It's Valentine's Day...do you remember your first kiss?

Hello all!

So, it's Valentine's Day.  Whatever.  But I was thinking, today, about how much the idea of love, falling in love, falling out of love, all that has affected and directed my life.

Then I got to thinking about first kisses, mostly because I'm working on "Fresh Ice," and in romance, the first kiss is a tremendously big deal.  That lead me to my very first kiss.  I'm not going to mention names, dates, or places, because thanks to Face book I'm still sort of in contact with my very first real boyfriend, but I can tell you this:

I was nauseous after my first kiss.

I was fourteen.  He was seventeen.  It was lunch, and we were talking  (and I think that was pretty much the last time I spent time with a boyfriend when we were seriously, legitimately JUST TALKING)  and suddenly he just laid it on me.  Bam.  And there was tongue.

I was really not NOT expecting that.

See, when they make a movie of my life,
I'd like these two people to play Hubby and me.

Nice approach...

When you're young, you see kisses on TV and in the movies, and it's usually some ridiculously handsome guy and an equally ridiculously good looking woman  (I always think of David James Elliott and Catherine Bell.  Seriously, those two should just be the kissing couple in every TV show and movie.)  and there's this first little kiss and then the kiss gets bigger and bigger. And the lighting is always perfect and there might be a mist of some kind, or candles.

And there we go!
Whew!  I need to go watch JAG on DVD now.

Well, when you're 14 and completely unaware, and your boyfriend is a very sweet guy, who is clearly more experienced than you are, you get a little tongue and then you get a little nauseous because you haven't a clue what exactly to do with that.

Bonus, I had gym right after, and it was baseball.  I hated baseball, which is why they put in way out in the outfield.  At least my very best friend was also there with me.  Not because she was terrible, but because she could seriously field a ball.  While we were standing there I told her about the kiss.  (a very John Hughes moment for me.)  She's not a girlie girl, so there wasn't a big hugging scene or anything like that.  But I remember just telling her, "He kissed me...and I feel a little sick to my stomach."

The kissing got better, of course, and that relationship lasted until my parents moved me to another town and another school.  (I doubt it had anything to do with the kissing, but whatever.)  I always think fondly of my first boyfriend, like most of us do.

So, friends on this high holy day on the Romance calendar, recall your first kiss.  Share, if you'd like to.

How much of you is in your hero/heroine?

Good evening.

I was driving home from my J.O.B. today and I was thinking about the couples in my two books, and the couple in my upcoming.  I've never really thought about it, but as I look at the three heroines, Ramona, Shara, and Izzy (From my newest WIP.)  I realize that very big parts of them come from me.

Ramona:(Dream in Color)  Starts out very overweight, in completely in love with a teen idol rock star, and loves late night pizza.  Has mother issues.  Hates that she lives the life everyone expects her to live.

Shara: (Lies in Chance)   Loves horses, is good with kids,  is blond.  (I think I'm blond.  I had blond hair before I started coloring my hair.)  Has mother issues.  Refuses to live the life everyone expects of her.

Izzy: (Fresh Ice)  Loves to read, loves her daughter, drinks coffee by the gallon.  Has mother issues.  Never could live up to the life everyone expected her to live.

Yeah, you get a pretty clear picture of me if you look at my heroines.

As I look at the things that make my heroines special, and, well, heroic, I see, too, the talents I dearly wish I had:

Ramona: (Dream in Color) Can compose music and arrangements that are brilliant and plays piano like a dream.

Shara: (Lies in Chance) Can sight read music and has a photographic memory.  Oh yeah, and she can sing, cook, and wrangle horses.  (Shes' my renaissance girl.)

Izzy: (Fresh Ice)  Can figure skate like a dream.

I always tell people I can't make a book work until  I fall in love with my leading man.  And let's look at my leading men in my books (and the pictures that inspired the characters):

Jesse Alexander:  (Dream in Color) Okay, it's Rick Springfield.  Let's just move on.  I met Rick at a meet and greet almost 10 years ago...his personality and patience blew me away, but so did the juxtaposition of his face, which is not that of an air brushed teen idol, and his body  (oh yeah, I went in for a hug) which ....let's just say, wow.  Wow.  I got such a clear image of who I wanted Jesse to be in that one hug.

Brian Jacobs: (Lies in Chance) This goes back to my childhood hero, Randy Mantooth, TVs Johnny Gage.  I met Randy 12 years ago, and again, personality was an A+.  Plus, he's every bit as dreamy as he was back in the 70's, just with better hair.  Hugging him  (yep, I'm shameless) was like finding a missing piece of myself.  When you love someone from afar for 30 years, one hug can mean a lot.

Quinn Murray: (Fresh Ice)  Okay, calling David James Elliott...I'm ready for my hug!  LOL!  Seriously, something about David's wonderful work as Harmon Rabb in JAG spoke to me when I sat down to write "Fresh Ice."  There's something about a hero who is a hero because there's just no one else around...but someone who doesn't see himself as being all that great...it's like the perfect blueprint for a romantic hero.  So yes, Quinn Murray is that heroic guy with a really, really dark soul.  He needs saving more than anyone he saves. 

