2007 Resolutions

Well, it's almost that time of year again, New Year's Eve and the dawn of an another year. And every year I have the same thought, do I or do I not make New Year's Resolutions? Last year's resolutions was to write more, and that I definitely accomplished. I wrote 2 complete manuscripts, and 2 partials. However, I didn't find the time to look for a significant other, nor did I keep up with my exercise routine as I had hoped to do.

Every year, I have such high hopes. I make resolutions, and I keep them for oh, about two months. And then I feel guilty for the rest of the year. But this year I feel is going to be different.

So with that said, here are the few New Year's Resolutions I feel that I can affectively stick to:

1) Have enough respect for myself that I don't let people keep taking advantage of me.

2) Continue with my writing schedule. I have a trilogy that I want to write, and I'm hoping to start on the first book, and write partials for the other two books. They're adult books which should be interesting for me after spending a year in the YA world.

3) Learn enough Italian that I don't feel like such an idiot when I'm in Venice.

4) Spend the year learning Latin ballroom dances, Samba, Rhumba, Cha-Cha, Merengue and Salsa.

5) Finally learn how to drive!

6) Fix up my apartment so that it looks somewhat inhabitable. Consider taking out home improvement loan. Find out if it's tax-deductable.

7) Find someone who treats like a princess not like a cum pot.

8) Take a vacation that you've always wanted to do, whether it's going to Florence or up to see the cottages at Newport, or the wineries in Sonoma Valley.

9) Hopefully find an agent.

10) Try to cut back on the sugar!

Well, that's all for me. Here's hoping that I keep at least a few of those!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

EKM

Book Review: Drop Dead Gorgeous

Dear Ms. Howard,

I have loved your books ever since I first read Sarah's Child back in college. Since then, I've followed your career from writing category for Silhouette into single title. Son of the Morning is one of my favorite books. When I first heard that you were going to write a book in the first person, I was a little trepidatious, but from the minute I picked up a copy of To Die For, I was hooked. Blair Mallory's voice was so strong, it made me wonder why you had never written in the first person before.

When I heard that you had written a sequel called Drop Dead Gorgeous, I couldn't wait for it to come out. Unfortunately, the wait was entirely worth it. Don't get me wrong, I still love Blair, she's as sassy and brassy as ever. I particularly loved that Wyatt had given her just a month to plan the wedding, considering that they'd only been dating for like two months. Wow, I wish I could find a man that good-looking who wanted me so badly that he couldn't wait to marry me after two months. I guess that's why I read fiction!

I even loved the little sub-plot of Blair having to get Jazz and Sally back together. In fact, I enjoyed reading about Blair and Wyatt so much, it's a shame that I didn't like the book more. I think it's because the mystery of who was after Blair was so derivative of what happened in the first book.

SPOILER ALERT! DON'T KEEP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK!

To have the stalker turn out to be Wyatt's ex-wife was a little slip-shod and not really worthy of either Blair or the book. I would have bought it more easily if a disgruntled customer of Great Bod's decided that he/she hadn't gotten their money's worth, and couldn't get a refund, before I believe that Wyatt's ex-wife waited years for him to fall in love, to decide to hurt him. Or maybe I'm just not that crazy. I mean, I've loved guys or like guys that didn't love me as much or whatever, but I've never stalked their new girlfriends.

Once the relationship is over for me, or I've been dumped I move on. Only once have I ever called an ex-boyfriend after the relationship was over, and when I found out he was engaged, I stopped thinking about him so much and I moved on. Yeah, every now and then I wonder what might have happened to him, but I haven' t stalked him or sent him an email.

So unfortunately, I can only give this book a B-. It was hovering at an A-/B+ until I discovered who the stalker was.

EKM

The Fine Art of Yearning

Did you ever watch one of those old movies from the forties like Now Voyager or even a movie like Gone With the Wind or Wuthering Heights where you could almost feel the emotion coming off the screen? Do you know how long its been since I've seen something like that? Well, last night I watched all 4 hours of the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South.

North and South is like the John Jakes novel of the same name, about the differences between different regions, in this case the North and South of England. Margaret Hale and her family move from the South of England to a small industrial city in the North because her father has refused to sign an oath to the Church which means he can't continue to be a clergyman. He now has questions and doubts about the Bible. Margaret, a sensitive, well-meaning, but has a problem sticking her nose where it's not wanted, comes into conflict with John Thornton (played by the oh so delicious Richard Armitage pictured above) who is one of the mill owners in town. There is an instant attraction and almost instant dislike.

Sound familiar? Well Margaret does have traces of Elizabeth Bennett, and Thornton is alot like Mr. Darcy. The difference being, Margaret is actually of a higher class than Thornton who has pulled his family up from povery to own a successful mill already one after his father's death. There's lots of misunderstandings that go on, and secrets. Margaret is injured defending Thornton against the striking workers. He proposes to her, but she refuses because she thinks he's only doing it out of obligation, despite the fact that he tells her he's in love with her.

The black moment is when Thornton sees Margaret late at night at the train station with a young man who she is affectionate with, not knowing that he's her brother who is wanted for participating in a mutiny at sea. A man dies and Margaret denies being at the train station, even though there are witnesses who place her there. Thornton in his role as magistrate makes sure there is no inquest, despite thinking that Margaret was with a lover.

All of course ends well after 4 torturous hours, during which I constantly yelled at the screen whenever I thought the characters were being idiots, particularly when Margaret was hiding the secret about her brother. The truth finally comes out and Thornton rushes off to Margaret, who has just inherited the controlling interest in his mill from her godfather. They meet up again at the train station, and they finally admit (without actually saying it), their feelings for each other.

Sigh, just thinking about it, makes me teary, it was so beautiful. Anyone who thinks they want to write a historical romance written in the Victorian era should watch this miniseries to see how they kept up the tension for 4 hours.

I now have a new Brit heartthrob in Mr. Armitage who is 6 foot 2 of manliness. Move aside Colin Firth!

Thanks for reading!

EKM

What is Boxing Day?

Hey, sorry I've been an incredibly bad blogger. I was filled with the spirit of Bah Humbug for a bit, which I'm still trying to deal with. I won't subject you all to the sordid details.

Anyway, I had a pretty good Christmas for the most part. And now today is Boxing Day! What is Boxing Day? Well, it's a holiday that's celebrated in England and Canada and has absolutely nothing to do with the sport of Boxing.

According to Wikipedia, here are some theories on Boxing Day:

• 
  It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas 'box' to those who have worked for them throughout the year. This is still done in Britain for postmen and paper-boys - though now the 'box' is usually given before Christmas, not after.
• 
  In feudal times, Christmas was a reason for a gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on 26 December, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day.
• 
  In Britain many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day's work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day.
• 
  In churches, it was traditional to open the church's donation box on Christmas Day, and the money in the donation box was to be distributed to the poorer or lower class citizens on the next day. In this case, the "box" in "Boxing Day" comes from that lockbox in which the donations were left.
• 
  Boxing Day was the day when the wren, the king of birds, was captured and put in a box and introduced to each household in the village when he would be asked for a successful year and a good harvest. See Frazer's Golden Bough.

See there is no consensus, kind of like the situation in Iraq!

We don't get to celebrate it, although I think making people come to work the day after Christmas is cruel and unusual punishment. Particularly since no work is going to get done. Right now, it's 8:10 in the morning, and I'm the only one in my group here!

Happy Holidays1

EKM

The Rule of Four

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Waitress
2. SAT Tutor
3. Actress
4. Secretary

Four Places I’ve lived:
1. Syracuse, NY
2. New York, NY
3. London
4. High Falls, NY

Four favorite foods:
1. lobster
2. spinach
3. Champagne (is that a food?)
4. CHOCOLATE


Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Love Actually
2. Gone With The Wind
3. Princess Bride
4. Romancing the Stone

Four TV shows I enjoy:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Ugly Betty
3. Desperate Housewives
4. House

Four places I’ve traveled:
1. Colonial Williamsburg
2. Orlando
3. Chicago
4. Los Angeles

Four places I’d like to visit:
1. Vienna
2. India
3. Hawaii
4. Australia

Four websites I go to (almost) daily:
1. astrology.com
2. austenblog.com
3. nytimes.com
4. people.com

10 Facts About Elizabeth

Facts about Elizabeth...

1) I hate to ask for help. I will do everything myself, even if it means working until the wee hours before I'll ask anyone to help.

