Friday Friend Cynthia Justlin

Today, I welcome my fellow Ruby-Slippered sister, Cynthia Justlin who just published her novel 'HER OWN BEST ENEMY'. I'm in the middle of reading this story and it is very good. Please welcome her as she shares what she learned about writing romantic suspense from watching 'Romanicng The Stone'.


I write action adventure romantic suspense. A dangerous quest, insurmountable obstacles, lots of gunfire, explosions, and overwhelming raging hormones. It’s my thing, and has been ever since I first watched ‘Romancing the Stone’. I recently had the fun of catching it again on AMC. So I bring you my Romancing the Stone words of wisdom:


Everything I wanted to know about writing Romantic Suspense I learned from “Romancing the Stone”:



10. The shinier the treasure, the better. Who wasn’t enamored of El Corazon? I would’ve tromped through jungles and done battle with snakes to get my hands on that shiny, ginormous emerald too.



9. When in doubt, throw in some crocodiles. Seriously, without the crocodiles, Joan and Jack never would’ve made it out of Colombia alive.



8. A villain with a private army, is a man with a lot of guns. Even if he doesn’t have very good aim. Just how many rounds of ammo did Colonel Zolo’s men go through? And yet, Jack and Joan manage to come out with barely a scratch every time.




7. It always pays to have a drug lord in your pocket who reads romance novels. “Joan Wilder? The Joan Wilder?” I admit, that’s my favorite line. And the way Juan helps them escape is just priceless. And very, very handy.



6. Danger unleashes the feisty heroine hidden inside those old lady clothes. One of my favorite parts of this movie is the way Joan is transformed from this lonely, repressed woman to this fiery, adventurous creature. You can see it in the way her hair starts out in a severe bun, but is loose and luxurious by the end.



5. Only a real hero can pull off an all white outfit. Okay, so I really don’t find Michael Douglas at all sexy in this movie, but the white get-up he wears during their ‘dinner date’ cracks me up every time.



4. Dancing is a sure-fire way for the hero to get into the heroine’s panties. I don’t know how well this one works in real life, but make a hero and heroine do the samba, and they’ll be tearing up the sheets in no time.



3. A cocky hero is never altruistic. Jack couldn’t wait to get his hands on the map and that treasure. If you really want to see the sparks fly, give your hero an ulterior motive.



2. Pit your characters against each other and give them tough choices. I love when Jack and Joan end up on opposite sides of the river (she with the map, he with the emerald). You just have to keep watching to find out whether Jack’s going to take the emerald and skip town, or make good on his promise to Joan.



1. Not every story needs a sequel. Know when to stop. Can we say ‘Jewel of the Nile’ anyone? *shudder*


What movie has inspired your writing? Or, if you aren't a writer, what movie never gets old for you?