Inspiration for my first Novel

The idea for my first novel “My Life With The Movie Star” came to me while I was on a business trip in Dallas Texas. I was staying at the Gaylord Texan, which is an enormous hotel and convention center. If you have never been to any of the Gaylord properties, they are famous for having botanical gardens, themed restaurants. As soon as I walked in the front door I imaged this would be an ideal hotel where any A List Hollywood star would stay. The story My Life With The Movie Star is about a young girl from the Midwest Abby, who meets actor Grayson Edwards at a hotel while she is away on business. Unaware of his fame, Abby starts a long distance relationship with Gray over the phone, only to have her life turned upside down by discovering Grayson’s fame. Abby then struggles with the pressures of Grayson’s high demanding world, trying desperately to fit.
Once I had the idea for my novel I had to find the perfect city to set Abby’s side of the story in.  I chose my home town of Port Washington, Wisconsin. To me Port Washington is the perfect small town.  Port sits on the bank of Lake Michigan 30 miles north of Milwaukee. Before moving to Port Washington, I lived in Atlanta Georgia for 14 years.  Atlanta is a large, crowded, landlocked city.  After living in a big city for so many years, I yearned for a smaller community and to be close to the water.  My husband and I were able to buy a house almost two blocks from the beach.  I work from home, and on my lunch breaks, I would go and sit by the lake, eat my lunch, and write.  

Most of the buildings in the downtown Port Washington date back to the late 1800’s. This gives the city a pleasant, historic feeling.  Almost as if you have stepped by in time. You can go buy your meats at the local butcher shop, or your vegetables at the weekend farmers market.    I felt that this small town would be the perfect escape from a busy Hollywood life, which is what Grayson is desperately trying to achieve.
I not only set my story in the city of Port Washington,

I also used many of the local restaurants, stores, and festivals in the novel. The most notable is the yearly Fish Day Festival.  Fish day is the world’s largest outdoor fish fry and is always held the third Saturday in July.  This festival attracts over 20,000 people a year to Port Washington.  Also my two favorit bars Sir James Pub, and the Patio made it into the novel.

 After publishing my novel, I was approached by a local website portwashington-wi.patch.com, to write a weekly “Out and About” blog about Port Washington. This is something that I have thoroughly enjoyed doing and has given me a new outlet to share my love for my home town.  Since publishing My Life With The Movie Star, I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my new community.  It’s so satisfying to get comments on my Facebook page from local Port Residents and how they enjoyed reading my novel.
Author Bio
Meaghan Hoffmann attended American Intercontinental University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in Media Production. Meaghan has just published her first novel “My Life With The Movie Star.”  Meaghan also works for RICS Software in the Training department, is a CNN iReporter, and also volunteers for Big Brother Big Sister organization.
My Life With the Movie Star by Meaghan Hoffmann  is currently available on amazon.com

http://portwashington-wi.patch.com/users/meaghan-hoffmann
http://meaghanhoffmann.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Life-With-The-Movie-Star/221470914530920
http://ireport.cnn.com/people/hoffmannmeg?viewingAsOthers=true

Ettie- Character Back Story- Sabin

As part of my research for my next novel, I am writing back stories for my main characters. I thought it might be fun to share them on my blog.  Sabin is my leading man. He is a vampire and is the first immortal to meet Harriet, my leading lady, after her transformation.   Sabin is typically a loaner but is taken by Harriett's beauty.

Sabin Back Story

Name- Sabin

Birth- July 22 1788.

Date of Transformation- 1810, age 22. Sabin was changed into a vampire in an abandoned bar in Spain.

Hair- Long, blond hair almost translucent in color.

Eyes- Blue

Height- 6’1.  

Physical Description- Sabin was tall for his Spanish heritage, but he always favored his mother’s side. His completion was fair, his eyes were blue.  Harriet describes his eyes - He truly had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.  I was shocked by how forward he was, but I was paralyzed by his good looks.  I almost felt that he had a power over me.  I wanted to run, but I was so drawn into his piercing blue eyes.”

Hobbies- Sabin enjoys collecting fine art with his coven members Graham, Blair and Savannah. He also plays piano, and classical guitar. 

Coven- Sabin lives with three other vampires Graham, Blair and Savannah.  Graham and Blair were married when they were human and have stayed together since.  Savannah joined the coven when Sabin, Graham and Blair immigrated from Europe to New Orleans Louisianan.  Blair had hoped that Savannah and Sabin would hit it off, but they were far too much alike and never were a couple. 

