Thursday Meme!

I've been tagged by Megan, so here goes!


Two names you go by:
1. Elizabeth
2. Kerri
2 1/2. Certain friends also call me Bitsy

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. salmon colored top
2. brown, cream, and salmon skirt from Ann Taylor loft


Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1. Humor
2. Intelligence
2 1/2 Sex


Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Dance
2. Read

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. More money
2. An agent
2 1/2 A boyfriend

Two pets you had/have:
1. guinea pig
2. collie

Two things you did last night:
1. worked
2. ate tomato soup

Two things you ate today:
1. soft shelled crab sandwich
2. cake


Two people you last talked to:
1. my editor at work
2. my friend who is in AZ

Two things you’re doing tomorrow:
1. write
2. go listen to jazz

Two longest car rides:
1. We went to the Montrael Expo when I was 3
2. Driving to Syracuse my freshman year

Two favorite holidays:

1. My birthday (should be a national holiday)
2. Christmas

Two favorite beverages:
1. Champagne
2. Is there any other?

Four things About ME!
Things you may not have known about me:
1. I actually studied ballet for seven years
2. I played Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion Off-Off Broadway.
3. I have a memory like an elephant
4. When I was unemployed, I had a weird obsession with watching Charmed–every day at 9 a.m. on TNT I watched the show.

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. waitress
2. travel agent
3. writer
4. Secretary

Four movies I would watch over and over:

1. The Lion in Winter
2. Persuasion
3. All About Eve
4. Gone with the Wine

Four places I have lived:

1. New York
2. Syracuse, NY
3. London
4. Accord, NY

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Lobster
2. Smoked salmon
3. Brie
4. Cherries, the darker the better

Four places I’d rather be right now:

1. At home watching the movies I just go from netflix
2. In an editor’s office signing a mega-contract
3. London, having tea
4. Australia

Okay, I'm now officially tagging Marley, Carolyn Turgeon, Anton Strout, and Mary F.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

R.I.P. Chumley's?

So I've been a little out of it when it comes to news in my own city. This is what happens when you hardly venture below 14th Street. I didn't know until I read Marianne's blog that Chumley's had closed due to a
chimney collapsing inside the building while people were still inside! According to the website Curbed demolition of the building is not being considered. Buildings was working with the owner and shoring company to stabilize the collapsed area, but Marianne noted that the building had been condemned. However, I recently read on Curbed that it might be able to be saved.

I have to confess that I haven't been to Chumley's in about 5 years. The last time I was there it was full of NYU students, and the bartender claimed to be out of cream and couldn't make me a white russian, so my friends and I went to a restaurant down the block and hung out.

But I have fond memories of the place. I once tried to fix up two of my friends at Chumley's. Ex sweetie pie and I, two of my girlfriends and their potential dates spent a lovely evening having dinner at Chumleys. Well, it was good for one of the guys, who I shall call Ted (I met him at one of my temp jobs), since he ended up at one end of the table with my two girlfriends, while the other guy, IHBF, was at the other end with ex sweetie pie having to listen to him talk about how much he loved me. Oops!

The last time I ate at Chumley's, we sat in a booth all the way in the back near the kitchen, where I had the misfortune to see Minnie the mouse nibbling on a loaf of bread which was sitting at the waiters station. I had a funny feeling that the unnibbled part was going to end up in someone's bread basket.

Chumley's had a rich history. It was a speakeasy during prohibition. The food was never that good but there was something to be said about standing in a bar that had been around for over 80 years. Since the demise of Gage and Tollner, Luchows, and a host of other New York institutions, it would be a shame if a landmark piece of New York history disappeared for good.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Female Comebacks

Female Comebacks!
Man: Haven't I seen you someplace before?
Woman: Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore.

Man: Is this seat empty?
Woman: Yes and this one will be if you sit down.

Man: Your place or mine?
Woman: Both. You go to yours, and I'll go to mine.

Man: So, what do you do for a living?
Woman: I'm a female impersonator.

