Whinging Wednesdays

It's time for another edition of Whinging Wednesday, the one day of the week where I freely complain about anything and everything.

First up, Madonna. Now I love me some Ms. M as she's now called. I even bought Confessions on a Dance Floor, which is a much better CD than her last one. But when did she decide to start dressing like Barney? Everything she's been wearing lately has been purple. Is this some new Kabbalah thing? First she's wearing a purple leotard at the MTV Europe awards, then she shows up at the Harry Potter premiere in London in head to toe purple, looking like an eggplant or as they like to call it over there, an aubergine.

Nick and Jessica. Anyone surprised they split up? I guess they hoped if they announced it on Thanksgiving, no one would care. I heard that Jessica actually broke up with him via email! That's classy. What I'm amazed by is that he put up with her for 3 years. I don't know either one of them personally, but if you've ever seen an episode of Newlyweds, you would know that Jessica Simpson would try the patience of Gandhi!

Prison Break mini season finale - Did anyone else feel ripped off that after all that digging and arguing, and planning, the prisoners discovered that someone had fixed the pipe that Michael had spent weeks getting ready? And what about the idiots who parked right in front of the prison? Good idea, you're waiting for a group of prisoners to break-out and you park right in front. Now we have to wait until March to find out what happens next!

Mr. Slurpie and Mr. Subways - okay these are the two guys that sit next to me at work. Mr. Slurpie has obviously never heard of using a spoon to drink his soup, nor that it's impolite to slurp it. Everyday he has soup for lunch, and it drives me friggin nuts having to hear him slurp it. Then the guy on my right? He must have seen those commercials with Jared too many times, because every day he has subway sandwich for lunch. I'm talking the foot-long sub. Every damn day. And there not that good. The bread totally sucks compared to like Cosi or Au Bon Pain. Yet everyday like clockwork he comes back with a ginormous soda and a foot long sub.

I take being president of our local chapter seriously. It's a huge job, and alot of stress. Not a day goes by that I don't think of resigning and letting someone else take the responsibility. But I don't because I owe it to the people who voted for me and who had the faith that I could do this job. I work 80 hours a week at two jobs, so if I schedule an extra board meeting say, it's not because I don't have anything better to do. Everyone is under alot of stress in their daily lives, but running an organization has to be the most stress ever because you have to manage people. After 6 years on the board of our local chapter, I'm definitely ready to pack it in after my term as president is up.

And finally, after 30 days of writing, 60,000 words, 220 pages, I finally figured out what my plot should be for this YA that I just finished. So starting Monday, it's time to rip it apart, and rewrite from scratch! Yeah!

Books, Books, Books

Many thanks to Destiny's Child for giving me the title of today's post, and to Megan for tagging me.

1. I buy new books from writer friends, and a very few people I want to support in their writing career. I need to either stop making so many new friends, or I need to make more money because I am spending too much on new books despite my best efforts. I buy used books a lot, particularly a writer's backlist and I will frequently read a book if a blogger I read recommends it. It's how I discovered Lisa Valdez's Passion. I also take a great deal of books out of the library.

2. I’m definitely not a spine cracker, although my mother was. My mother used to always remark about the fact that my books looked like they'd never been read.

3. There’s nothing quite like bringing home some really anticipated books. I sometimes just walk through Barnes & Noble looking at all the books that I can't afford to buy, and probably will never get a chance to read, which depresses me.

4. I’ve read one Anita Blake book by Laurell K. Hamilton, and it was fine, but did not inspire me to read more. I also can't stand William Faulkner, and the Russians bore me unless it's Chekhov.

5. I love Katie MacAlister's covers, and some of the other chick-lit covers. I personally don't miss the heaving bosoms from the old historical romance novels in the Fabio days.

6. I re-read books when I have the chance or when I can't find something to read. I 've read Jilly Cooper's Rivals at least 20 times each, J.K. Rowling, not to mention Anya Seton's Katherine, Dragonwyck and Green Darkness. I've also read Forever by Judy Blume alot. I crack up whenever I see Ralph Fiennes name because of it.

7. I always read a couple of books at one time. I'm usually reading at least one non-fiction, one romance, or one chick-lit, a mystery, or a young adult. I take at least one book with me when I travel, but I know, particularly when I go to London, I'm going to buy books there, although since Amazon.co.uk, but suitcase coming back is a lot lighter.

8. I can read on the treadmill at the gym. It takes balance and concentration.

9. I love interspersing romance with other genres--lately, I've discovered the paranormal young adult novels of Libba Bray, which I adore. I'm looking forward to finishing the Ghosts of Albion by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson, and I have several other books on deck.

10. I love authors who can do what I haven't mastered yet: laugh out loud humor that doesn't rely on slapstick like Jennifer Cruise, Lani Diane Rich, Michelle Cunnah, and Eileen Rendahl, not to mention Meg Cabot.

11. I don't mind books with children, but I am super-critical if the kids are just to make a plot point and don't sound like kids. I recently read a book where the kid actually had her own diary sections but they didn't sound like the diary writings of a 7 year old even with a high I.Q.

12. I have read several e-book--Never Love a Naked P.I. in particular--and liked it. It was kind of fun to print out the pages and read it at work when I was bored.

13. I dream of being published in hardcover, although I hate the pricing. But the hardcover conveys the sense that you're arrived, if people are willing to shell out that much money for your book. It's much easier to get a review from mainstream publications like the Times if you're published in Hardcover.

14. I used to force myself to finish a book, even if I didn't like it, but now I don't bother. Although there have been times when I just haven't been in the mood at that particular time, and later on I've picked it up and actually enjoyed it.