Occupation- Sabin and Graham are venture capitalist and own many companies. Most notably a medical supply company that is trying to get FDA approval of a synthetic blood product.

Personal History- Parents- Mother was a French show girl and father was Spanish.  Sabin’s parents met in Paris France but quickly moved to his father’s village in Spain.  They were never married. Sabin spent most of his childhood being teased for looking different than the other children.  He spent a lot of time indoors reading trying to escape his life.  When he was twenty he fell in love with a local girl.  Her father was extremely unhappy that Sabin was dating his daughter and had Sabin turned into a vampire as a way to get rid of him. Sabin was bricked into the basement wall of the bar and was left with only a note telling him what he now was.

Sabin hibernated for ten years after his transformation. Once he awoke he  tried to find his parents and discovered that his mother had died, and his father had moved away.  Sabin went to visit his love only once to find that now she was married and had children.  Sabin knew he could not take away a child’s mother so he moved on.

Sabin traveled through Europe for a few years not caring about what human lives he was taking to be fed.  When Sabin was in London, he met Graham who helped him learn to control his thirst, Graham also invited him into his coven.  In the early 1900’s the coven decided to move to New Orleans which was becoming abundantly populated with Vampires.  Once in New Orleans they met Savannah who soon became part of their coven.  Sabin never had any interest in other vampires until he met Harriett in 2010. She was the first immortal who caught his eye.  He felt a need to protect her and help her on her quest to find her creator.

Where to find Author Meaghan Hoffmann

I thought I would take a moment and share all my social media sites where you can find and follow me.  This is something I wish I would have done in July.

Facebook:  I have several facebook pages

Follow my novel; "My Life With The Movie star"- https://www.facebook.com/mylifewiththemoviestar
This page is dedicated to my first novel and to the main characters Abby and Grayson! Also the City I live in Port Washington WI.

My Author page is - https://www.facebook.com/authormeaghanhoffmann
This page is dedicated to all the different writing I do from my novels, to my articles on CNN ireports and patch.com.  You can find out what I'm working on next from this page.

Twilight Fan Page- https://www.facebook.com/twilightpassion
I'm a huge Twilight fan.  If you are too feel free to follow Twilight Passion! I post updates, pictures, and other fun Twilight stuff.

Sci-Fi Passion-  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sci-Fi-Passion/425746437437606
I also love Star Wars, Dr. Who, Firefly and other Sci-Fi  favorites.

Twitter: 
@meaghanhoffmann
Follow me for updates on all my novels. I also tweet about my patch.com and CNN ireports as well from twitter.

@twilightpassion
I tweet all about Twilight.

Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/hoffmannmeg/
Follow news about my novels plus anything else I pin.

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13450093-my-life-with-the-movie-star

I think this is all the site I monitor. Make sure to like me or share me! Also stop by and say hi! Let me know if you read my novel. 

Long Weekend in Atlanta and Nashville

I just got back from a weekend trip down to my old “Stomping Ground” Atlanta and a side trip to visit my best friend in Nashville!  My husband Bret and I had a fabulous time, but our trip started out with a big snag.

We left Milwaukee at 5pm on Wednesday, and the plan was to get to Atlanta by 8pm, head to our hotel The Marriott Grand Marquise, drop our things, and have a fun night walking around downtown Atlanta.  Well weather had a different plan.  On our way to Atlanta, the captain announced that due to storms in Atlanta our flight had to land in Huntsville Alabama.  Bret and I sat on the tarmac for about 5 hours and finally made it to Atlanta at 2am.  By the time we got our rental car, (huge line) and to the hotel it was almost 3am! Our romantic night was ruined.

We got as much sleep as we possible and headed to Taqueria Del Sol for lunch with my Dad! Taqueria is one of my favorite Mexican Restaurant in Atlanta.  If you go be prepared to wait in line for a bit, but the food is so good it’s worth the wait!

On Friday Bret and I treated my dad to a Braves game for Fathers Day. We all had a fantastic time at Turner Field.  After a lengthy game the Braves won!  This was a pleasant change of pace from how the Brewers are going this year.

Saturday we said goodbye to my parents and headed out to Nashville to meet up with my Best friend Joey.  It had been a year since I had last seen him so I was extremely excited.  We had a fun night of eating chicken strips, drinking beer, and going on a late night walk to find a bottle of Rum Chata!  If you’re from WI I’m sure you have had this delicious liqueur made in Pewaukee, but  Joey had never heard of it so we set out to find a bottle.  If you have never tried Rum Chata, it tastes like liquid Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Yum !

