I love a good action scene. Nothing gives you more opportunity to show who your characters really are than when someone or something is trying to kill them again. I mean, sure there’s tension when one character is trying to take another’s clothes off, but nothing compared to when someone is trying to take off their skin.
My addiction to action leaves me tasked over and over with blocking out the scenes so I don’t have characters punching each other from across the room (possible only with freakishly long arms) or characters teleporting from place to place.
I have a secret weapon for action: Lego minifigures.
I descend on my son’s Lego sets and act out my scenes meticulously. I have specific minifigures for Marissa Locks (heroine of my Grimm Agency series) and the other major Agency folk.
This lets me build rudimentary sets and test out my action scenes. The only downside? I have on occasion returned from lunch to find a Bionicle attacking Marissa, or that someone swapped out Ari’s legs for the swamp creatures. For the record, Ari was not amused.
The reason I love action scenes is it allows me to showcase each character’s unique problem solving style. In moments of extreme stress and or danger, we’re going to see what each character actually cares about. So I have spell-casters who believe in the brute force approach. I’ve got those who like a little finesse, and then I’ve got characters like Marissa. She can’t throw a lightning bolt, but she can drive a delivery truck.
Even the most skilled sorceresses can’t counter that ancient, arcane spell:“Six tons of Detroit Steel To the Face.”
And cuddling? Cooing? Kissing? Fine, if we have to have that, we can. But we do it standing on a mound of broken bodies and rubble. My heroes don’t wipe a droplet of sweat from the heroine’s cheek. They soak up a river of blood with a towel and stitch up wounds. If they might not have tomorrow, priority one isn’t a roll in the hay, it’s figuring out how the hell to have tomorrow.
There’s nothing sexier than a woman who can handle herself and a man who respects that, so I say, bring on the action.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://rabidreads.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Dude.png[/author_image] [author_info]
A Texas transplant to the Pacific Northwest, JC Nelson lives with a family and a flock of chickens near rainy Seattle.
When it comes to crafting happily-ever-afters, the Agency is the best in the land of Kingdom. The Fairy Godfather Grimm can solve any problem—from eliminating imps to finding prince charming—as long as you can pay the price…
Working for Grimm isn’t Marissa Locks’s dream job. But when your parents trade you to a Fairy Godfather for a miracle, you don’t have many career options. To pay off her parents’ debt and earn her freedom, Marissa must do whatever Grimm asks, no matter what fairy-tale fiasco she’s called on to deal with.
Setting up a second-rate princess with a first-class prince is just another day at the office. But when the matchmaking goes wrong, Marissa and Grimm find themselves in a bigger magical muddle than ever before. Not only has the prince gone missing, but the Fae are gearing up to attack Kingdom, and a new Fairy Godmother is sniffing around Grimm’s turf, threatening Marissa with the one thing she can’t resist: her heart’s wishes.
Now Marissa will have to take on Fairies, Fae, dragons, and princesses to save the realm—or give up any hope of ever getting her happy ending…
Visit The Book Nympho to read today’s ROMP post by Amanda Carlson & Kristen Painter, then VOTE for your fav!
Owner, designer and main blogger behind Rabid Reads. Avid book reader, snowboard bunny, video gamer and Supernatural fan. I love all things paranormal, werewolves especially. Oh, and I’m Canadian, eh!
One of my favorite fairy tales has always been about the Nightingale.
Judy recently posted…Audio Review: Cold Blooded by Amanda Carlson
Nice! You have EXCELLENT taste! Thanks for voting! 🙂
Fantastic guest post! Free Agent rocked!! Team Stomp FTW =)
Cat recently posted…[Coffee Shop Talks] My Favorite 2015 Covers!
Thanks, Cat! I saw that you had JC over on your blog as well, so I never had any doubt which side you’d be voting for today.
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it!
fairy tail? the only one i really loved is “beauty and the beast”^^ ( the others were really too sad^^)
miki recently posted…Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers 1) by Rebecca Zanetti
Even beauty and the beast is sad. I mean, if you think about it, the old lady cursed the prince at what, nine years old? For doing exactly what we tell kids to do: “Don’t talk to strangers.” Let’s see how this fairy tale would have looked with an old man. “Hey, little boy. You want a rose in return for letting me into your house? I’ve got candy. You want to see a puppy?”
See? CREEPY. And yet the beast is cursed for being smart. SAD.
I have a weakness for Little Red Riding Hood, but I mean, the grandmother gets eaten, so that tale’s not exactly happy either. LOL
Actually, that’s a pretty good idea! I’m a really visual person and have to sketch out my scenes for them to make any real sense. Just beware those stray Legos — they hurt like an SOB!