2) I am spoiled. I hate delayed gratification. I want what I want when I want it.

3) I'm not really a cat person

4) I like expensive clothes (I would kill for a pair of Christian Louboutins), which is why I'm probably poor. It's God's way of keeping me humble (at least that's what I tell myself).

5) I like to cook, but only for other people. I need an audience, what can I say.

6) I hate to drink alone, unless I'm eating at the bar in a restaurant.

7) I don't drive. I've never learned, because driver's ed in high school conflicted with the drama club.

8) I hate when I make mistakes. I will fret about it for hours.

9) I can be something of a know it all.

10) I hated college, probably because it was in Syracuse, the snow capital of central New York.

11) I long to get a tattoo but I hate needles, so I content myself with fake ones.

12) I hate snakes so much that I won't even go into the snake house at the zoo.
Thanks for reading!

EKM

Jumping the Shark

Dear Ms. Shapiro,

I read your first book, The Matzo Ball Heiress, and was entranced. Here was a book, where the writer didn't shy away from the ethnicity of her characters. It was a relief to read a book set in New York, where the main character didn't work in the publishing industry, or a magazine, and who wasn't a WASP. You created vivid portraits of the heroine's family, from the divorced parents, on down to the main character's brother's girlfriend, who pretended to be Jewish while working at the Matzo factory.

So I couldn't wait to read your latest book for Red Dress Ink, intriguingly called The Anglophile. Here I thought was a book written for me. Like Shari, I am an ardent Anglophile, and have been ever since childhood. However, unlike Shari, I've actually managed to make it to the UK numerous times. I found it inexplicable that someone who was such a devout Anglophile, wouldn't have scrimped and saved for years to take a trip. My parents certainly didn't have a lot of money, but they certainly made sure I made it to England.

I found it curious that for such an Anglophile, she would choose such an odd subject for her dissertation on linguistics, when there were no many intriguing possibilities for her to be a scholar in Chaucer's Middle English or something.

But I was willing to go with it when Shari met the adorable Kit quite by accident in Chicago on a tour. I was even willing to accept the cooincidence of Kit being Shari's rival in the research on the lost language Volapuk. Even when Shari was deceitful in not telling Kit about her situation back in New York, which leads to an akward scene in New York, I was willing to go with it, because there were no many delightful scenes like the skunk funeral.

But then you really jumped the shark with the introduction of the character of Owen, a complete cipher, who emerges as a rather odd spoiler in the relationship between Kit and Shari. Even your explanation for Shari's behavior in England, I thought was a cop-out. The bottom line was, I didn't like Shari. I tried to like her, but you just had her do so many stupid things. And I found the ending to be completely implausible, considering everything that had gone on with Owen before.

So I'm going to have to give this book a solid C+

EKM

Black Monday

Amost twenty years ago, the stock market crashed on a Monday, sending it into a panic. Well today, I'm in a panic. I just discovered that payroll overpaid me for two weeks in November, because I put my hours in wrong in the system.

Now, what's funny about this, number 1, the system is supposed to check for errors, so that you can go back and fix things, and in this case it didn't. Number 2, the way they have us put in hours is complicated. You have what time you get in, and then your lunch period, and then it says out again. But that's not where you're supposed to put what time you leave, you put that in shift end, which is all the way down at the end of the row. Number 3, I had made this particular mistake before and was not overpaid. So clearly, someone was able to see looking the hours I put in that I didn't work 50 hours for the week, but 42. Number 4, since my boss is a complete incompetent when it comes to anything to do with the computer (he regularly asks me how to approve my time sheet, and the expense reports), it couldn't catch it.

So, I was overpaid, which means that they will probably take the money out of my next paycheck, despite the fact that I didn't get paid holiday pay for Columbus Day, which I have to have him mention.

Sorry this is a short blog, but I'm a little bit peeved and frustrated right now.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would it Be?

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Cult Classic

Quirky, offbeat, and even a little campy - your life appeals to a select few. But if someone's obsessed with you, look out! Your fans are downright freaky. Your best movie matches: Office Space, Showgirls, The Big Lebowski

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

The Holiday - as if I'd written it

Have you ever watched a movie, and thought if only they had done this or that? Or imagined the sequel in your head. I know I certainy have. I blogged recently on my feelings about the new movie The Holiday starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black. I started thinking about the movie this past, and what I would have done differently if I had written it.

For this post, I'm going to concentrate on Iris, the character played by Kate Winslet. Her storyline is actually the most interesting thing about the movie. In fact, I would have written the movie without even the entire Amanda storyine. In the movie, she's been in love with Jasper played by Rufus Sewell for years. They once were a couple, but even though they broken up, and he's involved with someone else, they've stayed friends. Talking on the phone whenever his girlfriend is not around, and sending emails back and forth. She even edits his column for him!

In the movie, she does a holiday swap with Amanda who lives in Los Angeles. Oh, and she writes the wedding column for the Daily Telegraph. So far so good. But here's where I would do a different take on it.

When Iris meets the character played by Eli Wallach, a screenwriter from the Golden Age of Hollywood, I would have her decide to write an article about him, trying to interest the Daily Telegraph or even possibly decide that she wants to write his biography. That would give her more of a through line.

Also, instead of having Jack Black play a composer who works with Amanda's company (she makes movie trailers), I would have Paul Rudd playing the composer who happens to be perhaps the estranged grandson of the screenwriter. No offense to Jack Black but he and Kate Winslet have absolutely no chemistry, and Paul Rudd has proven what a charmer he can be in Clueless and as Phoebe's husband Mike on Friends.

Have the grandson character be suspicious of why she wants to spend all her time with a 90 year old man, instead of hitting the hot spots in Hollywood. Also, have the elderly screenwriter take her to the Formosa Cafe or Musso and Frank's or a tour of old Hollywood. Show her photographs, or scenes from the movies that he's written, to really establish who he was in Hollywood.

I'd make Jasper more of a threat to her future happiness. Right now, Iris's realization about Jasper seems to be one of those lightbulb over the head moments. I'd have scenes where she and Miles (the Jack Black/Paul Rudd character) would really get to know each other. She'd tell him about Jasper, and he'd tell her that he sounds like a jerk, and that he'd once been like that himself. Really see the growth of their relationship, and how hollow what she had with Jasper was.

Right now, Iris sees how in love Miles is with his slutty actress girlfriend, and what a good boyfriend he is, but it just seems too cliched and trite that they are both in the same boat. Or if you are going to put them in similar situations, give them a drunken night where they commiserate with each other and talk about how they are going to give these people up. Have them kiss and realize their attraction, and then have either Jasper of the girlfriend call.

Iris would realize how free she is in Los Angeles, and decide to either look for a job with a paper in LA, or decide to write a book.

Well, that's my take on what I would have done , if I'd written Holiday.

Regifting - Good or Evil?

Tis the season, Ho-Ho! I'm ahead of the game this year, in that I've actually sent out my holiday cards, as I've mentioned before. I've even finished most of my Christmukkah shopping, which leads me to the universal question, Regifting, Good or Evil?

I'm going to admit straight up, that I have practiced the art of regifting. In my defense, I thought that giving it to someone else who might like the gift, was better than it ending up in the recylcling bin or at the Salvation Army.

Once, I regifted because I figured if the person who gave the gift to me was putting so little thought in to the present, why should I? The gift in question, was one of those books that you see on the $4.95 table at Barnes and Noble. This friend was notorious for giving cheap gifts to her friends, and spending huge amounts of money on her boyfriends/lovers. One year, she gave a married guy she'd been sleeping with a box of Cuban cigars and a coffee table book on cigars. What did he give her? A vibrator! Which just goes to show you, you should never sleep with married men, particularly cheap ones. I mean, he didn't even spring for the Rabbit!

Another year, she got a male friend to buy several copies of the same book abroad, (instead of using Amazon.com like a normal person), which then proceeded to give to her female friends at the same time, so when we opened the gift, we could all see that we'd gotten the same thing.

I had no qualms regifting anything that she gave me. Another friend I knew had just run into a store before she was due to meet me and picked up whatever was on the sale table. I knew this because I went back to the store in question, and discovered what she'd done. Again, no problems regifting.