Needless to say after the rough start we had a fabulous long weekend and saw lots of family and friends. I hope to get back to both ATL and Nashville very soon!

Summer Festival Season Kickoff!

With Memorial Day behind us, the summer festival season has officially started.  Resident of Ozaukee County can jump right into the fun with two great festivals this weekend!  The Lucky Street Music Fest in Grafton and Port Pirate Fest offer something for everyone.  Best of all, admission to both festivals is free!

Lucky Street Music Fest- Saturday June 2nd 12pm-10pm Grafton Wisconsin.

The Grafton Blues Association will be hosting the second annual Lucky Street Music Festival. Admission is free to this musically charged festival located in the Veterans Memorial Park Grafton WI.  The music begins at noon and last until 10pm. Feel free to bring a lawn chairs, or blankets and enjoy the day with fantastic music!  Lucky Street Music Fest will also have local food and beverage vendors, along with inflatable activities for kids.  This year’s lineup features several popular favorites:  

·         Nora Collins (an 18 year old up-and-coming singer/song writer) at 12pm

·          Dirt Road Law (2012 WAMI Peoples Choice Winner) at 1pm

·         Carrie Melton & the Minor Fall (mix of blue grass and folk music) at 2:15pm

·         The Itch (current rock and dance party music) at 3:30pm

·         Bob Mittnacht and The Crowning Glories (mix of rock, alt-country) at  4:45pm

·         Katz Sass (high energy Texas blues band) at 6:45pm

·         The Razors Edge (AC/DC tribute band) at 8:30pm

Information about the Lucky Street Music Fest can be found at graftonblues.org.  Veterans Memorial Park is on 13th Ave in Grafton Wisconsin

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Port Pirate Fest- Friday June 1st- Sunday June 3rd Port Washington Wisconsin.

Port Washington is also hosting its annual Pirate Fest Friday June 1^st through Sunday June 3rd. Located in downtown Port Washington’s harbor,  Pirate fest is a fun filled weekend with pirate shows, entertainment, live music, kids’ activities, and fireworks. Reenactors will be taking to the streets dressed up as their favorite pirate and guests are also encouraged to dress up and join in the fun. Need to purchase pirate gear? No worries - stop by the “Thieves’ Marketplace” and pick up pirate essentials.  You also don’t have to worry about going hungry at this festival; the “Gruel Gallery” will feature several local vendors: Tellos, Beanies, and Taste of Africa will all have booths serving hearty pirate grub for just about any taste.  Wanting to try out your sea legs? Flat bottom Cruise Ship, Voyageur, will be offering several themed cruises starting Friday night, continuing throughout the festival.  One of the highlights of Pirate fest will be watching the pirates light up the sky with the annual Pirate Firework Show Saturday night! Fireworks will begin at 9:30pm in the Port Washington Harbor.

Additional information about Voyageur Cruises and all the fun pirate activities and times can be found at www.portpiratefestival.com.

Four things that irk me!

My intent with this blog is to be an extremely light hearted, funny blog about things that recently irk me.  In no way do I mean to insult, or offend anyone on this list except maybe the celebrity moms!

4.  Celebrity Moms- I’m irked by all the celebrity moms out there that have a baby and 1 month latter are back on the red carpet or a beach in perfect shape.  I’m jealous of them since I have never had children and can’t keep up with their perfect bodies.  Now if I were a celebrity, I know that I would have a personal trainer, dietician, and agent all paid, to kick my butt into gear.  Until that happens, I will just gawk at the covers of the tabloid magazines and wonder how the hell they just had a baby, and yet still fit into that teeny tiny bikini!

3.   Road Construction- I live in a small city.  We have three ways to get into the city by car and two of the three ways are currently under road construction.  I’m not talking about repaving the road I’m talking about ripping up bridge road construction.  One of the on ramps to get onto Hwy 45 is now so dangerous; I’m amazed every day that we do not have a fifty car pileup!  To make matters worse, they are behind schedule and the road construction will go on for the foreseeable future.

