Gigi Loves Paris

One for the Irish: THE BOXER

2011-03-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

I realize that St. Patrick's Day is over and all Irish celebration along with it. However, this month cannot pass into nothingness without my official ode to this (perhaps my favorite) movie.

Very few films take on the modern IRA issues in Northern Ireland and even fewer of them are desperately romantic. I have always been fascinated with the Irish Catholic/Protestant clash or more specifically those who still want home rule for Northern Ireland and those who want the British to remain their government. If you're at all interested or curious about the modern outcomes of this ancient feud, this is your flick.

It's the story of Danny Flynn, a man who has spent the last 14 years in prison for his involvement in an IRA attack when he was just a boy. He's done his time and has determined to rebuild his life without any further association with the IRA who he saw through in prison and blames for taking his youth. But it's not that easy. The IRA is on the Eve of peace talks with the British Government and some of the rebels don't feel that peace should ever exist between the two cultures. They resent Danny Flynn coming home, to their Catholic neighborhood and not pledging his loyalty again. Especially when he is clearly still in love with his child hood sweetheart and doesn't care that she is married to a prisoner of the cause. She's also the head of the IRA's daughter.

The characters in this movie are so astonishingly real and moving. They stay with you forever.

WARNING: The accent is difficult to understand the first time. I mean, I'm an avid anglo watcher and even I struggled at first. Also, there is a LOT of swearing in this movie. I mean, a lot!

But, having said that -- it is the most romantic, passionate, interesting, haunting movie I've seen in years. And it may be my favorite movie ever. Which I've never said before about anything.

Daniel Day Lewis, Emily Watson. The Boxer.

Come On People -- Romance Novels -- Admit it already!

2011-01-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

I'm having a problem. The only book I've been able to stomach in the last three months has been a romance novel by Julia Quinn. And I read it in one night.

I wish I could say this hasn't happened before.

It has.

The truth is, about a year and a half ago when I was in London, my mother pulled out "The Duke and I", the first in the Quinn Bridgerton series, because she couldn't concentrate on the plane over. After scoffing and rolling my eyes and looking down from my lofty classic lit heights, I read the damn thing my first night there.

But that's not all.

Soon, EVERY time we passed anything that MIGHT have books in it, I ran in and died six hundred deaths every time I had to ask some seventeen year old Oasis tee shirt wearing clerk if they had any Julia Quinn. At Waterstones, he actually said, "I'm sorry. That would be in the FEMALE section." As if I were asking for tampons. Pretty similar though, when you think about it and equally embarrassing. I read 7 books on my vacation and came home and finished every single book she has ever written.

Why?! What is this power they hold? I don't like other romance authors, can't bear the idiocy and yet, say Julia Quinn and I'm a slave for you!

Help me readers, what is this mystic force romance writers hold over us? Why are the books impossible to put down? How is it that they MUST be read the very first night of purchase or we will simply diiiiiieeeee?

I have lovely books at home, romantic, thought provoking, ambient books. And there they remain, at home. At least for these last three months.

Julia! You've ruined me!

The Top 5 Things I know about Love So Far

2011-01-01T21:11:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR my blogging friends! I don't often think of love, at least, I don't often think of myself qualified to speak on the subject. After all, what do I know? My longest relationship lasted three years (two of which we were in different countries) and ended with one phone call. And I pride myself on being single. I do it well. I'm not one of those girls who has been planning her wedding since she was three or sitting around drowning my sorrows if I don't have a man of the moment. I only care sometimes and it usually lasts for an hour.

But.

I'm thinking about it tonight. The reasons for this are not important. We all think about it sometimes, don't we? And I've realized that after 35 years in the game, I have realized some absolute truths. Take it with a grain of salt and chalk it up to Gigi's life experience:

#1.) If a guy wants to, he will. IF A GUY WANTS TO, HE WILL!!! There are no exceptions to this rule. Ever. Even if he's shy, EVENTUALLY, he will. You might have to wait longer than you want to but, if he wants to, he will. This includes calling, asking out, getting your number, kissing you, keeping dates, etc... If a guy wants to he will. No exceptions.

#2.) Most of female heartbreak comes from ignoring rule number one. We make exceptions that don't exist because we want someone so much. It doesn't work like that. If he didn't ask, if he doesn't call, if he doesn't kiss you, if he doesn't propose, cry, scream, throw stuff at the tv, go on an epic road trip with your best girlfriends, your sisters and recognize him for what he is -- not the guy for you. He doesn't see who you are, therefore, he does not deserve the tears that are being shed for him. He's not shedding them for you.

#3.) Live your life like a princess so that you will not be tempted to believe you are worthless. I don't mean a princess like, a self-indulgent diva who believes in being Kim Kardashian. I mean a lady who behaves like a lady, presents herself as a lady, lives her life as a lady and therefore has no reason to doubt that she doesn't absolutely deserve and expect to be treated like a lady. The only reason jackasses are allowed to behave like jackasses is because we women allow it to happen. Think of all those guys with the naked ladies in the windows. 9 times out of ten you see a WOMAN get out of the car. That man gets away with that jackass behavior and Heaven knows what else because the woman he is with is soooooo excited to be given ANY attention from ANYONE that she has been sold the mess of pottage. She has forfeited her kingdom and her birthright. You are a princess. You are of noble potential. Live up to it. Believe yourself to be a lady and behave like one. When this is done, jackasses don't even apply for the job.