15. I took the English AP test in high school, and got a high enough score that Syracuse gave me 6 credits for it, getting me out of freshman english.

16. The Harlequin Presents titles make me cringe everytime I see them. Pregnancy of Revenge? The Italian Tycoon's Virgin Mistress? The Sheik's Bastard Love Child?

If I could be so bold, I would tag Kelly Callihan, Mary and Gabrielle.

Tis the season.....

Is it just me or does it seem like we slam right into Christmas the day after Thanksgiving?

I mean no sooner are we stuffed from Turkey (fish for me), then the whole Christmas rush starts. I received my first Christmas card the day after Thanksgiving. And then when I went to my night job, the whole lobby was already decorated for Christmas, complete with fake tree, and holly, and poinsettia bushes. Not to mention the fact that Starbucks has been selling Christmas CD's and hawking their Christmas blend coffee since the second week of November. And I swear that I saw the Grinch already on television.

I remember the olden days, back in the seventies, when the holidays unfolded naturally. There was no such thing as Thanksgiving cards, and Halloween candy and decorations didn't appear in stores until the end of September not in August the way they appear now.

I don't want to appear like Ms. Scrooge or Scroogette, but I feel like I'm being hammered over the head with the Christmas spirit. Already we're staring with the cute Hallmark holiday specials.

I need sometime to recover from one holiday before I get into the groove for the next. Sort of like editing one book before you start another, although I've been guilty of that.

Anyone else feel as if the holidays are all starting to blend together?

Weekend Eye Candy

We have something a little different this week for Weekend Eye Candy. Feast your eyes on these babies!















Aww, isn't he sweet!


This is Miranda, a chihuahua/beagle mix. What a cutie! Dont' you just want to take her home to your house?

















And finally, we have Polka, a black and white beagle/border collie mix.


All these beautiful babies can be found at Petfinder.com, a service that helps homeless animals.

Just found this one!

Okay, Okay, I know my birthday was three weeks ago, but it's still November, so I can still throw this up.

Your Birthdate: November 2

You're so intuitive, it's like you have a sixth, seventh, and eighth sense. You connect with others freely and easily - and you tend to have many best friends. Warm and caring, it's hard for you to close your heart to anyone. Affection is like air for you - you need to give and receive it to survive. Your strength: Your universal compassion Your weakness: Your unpredictable mood swings Your power color: Mauve Your power symbol: Butterfly Your power month: February

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Harry Potter and Me

So I went to see the new Harry Potter film the other day, number 4 in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have to say I had a really good time. Nothing can beat the books, in fact watching the film made me want to go back and read it again which I may do before the 7th book eventually comes out. I definitely want to read Order of the Phoenix again.

Mike Newell, the director, and Steve Kloves the screenwriter, should be commended for trying to wrestle this book to the ground. Everyone who's read it knows that its almost 800 pages and crammed with stuff, most of which didn't make it in to the film. A particular loss was Hermione's sub-plot where she tries to organize the House-Elves. Given that the movie came in at 2 1/2 hours, there was no way to include it. As it is, parts of the plot seem a bit thin. If you've read the books then you know all the nuances of Voldemort and his followers. I also missed the scenes between Harry and Sirius Black. There's only one in the film and very short.

Still Cedric Diggory was yummy. I adored Hermione showing up at the Yule Ball looking beautiful and both Ron and Harry's amazement at seeing their school chum dressed like a lady. Loved Harry and Cho Chang, who had the most adorable Scottish accent. Dumbledore showing Harry the Pensieve, and the return of Voldemort. Ralph Fiennes is only really in the film for a bit at the end but he manages to be incredibly scary. They even brought back Wormtail for a few scenes. Would have loved to have seen more of Miranda Richardson as Rita Skeeter, and more of Alan Rickman as Snape who can do more with silence than most actors. There's one particular scene where he says nothing but he's absolutely hysterical as Harry and Ron are talking during his class.

Oh, here's an intersting tidbit from one of the London Papers:

Harry Potter's £23million Pot of GoldAt 16, actor Daniel Radcliffe is worth an estimated £23million ($39.4 million USD), according to the Daily Mail. He is Britain's richest teenager, knocking Charlotte Church soundly off the top of the list. So, for those keeping track...605 days, 11 hours, 44 minutes, and 30 seconds until Daniel Radcliffe's 18th birthday.

Oy, he's already on the most eligible list and the kid has barely started shaving.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whinging Wednesdays

Yes, today is whinging Wednesday, the day I get to complain about whatever.

This week since today is the day before Thanksgiving, where we give thanks for the blessings of our year, I thought it was particularly appropriate.

I have good news and bad news.

The good news is that I just passed 50,000 words on my YA Novel. Huzzah! I will be drinking a glass of champagne in celebration later. Probably a Kir Royale.


The bad news? Well, I just discovered that HarperCollins Teen is publishing a book similar to my YA idea in paperback in December. Not only that but some British guy also had the same idea two years ago. None of which I knew before I started writing this book. I just thought I was being incredibly clever. Hopefully, my take on it will be so different to the other two books that I'll get bought. Of course, HarperCollins is completely out of the running. If nothing else, since this is my first attempt at writing YA, I'll learned valuable lessons in terms of voice, plotting etc. Not to mention that it's possible for me to write 190 pages in 22 days.

So that's my whining for the day. Clearly there are no new plots, it's what you do with them that makes the difference. And who knows how this book will change when I start to edit.