Man: Hey baby, what's your sign?
Woman: Do not enter.

Man: How do you like your eggs in the morning?
Woman: Unfertilized.

Man: Your body is like a temple.
Woman: Sorry, there are no services today.

Man: I would go to the end of the world for you.
Woman: But would you stay there?

Man: If I could see you naked, I'd die happy.
Woman: If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing.

Summer of the Supernatural

Okay, so I was feeling a little bereft now that The Bachelor, Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, and American Idol are over for the summer. But thanks to BBC America, I now have three shows to occupy my time. Of course, one of those shows is Footballer's Wives, now in its final season with the one and only Joan Collins in the cast.

The other two are Hex and Hyde. I watched a marathon of Hex this past weekend, and I'm definitely hooked although so far there are so many loose ends it's not even funny. For those you don't have cable or BBC America, Hex takes place at a boarding school in the country. Cassie is a misfit who has only one friend, Thelma who is in love with her. Cassie however longs for Troy. Then one day she finds an old vase stuck behind a loose brick and she has sudden flashes of memory, and a newly found talent for telekinesis. Oh, and this fallen angel Azazeal keeps stalking her.

It turns out that she's descended from a long line of witches, and the Medenham Hall where she goes to school is the family estate. I won't go into too much more detail but the show is like Buffy and Charmed put together. The only problem so far is the charater of Cassie, she's so passive for the most part, apart from a few moments where she uses her powers to get back at this guy Leon, who spreads rumors about her and who tries to get it on with her (shades of Carrie).

She has absolutely no curiousity about this family that she's descended from. Not once does she ask questions, or do any research, or even explore her powers fully. She falls for the charms of Azazeal a little too easily. It's her best friend Thelma, who becomes a lesbian ghost, who looks out for her and does all the thinking. And I was a little disappointed that the gorgeous Colin Salmon is wasted as the headmaster. I kept hoping that he was somehow involved, like a Giles was for Buffy as her watcher.

But I'm still watching and I can't wait for the second season to find out who it all turns out.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Australian Men

Is it just me or are Australian men the hottest men around? Take a look at these babies and then tell me what you think.

I have a personal history with Australian men, I dated one, a personal trainer who used to be the SAS. He was smoking hot, looked a little like Christ Daughtry but with hair. Greenish-hazel eyes. I used to call him my cowboy from the outback. The first time I met him, he pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels out of his boot. I thought it was incredibly sexy.

Now do you see why I'm dying to go to Australia?

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Literary Idol?

So New York Magazine this week has an article on 60 little known novels which is great, (I admit that I've never heard of any of the books on the list and reading the brief summaries, I doubt that I will ever read them. Not when I still have the latest JD Robb to get through).

and also undiscovered talent. It seems they asked several writing teachers to nominate their best students for Literary Idol, and the readers of the magazine are allowed to vote on who would be the best new talent. You can read excerpts from their work on the site.

The kicker? They are all men except for one lone woman, and they all write literary fiction. Which is fine but I find it hard to believe that the couldn't find more than one woman to nominate.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

For Your Consideration

Dear Mr. Guest,

I've enjoyed your work over the years from The Princess Bride, Saturday Night Live, and of course, Spinal Tap. In particular, the movies that you've directed from Waiting for Guffman to a Mighty Wind have been some of my favorites. I think that you are a comic genius.

I just watched your last movie, For Your Consideration last night. And I have to say that I was very disappointed. After a rousing start, the movie kind of petered out. And we never found out what happened to the one cast member of 'Home for Thanksgiving' who was actually nominated for the Academy Award. Plus, once the movie was renamed from 'Home for Purim' all the comedy kind of died. Not even the scenes of the actors promoting the film on talk shows as weird as the TLC spoof, or seeing Catherine O'Hara tarted up like a parade float were that interesting.

So here is my suggestion for your next film. The publishing industry, or more specific romance writers. Yes, this is just ripe for your brand of satire, particularly RT's annual convention. You could call it the WWR conference aka We Write Romance or Women Write Romance as the case may be.

