What Halloween Costume Should You Be?

Your Haloween Costume Should Be

A Sexy Bunny

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Hmm! I've never thougth of being a bunny. After seeing Bridget Jone's Diary, I'd thought it'd pretty much been done, but I might have to rethink that thought for next year. Maybe I can be a vampire bunny!

Halloween Treats

Happy Halloween everyone! I thought I'd share with y'all some of my favorite spooky movies and books in celebration of Halloween.

The Lair of the White Worm starring Hugh Grant, Catherine Oxenberg, and Amanda Donohoe. Based on the Bram Stoker novel. Yes, Bram Stoker wrote other horror stories other than Dracula, most of which are unknown. What can I say about this movie? You have to see it to believe it. It is probably one of the campiest horror films I have ever seen.

The Mummy by Anne Rice. The only Anne Rice book that I can tolerate. Read about Ramses and Cleopatra running around snapping necks in 19th century England. A hoot and a half.

Dracula by Bram Stoker. Ignore all the many movies based on the book (unless you watch the Frank Langella version) and read the original.

The Calling series by Caridad Pineiro: If you like your Vampires dark and brooding this is the series for you. I never thought a category romance series about Vampires could be so good. Kudos to the editors at Silhouette from taking a break on their babies, cowboys and amnesia, and publishing a sophisticated tale about modern day Vampires living in New York. So far, there are three books in the series, Temptation Calls, Darkness Calls, and Danger Calls.

Mary Janice Davidson's Undead series: The lighter side of the Vampire. Starring Elizabeth (Betsy) Taylor, the newly (and reluctant) Queen of the Undead. Gotta love a Vampire who adores shoes! And Erik her consort isn't half bad either. This series is so good, they're now publishing them in hardcover.

Gothic - A film by Ken Russell. This film is a retelling of how Mary Shelley came to write the novel Frankenstein. Mary, her new husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Byron, Dr. John Polidori and her step-sister, Claire Clairmont are staying in a villa in Switzerland one dark and stormy night. To entertain themselves, they decide to tell ghost stories. Okay, like the Lair of the White Worm, this movie is campy in the extreme, but then it's a Ken Russell Film. Worth it just to see Julian Sands as Shelley standing out on the roof naked in the rain.

My final pick is Vincent Price in Theatre of Blood. In this movie, Vincent plays an actor who decides to kill off all the theatre critics who've given him bad reviews over the years one by one. But here's the kicker, he uses Shakespeare as his guide for their deaths. Diana Rigg plays his devoted daughter.

As you can see by my choices, I've gone for the lighter side for Halloween fare. Basically because I'm a wimp. Movies like Carrie, The Ring, The Grudge scare the absolute crap out of me. I already have to sleep with the TV set on, when I'm by myself. After watching one of those movies, I have to sleep with the light on as well. I could barely make through the Scream trilogy.

I do much better with books. Christopher Golden has a trilogy set in Sleepy Hollow, NY, that I'm dying to read (no pun intended), and I used to read John Saul all the time when I was younger, until I got too freaked out.

Even silly movies like Resident Evil (the first one) scare me to death.

What are your favorite horror movies and books?

Things that make you go hmmm!

This is a short blog today. I have a raging headache which I wish I could say was hangover related but I think might be the beginnings of a migraine. Yeah! Just what I need right now. And last night I came home from work to find out that my toilet had sprung a leak. I tried to plug up the leak by wrapping a plastic bag around it, but it's like trying to plug up a hole on the Titanic. A valiant effort but the ship is going down. Of course, the super was no where to be found on a Sunday, so I have to pray that the bags hold until I can call the management office tomorrow to get a plumber to come look at it. Thank god, I work two jobs. In fact, I'm working Halloween to make even more extra money.

In the meantime, I want to recommend a movie for y'all to see. It's called CAMP. It came out a few years ago. Basically it's one summer at performing arts camp in upstate New York, but you don't have to be a performer or have gone to a similar camp to appreciate it. If you've ever gone to sleepover camp, you can relate. I loved it, I can't believe that I've owned the video for two years, and just watched it for the first time.

I also ran into an old friend of mine recently. As we were catching up on each other's lives, he mentioned that he's thinking of running for state office. Now, I've known this guy for 12 years, and I never would have imagined that he had any interest in politics. Immediately, my little plot atenna went up, and never let down as he was telling me his plans. I, of course, instantly saw that this was a good opportunity for me to see what a campaign is like up close. Apparently, I'm also incapable of having any ordinary conversation without thinking about how I can use it in my writing.

And then yesterday, I'm watching I Love the 80's 3-D for I think 1989, when I learned some disturbing info about Disney's The Little Mermaid. It appears that the reverand who marries Ariel and Eric, has a boner during the ceremony. I'm not kidding, they freeze-framed the shot, so that you can see his little cartoon woody. Does Michael Eisner know about this? What other suprises are lurking in those innocent Disney cartoons?

I have to go lie down now and recover from the shock!

What kind of eyes do you have?

RAVEN EYES

You have Raven
Eyes!
Positive Traits: Intellectual,
Wise, Experienced, Honest,
Trustworthy
Negative Traits: Pompous,
Condescending, Withdrawn, Pessimistic,
Depressed

Your eyes are the windows to your soul. What type of eyes do you have?
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Embarrasing Moments

A friend sent me this in an email, and I thought it was cute:

Little David was in his fifth grade class when the teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up: doctor, policeman, salesman, etc.

David was being uncharacteristically quiet, and so the teacher asked him about his father.

"My father's an exotic dancer in a gay cabaret and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer's really good, he'll go out to the alley with some guy and have sex with him for money."

The teacher, shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some coloring, and then took Little David aside.

"Is that really true about your father?" she asked.

"No," said David. "Actually, he works for the Bush administration, but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids."


I laughed my head off when I read that. Out of the mouths of babes!

Livin la vida loca

Thank god, it's Friday. The pretend boyfriend and I will be spending the weekend, snuggled up in bed, getting to know each other again. Those long distance relationships can be tough! But somehow we make it work. Of course, I have to discipline him for leaving me alone for so long. This picture was taken just after we'd had another argument about my moving to England. See, he has an 8-year old son, so he can't really move here without losing valuable time with his son. He's had offers to do Broadway, but he really doesn't want to miss out being with his son. He's a devoted parent, which I find very sexy but very hard, when your pretend boyfriend lives across the Atlantic. I told him that I couldn't possibly move until after my term as RWA NYC President was over. I'm very dedicated to my chapter, and I couldn't just dump them willy-nilly to move to England to be with an incredibly handsome, sexy guy could I? So we're at an impasse right now.

In other news, apparently I'm on some International email list for money-laundering. Normally, I get the usual junk email offering me low-interest mortgage rates, debt-relief, pornographic sites, and surveys, but I've gotten 3 emails so far this week allegedly from real banks asking me if I could just park $50,000,000 in my bank account for a few months. Sure, no problem, that won't send any red flags to the IRS or the government. Come on, would you be suspicious if large sums of money somehow ended up in the account of a woman who can barely balance her checkbook?

What is the weirdest email that anyone's ever gotten?

Return of Real Estate Porn

This is Anne Rice's house in La Jolla, CA. Isn't it a beauty? I couldn't resist sharing it with you. I'm not a big fan of her books apart from The Mummy, which is a hoot and a half, but I admire her taste in real estate. She used to own various properties in New Orleans, including the house that she used for the Mayfair witches in The Witching Hour, a book that I loathed but I couldn't put down.

