It is actually the largest aquarium in the world, with 6.3 million gallons of water and a lot of freaked-out looking fish.
Here's a piranha, which wasn't a bit how I've always imagined this particular fish to be (writhing around in swirling red water, crazed with blood lust as those razor-sharp teeth tear off flesh). But no, at least - not here in Georgia. The piranha are docile; they looked stoned.
And here are some unidentified fish in a photo you can just tell is destined one day to be used as a screen-saver over on Facebook.
Last of all, here's me - by a flowering tree, close to the Coca-Cola factory. It was a very American day.
In other news, I attended a breakfast meeting with two high-powered academics and some other writers of Sheikh romance. We were discussing the appeal of the desert warrior hero.
I know why I like Sheikhs.
Do you?
I think the appeal can be the duality of the hero. The hero walks in two worlds. He is the intelligent,urbane sophisticated businessman, flitting through meetings, lovers, parties. Smooth, but underneath the surface is the other man. This man is closer to the edge. He has,usually, been tempered in the harsh conditions of the natural world. His comfort zone is the outdoors amongst the people of the land. He can be himself when he is alone in the desert, but he is at home in both worlds. This dichotomy can create an emotional conflict within the story. Then there is the unknown. Many of us are unaware of the reality of the geography,environment,culture and the ability to lose oneself in the plot can be enhanced by this. A world can be created by the author and it can be a real. Nothing need to interfere with a great story. And last, the hero is usually hot, really hot, meltingly hot.
ReplyDeleteGreat response - and thank you. I hope those two academics are reading this!
DeleteToo many academics/ intellectuals seem to thing that women, and some men, who read romance are dumb as a box of rocks. I resent their attitude that we, as readers, are unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. Having read them as a child and young woman I didn't expect that a rich,sexy, Lord/Prince/Sheik would see me, fall in love and take me away from the mundane life I was living. The novels DID gave me a chance to think about travelling to some of the places I had read about. To find out about artists that had been mentioned and just opened up parts of the world that might have remained shut away. So tell the academics we are fully capable of deciding what we want to read, we don't need their help.
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