I don't know if anyone else approaches it this way.  Maybe every author sees themselves in the hero/heroine. 

Maybe that's why my love scenes tend to be far less graphic than many of my fellow authors.  I'm a married lady!  (And my heroes are all inspired by married men.)  And no matter how I work it, the heroine is still in very large part me, so something super graphic, while fun to read, is too hard for me to write realistically.  It's hard for me to put aside my own morals when I see so much of me in that character. 

So, friends, how much of you do you put in your hero/heroine?  And how much of a real person do you put in the character of the opposite gender?


And Mr. Elliott?  One hug...that's really all I need!

Even a potentially bad movie can hold a compelling story at its heart.

Good morning!

So the saga of my thumbs has reached a hilarious peek.  I'm chronicling that over at my humor blog,  It can only happen to Sarah!

But since I was really laid up last night after my cortisone shot, I had the time to watch a made for TV disaster pic called, "Impact." 

I know...not normally what I go for.  But David James Elliott was the star and he's one of those guys I'll pretty much watch in anything.  (By the way...DJE fans?  the picture at the top of this blog...I'm obsessed because this is so a picture of Quinn from my new book.  What movie/TV show is this from?  A FREE COPY OF DREAM IN COLOR to the first person who can tell me, and hook me up with a copy of said TV show/movie.)


Okay, now that my shameless begging it out of the way, let's move on.

There are a lot of movies out there, and I've watched many of them.  There are great movies that were meant to be great.  There are great movies that weren't expected to be great, but wound up being awesome.  ("The Princess Bride" fits into this category.)  There are movies that were supposed to be great, but fell short, and everyone knows it, even if they won't admit to it.  (Lost in Translation comes to mind.)

Of course, there are also movies that are pretty bad, and were sort of meant to be bad, and yet, I love them, but not for obvious reasons.

One of my favorite movies is "Heaven's Burning" a goofy, violent, buddy picture starring Russell Crowe.  I admit it, I watched it at first because of Russell Crowe.  It's early in his career, and filmed in Australia by Australian film makers.  The plot is as convoluted as it is simple.  I'm not going to give you all the details, just go rent it.  It's one of those of inadvertently hilarious movies.  But, and here's my point...at the end, you'll be cheering for the main characters and you'll weep at the very end.  Rent it, I promise you won't regret it.

I'm being serious.

Even bad movies can have a good story.  Take the movie I watched last night.  "IMPACT." It had all the elements of being a potentially bad flick. 

Made for TV? Check. 

Overly dramatic, yet completely unclear title?  Check.

Disaster film?  Check.

Improbable science and/or technology?  Check

Continuity issues?  In spades.  (The whole world is shut down, but a guy can get from Germany to Washington DC in the span of  one scene?  Right.)

However, I sat through all three hours...you read that right...all three hours of the movie.  Not because I love David James Elliott.  That was the reason I rented the movie in the first place, but not the reason I watched it.  I watched it to the very end because, when you stripped away all the explosions, all the military and scientific jargon, all the made up jargon, what you had, at the heart of it all, was a story about a man trying to make life safe for his kids. And when you put DJE with kids...you have magic.   (It didn't hurt that the young boy who played his son...an actor by the name of Owens Best, was completely disarming and wonderful.)

So for me, it was well worth the three house I sat in bed watching this movie.  I found myself drawn in, in spite of the highly unlikely plot.  (Which wound up being a tiny bit of a rip off of the movie "Armageddon.") And yes, I teared up at the very end.

It's the same with books we read, isn't it?  Maybe you don't like a certain genre of book, but you pick one up and you get sucked in because when you peal back all the bits you don't care for, at the heart, there's a compelling story.  As writers, reading books that aren't necessarily in our genre is a good idea.  You can pick up inspiration everywhere, and reading is so vital to writing.

If you lived in a world where everything was exactly the one way you liked things, that would be boring.  You have friends who are different from you, right?  Step outside of your circle of what you love and take a look at something you think is going to stink. 

At the heart of it, you might find something very worthwhile.  And that, my friends, will help you grow as a writer.

And just like that...inspiration hits!

Good morning! 

Sorry I've been absent of late.  At some point a couple weeks ago, I got my muse back and I've been joyfully spewing words onto pages endlessly.

Usually I can't point to any one thing that gets me going after a long writing hiatus.  This time around, however, I can.  Two things happened that got my creative juices flowing.  1)  I found this picture

Most of you will recognize this as the very talented actor, David James Elliott.  But to me...he's Quinn, the hero of my book "7/8ths Time."    I've found other pictures in the past that depict the mental image I have of Quinn, but this one is special.   There's something about DJE's eyes (and I've love been a fan of his "eye acting.") that says to me, "WRITE THE DARN BOOK ALREADY!

The other thing that happened was a bit less intangible.  I met with a personal trainer.  One of the things I'm doing this year, come heck or high water  (I know, but my kids read this blog sometimes...) is I'm going to lose a significant amount of weight.  By significant I mean the equivalent of a sturdy third grader.  So I met with a personal trainer.  I've met with this guy before.  (If you'd like to read about that, check out It Can Only Happen to Sarah!)