Just think of what you could with the grand doyenne of romance, Kathryn Falk or the late, lamented Barbara Cartland. After all Kathryn Falk was once named one of the most interesting people in Time Magazine's 75 year history. I think that your usual repetoire of actors could come up with some fascinating characters.

Just think about it. And if you do decide this will be your next picture, you don't have to pay me, just invite me to the premiere, and thank me on all the talk shows, and a tour of the House of Lords would be nice.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth K. Mahon

EHarmony - Not so Harmonious

You know those EHarmony commercials where they have the testimonys from all the loving couples who instantly fell in love because they were matched up by EHarmony's patented compatability test? Did they even mention that it costs $60 for just one month of the service? Or that if you sign up for a year, they charge you $251 right off the bat? What about the fact that 3/4 of the men I'm oh so compatabile with seem to live 8 states away?

Yes, that' s right, apparently I'm compatabile with guys who live in Missoula, Montana but not guys who live in the tri-state area. Seriously, Missoula Montana? Doesn't Ted Turner own the state? Didn't he steal back in the 19th century from the Native Americans?

When I filled out my profile on EHarmony, and I said that I would be willing to relocate for love, I meant San Francisco, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC. You know a real city with a sports team, and decent theater. Not middle of nowhere Montana. I don't care if this guy is the absolute love of my life, I'm not moving to frickin Montana. Isn't that where Brokeback Mountain was set?

Seriously, Mr. Montana can move to New York, if we're so compatable. I mean, I actually do know someone who met her husband through EHarmony, but he lives in Philly which is a short train ride away. That's doable. Montana is not.

I think I might have to go back to JDate.

Idol Thoughts

I'm having query fever right now. I've sent off four queries just this morning, plus a partial request after an agent responded to my email query. I'm not sure why I'm suddenly so much more motivated. Maybe the fact that I finished the revisions on the YA, and now I'm excited to get it out to people.

Not so excited about the American Idol finale. In fact, for the first time in six years, I didn't even watch it. Partly because I was so pissed that they voted Melinda off, and partly because I knew out of the two, Blake and Jordin, Jordin was going to win.

Still that doesn't quite explain my apathy. After all, I still watched even though Chris Daughtry (my favorite) didn't win, and I knew pretty much that Taylor was going to win.

Maybe it's just that last season's contestants were so good. Let's face, almost every single one has landed a record contract and Chris Daughtry has outsold Taylor. Even little Kellie Pickler is becoming quite the Country star, and she has new breasts.

I'm sorry apart from Jordin, Blake, Lakisha and Melinda, most of the other contestants were either boring, out of their depth, or just not interesting. Seriously Sanjaya was the best that Simon, Paula and Randy could find out of the group that auditioned in Hollywood for the semi-finals, and Hayley?

I was just emailing the other day with another Idol fan, and we basically came to the conclusion that the Idol format seems to favor women over men. Out of six winners, four are women. I think maybe it's because the favored format for the show is pop music and most men tend to fall in either the rock, country or soul categories. The only real male pop singer the show has produced is Clay Aiken.

Even the crappy songs that they give the winners to sing favor female voices. Anyone remember how painful it was to listen to Justin and Bo Bice sing the AI coronation song? I can just imagine what Beat Box Boy (Blake) thought when they handed 'This is my now' to him. Plus, I read that he wasn't even allowed to rearrange it for his voice because it was the contest winner.

Think back to last season, when Taylor basically told the producers where they could put the song they originally gave him, and then he was allowed to Taylorize the one he eventually sang. Even Ruben and Clay were given different songs to sing.

Personally, I think that's the right choice. Let whoever is in the final two pick the song they want to sing, out of a bunch that has been written. Or if you're going to have a contest, let the two finalists sing the top two songs out of the bunch, and let the audience vote for which one should be the winning song.

Anyway, I still think the show favors the women.