2. This Season of Mad Men- Mad Men has become one of my all-time favorite shows.  I was so disappointed when a contract dispute pushed the fifth season of Mad Men from July 2011 to March 2012.  The fourth season had ended in October 2010, forced to wait seventeen months before I could find out what happened to Don Draper and company.  Well the start to the fifth season has been slow, to say the least, what made Mad Men enjoyable was the mix of marketing pitches, and the fooling around.  This season has neither.  The marketing pitches limited to Heinz Baked Beans, and the fooling around is non-existent with Don getting married, Joan having a baby, and Peggy in a "living in sin" committed relationship.  I hope that the next 6 episodes go back to the Mad Men roots and have some drama in them.

1. E. L. James and Fifty Shades- E. L. James is a self-published author (just like me), who loved the Twilight saga, (just like me), had a crush on Robert Pattinson (just like me) and wrote a book about her crush, (just like me).   Unlike me, she wrote a highly erotic version of Twilight called Fifty Shades of Grey that caught on like wild fire over the internet. Now she is a famous author with a movie deal.   I should be happy for her. She is one of a few self-published authors to be on the New York Times best sellers list.  She has helped the self-publishing industry, and given hope to many indie authors that maybe someday your book might be discovered.   I just can not help but be jealous of her success.  Our stories and inspiration are remarkably similar.  Fifty Shades of Grey is a story about Ana Steele, normal girl, and Christian Grey, hottie millionaire CEO.  My Life With The Movie Star is  inspired, not Twilight, but by the actor, Robert Pattinson.  Robert was the reflection I used to create the ideal movie star boyfriend Grayson Edwards.   The relationship between Grayson and Abby is similar to Fifty Shades of Grey.  Grayson is handsome, rich and infatuated with Abby.  Abby is an average girl, and not sure she belongs in Grayson’s world.   I do feel that I did give Abby a better voice than Bella/ Ana.  Abby is a confident woman who has been in the work force for several years, she has purchased her own home and can provide for herself.   Bella is still a highs school student so her means to support herself is limited, but Ana who is weeks away from graduating college has no plan for  her career, and her  only living arrangement is to continue being a roommate to her rich college friend Kate.  Grayson has no need to ask Abby to be anything different than who she is. This is something that Christian almost demands of Ana, and Edward reluctantly has to change Bella for their love to last through time.  My Life With The Movie Star does have a bit of “romance” in it, but I would categories it as PG romance. Abby gets to see Grayson’s abs a few times, and that is the extent of any adult content. My Life With The Movie Star by Meaghan Hoffmann is available on amazon.com

Summer Movie Season Begins Avengers Opens!

I’m not a comic book girl, but I have to admit I have been hooked on The Avengers Series ever since Iron Man in 2008. Anyone who stayed through credits got a sneak peak of Samuel L. Jackson playing Nick Furry, and knew that there was so much more to come! What I find neat about The Avengers Series is the buildup of movies leading up to this one:

• Iron Man 2008

• The Incredible Hulk 2008

• Iron Man 2 2010

• Thor 2011

• Captain America 2011

All of these movies can stand alone, but what I fully appreciated was the chance to get to know each of the principal characters in The Avengers years before the movie was even produced. This was genius, allowing interest to build, and exposing more and more fans to the series along the way. Again, I have never read the comics, but have grown to know who Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), Black Widow, (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are.

Josh Whedon, director, is famous for creating and writing several notable Sci-Fi T.V. shows and movies, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and my personal favorite is the Firefly series which was briefly on T.V for a season in 2002-2003, and spun the cult classic movie Serenity, released in 2005. Recently, Whedon also lent his writing talents to the just released The Cabin in the Woods in April, receiving praise for being much smarter than the typical horror flick.

The Avengers starts with a bang! The movie begins at S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters (a secret security organization led by agent Nick Furry) where the Tesseract (a unique energy source) is being held and examined. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, comes into our world with the purpose of stealing the Tesseract, taking over our world, and eventually taking over his old home plant Asgard, which he was disowned from. To gain control, Loki takes over several members of S.H.I.E.L.D ‘s minds including Agent Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Nick Furry now has no choice but to convince the other members of the Avengers to join him and help get the Tesseract back. This is not an easy task since all members have past or present issues they are currently working through. Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as Iron Man, Tony Stark. Tony has been working on new building that is energy self-sufficient. Tony begrudgingly agrees to join, and has girlfriend Pepper Pots continue working on the project without him. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has the job of convincing Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to join the team. Bruce is reluctant to take part due to his uncertainty if he can control “The Other Guy” Hulk. Nick Furry approaches Captain America (Chris Evans) to join, but Captain America is still sore that he has been brought back to life and is having a hard time adjusting to the 2000’s.