Mary recently posted…Cook It Up: Cursed Moon by Jaye Wells
I’m convinced stray legos are a form of pure torture. And yes, I’ve become a solid fan of lego blocking. Though I have to resist humming “Everything is awesome!”
Stepping on Legos? Yeah… been there, done that, have the bruises to prove it. 😉
Awesome guest post – Brick by Brick kicks it! I love this idea of lego action figures – so cool. LOL, I would have likely tried it with Barbie dolls *looking at some Monster High figures* as well.
YES! “There’s nothing sexier than a woman who can handle herself and a man who respects that, so I say, bring on the action.”
Thanks forthe wonderful post 🙂
I think you should include barbies and MH action figures in your next review, Kim. Just saying. LOL
My favorite fairy tale has always been Beauty and the Beast. 🙂
Angie F. recently posted…Review: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan
That one is a classic for sure! Thanks for voting!
What a cool idea! I love that you actually stage out your action scenes like that. I do have to agree – I like my women to be strong, fierce and able to take care of themselves.
Today’s a hard one for me, but you’ve swayed me to vote STOMP 🙂
Berls recently posted…Coffee Shop Talks | Best Covers of 2015 So Far
I knew that you wouldn’t let me down, Kimberly!
Okay, I do admit a good kickass heroine makes the book exciting. I’ll have to think about this one. Romp usually comes first but you’re right about the action and H/h being kickass is good too.
Angela Carr recently posted…Author Override: Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau
C’mon Angela, come over to the dark side; you know you want to! 😉
Great post, I agree, bring on the action. Added this to my tbr shelf 🙂
Nice! Enjoy! And, thanks for helping pimp Team STOMP on Twitter. 🙂
I think this is my favorite Stomp versus Romp post so far. I’ve always wondered how these fantasy authors write their action scenes whether it’s watching a video or if they have some sort of background. Legos are great models, I wouldn’t be surprised if Barbies or some other action figure gets involved down the line.
Braine recently posted…Loved It: A Curse Awakened by Cecy Robson
Agreed! JC totally KILLED his STOMP post! Hopefully, it’ll also help us gain back the lead.
Legos!!! I love it. A unique trick of the trade. I may have to try that one.
It works. I’ve infected, I mean, passed on my tricks to Kelly Walker for her Souls of the Stones series as well. But if I leave the set for any amount of time, the bionicles attack.
JC Nelson recently posted…Stomp vs. Romp
You totally should! And, maybe take pictures too?
*still snickering imagining the Lego battles* I agree with Braine, this is my favorite so far, too.
My fave fairytale however is East of the Sun, West of the Moon. My grandmother bought me a book of feminist folktales when I was young and it was the first time I’d heard that one and it’s still my favorite.
Rhianna recently posted…Release Day: AMERICAN HONEY ANTHOLOGY (Benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
That’s one of my favorites. That and I have both books of “Politically Correct” fairy tales, and a book that attempts to include most variants of popular tales (the result is you can read Little Red Riding Hood five times in a row, with subtle changes). I should have asked for least favorite or most sympathetic villain.
JC Nelson recently posted…Stomp vs. Romp
I’m not familiar with East of the Sun, West of the Moon, curse my French upbringing! 😉 Google here I come.
Puss N Boots is one of my favorite fairy tales.
Nice! Just the title alone always makes me giggle.
I couldn’t agree more with this whole post, nothing gets your heart pounding like a good action scene!
My favorite fairy tale has always been Beauty and the Beast. 🙂
Thanks for the giveaway chance!
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday
Beauty and the Beast seems to be mighty popular today. Good luck!
It’s always nice to meet a natural team stomp person. And B&B makes me so sad because the enchantress was a sick, twisted person. (See my comment above).
JC Nelson recently posted…Stomp vs. Romp
The little mermaid!! Thanks for the fun post!
Great pick! Thanks for commenting!
BAHAHAH I just read this one a while ago (and ADORED it) and I am trying to imagine Ari’s legs being swapped out for a swamp creatures. I don’t think she’d be amused. 😛
And I totalllly agree. There is NOTHING sexier than a woman who can handle herself and a guy who respects that.
I LOVE me a good action scene and I agree that nothing really showcases a character more than their ability to make quick decisions when someone is out to get them! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this with us, JC (and Carmel!!)!!! 🙂
Rashika recently posted…ARC Review: One Kick by Chelsea Cain
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed FREE AGENT, and JC’s excellent Stomp post. Thanks for the love!