Sitting there admitting to him that I was a compulsive liar when it came to my weight and that I needed help with my Cheetos addiction, I said something that hit me like lightning. 

"I wish I would just start writing again.  I don't eat when I write."

WELL DUH!

So, my friends, I'm thrilled to announce that in the past week I've written 10,000 words and lost somewhere between 2 and 3 pounds.  A drop in the bucket on both fronts, but definitely a great start!

So if I'm missing from the blogging business for a while, please forgive me.  I'm really hoping to have a completed  AND PUBLISHED novel by year's end...and when I announce it I'm hoping to wear the Rick Springfield T-shirt I bought at the last concert that I knew I hadn't a prayer of wearing until I lost some weight.  It's hanging in my closet right now, mocking me, but I will prevail!

Meanwhile, the rest of you...go forth and WRITE!

Half the fun of writing!

Good morning all!


Half the fun of writing, and getting published, is doing interviews!

I did a little interview with the lovely ladies at SOS Aloha. Their blog is well worth a peak, plus, there's a chance to win a copy of Dream in Color!



Here' s the link:



Sarah's interview with SOS Aloha


Personally, I loved all the pictures they put in there.  Yes, the lighthouse IS the one Ramona runs to in her wedding dress.  Yes, there are multiple pictures of Rick Springfield.  Yes, I do mention JAG a couple of times!  Yes, it was fun doing the interview!

Have a great Thursday!

The death of Original Fiction?

Good morning!



I'm taking a sick day today. Most of you out there know that a grown woman with children doesn't actually get sick days the way most people think of them. Still, I don't have to answer to anyone for about three hours today...so that constitutes a sick day.
More on that at my humor blog: http://itcanonlyhappentosarah.blogspot.com

I was watching TV last night. It's premier week for most of the networks, so there's a lot of great new TV to watch. Something struck me last night: I am not wrapped up in TV shows like I used to be.

When I was a kid, I watched three shows religiously. Don't laugh.



Emergency, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons



Now, mostly I watched those because that's what my parents allowed me to watch. In the days of three channel TV programming, there wasn't much out there to watch. These days, you can spent hours and hours on the couch watching...well, reruns of those shows, I guess. The magic about those shows was that, while they are sequential (You can tell where you are in the "Emergency" series by the length of Randy Mantooth's hair.) they can really be watched in any order. Maybe Little House not so much, because toward the end of the series there were more two part story lines. But those shows, you can sit down right now, watch an episode and not be lost at all


When I got older, I watched the following shows

Dallas, Falcon Crest

The attraction for me for these shows was the endless cliff hangers. Story lines didn't end after the last commercial break. you HAD to tune in the next week. Remember the summer of "Who Shot JR?" I do.



When I got into college, my heart turned to thoughts of romance...and sex. So of course, I never, ever missed "MOONLIGHTING. Different from the shows of my childhood, "Moonlighting" was episodic...you could miss a week. But the "Will they/won't they" storyline, the undercurrent of the episodes, was something I could not miss. Of course, they ruined the show completely when Bruce Willis crashed through Cybil Shepherd's glass coffee table in a passionate embrace for the ages. And they brought in Mark Harmon to try and save the show, which didn't happen. But I digress.



I think most scripted shows today follow the basic template of Moonlighting. Attractive guy/attractive girl. One of them is all business. One of them is a scamp. They work together in some high stress high drama job. Sound familiar? Like half the scripted shows on TV?



Quite possibly the most perfect example of this formula was "JAG." That show was interesting the first season on NBC. My husband loved it. Then it got canceled and CBS picked it up. And set the beautiful Catherine Bell next to David James Elliott. And magic happened. For nine more seasons, their three most popular seasons AFTER they declared their love for each other (but didn't do the dead, take note TV writers...) people tuned in for the drama, for the action, and to see if this was the week these two wonderful characters would finally...ya know. For the record there was never an onscreen love scene between these two. The writers kept these characters beautiful and heroic to the very end, and we love, love, loved it.


The other kind of scripted show out there is the ensemble show. Big dramas that don't really focus on one character. These are the shows that are dying by the scores, and are therefore the focus of this fairly unfocused blog.

I used to watch "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" religiously. Every Sunday I hunkered down for a long night of ABC viewing. Then they moved "Grey's" to Thursday night opposite "CSI" another favorite. I have not watched one second of "GReys'" since. And I can't get into it now because this is one of those dramas that if you miss a couple episodes, you may as well give up. And, the minute "Housewives" drove off the rails with more bodies turning up on Wisteria Lane (I've lived in the 'burbs most of my life...I have yet to find a body anywhere in my neighborhood.) I gave up on that show, too. What do I watch on Sundays now?


Mad Men


Mad Men is the anomaly in my TV viewing week. It is the one scripted drama I make sure I'm watching every single week. I've left parties early to see Mad Men. I've lied about illness to get out of family gatherings to see Mad Men. Why is this the one TV drama I watch, when all others have faded away?