One aspect I of the movie I did not expect was how much I enjoyed seeing Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/ Hulk. The hulk has previously been featured in two separate movies played by two separate actors. I felt that Ruffalo did the best job showing the two very different faces of the Hulk. I hope to see more of Ruffalo’s Hulk in the future.

The Avengers is fast paced right from the start and has some of the best special effects I have seen in an action movie. The 3D is worth the extra money, and is a great use of the technology. The costumes were also incredible. I have no idea how Cobie Smulders and Scarlett Johansson put on their cat suites, but both actresses looked amazing! The Avengers went beyond what I had expected and is a great way to kick off the 2012 Summer Movies.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits Opens April 27th

June in Port Washington means one thing. A Pirate invasion! This year the pirates have decided to show up a wee bit early and host the opening night of the movie:  "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" at both the Marcus North Shore Cinema, and Saukville Cinema locations Friday April 27th. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is a fun family film about a band of eccentric pirates who are desperately trying to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. The Pirate Captain voiced by Hugh Grant must find a way to outsmart this year’s tough competition: Cutlass Liz played by Salma Hayek, and the dreaded Black Bellamy played by Jeremy Piven. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" Directed by Pete Lord known for the "Wallace and Gromit", series along with the popular movie "Chicken Run". "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is rated PG.

The fun begins Friday April 27th at 6:45pm at the North Shore Cinema in Mequon, and 7:05pm at the Saukville Cinema. The pirates will be bringing along loot, and goodie bags for all who attend. The North Shore location will also offer $3.00 off any large pizza at the Zaffiro’s Pizza restaurant within the theatre for anyone who dresses up as a pirate (Please leave any weapons back on the ship). There will also be door prizes and lots of pirate fun!

Those visiting North Shore Cinema can also visit the Zaffiro's restaurant after the show for their Sassy Hour specials. Every Friday after 9PM, Zaffiro's offers $5.00 personal pizzas, $5.00 Margaritas, and $3.00 beer specials, along with live music until 11PM.

Pirate Fest has become a June tradition in Port Washington. This year the festival is held June 1-3 in downtown Port Washington by the lakefront.  Some of the activities featured will be an invasion, Buccaneer Bash, Fireworks, Pirate Parade, and  Children’s activities. Check out their Facebook page for more details and this year's schedule.

 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Port-Washington-Pirate-Festival

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WIP’s -What I am currently writing.

WIP’s -What I am currently writing.

I thought it might be fun to share some of the current WIP’s (Work In Progress) that I am currently writing.  I’m not sure if I will finish them, but these are some fun ideas I have rattling around in my head.  My number one priority is the sequel to My Life With The Movie Star.  I enjoy writing about Abby and Grayson and what they might be doing. This also gives me a chance to bring Dave more into the story.   It surprised me how many people enjoyed his role in the first book, and gives me a chance to give him a much bigger role in the sequel.

My Life Without The Movie Star-

 Life has been perfect for Abby and Grayson the past few months, when Grayson gets a gigantic starring role in two movies filmed on location in Europe. Abby currently working for System Plus Software, is unable to be on set with Gray and returns to her home town of Port Washington Wisconsin.  The town, which she once loved, now feels cold and lonely.  Her Best Friend Lisa, recently married, is unable to hang out as often.  Abby fills her days with work but misses Gray. The one bright spot in Abby's life is Lisa and Dan’s close friend Dave just got a promotion and moves to Milwaukee.  Abby and Dave get a chance to rekindle their old friendship, and grow closer. While Grayson is on location, Abby is unaware of a looming threat.  The studio producing the movies feels Abby is un fit to be Grayson’s girlfriend and go to considerable length to make sure they split up.

Come Sail Away

Spring is in the air, the weather is starting to warm up, and I’m ready to shrug off the last bit of cabin fever and do something new.  I was excited to see an ad for Lake Michigan cruises being offered right here in Port Washington by the Foxy Lady II starting Saturday,  April 14th. The sunset cruises are something fun, unique and only offered once a year before the yacht is moved to Green Bay where it will begin its summer season. 

