman in the world if I forgot all about Moondoggie and what happened this summer. I absolutely owe the world my story. (And every word is true. I swear.)

This is Franzie, part Holden Caulfield, part Lolita. The guys call her Gidget—short for girl midget—and she’s a girl coming of age in the summer of 1957. Based on the experiences of his own daughter, Frederick Kohner's trend-setting novel became an international sensation and turned its irrepressible heroine into an American pop culture icon whose voice still echoes every thrill, every fear, and every hope that every teenager ever had about growing up.

Film
A young girl dreams of winning acceptance from a gang of surfers.

Release Date: April 10, 1959
Release Time: 95 minutes

Cast:
Sandra Dee as Francie Lawrence aka Gidget
James Darren as Jeffrey Matthews aka Moondoggie
Cliff Robertson as Burt Vail aka The Big Kahuna
Arthur O'Connell as Russell Lawrence
The Four Preps as Band at Beach
Mary LaRoche as Mrs. Dorothy Lawrence
Joby Baker as Stinky
Tom Laughlin as Lover Boy
Sue George as Betty Louise aka B.L.
Robert Ellis as Hot Shot
Jo Morrow as Mary Lou
Yvonne Craig as Nan
Patti Kane as Patti
Doug McClure as Waikiki
Burt Metcalfe as Lord Byron

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Author Bio:
Frederick Kohner, born Friedrich Kohner, was an Austrian-born novelist and screen writer, both in Germany and the US.

He is best known for having created the "Gidget" novels, which inspired a series of movies, two television series, three telemovies and a feature length animated film. He based the title character on his own daughter, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman.

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Wicked Takeover by Tina Donahue

Title: Wicked Takeover

Author: Tina Donahue

Series: Wicked Brand #1

Genre: Contemporary Adult Romance

Release Date: August 7, 2017

Summary:

She’s just inherited a tattoo parlor…and the hunk who comes with it.

Lauren’s in a helluva mess. Not only has she lost her corporate HR job, she’s just inherited Wicked Brand, a struggling West Palm Beach tattoo parlor…along with the virile dude who runs it. Lauren’s full-figured, sorta pretty, and wanting him badly. Dream on. She’s here to sell the place as quickly as possible for some much-needed cash and score a new position in the corporate world.

Dante’s sinfully hot with a killer smile and beautifully inked biceps. He sees the heat in Lauren’s eyes despite her conservative appearance, recognizing the dynamite woman she could be if she’d just loosen up and have some wicked fun. Dominance and submission. Making love in a public place. Having her lush body always accessible to and ready for his.

Unwilling and unable to keep their hands to themselves, Lauren and Dante turn to carnal games and seduction. Until lust turns to surprising need and friendship to something deeper that might just change their futures.

His fragrance surrounded her. Something clean and citrusy, reminiscent of summer days, an ocean breeze, and sun baking naked skin.

She locked her knees to keep her balance and tried not to stare at his impressive Adam’s apple, luscious mouth, and full, kissable lips.

He hooked his thumbs in his front pockets. “Did you lose your way?”

With him, any woman would. Not only was he beautiful but intelligence burned in his eyes and reflected in his surprisingly educated speech. “I’m sorry, what?”

He regarded her suit and heels. “Are you looking for another shop?”

“No.”

Surprise registered on his face. “You’re here for a tat?”

The ones on his biceps fascinated her. They were beyond hot, straight into epic. “Not exactly.”

He nodded. His hair swayed over his broad shoulders. “A piercing?”

“What?”

“Are you here for a piercing?” He gestured to another wall filled with pictures. His biceps flexed.

Lauren wanted to touch them, feel their strength and heat.

“You can see what we offer in those photos. We also have binders of what we’ve done for past clients to give you an idea of what you might like.”

For someone who prided herself on her no-nonsense professionalism, she was having a hard time not drooling over his freaking arms. What was wrong with her? She knew better than to lust after a guy like him. That path only led to her nursing a humiliating rejection at best and a broken heart at worst. She tore her gaze from his biceps and looked at the photos he was showing her. “Do people really get their tongues tattooed?”

He grinned, showing perfect teeth. “You bet.”

“Why?”

He shrugged good-naturedly. “Why not?”

He wasn’t the least bit uptight. How Lauren envied that. “Have you?”

“Have I what?”

