Twilight

What a writing team Elizabeth Atkins Bowman and Billy Dee Williams make. I devoured this novel, as I have devoured Bowman's other books. I heard Bowman and Williams in a radio interview calling their creation "edu-tainment", a combination of education and entertainment. They succeed in their edu-tainment mission with Twilight. The story drew me in and swept me away while I unconsciously absorbed the subtler message about the beauty of their ideas about the harmony of blending of races and cultures. This novel is lulling in its escapism and passionate in its mission. I recommend it with honors.

A serial killer known only as Narcissus faxes hate letters to Judge Simone Thompson and four well-known Hollywood names. Hopefully leaving the danger behind, Simone travels to Brazil for a friend's wedding. She intensely dislikes Brazil, associating it with childhood trauma. Indeed, Simone bears a number of childhood wounds, including not knowing the identity of her father, despite repeated demands to her mother. Simone finds healing now by extending aid to orphans; unfortunately, her compassion has made her the target of a serial killer.Brazil also brings Simone together with another target, "Sweet Sonny" D. Anthony Whittaker who is there working on his new film. An instant attraction sizzles between them, but must not be acted upon when Simone realizes he will appear in her courtroom the following week. Simone will preside over a bitter divorce hearing in which Sonny seeks custody of his young twin daughters. Meanwhile, Narcissus lurks, carefully selecting Sonny's costar for the first victim. TWILIGHT will satisfy fans of a number of sub-genres with its romantic elements, courtroom drama, and murder. TWILIGHT sweeps readers away, from an exotic paradise to the glitter of Hollywood. Lush eroticism heightens the contrast between the growing electric attraction shared by Simone and Sonny and the danger lurking nearby. Simone presents herself as a memorable heroine as she struggles to overcome childhood trauma and extend that healing to other young victims. Sonny's desperate need to overcome his old reputation and prove his sincerity becomes fresh and original in his genuine display of love for his children. Secondary plots abound, carefully woven and sharply realized. The overall effect is mesmerizing, like the magical moment of TWILIGHT when kaleidoscope colors blend to create a moment of exquisiteness that echoes the authors' dreams of a multicultural world. A fast paced, riveting read that is impossible to put down, TWILIGHT earns the WordWeaving Award for Excellence.

Many times my thought is the book is much better than the movie, because the movie cannot give all the details like a book can. With Twilight, I could visualize every detail and see the movie in my mind while reading this book. It's very detailed, lots of characters, colorful imagery and a good cross of narration and dialogue.From the Brazilian set of the movie, The Colony, to the courtroom in L.A. and back to Brazil, Judge Simone Thompson and "Sonny" Whittaker are destined to be together. They are bound by a hypnotic force on their first encounter. The judge knows who Sonny is, but he does not know her and she does not want him to know who she is, because it could jeopardize her job and his divorce/custody battle. But it seems they can not stay away from each other. They are also bound together because of a stalker named Narcissus, who has made threats to both the Judge and Sonny, along with others who are acquainted with the couple and the movie. The second story in this book is Simone's search for her father. A person she has never known not even his name. Even after confronting her mother on numerous occasions his identity remained a secret. Once the mother decided to reveal who the father was, she did not tell Simone, but told the father, and he used this information to discredit Simone. While reading this novel, I could picture Billy Dee Williams as Sonny Whittaker, using that silky smooth voice of his to whisper to the judge during their hot and steamy sexual encounters, speak terms of endearment to his children and express anger and frustration to his father in law, attorney and the media. While the beginning of the book was slow, it took me about 100 pages to get into it, it picks up and the action and suspense kept my attention to the very end.Jeanette APOOO book club

Rio Di Janeiro, a city that is famous for Carnival and the beauty of the country of Brazil, is the primary setting for Billy Dee Williams' and Elizabeth Atkins Bowman's novel. The novel is called Twilight: A Novel of Hollywood. Some other parts of the story take place in Los Angeles. Simone Thompson should be happy. She is a successful judge in Los Angeles at the top of her career. Simone is very touched by the plight of children and their daily struggles and she utilizes her position to become an advocate for them. Even though Simone is constantly fighting battles for others, she has her own inner demons and pain to fight. The bottom line for her is that she wants to be loved. Her heart has been broken more than once and she craves happiness. However, whoever she decides to let into her life has to be someone special and will have to prove his love for her. D. Anthony Whittaker, or Sonny as he is also known, is a successful and well known actor, who is known the world over as a playboy who likes to have a good time. However, in recent years Sonny has managed to change his ways, he has become a father and loves his twin daughters with all of his being. Due to the way he previously lived his life he becomes involved in a bitter child custody dispute with his soon to be ex-wife. Sonny and Simone's hearts short circuit at the time that they meet. They both feel as though they have found the person that was missing in their lives. Since there is such instant attraction and some unknown force drawing them together, a relationship must be written in the stars. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Through a cruel twist of fate Sonny's custody case is going to be before Judge Simone Thompson. When Simone learns this she is devastated, she is very principled and will not allow anyone or anything to compromise her position as a judge. In reading this novel I felt that it had all of the elements of a great Hollywood movie. There was drama, suspense, romance, sex and backstabbing. Instead of reading a book I felt as though I was watching a very good movie. The writing team of Billy Dee Williams and Elizabeth Atkins Bowman did a wonderful job with this novel and I hope that they will have more writing projects together in the future...