Favorite Book Meme - Part Deux

I thought I would mention another of my favorite authors who might not be well known. Her name is Susan Howatch and I first discovered her way back when I was in high school. She had written a series of gothic/romantic suspense books, including my absolute favorite, called The Devil on Lammas Night.

I'm thrilled that they've released all three books in one volume. The Devil on Lammas Night should absolutely be a movie starring Keira Knightly and Daniel Craig as Tristan. I won't give away the plot, just know that it's incredibly well done, and could a run for the money to any paranormal written today.

She also wrote a series of family sagas, including Penmarric, Wheel of Fortune, and Cashelmara that are based on the Plantagenet dynasty. I guess you can tell that the Plantagenets are one of my favorite periods of English history. You can blame Shakespeare's history plays, Anya Seton's Katherine, or even The Lion in Winter. Or maybe Jean Plaidy's books but I've always been fascinated by them. They seem to put the fun in dysfunctional more than any other family. I mean the Windsor's have nothing on the double-dealing, and double-crossing that went on in this family. The Wars of the Roses is just the tip of the iceberg. England's involvement in Ireland started with Henry II, leading do almost 900 years of the Irish trying to get rid of the English after inviting them in to help against the Norse invaders.

Anyway back to Susan Howatch. Penmarric which is set in Cornwall is a thinly veiled version of Henry II, Eleanor of Acquitaine and their children. But the great thing about her books, is that they are so absorbing, that you don't even have to know the history to enjoy them. Although if you do, it's even better, and she certainly gives you little tid-bits by the quotes in the front.

Cashelmara is set in Ireland, and is the whole Edward II, Roger de Mortimer, Isabella of France story. And Wheel of Fortune which is set in Wales, deals with Edward III.

Lately she's been using the history of the Church of England in the 20th Century for her novels. I'm such an Anglophile that I just ate this series up, plus I was raised High Church Episopalian so the novels had a great deal of resonance for me.

So I hope you enjoyed reading about another favorite of mine.

EKM

Cute Summer Shoes

So, the parent company of Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic has just opened an on-line shoe store called Piperlime. I have no idea where they got the name from, but they do have some really cute summer shoes.

Like the pink number on the left. Isn't it adorable. Notice the sweet little bow, and the not too high heel. Would be perfect with a white skirt.

Then we have this red pair below. I have never owned a pair of red shoes before, but I think I may have to make an exception for this pair. What I like about them is that they are kind of the type of shoe that you would see women wearing in the 1940's. I have absolutely nothing in my closet that would go with this pair of shoes, but that has never stopped me before from buying a pair of shoes that I liked.

I'm the type of woman who builds her wardrobe around her shoes. I used to be the opposite. I wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that I liked if I had nothing currently in my closet that matched the shoes. Looking back on in it now, I think about all the great shoes I could have owned. Now if I see a hot pair of shoes like the ones on the left, I'm more inclined to buy them and then go shopping for outfits that would go with the shoe. Not necessarily vintage clothes, because that might be a little too matchy-matchy, but definitely retro vintage like Betsey Johnson would work with these shoes.

Finally, I found a nice pair of white Via Spiga sling-backs that I definitely plan on buying. They're white patent leather, and they would go great with several outfits I already own. Plus they're not too expensive. I shudder at the idea of paying $800 for a pair of shoes, although that was the plan when I turned 40. I was going to splurge and buy a pair of Manolo Blahniks or Jimmy Choos. Instead, I went to Venice.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Little Known Favorites Meme

I found this on Megan Frampton's blog, so I'm borrowing it because I have no idea what to write about, and I need to finish working on this novella that I have going for the Brava contest.

The Little-Known Favorites Meme Rules:

List and describe three of your favorite books that other people might not be familiar with. Then tag five people. See, easy!