“Had your tongue tattooed? Or are the ones on your arms the only ones you have?”

His smile broadened. He spoke conspiratorially. “I have another, though not on my tongue.”

She hoped he hadn’t inked the prize between his legs. His equipment had to be as awesome as the rest of him. No way could anyone improve on nature’s perfection.

He regarded her thoughtfully, his gaze warming her in places she hadn’t thought about in far too long. Easily, he took in her short blond hair, her clothes, and her features, including the small mole near her mouth. There, he lingered. A faint smile touched his lips.

Lauren’s throat and cheeks grew hot. With his approving gaze, too much desire rushed through her, making it difficult to breathe.

He flushed, too. “Let me get those binders so you can look through them.”

“No, don’t. Please. That’s not why I’m here.”

His dark eyebrows lifted. “You’re selling something?” He glanced at her purse and looked around her, possibly for an organization caddy stuffed with her product line.

“Uh no. I’m here to take over.”

“Take over?”

“Uh-huh.”

He looked lost. “As in what?”

“This place.” She gestured to the parlor. “I own this business and everything in it, including you.”

Author Bio:

Tina Donahue is an Amazon and international bestselling novelist in erotic, paranormal, contemporary and historical romance for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She's won Readers' Choice Awards, RWA awards - Holt Medallion and NEC, and won a Book of the Year award. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked in Story Direction for a Hollywood production company.

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Cover Reveal: Of Deception and Divinity by ND Jones

Title: Of Deception and Divinity

Author: ND Jones

Series: Death and Destiny Trilogy #3

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Expected Release Date: October 12, 2017

Cover Design: Jesh Designs

Summary:

The arrival of a new enemy. The start of a greater battle. A destiny to be defended.

A mighty war, waged every 500 years, has returned to the realm of mortals. And with it, the Day of Serpents arrives to wreak havoc upon the world.

Assefa and Sanura struggle to complete their mate bond, as they also continue their fight in this preternatural war of fire versus water. Unseen enemies, surprise magic attacks, and betrayal lurk at every turn for the couple, and revelations about their powers and past come to light.

As Assefa and Sanura fight to seal their bond and love, destiny and divinity may have already sealed their fate.

By slow, regretful degrees, Assefa pulled out of the kiss, remembering they’d shared their first in this very spot, about four months ago. Their eyes met, and Assefa knew Sanura recalled the same memory.

Her hands came to his cheeks, cupping his face, voice tender and sincere when she spoke. “Back then, you were so much of what I wanted and everything I was afraid to have.”

Damn, how did she do that? How did Sanura remove his heart from his chest, hold it in her hands and he still breathed, still lived? Because surely the woman would be the emotional death of him, so deftly did she manage her were-cat—effortless and without artifice. Sanura simply spoke from the heart, fighting for them the way she’d promised on her birthday.

Still, they’d neither completed the final part of the handfasting ceremony, nor Sanura accepted his binding bite, taking the witch as his eternal mate the way her fire spirit already claimed his Mngwa as hers. Half a mate bond. He her mate, but she not his in the way of their people.

Her heartfelt grin had Assefa smiling in return, unwilling to ruin the moment and Sanura’s confession with his foreboding thoughts.

They’d made it through the summer without any more deaths linked to them, Mami Wara, the water witch of legend, or the prophecy. But Assefa didn’t trust the silence, the lull in indirect attacks. Too many had died—Mr. Siddig’s girlfriend, Joanna Blackwell, as well as her brother and sister-in-law, Gayle and Callum Livingston, Assefa’s housekeeper and her husband, Detective Pilar Salazar and over a dozen African immigrants she’d massacred, driven by magical or godly means, no doubt, to commit the heinous crimes.

No, Assefa couldn’t bring himself to trust the quiet, to relax and enjoy being loved and in love, to plan for a future with the woman caressing his short curls, watching him with knowing and intelligence. If wasn’t a matter of if something would happen but when. The Day of Serpents would come, of that he was certain.

“We’ll be ready. And we’ll fight. Together.”

Yes, this woman was made for him, knew him, saw him in a way unexplainable by science and the laws of nature. Preternatural, magical, and prophetic—the fire witch and cat of legend, destined to save the world or die trying.