Yes, Real Estate Porn is back. I just discovered that there is a whole web-site called Curbed devoted to those of us who have the addiction, and Michael Gross just wrote a book on 740 Park Avenue, destined to be a classic like Stephen Birmingham's book on The Dakota (read it, it's fabulous, you can find it in the library).

I actually once thought about becoming a real estate agent. The Queen Bee used to be a real estate agent. She wrote her first book while working at Corcoran. I'd even inquired at various real estate agencies (in New York you need to be sponsored by an agent to get your license) but I read in New York Magazine that the market is flooded right now with agents, so I'm going to take a pass for now, but I may eventually take the plunge and get my license.

To further my addiction, I recently discovered this show on TLC called Moving Up while working on Saturday night. I actually had to watch it for work, and I fell in love with it. The premise is that say for instance, I bought Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt's house (let's just say they're still married) and the bought Madonna's house. We each renovate our new abode to our taste, and then the previous owner comes back to see what you did to their house. You then get to watch their reactions on a video monitor. It's fabulous to see what people say particularly when they don't like what the new owners have done to their house. It's almost as much fun as Trading Spaces when people see what Hildy has done to their room. Cardboard furniture anyone?

This photo to the left is from Tuxedo Estates in Tuxedo, New York, a planned community by Pierre Lorillard in the late 19th century. Get this, the guy who it was built for, his last name was Poor! Yes, the house is referrered to as the Poor Palace. However, the Poor Palace isn't poor, the price is a whopping $10,000,000 for this house. You definitely have to be rich to own the Poor Palace.

Tell the truth, have you ever lusted after an apartment or a house that you've seen in a magazine. Do ever feel the urge to run to Home Depot after watching Trading Spaces or another home improvement show.

Confess!

I love the 80's really...

The 80's are back with a vengeance. Just look at this press release:

NOAH’S BACK! RICK SPRINGFIELD RETURNS AS DR. NOAH DRAKE ON ABC DAYTIME’S “GENERAL HOSPITAL”Award winning musician and actor Rick Springfield returns as “General Hospital’s” Dr. Noah Drake, the role he originated nearly 25 years ago, it was announced by ABC Daytime. His first airdate will be December 2.

Wow, Rick Springfield returning to GH! I was a huge fan of GH during the 80's (still am kinda but that's a completely different blog), now he's returning to the show. I'd like to think he's going to get a chance to mix it up with Bobbie Spencer again (they were involved in a torrid love triangle wtih Tiffany Hill. Bobbie even faked blindness to keep Noah).

I was never a huge fan of Rick Springfield, although I liked his music. Who doesnt' love 'Jessie's Girl'? Still, I was much more of a Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Culture Club, Depeche Mode fan back in the early 80's. But it's great that ABC and GH are mining the show's history for a change, instead of systematically destroying.

John Stamos has a new sitcom, Madonna has a new album, Rick Astley was on MTV's Pimp My Ride (has not aged well but I still love 'Never Gonna Give You Up'), Lorenzo Lamas is on The Bold and The Beautiful, and now I Love the 80's 3D is back on VH-1. Donald Trump and The Apprentice. Anyone remember him and Ivana (pre plastic surgery)? It's hard to believe that he still has the same hair. That's even scarier than the 8 years we had to suffer through Reagan and Bush.

Lisa Kleypas has a great article on what she was doing in the 80's over at Squawk Radio. It's hard to believe we're all waxing so nostalgic about a decade that's only twenty years in the past.

I graduated from high school and college in the 80's. Yes, that makes me really old. Most of that time was spent in London where I learned all about Page 3 girls, Bronski Beat and English bacon. I got up early to watch TV with the English family I lived with to watch Charles and Diana get married.

I first learned what to do with my curly hair in the 80's, although I still wore huge rollers to make it big and poofy. I didn't wear leg warmers unless it was to dance class but I did wear leggings and big sweaters that made me look like the Tasmanian devil. Shoulder pads? Check! The bigger the better. Linebackers in the NFL had nothing on me and my friends. Let's face it, the 80's had to have been the ugliest fashion decade on record. Just take a look at a Christian LaCroix bubble dress and you'll know why.

Remember when cassettes finally replaced 8-Track tapes, and then CD's starting coming out? Laser discs (bigger versions of DVD's) and the very first VCR's which were huge! We didn't get ours until 1985, but it was like someone had invented fire for the first time, we were so amazed. Not to mention getting our first microwave.

I've been thinking about the 80's because I'd thought to set my YA in that decade, before it completely morphed into a different novel, but I do plan to visit the 80's at some point, even if it's a Time Travel.

Relive my Electric Youth!

Anyone have any really good memories (or bad) about the 80's?

Editors, the good, the bad, and the not so nice

Disclaimer: all my experiences with editors thus far, have been the editors I work with at the market research firm. This does not apply to fiction editors at publishing houses, who could be totally different. I look forward to someday finding that out!

Okay, so here's the way it works at my job. I watch a TV show that I've been assigned. Take for instance, last night, where I had to watch Untold Stories of the ER on TLC. Sidebar, this show is one of the strangest shows I've ever seen. The doctors are real, the stories are real, but the show is a re-enactment of the story. So the doctor has to act what happened in real life, along with a bunch of probably non-union actors who are just happy to be working.

But I digress. After I watch the show, I have to write 12 questions, 3 questions for each quarter of the show. Because the show has 3 storylines, I normally try to write one question for each storyline, if possible. After I'm done, I let the editor know unless he or she has already started to edit as I write, which is strange.

You'll go back to check on a question, and find out they've already edited the crap out of it. Some editors are really good about working with you on your questions, and explaining to you why they changed certain things. I've even had an editor ask me if it was okay to change one of my answers! Wow, that was pretty cool. Most of the time they change the answers because yours were too short. All the answers have to be of the same length.

Then there are the other editors who just completely rewrite everything that you wrote, which I kind of hate. Can you imagine if you turned in your manuscript to Jennifer Enderlin and she rewrote the whole book? Wouldn't you be annoyed?

The worst editors are the ones who think they know everything, and can't wait to tell you what you did wrong. In fact they take pleasure out of it. I had one editor who was working from home berate me at almost two o'clock in the morning about what she perceived as my deficiencies as a writer. Of course, all of it was under the guise of helping me, but it sent me home in tears, I was so upset. Over questions!

Because we have so many different editors working on a given night, I've had to learn to adapt to each one's peculiar little quirks. One guy is the quintessential slacker dude who speaks really slowly. He's actually one of the coolest editors. Then there's the Lisa Loeb look-a-like right down to the glasses who rewrites everyone.

I've also learned to deal with the constant editorial changes at the office. Initially we were taught short questions, short answers. But recently the editors have decided they want the answers to be fuller, so for example the question might be (for King of Queens) What did Doug do while sitting on the couch?

Originally we would have had the answers be: Ate potato chips, watched TV, Took a nap, Argued with Arthur.

Now the answers would be: Ate potato chips while watching the baseball game, Took a nap while waiting for dinner, Argued with Arthur about news program, read a magazine while waiting for Carrie to come home.

Most of the editors at work are great, but when it's 2:30 in the morning and you've been working since 7:30 and the editor wants you to change your answer set, it's easy to think of getting a voodoo doll with their name on it. Or when they make you write a question about Outback's Bloomin' onion even though the character on SNL didn't really mention Outback Steakhouse (apparently Outback has the name copyrighted even though there's a football play called the Bloomin' onion. See the things that you learn from watching TV!)