Because it's WELL WRITTEN. It doesn't pander to special interests, to revisionist historians, to today's adjusted social mores. I never feel like I've been preached to after I've watched Mad Men.


Don't get me wrong. I completely support scripted TV. HBO and Showtime have some of the best stuff out there. The big networks, however, have forgotten how to cultivate an audience. Moving CSI: New York to Friday nights isn't going to make anyone happy. And I'd be more excited about new shows if any of them was really new. But if one more rogue lawyer show pops up, I'm going to howl.

And that's the point, isn't it? The death of originality. TV producers don't want to give an original concept for a show more than 8 weeks ("Scoundrels") to make a splash. Only 10 million people watched it? Cancel it! Put on some lawyer show! Better yet, can we get some skanky semi ethnic twenty somethings to be skanky? Because that seems to be working really well for cable. Oh wait...how about a foul mouthed old person? that's it! A lawyer show with skanky twenty somethings and a foul mouthed old person. GOLD!
As writers, it's also the death of original fiction. If it doesn't fit a pigeon hole, it doesn't get published. Book publishers, like TV producers, aren't going to take a risk. They can sell a name. Like TV can sell a Law and Order or a CSI, book publishers can sell a Steele, a Roberts, a Grisham or a Sparks. They don't have to work at it. it just sells. Basic rules of grammar? Original plot? Interesting voice? Forget it. Name on the book. If you don't have that name on the book, it isn't going to get a look.


Is this the death of original fiction? Is it true that the reader today only wants a cookie cutter book that is the same as the last book they read?

Or is today's reader just biding their time until the book equivalent of "Mad Men" shows up?

Taking a chance in the Wild Wild West

Good morning!

Getting published is two parts hard work, two parts talent, and one part timing and one part luck. I listened to NY Times bestseller Sherilyn Kenyon speak once, and she showed us her rejection file for one year...it was about six inches thick. And that was AFTER she'd published several books. (I'm working on a folder like that myself.)
Here are the facts: The economy stinks. People aren't going to spend money on stuff they don't need. And if they can get it cheaper someplace else, they're not going to spend top dollar. Be honest with yourself. Do you run to the bookstores to buy a new book, or do you check it out at the library, or a second hand store? Sales for all genres of books are down by double digits...except romance. (I'll get to that in a minute.)


It's expensive to publish a book, especially for big publishing houses that cling to the tradition of printing 10000 copies of a book right out of the box. (One of the things I love about Wild Rose, they print on demand. No wasted paper.)

Add to these facts this little nugget: The Amazon Kindle is now $139.00. As the price comes down on these electronic readers, the interest in digital downloads goes up because 1) They're cheaper than a print book and 2) You can store 100's of books in a reader smaller than a spiral notebook. No more groaning shelves of books.

Put that all together and, my friends, here's what I've come up with: For a new author, the best way to get published is to do it yourself. The days of paying to be published at vanity presses are going away. There's no longer the stigma attached that there once was about self publishing.

Simply put: Readers don't care who put the book out. Readers want to read. Case in point: I've had non writers read "Lies in Chance" and love it. So why can't I get it published? Because publishers don't know what to do with a story that doesn't fit into a cubby hole. Yet it's a good story, one worth reading. Thusly, as I await one more final rejection, I'm readying "Lies in Chance" for self publishing.
Will I miss having a book with my name on it? Sure. Every author wants that. But I'm really more interested in people reading my story. As an artist I'm more interested in writing the stories that I have in my head. And, as a person who does not enjoy her daily job, I'm more interested in getting paid!

Romance is the one genre that's growing in this economy.  Economists try to explain it, but the reality is this:  Romance is fun to read, the books are generally cheaper to buy than other books, women buy more books than men, and everyone is looking for a happy ending.  So if you write romance, keep plugging away, you'll find a publisher for what you're working on.

But for me, I've never completely identified myself as a romance author.  "Dream in Color" is a romance, yes, and I love my friends over at Wild Rose Press.  In fact, if you're looking for someone to treat your first baby with love, Wild Rose is the place to go.  However, I've got other stories in my head, stories that won't fit in the Romance genre.
So, my friends, I'm getting "Lies in Chance" ready. And after that, "7/8ths time" will hit e publishing. I'm a storyteller. I want to tell my stories. I'm a humorist, I want people to laugh at what I write, which is why I'm in the process of turning some of the posts from my blog http://itcanonlyhappentosarah.blogspot.com into a book loosely titled "Stalking Rick Springfield and Other Hobbies of the Middle Aged Suburban Woman."

Beyond that, the sky's the limit in the Wild Wild West of self publishing!



Now all I need is an artist to do my cover art! Anyone? Anyone?
 
One final note:  Happy Birthday to David James Elliott...who is the inspiration for Quinn Murray, the hero in my newest book.  Cheers to you, David!

Starting a boycott while I'm still in the 18-49 demographic!

Good morning!


First of all...Happy Birthday Rick Springfield! 61 and getting better every year! Whooo hoo!