My three books are:

Sharon Kay Penman: Here Be Dragons/Falls the Shadow/The Reckoning

All of Sharon Kay Penman's historical novels are wonderful. This trilogy deals with King John and his daughter Joanna, his son Henry III and his sister who marries Simon de Montfort, and their daughter who marries Llewellyn the last Prince of Wales. Excellent historical fiction. I almost picked her book on Richard III, the Sunne in Splendor which is also incredibly brilliant. If you are one of a Ricardian like me, you'll love Sunne in Splendor.

Freya North: Sally

English chick-lit at it's best. Sally is a school teacher who doesn't want to fall in love, she just wants to have a sexual affair like a character in a Jackie Collins novel but she ends up falling in love with Richard, a sexy architect that she meets at a party. You have to order it from Amazon.co.uk because unfortunately unlike other English novelists like Anna Maxted (also brilliant), Lisa Jewell, and Sophie Kinsella, for some reason her books haven't been published here in the States.

Matthew von Unwerth - Freud's Requiem

This is non-fiction but it reads like fiction. The prose is absolutely beautiful and don't let the fact that it's about Freud, Rainer Maria Rilke and Lou Andreas-Salome stop you from picking it up. He's written an interesting book about what might have taken place one summer between the three of them that led Freud to write his essay On Transience. I actually had to read this twice because I was too busy looking up stuff on Wikipedia. A thought-provoking meditation on grief, mortality, and the soul, through a reading of Freud's argument about creativity with poet Rainer Maria Rilke. He explores Freud's provocative ideas on the connections between creativity and mortality in this elegant literary musing

I am tagging:

Karen Scott - who I know will have a lot of interesting things to say about books!

Kelly Para who's first book just hit the shelves. Go out and pick up a copy of Graffitti Girl!

Mary F, who now has plenty of time now that Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural have had their season finales. What did you think of Burke walking out on Cristina?

Gabrielle who probably has wonderful French and Australian writers to tell us about.

Marianne at Cosmos & Chat.

Thanks, Megan! This was fun!

EKM

I'm a Celebrity Magnet, Get Me Out of Here!

So there I am at Laguardia Airport on Friday, in the Marine Air Terminal which I think is the same one that Lindbergh left from on his transatlantic flight to Paris, when who do I see belly up to the snack bar? Billy Connolly that's who. John Brown of Mrs. Brown, Deacon Brodie, the boyfriend in White Oleander, among others.

Sigh! Why won't these celebrities leave me alone?

EKM

Where's Elizabeth Barrett Browning when you need her?

I'm in a dilemma. I'm trying to write an email, to a really cute author, who's single, who's book I've just read. I want to make it flirty and cute, and peak his interest. The only problem? I have no clue how to do this.

Yes, I'm a writer and I don't know how to write to cute guys. This is why I'm still single at ripe of old age, of, well we dont' need to talk about that. To top it all of, this writer, my friend has met him and told me how cute, funny and smart he is. So why don't you have your friend introduce you, I hear you ask? Well, my friend has two kids, a husband, and a busy life. If I waited for her, I'd either be dead or collecting social security. Let's face it, your married friends don't find your singlehood as interesting as you do. No, they're too busy talking about how cool it is that you get to travel wherever you want, without having to worry about buying a seat for your 18 month old on the plane. Meanwhile all you want is a husband and a child.

I've tried all the on-line dating services. Either the guys are too old, or they live in Nebraska. Or I get emails from European men who live in the middle of nowhere Italy. And are 23, and don't speak English very well. So I would wink at guys, and never hear anything. One night, I think I winked at 17 guys on Match.com. So emailing them is out of the questions.

Things were so much easier when Robert Browning was courting Elizabeth Barrett through their letters and poems, before they finally met. Imagine how romantic is must have been for her, an invalid to receive a letter from a younger poet about her work, and then they meet and he finally turns out to be really cute and he falls in love with her and they run off and get married and live happily until her death.

I wish I could hire someone to write the email for me. I asked a friend who is really good at this sort of thing. And I'm still waiting. I swear this could a be a romantic comedy along the lines of Truth About Cats and Dogs but with the Internet. Cute girl but not stunning helps stunning friend who is illiterate (well not really) write letters to guys on the Internet. Mandy Moore would probably play the cute girl, and maybe Jessica Simpson could play the busty ditz.