My favorite cartoon character

Today's post is going to be very short, since frankly I feel like crap. Yes, the great fall cold has finally hit me. It hasn't helped that the weather has jumped back and forth lately from warm to cold and back again. So, I thought I'd blog today about my all time favorite cartoon character Pepe Le Pew. I'm not sure why Pepe is my favorite character, when you think about it, he's a little bit of a stalker.
He's always falling in love with inappropriate women (mainly cats that he thinks are female skunks). He's persistent, he never takes no for an answer, and he has that cute little bouncy walk that he does, not to mention that french accent. Ooh, la-la.

Maybe it's because Pepe is a hopeless romantic and optimistic to a fault. He truly believes that the woman of his dreams is out there, and he's always up for the challenge. If you believe that a man should be the one to do the chasing, than Pepe is the character for you.

In a way, he reminds me of myself when I was much younger, around 9, when I was completely boy-crazy. See I never went through that stage where I thought boys were yucky. Maybe because I hit adolescence early with a bang. I used to hang out with a group of girls, that used to call ourselves, 'the kissing girls.' Like Pepe we used to run around after school during playgroup, grabbing boys and trying to hold them down long enough to kiss them.

As you can see by the above quote, Pepe also doesn't lack in the confidence area. He truly believes he is the most handsome thing on the planet despite being a skunk. There's a lesson in this, if you believe that you are beautiful or attractive, that's what people will perceive. It's all about being self-confident. Pepe's a prime example of that type of thinking. He reminds of me of the guys who have no problem thinking that models will want to date them, even if they're short, fat and balding.

As the old saying goes 'love is blind.' No?

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Discovering something new

I discovered a new writer, well actually she's been writing for some time, but she's new to me. Alice Hoffman. Of course, I knew who Alice Hoffman is, I'd even seen the movie version of Practical Magic but I'd never actually read her work before. When the movie of Practical Magic came out, I took the book out afterwards out of the library, but one thing led to another and I never actually read it.

So yesterday I was looking through my bookshelves searching desperately for something to read, having my usual book malaise which generally occurs when I've gone on a reading binge of a certain type of book, and I found a copy of The Probable Future that I had borrowed over a year ago from another secretary when I was temping at Morgan Stanley. I flipped through thinking I'd read a little bit. Well two hours later I was still reading the book. I couldn't put it down.

The Probable Future deals with three generations of the Sparrow family, grandmother, mother and granddaughter. Each Sparrow woman develops a particular gift on her thirteen birthday. Elinor, the grandmother, can sense if someone is lying, Jenny can see people's dreams as they are dreaming them, and Stella the granddaughter, can sense when someone is going to die and how. The crux of the book is what happens when Stella tells her father to warn the police about a woman's death, and then he's arrested for the murder after it occurs. Stella sent to live with her grandmother, and Jenny returns as well when her ex-husband gives an interview to a reporter, and a photograph appears in the paper with her building number clearly visible. The three generations have to learn to deal with each other finally.

So what we have is women's fiction with a bit of magical realism thrown in. The book is rich with imagery concerning nature that is just delicious plus the little tidbits of the Sparrow women's history and the house they live in, called the Cake House. The first Sparrow woman Rebecca's gift is that she feels no pain, which back in the days of the Puritans didn't go down very well.

I'm halfway through the novel, but I dont' want the story to end. Now that I've had my appetite whetted for Alice Hoffman, I'm going to go back and give Practical Magic another shot. Also Elinor Lipman, whose book The Pursuit of Alice Thrift I really liked, has a book I also want to read.

Normally I don't read much literary fiction because it's not what I write, but every now again, I need a break from genre fiction. It's like eating too much chocolate, you need to stop and have a piece of licorice or something a little tarter. Not that I would ever abandon reading genre fiction, I love it, but it's nice to explore other writers.

Any authors you've discovered lately?

Weekend Eye Candy

I bet you were expecting pictures of hot men to drool over weren't you! Well not this weekend, we have hot houses instead. Feast your eyes on these babies:

This is Burghley House, which was used as Lady Catherine de Bourgh's estate in the new film of Pride & Prejudice.

Above is Chatsworth, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, used as Pemberley in the new film of Pride & Prejudice. Just a small weekend cottage of course. Nothing fancy. You cand find more pictures here.

This is Castle Howard in Yorkshire, which is owned by the Howard family. As you can see it looks nothing like a castle, go figure, but it's pretty and large. It was used as the house of the Marchmain family in Brideshead Revisited starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews in the early 80's. There was also an article in Vanity Fair a few years ago, about this chick named Rebecca who had seen the house in a magazine and decided she wanted to live there. She ended up marrying the guy who owns it, and they have twins. Sounds like a chick-lit tale, but she'd probably end up falling for the sexy gardener instead.

And finally, to continue the Pride & Prejudice theme, we have Basildon which played the role of Netherfield, where Mr. Bingley lived. Picture lucky Jane Bennet getting to live here.

I hope you've enjoyed the scenery. I'll be back this weekend with a review of either Harry Potter or Walk the Line.

Sad News

I had planned on blogging today about NaNoWriMo and the third week hump, but I just received the tragic news that my brother died, and I'm just not in the mood to be light and funny today.

I'm the youngest of four children, seperated from my other siblings by over a decade. My oldest brother, who died two years ago from secondary bone cancer, was 26 years older than me. My other brother was the closest in age to me by 17 years. I never really knew him. He disappeared from my life when I was around 3 or 4, and I had no memory of him until he reappeared him my life when I was 11, when my mother informed about his 'unfortunate incarceration.'

