Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 340644 times)

JoanK · « **Reply #120 on:** June 04, 2009, 05:34:38 PM »

Welcome to Author! Author!

This is a game in which the contestants match their wits with a challenger, who suggests a character in literature, non- fiction or fiction. The challenger may or may not provide more clues, his prerogative,, and never more than one a day.

Once a day the challenger will say if the queses are correct or not. The winning contestant gets lots of acclaim and the chance to pose the next challenge. If he does not want to post a new challenge he can say so and whoever does can begin a new game.

Of course you could look these up on google in an instant, what challenge is that? The idea is to rack one's brain to try to remember where this particular character appeared and who wrote about him/ her. Should be great fun.

The challenger also has the option not to mention the name of the character, but only a description.

First up: this character spent time on a mountain which he did not enjoy....

(may as well make it challenging). Who is he and who wrote about him?

Let's work out the kinks together!

Good guess, FRYBABE, but not right. I liked "Under the Tuscan sun".

AUTHOR: my trips abroad were used to give background for some of my books.

bellemere · « **Reply #121 on:** June 05, 2009, 11:07:11 AM »

What do you get when you cross T.S. Eliot with Henny Youngman?
Our local synagogue's fund raiser a few years ago was
"Katz" a hilarious parody.

bellemere · « **Reply #122 on:** June 05, 2009, 11:08:35 AM »

Is it the peripatetic Graham Greene?

JoanK · « **Reply #123 on:** June 05, 2009, 07:10:09 PM »

bellemere: another good guess, but wrong. Katz sounds hilarious.

AUTHOR: my books have been made into many many movies, with a number of actors and actresses playing the main parts, with varied success.

My character only appears in a few of these, and I doubt is happy with the portrayal.

ginny · « **Reply #124 on:** June 05, 2009, 08:02:51 PM »

Could it be Patricia Highsmith?

JudeS · « **Reply #125 on:** June 05, 2009, 11:04:12 PM »

Somehow we're all gravitating to women.

Could it be Agatha Christie?

Gumtree · « **Reply #126 on:** June 06, 2009, 12:00:07 PM »

H'mm... yes I wondered about Agatha Christie but really I don't have a clue on this one.

JoanK · « **Reply #127 on:** June 06, 2009, 02:38:14 PM »

JUDES: YOU GOT IT! Agatha Christie started writing books when her marraige broke up ("Under the Tuscan Sun" was really close there). Later, she married an archiologist and went with him to digs. She wrote a number of books with Middle Eastern locales.

Now the character: lives on two continents, not in many movies but portrayed badly.

JudeS · « **Reply #128 on:** June 06, 2009, 03:01:23 PM »

Hopefully this is an easy one.

I have written more than sixty books. Not all novels..

My character had a Father she adored.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #129 on:** June 06, 2009, 03:12:24 PM »

Jan Karon?

PatH · « **Reply #130 on:** June 06, 2009, 07:31:47 PM »

I'd say Nancy Drew, but I don't recall any non-novels, and anyway Carolyn Keene was apparently several people.

Gumtree · « **Reply #131 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:12:21 AM »

May Sarton ?

JudeS · « **Reply #132 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:31:01 AM »

Sorry . Not May Sarton.

Here are Sundays Clues.:

The Author has won the Sag Award for Wit.

The Character made a bad marriage.

Gumtree · « **Reply #133 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:18:40 PM »

Well, I don't even know what the SAG awards are...

I was going to suggest Daphne Du Maurier - she wrote a lot of books and had a good relationship with her father but the award for WIT has me flummoxed.

PatH · « **Reply #134 on:** June 07, 2009, 01:51:20 PM »

I think this is fair--I didn't remember what the Sag awards were, so I Googled it. It's the Screen Actors Guild. Duh, I knew that. I didn't dare go into the listed sites in case I learned something I shouldn't, so I don't know what all the categories are, but I daresay they include writers as well as actors.

It's the character who adored her Father, and I wonder if the capitalization is significant.

Frybabe · « **Reply #135 on:** June 07, 2009, 02:01:19 PM »

Margaret Edson wrote Wit for which she won a Pulitzer Prize a few years back. HBO produced a series from it, but I have no clue if it got any movie awards. At any rate I don't think Edson has written anywhere near 60 books.

I mention it because it is an interesting story of a woman coming to grips with having terminal cancer.

JudeS · « **Reply #136 on:** June 07, 2009, 02:31:37 PM »

I loved "Wit" the play as well.

But think Sag award for Wit -i.e.Humorous writing +(Extra clue) scientific writing.

So you are all stirring the wrong pot.

JoanK · « **Reply #137 on:** June 07, 2009, 03:31:15 PM »

Before we get too far, don't leave my Agatha Christie character hanging.

Sunday's clue: I'm in her early books. And I'm often wrong.

JudeS · « **Reply #138 on:** June 07, 2009, 08:15:56 PM »

Christie's early works feature Hercule Poirot. He is not often wrong but his sidekick whose name eludes me is often wrong. He was a Captain in the war, is enamored of his motor car and is the foil for Poirot's brilliance.

But perhaps this sidekick is only a TV creation.

The other early character is Miss Marple who is always right.

Oh, I think I know-
Is it Inspector Japp?

PatH · « **Reply #139 on:** June 07, 2009, 10:20:18 PM »

The "scientific writing" makes me think of Arthur C. Clarke, who probably did write 60 books before his recent death. I can believe that "2001" won all kinds of rewards, and it's a book too, but Clarke almost didn't have female characters of any importance, and I can't make a character fit. He mostly isn't humorous either, except in "Tales from the White Hart".