Now, a disturbing bit of news just crossed my desk. It appears "Scoundrels" David James Elliott's newest dramedy on ABC is going to be canceled after just 8 episodes. I'm crushed, because I really liked the show, but I'm not surprised. I remember a time when a tv series would get at least 13 episodes before it got yanked, and a network would actually, you know, promo the show, and oh by the way, they wouldn't start a show and cancel it during the summer months.

Granted, in today's world, TV is different. Cable stations reruns new episodes days after the networks air them. You can watch TV online. Of course, reality TV pervades the airwaves so that it's almost impossible for a WRITTEN show to make it. And, while I've long said that networks could increase their viewership by running "Summer Series" tv shows (My husband longs for the day they bring back "Maximum Bob") they shouldn't start those in late July, as ABC did with a number of shows. Most of those shows I'm sure won't see the end of September.

I could have saved "Scoundrels." I'm not saying this because I'm a DJE fan. Well, okay, I am, but still, I could have saved this show, and ABC SHOULD save this show.

First the why...then the how:

There just are not enough written shows. I get that actors and writers cost money. I get that there's something about the instant buck ABC gets from low rent trash like "Wife Swap." I also understand the schadenfruede lure of shows like "What would you do?" and "Wipeout" because I also watch those shows. There is a place for "Reality TV." Certainly. But there is a need, a great gaping need, for shows that are written, that have a plot, that give us a laugh or a reason to sit at the edge of our seats. There's a need to have handsome actors...you know..ACT, and for beautiful actresses to also...you know...ACT.

I can tell ABC this. You might be making a truckload of money off of shows like "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelor Pad." (Both shows I never have and never will watch.) Guess who's watching those shows? Not people with money. Kids. Kids are watching that silliness because, well, it's fun to watch people cry on TV and since the networks seem fairly hell bent on cancelling the Soaps, I guess we're stuck with this. But kids don't spend money like their parents do. My kids get their money from me or from part time jobs. And I can tell you this...unless you get Paramore to perform in every episode, you're not getting any of that money for your advertising dollar.


There's a reason that 5 of the top 20 TV shows each week are on Univision, the Spanish channel. I've been known land on univision every once in a while. First of all, those dramas ARE HOT. The actors and actresses are BEAUTIFUL. And don't discount physical beauty...I don't speak enough Spanish to order a taco, but I get the story of those shows.


There's a bigger reason why shows like "Mad Men" (Okay, anything AMC is putting out) has a huge following, even though it's on a cable station...it's really, really good. Why are HBO and Showtime getting all the emmys? Because they don't air "THE BACHELOR!"

Do I watch "reality TV?" Yes, of course. I watch Survivor, Amazing Race, American Idol, Project Runway, and Top Chef. I enjoy watching most shows on "Food Network" and if "Most Dangerous Catch" is on, I'll probably sit down and watch it. But the thing that separates those shows from things like "The Real World" "Big Brother" and, again, "The Bachelor" is that the people on those shows have to DO something. Whether its learning to build fire without matches, or navigate through a foreign country without money, or, making a dress in 18 hours that looks good enough for Heidi Klum to like, they all have to DO something that takes practice, talent, and skill.
What do the contestants on "The Bachelor" have to do? Or "Real World?" Or "Big Brother?"

I will admit to watching "Wipeout." Sure, it's crap. But the dialogue on that show is brilliant and fun (See...writers...) and again, at least the contestants have to DO something. It's not rocket science, but it's far easier to digest than watching some artificially attractive gym rats sit in lawn chairs and use vulgar language. For the amount of money you pay the beep guy couldn't you just get a writer to write something a little more clever?

So that's the why...now, here's the how:

I could have saved "Scoundrels" easily. It started off with great promise...DJE and Virginia Madsen, a married couple, in a steamy embrace...AWESOME kick off to a show, I say! (And for those who thought it was too steamy, hey, isn't it nice to see some heat between two MARRIED characters?)


And then they put DJE in jail. Even The Girl child, 13, said, "So the whole reason you're watching this show is for DJE and now he's in jail?"

Yep.

I realize the whole premise of the show was Virginia Madsen's character trying to get her kids on the straight and narrow. and I loved her character from the start. But as the weeks went by, she got whiny and it was less about her struggle to keep the family on the right path and more about her being a damsel in distress needing to be rescued from her life by her husband, her father in law, her son...anyone, really. And in the last episode I saw, she kissed the cop that arrested her husband??

Um, huh?

So then DJE gets out of prison in the last episode, and comes through the door just in time to see the wife and the cop discussing the smooch. NOW WE'RE GETTTING SOMEWHERE...

But it took 8 long weeks to get there.

I could have saved this show by making it move faster. We didn't care about the kids. Not really. Three of the four were outright awful. The youngest, Hope, was hilarious. But the other three were, at best, boring. So ABC, if you're going to bill a show as starring DJE and Virginia Madsen, who would attract yes, an older crowd, especially on a Sunday AFTER Extreme Home Makeover, why wouldn't have have those two FRONT AND CENTER in almost every scene? Ten minutes a week of DJE doesn't fly for me. Sorry. The younger set isn't going to watch the show because the younger characters a horrible, and the older set isn't going to watch because, as much as we love Virginia Madsen, we loved her with DJE...