I once saw my exes mother and stepfather regift a cappuccino machine someone gave them, that they weren't going to use. Now, I think that's okay. A cappuccino machine is a pretty expensive item, and it was still in the box unopened, and they were giving it to a young couple who would probably appreciate it.

I figure, as long as you're giving it to someone who has no contact with the original giver, you're pretty safe. The problems occur if you're regifting within the same social circle. That could be tricky. No one wants to go to someone's house and see the floor lamp that you gave someone else. Particularly if it's a one of a kind gift. Oops!

For me, when I give a gift of clothing etc. I will often include the receipt so that they can exchange the gift. I have no problem with that. Sometimes, I give gift cards because that way I know that the receipient will be able to use it for whatever they desire. Seriously, if I had been invited to TomKat's wedding, I would have either made a donation in their name to charity or bought them a giftcard. Katie seems to like to shop. That would have worked.

So, what do ya'll think? Is Regifting - Good or Evil?

Thanks for reading!

EKM

December Horoscopes

Here are my December Horoscopes from Julie Hill at Publisher's Marketplace:

libra: a delicious holiday season is upon you. you'll want to party and not work, even though your screenplay is near perfection, hollywood is not very forgiving, so think twice before you play hooky.

scorpio: you are still in very good shape, with all the sadge planets lining up in your house of your own resources. this is a time when you can discover hidden talents. this is also a time when you receive something you retain for a lifetime. could be good advice from an astrologer!


Cool beans!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Holiday Burnout

Sorry, I've been a horrible blogger over the past several days. I just haven't had any energy to blog. It seems like I've been fighting off a cold or the flu for weeks now. I've also been trying to finish my YA manuscript before the end of the year but it's been slow going the past two weeks. I'm nearing the finish line, but instead of speeding up, I'm slowing down! I have no idea why, but I think it has to do with Holiday burnout.

This is the time of year, when it seems like every night there's a holiday party, or something needs to be done. I've been sending out Christmas cards willy-nilly this year, as opposed to my Scrooge/Grinch like behavior of last year, when I didn't even bother to send anything out. Since I've been promoted at my night job, that means later hours for the moment, and less sleep. Plus, lots of presents to buy and send to friends and family.

Last night I had a meeting of the old and the new boards of our local chapter of RWA, where we brainstormed ways to make the chapter stronger. Much eating and drinking was involved in this venture.

I'm also still waiting to hear from one agent, who sent my partial to be read by another agent and a reader. And I also have to send the manuscript out to two more agents on my list as well.

I did manage to go see The Holiday over the weekend to cheer myself up. I was a little disappointed. It wasn't nearly as good as Something's Gotta Give of a few years ago. It was okay, but it seemed to be missing that essential something to make it a good romantic comedy. Although I must say, I finally get Jude Law's appeal in this movie. I've never been a huge Jude Law fan, I normally find him highly overrated, but that maybe because he's been in like every single movie in the past two years, so maybe I was just sick of him.

Kate Winslet was adorable playing an actual English person for a change, but I just couldn't warm to Cameron Diaz's character. She just annoyed me. I did like the subplot of Kate Winslet getting involved with Eli Wallach's character, a screenwriter from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and any film that has Rufus Sewell in it, I'll enjoy.

I guess I found everything to be a little too pat, and cute. Oh well! Right now, I can't wait to get home to listen to my new Taylor Hick's CD.

I know, I'm so uncool!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Guy Goofs

So, I met up with Fun Guy a few weeks ago, after a couple of flirty emails from me. And then nothing. I sent him an email giving him info about a new antiques store that he might be interested in. He emailed me back, but nothing about getting together.

So then, I sent him an email with this picture of the Charmin bear, with the caption that I thought the resemblance was uncanny. And I haven't heard from him.

So, do you think he's insulted that I compared him to a bear who shills toilet paper, or am I just an idiot, for continuing to even think or see this guy?

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Oprah's New Find

Not much to blog about today. Feeling a bit blah, not sure why. I watched The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe last night, and was thoroughly bored. Very pretty to look at, and you can't ask for a better Aslan than Liam Neeson (who did the voice), but I just didn't care. And I've always loved the books. Maybe it's because it just turned cold all of a sudden, or the fact that I can't believe it's December already, and it's another year without an agent or a book contract.

Thank god for Oprah for finding another piece of man candy for her audience to look at besides Nate Berkus, who is a total cutie, but plays for the other team. This new guy, Jamie Durie has two things going for him already. He's a hunk and a half and he's Australian. Not only that but an Australian gardener.

Yes, ladies, he's a hunky, sweaty, Australian landscaper. Think Mellors from Lady Chatterly's Lover. Oh, the picture of him in his skivvies? Apparently Jamie once danced for this Australian revue, similiar to the Thunder from Down Under revue.

Here's what I gleaned from my favorite resource, Wikipedia. He's a Gemini like my other fake ex-boyfriend James Purefoy (what is is with me and Gemini's named James?), he's 36, oh and he's totally hot.

Have I mentioned that already? Excuse me while I get a glass of ice water to cool off.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Favorite Holiday Movie: Love Actually

I've been a very bad blogger the past week, but really I didn't have anything to say. I've been working, seeing theater, and trying to get over this malaise that I feel. It's like I have the never ending flu.

But yesterday, I went to our chapters holiday party at a restaurant in the village called Jane. After it was over, I stopped off at Circuit City and picked up a copy of Love Actually (it was on sale), my all time favorite holiday movie. I could watch this movie like every day and not just because Colin Firth is in it.

No, I adore this movie because it's all about love, finding love, losing love, taking love for granted, forbidden love, and unrequited love. Love in all shapes and forms. Plus it's set around Christmas, my favorite holiday besides my birthday (which should really be a National holiday).

I can't list all my favorite scenes and characters, I love them all from Bill Nighy as the seedy rock star, Billy Mack to even Laura Linney, who I normally can't stand, as Sarah who's brother's needs keep her from finding love. But my favorite story-lines have to be Daniel and his step-son Sam. They've just buried Sam's mother, and Daniel finds out that Sam is in love with a young girl named Joanna. He encourages Sam to pursue Joanna by showing him clips from Titanic. Sam takes up the drums so that he can play in the Christmas show to be near Joanna. It all comes to a head when Sam and Daniel head to the airport so that Sam can declare his love before Joanna leaves for the States for the holidays.

My other favorite storyline is the two stand-ins, who fall each other while having to pretend to simulate sex on a movie set so that the stars don't have to stand around waiting for the lights to be set up. It's just so cute to see these two discussing mundane topics while pretending to hump.

And of course Colin Firth who plays Jamie. Jamie catches his wife in bed with his brother, and heads off to Marseille, where he ends up falling for the Portuguese housekeeper.

Love, love, love this film. In fact I may watch it again tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

You are The Empress
Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success, luxury, dissipation.
The Empress is associated with Venus, the feminine planet, so it represents, beauty, charm, pleasure, luxury, and delight. You may be good at home decorating, art or anything to do with making things beautiful.
The Empress is a creator, be it creation of life, of romance, of art or business. While the Magician is the primal spark, the idea made real, and the High Priestess is the one who gives the idea a form, the Empress is the womb where it gestates and grows till it is ready to be born. This is why her symbol is Venus, goddess of beautiful things as well as love. Even so, the Empress is more Demeter, goddess of abundance, then sensual Venus. She is the giver of Earthly gifts, yet at the same time, she can, in anger withhold, as Demeter did when her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped. In fury and grief, she kept the Earth barren till her child was returned to her.

What Tarot Card are You?Take the Test to Find Out.

Ah, but will it last?

So TomKat are married finally. Raise your hands if you thought that wedding would never happen!

I consider myself to be a cynical romantic, meaning I believe in love, hearts and flowers and the whole damn thing, but there is a part of me that wonders if it is possible nowadays to spend the rest of your life with someone? With all the stress, and temptations, and the easy availability of divorce.

Frankly, I think it should be much harder to get married. I mean, if they put people through psychological testing before they go on a reality show, why shouldn't it be a requirement before you get married. And frequent check-ups, i.e. marriage counseling along the way. If you get an annual physical, you should have one for your marriage too.

But back to the lovebirds, Tom and Katie. Okay, did the guest list seem a little strange to you? I mean JLo and Marc Anthony? Do they even know them? Why would you invite JLo and Marc Anthony and not Oprah? Seriously, which celebrity do you think is going to give you a better gift.