Unfortunately, my brother was a troubled figure and we were never able to have a relationship. Circumstances after my mother's death killed that forever.

So while I'm sad that his life is over, I can't mourn. I wish he had been a different person, or I could have been more Christian and turned that other cheek.

It's just my sister and I now, the only ones who are left.

Anyway, I'm signing off now.

Hopefully we'll be back to our regularly scheduled blog in a few days.

Ooh, I love this!

I love Mucha prints! He did alot of the posters for Sarah Bernhard's peformances during the Belle Epoque in Paris. Art Nouveau is one of my favorites along with Art Deco.




You are a Rose:

You are creative, sensual, passionate, and bold.
You pour your heart into everything that you
do. Alluring and gifted with strong sex appeal,
you very easily draw people in with your animal
magnetism.

Symbolsim: The rose has always been a flower
heavily loaded with symbolism. In general it
symbolizes desire, passion, beauty, and
enchantment.


Which Flower are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

My New Pretend Boyfriend

Yes, I've broken up with James. It had to happen. The distance was just too great. And although I loved having a British boyfriend, dating an actor is just too hard. They're in the tabloids all the time, not to mention the job insecurity. I'm going to miss his little boy Joseph, but my life is in New York right now. He just couldn't understand my devotion to my local RWA chapter either. So he had to go.

Meet my new pretend boyfriend, CNN host Anderson Cooper. Don't let the gray hair fool ya. I've roped me a younger man. Okay, he's not Ashton Kutcher younger, but he is three years younger than. Of course, everyone thinks he's older, tee-hee.

Yes, I know there are rumors that he's gay, but I for one refuse to believe them, until I have hard evidence like photos or videotape. He's very smart, funny as heck. Who knew the man who cried while covering Hurricane Katrina could be hysterical. He killed on Letterman, and he was a great host trading quips with Kelly Ripa last Friday on Live with Regis and Kelly.

Sure, he hosted The Mole on ABC, but he's a serious journalist! Even Geraldo had a few missteps in his career (anyone remember Al Capone's safe?)

How did we meet? Well, I was walking downtown when I saw this cute little spaniel. Who should be her owner, but Anderson Cooper! Don't you just love a man with a dog? We got to talking and he invited me out to dinner. Of course, since this is my fantasy, I'm also 30, 5 foot 6, and have never had a zit in my life. Plus I looked fabulous when we met.

Truthfully, I wasn't looking for someone in the media to date. I thought I would go find myself a ballet boy like Candace Bushnell, but finding a straight ballet dancer is like trying to find a pair of size 8 Manolo Blahniks at the Barney's Warehouse sale.

So I'm happy with Anderson. Plus, his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, who made my favorite jeans of the 80's. Remember those jeans commercials, where the model declared GV jeans fit her 'like the skin on a grape'. God, I miss GV jeans. My favorites were a pair of fuschia velvet jeans. I haven't met his mother yet, we've only been dating a week, but I'm sure I'll meet her eventually. I'll try not to bring up that whole custody case from the 30's that was written about in Little Gloria, Happy at Last. Very tragic.

I don't know how long this relationship will last, but I'm nothing in not optimistic that it will last at least through the holidays. Who doesn't want a date on New Year's Eve?

If I were a Rich Girl

Thanks to Gwen Stefani and the composers of Fiddler on the Roof for the inspiration for this post.

Occasionally when the Lotto commercials announce a particularly big jackpot, I find myself thinking about what I would do if I actually won. Ex-sweetie pie used to hate it when I would talk out loud about what I would do. He didn't see the point since the chances of my actually winning were like one in one billion or something like that. Of course he missed the whole object of the exercise. I mean if you're going to play a rich person, or even write about one, you have to know how they think. Plus, I've always wanted to write a book about what would happen if an ordinary person won the lottery.

Of course it would end happier than the horror stories you sometimes see in people magazine where they interview lottery winners, like the guy who won the lottery twice and still ended up broke, or the friends who sue because they said they gave you the numbers that won, or they loaned you the dollar to buy the ticket. Or the relatives that come out the wordwork needing money.

So here's what I'd do if I won the lottery (in no particular order of importance).

1) Do an Extreme Makeover on my apartment. I bet you thought I was going to say buy a new apartment in some ritzy neighborhood in New York. First of all, the co-op boards in this city are an absolute nightmare. Second, my apartment is perfectly fine if a little small. I'd much rather spend the money to do a complete overhaul than run out and buy something new. And the only places that I would want to live are the village or near Gramercy Park, and it costs like a million dollars just for a one bedroom down there.

2) Set up scholarship funds at my old schools in my parents' names. This was a no brainer. My parents worked extremely hard so that I could go to private school instead of attending public. I would love to be able to give bright minority students the same chance that I had. Same with my university and the drama school I went too. Syracuse is fricking expensive (it was $10,000 a year when I attended back in the eighties), and everyone should have the opportunity to study drama in London.

3) Set up a foundation to give away money. Now when I say give away money, I'm talking about donating to things that have meaning for me. My father was a diabetic, so the American Diabetes foundation would be top of the list. American Lung Association since so many members of my family including my mother, brother and several aunts and uncles died of lung cancer. AIDS research, and Breast and Ovarian cancer would also top the list. Plus any charity that benefits children, like Ronald McDonald house.

4) Giving to the arts. Again, I'm limiting the donations to arts organizations that really need the money. Metropolitan Museum of Art doesn't need my money as much as The Lower East Side Tenement Museum or The Grange (Alexander Hamilton's house), and the New York Public Library (explain to me why publishers pulp books instead of donating them to libraries across the country?).