It doesn’t really have to be said right? I mean, it is pretty obvious that I’m a Hatter girl 😉 but how about another favorite fairy tale…well I loved The Little Mermaid when I was a girl…but I think that had a lot to do with wanting my own mermaid tale at bath time. Especially since I read the non-Disney version where the ending is quite so happy.
Oh I know…The Wizard of Oz! Another one where the girl is transported to a very odd world filled with all kinds of different characters. I must have read the book at least a dozen times 🙂
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Really!? Who would have guessed! 😉 The Wizard of Oz, and The Little Mermaid are both fab picks. I haven’t read the non-Disney version of the latter, but now you’ve piqued my curiosity.
It’s considerably darker (as are most fairy tales – you don’t see the prince rape Sleeping Beauty in the Disney version, for instance). But it is still a classic tale.
JC Nelson recently posted…Stomp vs. Romp
Your favorites are a mathematical allegory and a financial one. Fascinating. 😀
JC Nelson recently posted…Stomp vs. Romp
I always loved West of the moon, east of the sun 🙂
blodeuedd recently posted…How the white trash zombie got her groove back – Diana Rowland /Cold Blooded – Amanda Carlson
Good to know; thanks for sharing!
HA! So true! Nothing like having your life threatened to see what a character is really made of. And I love that Ms. Nelson uses Lego minifigures to block out her action scenes. That’s awesome!
Go Team Stomp!
Hmm, favorite fairy tale…I suppose I’d pick Beauty and the Beast. 🙂
Another vote for Beauty and the Beast AND Team STOMP, I hope?? 😉
Loved this post! LOL Legos! I can see why she wasn’t happy with different legs. 🙂
Oh and I have always loved Beauty and the Beast. Yes, Team Stomp all the way!
Melissa (Books and Things) recently posted…Dark Skye by Kresley Cole
Thanks for voting!!
YES—I love this post and LOL to the lego part! I wouldn’t have thought of that!
and hmm favourite fairy tale? probably Beauty and the beast i was always crushng on the beast as a kid.
Lily recently posted…Servants of The Storm: Review
Peeps seem to be really diggin’ the Legos, and I don’t blame ’em! JC brought out the big guns for this one!
One of my favorites is Little Red Riding Hood 🙂
YAY!! Want to be BFF’s? 😉
Call me twisted but I love the original dark Grimm fairytales.
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson
Oooh, NICE! I always knew you had a dark side, Kimberly!
Alice has always been one of my favorite fairy tales. Love the imagination of it and the wide variety of intriguing chaaracter.
Alice is definitely up there on my list of favs too. Great pick!
Oh sure, nice excuse to play with Legos. 😛 This sounds GOOD. My favorite fairytale has always been Cinderella, but NOT because of the prince. I always loved that the step-mom and sisters got theirs in the end. lol
Christy recently posted…Puddle Jumping by Amber L. Johnson
LOL Apparently, you were an Urban Fantasy reader in the making, even at a young age!
My favorite fairy tale has always been Cinderella. I always loved that though things looked bleak, she had someone looking out for her and got her happily ever after in the end. And got to rub it in her step-sister’s faces. 😀
Another vote for Cinderella! It’s about time! 😉
Has to be BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
You, and EVERYONE else. LOL Thanks for commenting!
LOL Thinking about a grown man playing with Lego for inspiration is too funny. I love this post! Anyway, my favorite fairy tale would be Cinderella and yeah Team Stomp all the way!
Dea S. recently posted…Review: The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
You’re never too old to play with Legos IMO! 😀
My favorite fairytale would be Beauty and the Beast. I like the fact that Beauty got to know the Beast in the story.
Using Legos is a great idea to actually act out the action in physical terms and fun too.
I picked the wrong career; I should have been an author, so I could play with Legos all day.
I love Beauty and the Beast. Whether it’s the Disney version or the real version, or a retelling, I love them all.
You’re an equal opportunity Beauty and the Beast reader. LOL!
What a unique way of addressing an action scene, that would be lots of fun too! Yay for Lego, you could even make them look like your characters! Interesting insight, action scenes tell you a lot about a character.
Jeann recently posted…Far From You by Tess Sharpe Review: An Addicting Depression
I always enjoy learning how writers plot their books, but Legos are a new one. Hehe
Interesting info about the Legos
I thought so too! Thanks for voting. 🙂
The lego action figures playing out action scenes is pretty awesome.
AGREED! Thanks for stopping by.