Let's see: Oprah, ending poverty in a small town, JLo and Marc Anthony, a gift certificate for her clothing line and perfume, dance lessons, recipes from Madre?

I'm hoping that his inviting Brooke Shields is a sign that they've truly become friends and not part of some publicity thing to get his career back on track. Brooke is too nice and sweet to be used that way. But how cool to get to go to an extravagant wedding in Italy.

Anyway, I sincerely hope that Katie's dreams have come true and that this is a true love match.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Publishing Controversies

So, Harpers Collins and Newscorp decided to dump the OJ Simpson book and TV interview. Rupert Murdoch sent out a statement saying that it was an 'ill-considered' move on their part. Really now? Let me guess, stock price at Newscorp go tumbling? Too many affliates decided not to run the show. Booksellers like Borders saying they planned to donate all proceeds from the books to charity. Too many independent booksellers saying they wouldn't stock the book?

Let's face it, if Newscorp thought they were actually going to make some money of this book, they would have continued to publish it in the face of the controversy. But when everyone, including the people you are depending on to help promote the book, and to sell it, don't want to, you have to fold up your tent and go.

What sucks the most out of this, is that OJ doesn't have to return the money, since Harper Collins cancelled the book. And he hid his tracks so well (the man has a good team of lawyers) that it will take years for the Goldman and Brown families to find out where the money trail leads.

And Judith Regan? Her contention that she felt that the book was OJ's confession, and that's the only reason why she was interested was ludicrous. Did anyone buy that? And then her statement that well, she was a battered wife and she was publishing the book for them, to prove how a powerful man can hide his crimes? Unfortunately, Ms. Regan will live to publish again.

I hate censorship, but I have to say that in this case, I thought that Harper Collins publishing this book was in poor taste.

In other news, I read today that parents in a town in Illinois want to ban a book about how two male penguins raise a baby penguin because it promotes a homosexual lifestyle. Okay, first of all, the book is based on a true story. Second, they're penguins, people. Not humans, but birds who live in cold climates. Let's forget the fact that the book is a sweet story, or that it shows that two males, whether human or animal, can nuture a baby. Let's just focus on the fact that's it tow members of the same sex.

Oy! Now that kind of censorship really burns my but. When they start picking on innocent picture books.

Thanks for reading.

EKM

Discovering a New Artist

I went to an art opening on Friday night downtown in Soho, which I haven't done since my best friend was dating a guy who owned his own art gallery down on Wooster Street. But a colleague from work told me about this amazing artist, Daniel Merriam, and gave me the link to the gallery website, and I just fell in love with the art.

I'm no art historian, I'm one of those people who know what they like. And I really like Daniel Merriam's art. His paintings are so surrealistic and fantastical. You just want to create stories around the paintings. They provoke and stimulate the imagination.

I'm not a big fan of abstract painting. I can appreciate the talent and technique of Picasso, Francis Bacon, and Jackson Pollack, but I don't want their stuffing hanging in my house. My taste runs more to the impressionists or Chagall, Georgia O'Keefe, or even Frida Kahlo.

Daniel Merriam's art reminds me of the artist Maxfield Parrish, or Heironymous Bosch, sort of larger than life art, but still grounded. Plus the colors are astounding! There are very few artists that I would want to own, and Daniel Merriam is one of them. I also long to collect Disney animation cells.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to make Eloisa James or Julia Quinn type of money before I can afford to buy one of his paintings. Of course, the ones that I really liked were going for $60,000. The cheapest were limited edition prints that were going for $600. Wow, I could sell a kidney and maybe then I would be able to afford a painting.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

The Best Bond Ever!

Isn't this a sexy picture. That's Daniel Craig as James Bond and Eva Green as Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale, the best Bond picture ever and the best James Bond.

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this film. Casino Royale actually is the first book in the series of James Bond books by Ian Fleming (who amazingly enough aslo wrote the book that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is based on).

What you get in this book, is the origins of James Bond, or at least you get to see the man before he becomes the James Bond of Dr. No etc. In this Bond, he's just achieved his 007 status, and it's clear that he doesn't play by the rules.

I don't want to put up any spoilers, but I will say that what I love about Daniel Craig, is that he's a real man. You believe him when he's waving a gun around. You don't know whether he's going to shoot your or kiss you. The only other actor that I can think of who has that quality is Clive Owen (Russell Crowe would just shoot you, or beat you with a phone).

The fact that this Bond is blond? Who cares! What does that have to do with anything? Oh right because the previous bonds had all been brunets, apart from Roger Moore is kind of blond, but who always looked to me like he'd rather be sitting in the bar, then shooting anyone.

I have to say straight up that I've never been a huge Bond fan. I didn't start seeing the movies until Timothy Dalton was cast, because I adore him. I'd seen bits and pieces of the other films, but they just seemed to be full of gadgets and women moaning 'Oh James' before they get blown to bits or covered in gold paint. The only Sean Connery Bond that I've seen all the way through is the remake he did of Thunderball with Kim Basinger. I've never seen any of the Roger Moore movies all the way through, because he annoys me. I did see all four Pierce Brosnan movies, because I like him, but I felt that the villains were never that interesting. Robert Carlyle was wasted in The World is not Enough or Tomorrow Never Comes of which ever one he was in with Michelle Yeoh and Sophie Marceau.

But this Bond, I know I'm going to see again. When James Bond fights in this movie, he bleeds, you can tell that he's hurt and that he suffers. Not to mention, how hot Daniel Craig looks in his bathing suit or in his tuxedo. And the relationship that he forges with Vesper Lynd in this movie is wonderfully romantic and sexy. The scene between the two of them at the end, is so sad, it just breaks your heart.

So I give Casino Royale an A-. I look forward to seeing what else Daniel Craig can do in the role. If the writing is as good as it was in this one, the Bond franchise has now been successfully reborn.

Hot Stuff

This is going to be a short post, because I'm severely hung over. I went out last night to see a wonderful artist named Daniel Merriam at a gallery called Animazing down in SoHo. Unfortunately, I got lost on the way there, and ended up on the Lower East Side near the Williamsburg bridge. I took a wrong turn when I got off the subway at Spring St.

I finally had to take a cab to the gallery. When I got there, I met up with some work colleagues, and interestingly enough met two guys, which was unusual for me, considering my luck lately. I had planned on trying to meet the artist, because he was cute, but it turns out that he's married and lives in Maui. Call me madcap, but even if he were single, Maui and New York arent' exactly geographically close.

Both guys were attractive, employed and younger than me. The question became which one did I focus on? I finally decided to focus most of my attention on the Scottish guy. I confess I love Scotsmen. I dated a Scotsman in London when I was working there, and since then Scotsmen have always had a special place in my heart.

We went out to a Thai restaurant on Spring St. called Kin Khao. Excellent, if you're ever in New York and you want to have some really good Thai food. Afterwards, Scottish Guy and I went to Balthaszar and had a few more drinks.

I don't know if I'll see him again. I have a feeling that I won't, but it was nice after Fun Guy to have someone find me sexy and cute.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Oh, and Casino Royale is fabulous. Run dont' walk to the cinema to see it.

Only One More Day!

Only one more day until Casino Royale opens with Daniel Craig and I can't wait. I plan on seeing it on Saturday at the Zeigfeld which is one of the few movie theatres left in this city that isn't a multi-plex, in fact I think it's the only one in Manhattan. I'd go tomorrow, but I'm going to an exhibition of an artist who does amazingly fantastical, surrealistic paintings.

I still feel like crap, and I didn't even get a flu shot, which is what's taking alot of people down. Oh, and it's fun guy's birthday. Happy Birthday Fun Guy! I sent along birthday wishes through a friend. I could send him a note or an e-card myself but since he made no effort to wish me a happy birthday, I'm making the minimum effort for him. If I wasn't such a nice person, I wouldn't wish him a happy birthday at all, but unlike Judith Regan, I believe in good karma. You put out good stuff, and eventually it will come back to you.

Mercury comes out of retrograde like tomorrow, and frankly it can't come soon enough for me. Oh, this is funny. An agent that I submitted to twice, I sent her a follow-up email concerning the last submission I emailed her, and she emails me back asking for me to submit to her! I almost fell over when I read the email. I'm going on the premise that she's had serious computer problems, and that's why she hasn't read the other two email submissions that I sent her. Here's hoping that the third time is the charm.

Thanks for reading.