So, I totally feel that when I do get published, I can deal with anything the editor throws at me, since I've been doing it five nights a week. Hopefully I won't be sleep-deprived doing them.

Got a good beat, and you can dance to it

When I was a kid, I used to watch American Bandstand every Saturday morning. I thought it was fabulous, and I always wanted to be one of those kids who danced on the show every week. Soul Train never did it for me, maybe because I thought Don Cornelius was creepy. But American Bandstand I loved, there was just something about Dick Clark. He never tried to be cooler than he was, you never saw him trying to wear hip clothes or growing his hair long and wearing peace signs or love beads. He just loved music and loved presenting it to audiences.

My favorite part of Bandstand was the segment where the played new music, and he asked a guy and a girl to rate it. Inevitably someone would use the phrase, 'it's got a good beat, and you can dance to it.'

I was thinking about this the other day, when I realized how often I just listened to a song for the beat, and didn't really pay attention to the words. A couple of years ago, I was at the Long Island Romance Writer's lunch when one of my tablemates starting talking about how she's very careful about what her daughter listens to. She mentioned the song 'Milkshake' by Kelis and what the song was about. I had absolutely no idea that this song was about oral sex. It completely went over my head, because I was too busy grooving to the beat of the song. Oops! After she told us that, I started thinking about the lyrics I remembered and it made sense.

The same thing happened to me in college. I was dancing around our flat in London to Cindy Lauper's 'She-bop' when my flatmate Chip told me that the song was about the art of self-love.

"Really?" I said, sounding I'm sure hopelessly naive.

"Yeah," he replied, "Didn't you hear the bit about the pages of Blue Boy magazine."

Umm, yeah, but I just didn't think about it. Duh!

Have you ever listened to a song, and completely gotten the lyrics wrong? I knew a girl in high school who thought the lyrics to the Eric Clapton song was 'Lay down salad,' instead of 'Lay down Sally.' And that doesn't even make sense! Another guy thought the G0-Go's song 'Our Lips are sealed,' was 'I love Cecile!'

Question of the day, have you ever heard a song, and then been completely suprised by what the song was about? Or have you ever completely gotten the lyrics wrong?

What Peanuts Character are you?

You are Schroeder!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
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Rachael Ray: Spawn of Satan?

Has anyone noticed that Rachael Ray is everywhere lately? She's got 4 shows on the Food Network, something like 11 cookbooks, a new magazine, cookware, and now comes the news that Oprah is going to be producing a daily show with Rachael Ray starting Fall 2006. She's being touted as the new "Martha" since the bloom is off the rose of the old Martha since that whole prison thing. So now of course comes the backlash.

There are actual websites devoted to hating her. Wow, you know you've made an impact on people when they create "I hate _" websites. Here's one that gets mentioned all the time here.

Let me just say up front, I'm not a big Rachael Ray fan. I find her annoying and grating, and I hate the cute little phrases that she comes up with like "EVOO" for Extra Virgin Olive Oil and "Yum-O." She's just a little too perky for my tastes, but considering how much coffee she apparently drinks, it now makes more sense. Yet despite her obvious flaws, I don't think she's as bad as people make her out to be. She's certainly not the spawn of Satan that people would like to believe.

Someone actually complained about her show "40 Days a day" that she spends too much money on food. Hello, it's a travel show, and most of the places that she takes you to are fairly reasonable. What do viewers expect? That she hit every Denny's and McDonald's around the world. $40 a day is pretty reasonable when you're traveling, particularly in Europe, where you have to take into account the currency rate. Could you travel and eat 3 meals a day on less?

Yeah, you probably could but it would be extremely difficult. Particularly if you're traveling to a big city. But yet this woman complained that Rachael Ray should spend less and donate the money to charity!

I have one thing to say to these people. If you don't like Rachel Ray, don't watch her TV show, don't buy her books. End of story!

People complain that she's not a trained cook. Well, guess what, neither is Martha Stewart. Yes, Martha was a stock broker before she quit her job and became a caterer in CT. Actually, that's probably what sets her apart from all the chefs on the Food Network. People look at her and think that "if she can cook a meal in 30 minutes, so can I." Whereas if Mario Batali or Emeril were to do a show on 30 minute meals, I would just sit there in awe, but I would never try the recipes for myself.

Critics also complain that she's messy in the kitchen. Actually, I find that endearing. Hey, so are most people when they cook. I know that I personally have crap all over the place when I cook. If you're trying to cook a meal in 30 minutes, you don't have time to clean up as you're cooking.

She's overly enthusiastic for people who prefer the dry, sterile way that Martha cooks. She has much in common with my personal favorite, Nigella Lawson, another food tv star who has no formal training other than just learning by doing.

My biggest complaint with Rachael Ray is that she's missing a segment of her audience. There are tons of single people out who don't cook, who would rather order in, since most recipes are for 4 or more people. And halving recipes isn't always that easy. I'd like to see Rachel Ray do 30 minute meals for singles.

I have to admire Rachael Ray. She came out of nowhere (upstate New York), with no real skills other than a love of food and cooking, and has managed to create an empire. She's no dummy, opportunities presented themselves to her, and she seized them. Isn't that the American way?

What do you think? Rachel Ray, just an annoying TV personality or Spawn of Satan?

All About Me!

ALL ABOUT ME

Found this on Vanessa Virtue's blog. Since it's making the rounds, I thought I'd add my two cents to the mix.

1. When you look at yourself in the mirror, what's the first thing you look at?

My hair. I have curly hair, so I'm always trying to see if I'm having a good hair day. Then I look at my eyes. They're chocolate brown and I'm told they're my best feature.

2. How much cash do you have on you?

$30. I went to the cash machine last night after work.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?

REST. As in, what I don't get enough of lately.

4. Favorite plant?

Lilacs. We used to have several Lilac bushes at our house upstate when I was growing up, and I just loved the smell. I always associate them with my Dad because they only bloom in like April or May and my dad's birthday was in May. I just love the smell and the color.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?

Don't have a cell phone for the States. I'm a complete Luddite when it comes to all that, although I really should get one.

6. What is your main ring tone on your phone?

A nice normal ringing tone since it's my home phone.

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Purple ribbed sleeveless sweater.

8. Do you "label" yourself?

I hate labels, because it puts people in boxes.

9. Name brand of your shoes currently wearing?

Nine West. They're black leather open-toed sling-backs.

10. Bright or Dark Room?

Bright. I like sunny rooms.

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?

Vanessa Virtue, very cool chick.

12. Do you know what an 8-track is?

Yup. I'm a child of the seventies, of course I know what an 8-track tape is. We had tons of them.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Sleeping, thank god.

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say?

No cellphone, IM, or Blackberry.

15. Do you ever click on Pop-ups or banners?

Not the porn ones!

16. What's a saying that you say a lot?

"Call me mad-cap."

17. Who told you they loved you last?

My friend Natalie.

18. Last furry thing you touched?

A mink teddy bear.

19. How many hours a week do you work?

45 at day job - 20 at night job, and countless hours at my writing.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?

None. The last time I took pictures it was of my clothes to sell on Ebay.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?

Every age has been good and bad for different reasons, so I can't really choose. I'm actually liking my 'gulp' forties.

22. Your worst enemy?

Myself, definitely.

23. What is your current desk top picture?

A photo I found on my computer of a really gorgeous sunset.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?