#4.) Be the person you want to end up with. I've heard this before of course. I've lived my life this way and let me tell you that being Mormon or LDS really, seriously, limits your dating pool. What happens when even in your limited dating pool, the guys are a serious deterioration of who you are? Nothing. Still be the person you want to end up with because you will. Even if there is no guy -- you will end up with you. That's an absolute guaruntee. Get the education, discover the places, be as kind and generous and talented as you would imagine your dream man to be. Why? Because then you will have the world and even better, you will have you -- your best you. No one can create your happiness, contentment or peace but you. IF a man who values the same things/qualities you do does present himself and follows rule number one, you will be glad you were prepared and ready to meet him. If not, you will be the architect of your own life and start living RIGHT NOW instead of waiting for someone else to start it for you.

#5.) Have faith. If you're doing what you're supposed to, being who you're supposed to be, hope, love, happiness and awe inspiring things will find you. Your destiny, whatever that is for YOU, will find you exactly the way it's supposed to and the battle scarring of horrendous regret will not be your lot. YOU will be living YOUR life and in the words of "Under the Tuscan Sun", "impossibly good things can happen" and they will happen to you.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all your loves and loves lost and loves yet to come!

It Feels Like a Charles Dickens night...

2010-12-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

In 1843, Charles Dickens had writer's block. Anyone who's ever started and restarted and thrown away and screamed to the Heavens for some kind of answer know what horror is contained in those little, tiny words:

Writer's Block

So he went to Scotland, on holiday, as the legend goes. He had Scottish ties and found himself wandering around Greyfriar's Kirkyard (or cemetery to us). Now, this isn't just any ghost yard. T.S. Elliot and JK Rowling have also found their literary salvation among the haunts there. But it is a sad place too. Trouble and poltergeists loom large in the cemetery's past and if you ever have a chance to do the ghost tour there .... be prepared to scream like a little girl. I did

And maybe Dickens witnessed his own apparition there on the cemetery grounds because when he came upon the gravestone of one " Scroogie", he misread it for "Scrooge". According to the guides of the churchyard, Dickens was instantly intrigued by the great and powerful tombstone, obviously designed for a great and powerful man. And yet, there were no flowers, no epitaphs, no evidence of any kind that this man was remembered for all his wealth and power.

And it got him thinking.

Today, a hundred and fifty years or so later, the Western world pretty much recognizes Christmas in the way Charles Dickens imagined it should be recognized in 1843. It's interesting to note that before "A Christmas Carol", the traditions mentioned in the story were not necessarily traditions of the day. Lighting the Christmas tree was a foreign concept brought over by a foreign Prince (Albert) and the idea of Christmas Eve parties and carols were how Dickens imagined it should be. And so it is. Even now.

We all have our favorite versions, of course. And aren't we fierce about defending our "Scrooge" as the greatest? My vote is always for the ONLY English version filmed actually in England with an all English cast: "Scrooge" 1970 with Albert Finney. It is the ultimate version of all versions with the deepest despair and the most miraculous of transformations and rejoicing.

And what of "Scroogie"? The forgotten man who was destined to inspire one of the most miserable misers in history? According to the experts at the graveyard, he was actually a most generous and giving soul who was well loved in his community. Or so the story goes. And yet, wasn't it said the same of Scrooge after the ghosts were through with him? Perhaps "Scroogie" had a bit of Jacob Marley in him, his last kind deed was inspiring a young writer with writer's block.

Charles Dickens in 1843

MERRY CHRISTMAS Scroogie and Charles Dickens and all of you wonderful readers and your families!

God bless us, every one!

I Met Kate Morton!

2010-12-08T16:04:00.001-08:00

First, let me say, that I've been a dismal blogger, completely failing in my planned Halloween/ Thanksgiving/ Christmas rants. However, I'm repenting of my absence now by telling you all that last night I MET KATE MORTON, author of "House at Riverton", "Forgotten Garden" and most recently, "The Distant Hours."

It wasn't easy.

But it had to be done. When I read House at Riverton, I was hypnotized for days and, as a writer, rather depressed. Who can compare with that for a first novel? It made my own little manuscript look like left over play-do on a Seasame Street set from 1982. And I'll be honest, I cried. A lot. But then, when the tears had stopped (or, I was in public again) I realized how grateful I was that there still were true artists in the world. Kate Morton is the real thing. Like Bronte, like Austen, like Cezanne. She's it.

Her and JK Rowling. But I digress.

As I sat down to read the Distant Hours on Sunday night, a little needling started at the back of my brain. "I wonder if she would ever visit Vroman's bookstore in Pasadena, California?" Now, if you've never been to Vroman's, I'm sorry. One of the last independent bookstores on the West Coast and just about the cutest thing you'll ever see, it also happens to be 2 hours away from where I live. However, back in the day when my best friend and I used to do cool things like hang out in independent bookstores, we accidentally found ourselves at a book signing for Anne Rice. And if Anne Rice could be in Vroman's, why not Kate Morton?!

So I looked. On Sunday night. She was scheduled -- on TUESDAY!

Oh how the logic and reason tumbled together with laziness and fatigue shouting that driving to Pasadena after teaching for 6 hours only to drive 2 hours home again might actually kill me. But this was Kate Morton, the only living writer I worship (and JK Rowling). So I did it. Yes I did. Got there two hours early ( you never know! The woman has sold more than 3 million books! Sheesh!) And I waited, alone for two hours. In the end, there were about 20 of us and I think I was the only one who had actually read the book. 20 people. For Kate Morton!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!!!!!!