EKM

The End of the World as We Know It

Okay, I saw this last night while I was surfing the internet at work. At first I thought it had to be a huge joke. But it turned out to be horribly, horribly rea.

I'm telling you I almost threw up in my mouth a little when I read it on USA Today. Some things are so unbelievably offensive, they require no comment whatsoever. Here is the press release from Fox. (Trust me, I only wish I were making this up.)

JUDITH REGAN’S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH O.J. SIMPSON

“O.J. SIMPSON: IF I DID IT, HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED”

TO AIR AS A TWO-PART SPECIAL ON FOX

Special to Air Over Two Nights:

Monday, November 27, and Wednesday, November 29

Over 10 years after he was tried for two murders in the "Trial of the Century" that captured the attention of the world, O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes. Noted publisher Judith Regan will talk with Simpson in a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred interview that will be the basis of a two-part special, O.J. SIMPSON: IF I DID IT, HERE’S HOW IT HAPPENED (working title), airing Monday, Nov. 27 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Wednesday, Nov. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

The Simpson criminal and civil trials captivated people around the world for a decade, and now no topics are off-limits -- Simpson has agreed to an unrestricted interview with Regan. In the two-part event, Simpson describes how he would have carried out the murders he has vehemently denied committing for over a decade.

"This is an interview that no one thought would ever happen. It’s the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century," said Mike Darnell, Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming.

Although acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Simpson was later sued in civil court, found responsible for both murders and ordered to pay $33.5 million in restitution to the families of the victims. A decade later, Simpson has written a book that hypothetically describes how the murders would have been committed. If I Did It will go on sale Thursday, Nov. 30, under the REGAN imprint.

Is this not the most disgusting, offensive, loathsome thing on the planet? Shame on Judith Regan and Harper Collins for publishing this book. And big shame on Rupert Murdoch for letting it go through. I don't believe in censorship, but come on, what is the sense in publishing this book?

What would motivate you to write this book but money? Come on, writing a book about how if you hypothetically had killed your wife, this is how you would have done it?

I have to say straight up that I believe that O.J. killed Nicole and Ron Goldman, so I find this book particularly loathsome. If there is such a thing as karma (and I believe there is), I hope this comes back and bites him big time on the ass. I hope both families sue him for the money from his book. I hope this book is pulped.

Judith Regan has sunk to a new low. It was bad enough to publish a book by Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's ex-boyfriend Michael Bergin which pretty much dragged her poor dead body through the mud but O.J.?

Ugh, I need to take a shower now, I feel so dirty even blogging about this.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Stop the World, I want to get off

I've just moved my blog to the latest version of blogger. That's one thing that's been going right lately.

Do you ever have those days when you just want to crawl into a hole and pull it in after you? Or just sleep 24 hours without waking up? Just pull the covers over your head until things settle down? Well, that's the way I've been feeling lately. I've been so stressed with work, more work, writing, and friends who seem to just keep taking until I have nothing left to give anymore.

Ever since I've been back from London, I've been like the energizer bunny. I went right back to work the day after I came back to both of my jobs. Then my chapter had our 20th anniversary event. Then my birthday parties (I've had about 3 now). I've also been trying to put into play the revisions I have to do for my first YA, at the same time trying to continue with my current YA for the class that I'm taking.

Then we had our November chapter meeting, and we've just finished making the arrangements for our first Christmas lunch. Normally, we've had our Christmas party at one of our member's gorgeous apartment overlooking Washington Square Park. But unfortunately BD moved to Washington DC (her husband is the head of the business school at one of the universities), and we had to make other arrangements.

I found a great restaurant with a fabulous private room, but it's not cheap. And I'm waiting for the fall out when the members find out just how much it's going to cost them. Now I have to write my President's letter for December. P.S. I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to come up with 24 more President's letters over the next two years.

Then I have family issues to deal with that are consuming up a shit load of my time. Plus, trying to have a social life, and ooh I don't know, find a guy that I like, who doesn't have commitment issues. Just a thought.

Now I'm fighting off a cold and I feel like crap. I did finally take an exercise class on Sunday, which did a great deal to relieve some of my stress, but not enough. Getting up in the morning to go to work is like wading through quicksand for me. I need more sleep! Or sex, one of the two.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

How May Of Me

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 71 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

You Are a Cherry Jelly Bean

Sweet yet strong, you have a distinct personality without being a weirdo. You're the most normal of all flavors - but you're never boring.

What Flavor Jelly Bean Are You?

(I'm a Cherry Jelly Bean)

When Pretty Girls Get Ugly

This is Vanessa Minillo from Entertainment Tonight/ET aka Nick Lachey's girlfriend dressed for her hard-hitting investigative report on whether or not people treat 'Ugly' girls differently than pretty girls.

Guess what? She discovered that they do! Quelle surprise. What a novel theory.

Can I just say how tired I am of seeing woman like Tyra Banks and Vanessa Minillo putting on a fat suit and a bad wig to try to experience life on the other side. The bottom line for these women is that at the end of the day, they get to take off the fat and put on a Gucci mini-dress, Jimmy Choos and go back to their fabulous lives as B and C list celebrities.

Oh, they cry and wring their hands about how cruel people are, and how they've been changed by the experience. But do we really believe that in a week or two they're even going to remember it?

Any girl who has ever been even slightly overweight knows what it's like to grow up feeling invisible, and to be picked on.

I certainly know what it's like to be the last one to be picked in every gym class for a team, and to be made fun of because I was chubby or because I developed early. I hope that because of that experience, it's made me more compassionate. I certainly don't need to put on a fat suit or make myself look ugly to learn that.

Most women know that if we put on make-up, or a pretty dress and smile, we get treated differently than if we don't. It's no big secret. Still it just burns my butt when women like Tyra and Vanessa think they're doing something noble by 'getting ugly.'

What do other people think?

Thanks for reading!

EKm

Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

So I spent a day looking over my partial of my first YA, thinking about the notes that an agent gave me who wants to look at a revised submission. *Sigh* After reading it again, I really, really like what I've written, which is so unusual for me. Most of the time, I'm thinking about all the things I've gotten wrong. While I agree with some of the proposed changes, I'm not sure that I agree with all of them.

For example, I don't agree that one of the main female characters is whiny, but I think that because my first person POV voice is so strong, it might come across that way, or maybe it's this agents perception of what she herself was like as a teenager. After watching several episodes of My Super Sweet Sixteen, Hermione is so not as whiny as those beatches. However, switching to the third person might soften her a little.

I do agree that I need to move the paranormal element to the beginning of the book and have the paranormal character comment more on the action of the story and also bring in the fairies sooner than I do.

I hope to have the revisions done in time for Mercury to make it's way out of retrograde. I can then email them to her and see what her reaction is. If she likes it, I then have to go through the whole manuscript and change it to the third person.

In the meantime, I have several other agents interested in reading the manuscript. Part of my problem I think that I'm having with the revisions is that I'm not sure this agent and I are a good fit. She didn't seem excited when I told her that I envisioned this first book as part of a series. She seemed more focused on the fact that the book had a paranormal element and paranormal is hot right now. But that's not what the book is about, that's just one part of it.

I'm happy that this agent seems interested in enough to want to see a revision, but I don't want to just sign with an agent to be signed. I've seen that happen to friends, and that can set you back like a year or more in your career. I want an agent who gets my writing, gets what I'm trying to do, and can guide me a little bit. We need to be on the same page.

I also have to at some point finish my current YA manuscript. I'm on the first draft, and I need to beef up the character elements in it.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Oh no she didn't!

So Britney finally wised up and kicked K-Fed to the curb. Thank God! Girlfriend finally saw sense and dropped his broke do-nothing, no talented, lazy, spend no time with his kids, ass. Although I'm sorry that little Sean Preston and Jayden James (personally I liked Sutton Pierce better, what you do wanna bet that she changes the kids name again) will come from a broken home, but hopefully Britney can move on, get her career back on track and find a man who wants more than to ride her coattails to a questionable career as a really bad rapper.

Come on though didn't we all see this coming? Better yet, didn't Britney see this coming? She had to have known that a man who would dump his pregnant girlfriend for her was ultimately bad news.
Thank god, she apparently managed to get him to sign a pre-nup agreement that gives him basically nothing, but the track suit on his back.

