It's #ShakespeareWeek on Goodreads and they're doing all sorts of bard-related fun stuff! Like having people write deleted scenes from Billy's work! Naturally, I couldn't resist at taking a crack at it myself. Please find below for your amusement, the alternate ending to Romeo & Juliet . . .

Romeo & Juliet - Alternate/Original Ending (taken from the 1st draft)

Prince: We settle a dark peace this morning. The sun is too sad to show itself. Let’s go, to talk about these sad things some more. Some will be pardoned, and some will be punished. There was never a story more full of pain than the story of Romeo and Ju--

Coroner: Actually, they're not quite dead yet, sire.

Prince: What do you mean 'they're not dead yet'?

Coroner: Looks like Juliet nicked a couple of arteries but we managed to stop the bleeding and she'll be fine. We were able to counteract the poison in Romeo's system with a simple transfusion. 

Prince: Are you sure?

Coroner: Oh yes, quite sure. Modern medicine at its best, sire. 

Prince: Well, alright then. <to the crowd> it appears they're going to be fine. So, new agenda: We'll be hanging Romeo tomorrow for the murders of Paris and Mr. Tibbs (*Tybalt's original character name -  1st draft). Juliet will be imprisoned for drug trafficking along with her dealer, Friar Laurence.

Friar Laurence (shocked): Me, sire?! But I'm just a simple Friar.

Prince: You're not fooling anyone! You're obviously a drug dealer. How else can you explain that dodgy-looking haircut?

Friar Laurence: I'm a Friar! It's the style.

Prince: Guards! Arrest him!

<crowd applauds enthusiastically>

Prince: So, once again, we settle a dark peace this morning. The sun is still too sad to show itself. Bloody miserable weather. Let’s go, to talk about these sad things some more. Some will be pardoned, pretty much no one actually, and some will be punished, as I just stated. There was never a story more full of pain than the story of Romeo and Juliet. And don't forget about the obligatory pot-luck lunch after the hanging tomorrow. And don't just bring potato chips, put some effort into it! I want to see some variety!

THE END

 

Today marks the official release of Adam Furgang's debut novel, BRAXTON WOODS MYSTIQUE! Adam and I share the same literary agent and I had the pleasure of reading the book over a year ago (ha! in your face everyone else!). 

Adam's delivery in this novel is flawless as he twists a tale so charming and compelling that you'll have a difficult time putting it down. I highly recommend it! 

Admittedly, I didn't hate BvS as much as, well, most of the world. I actually enjoyed it. Is it flawed? You bet your ass it is. Is it convoluted? Damn right! Should we trust Snyder with more DC properties? Nope!

​So why did I enjoy it? Let's break it down. We'll run this in reverse so we can end on a positive note and yes, you may find some elements fall into more than one category because I enjoy contradicting myself. 

​**WARNING: Contains Spoilers!**

Cue the theme music (insert whatever music you feel is appropriate) . . . 

Lex Luthor's Plan - The backbone of this movie relies on the nefarious planning of evil genius Lex Luthor, but we're not shown the full story. As shown in the deleted scene posted after the movie's release, there's more at play in the background with Lex and the villain in Justice League than the movie shows. This was obviously cute because of length. Maybe it'll make more sense in the R-Rated Director's Cut? Also, was Lex making it up as he went along because a lot of the timelines don't really match up? Why even bother going to the trouble of asking permission when you're an evil genius? Just sneak the damn kryptonite in. Why sweet talk Holly Hunter at all? At what point did he decide to kidnap Ma Kent? Speaking of which . . .

Snyder - Give it up, Zack. You don't understand the characters enough to carry them through multiple phases, ala Marvel. Time to pass the torch.

Ma Kent - Can we really blame Superman for turning out to be a brooding, confused, murderer? Look at the parental guidance he's had thus far! His father Jor-El wanted him to be a god. Pa Kent wanted him to let the busload of kids drown. And now, the voice of love and reason, Ma Kent ends up telling him to 'not give a crap' because he owes the world nothing. Really? I'm pretty sure without earth he'd have no powers and would be floating around in a capsule in space like Ripley at the beginning of Aliens (**Watch Aliens, THAT's a good movie).

Expect God to lawyer up - Enough with the saviour/crucifix imagery. We get it. They're gods among men, they make sacrifices. No need to hammer it home with people worshipping Superman and throwing crosses in the background all the time.​

Doomsday - This thing looks like the love child of a LOTR cave troll and one of Michael Bay's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It got more Doomsdayish as the fight went on but overall it's just a big CGI monster and it was hard ​to see it as anything other than that.

​Lois Lane - Is Margot Kidder still available? I'm certain she'd still make a better Lois Lane than Amy Adams. She serves no purpose in the movie, she's the reason Superman puts some guy through a wall, she throws the kryptonite spear in the water, she has no chemistry with Cavill . . . and come on, pant suits all the time? Again, Margot Kidder anyone?

Today I'm revealing the cover for HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES which releases June 7th, 2016! Check out the awesome cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive an eGalley!

Here's a little bit about the book:

Hair in All the Wrong Places is the result of a misspent childhood watching late night movies about werewolves and other creatures that go bump in the night. The story follows Colin Strauss; an outsider in the small town of Elkwood who, in addition to dealing with the struggles of puberty, also finds himself being turned into a werewolf. As if dealing with homework, bullies, and an unrealistic crush on the hot goth girl wasn’t enough! I love this cover because it perfectly captures Colin’s character and his discovery that he might indeed be growing hair in all the wrong places.
​
On to the reveal!

HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES is now available for pre-order, everywhere!

Amazon | B&N | TBD | BAM | Kobo | Google Play Books | iBooks | Goodreads

Month9Books is giving away a free e-galley of the book!
Enter via the Rafflecopter below!