Those of you who write will understand. Most of the time you are a foreign species worrying about things most people would never consider. You have an inner dialogue that goes something like this "but she can't just go out in the forest, who would go out into forest in the middle of the winter. I don't care if there is a glow in the woods. Who cares?! I suck! This is horrible. My character has no backbone, no pacing, no motivation. I have no backbone, no pacing, no motivation. I'm fat." Something like this. We think about things like word choice and tone and bang our heads against walls when we suddenly realize that we've spent 2 long years writing a half-wit version of Jane Eyre. How marvelous it was to actually talk to someone who is so decidedly an expert and realize that she speaks "writer" too. That I speak "writer". I'm not making it up. My weirdness is allowed. I'm part of a group. A group with Kate Morton in it.

She spoke of her love of reading, the process of writing her book and the writing process in general. And here's the deal, folks, she's living the dream. She is quite simply as stunningly poised and beautifully elegant as her characters. She is an international best seller on an international book tour after spending 6 months living in England for research for the Distant Hours.

And she's gorgeous.

If there is a Heaven, I am convinced it looks a lot like the world of Kate Morton and if you want a peek into what that is, pick up one of her books -- you'll swim in it.

You can search here for my review on "House at Riverton".

Top Halloween Movies For Cold and Stormy Night.

2010-10-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not the kind of girl who likes gory, violent movies. Halloween for me is pumpkins and magic and something mysterious in the air. And Halloween is not Halloween without these three FABULOUS films.

Practical Magic is delicious Halloween fun and every time I curl up with my cocoa, I want

Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock's hair, their magical powers and THEIR HOUSE!!

The house in San Juan on the Puget sound

The Conservatory

The Kitchen

The second fabulous pic on a romantically stormy night is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. What do you do when you are a beautiful widow who's just moved into her dream cottage by the sea and find you're now haunted by a devilishly attractive sea captain?

Rex Harrison is the Captain who loves Lucy

Lucy can't understand why she's hypnotized by this portrait until...

... she sees the real thing...

And finally! It may sound childish, but if you've never seen Disney's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow", you are in for a treat!! First, the illustrations are the most idyllic New England, Halloween scenes ever -- it's only 30 minutes but it is like chocolate cake after a steak dinner. Halloween isn't Halloween without Ichobad Crane!

Curl up on the couch, light the fire, unplug the phone and feel a little bit of magic.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween and Ramalama Bang Bang

2010-10-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's time to feel a little spooky, to wonder about that sudden breeze as you walk home alone, to peer into dark corners and wonder if they're truly empty.

Halloween is coming.

Where I live, there is only sunshine and brutal heat. When I want to feel that tingly of the unknown, something romantic and mysterious, nothing sets the mood like, "Ramalama Bang Bang" by Roisin Murphy.

Roisin Murphy

More specifically I watch Wade Robeson do his thing on "So You Think You Can Dance" and let the 18th Century undead give me goosebumps all up and down my arms.

And I think about becoming a professional dancer -- again.

And Hot Australian coreographers.

If you haven't seen it yet:

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO WATCH IT IN HD!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3vtKpCoaE

Now that you've seen it at last:

You're welcome :)

The Fantastic Return of Nanny McPhee!!!

2010-09-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

I loved this movie. I mean -- truly. I didn't expect tobut some surprises are so lovely. If you saw the first Nanny McPhee, you know that it is all about whimsey and magical mayhem. But the second is quieter, more grounded in reality which makes the magic so much lovelier.

The children cast in these roles are so real and reminiscent of the old English Empire that the story feels relevant, honest. There is less Nikelodian goo fests and more earnest longing. The result is perfection.

And the ambience in this film is just transporting. There is a scene in the beginning with Maggie Gyllenhaal (who I never really thought of as beautiful until this movie) when she hears the whispers that she needs Nanny McPhee and the wind is up and a storm is coming. It's exactly the kind of feel that puts Halloween in your toes.

It's WW2 and city kids are shipped to their poor farm relatives in the country. The shots of the English countryside and villages are breathtaking and the story is so rich, so surprisingly touching that I cried -- twice. Because I went to see it twice. In two days. I loved it that much. The scene in London is nostalgia straight out of Mary Poppins and I found myself desperately wishing Nanny McPhee would show up at my door.

More Nanny McPhee please!

My favorite character in the movie

The children in this film are absolutely believable portraying

a lost world of old world British charm and sensibility

Anne Bronte and the scandalous Tenant of Wildfell Hall

2010-09-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to be married to Lord Byron? Watch "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall". This fabulous BBC miniseries available on netflix absolutely blew my mind. It is so honest, so open. We always read about the rake who marries the virgin and is transformed. But what if he's not? What if she's partly to blame? What if she still loves him? What if he still loves her?

It's a conundrum.

And Anne Bronte is truly amazing in her ability to weave it all together. Unlike Heathcliff and unlike Rochester, there is no romance attached to the everyday trueness of love, of abandoning our vices, of giving in to them, of hurting, loving and even destroying each other. Throughout this entire story, I wasn't sure if I was rooting for them. I was certain I wanted her to run but I wanted her to lighten up too. I wanted them to be as good to each other as they could have been. I wanted them to divorce. I wanted it to end. I wanted it to have one last fighting chance. I hated him. I loved him. I hated her. I pitied her.

That's a great story.

So why haven't we heard of it?