I'd like to see Britney and Whitney start their own version of the First Wives Club, maybe write a book about how to deal with your trifling hubby. Ooh, they could record a duet together. She's with Jive Records which is owned by Arista. It's entirely possible that Clive Davis could hook the two of them up.

Isn't amazing how they both cleaned up their acts, the minute they decided to dump the chump? Both Whitney and Britney are looking better than they have for years. Britney even cleaned up her roots and is starting to dress less like she's auditioning for the movie version of L'il Abner, and more like the pop princess we've come to know and love.

The woman who frenched Madonna, and wore a snake around her neck on live TV.

Welcome back Britney, we missed you!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Books, Books, Books

So today's post is all about the lovely bookstores of London. And I do mean lovely. London must have more bookstores per square foot than any other city in the world. Seriously. If you walk up Charing Cross in London you'll pass at least 10 or more bookstores. That includes the big chains like Waterstones, Blackwells, Hatchards and Borders. Yes, there is a Borders in London. In fact there are two that I know of, one on Charing Cross and the other in Islington where the Sephora is. There used to a chain called Books etc, but I think they died apart from the one at Gatwick Airport. Also, WH Smith and John Menzies which are large chains of Newsagents also carry books. You can find one at either airport. A good place to stock up on those UK magazines, crisps, and chocolate before you get on the plane.

My favorite bookstores are Waterstones, Foyles and Murder One. Waterstones is like a more upscale version of Borders. In fact, I think that when Borders opened that lead them Waterstones to add a cafe in their gigantic store on Piccadilly. What's great about UK bookstores is that they are actually well-stocked compared to American bookstores. Read this week's At the Back Fence at All About Romance to read about the sorry state of American bookstores where most of the staff haven't the faintest clue about the books they are carrying.

At Waterstones in Piccadilly, the fiction section is huge. It takes up the entire floor, plus it's divided into romance, fiction, classics, mystery, and science fiction/fantasy plus graphic novels. You can find Georgette Heyer's entire oeuvre at Waterstones. Plus they carry all the Mills & Boon/Harlequin Romances as well as a nice selection of American romances.

Foyle's is hands down the most frustrating bookstore in the world or at least it used to be. They'd made a lot of changes in the store. For one thing, it's cleaner and the books are better organized than they used to be. When I first started going to Foyle's, they used to divide the books not by genre but by publisher. So it wasn't enough to know the title of the book when you came in, you had to know the publisher as well. Then you had to go to two different tills before you could take your book and walk out of the store. One clerk made up the bill slip, and then you went to a cashier to pay for the book. I don't know if that system is still in place but it was tres weird.

Murder One is a bookstore on Charing Cross that carries only mysteries and romance novels. They even carry Romantic Times or RT Book Club. Here you can find pretty much every romance novel that's been published both in the UK and in the US. That means books that have been imported and not published by a UK publisher. Like here in the States, Rachel Gibson is published by Avon but in the UK, she's published by Little Black Dress (Hodder Headline), but other American authors don't have a UK publisher, so you end up paying more than twice the price for their books. What was great about this bookstore, was that I was able to find a couple of Mills & Boon authors that haven't been published in the States yet like Julie Cohen. I found two of her Mills & Boon Modern Romance Extra books (think Temptation), plus her single title.

Because books are so much more expensive than they are here (for example Rupert Everett's autobiography was 15 pounds which is almost 30 dollars here), I tried to limit what I bought. Also I didn't have much room in my suitcase. So I bought 3 of Julie Cohen's books, the Rupert autobio and a book by Fiona Walker. I almost bought Melissa Nathan's last book but I couldn't after I read the dedication. It was the last book she wrote before she died of cancer, and she dedicated it to her little boy who she wouldn't see grow up. I just burst into tears and I had to put the book back.

Speaking of books, I bought the Janet Evanovich book on writing the other day. Almost bought several other new writing books but I managed to contain myself, at least for now.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Here they are: RWA NYC Golden Apple Awards

Hey! I thought I post some pictures from our Golden Apple Awards reception that took place about two weeks ago in lieu of a full post. I'm a little tired today. Saturday was our chapter meeting and then I went out twice to celebrate my birthday. Once with friends from the chapter who bought me a lovely gold card case from the Met, and then again with one of my best friends. Yesterday, I worked until almost 1 a.m. writing two shows, Fall of the Empire: Rome on Tiberius Gracchus and Without a Trace.

This morning getting to work was nightmare. All the trains were backed up because someone was sick on a train at the 59th Street station. There were no cabs to be had and the buses were a nightmare. I finally managed to get an express train at 96th but I was still almost an 1 1/2 late this morning. Thanks mercury in retrograde.

That's me in the red dress looking a little hippy I might add. Not a good angle for me.

That's agent Ethan Ellenberg reading a statement from Bertrice Small, who was our author of the year. With me are Vice President's Darlene James (on the left) and Barbara Gale who helped give out the awards.









This lovely lady is editor Leslie Wainger from Harlequin Silhouette who was our Editor of the Year. I'm in the background looking at my notes to prepare for the next introduction. I started off with author, then agent, editor, and then finally publisher, to illustrate the trajectory of an author's career. You get the picture. I thought it was mildly cute.






And finally we have our Publisher Walter Zacharius who announced that at the tender age of 80 something, he's starting a film company with Roy Campanella (legendary Dodger short-stop or catcher, I'm not sure which but he's legendary!) to make low-budget African-American films. Gotta love it. He started Kensington in his fifties after years in the business and published his first novel 2 years ago when he was 80. We should all have his energy.


So that's it for today. I promise to be back tomorrow to talk about bookstores in London.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Marvelous Marie

Yeah, Blogger has finally let me upload a picture to the site. Phew! That's a relief. I thought I'd never get to that again.

Well, last night was my birthday and I went out with my lovely friends to SAPA for $5 happy hour. Unfortunately they did not have my favorite cornmeal crusted oysters, although they did have oysters on the half-shell which I love. One of my good friends brought me a dozen of the most gorgeous roses, and a particularly lovely set of earrings and a necklace, which I promptly put on.

Then three of us went to see Marie Antoinette since it was also her birthday yesterday. Can I just say what a sumptously lovely film it was? Not to mention that Sophia Coppola managed to get the French government to actually let her film at Versailles. Ooh la la! My head was filled with visions of chocolates and macarons, not to mention escargot and lots of French champagne.

When I was in London, my friend Chip and I cracked open a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Rose, a lovely pink champagne which was excellent. I adore pink champagne. When we were walking down what Chip likes to call Old Condom Street (Old Compton Street), we saw mini-bottles of Moet and Chandon Rose. Sigh, I miss London.

I came home to find a birthday card from my former in-laws which was very sweet of them. I had hoped that Fun Guy might at least call me for my birthday or relay a message through our mutual friend birthday wishes (he knew it was my birthday) but it was not to be. When am I ever going to stop hoping that people are really good at heart?

Anywhoo, back to the film, the only quibble that I have with the film was the lack of characterization. Some things were glossed over that I thought were particularly important like the reason the Dauphin couldn't consummate the marriage. He had a medical condition that required surgery. Also her affair with Axel Fersen was just seen in a few brief scenes, in fact I dont' think the guy had any actual lines. One minute she's meeting him, the next they're having sex.

The one thing that she did get right was the stultifying amout of protocol that went on in the Royal Court from dusk to dawn. And the gossiping, although there could have been more made of that as well. The Affair of the Necklace wasn't really mentioned, nor the way the French women at court treated her as an interloper because she was Austrian, although her father was the Duke of Lorraine.

The whole Madame duBarry sequence didn't ring true to me either. I would have liked to have seen the women that she hung around with encouraging her more to vicious to the King's mistress. I really liked Kirsten Dunst, and she was certainly naive enough in the early scenes but again it didn't go far enough. Marie Antoinette was only 14 when she was married off to the Dauphin. She was torn away from everything that she knew and loved, all her women were taken away, not to mention her dog (very nice scene by the way when this happened). I would have liked to have seen more homesickness.

So I give the movie a B+ instead of an A. The worst moment of the evening was when I lost one of the earrings that I'd just been given and we couldn't find it in the movie theater. That put a huge damper on the evening.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, today is indeed my birthday along with alot of other people, but they don't count apart from my friend, J, who is my birthday buddy but 3 years younger than me, that bitch!