"How do you spell your last name?"

Why English is so hard to learn

This was sent to me by my friend Patrick, who lives in London.

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

P.S. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

Black Movie Awards

I watched the first part of the Black Movie Awards last night on TNT for work, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I was moved by the acceptance speeches and the tribute to Sidney Poitier. I never knew that he'd been knighted by the Queen or been Ambassador to Japan from The Bahamas. How cool is that?

The show was dignified, classy and boring as hell. Cedric the Entertainer tried to keep things lively in his opening monologue, but even he gave up after awhile. There was no badly written banter between presenters that usually makes you cringe at most award shows. No pre-show on BET or TNT so that viewers can ooh and aah over the outfits. I guess since TNT only gave them two hours, they couldn't waste time on frivolity.

What struck me the most about the show was how few of the biggest names in Black Hollywood weren't there. No Denzel, no Halle, no Jamie Foxx. No Chris Rock. Cuba Gooding Jr., Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson (the hardest working man in show business), Charles Dutton, GAbriellWhoopi Goldberg, Lou Gossett Jr., Pam Grier, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll, Spike Lee, John Singleton or any of the many black directors working in Hollywood. The biggest names were Don Cheadle and Edward James Olmos who helped introduce Sidney Poitier. The inaugural Black Movie Awards and they couldn't show up? Instead stars from TV shows like CSI New York were presenters.

There was a lovely presentation to Kimberly Elise as a Rising Star, presented by Cicely Tyson, but how much nicer it would have been to have Denzel (who's worked with her twice) and Oprah (where the hell was she?) speak or at least a taped message. Maybe because of time constraints things were cut (like Best Actress and Director), but still?

The new musical The Color Purple was honored, and instead of Oprah (who's a backer) or Whoopi (the star) we had Margaret Avery (where's she been the past twenty years?) introducing the cast in a musical number.

The awards themselves were not that attractive, consiting of a giant open sculpture of Africa with a strip of film through it. Why not name the awards after a pioneer of black cinema like Oscar Micheaux? I know, there are already Oscars but if this award show wants to be the Black Oscars, there going to have to step it up a notch. It's not good when you can't get the biggest names in Black Hollywood to show up. Heck, even Mel Gibson has pre-dated speeches for The People's Choice Awards if he can't be there.
A great idea, but seriously lacking in the execution.

What Broadway Musical do you belong in?

Got this from Barb Ferrer's website.


Rent

What Broadway Musical Do You Belong in?
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Getting Perspective

Vanessa Virtue had a really great blog today about getting a little perspective. You all can read it here.

Not only has there been an earthquake in Northern India (39 aftershocks were reported after the initial quake) killing 50,000 people, but there's another tropical storm in the Carribean, Wilma, not to mention bird flu which could kill up to 20 Million people or more. There's potential here to lose more lives than in the 1918 influenza epidemic. Scientists recently discovered that the influenza epidemic back then was also caused by bird flu.

Of course, the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, we don't have enough vaccine to take care of everyone who needs it.

But what do I see on television? People wondering whether or not Nick and Jessica are splitting up, whether Ashton and Demi are really married, and if TomKat's baby is the result of a turkey baster.

What's going on? When did we stop caring? Last month we were all about Hurricane Katrina. Are we just overloaded with causes, that we just can't deal? I mean this month is Breast Cancer month, everything's pink, but does anyone care?

Then this morning, I read that Madonna of the cone-shaped bra, standing on the side of the highway naked Madonna, is chastizing the world for it's wickedness. Can you say hypocrite much? Apparently studying Kabbalah the past few years, has purified her of all the dumb ass things that she did.

I admit I'm just as guilty of spending too much time thinking about celebrities. My apartment is littered with old copies of US Magazine, In Style, People, Celebrity Living, In Touch etc. So I plan on donating the money that I would have spent on crappy celebrity magazines to the Red Cross instead..

In the meantime, anyone interested in donating to the Earthquake relief fund can do so here.

Tomorrow, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled blog.

In Memoriam

Gabrielle posted earlier at her blog, that romance author Jude Deveraux's son was killed on October 6th.

My heart goes out to her. I cannot fathom what it must be like to lose a child, particularly one that was so long in coming. I've lost many people in my life, my parents, my brother and many relatives, but the loss of a child is in a category all it's own.

There's a guestbook at the Washington Post where people can post their condolences.

http://www.legacy.com/WashingtonPost/Guestbook.asp?Page=Guestbook&PersonID=15311527

There's also a short article in a local paper. You can find it here:
http://www.roanoke-chowannewsherald.com/articles/2005/10/08/news/news2.txt

I've been a long time fan of her older books, and I recently reread a Knight in Shining Armor which is a classic of hers.

My deepest sympathies for her loss.

Search for joy in your blog

Okay, Monica Jackson has tagged me to search for joy in my blog. Unfortunately, I don't appear to have ever used the word joy! Happiness, excitement, but no joy! What does that say about me as a person and a writer?

Do I not have joy in my life (besides the dishwashing liquid) or do I just not use the word to apply to my life? So I searched for the word 'joy' in the dictionary. Here's what I found:

Joy
Pronunciation: 'joi'
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaud, Ere to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gEthein to rejoice
a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : DELIGHT
b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : GAIETY
2: a state of happiness or felicity : BLISS3 : a source or cause of delight- joy·less /-l&s/ adjective- joy·less·ly adverb- joy·less·ness noun

So, this caused me to think about what brings me joy in life. Well, a really good book that makes me excited about writing brings me joy. Watching my friend's little boy discover the world brings me joy, hanging out with my friends brings me joy, a good bowl of lobster bisque brings me joy.

Seeing people do good things brings me joy. A really great idea or a good day writing brings me joy. Playing with a puppy brings me joy. I guess I'm not used to expressing it verbally with the word joy. It seems such a simple word sometimes and I can get all writerly and what to use other synonyms. Showing off that I know how to use Thesaurus.

So, I now pass the baton to the following people:

Kelly Callihan
Gabrielle Luthy at Diary of an Adult Runaway
and last but not least, Megan Frampton

Have fun ladies spreading the joy!

What type of Seducer are you?

Elizabeth, the dateless, here with yet another blog quiz which again begs the question: Why can't I get a date?

Your Seduction Style: Sweet Talker

Your seduction technique can be summed up with "charm"You know that if you have the chance to talk to someone...Well, you won't be talking for long! ;-) You're great at telling potential lovers what they want to hear.Partially, because you're a great reflective listener and good at complementing.The other part of your formula? Focusing your conversation completely on the other person. Your "sweet talking" ways have taken you far in romance - and in life.You can finess your way through any difficult situation, with a smile on your face.Speeding tickets, job interviews... bring it on! You truly live a *charmed life*

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

The Art of the High Concept

I've been struggling with the hook or high concept for my YA novel for the past few days. High concept is something that I've had a really hard time wrapping my mind around. I always thought you come up with a plot or characters and then you write the book. But lately, everything is the high concept or the pitch. Being able to distill your storyline into 5 lines or less.

Nearly Famous was the first book that I've written that has a high concept. Now before I write, I ask myself, what is the hook with this book? What would make a publisher or an agent want to read this book beyond just being well-written and have interesting characters. How are they going to be able to sell it?

Recently, I came across a great article on what is a high concept, written by Diana Peterfreund over at the Knight Agency blog. You can find it here. Along with Diana's article, the Knight agency blog has some really interesting articles by several of the clients of the agency including Gena Showalter and Shelley Bradley. Check it out!