Charlotte, Emily and Anne all discovered they were writing secretly. As a sisterly unit, they made a pact to get published together. Charlotte was the very last to be published but when she was, it was Jane Eyre. All of the sister's books sold. It is a fallacy to think they were in any way unsuccessful.

Anne in particular began to sell with "Tenant of Wildfell Hall". It was so scandalous and shocking that it sold out in 6 weeks. A second printing was in order but, tragically, Anne was already dead. At 29, she was the last of three Bronte siblings to die in 6 months. First their brother, then Emily and finally Anne. When she died, it was CHARLOTTE who denied the second printing. In her opinion, it wasn't morally worth reprinting and "Agnes Grey" should be the work her sister was remembered for. What a tragedy. What a pious, ridiculous, self-important judgement to make.

Of all the sisters' work, it is "Tenant of Wildfell Hall" that is the most sincere, the most grounded. She doesn't mince the realities of Victorian marriage but she doesn't have the hero digging up their lost love buried deep in the earth, or staggering all over the wilderness starving to death because she won't sleep with him either. Rochester is only a hero in comparison to someone like Heathcliff who is truly evil. But let's face it, he did lock his wife up in an attic and then seduce the 18 year old nanny. I'd set his house on fire too.

Anne's anti hero is the villain. He knows it. He owns it. But he's not supernatural in any way. He's not even unique. He is that breed of selfish young men who were ruined by their own gluttony for excess. Theirs is a marriage that should have worked but didn't.

She told the truth about the dark horse and it wasn't what the world wanted to hear. At least, not what her sister Charlotte wanted to hear.

Sigh.

Thank goodness we have the chance to view and read at leisure today. Anne Bronte -- genius.

Wistful -- Searching for Jane Austen Pt.2

2010-08-26T21:13:00.001-07:00

A year ago July, I was in the south of England with my mother and we visited Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton.

Chawton Village is just outside of Winchester and so worth the 28 minute drive. It still is a village with thatch roofed cottages, single lane roads and on the cloudy morning we arrived, it was still sleepy and quiet. There on the corner is the cottage without ceremony or distinction. There are no gates and no monuments. Even if you didn't know this was her home, Jane is everywhere. Suddenly, you know what Barton cottage looked like for Marianne and Elinor. You see the fields where Lizzy rambled to Netherfield Park to rescue Jane. It's all there and so are you.

Jane Austen didn't write for 10 years. Her father had died. She was suddenly, in the despair, came a cottage given to her mother, herself, Cassandra and a friend by Edward, her brother. Suddenly, in this peaceful place, she could sit at the window, watch the traffic, the passersby, the fields across the way.

There are still original pieces of furniture in the main room, most especially her writing desk at the window, 1st edition Austens in the secretary desk and some of Jane's own personal reading collection.
I've always thought of Jane being alone because she never married. It always filled me with a kind of sadness at her solitude. How wrong I was. In this little cottage are rooms made up for all her brothers and nieces and nephews. The life and the love shared in that cottage is still palpable -- the family is imprinted in its spirit. Jane was adored.

The gardens at the cottage

The most powerful moment of the visit was reading a letter they have in a case from Cassandra to their niece Fanny detailing Jane's last hours. It's impossible to relay the intimacy of the experience, standing where they stood, knowing what the two experienced together. Theirs is the true story of love and loyalty. Maybe she didn't have Darcy but she had Cassandra and once Jane was gone, Cassandra carried on alone in Chawton on the 800 pounds Jane left her in her will. She opened a school and taught there for many years.
Across the street from the Austen house is the Greyfriars tea house .
Flowers at Greyfriars

The field across the street from the Austen Cottage

If you enjoyed this post you might enjoy a former post: Searching for Jane Austen pt.1 http://gigilovesparis.blogspot.com/2010/02/searching-for-jane-austen-pt-1.html

Former Post: Looking for John Keats in Hampstead:

http://gigilovesparis.blogspot.com/2009/09/after-fifteen-years-i-finally-find.html

Let's Be Honest: Eat, Pray, Kill Myself

2010-08-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I go, I hear about this book. I did pick it up one time. I opened it, I read the first page and thought --"it's amazing how much I don't care about this person." But I thought that was just the book. After all, the movie has Julia Roberts and how can a person not care about Julia Roberts?

Answer: Apparently me.

This was the worst movie I've ever seen. I've seen movies I've disagreed with, movies I've disliked enormously because they were banal, insulting or just lame. But this is different. This is a whole new level of "How did I get myself into this hideous mess?" So I'm going to lay it out -- exactly what had me seeing lights of nausea in the theater and then I would love your opinions.

The things that drove me nuts:

* How cruel and self-centered can one person be?

*If you're going to Rome, India and Bali, you gotta know that we're holding out for some pretty lush scenery. This movie was gray -- all the way through

* Let me get this straight -- she totally destroys sweet husband and then is tortured over a child actor she met for .25 seconds while still married? Puhlease.

* The Texas guy in India: Kill me

* All of India: Kill me

* And the most unforgivable thing of all time: If you're going to make something nearly THREE HOURS long -- for the love of all that is decent in this world PLEASE GIVE US SOME KIND OF PLOT. Any kind of plot. Anything!!!

I never, ever thought I'd say this: I longed for the wit and pathos of 27 Dresses.

It was that bad.

But what did you think, readers? Anybody like it? Anybody agree? Anybody smart enough to hold onto their money?

Readers, I want your opinions. Did you see this movie?

Coming to LA? Tea at Huntington Library?