As for me? Back to the drawing board.

Thanks for reading!

EKM

Giada's Weekend Getaways

Dear Giada,

I love your shows. Everyday Italian has been one of my favorites for awhile, and now you have a new show, Giada's Weekend Getaways, where you explore a different city over a 3 day weekend. One of the reasons that I like your show is that you're the anti-Rachael Ray. Meaning that you're not an over-hyped, over caffeinated host. I've enjoyed the shows so far on Los Angeles, Chicago, and Newport.

However, I have to say that I was totally disappointed in the show that you chose to do about New York. First up, you took a cab to Brooklyn? Let's not mention that a cab to Brooklyn, if you can get one to take you there, is expensive. How about letting your viewers know that it's perfectly safe and better to take the subway?

Then when you get there you choose to visit Jacques Torres, instead of say the Brooklyn Brewery, which would have been awesome. I mean, Brooklyn Brewery is the first brewery to move back to the borough since the seventies. Not to mention visiting Junior's cheesecake. Instead you went to the River Cafe and Grimaldi's pizza. So boring and safe.

Then the next day, instead of showing off one of New York's fantastic brunch places, you went to H&H bagel. And then all you bought at Zabar's was smoked salmon pate? Out of that whole huge store? No Babka, no rugelach, nothing. I can't quibble with your having dinner at the Modern. That looked fantastic, and I thought going to the top of Reockefeller Center instead of the Empire State building was good too.

But come on, you go to Chinatown Brasserie for dim sum instead of going to Chinatown? What an insult. The wealth of good food in this city, and you chose the least interesting places to eat.

Shame on you Giada!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day which is a bittersweet day for me since my mom is no longer living, but I wanted to celebrate all those Moms out there and to share some memories of my Mom.

One of my favorite stories is the one my mother loved to tell about how she tried to leave the hospital early after giving birth to me to vote. See I was born the day before the Presidential election, and my mother, die-hard Democrat that she was, wanted to make sure that she cast her vote. Oh, and to get a pack of cigarettes. Well, apparently the nurse wasn't too keen on that. See this was back in the olden days when new mother's typically spent a week in the hospital after giving birth, not like today where hospitals kick you out as soon as they cut the umblical chord.

Even though my mother assured her that she was coming back (!), the nurse wouldn't let my mother leave. So my mother had to stay smokeless for another week, and she didn't get to cast her vote.

My other favorite story is how she grabbed Telly Savalas on the street and planted one on him. My mother adored Telly Savalas, go figure. So when he was filming on the street where she worked, she took the opportunity to go outside and tell him what a big fan she was. And grab him by the lapels and give him a big smooch. I don't remember how my dad felt about that. Apparently Telly was so inspired, that he was grabbing women himself and giving them a little of the Savalas magic.

So Happy Mother's Day Mom! I miss you!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

I Love the '80's

So I was watching the Hugh Grant/Drew Barrymore film this afternoon 'Music and Lyrics' that kind of came and went back in February. Not a great movie, but if you love the '80's, it's pretty awesome in the way that it recreates not just the music but the music videos from back then. I mean look at the picture on the left. That could one of a million '80's pop bands, including Wham! and A-HA.

Remember Andrew Ridgely of Wham!? I didn't think so, not many people did after the band broke up. Everyone knows George Michael. Well Hugh Grant plays an Andrew Ridgely type character in the movie, Alex Fletcher.

I have to admit that I love the '80's. Sure it was a disaster for fashion, although for some reason it's coming back. Think of all the bubble skirts and leggings of the past season. Well, I wore them the first time they were in fashion, and it wasn't an attractive look then. Not to mention the shoulder pads we wore. In fact, you could buy them and attach them to your clothes. Yikes! And the big hair. All you have to do is look at a Paula Abdul video to see the hair and the reason why there is a gigantic hole in the ozone layer.