I thought I'd share some of the birthday horoscopes, or horrorscopes I've pulled from the web for my special day. I'm off with some friends to SAPA tonight for nibblies, and then off to see Marie Antoinette, since it's her birthday too, although she's dead. But I've heard she was quite the partier in her time.

It is also the day two of the Day of the Dead in Mexico.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY Nov. 2, 2006 HOROSCOPES

You have what it takes if you are focused and direct. Creativity stems from your natural mental and emotional resourcefulness. Methodical might be your defining style, but you are also capable of enormous leaps of imagination and process. If you are single and have not met your sweetie yet, you might not be waiting much longer! If you are attached, allow great excitement and nurturing into your life. ARIES adds to the quality of your daily life.

Sydney Omarr

Let the valuable memories of the help you've received in your life inspire you to help other people today. Your selfless nature runs deeper than the people in your life realize, and it's time for you to let them know how generous you can be. Get involved in a low-profile volunteer activity; it will give you a great sense of accomplishment. Even donating old furniture, clothes or used books will mean a lot.

Birthday Horoscopes for 11/02

The November 2nd person has keen instincts and uses them to adapt to changes around them. The moon which is the ruling planet for this day gives a mothering tone to people born on this day. This can be used in a good way but has the potential to effect those around them in a negative way if its used in a manipulative manner. As a Mate the November 2nd person can provide overwhelming amounts of sex and monetary comforts. The mate of this person must be willing to adapt to the many changes in this persons life.

A look ahead; Change in our life is actually a constant, for we have been dying since our first day and will continue to do so till our last.

Famous Birthdays; David Schwimmer, Pat Buchanan, Stefanie Powers, Burt Lancaster, K. D. Laing, Marie Antoinette, Daniel Boone, Nelly, James K. Polk, Warren G. Harding, Ray Walston, Phil Woods, Earl "Speedo" Carroll (The Cadillacs/The Coasters), Bobby Dall (Poison).

(Okay how sad is that I share a birthday with Pat Buchanan, and one of the worst presidents in US History, but yeah on the KD Laing and Nelly).

Scorpio's Birthday Reading

This year is about discovering and using the power of love. There's no trick involved; in fact, sincerity is required. Anticipate miracles. (I particularly like this one)

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Trisha!

So I promised that I would blog about my trip to London. Sorry about the lack of pictures but I've been going to London for so long that I just don't take pictures anymore, plus I don't have a digital camera apart from those cheap ones that you can buy in the drug store. Normally, when I'm in London, if I take pictures it's when I'm out in the countryside exploring other parts of England but I stuck to London this time mainly because of weather and there were so many people that I wanted to see.

However, I did take a trip outside London to Maidstone to watch a taping of the Trisha Goddard show. Trisha Goddard is sort of the British equivalent of Oprah mixed with a little Sally Jessy Raphael. What I mean by that is that she's genuinely interested in helping people like Oprah but her shows tend to be more sensationalistic like Oprah's used to be before she decided to use her power for good rather than evil.

Trisha is a celebrity in the UK, and you have to remember that aren't that many black celebrities in Britain. Although she's English, her career actually started in Australia where again she was one of the few non-whites on television. Seriously, they didn't even have an aboriginal newscaster until several years ago.

What makes Trisha different from say Sharon Osbourne who also has a chat show in Britain (she just took the one she was doing here and transported the whole set to the UK), is that she has a degree in conflict resolution.

The reason why I traipsed out to Maidstone at the early hour of 9 in the morning is because my friend Chip has a friend who directs the show, and he invited us to come watch the taping of the last two shows of the week. Apparently they tape all five shows in two days. When we got there we checked in and got our lovely badges, and then were whisked backstage to the production book where J was getting ready to direct the first episode. We watched themtape the intros for the show.

I wasn't sure what to expect and I thought the first show was going to go in a completely different direction than it did. Trisha's first guest was this skank who masqueraded as a journalist named Tara who had a six week relationship with the head of the Crystal Palace FC. After he dumped her, she sent him threatening emails, sometimes up to 200 a day. Then Tara came out on stage in a strapless gingham sundress, dark fishnets and yellow sandals, posing madly. It turns out that she deliberately harassed this guy, hoping that she would be arrested. At first she claimed it was because she wanted the world to know what a bully he was, but then it turned out that she had really done it for the publicity. What, there were no reality shows casting at the time?

So after that, I expected more guests who were similar but the next guest was a man who's son had died in this entertainer Michael Barrymore's swimming pool 5 years ago. The poor man still hasn't gotten closure over his son's death. His health has been ruined, his long-term girlfriend has left him. His only support is his younger son. It was so sad.

The other segments included a lesbian couple who wanted to change the laws on assisted suicide (one of the women has the gene for Huntington's disease, and she's already seen other relatives die of the disease), and a woman who had been abused in a group home as a child, who hadn't told her boyfriend about the abuse until she was called to give testimony at the abuser's trial.

We sat in the audience for this one, and I was even planning on asking a question. I raised my hand and everything but didn't get picked. Darn! For the second show (about people who abuse themselves) Chip and I sat up in the book watching J direct. That was fascinating. Although for one of the promos they filmed, they had this poor woman who was overweight sitting in front of two huge plates of sandwiches and cake to introduce the fact that she was an overeater.

Afterwards, J told us that they have a hard time getting guests for the show sometimes. It seems that Brits aren't as eager to share their dirty laundry as Americans. I noticed that Trisha didn't probe too deep with any of the guests. Totally different than here where if you don't share, you don't get on the show. And where they ambush you regularly on certain shows like Jerry Springer and Maury.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

P.S. Blogger is giving me fits again with the picture thing.

Happy Halloween!

Can you believe it's Halloween already? And I haven't even eaten any candy corn, what's up with that? Candy corn used to be my favorite Halloween candy even though you can feel the cavities form while you're eating it.

Saw this cute blog quiz:

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

A Sexy Bunny

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Funnily enough, I've alway kind of hankered after being a bunny on Halloween but after trying on the costume, I decided the world didn't need to see that much of my thighs. Maybe in my twenties, I might have gotten away with it.

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, even though as a kid I wasn't allowed to go trick-or-treating in my neighborhood because at the time it was too dangerous, so I pretty much had to stick to my building. And even then, my mother diligently doled out the candy I got and made sure that I didn't eat any of the apples.

Did you know that Houdini died on Halloween? I was actually thinking of going to see The Prestige tonight in honor of him. I just read on the web yesterday, that a new book was coming out today claiming that Houdini was a secret agent, and may have been murdered due to his efforts to debunk the spiritualist movement. Just before he died, he'd made it a practice to expose all the fake mediums that were operating in the twenties. He even fell out with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle over it. Houdini challenged any medium to see if they could put him in contact with his late mother (he was a mama's boy).

Can you imagine what he would make of the John Edward's and psychic hotlines that proliferate nowadays? That I would pay to see, Houdini vs. John Edwards.

Anyway, I was just thinking last night about the fact that there don't seem to be any women magicians. I wonder why that is? Is there like some kind of prejudice against women in the profession that keeps them as just assistants, or are women just not interested?

Gee, I'd better stop before I start plotting something!

Happy Halloween!

EKM

Birthday Countdown

Okay, it's approximately three days until my birthday on Thursday, and Mercury is firmly entrenched in retrograde people. I just read on People.com that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe have split up. What is it with women winning Oscars and then splitting with their significant others? First Julia Roberts splits up with Benjamin Bratt, and yeah, they are now happily with other people and having babies. Then Halle Berry finally kicks out her cheating hubby who then blames his cheating on her, saying that she emasculated him with her success. Next up we have Hilary Swank who not only splits with Chad Lowe but decides to tell the whole world that he had a substance abuse problem, but didn't bother to take into account that her hubby might not want the whole world knowing. But hey anything to make you look better.

Now we have America's Sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe splitting up after 7 years and two children. I'm telling you it's the Oscar curse. The only Best Actress not to split up with her significan other has been Charlize Theron who is still with Stuart Townsend, and I hope those two crazy kids can keep it together, despite the differences in their stature in LA. Oh and let's not forget that Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger didn't last too long after her Oscar win.

This is of course on the heels of Keith Urban having to check into rehab four months after marrying Nicole Kidman who has spent huge chunks of their marriage overseas working.