Captain Mitch and wife Carolyn have owned the Foxy Lady II for 15 years.  During May through October the Foxy Lady II is docked in downtown Green Bay at the Clarion Inn (formerly Holiday Inn) on 200 Main St.   The owners chose Port Washington’s harbor for winter docking due to the harbors deep water which allows them to avoid having to dry dock .  The Foxy Lady II is equipped with 2 full bars, 3 large screen TV’s, 2 climate controlled salons and 2 open air decks.   During the summer season the Foxy Lady II offers daily cruises, private charters, and host’s weddings and other private events.

If you’re looking for a complete dinner and cruising experience, sunset dinner cruises are being offered Saturday April 14^thand Friday April 20^th, departing at 6pm and returning to the dock at 8pm.  Included with the cruise is a buffet dinner which will include 2 entree offerings, fresh tossed Caesar Salad, and steamed vegetables.  The cost is $32.95 with a cash bar available.

If you aspire for a simple, relaxing night out on the lake, then the Saturday April 21^st cocktail cruise, departing at 6PM may be just the thing.  Tickets to the cocktail cruise are priced very reasonably at $5.00, which also includes a drink coupon for each passenger!

All cruises will leave the harbor weather permitting.  Reservations are suggested call 920-432-3699 or go to www.foxyladycruises.com to book online.

The Girl Was on Fire! The Hunger Games Review

 

 

 

After months of anticipations, teaser trailers, and online posts, The Hunger Games finally opened last night at midnight! The Hunger games has been one of the most anticipated movies of 2012 and early reviews indicate director (Gary Ross)is giving audiences exactly what they were hoping for!

 

Lines for the movie started early on Thursday night. The crowds were all on the edge of their picnic blankets waiting for the doors to finally open and be allowed into the theater. I was surprised to see how many teenage boys were dressed up like their favorite male tribute. Excitement was in the air as people discussed what to expect. What would the capital city look like? Would it be as outrageous as portrayed in the novel by Suzanne Collins? What will the arena be like? Will Katniss still have similar traps, and struggles as in the novel? The teaser trailers did seem to show a few differences from the novel and most people I spoke in line hoped that the screenplay would follow the story line closely.

After seeing the film, I can say I was truly amazed. I only regret that I have to wait until November 2013 to see the next film in the series, Catching Fire, to be released. With (Suzanne Collins) as one of the primary screenplay writers along with director (Gary Ross), the integrity of The Hunger Games was kept intact and was one of the best book to screen adaptations I have seen.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, The Hunger Games is set in a post-apocalyptic North American continent now named Panem. The continent has been divided into 12 districts and is ruled by an unforgiving government. Most of the districts are extremely poor and are forced to depend on the Capital for enough food and supplies needed for basic survival. Each year two tributes from each district one boy and one girl ages 12-18 are forced compete in yearly a fight -to –the-death competition/ reality show called The Hunger Games. This reality show has been going on for 74 years as a form of punishment for a district rebellion which almost over through the capital government. The heroine of the series is Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), volunteers to be tribute after her 12 year old sister’s name was drawn in the tribute lottery. Katniss must use her hunting abilities (taught to her by her father before his death in a district mining accident) as her edge to fight on in the games.


As previously stated, the movie went far beyond my expectations and was followed the novel with close accuracy. The District 12 set was as depressing and left you with a true sense of despair, the capital was both fantastic and deadly as portrayed in the book, and was where most of the movies’ best special affects occurred, taking the audience to the edge of their seats. A good portion of the cinematography was hand held and left you with a feeling of uneasiness and while a few of the shots towards the end looked more like green screens, the strong story line did not allow for much distraction.
Each cast member was perfectly selected to play their role. The three primary actors Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark are sure to catapult to superstar status after the success of The Hunger Games.

It was especially enjoyable to watch seasoned actors lend their talents to the film including Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket Katniss and Peeta’s chaperone and etiquette coach, Stanly Tucci as Caesar Flickerman the charismatic host of The Hunger Games, and Woody Harrelson as Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. Lenny Kravitz also plays a short but memorable role of Cinna the Stylist assigned to Katniss and Peeta, preparing them for appearances prior to the games.

Whether you are fan of the novels or enjoying the story for the first time, The Hunger Games is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation, hoping that Katniss and Peeta can get out of the arena alive with each other.

Welcom to Meaghan Hoffmann's Author Blog!

Welcome to my new blog! This will be a place where I post blogs I write for patch.com, CNN iReports, and other sites I am now blogging for.  I will also post upcoming book signings, new WIP sneak peeks, and other random thoughts I might have.

Meaghan