Actually I was watching the video for 'Cold-hearted snake' on You Tube. Wow, back than that video was cutting edge. Now after Christina Aquilera's dirty video, it just looks quaint. And the see through shirt and the bra. Man, people are still rocking that look almost 20 years later.

VH-1 had this series a few years back called 'Bands Reunited' where they tried to united bands like Berlin (happened) and Squeeze (didn't happen). They also united Haircut 100 and of all people, Kajagoogoo. Never heard of them? Well they had one hit song and then fired the lead singer.

Ah, the 80's. Culture Club, The Thompson Twins, Human League, Depeche Mode who I first heard in 1981 when I spent the summer in London. Duran Duran, the hair bands, power ballads. The cheesy videos that looked like they were made for a buck fifty before Michael Jackson decided to make mini-movies instead of music videos.

I sound like my parents when I say they just don't make them like they used to anymore!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Bowling for Dollars

Last night for the first time in almost 9 years, I went bowling with my group from work. One of our group is leaving to take a new position in the firm, so we all decided instead of hanging out in a bar, we would do something fun together, hence bowling.

Can I just say how much fun I had? Bowling is way cool in a really dorky kind of way. And I suck at it. I mean really suck at it. The good thing is that I wasn't alone in my suckitude. Pretty much everyone else sucked as well apart from a few people who managed to break 100. But nobody sucked as much as me. In the grand scheme of suckage, I was the grand poobah of suckitude.

Seriously, at one point I dropped the ball behind me when I was getting ready to bowl. That's how bad I am. But it doesn't' matter because I had fun. This is a big thing for me because I am a perfectionist. If I can't do something well, I don't want to do it all. So the fact that I can go bowling and suck and be cool about it, is a huge step for me.

Now I can't wait to go bowling again!

Thanks for reading,

EKM

May Moping

So far, May is sucking big time. Not only did I receive another rejection letter, this time one of those form email rejection letters from an agency that has had my partial for about 5 months, but I just found out that my night job is cutting the Associate Editor positions, which means although I'm still employed, I'm back now making what I made before which is much less. I'm going to have to do that economizing thing which I hate, but I've been living a little too high on the hog, eating a great deal of sushi which costs a bomb here in NYC.

May has always been a really hard month for me, which is kind of ironic because it's also my favorite month of the year. The lilacs are out (my favorite flower) and spring usually arrives in New York around this time. But May is also my father's birthday (he would have been 92 this year), and Mother's Day (it's been almost 19 years since my mother passed away). Not to mention May is the month when ex-sweetie pie and I broke up and also the month that I learned who my true friends were. So I'm not really feeling the warm fuzzies right now.

I'm trying to think positively. I'm flying out to Chicago next weekend, to get away from the fact that my ex-best friend is getting married. I'm also working hard on two novellas for the Brava novella contest (I have two ideas and I can't decide between them so I thought why not write both, the contest doesn't start until August). I still have two agents who want my full YA manuscript. And I still have the rest of Beau Brummel with the delectable James Purefoy still to finish watching.

Doesn' t he look yummy in his bath?

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Changes Afoot

So last night I got home from my dance classes (salsa/mambo and hustle) to find a letter from RWA with a proxy form since I'm not going to be going to Dallas this year (Been there, done that, have the T-shirt). Apparently the board has voted to get rid of the novel with strong romantic elements category in the Golden Heart but not the RITA. Why? Since the contest is for unpublished authors, RWA feels that they should be promoting romance.

Okay, on the one hand, I can see there point, but on the other hand, there are at least 5 other categories for people to enter if they are writing a romance. So why drop this one category? Is it that they're afraid that more people will enter this category than the others? I don't think so. I would say that, given the number of people who are members of the Chick-lit chapter, compared to say the total number of RWA members, it's pretty small. The chick-lit chapter last time I looked had about 300 members, give or take, and not all of them are entering the Golden Heart.