So the question of the day is: Who else has struggled with the idea of high concept?

Bureacracy Strikes Again!

This is just a short post today. Yesterday, I received yet another rejection for Nearly Famous, this one from a new agency that just opened two months ago. Ouch!

But the kicker was opening my mail box when I got home from work to see that my mother had received a jury duty questionnaire. Which would have been okay except my mother has been deceased for sixteen years now. What confuses me about the whole thing is that I know that I've brought at least 3 death certificates in response to jury duty summons that my mother received after she died.

What did they do with them? Did they just make paper airplanes out of them? Didn't they put this information in their computers? I mean my mother hasn't voted, filled out the census form, filed a tax return or renewed her drivers license. Not to mention the fact that, if she were still alive, she would be 86 years old this year and probably wouldn't have been able to serve anyway!

I'm sure my mother is laughing right now in heaven with my father at the absurdity of receiving a jury questionnaire after all these years.

How well do you understand men?

You Have Your PhD in Men

You understand men almost better than anyone.You accept that guys are very different, and you read signals well.Work what you know about men, and your relationships will be blissful.

How Well Do You Understand Men?

Wow, and I still can't get a date.

New James Bond Cast!

Okay, this post has nothing to do with writing, except in a roundabout way. I mean James Bond was first created by Ian Fleming (author also of the children's classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which always sounded dirty to me) in a series of novels in the fifties and early 60's.

If Clive Owen wasn't interested in playing James Bond, then I'm glad that they cast Daniel Craig. He's got that same Alpha male thing going on that Clive Owen does, you know where you don't know whether he's going to kiss you or hit you. Which shouldn't be attractive but is.

I never really watched the early Bond films with Sean Connery or Roger Moore. I only really started to get into the series when Timothy Dalton was cast. Frankly, I think he gets a bum rap for the two Bond films that he did. It was the scripts that tried to turn Bond into a new age Bond, not him.

Daniel Craig should bring back the edge and intensity to the series that Sean Connery had in the very first movie. If you've never seen any of his work, I would suggest you rent Enduring Love, Layer Cake, Mother, or Sylvia where he plays Ted Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. Any of those films should convince naysayers that he has the chops to play Bond.

I was a little confused however by newspaper reports that Daniel Craig is only the second Englishman to play James Bond. Excuse me, but what was Timothy Dalton? Even though he was born in Wales, he didn't grow up there, and his family is English.

Oy, the media! I'm just happy they finally cast the role, although it was crappy the way they told Pierce Brosnan they replacing him. By telephone no less while he was filming another movie.

You can't really expect respect in Hollywood.

Comfort and Joy

It's pouring down piss here in New York, if I may be so blunt. The kind of rain that just seeps into your skin right down to your bones. It's the perfect day to stay at home, in your jammies, stuffing your face and watching crap TV. Instead I'm here at work, doing expenses and setting up meetings.

A day like today makes me think about the things that give you comfort, sort of like slipping on a pair of warm flannel pajamas. Particularly on a day like today which is so miserable. So here are a few of my favorite things:

Comfort foods - I love food, and I have my particular favorites whenever I'm feeling down or depressed because of the weather or another rejection. One of my favorites is tomato soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, and well done french fries. Of course, now that I'm lactose intolerant, it's soy cheese on multi-grain or whole wheat but the principle is the same. Another favorite is lobster bisque with just a hint of sherry. Just thinking about it is making me hungry. I also love plain chocolate Hob-nobs with a good cup of Earl Grey tea. Or the banana pudding and nilla wafers from Magnolia Bakery. Or salmon eggs benedict.

Comfort movies - Love Actually is one of my favorite movies. I just love the entertwining stories, particularly Colin Firth and the young Portuguese woman he meets in France. The whole Alan Rickman/Emma Thompson storyline breaks my heart, although I have no patience with Laura Linney's story in the movie.

Persuasion - I could watch this movie over and over again. A classic second chance at love story. Just watch Amanda Root as she changes from rather drab to glowing by the end of the movie. This was also the movie where I developed a huge crush on Ciaran Hinds.

A Room With A View - Merchant/Ivory, Italy what more do you need? But whatever happened to Julian Sands? He seemed to disappear into the void of straight to video movies apart from the season premiere of Law & Order SVU.

Ella Enchanted - I really like this movie, even though it really bears very little resemblance to the book.

The Princess Bride - I don't think I have to explain this one.

Comfort books - basically anything by Mary Balogh, Julia Quinn or Michelle Cunnah. I'd also throw Lavryle Spencer into the mix. Her book Years still makes me tear up. Oh, and JK Rowling, how can I forget Harry Potter. And I love the Chronicles of Narnia.

Of course, Buffy, Charmed (pre Rose McGowan), Felicity, and Law & Order, SVU are my comfort TV shows.

So I'm curious. What are the things that are a comfort to you when you're either down or on a rainy day?

Wednesday Thoughts

You know that fall is really here when you put on pantyhose when you get dressed for work. I've finally admitted it's not summer anymore. The fall skirts are coming out of the closet, the cute tight sweaters, the stiletto heels. Meanwhile the sandals are back in their boxes on top of the closet and my cute summer outfits are hanging forlornly on their hangers.

The weather has been absolutely dysmal here in New York the past couple of days. I don't need to go to London, we're having London weather right here. Given up coffee for a good cup of tea. Which means Twinings, not Liptons which is little more than floor shavings.

Received another 'good' rejection letter last night from an agent that I had submitted the partial to last week. Gee, that was fast. It wasn't even a formal rejection letter. He'd just scribbled something on the letter I'd included with the partial. Something along the lines, of well-written, and I'm a very good writer, but they're not interested in the project. Yada-yada. You know the drill.

I decided to open up the spreadsheet and take a look at the submissions of Nearly Famous since the summer. In total, I've submitted this manuscript to about 30 agents. Out of that 30, I've had about 10 'good' rejection letters, 10 'Dear Author, we didn't really read your manuscript we're just sending it back to you anyway,' letters, and 10 rejections just from my query letter alone.

2 Agents still have the partial, as well as two editors at the moment. I still have to send the full to another agent, but after that I'm thinking it's time to put this baby to rest. Clearly this is not the book that's going to get me an agent or an editor. Maybe one day, when I'm published, I can yank it out and dust it off, perhaps even self-publish it, but not right now.

I took a workshop with Liz Maverick over the week at the NJRW conference called 'Writing the book of your smarts.' Great workshop. Liz suggested that you examine the marketplace and see what's selling, and write to the market. For example, paranormal is hot right now, so is erotica, and YA. Well, I love paranormal and I've actually written one, and I've also thinking of writing a YA but that's because I read widely in those genres.

She also suggests, and Jenny Crusie suggests this as well, that you target a particular editor. Lisa Valdez specifically targed Cindy Hwang at Berkeley. After hearing her speak, she knew that she'd found an editor who was like-minded. Truthfully, I've been spending so much time on the agent train, I haven't even thought of editors.

The one quibble I had with the workshop was the idea of submitting before you finished the book. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it makes sense and can save you from years trying to rewrite and rewrite a book. You'll know right away whether or not what you're writing is viable. Authors who are agented normally submit proposals or patials rather than a full.