But there's more to it, because I think the show could have over come a few slow episodes. Especially on Sundays. Think ABC...How many women, ages, let's say 30-49, would have tuned in to see DJE every night...especially if he was out of those prison clothes? Not sure? Check the stats for JAG...Go Ahead, I'll wait.

So you gave a new show 8 weeks in the dog days of summer with little promo and false advertising. Then you tank it when it's really getting good and you completely misuse the lead characters, two of the most talented and attractive people in TV today.

Well, congrats, ABC. I'll be boycotting your network. You keep on striving for excellence in crapitude and keep torpedoing shows that have promise. I'll go watch shows that are written by writers and acted by actors where there's a beginning, middle and end. I'll keep watching shows that DON'T get most of their promotion from the tabloids.


And I'll watch any show any time that stars David James Elliott.

I'm an employed, college educated woman. I'm 42. I have a husband, children, and complete control of the family finances. I do all the shopping, all the buying for the family. I'm also an author, an avid reader, and someone who watches way more than the national average hours of tv.

And ABC, I've just turned off your network.

The eyes have it...part two!

So after writing about Eye Acting the other day, I haven't been able to get the idea of it out of my head. And it got me to thinking...besides the scene in "The Quick and the Dead" (Which I had to go back and watch last night...it's so good!) and, of course, "Robin Hood," (Which I'm seeing again today!) what are some of my other favorite "eye acting" moments?


Here's a partial list...and some of them surprised me!

Russell Crowe, "3:10 To Yuma." This a brilliant remake putting Crowe and Christian Bale against each other was a stroke of casting genius. But there's a quiet little scene between Crowe and actress Vinnessa Shaw that takes very little time, but wouldn't every woman want an outlaw to look at her that way?

David James Elliott/Catherine Bell "JAG: LIFELINE" JAG fans waited and waited and WAITED for almost five seasons for Harm and Mac to get together. True, they were going to wait another three before that happy event, but this episode, set against the back drop of Mac's engagement party, brings out the best of both of these actors. The final shot is the icing on a brilliant cake.

David James Elliott/Trevor Goddard "JAG: MUTINY" Harm and Brumby (played by the late and much missed Trevor Goddard) battled for Mac's heart endlessly, but never better than in this brilliantly written episode. Take my word for it...the final shot is a stunner.
Rick Springfield "General Hospital 2005" In the early 80's Dr. Noah Drake was a hot doc on the make. Fifteen years later, he was a sad, broken version of his former self. And Rick brought it all at us with his eyes.

Rick Springfield "LEGION" Terrible movie. But I keep it on my shelf for one reason and one reason only. Watching Rick's character, seeing the depth of despair in his eyes before you ever know what's up...it's spellbinding. By the end you're cheering and weeping for him, in spite of yourself.

Danny Masterson "That 70's Show" I know...I was shocked when I came up with this one. But in the rare moments Hyde takes off his sunglasses in scenes involving his rocky romance with Jackie, Mr. Masterson gives us more good eye acting than a sitcom probably deserves.
Russell Crowe, "3:10 To Yuma." This a brilliant remake putting Crowe and Christian Bale against each other was a stroke of casting genius. But there's a quiet little scene between Crowe and actress Vinnessa Shaw that takes very little time, but wouldn't every woman want an outlaw to look at her that way?

Rick Springfield "General Hospital 2005" In the early 80's Dr. Noah Drake was a hot doc on the make. Fifteen years later, he was a sad, broken version of his former self. And Rick brought it all at us with his eyes.

Russell Crowe "HEAVEN'S BURNING" This movie confuses me...did they mean for it to be a dark comedy? Because there are moments so over the top you can't help but laugh. But there are two scenes, both with actress Youki Kudoh, that make the movie an eye acting milestone for me. I'll give you a hint...find the scene where they're not wearing much, and then find the scene where they're really dressed up.

Clark Gable..."Gone with the Wind." Ah, Rhett Butler. The original movie bad boy we all wanted to fix. Even under the censorship constraints of 1939, Gable manages to evoke an awful lot with his eyes...like the scene where he leaves Scarlett on the road to Tara, right before a big kiss. Breathless!

So there you go...some of my favorite eye acting moments. Not all of them are a surprise, I'll grant you, and I could add a ton more, but let's not get boring.

Think about your favorite movies or TV shows...what draws you to a character? I'll just bet there's a scene or two of eye acting in your memory banks.

Now, go forth and WRITE!

Is that what you wanted to do when you were a kid?

Good afternoon!

Geez, what a week already!

It's Wednesday and I'm beat dog tired. Retail, even online retail, even online retail with a crappy website like what we run is going insane right now. 'Tis the season to buy everyone's love, right?

Hey, welcome to my two new followers! Light some candles, make some tea, and get cozy.

Okay, so some of you know that I spend the first hour of most of my work days at my daughter's school working in the before school care. It's silly and pointless most days, since there are generally two kids, both of whom are very well behaved, and then the other caregiver brings in her brood of vipers who proceed to tear up the place. I've never worked in a child care setting where broken toys where thrown out on an HOURLY basis. Makes me wonder what their house looks like!

