Clicking Our Heels - Television and the Gang

New Year’s Resolution – Don’t leave blogs until last minute. New Year’s Reality – Oops!

I cannot tell a lie.  Between a self-imposed deadline, holiday fun, and a million other things, I spent last night sprawled in front of the television vegging out. I completely forgot the first Wednesday of 2018 fell two days after January 1 because I was engrossed in the Tuesday night line-up of NCIS, Bull, NCIS-New Orleans, and Major Crimes (which I will miss!).  Now you know my guilty pleasures, but here are some of my blog mates’ favorite TV shows and a word about how they influenced them. Me? Mindless joy. – Debra H. Goldstein.

Judy Penz Sheluk: Gilmore Girls. Great writing and a stellar example of character development. I also loved the 2016 Netflix four-part series that caught us up on the characters as they are today. #TeamLogan.

Bethany Maines: I’ve had several favorite TV shows over the years.  I usually tend toward shows that have a humorous or whimsical take on life, but with realistic characters. From Better off Ted, to Firefly, to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and even the West Wing, all of them had very serious characters who must contend with the superb ridiculousness that is life.  I think my writing reflects that taste.

Shari Randall: Did it ever. My favorite show as a child was The Avengers. From the moment I first saw super cool, catsuit-clad martial arts expert Emma Peel, that's who I've wanted to be. Hasn't quite worked out that way, but her panache, her boots, her style inspire me. I occasionally try a few of her poses when I'm psyching myself up to write.

Jennae Phillippe: Star Trek: The Next Generation -- full of progressive values and characters that cared a lot about doing the right thing. Also responsible for a lot of my teenage crushes. But I think what I remember most was their willingness to tackle an issue and not have a clear message about how people should think about it. It was okay for people to debate and disagree. I wish modern times were more like that. 

TK Thorne: Don’t watch much TV, but when the new Battlestar Galactica was on, I couldn’t wait to see it because everything you thought you knew got turned on its head frequently. I realized that was an important part of enticing drama and try to incorporate that concept into my writing.

B.A. Plum: The GOOD WIFE served as a good model for the kind of female character I wanted to paint on the page. Alicia was much savvier than my heroine, AnnaSophia in The Dispensable Wife.

Dru Ann Love: Mary Tyler Moore Show. She showed that women can do anything that a man can do and still be feminine at the same time.

Linda Rodriguez:  Star Trek. To this day, if someone's trying to bully or emotionally manipulate me by threatening a public scene, I go into Spock mode and become more and more controlled and infuriatingly calm as they up the threats or bad behavior. It's never failed me yet. It passed into the next generation, and now my grown son uses the same technique.

Juliana Aragon Fatula: The Walking Dead characters are larger than life, pun intended. My characters in The Colorado Sisters may seem strange to some readers but are based on people I know and love, even the villains. My Atlanta Butcher killer cuts up the billionaire Reggie Hartless who likes to grab pussies. He gets butchered. Many of the women are strong characters that kick ass in stilettoes and cowgirl boots.