She was right. They would fight, not because they had no choice but because their protective nature, determined hearts, and sense of truth, justice, and morality would allow nothing else. Yet Sanura was also wrong. They were not ready. And he feared, no matter what they did or how well they planned, when the lull finally gave way to terror, to war, it would take more than togetherness, more than faith and fire to save the world, to save them.

Of Fear and Faith #1

Of Beasts and Bonds #2

Author Bio:

N. D. Jones lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. Having earned a M.A. in Political Science, she is a dedicated educator. She taught high school social studies for nine years. Currently, she is a professional development specialist with a local Maryland school system, working on increasing student achievement through teacher and administrator efficacy. N.D. is also a continuing education student who is pursuing her doctorate in education in Community College Leadership. 

A desire to see more novels with positive, sexy, and three-dimensional African American characters as soul mates, friends, and lovers, inspired the author to take on the challenge of penning such romantic reads. She is the author of two paranormal romance series: Winged Warriors and Death and Destiny. N.D. likes to read historical and paranormal romance novels, as well as comics and manga.

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Something So Sweet by Meika Usher

Title: Something So Sweet

Author: Meika Usher

Series: Breakaway #1

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

Release Date: July 1, 2017

Summary:

SHE’S A DREAMER STUCK IN A RUT

Big dreams. Tierney Chandler had ‘em. Why else would she leave her small town—and her picture perfect fiancé—behind? Nine years later, the town’s still small, her dreams are mostly still dreams, and her still-perfect ex is interested. Maybe she should ditch her daydreams and pick up right where she left off…

HE’S A DREAMER STUCK ON HER

Jack Elliott is a baker, making his dreams come true one golden, flaky pie crust at a time. Years ago, he lost out on his chance with Tierney, but now she’s back—and he’s determined not to let his annoyingly perfect cousin swoop in and steal her away. Again.

TOGETHER, THEY CAN MAKE NEW DREAMS COME TRUE

With a little magic potpie, some stellar kisses, and a heaping helping of blue-eyed charm, maybe—just maybe—Jack can convince Tierney that he’s the dream she’s been waiting for.

“If only you’d kiss me. Then, things would be just swell.” He looked up and added, “I’ve been waiting years, you know.”

My eyes fell to his mouth. Only inches separated us. I’d just have to lean in…

“Get over here.” Jack said, his voice husky, his eyes burning into mine. And who was I to disobey an order like that?

I moved in, closing my eyes as his hands came up to either side of my face. I could feel his breath on my lips as he drew closer and closer.

Suddenly, my eyes flew open. “What if it sucks?”

“What?” Jack dropped his hands, confusion clearing away the heat that had been in his eyes seconds before. “You picked a mighty good time to doubt my kissing ability, darlin’.”

I put my hands up in a helpless gesture. “Sorry, it’s just…there’s been so much build up. There’s a lot of pressure for this kiss to be good. What if it isn’t? What if—“

Jack cut me off, crushing his lips to mine, his hands pushing through my hair.

And just like that, the world shifted. A whimper left my throat as my hands slid up his arms. Without breaking the kiss, I got to my knees and moved closer. Jack’s hands left my hair to trail down my neck and over my shoulders, settling on my waist.

Sparks scattered over every inch of my skin, ending with a full-on lights display behind my eyes. I shoved my hands into Jack’s hair and leaned closer until I lost my balance, ending up in his lap. He laughed then, the sound vibrating sweetly through my entire body. Turned out, his laugh felt better than it sounded.

With one hand behind my neck, the other resting on my waist, Jack deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into my mouth, slow, luxurious. The embers burning low in my abdomen roared to life. I brushed my tongue against his and he rewarded me with a delicious groan that broke through whatever semblance of restraint I’d been holding onto. Parting, I straddled him, then smiled before pressing my mouth to his once more.

Jack’s hands found the bottom of my shirt and his fingertips played with the naked skin there. My legs began to shake, my lungs ached, my body burned. And yet I didn’t want to stop kissing him.

A sound from my left startled us apart. We looked in time to see Jack’s fishing pole take a nosedive into the pond. I laughed and shook my head. “You, sir, are a terrible fisherman.”

Author Bio:
Meika Usher is a Michigan romance author, a puppy mama, and a lover of pizza in all its forms. When she's not writing snarky, sexy love stories, she can be found binge-watching Supernatural (she's a Dean girl), memorizing all the song lyrics ever (it's her superpower), or planning to see the world, one country at a time (Prague is next on her list).

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