I was just thinking the other day about how hard it is as a female star to have a successful marriage with another actor. Julia Roberts is married to a cameraman (smart choice Julia), but it seems like woman have to sacrifice alot to be married to another actor. Let's face Nicole Kidman didn't really come into her own until she got rid of Tom Cruise (take note of just how many projects Katie Holmes ends up doing once she's the second Mrs. Tom Cruise). Goldie Hawn hasn't worked in years really, and Rita Wilson and Kate Capshaw are known more for being married to Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg than anything they might have done.

It seems if you are a successful woman, you can't have a successful relationship. I'm exaggerating, but it's not easy, particularly if you're married to a man with ambition. Don't forget that the Donald dumped Ivana soon after she started working for him. Who is he married to now? A much younger model.

Does anyone know of any extremely successful women other than Kelly Ripa and Meredith Viera (and Hilary Clinton) who have great marriages?

Thanks for reading.

EKM

Happy Daylight Savings Time

So blogger is giving me fits today. It just ate the lovely post that I wrote about my day yesterday, so I'm going to attempt to remember what I wrote.

Well, yesterday was my friend's little boy's first birthday. I think I mentioned that Fun Guy and Auction Guy would be there. This would be the first time in like two months that I've seen Fun Guy since he basically dumped me by not calling me. So of course, knowing that I would be seeing them both, I had to look hot.

So I bought this skirt from The Gap. And I also bought this red turtleneck as well. I paired them with an ancient pair of black platform boots that I had lying around in my closet. Early in the day it was pouring down rain, so I decided against having my hair blown out again. I did however color it to get rid of the few grays that I have with Garnier High-Lift Browns (in Golden Brown) as opposed to L'Oreal which wrecks my hair.

Anyway, I had thought about wearing fishnets but it looked too slutty so I ran out to Rite-Aid and bought a pair of L'Eggs. Of course when I got to the party, Auction Guy ignored me as usual. Things went better with Fun Guy. We actually managed to have a conversation although it felt weird and awkward to me. Like we'd never dated or anything. Oh well. I did find out that he was going to a party dressed like the dad in the Incredibles. And just like in the movie, he had a hard time getting the costume on. In fact it didn't quite close so he had to wear a red T-shirt underneath. Can I just say how I laughed inside when I heard that?

I had bought two great gifts for my friend's boys at Hamley's which is like the F.A.O. Schwartz of London. It's located on Regent's Street, which is one of the two big shopping streets in London, the other being Oxford Street. Hamley's is 5 floors, of toys, books, games, and stuffed animals. I must have spent an hour trying to find the perfect gifts for two boys who literally have everything. I finally found two toys that I hope they liked, a toy truck and a toy train.

I had a bit of Mercury Retrograde melt-down because I thought my close friend was going to a Hen night on my birthday instead of joining me. Of course, the fact that I hadn't actually gotten around to inviting anyone out might have had something to do with it. Still she could have kept the date open just in case. I mean, I lead a busy life, it would be nice if someone else could plan my birthday for me, instead of me having to always do the work.

Went to a Halloween Party last night. I didn't have time to really put something together so I went as Femme Fatale, International Woman of Mystery, Agent 69. By day, she's a lowly assistant in the fashion closet at Belle magazine, at night she keeps the world safe for democracy, armed only with her wit, charm, and a killer pair of stillettos (literally). The only problem is that she keeps having to take off days for her missions.

I wore an old black velvet evening gown that was slit almost to crotch level, black velvet gloves, and black suede stillettos. Had a great time at the party, inviting everyone out to my birthday. Heard disturbing news though about an old beau of mine. I won't get into details, but it made me grateful that we had never gotten serious.

I'd forgotten how much I love dancing, now I'm investigating taking ballroom dancing classes here in New York. I'd love to learn the samba and the rhumba. Dancing makes me incredibly happy and that's what I'm all about right now.

Thanks for reading.

EKM

Happy Anniversary, RWA NYC!

Last night we had our 20th Anniversary party for our chapter, where we honored such icons as Kathyrn Falk, Steven Axelrod, Leslie Wainger, Bertrice Small, and Walter Zacharius. I hope to post pictures as they become available.

We had so much food it wasn't even funny. Probably because we asked the chapter members to bring food to keep the costs down, and they more than came through. I was so proud of our members, and I plan on letting them know in my December President's letter in Keynotes. I refrained from drinking until after the presentation, primarily because I didn't want to end up like very drunk agent, who was supposed to be there last night but wisely refrained from attending although it would have been nice for our members to get a chance to pitch to her.

I tried to circulate to keep people out of introverts corner, even making sure that one of our members pitched her YA manuscript to an agent. Not to be left out, I even managed to talk to a couple of editors along the way.

Next year, I need to practice my remarks beforehand. I forgot to say a few things but I literally had no time this week to prepare, which was my fault but life sometimes gets in the way. However I did get plenty of great compliments on my dress. If I had a pound sterling for every great compliment I got, I'd still have to eat soup in order to pay for the dress!

Afterward, I went out with some members to have a quick drink and bite before heading home. It was nice to get a chance to unwind and really talk for a bit. The cocktail party could get a little frenetic. I felt a little bad not staying for the whole of the clean-up, but I did arrive early for the set up, so I did my presidential duty that way.

Next year, I think we might go back to having it in September. I get the feeling that most of the industry people are a little tired by October after attending so many conferences. Something to discuss with my new board who are taking office in January.

Learned some juicy gossip. Apparently Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams are about to split up, which is why they sold their townhouse in Brooklyn. I dont' know if this is true, I hope not. But that's what happens when you make a movie together, get pregnant right away. You don't really know who you are as people.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Horrorscopes

Thanks once again to Julie Hill for her horoscopes on Publisher's Marketplace.

Libra: Money matters coming up? Spending more and saving less? At least this time when you shop you'll acquire something that you'll have for a very long time. Hopefully it is a good agent, a great editor, or a golden idea.

Scorpio: I can hear the bellyaching from here. You got a bit spoiled, now you have to go back to real life and scrounge for the next meal ticket. You have the talent, you have the luck, you just need to get out of that easy chair. Less football, more writing.

How true, how true, the scorpio one is. Not watching football, but I still have about 6 hours of TV that I taped while I was on vacation to watch plus a new Grey's Anatomy is on tonight. I'm hoping the Libra one is true as well since I have been spending a bit of money lately.

EKM

Thank God It's Thursday

Blogger is giving me fits today. I've been trying to upload a picture of the dress I'm wearing to RWA NYC's 20th Anniversary reception tonight but it won't come out. Hopefully, I'll be able to load it later on.

Can I just say I'm so glad it's Thursday? Because that means it's one more day to Friday and the weekend, and I'm so ready for it to be here. I'm telling you coming back to work in the middle of the week, is not always the best idea. Maybe if my flight had arrived on time on Tuesday, I'd be feeling less tired, or then again, maybe if I hadn't worked last night until almost 1 a.m. at my night job, I wouldn't be so tired.

By the way, I watched 'Lost' last night for work, and I just don't get it, what it is that people find so fascinating about this show. It's like Gilligan's Island but spooky. Maybe if I had watched it from the beginning I would feel differently, but coming in the middle of the plot, just didn't grab me. Lots of attractive people though trapped on this island.

Well, after my rejection yesterday from number one agent, I had the pleasure of finding a partial request from another agent in my in-box last evening. The only problem is that she wants an exclusive if possible. Which considering right now, I haven't heard from either of the other three agents who have the manuscript is more than doable. One of the agents, I've completely written off. She seems really nice, but it's like the problem that I had with another agent last year, she just seems a tad flaky.

Still a bit miffed that I wasn't included in the Alllure magazine feature, although that's what I get for showing up at the meeting looking like 7 miles of bad road. Yikes, what was I thinking? Oh, I know, I was tired from working until 3 a.m. the night before. That was it.

Had some good feedback from my writing instructor and some of the students in my writing class. So far, they love my male character Ben. It seems I write teen male characters very well. It's not hard actually, I just think what an adult male would do and then dumb it down a bit. But Beatrice needs to be quirkier, and funnier. Right now, everyone seems to think she's too perfect. Which I quibble with a bit, but I understand where they are coming from.

Oh, and I learned that playing backgammon is considered boring for a teen character. Go figure. Perhaps, I'll have her play Text Twist on her computer or play Sudoku in pen. Need to work on that. Apparently making the changes will make all the difference between it sitting in my drawer or sitting on a bookshelf!

Thanks for reading,

EKM