On the other hand it can blow up in your face. I'm a seat of your pants plotter, and I'd have to really know where the book was going before I could even think of submitting before I finished the book. Not to mention writing the dreaded synopsis. I normally don't write that until after I finish the book. If I know that, and I'm pretty sure that I could get the book out there, if they wanted the full, then I'd do it. Plus, most agents can get pretty steamed if you're sending them a book you haven't finished. Isn't this really the big no-no?

So the big question I have is, is there a book of your heart that you just had to let go off? And what do you think about submitting before you finish the book.

Tagged by Kelly

So, I was doing my usual blog trolling, and I discovered I'd been tagged by Kelly. So here goes:

1) Delve into your blog archive.
2) Find your 23rd Post (or closest to it).
3) Find the fifth sentence (or the closest to it).
4) Post the text of the sentence in your blog. Ponder it for meaning, subtext
or hidden agendas.
5) Tag three people to do the same.

"I felt like crap yesterday, and still managed to write, so I should make it."

I decided to be honest and not choose a more interesting post!

Hmm! Clearly I refused to do my usual procrastination dance and I actually wrote, despite feeling crappy. Not bad! So clearly this is telling me that despite the fact that I left my disks at home, and I'm barely awake, I can still function, write, and attend the extra board meeting that I scheduled for tonight.

Okay, I'm tagging people. I tag Vanessa Virtue, Gabrielle and Mary. You go girls!

What Rocker are you?

It's Tuesday morning, I've had 3 hours of sleep, not nearly coherent enough to blog, but here's another cool quiz courtesy of Blog things.

You Are a Chick Rocker!

You're living proof that chicks can rockYou're inspired by Joan Jett and the DonnasAnd when you rock, you rock hard(Plus, you get all the cute guy groupies you want!)

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofrockerareyouquiz/">What Kind of Rocker Are You?

Totally cool. I've always thought girl bands like the Donnas, The bangles, and the Go-Go's were awesome. Not to mention that I seriously wanted to be Pat Benatar in high school.

Did anyone ever see the movie satisfaction with Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts? A very young Julia Roberts plays the drummer band slut. Loved this movie when I saw it in college.

Must go drink coffee now.

Historia!

One of the workshops that I took at the NJRW conference was on historical accuracy or how much history to use when you write a historical.

I admit it, I belong to the history police. I've been known to throw books across the room when I spot a historical inaccuracy. Maybe it's because I grew up reading authors like Anya Seton, Jean Plaidy, Thomas B. Costain, Frank Yerby, and others that I'm so picky about historical accuracy. I was once so incensed by an author's taking liberties with history that I was unable to read any of her books for years.

What was I so peeved about? Well, the book was set in 1607 in Jamestown and the heroine remembered her mother, an actress in Shakespeare's troup. She wrote a long passage of the heroine reminiscing about her mother playing Juliet and Lady MacBeth. Well, there were no actresses in England until the Restoration. This book was written long before Shakespeare in Love, with it's plot of a well-born woman pretending to be a man, so that she can act. The book hit the wall so hard, I think it left a dent.

After taking this workshop, I realize that I'm pretty much in the minority when it comes to the issue of historical accuracy. I used to love that Susan Johnson had copious footnotes, and would tell the reader if she changed something for the benefit of her story.

Some readers prefer historicals that are what they call 'wallpaper historicals' meaning that the history is sketched in lightly if at all. For example, although Jane Austen's novels are true to the mores of the times, there is very little in her books about the war between England and France. Other authors who use history lightly if at all, are Julia Quinn. Now, I like Julia Quinn's book. I think her characters are delightful, but her stories could exist in pretty much anytime period in English history.

What I love are historicals that are equal parts history and romance. Meaning that the author has chosen a particular period or year for a reason. Think Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind. The Civil War is so much a part of that novel, yet there is a wonderful love story between Rhett and Scarlett (although she doesn't know she's in love with Rhett, prefering the gentlemanly Ashley). Forever Amber wouldn't be the same story if it weren't set during The Restoration of Charles II.

Oh, and one woman in the workshop actually said that if you read enough historical novels in a particular time period, then you don't really need to research. WTF? Just because I've read most of Georgette Heyer and everything Mary Balogh wrote, not to mention Jane Austen, that doesn't mean that I don't have to do research, if I'm writing a Regency. Of course you do. Who knows what they might have missed or gotten wrong (not Jane Austen). Even George Clooney had two or three sources when he was writing Goodnight and Goodluck.

Because I know so much history, I'm incredibly picky about the historicals that I read, which is probably why I don't read that many anymore. What really gets my goat though, besides characters that don't seem remotely English, are the misuses of titles. I can't tell you how many regencies I've read that get this simple fact wrong. Books that have second sons of Earls as Lords instead of honorables or characters who are married to Lord's referred to by their Christian names as Lady Mary or Lady Elizabeth when they would really be referred to by their husband's name (it's his title) as Lady Edward or Lady Richard. And it's so easy to check. Burke's peerage and Debrett's can be found in any library.

One of the things that keeps me from writing an historical, is the research. I couldn't even begin to start writing until I'd done at least 3 or 4 months of research, and write now there are other books I want to write. That's not to say that I won't eventually try my hand at one.

So basically there was no consensus on how much history to use in a historical, just your own taste and what is selling in the marketplace. If you like light historicals where the history is basically wallpaper, that's what you should write. If you like your historicals based more in fact, than that's what you should write, just make sure it doesn't overshadow the romance or sound like a history paper.

Just think Armadillo

Well, I'm back from the New Jersey conference. Had a great time. Saw old friends and met lots of new friends. Managed to make it through the bookfair without breaking my budget but it was hard not to just buy everything.

But before I blog about the conference, I have to send Happy Birthday wishes to ex-sweetie pie. It was his birthday yesterday but I was too tired when I got home from the conference to call him in LA. Now back to our regularly scheduled blog!

I was a little nervous when the cab driver dropped me off at the back of the hotel instead of at the entrance, which I didn't discover until after I'd gotten out of the cab. I thought it was a bad omen of how the weekend was going to go. However, things went a bit more smoothly inside.

The hotel was a lot smaller than the hotel the conference was in last year. Plus, they didn't have enough staff for the weekend. We crammed in so tight at the luncheon, I was almost sitting in the lap of the woman next to me. The food was the typical conference food, meaning barely edible. My pasta at lunch was overcooked, but it looked better than the chicken with the mashed potatoes made from a mix.

The food in the hotel restaurants was way overpriced for the quality of the meals. I had the tomato soup Friday night which I swear was Campbells, and the crabcakes definitely were frozen and not homemade. For $12, they could afford to make the crabcakes from scratch. In the hotel bar, the waitress was also bartending as well as taking orders. It was so bad, that last night we left the hotel in the pouring rain to go have dinner at Ruby Tuesdays!

I didn't make it to the workshops on Friday, instead I spent the afternoon schmoozing in the hotel bar with friends. I did make it to the workshops on Saturday. Took a really cool workshop with an attorney who works for Homeland Security here in New York. She basically went through several movies and pointed out where Hollywood went wrong. Very informative and amusing.

An agent that I've submitted to in the past complimented me on my blog, and I introduced myself to another agent who has my partial. I felt really good about the conversation and I'm glad that I plucked up the courage to speak to her.

The highlight of the conference turned out to be Lisa Kleypas, the luncheon speaker. I haven't read Lisa since the mid-nineties, but now I think I may have to start reading her again. She was adorable and funny. Even though you could tell that she'd given the speech before, it was also clear that she still meant every word.

The most compelling part of her speech was when she talked about armadillos.