Well, the other day, one of the little demons asked me what I did, why I had to scoot to work after I dropped her at her classroom. I told her I sold toys online and on ebay. She looked at me with those crazy demon eyes of hers (seriously, should a five year old be that scary?) and asked, "Is that what you wanted to do when you were a kid?"

Ummm, not a chance. No, I wanted to be a rock star. I wanted to be a librarian. I wanted to raise race horses and show horses and beans. I wanted to live by a pond in a soddy, like Laura Ingalls and raise horses and corn and wear fabulous dresses like Scartlett O' Hara all while singing on stage to adoring fans.

Oh, and I wanted to be a world famous writer.

Yep, from very, very young I wanted to write. That's what I've always wanted to do, something I knew deep in my soul possibly the first time I read a book all on my own.

But you know how it goes: Bills, kids, gifts for in-laws you never see but have to buy gifts for so they don't put you on "their list." Thus, the need for a job that pays a check.

So no, little future evil genius. I did not want to spend my day selling toys online for a man who treats me like a second class citizen.

None of us is doing what we wanted to do when we were kids. If we were there would be way more astronauts and actresses and way fewer secretaries and day care providers. But that's okay, really, because while those of us who are working at jobs that we would never, ever have picked for ourselves when we were kids, we're still dreaming.

Yes, little wild beast child, adults dream. We dream beautiful dreams when no one else is looking. We dream of children with clean faces and made beds. We dream of days when we are called "Your Majesty" more than, "HEY LADY!" We dream of reaching that goal we had when we were nine, ten, eleven.

We dream of Rick Springfield, David James Elliot, Randy Mantooth, (insert your own heart throb here) standing on our doorstep wanting nothing more than to whisk us away to a wonderful place.

We dream of a life without screaming, howling, toy breaking children...ahem.

So, my friends, keep dreaming. Keep writing, keep moving forward with whatever it is that gives you bliss.

Have a great evening all!

Learning to plot in all the wrong places!

Good morning!

I'm especially jazzed to get my real life work out of the way today so that I can play with my brand new tarot cards!

I can hear some of you sucking in your breath...tarot cards? Me? I'm pretty much the most anti mystical person you're going to meet. So why the shiny new deck of tarot cards?

Well, let me tell you...I spent my Saturday morning with the fine folks of the Mad City Romance Writers group. (Ah , the Middleton Library...you have no idea how much talent you host one Saturday morning a month!) The presentation, which was BRILLIANT, incorporated the use of tarot cards in the process of character building and plotting.

I discovered a couple of things:

1) There's a deck of tarot cards for everyone on the planet. I liked the "Mad Men" Don and Betty Draper-esque 50's deck, but the renaissance kitties were cute, too.

2) There are writers who buy a deck of tarot cards before starting a new book.

3) Whether you believe in the tarot (I don't) or not, using these cards for character building ROCKS!

I managed to outline characters and build a plot for a project that's been rattling around in my head for YEARS, but just hasn't translated to actual words. Now I have an outline, characters, and all that in the span of a two hour meeting!

I found a really pretty, bright colored deck that will inspire me for a couple of projects, I'm sure. Meanwhile, I'm going to go on a quest. If they've got Renaissance Kittens, I'm hoping to find a Rick Springfield or David James Elliott deck.

Now THAT'S what I call inspiration!

Go back to start!

Good afternoon!

It's the waning moments of my work day and Bossman is done harrassing me be phone, and a rerun of "King of Queens" keeps going through my mind, so I have the urge to share!

If you're not familiar with the show, this is going to be dull, but if you're a fan, you'll recall the episode where Doug and Carrie were having a hard time finding private time because Arthur slept all day and then wanted to do things when they got home from work. Like a really, really wrinkled ten year old. So Arthur got this board game "El Backo," which, while they never truly explain the rules, seemed to the viewer like the MOST PAINFUL BOARDGAME EVER!

I'm a big fan of board games, but there are some where the rules are so complex or the time frame is so endless that you simply can't stand it. That was "El Backo." All day long, I hear Arthur's voice (As done by the wonderful Jerry Stiller) "BACK TO STAH-ART!"

And that's what this past weekend was for me. I went back to start. I have been in a slump for the last couple months, so I got myself back to the place where I started to really, really find my writing voice. I joined a group. And What a group! My dear friend Linda has been a member for some time, and I love spending time with Linda, so joining this group of folks The Mad City Romance, was a no brainer for me. And being in a room of writers who all have the same struggles I have, and who all have different levels of success was amazing. It reminded me of those first days in the Waukesha Park and Rec group when I hadn't a clue what a Query letter was, but I met folks like Elliott, who has two blogs that I follow here, and Betsy, who is a very talented women currently giving it her all to organize the WisRWA conference next June.

Seeing a room full of writers reminded me of the joy I have in writing. And it reminded me, too, that in the last two months I've allowed too much real life to pile in front of my writing. We all do it, but it was time for me to get out of that rut and "GO BACK TO STAH-ART!"