5) Payback all the money that I've borrowed from friends when I was in need, plus pay all my outstanding debts to creditors.

6) Travel, travel, travel. I've always wanted to visit Australia and the Far East, and I could fly first class instead of being cramped in coach for 24 hours. India would definitely be on the agenda, and Russia. Ah, to see St. Petersberg, and Moscow.

7) Adopt! I could afford to adopt a child from a foreign country like China. Ming-lee Mahon sounds great. I could be like Angelina Jolie or Josephine Baker and have a rainbow coalition of children (alright, just two), but I could certain go back to giving money to Save the Children every month. I used to do this many years ago, but it got to a point where it was either feed me or feed a child in another country.

8) Buy a flat in London. (You knew I'd get back to real estate somehow). My friend Chip and his partner have been saving for a flat. If I bought one, they could live there rent free, taking care of it for me, while saving beaucoup pounds to buy their own place.

9) Shop! Of course, I wouldn't go too crazy. No buying retail for me. Just because I have money, doesn't mean the girl who pinches pennies till they bleed is just going to disappear. I love sales, but I could actually afford to buy Dolce and Gabbana on sale. And a closet full of Manolos and Jimmy Choos. And I could indulge in the best vintage pieces.

10) Knowing that my retirement would be secure. Let's face it, by the time I'm eligible for Social Security, it could be gone. Thanks George W. Bush! Winning the lottery means that I would have options, and health insurance. If I were injured, I could actually afford the best care.

So those are the top ten things I would do if I won the lottery.

What would you do?

Review: Pride & Prejudice

I promised a review of the newest version of Jane Austen's classic Pride & Prejudice and I'm nothing if not a lady of my word. I went to see a four o'clock show this afternoon and the theatre was packed and not just with women but with men as well. It was gratifying to see so many people choose to see Pride & Prejudice as opposed to the 50 Cent movie that just opened.

So what did I think? Well I'm kind of thumbs up and thumbs down on this adaptation. For one thing, unlike the 1995 mini-series, the movie is only two hours long, so most of the Wickham plot line is lost. We barely see him with Elizabeth before he disappears only to reappear married to Lydia.

Keira Knightly is a splendid Elizabeth. In fact I much preferred her to Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth in the 1995 mini-series. She's spirited and fun, although I'm not quite sure if Elizabeth is as much of a hoyden as they make her in this movie. She spends alot of time not wearing a bonnet, which wasn't at all period, and I can't imagine Mrs. Bennet allowing it. The NYTimes was accurate when they said how radiant and beautiful she was. I do give Jennifer Ehle points for being more handsome than beautiful. Matthew MacFadyen is not quite as dashing as Colin Firth, in fact he has a most unfortunate haircut during the movie, but he's much more accessible a character. You can feel his attraction to Lizzie, in fact during the proposal scene there was a moment when I thought he was going to grab her and have his way with her, the sexual tension was so palpable.

The one thing that really bothered me about the movie was that the Bennetts seem to live in genteel poverty in this film. Most of the time, I wanted to get a comb and brush their hair. The house was shabby in the extreme, as were the clothes. Now the Bennetts while not rich, are certainly not as bad off as this. At one point, you could see a pig wandering through the house. Even the attendees at the first assembly looked the worst for wear. It did however make a contrast when the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy showed up. Bingley in this version, seems to be a bit of a bumbling idiot, and Caroline and out and out shrew. I did however adore Tom Hollander as Mr. Collins, and Judi Dench stole every scene that she was in as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Rosamund Pike was pretty as Jane but that's about it.

The scenes at the first assembly and at the ball at Netherfields, you really got a sense of what a crush was like back then. There's a wonderful moment during the Netherfield ball when Lizzie and Mr. Darcy are dancing and it's like they are the only people in the room, and then the camera pulls back and you see the rest of the people at the ball.

There were some strange moments in the film that made no sense. Darcy proposing to Elizabeth in the rain, Lady Catherine de Burgh showing up at the Bennetts in the middle of the night, Darcy and Elizabeth meeting again in their bedclothes when she tells him that she loves him. The scenes at Pemberly where Elizabeth wanders around a room full of half naked sculptures until she comes up on Darcy's head. It was just a little too obvious for words.

So if I had to give this adaptation a grade I would give it a B+. It's definitely worth a look without waiting for the DVD.

What were they thinking?

The cover of Nicole Richie's novel. I'm not sure what Harper Collins is trying to say with this cover. It's not partcularly flattering, and I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a biography, a coffee table book, or a novel.

Here's the alternative.


Apparently the book is about a pop princess named Chloe who was adopted as a small child by a famous pop star. Hmm! Who does that sound like.

The book is only 250 pages, and I've heard that Ms. Richie actually penned this novel herself, unlike Paris Hilton who had to have help with her little tome, or Fabio who had help from Wendy Markham to write his romance novels.

Far be it for me to scoff, since I don't have a book contract, and I'm sure they're trying to sell it off her fifteen minutes of fame, but if I were Nicole I"d sue the photographer and the publishers for these covers.

Pride and Prejudice

Interesting article in today's New York Daily News in the Gossip section concerning the lastest version of Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Apparently members of the Jane Austen Society of America are up in arms because they don't think the male lead, Matthew MacFadyen has sufficient matinee idol looks to play Darcy, not to mention that apparently there's some overt sexual energy in the film. Apparently that's not very Jane Austen, although it is pretty Regency, considering the raunchiness beneath the surface of that era.

