ROMANCE, ROMANCE!

Valentine’s Day, preceded by Friday the Thirteenth, seemed like such an interesting juxtaposition that it started me thinking. Since I have had a heavy cold, that was a slow and creaky process, but eventually a thought emerged. Perhaps it was prompted by the controversial “Fifty Shades of Gray” movie.

Friday the Thirteenth is traditionally a day of ill-luck, a day when anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. It’s a black-cats-crossing-your-path day, a walking-under-a-ladder day.

Valentine’s Day, on the other hand, is all about the love . . . romantic love, specifically. It’s all red and pink, hearts and flowers, roses and candy.

I wondered about a blend of the two. Star-crossed lovers have been the basis for millions of plots, sure . . . but what about throwing in fear and disaster? “Wuthering Heights” was pretty suspenseful, right? “Gone Girl” is pretty nearly the perfect combination of fear and love in varying degrees.

And what about the movie “Fatal Attraction”? Talk about love gone wrong in a spectacular way. Or “Vertigo.” Or “Laura.” Or “Titanic”!

There’s something especially terrifying about the combination of love (or obsession) and bad luck (or malicious disaster). It’s irresistible and intriguing.

So as I wheeze and sneeze my way through box after box of tissues, I’m going to be devising the most perfect case of disaster and romance you ever read. A McCoy and a Hatfield elope and get married but their mountain gets hit by a forest fire started by a jealous lover . . . an illicit couple plans a rendezvous at the Bates motel . . . no, wait! It’ll come to me soon.

What’s your favorite combination of love and disaster?

Charlaine Harris

Comments

[Dean James]

My favorite is the screwball comedy "Bringing Up Baby." Katharine Hepburn meets Cary Grant; love at first; then she will do anything, no matter how disastrous, to keep him with her. It's hilarious.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Well, not my favorite movie in any way, but Titanic, huh? (I'll never forget where I saw that movie-in an airplane, over the north Atlantic, It was so creepy.)

And Charlaine, an old boyfriend and I were hiking the Appalachian trail (that's how in love I was--can you imagine?) --and the night before our trek, we stayed in a motel in some place in North Carolina. We looked out the window, all kinds of commotion. And the sky was funny. We went outside, and the mountain was on fire. CRAZY on fire. ALl kind of people were gathering to watch, and I said to someone--what is this? And a woman said to me--"Baby did it."
I said--what?
She said--please imagine the accent--"Yup, Baby loves fires. He just got out of jail. Too bad he had to do it again."
ALl yours. xoxo

[catriona]

I was struck - or maybe horrorstruck - by the Vermont Teddy Bear Co.'s 50 Shades of Grey Valentine teddy bear. I'm no branding expert but isn't that a weird message?

Favourite combination of love and disaster . . . probably SPEED.

[Charlaine Harris]

Wow, Catriona! Did it come with a toy whip? SPEED is a great example.
Hank, I'm trying to imagine you hiking the Appalachian Trail in your heels and pearls, and failing. "Baby loves fires." That's TOO good.
Dean, now that you mention it, I need to watch that classic again. It's been too long.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

Speed! Love that movie.