Apparently they're quite the problem in West Texas. According to Lisa, you can't kill them by shooting them, because the bullets bounce off the armor, you can't poison them, the only way to kill them is by hitting them with your car. They just come back to your yard and dig for worms and grubs. They're resilient but ugly little creatures.

Lisa suggested that writers be like the Armadillos. When you've just gotten another rejection letter, think armadillo, when you get a bad review, think armadillo, when another writer gets a two book contract with a $50,000 advance, think armadillo, when your best friend gets published and you don't, think armadillo. If a hurricane comes and sweeps away your house and your 14 year old cat, think armadillo.

Her talk was so moving, that my entire table was practically weeping. I immediately wanted to run out and buy armadillo pins covered in Swarovski crystals, or have T-shirts made that said "Just think Armadillo!"

So the next time that you think things are as bad as they can get, remember, Just think Armadillo!

School Halts Talk by Cleric for Calling Harry Potter Gay

From the NYT

"Harry Potter gay? Get out of here! That sums up the goings on at the Penair School in Truro in southwest England, where a clergyman who is a best-selling author told an audience of 12-year-olds that the boy wizard created by J. K. Rowling is "gay," Reuters reported. He added that the villains in the books are "wimps." Teachers halted the talk by the Rev. Graham Taylor, the author of the novel "Shadowmancer," about witchcraft and the battle against evil, and asked him to leave. Mr. Taylor said he was only jesting when he used a catchphrase from a popular British television comedy, "Little Britain," in saying, "As for Harry Potter, well, he's not the only gay in the village." In a statement yesterday, the school said, "We were very disappointed to have to curtail a visit from Mr. Taylor."

WTF? And from a cleric? This like when Jerry Falwell thought the purple Teletubby was gay. I'm not sure why Rev. Taylor was even joking about it.

Off for the weekend

Hurrah, today's Friday. I'm here at work for a few hours and then I'm leaving to head out to New Jersey for the NJRW conference in Iselin. I can't wait. Not only because I always end up buzzed after a conference and ready to write, but because I'm going to get to see all the friends that I missed seeing because I couldn't go to National this year. 2 Days of workshops, drinking, hanging out, and drinking.

But before I go, I'd like to introdue you to someone special in my life. Thanks to Vanessa Virtue, for giving me the fabulous idea. I'm tired of the schmoes I've been meeting here in New York, and I don't have time to troll through the listings at Match.com or Craigslist, trying to find a guy who doesn't suck to date, so I've decided, like Vanessa, to date someone I actually want to date for a change.

Meet my new imaginary boyfriend, James Purefoy. You may recognize him from his work in HBO's Rome or in Vanity Fair with Reese Witherspoon. Yeah, the chances of my meeting him in real life are slim to none, and he's dating some chick half his age, but in Bitsy's world, he's mine.

In my virtual reality, James and I met at the Century Club in London last November when I was celebrating my birthday with a few pals. Our eyes connected across the room. I was wearing my new purple Dolce and Gabbana dress (the same one that Kelly Ripa wore for the premiere of her husbands movie, but it looked better on me). I had just broken up with George Clooney over his inability to commit. I hated to do it (the house in Lake Como is divine), but I couldn't stand all his friends hanging around all the time. You'd think that Brad Pitt and Matt Damon didn't have homes of their own!

James bought me a glass of champagne. We flirted like mad that night. When he asked for my number, I didn't think he'd really call.

What can I say about James? He's sensitive, kind, loves to cook, and he's dead sexy. He has an 8 year old son, Joe, with his ex-girlfriend, actress Holly Aird. He's such a good father. When he was making Rome, he would fly home every weekend, to spend time with his son. He was quoted as saying that he became a man the night his son was born. Isn't that beautiful. He also built a treehouse in the backyard for Joe.

He's my age (40), a Gemini. He's got beautiful brown eyes, and his hands. I could write an ode to his hands. He's tall, over six feet, which can give me a crick in my neck looking up at him.

The great thing about James is that he's well-known but not so well-known that we can't go out in public. We've been keeping our relationship on the Q/T, which is why you haven't heard about it in the tabloids. We never walk down the red carpet together. I always slip into theatres before him at premieres. James wants to keep our relationship special. Who can blame him after what happened to Jude Law?

It's hard of course being in a long distance relationship, but James is worth it. He flies me over at least once or twice a month, for long, dirty weekends. We hardly leave the house. I try not to mind when I see James on telly making love to someone who's not me. After all, I used to be an actress. I've snogged my share of other men during my career.


He's doing another series of Rome, which means I'll be flying back and forth to Italy. Poor me! He's brilliant as Mark Anthony. He's from Somerset which is in the South of England down near Devon and Cornwall. It's beautiful down there. He's talked of some day buying a cottage or something to be closer to his family.

Like me, his favorite place in the world is his bed. His favorite season is Spring (mine's Fall) and he loves both red and white wine.

He's got a special birthday suprise for me. He's flying me over (Premium Economy on Virgin. I won't let him book me Upper Class) and we're taking off for a few days in the country. Hopefully at the Lygon Arms in the Cotswolds.

We'll take long walks in the countryside, and then curl up in front of a warm fire, sipping mulled wine.

Well, that's my fantasy anyway.

Who would be your fantasy boyfriend?

Thursday Thoughts

Okay, I've had about three hours of sleep and I'm existing completely on coffee and the free donut that I got this morning as a promotion for the new movie Waiting. So, here's a quick quiz that I took over at Blogthings.

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Hopefully, I'll have something more thoughtful to say before I leave tomorrow for the NJRW conference.

Celebrity Madness

Okay, the madness has to stop. First Gwyneth names her child Apple, and then Jason Lee names his child something like Pilot, and now comes the news that Nicolas Cage has named his child after, get this, Superman! Kal-el Coppola Cage to be exact. I hope Nicholas plans on enrolling this child in Karate classes, because the kid is going to need all the help he can get.

For the full story, you can read it here.

And now for something completely different

Thanks to Kelly at Words of a Writer form turning me on to this site.

From Julie Hill, literary agent and astrologer:

Scorpio: you may be feeling less than good physically this month. slowing down can be terrific for new ideas. so while you take your NSAIDs and watch more TV, some new wonderful incredible ideas will appear.

Wow, that's cool. I have been feeling under the weather lately. I attribute it to the fact that the damn weather can't make up it's mind. First it's Autumn, then it's summer and back again. I don't know how to dress in the morning anymore. Went to my exercise class last night, felt good afterwards, bought a chocolate croissant because I believe in the reward system.

I particularly like the part about watching more TV since that's my job, and I got some great ideas from the Surreal Life.

Anybody else have a great horoscope?

Preparations, Preparations

It's lunch time, and my peeps at work are all out having sushi somewhere. It would have been nice if they'd invited me, their new assistant, but if they had, I would be able to write this blog in peace and quiet.

I've been on the phone all morning, making and changing travel arrangments for one of my guys. He's flying out to London, lucky dog, on Sunday. He hasn't been there for awhile, so I've had to change the hotel 3 times, in order to get him closer to the office so that he can walk to work. He's also going to Paris with his girlfriend for a dirty weekend.

I'm getting ready to go off to the New Jersey Romance Writers conference, and I'm tres excited, not just for the workshops, but to see friends that I missed seeing since I couldn't attend Nationals. I'm more excited about that than the workshops frankly, although there are several that I'm looking forward too. Chiefly on writing paranormal and romantic comedy.