2010-08-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

Critics often say there is no culture in Los Angeles. Maybe it's because of the Han Solo look a likes on Hollywood Boulevard or the 6000 hand made signs that say "Star Maps Here". Perhaps it's the "Star Van Tours" clogging the city's traffic. Whatever the reason for this snobbery -- the Huntington Gardens in San Marino proves them wrong.

San Marino is where everyone in the world wants to live. Don't believe me? It's where they filmed "Father of the Bride." Remember that house? That neighborhood? San Marino. And tucked into the wide, nostalgic streets shaded by old growth trees and multi million dollar verandas is the elegant estate of Mr. Huntington. He donated his entire property to the county and thank goodness he did!

Admission cost is around $20 but even if you just hit the gift store -- it would be worth it. Everything from Jane Austen collectibles, works of art, and histories of the world can be found within.

Outside are the properties which house incredible works of art that range from Mary Cassatt, to Monet, to Gainsborough, Romney and other awe worthy Regency artists. There are also collections of Victorian and Regency sculptures. Think Keira Knightley studying Darcy's likeness in the newest Pride and Prejudice. You are captivated by their realism.

But if you never even go in to see the notorious "Blue Boy" or Lady Emma Hamilton, the grounds are wondrous to behold. There are gardens representing nearly every culture.

The Shakespeare Garden

And while you're wandering, pondering the beauties of the universe, stop in for tea in the refreshing tea house -- always packed so book at least a few days in advance. Then be prepared for an all you can eat buffet of fruits, crustless sandwiches that are sinful and desserts that made me embarrass myself.

The Tea House

The Japanese Garden

An illegal shot of Huntington's bust of Lord Byron

I Want to be Georgette Heyer!

2010-07-26T14:05:00.001-07:00

... Or at least I want to be in one of her novels. I don't read multiple works from a single author very often and yet I find myself at the end of a 4th from Ms. Heyer! I can't quite believe it because every time I pick up one of her Regency Romances, I think to myself the same thing "... eh? Am I really in the mood to work this hard?"

I know. It's crazy talk. As if using language that I don't hear every day at the high school where I teach will reveal my illiteracy. I LOVE the books I've read by her so far. Love them. And I find myself in the most fabulous glow when I've finished. Last night, I finished VENETIA.

Venetia is a 25 year old country beauty used to a life of solitude caring for her eccentric father and notoriously brilliant but crippled brother. Worse, she likes this life. However, when the notorious rake, Damerel, takes up residence as her neighbor, she finds their paths crossed and her heart quite lost for the first time in her life. However, it would seem that everyone who has ever cared or even been curious about Venetia is throwing in an iron to make sure that such a horrible mistake is never made. Have I read this plot line before? Of course (I do own every book Julia Quinn ever wrote). So why read this? Because it's LOOOOOOVVVVVVEEELLLY! It is truly romantic in a way most romances routinely miss. Damerel is truly Bryonic and Venetia is a worthy, lovable heroine. I found myself sighing shamelessly to myself.

If you've never read Georgette Heyer, here are five things to remember:

1.) You MUST plow through the first two chapters of "set up". Once you hang in there through Chapter 3, you find yourself trapped.

2.) Be prepared for some serious Regency Romance. Heyer had over 1000 reference books on the period before she died. It never gets in the way of the fun, the jokes or the romance but the woman knows what she's talking about and as a result the characters are characters you take seriously. Even the fools

3.) The newly released soft back covers are beautiful works of art from Romney, Lawrence and other Regency artists. Simply gorgeous.

4.) The women in Heyer's romances are real women, whether they're beautiful, plain, independent or eager to please, you actually like these ladies. They have personalities, strengths and weaknesses. These are girls you can root for. On the flip side -- her men are MEN. They talk like men, react like men and do not, for one minute sound like a WOMAN writing a MAN for her romance novel purposes. Prepare to swoon.

5.) This is my recommendation for starting your journey. Begin with SYLVESTER, then VENETIA,

Follow those with THE FOUNDLING

And end with Bath Tangle. These are the four I've read and I've loved every minute of it! You've got to love authors who take away the real world for just one beautiful moment.

There Still is a Place You Can be the Princess at the Ball

2010-07-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

"It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season..." -- Cask of Amontillado

Every once in a while, in my responsible life I think... really? This is the most glamourous it's going to get? Don't get me wrong. I love my life. It is the exact reflection of my own choices. I embrace it. But I also embrace the idea of mystery, romance, intrigue and adventure. Not a whole of that going on in the desert.

So.

Now that I'm a grownup, with a real job and my whole life ahead of me... isn't there anywhere we can go to just have a glimpse of total and complete fantasy?

Readers. We can. It's called the Carnival of Venice.

The Carnival of Venice started in the 1300's and was called to a close in the late 1700's by the Austrian government who decided that the dangerous carnival season allowed the Venetians too many privileges. After all, how much trouble can people get into with masks? Well, in the 1300's there was a law passed in Venice stating that people could no longer pretend to be nuns or Priests and enter corresponding abbeys and monasteries. Also, people died during carnival in duels, intrigues, revenge plots. In fact, the Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe has poor Fortunato being stalked by Montressor. But today's Carnival is no dangerous den of thieves. Every year 30,000 people storm Venice staying in exquisitely glamorous hotels, wearing even more exquisite costumes and masks to participate in week long festivities of Baroque operas, plays and ... the balls! Below is a picture of the Palace of Doge in Venice where the most famous ball takes place. Click on this link for the full details and be prepared to be amazed!

http://www.ilballodeldoge.com/

Both men and women go above and beyond fantasy to achieve the perfect Renaissance or Baroque look. Some people spend thousands. Some just rent their costumes at their accommodating hotels prepared for the season.