So my friends, I start a new week in a different place, and hopefully, hopefully that means I'll move forward in life's great game of "El Backo!"

Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday to David James Elliott! You know him as Harmon Rabb, Jr. from JAG, but he's currently popping up in movies and mini series up and down the dial. I follow a wonderful blog just for DJE, check it out!

Writing: it's a family affair!

Hey all!

Sorry I've been MIA this week...picked up a nasty computer virus through Facebook. Here's a tip: Anything that says it's a personal anti virus is a lie and will mess up your computer. Don't do it! Also, it's a good idea to ignore those gifts, drinks, pillow fights, whatnot on Facebook. Just don't do it!

So my biggest news on the writing front is about my work in progres, "7/8th time." As you may know, my main character, Quinn Murray, is a DJ in Nashville, inspired by a photo of David James Elliott. (BTW, thank you everyone who suggested, "The Storm." I've managed to tape it off of Spike TV and I'll be watching it this weekend.)

Anyway, what I really wanted was to talk to a DJ and get a feel for a day in the life. Well, my hubby is the body shop manager at the local Chevy dealership. (If you live in the Milwaukee area, go to Boucher Chevy for your body shop needs. Tom is the most honest person you're ever going to deal with and he's a sweet heart, too.) A local morning DJ from 97.3 The Brew( my SECOND favorite radio station behind my beloved bob and Brian at 1029 the hog.) had his car fixed and hubby managed to get me an interview with Fish, the DJ. Bonus, Fish has mentioned that he'd like to get me on air and do some free promo for "Dream in Color."

This is not something I could do on my own. I would never have this kind of access to a DJ on my own. Even my air time with Bob and Brian have been purely luck. (Although, it should be noted that they are darling guys and have also offered to promo the book.) But thanks to the hubby I have a whole new outlet for promotion.

Ponder this, my writing friends: writing may be a solitary business, but being a writer is not. We all have research to do, not just those brave historical writers! "dream in Color" is as close to my life as I'll ever write, but I had to do plenty of research to get it right. So don't be afraid to get out there and talk to people, especially if you're trying to create a character and you want to get it right!

Have a safe and wonderful LAbor Day weekend!

I'm always blown away...

Good morning!

It never ceases to amaze me just how connected we are, thanks to the Internet (another topic covered in "Dream in Color," BTW). After my post yesterday about David James Elliott, I got several responses both publicly and privately, regarding my request for roles where he's a bad guy. Turns out, he's just a really, really good guy. (sigh) Guess that's why it's called fiction, kids! LOL!

So I got another rejection for "Shara's Chance" yesterday. It's fine. The great part about electronic rejections is that you just file it and never have to look at it again. So I move on. Dream is coming out, Shara is in the marketing pipeline and "7/8ths" is in the first draft process. For those of you who write, you know that this is a busy, busy place for me to be in.

But does it all dry up? Is it true that an author really only has one story in them? I think Emily Bronte and Margaret Mitchell might say yes. (Although Margaret did write another book, which was published after her death.) But if that book is a landmark, then who cares? I thought, when I started writing at the ripe old age of 14, that I had one book in me. I would write it and then be done because I'd be fabulously rich from that one Great American Novel.

How stupid was I? LOL!

It never occurred to me that I had another story in me beyond "Shara" until I started "Dream."
And now I have ideas for maybe half a dozen books.

So, all you writers out there, take heart...the ideas will come, they will be there. All you have to do is put them to paper!

In the meantime, does anyone know if DJE's movie, "The Storm" can be had on DVD?

Have a great and groovy kind of day!

Well somebody's got a case of the Mondays! (aka, Bridezilla marathon hangover)

Good morning!

Took some time over the weekend, since hubby is out of town for the next week, to catch up on some movies and TV that I like to watch, but he doesn't.

Got caught up in a "Bridezilla" marathon. Can't say that was the best use of my time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, but I did discover that I really, really want to do the commentary or write for that show because 1) it's hilarious and 2) well, there is no 2. It's hilarious.

Shared "Some Kind of Wonderful" with the girl on Saturday in my continueing effort to expose the children to as much John Hughes as possible. My friend Linda has a point in compairing this movie to "Pretty in Pink:" Mary Stuart Masterson makes us cry in a way that Molly Ringwald simply cannot. Bonus, I sported a "Watts" haircut through much of life, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.

Popped in the trite ditty "The Shrink is in." This Lifetime regular stars Courtney Cox and David Arquette, but they are hardly the reason I watched the movie...and own it, BTW. No, David James Elliott, of JAG fame, is the hot, hot, hot next door neighbor. His comedic timing is surprising, and the movie makes me laugh out loud. Trite, silly, definitely not worth a second look, then again....did I mention he was hot? LOL!

I'm now trying to find all the David James Elliott material I can find. Why? Because he's the inspiration for the hero in my latest novel, "7/8ths time." But, since the character Quinn is definitely not one of America's finest, (ala JAG), I'm looking for films he was in where he was the BAD guy or at least not a clean cut poster boy. Anyone? Anyone??????

Well, I'll keep looking. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!