Weren't they also upset when the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version came out because of Darcy's wet shirt scene? That's not in the book either.

Anyway, you can read the article here. The director certainly isn't going to win friends with his comments on the brouhaha.

I for one am anxious to see it just out of curiousity the same way I watched the Mormon version. Frankly when the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version came out, I compared it unfavorably with an earlier version with Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul. The 1995 version grew on me after repeated viewing, plus I'm a sucker for Colin Firth, always have been. I plan on seeing the film this weekend, so I'll try and post a review on Saturday and let you know what I think.

Writing by the seat of my pants

I have a confession to make, I am a total pantser.

What I mean by that is that I write by the seat of my pants. When I start a novel, I have a general idea of where I want it to go, how it ends, the characters and several scenes that I envision in the book, including the high and low points. But that's it. I don't write a synopsis generally under either half-way through the book or until I finish.

I would love to be plotter. I realize that when the time comes and I have an agent, and I'm just working on proposals, it might help to be more of a plotter, but I haven't gotten there yet. I've been thinking more and more about this since I've been doing NaNoWriMo. Chris Baty's book, No Plot, No Problem could have been written just for me.

I guess I love the uncertainty when I sit down at the computer of not knowing what is going to come out once I type. Watching the characters take shape and take over. At the moment, my characters are telling me who is important and who is just a minor player in the drama that I'm creating. Others are demanding more time. I don't know if I would know that if I had plotted the book out more beforehand.

I also have an untidy mind, constantly jumping from one thing to another, which leads to my untidy apartment, so of course I would be an untidy writer!

Of course writing by the seat of your pants means that it's alot more work in the revisions process, trying to shape a novel out of the morass of words on the page. I like to think of it as polishing a diamond in the rough. You prune, and prune, cutting away the detritus until you have a bright, shiny diamond.

I've tried to be more of a plotter. I once took a Romance Writing Course at Marymount Manhattan College with an editor from Harlequin. I ended up writing a thirty page synopsis for a potential Harlequin Temptation. Have I written it? No. Why? Because just the sheer act of writing this huge document, with all the plot points etc, I kind of felt like I'd written the book somehow. All it needed was dialogue and description. But I just felt like I was done. There were no discoveries to be made, every thing was lined up all nice and neat. I cringed.

Don't get me wrong. I admire writers who can plot out their novels from beginning to end. I have friends like that and I sometimes envy them for being able to do that. I took a workshop with Suzanne Brockmann at National a few years ago, where she said that, just for herself, she writes 80 page synopses for her books. But then she has multiple storylines in her books, while I have just one or two at the most.

At some point, I'll have to try the whole plotting thing again. I have a trilogy that I want to write, and that will involve actual planning and plotting, and keeping track of the three stories, but for right now, I'm happy being a pantser.

How many other people out there write by the seat of their pants? A show of hands please.

Evil Name Decoder

This and That

Can I just say the weather is postively freaky here in New York? It's supposed to be November, the leaves are turning, but the weather is so warm I saw people wearing sandals and flip-flops this weekend, not to mention one intrepid soul who wore shorts.

I remember the days when November meant chilly days, where all you wanted to do was go home, get under the covers with a warm drink and watch TV or read a book. Finding a bar with a fireplace to sit in front of. Playing in the leaves in the park. Drinking hot apple cider or a hot toddy with a cinnamon stick.

If I wanted warm weather all year round, I'd move to the West Coast or Florida even with the hurricanes. No, I live in the Northeast for the seasons, four of them, although because of sucky global warming, it looks like we only have two. Winter and Summer.

Read in the paper today, that more people are moving from California and the East Coast to the Midwest for a better quality of life. More power to them. I've often thought of moving somewhere I can actually think of saving some money. The only problem is that the cities that interest, London, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, are incredibly expensive. I need to sell alot of books!

I watched the first part of the debate last night on The West Wing. Kudos to TPTB for making it look so much like a real debate. If I hadn't known that it was two actors on stage, I would have believed that it was two politicians. I have to say though, from the little I watched, it looked like Alan Alda was kicking some serious Jimmy Smits butt. Even though he's playing a Republican, I'd vote for him, he was that good. I almost fell over when Jimmy Smits admitted that he didn't think that his healthcare plan would work! Can you imagine a real politician admitting that?

I gave away a great basket on Saturday to celebrate Thanksgiving and my birthday. Megan Frampton was the lucky winner. I actually liked the idea of giving away a basket to our members. I hope to do more of that in the New Year. Maybe work it around a seasonal theme. Lots of good ideas were bouncing around the meeting which I hope will come to fruition. It also means another extra board meeting where we can discuss them.

NaNoWriMo is chugging along. I'm ahead of where I had hoped to be by this time. The plot is coming along, and I'm already making notes of what needs to be done during the revision process. Also my brain is teeming to get started on a trilogy that I want to work, which will be my project for 2006.

Love it when my brain gets going!

Elizabeth

What I'm reading now

I'm one of those people who reads 2 or 3 or sometimes more books at a time. So I thought I'd share what I'm reading now.

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Anne Brashares. I loved the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants when it first came out. I haven't seen the movie yet but I have it reserved at my local library, and if it's even 1/10 as good as the book I'll be happy. At least it has two of my favorite young actresses, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel.