Below is an example of the most beautiful baroque and renaissance gowns I've found here in the U.S.A, courtesy of www.romanticthreads.com. Check it out and fall in love!

It's hard to believe a girl can go somewhere so steeped in legend, romance and beauty. It's hard to imagine being able to redefine yourself however you wish for an entire week, divorced of any reality. But, for the right price-- and an extra special dose of adventurous spirit -- it can be ours at the Carnival of Venice.

What if Cleopatra's Son had Lived?

2010-05-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

My students are doing Julius Caesar in my English class. I don't know how many remember this Shakespearean gem but it's not the easiest play to teach. No teenage lovers, no cross gendered farces, or crazy sons seeing the ghosts of their fathers. No. A political drama. Sweet. So I bribe them by watching the TNT version of Julius Caesar to get them ready. I figure if I give them blood and gore, they'll let me hammer them with Shakespearean remorse for killing one's best friend.

While watching the movie this time (which makes no mention whatsoever of the Egyptian queen) I started looking up Cleopatra on my own. I mean, I'd seen the movie with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and (clearing throat) Rex Harrison. So where did she fall in in the story? Through this little journey I found out a few facts I hadn't known before:

1.) Cleopatra was not Egyptian. She was Greek. In fact, the Greeks had controlled Egypt for three hundred years and she was one of the only rulers who had actually taken the time to learn the language.

2.) She was twenty when Julius Caesar marched in planning to take Egypt. He'd taken everywhere else and fresh off of the triumph of Gaul and having taken the armies of Pompey (his former son in law). He was 51 (a military leader. In Roman Times. 51! Incredible). She knew she couldn't keep him out so she went to meet him to welcome him.

3.) 9 months later, she had a son. A son! Julius Caesar and Cleopatra had a son -- his only son and one of his only children.

4.) When he marched Cleopatra and his son back to Rome, she became one of the most hated women in Rome. Even Cicero recorded the loathing of the people towards this mistress who was sure Julius Caesar would name her son -- his son -- as heir, that she would one day rule Rome. But then, the Senators stabbed him and Caesar had already named his nephew Octavius.

5.) When she went back to Egypt, she named her son "king of Kings" to spite Octavius.

6.) We know that Mark Antony came to her defense when Octavius marched on Egypt, we know that they became legendary lovers and that they both killed themselves when it became clear that Octavius would take Egypt. But did we all know that Mark Antony was actually married to Octavius's daughter?!

So. Cleopatra killed herself with an Asp and sent her son to a neighboring friendly country who sold him to Octavius who of course killed him. Or did he? It's interesting food for thought. No one actually knows how Caesarean met his end which is interesting considering that we know how everyone else ended their legendary times on earth. This was Caesar's only son and not just a son, a son with famed Cleopatra -- what a kid! So... the story goes that Augustus (Octavius) Caesar said "One Caesar too many" and strangled the 17 year old boy but... I'm not convinced. Why do it? Especially when you owed the kid's father everything? And he had no one and was only 17? Sure, he could have come back and gathered armies, if he survived

I like to think that we don't know how he died because Octavius wanted it that way. Because maybe the famed son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar did live, that he did things we can't even imagine.

I like to think this because Octavius is grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt grandpa. And Mark Antony is too. And Caesarean is my ggggrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaaat cousin.

Dear Paul McCartney

2010-05-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

... there are no words for the euphoria enjoyed on March 31st at the Hollywood Bowl. I'll be honest, it seemed unthinkable that you and I could share a moment when I used to stare at old vinyl records in 7th grade that were already 20 years old. You've been the man in my life. The Beatles have been my stalwart, magical uncles always there, picking me up, dusting me off, "Come on girl... it's not that serious..." and there you were again. You and me. And you were telling me the same things you've always told me but they mean more now. Because you're older. I'm older. The advice, the fact that we've carried on and that the messages are still the same -- it all means more now. I'm glad I didn't see you when I was fifteen and crazy for you. I'm glad I didn't see you when it would have been convenient in my 20's . You weren't ready. You couldn't bear to sing those songs yet, to hear those words again. I wasn't ready. There was still so much of my life you were going to see me through. I needed to go through it and I did. I'm still alive. So are you. And we're on the other side of so much now. Thank you for scanning the audience, for embracing the messages, for being there again, and ever, and always.

You'll never know.

Or maybe you do.

ps. Thanks to Corissa who made it all possible, for kicking my butt, for telling me it was time.

Harry Potter Should Have Ended Up with Hermione...

2010-03-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

... and other things you wish would have happened in JK Rowling's beloved series.

If you've never read the Potter series because you think it will be too juvenile or it doesn't appeal to you, after all you're not into that magic stuff.... how sad we all are for you. To say that the series is genius is an understatement of the grandest proportions. When has it ever happened that men and women and boys and girls have all agreed on a single subject and have all become equally rabid in their devotion of one thing? Very rarely. Even more rarely with books. I can't even think of another that competes in this equal opportunity cross genres. We all know that Potter saved the YA market for books and may have even saved publishing altogether.

