Q: On your suggestion, I started reading Breeana Puttroff’s “Dusk Gate Chronicles” series, and I couldn’t put them down. I tore through the entire series in two weeks. Will she be releasing any new books soon? — Mary Anne K., Allentown, Pa.
A: Breeana’s new book, which is slated to be released in late September or early October, is called “Rumplestiltskin’s Daughter.” As of now, it is planned to be a stand-alone book, not a series, but as Breeana told me, you never know.
“So far as I know it’s a single story. You know, my brain does strange things. I thought ‘Dusk Gate’ was done after ‘Blooms of Consequence,’ so I don’t know for sure. But probably if it did turn into a series, it would branch off from a few different characters. Like maybe a same world and same storyline, but focus on different people.”
So, what is her new book about? Breeana summed it up for me: “The story is basically a what-if retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin tale. The idea behind it is that tales are told by the most powerful, so the stories that get passed down are from one point of view. And so ‘Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter’ is, what if Rumpelstiltskin isn’t a bad guy after all? In the real story, the heroes are not nice people. A king and queen get married because he forces her to spin gold for him, and yet Rumpelstiltskin is portrayed as the bad guy. So, my story is more an examination of that.”
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Q: When will “Gone Girl” be released at the theater? Seems like I’ve been waiting forever! — Deanna R., via email
A: The long-awaited Ben Affleck-starring thriller — which is based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, who also wrote the movie’s screenplay — will be in theaters on Oct. 3. Save me a seat and some popcorn, because you can bet I’ll be there!
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Q: We watched “Lone Survivor” last night on DVD, and the actor who played the new guy that they were giving a hard time looked familiar to me. What else has he been in? — Amelia D., via email
A: Alexander Ludwig, who played newbie Navy SEAL Shane Patton, is perhaps best known for playing Cato, the career tribute from District 2 in “The Hunger Games.” He’ll also play Bjorn (Ironside) Lothbrok — Ragnar and Lagertha’s now-grown son — in the upcoming season of the History channel’s “Vikings,” which likely will air in spring 2015.
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Q: Did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finally get married? — Theresa M. in North Carolina
A: They did indeed tie the knot Aug. 23 in France. All of the couple’s six children were in attendance, and the blushing bride even wore a floor-length veil that the kids decorated for her (drawings that Luigi Massi, master tailor at Atelier Versace, hand-sewed onto the veil).
Write to Cindy at King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475; or e-mail her at [email protected].
© 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.