PatH · « **Reply #140 on:** June 07, 2009, 10:21:59 PM »

JudeS, I'm totally in the dark on this one, but I'm having a great time wracking my poor brain over it.

Gumtree · « **Reply #141 on:** June 08, 2009, 12:26:55 AM »

I haven't got a clue.

I was wondering about JoanK's character - but don't know the Christie books very well...

JudeS · « **Reply #142 on:** June 08, 2009, 02:10:33 AM »

Mondays Clues

The author is an English speaker but not an American.
The " began writing the most famous series in 2002 after seeing a woman run after a chicken.
Since 2002 this series has been translated into 39 languages.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #143 on:** June 08, 2009, 10:36:37 AM »

Alexander McCall Smith (i.e. the #1 Ladies Detective Agency)?

JoanK · « **Reply #144 on:** June 08, 2009, 01:54:32 PM »

I agree! Alexander McCall Smith, and the character is Mma Rematse (complete guess as to the spelling).

Judes: your first guess was right: it's Poirot's sidekick. No, he's not a media invention: he was there in the early books. Christie married him off and had him move to a ranch in Argentina. then later, she wanted to use him again, so she kept having him come back and stay with Poirot in England. Hence the two continents.

What is his name?

JudeS · « **Reply #145 on:** June 08, 2009, 02:15:16 PM »

Joan K
Tha Captains name is Hastings. He is Poirots sidekick.

Hurray !
Tomereader and Joan K guessed correctly!

The Author is indeed Alexander McCall Smith and his famous character is Mama (Precious) Ramotswe.
If anyone is unfamiliar with this series (Ten books and counting) they have a treat in store.
HBO has presented a fantastic six part series based on these books. The Art work at the begginning and end of the program is just amazing. The series is not being played at the moment but hopefully it will return .
For the uninitiated the first book of the series is called
The Number One ladies Detective Agency
(In Botswana)

JoanK · « **Reply #146 on:** June 08, 2009, 02:22:18 PM »

You had me completely fooled until the story about the chicken. I had heard that somewhere.

Both the books and the TV series are great!! There seems to be a gender difference, however. None of the men I know who read the book like it, and all of the women do! No idea why.

JudeS · « **Reply #147 on:** June 08, 2009, 05:36:05 PM »

Joan K
In my book group four of us had success with our husband's reading of this book. In fact it is about the only book
we read that we have convinced our husbands to read. Those who have husbands that occasionally read fiction found this one entertaining.

My husband also liked the HBO series. Although he wasn't too enthusiastic at first he became hooked, like me, on this series.

Oh yes there was one other book these same husbands read and liked but it was many years ago: The Reader by Schlink.

Kate Winslett won an academy award for her role of the movie based on this book.

Gumtree · « **Reply #148 on:** June 08, 2009, 11:55:33 PM »

Well, I'm glad that quiz is over ! - No offense Jude but I haven't read any McCall Smith so I really was in the dark.

As for Poirot's sidekick - well I haven't read much Christie either so had no idea at all....but it's fun just trying to work it out.

Well done Tomereader and JoanK.

PatH · « **Reply #149 on:** June 09, 2009, 12:45:51 AM »

I have read some McCall Smith, and I was in the dark too.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #150 on:** June 09, 2009, 09:27:16 PM »

Poirot became a memorable character for me with his portrayal by David Suchet on PBS. Captain Hastings and the secretary (name?) also seemed to come alive. Christie's books, while they are neat puzzles, are not the kind that I can really drop into the action like a spectral observer. Perhaps it is simply that the style in those days was more about the puzzle, not the characters.

JudeS · « **Reply #151 on:** June 10, 2009, 01:07:14 AM »

The Secretary of Poirot is Miss Lemon. I remember it because for some reason, lost in time, my sons Teddy Bear was also known as Miss Lemon.

PatH · « **Reply #152 on:** June 11, 2009, 09:01:21 PM »

Yes, Jackie, I thought David Suchet was good too. It was funny to see his backstage interviews, where he projected a totally different personality.

PatH · « **Reply #153 on:** June 11, 2009, 09:07:21 PM »

Neither Tomereader nor JoanK seems to be taking the honor of next puzzle, so I'll fill in with one that JoanK and I discussed:

I read a lot and play the piano well, but no one appreciates me. My author prefers country life to city life.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #154 on:** June 11, 2009, 09:34:48 PM »

forgot that we were supposed to do a question for the next round, sorry.

Frybabe · « **Reply #155 on:** June 11, 2009, 09:48:59 PM »

My immediate thought, PAT, is Jane Austen, but I would have to think about which character it would be.

Mippy · « **Reply #156 on:** June 12, 2009, 11:11:13 AM »

marking the spot ... how did I miss this? do miss the Wonderful Blue Wizz whoever that was

Speaking of Cats (a week or so ago) I saw it 3 times, taking kids of various ages. Loved it!

No guess yet ... Is this author a woman?

Gumtree · « **Reply #157 on:** June 12, 2009, 12:06:12 PM »

Hi Mippy - good to see you here...

If it's Jane Austen could the character be Jane Fairfax in Emma? She played the piano but I'm not sure about the reading....then there's Mary Bennett in P&P but she played dreadfully....

PatH · « **Reply #158 on:** June 12, 2009, 04:19:56 PM »

Frybabe gets the author, and Gumtree gets the character. It's Jane Austen and Mary Bennett. Mary's piano playing was technically skillful, but her expression was stodgy so she wasn't fun to listen to.

Gumtree · « **Reply #159 on:** June 13, 2009, 12:48:03 PM »

Yikes - I was just thinking aloud ....Frybabe landed it with Austen - How did you know that Frybabe? Do you have ESP ? Well done!

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Author Topic: Author! Author! (Read 340644 times)