This is all stuff we know. Well, recently, I've undertaken a Harry Potter movie marathon. It's been a long time since I've watched the films and I've never done it back to back. It's been thrilling and now that the series is over, now that we know exactly what significance everything had, I'd like to open a discussion on what we WISH would have happened or the inconsistencies that we see in the series, the things we wish we could do over.

I'll start off:

1.) While reading, I totally bought the Hermione and Ron thing up until the last book (please... we waited all that time for one lousy, rushed kiss) but now... now, rewatching and rereading it seems absolutely preposterous that Harry does not end up with Hermione, the only girl he has consistent contact with or a growing relationship. And really? While Ginny is brave, there is no other personality except that she gets with tons of boys to get Harry's attention..?

2.) What's up with these super powerful Order of the Phoenix/Dumbledore wizards not being able to take out the Death Eaters once and for all? Harry Potter comes in with "stupefy" and takes out Voldemort about six times in the series. Hmmm... "Hogwarts is impenetrable!" Except of course for a Basalisk who's existed there for CENTURIES and no one's noticed or a room where all Death Eaters meet to have tea, cookies, war councils...

3.) What's with Draco always challenging Harry? Um.... Harry defeated Voldemort about a thousand times, won the Tri-Wizard tournament, killed a basalisk... blah, blah... pretty sure everyone (especially the kids whether they hated him or not) would have been in terrified awe. But then again, everyone's astonished every time he does something because he's, after all, only a 3rd year so... par for the course.

4.) And finally, the ending... * clears throat.... um... necessary? She kills about, oh, half the good guy population in annonymus, pointless deaths but all the death eaters live. Except for Bellatrix, who, by the way wasn't killed by Neville but whatever. No happy "Yeah! Voldemort's gone! Open Diagon Alley! Let's celebrate! Like in the beginning of Book One". None of that.

These are my thoughts.

Any of yours?

WEIGHT WATCHERS, ANYONE?

2010-03-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I know that this is off the beaten track when it comes to my book blogging but -- the presses need to be stopped because I've got a little story that needs to be told.

Things have gotten a little out of hand. The fat jeans are no longer the fat jeans, if you know what I'm saying. I stopped recognizing myself in grocery store mirrors weeks ago. But it was the pic of two ham like arms and breasts that hung approximately to my knees that made me go into cardiac arrest. And also made me start Weight Watchers. I have a theory that EVERYONE knows Weight Watchers. And the "points". So I joined the website. I put in the points consumed at the Tea House for a baby reception. I thought it was the responsible thing to do. Why not find out how many points were left before dinner... because... after all... I wouldn't want, you know, to go OVER.

Daily Points allowed: 25

Daily points consumed by 2:00 in the afternoon: 72

Without dinner

Um... yeah.

Goodbye cruel world

UNSTINKINGBELIEVABLE!!!!

2010-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

So. Some of you don't know my secret, very deep, abiding love for Remington Steele, the fabulous detective series in the '80's. I mean -- love.

We're talking, stay-up-until-midnight-to -tape -the episodes-before -the -days-of tivo love. Get off early from work love.

And there have been encounters. Or at least one. A friend of mine took me to a concert for Loreena McKennit in 1994. I almost declined the date to stay home to watch Remington Steele. Yeah. I'm serious. But I went. And much to the chagrin of my date, of the 100 people in the audience --PIERCE BROSNAN -- was there. And it was embarrassing. I was embarrassing.

But I digress.

Today, my friend Susan (the follower of all things Pierce) sent me a link to an MTV article about Conan O'Brien's tweet saying he's been spending his days watching Remington Steele -- naked -- drowning his sorrows. Susan got this article from PIERCE BROSNAN'S site who googled it to all his fans. In the article they list a link to a cheestatic video and guess what folks... IT'S MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The video I made is in an article by MTV. And Pierce sent this article. To all his fans. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check it out! http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/03/02/conan-obrien-twitter-pierce-brosnan/

CONGRATS TO VELVET FOR WINNING THE JANE AUSTEN ADDICT GIVEAWAY!

2010-03-01T18:43:00.000-08:00

After a tragic week of a broken computer (and no posts -- sniff, sniff!) I am happy to announce in my very first post from my brand new MAC computer that Velvet has won the "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" giveaway!!! Thanks to everyone for participating and be sure to check back for the next big giveaway!

Review: The Foundling by Georgette Heyer

2010-02-19T17:13:00.000-08:00

The set up: It's hard being Gilly. Everyday well meaning servants and family members dress him, feed him, advise him, watch over him and insure that no harm comes to the "little" duke. And while the Most Noble Adolphus Sillespie Vernon Ware, Duke of Sale and Marquis of Ormesby; Earl of Sale; Baron Ware of Thame; Baron Ware of Stoven; and Bare Ware of Rufford is thankful that his uncle saved him from certain death after the death of his own parents and raised him as his own son, just once, he'd like to do something he'd like to do. Being the Duke of this and that feels more like a prison than a pleasure and when he is forced into an engagement with the kind and honorable Lady Harriet, he feels more trapped than ever.

The Opportunity: However, life for his lesser known cousins is not so privileged and when Gilly learns of a plot to blackmail his youngest cousin, Matt, he sees this as his one and only opportunity to travel out into the world, without his safety net of wealth and connection, in order to set things right. He is determined to be a hero. What he finds is that riding coaches is more glamourous in theory, as are most hotels and highwaymen. Beautiful young women aren't always desirable and life takes more thinking on your feet than he'd ever imagined. After a series of laugh out loud moments, Gilly learns that life as a Duke does have its advantages and that little Harriet who he felt rather ambivalent about might be the greatest gift of his life. Most importantly, Gilly finally has the chance to be a man and rises to the ocassion masterfully.