Ghosts of Albion by Amber Benson and Christopher Golden. I love Christopher Golden's Jenna Blake series, and I think he wrote some of the better Buffy novelizations that have been published over the past few years, so I was excited to hear that the BBC animated series that he did with Amber Benson a few years back would also be done as a series of novels. Here's a partial description of the book:

'In 1838, William and Tamara Swift inherit a startling legacy from their dying grandfather, transforming them into the Protectors of Albion, mystical defenders of the soul of England. But the shocked, neophyte sorcerers also inherit unique allies in their battle against the dark forces. Fighting alongside them are the famous-even infamous-Ghosts of Albion: Lord Byron, Queen Bodicea, and Lord Admiral Nelson. '

Sounds cool doesn't it?

How to cook your daughter by Jessica Hendra. This book I just finished this afternoon. I must confess, I read this book primarily because I had met Jessica 18 years ago when we were on the same drama course in London. Back then, I thought she was beautiful, but somewhat unapproachable. Not quite aloof, but it was if she wasn't quite there. I got to know her better when I was stage managing a show in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, my impression of Jessica then was that of a self-absorbed drama queen. I had no idea of the demons that she was fighting. I should have looked beneath the surface, instead of just dealing with the surface impressions. I'm ashamed now of my lack of compassion towards her. I put down our lack of friendship down to simple fact that she was a Taurus, and I was a Scorpio, opposite signs that either liked or loathed each other. While we didn't exactly loathe each other, we didn't hit it off either.

Reading this book, I was struck by how courageous it was for Jessica to speak out about the abuse that she suffered at the hands of her father, Tony Hendra. The title of the book, How to Cook Your Daughter comes an article he wrote for the National Lampoon in the early seventies, which gives you a tiny hint to the type of man that he was.

When Jessica was asked why she was speaking out now, she said she was doing it for her daughters, so they could one day grow up knowing that there mother wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. I totally understand her reasons for allowing her father into her life, despite what he did. Tony Hendra was clearly a man that loomed large in their lives, who could be kind and funny at times, who seemed to have all the answers. Perhaps Jessica was trying to get back that moment in time, before he took her innocence away, when he was still just her daddy, or perhaps it was her own underserved guilt.

I've since come to know other victims of abuse, whether by a trusted family member or simply a family friend or an older teenager who took advantage of a young child who didn't know what they were doing was wrong. Jessica has given a voice to all those who have suffered abuse, to let them know that it's okay to come out of the darkness.

Three Things About Me

Three things about me...

Three screen names that you've had: kerri1102, bitsym, ekerrimahon

Three things you like about yourself: my hair, my creativity, my sense of responsibility

Three things you don't like about yourself: My perfectionism, oversensitivity, procrastination

Three parts of your heritage: American Indian, African-American, Caucasian

Three things that scare you: Right-wingers, religious fanatics, and Tom Cruise

Three of your everyday essentials: tea, chocolate, Internet access

Three things you are wearing right now: black skirt, maroon sweater, black boots

Three of your favorite songs: "Somebody to Love" (Queen), Every Breath You Take (The Police), Father Figure(George Michael)

Three things you want in a relationship: respect, love, humor

Three things you can't live without: friends, tea and books

Three places you want to go on vacation: India, Australlia, Barbados

Three things you just can't do: do math, put myself in a box, drive

Three kids names: Sebastian, Madeleine, Christian

Three things you want to do before you die: Write a bestseller, live in London again, play blackjack in Vegas.

Three celeb crushes: James Purefoy, David Walliams, Daniel Craig (LOL, I'm a total anglophile!)
Three of your favorite musicians: Michael Buble, Keith Urban, Sting

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you: eyes, hands, and a cute butt.

Three of your favorite hobbies: reading, eating, watching movies

Three things you really want to do badly right now: quit my day job, move abroad, finish my book

Three careers you're considering/you've considered: dancer, teacher, actress

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy: I'm messy, I like computer games, I can be politically incorrect.

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl: I am overly emotional, I love fluffy animals, and I'm obsessed with clothes and shoes.

"Baby, You can Drive My Car"

"Harlequin Enterprises is planning to add novels with storylines plucked from the NASCAR stock car racing circuit. 'The novels, by some of Harlequin's bestselling authors, will have plotlines centering on NASCAR and will bear the NASCAR brand on their covers,' the companies said in a joint statement. The first title in the NASCAR series, IN THE GROOVE by Pamela Britton, will be published in late January to coincide with February's Daytona 500 race in Florida - one of the biggest on the NASCAR circuit." (Via cbc.ca, November 2, 2005)

Okay, so Harlequin and NASCAR are doing deals? What next? Can I get a deal with Starbucks if I mention them in all my books?

Does anyone find this as frightening as I do?

Birthday Blues

Well, it's the day after my birthday, and it's always a let down after the euphoria of the day itself.

Here's a picture of the pretend boyfriend just before he presented me with a lovely necklace from Asprey, and a bracelet from Garrards, from the Jade Jagger collection.

Ah, if it were only true!

In real life, I had dinner with some friends at Ruby Foo's, which you can read about here. Unfortunately, they didn't have my favorite sushi roll, which is the real crabmeat california roll with spicy tuna on top. The only bummer about the whole evening was the fact that I actually had to pay for my dinner myself. We came up short on money, and since a few people had left, I had to come up with the rest including the tip. Happy Birthday to me!

Several friends called me to wish me a happy birthday, including ex-sweetie pie from LA, my friend Chip from London, and my friend SRN who took the time out from caring for her newborn to call me. I have such cool friends! I also received some cool gifts including the new George Michael CD, The Ghosts of Albion by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson (Tara on Buffy), and a really groovy pair of earrings. The Alias 2006 calendar so that I can stare at Michael Vartan, imagining him murmuring sweet nothings to me in French, and some cool soaps.