I was also lucky enough to be able to move my reservation from the spillover hotel to the hotel where the conference is being held. It just goes to show that you need to be persistant.

We had our monthly meeting on Saturday as well as our board meeting. I actually skipped doing my morning yoga for some old-fashioned sleep, which I desperately needed. I got paid on Friday, a much bigger check this time for my work which is great. I don't have to eat ramen noodles until Thursday.

We're getting seriously ambitious in the chapter. We talked about having a writing retreat, and didn't you just know that I found the perfect place in the NYTimes this morning. Talk about serendipity!

I'm signing up for National Novel Writing Month along with several members of our chapter, so I'm getting ready, prepping before I start the hardcore writing. I plan on attending an exhibition on Columbus Day which is exactly the type of exhibition my protagonist would assistant curate. I'm hoping to get a chance to talk to the people involved about what it actually takes to put on a large scale exhibition.

I had thought about writing my YA novel during NaNoWriMo but decided against it. The idea is still percolating, although the characters are coming together, particularly my main character, but I'm still undecided about how old she should be. Should this be pre-college program or a semester abroad? I'm leaning towards semester abroad, although I confess, I haven't read that many YA novels that are set in college. The majority seem to be high school, but I've always dared to be different.

I plan on making her 19, just on the real cusp of adulthood, which I consider to be 21. Let's face it, that's when you're legally allowed to drink in most states, which I've never understood. If you can vote and be drafted, you should be allowed to drink, but then again you can't rent a car in most states if you're under 25. But hey you can get a credit card in college!

I'm sending off my revised chick-lit Nearly Famous to the agent that requested it, and I've also sent a partial to a new agency that just opened. However, I just found out that the agent who had requested an exclusive on the partial over the summer (I never sent it because I'd already sent the partial out to 10 agents) has now closed her agency and taken a job with an agency that has already rejected me. So I'm thinking that my window has now closed.

I did get some great stuff from watching the Surreal Life yesterday morning. For anyone who doesn't watch the show, Janice Dickinson and Omarosa have been getting into some serious stuff. Omarosa has repeated called her a crack head, which I think is libel if you have no proof, and Janice has been just vicious. Frankly, I've had a hard time watching this show because of the animosity between the two of them. I hate confrontation with a passion, but it did give me some ideas for my book that I hadn't explored.

Also, they showed some clips of Omarosa during those 'confessionals' that they all do on this show that were very interesting, where Omarosa talked about giving lessons in Reality TV acting 101. Wow!

Who says that television isn't educational?

Book Rec

Have you ever read a book that was so wonderful that you hated to put it down? A writer who's work was so good that it inspires you to do better with your own work?

Well, I read a book like that this weekend. The book was Balancing in High Heels by Eileen Rendahl.

I picked up a copy of Eileen's first book, Do Me, Do My Roots (Downtown Press) at last year's conference in Dallas. I'd heard good things about it and I remembered that Eileen had mentioned the book when I met her at the New York RWA conference. So I was eager to read the book.

Well it was just as fabulous as the reviews said, and I had found another author whose work I couldn't wait to read. I recommended the book to everyone that I know, it was that good.

Do Me, Do My Roots was nominated for a RITA for best first novel and best novel with romantic elements. It lost but I'm sure that it won't be the first time that Eileen is a RITA nominee.

Of course, we've all heard of writers who's first book was fabulous, and then the second fell short of the mark, but I can tell you that Balancing in High Heels does not disappoint.

'Alissa Lindley didn't mean to take it out on the fax machine. But when your not-yet-ex-husband knocks up his girlfriend and your divorce is going worse than the next World War -- well, something's got to give. Unfortunately, Alissa's employers at the L.A. Public Defender's office take a dim view of the destruction of office equipment. Funny how that anti-workplace violence policy used to seem like a good idea, before she got fired. And the networking thing just isn't happening at her Anger Management class.'

'San Jose is the place for a fresh start -- it's home, and family and friends are eagerly waiting to welcome her. But her first job as a lawyer there has Alissa walking a high wire of complicated emotions. Her client is from the Butterfly Brigade, a group of justice-seeking (and interestingly tattooed) ladies who right wrongs as they see fit even if that means bending the law. The arresting officer, Detective Rodriguez, is so hot he should be illegal. But can Alissa trust her instincts again when it comes to love? Or will one wrong step send her new life crashing down?'

Just from the description you can get an idea of how original and just how fresh Eileen's second novel is. This isn't your usual shopping and drinking chick-lit. There are some serious issues that are dealt with in a fun and light hearted way.

Did I mention that the book is seriously funny? Not in a slap-sticky kind of way, but funny that comes from life.

I was so sad when the book ended and I can't wait until next year when Eileen's 3rd book comes out. In the meantime, to console myself, I'm going to get a copy of In One Year and Out the Other, which includes a novella that Eileen wrote. That will have to tide me over until next year.

Bowing to the Power of Oprah

As everyone knows by now, Oprah has decided to go back to contemporary authors for her book club, chosing James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces for her next Oprah Book Club. Just after the announcement, 85,000 copies of his book sold just like that. And now she's added her lustre to the Broadway production of The Color Purple, helping to sell millions of dollars worth of tickets.

Whatever you may think of Oprah, who would have thought 40 or 50 years ago, that millions of people would be listening to a black woman, and jumping at whatever she said? All Oprah has to do is say something is great in her magazine or on her show, and millions of people rush out and buy it.

When Oprah decided to do dead white writers a few years ago, millions of copies of Anna Karenina were sold when she decided to make it her summer book choice. I don't know how many people actually sat down and read the book, but they bought it, just because Oprah said so.

I know that people complain that Oprah picks books with depressing subjects, weighty literary tomes. There was a lot of hue and cry when Jonathan Frantzen decided not to do the Oprah show because he wasn't sure about the whole thing. Many people including myself thought he was an idiot. Although he still benefited from all the books that were sold with the Oprah sticker of approval.

I love Oprah. I'm fascinated by how she's changed her life and changed the lives of people who come on her show. She's not perfect. I don't think that she listens all that well. She has a habit of interrupting people when they're talking and not letting them finish their thought. Also, she helped make Bob Guiney the attention hound that he's become, and she supported Omarosa during the whole did Erika say the 'n' word on The Apprentice.

It was also pretty amusing at her Legends ball when she stated that the dress should be black and white and she showed up in red, but that's her perogative (to quote Bobby Brown).

The shows that she did during Hurricane Katrina did a great deal of good in spotlighting the region, without getting into the whole blame game of who is responsible for what.

Yes, I think that the whole Hermes situation was blown out of proportion. The French are notoriously snobby. That doesn't mean that they probably aren't racist but they're also anti-American among alot of other things. They probably would have treated any other celebrity just as crappy, but I bet they won't make that mistake again!

It would be lovely if she could support more women's fiction like romance, chick-lit etc. It would be great if she had Nora Roberts on or Susan Elizabeth Philips (heck she lives in Chicago). Even if she doesn't personally read romance or women's fiction, I think she's doing a disservice to her audience by ignoring the numbers.

But maybe that's the point. Romance and women's fiction really doesn't need Oprah. 49% of the marketplace is pretty darn good. Maybe the James Frey and the Billie Lett's of the world who would probably sell 10,000 copies of their book without her need her more.

So, I raise a glass to you Oprah, the only black female billionaire in the world.

You go girl, but do yourself a favor and read some Nora Roberts. She just might suprise you.