In fact, quite a few people that I know who have entered the Golden Heart, some have entered in more than one category, with more than one manuscript in that same category. If you're going to change anything, how about limiting the number of entries an author can submit in any given category. That would make sense. The same goes for the RITA. Why have Nora Roberts compete against herself, or her pseudonymn, JD Robb?

They also want to get rid of the Novella category as well. Given the number of anthologies that are published every year by all publishing houses, this also to me seems like a waste of time. Seriously, is it just me or does seem like the board of RWA spends alot of time thinking about nothing in particular?

The one board meeting that I attended, most of the meeting was taken up with that ole definition of romance. It was clear then, that there was a faction on the board who were not happy with the whole chick-lit/erotica/erotic romance boom of the past ten years. Just the fact that you cannot join PAN unless you've written a romance or your book is published by an RWA approved publisher proves that.

Oy, color me annoyed.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Manic Monday

I'm pleased to report that I finished the revisions on my YA novel, and I just have to do one final read-through before I email it off to the two agents who requested the full manuscript. I also read the first 15 pages of the novella that I'm working on for the Brava contest and is so does not suck as much as I thought it did. Although I realize from reading a couple of novellas, that I need to open it with more of a bang so to speak. So back to the drawing board. I'm hoping to have it finished by the end of the month so that I can finish the other YA that I started.

I've been quite the busy social bee as well attending benefits and an auction preview. The benefit was awesome, although I'm come to the conclusion that I know I'm a writer because when crappy stuff happens I think, I'm so using this in a book. The auction preview was better, although drinking 4 glasses of champagne before my night job and then having to watch NUMBERs was not a good idea.

We had our chapter brunch on Saturday, with Lauren Willig, the author of History of the Pink Carnation as our guest speaker. She was so adorable I couldn't hate her for being 30. Once again, sucked down the champagne (what can I say I'm a sucker for it, just like the cutie holding the glass from Woody Allen's Match Point. His name is Matthew Goode, and he's scruptilicious).

Have to finish working on expense reports for my day job since I'm finished my revisions, and then it's back to the quill and paper.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

Words Only Women Use

1.) FINE : This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five Minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5) Loud Sigh : This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statementoften misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6.) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7.) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome.

8.) Whatever: Is a women's way of saying SCREW YOU!

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it : Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking, "what's wrong", for the woman's response refer to # 3.

Congratulations!

From Publishers Lunch:

Debut
Lisa VanAuken writing as Lisa Dale's THE LUCKY MOON, exploring the mysterious connectivity between mothers and daughters, cities and mountains, the present and the past, to Melanie Murray at Grand Central, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Kim Lionetti at BookEnds (world).


Lisa used to be a member of my local chapter RWA NYC, and she was also the first agent that I sent my book to when she worked at Creative Media which is now Folio. She wrote me a really good rejection letter which I took to heart, and made me work harder on my next few books. She was also a friend's agent. I'm so excited for her.

Thanks for reading,

EKM

May Man Madness

I am incredibly hungover today after consuming 4 glasses of wine, and very little dinner last night at a benefit, however, I've decided that May will be the month of Man madness and particularly British men.

Today's specifiman is Jason Isaacs. Why? Well, I was watching this awesome miniseries this weekend called 'The State Within' on DVD and he played the British Ambassador to the US. If you get a chance, rent it from Netflix, it's really good.

He also plays Draco Malfoy's dad in the Harry Potter movies. I'm not sure when I was first aware of his work. He just seems to have appeared one day in a lot of movies that were filmed for American television in England, usually playing priests which is interesting since he's Jewish!

The picture on the left is from the film, The Patriot, which I actually hated but he was wonderful as Mel Gibson's foil, based on a real person. Now he stars in the Showtime series, The Brothers which I have to rent from Netflix.

I think what I like about him, besides his beautiful blue eyes, and his handsome face, is the intelligence of his performances. Even when he's playing a bad guy, you can sense that there is something more going on with him.

So check him out!

Thanks for reading,

EKM