Unfortunately a few friends couldn't make it for various reasons, so that was a bummer. But I did have a great horoscope in the Daily News by Susan Miller, which left me feeling optimistic about the coming year. Of course, I'll have to see what my astrologer says when she comes to town again. (Yes, I have an astrologer).

Now it's back to the grindstone. As you can see by the word count, I am making some progress this week on my NaNoWriMo book. Of course, it's week one. We'll see how it goes next week. I've managed to turn down the internal editor whenever she kicks up a fuss.

One sour note to the day so far. I was told at work that I sound too professional and serious on the phone, and I'm not upbeat and enthusiastic enough. Okay, that's the first time I've ever gotten that criticism. Of course, they're not taking into account the fact that I still have a hard time recognizing voices on the phone, and it would help if internal people would just tell me who's calling instead of my having to ask each time.

Oy!

Have a good day everyone! Only 3 weeks till Turkey Day!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Scorpio: If today is your birthday...
Free your mind of self- imposed limits and promise yourself that you will follow your dream -- and keep following it until it becomes a reality. A new moon on your birthday guarantees that if your purpose is clear and your confidence is high you will accomplish something amazing over the coming 12 months. Make this the year your dreams come true. Visit Sally at www.sallybrompton.com

In 1964 (the year you were born)

Lyndon B. Johnson is president of the US After riots break out, Panama suspends relations with he US Cassius Clay becomes heavyweight champion when Sonny Liston throws in the towel in the sixth round in Miami Near Anchorage, the strongest earthquake ever to strike North America kills 117 Worst soccer disaster in history occurs when rioting and panic kills over 300 in Liverpool Hundreds of white college students work for civil rights in the south during "Freedom Summer" South Africa sentences Nelson Mandela to life in prison Kemeny and Kurtz create BASIC (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), an easy to learn high level programming language Nicolas Cage, Jeff Bezos, Rob Lowe, Elle Macpherson, Courteney Cox Arquette, and Keanu Reeves are born St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series Cleveland Browns win the NFL championship Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles released in the US, sparking Beatlemania The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show, breaking television ratings records The game show Jeopardy! debuts on television Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews, is the top grossing film

What Happened the Year You Were Born?
More cool things for your blog at

You are 93% Scorpio

How much do you match your zodiac sign?

November 02
Birthdays
1978 Nelly (rapper, hip hop artist)
1969 Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (bass player)
1967 Charlie 'Steele' Pennachio (singer)
1961 Bobby Dall (musician)
1961 K. D. Lang (singer)
1953 Alfre Woodard (actress)
1953 Maxine Nightingale (singer)
1942 Stefanie Powers (Federkievicz) (actress)
1942 Shere Hite (Shirley Gregory) (author)
1938 Jay Black (David Blatt) (singer)
1938 Pat Buchanan (politician)
1937 Earl "Speedoo" Carroll (singer)
1926 Charlie Walker (singer)
1920 Ann Rutherford (actress)
1914 Ray Walston (actor)
1913 Burt Lancaster (actor)
1901 Paul Ford (actor)
1865 Warren Harding (29th US President)
1795 James Polk (11th US President)
1755 Marie Antoinette ((Josèphe Jeanne) (queen of france)
1734 Daniel Boone (frontiersman, explorer)

The End of the Road

Life just gets more and more bizarre sometimes, doesn't it?

I arrived at work this morning, to find out that everyone thought I had called in sick. Apparently, there is another Elizabeth who works through my temp agency and she called in sick this morning, and nobody bothered to get the names straight. Thank god, they didnt' call in a temp to replace me today, or that would have really sucked. When I called my temp agency, the office manager actually said, 'Elizabeth, didn't you call in sick this morning?'

Uh, that would be no. I think that I would remember calling my temp agency unless I was sleepwalking, which would really have been something since I actually had to look up their number when I got to work this morning. Just another little corporate snafu. Plus they finally caught on to the fact that I was checking my outside email at work, and cut me off at the knees, so now I can no longer check either of my outside email accounts unless I'm at my night job.

I so need a new computer.

In other news, just in time for Halloween, I received a 'dear author' letter from TOR for my submission to their new chick-lit line. Despite the fact that I met Natasha Panza at our Golden Apple Awards reception, and I mentioned that in my letter, and wrote 'requested materia'l on the envelope. Somehow it's fitting that I get a rejection letter on Halloween for a manuscript with a straight to video horror movie queen as the protagonist. Maybe that's what I should have called the novel 'Straight to Video'!

So that's it for Nearly Famous. I've been rejected by about 25 agents now, some twice, and I just can't do it anymore with this manuscript. Four years of my life, on and off, I've spent writing, and revising, and rewriting. Maybe I just missed the boat with this plot, or I just don't know how to wrangle it down until it's manageable. I've gotten positive rejection letters but it's not enough right now to keep plugging away. Plus, I have too many other stories in my head that are waiting to get out that I need to write.

Perhaps one day, I'll revisit Julia, and Ryan. The characters are too viable not to do something with, if not precisely in this form. I just dont' know what to do anymore to fix the problems. Nora Roberts said that she never gives up on a manuscript, she wrestles with it until she wins. Well right now this manuscript is kicking my ass!

I hate to sound whiny, but this was the second manuscript that I wrote and it's near and dear to my heart. It combines two of my passions acting and reality TV.

I'll continue Julia's blog over at juliachamberlain.blogspot.com over the next couple of months intermittently as ideas come to me, but it's time to move on and to move forward.

So R.I.P. Nearly Famous 2001-2005. I'll miss you.