I give this book 5 stars. I LOVED it. I read it in one night and there were moments where I truly did laugh out loud. The dialogue was not so slow and archaic as in other Heyer novels and the plot twists, genuinely applaudable. I enjoyed every minute . The well drawn characters and the sense of adventure felt so much like David Copperfield (my favorite book of all time) without the tragedy. Finally, I love books in which the hero and heroine find themselves recognizing the other not at first, but at last, when they get a chance to appreciate just who they have in the other. Heyer does that here in spades. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!

CONGRATS TO ELIZABETH FOR WINNING THE GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2010-02-17T13:45:00.001-08:00

Congrats Elizabeth for winning My Fair Godmother!! This book is seriously sigh-worthy and I know you'll love!!!! Thanks to everyone for entering! There's still time to enter the giveaway for Confession of a Jane Austen Addict!!

Sunday Scribblings -- Writing the Mythic Hero

2010-02-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ok. So, one of the best things I took away from the Writer's conference were contained in a book called: The Writer's Journey Mythic Structrue for Writers by Christopher Vogler.

Now, not many of us are writing mythic hero books or screenplays. Ancient Babylon is not ususally a dream scenario. However, what most of us don't realize is that we ARE writing a mythic hero or, even more shocking, that if we aren't writing it, we should be.

WHAT?

It's true. This is the mythic hero outline. Attention all writers! Apply this to your plot and see if this doesn't fit your character/plot arc one way or the other.

#1.) Hero introduced in the ordinary world

#2.) They receive the call to adventure

#3.) They initially Refuse the Call

#4.) They are encouraged by a Mentor to

#5.) Cross the first threshold and enter the special world

#6.) they encounter Tests, Allies and Enemies

#7.) They approach the inmost cave, crossing the second threshold

#8.) They endure the ordeal

#9.) They take possession of their Reward

#10.) They are pusued on the Road Back to the ordinary world

#11.) They cross the third threshold, experience resurrection and are transformed by the experience

#12.) They Return with the Elixir, a boon or treasure to benefit the ordinary world.

I couldn't believe how much URGENCY this model lent to the transitions in my story. I had a call to adventure but hadn't realized it was a call to adventure. Once I rewrote the scene, conscious of this purpose, BAM! Urgency.

We're all writing mythic heroes.

Or we should be.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning -- The Love Story

2010-02-11T12:44:00.001-08:00

When you're single in your 30's, everyone wants to know why. So do you. And everyone wants to know how the heck you're going to meet him when you've missed the school, church, young people single niche. And when they panic for me, I always say Elizabeth. Barrett. Browning.

And in the spirit of Valentines and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's wildly romantic story must be shared because, like Juliet Ashton, Elizabeth Barrett's love story began with a letter from a stranger.

The Sickly Young Woman Not Allowed to Marry
She became sickly in her early years with nobody knows what. With 12 children in the family, Elizabeth was well taken care of by her brothers, sisters, mother and father. They encouraged her to stay inside, encouraged her to write and to take morphine for the pain. She did and became an addict. But she also wrote in a scholarly fashion that flabberghasted society. She was a young woman who could read the Old Testament in the original Hebrew and Dante's Inferno in archaic Italian/ Latin. Her father was very proud of his daughter and encouraged her to continue her talent, especially as it was a talent she could persue indoors and at home. You see, Mr. Barrett, a Jamaican plantation owner, vowed that his children would not leave home and would not marry. Rather unusual for the day where most fathers were obsessessed with marrying their children off to further their fortunes, Mr. Barrett promised that whoever married would be disinherited.

The First Letter (edited)
January 10th, 1845 New Cross, Hatcham, Surrey

I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett,--and this is no off-hand complimentary letter that I shall write,-- since the day last week when I first read your poems, I quite laugh to remember how I have been turning again in my mind what I should be able to tell you of their effect upon me-- so into me has it gone, and part of me has it become, this great living poetry of yours, not a flower of which but took root and grew... I can give reason for my faith in one and another excellence, the fresh strange music, the affluent language, the exquisite pathos and true new brave thought--but in this addressing myself to you, your own self, and for the first time, my feeling rises altogher. I do, as I say, love these Books with all my heart-- and I love you too: do you know I was once seeing you? Mr. Kenyon said to me one morning "would you like to see Miss Barrett?"--then he went to announce me,--then he returned... you were too unwell -- and now it is years ago--and I feel as at some untorward passage in my travels--as if I had been close, so close, to some world's-wonder in chapel on crypt,... only a screen to push and I might have entered -- but there was some slight... so it now seems... slight and just-sufficient bar to admission, and the half-opened door shut, and I went home my thousands of miles, and the sight was never to be!

But it was to be. Robert Browning returned to 50 Wimpole Street in London with a mutual poet acquaintence and would not move until he met Elizabeth. It began slowly, for Elizabeth was suspicious that such a striking, passionate young man (6 years her junior) could truly love her. Also, they had to remain in appearance tutor and pupil. If her father ever suspected, Mr. Browning would be packing immediately. Elizabeth took all of her rising passions, doubts, longings and turned them into her most famous prose: Sonnets from the Portugeuse. Browning called Elizabeth "The Portuguese" because of her Creole ancestory, her dark coloring. She wrote:

If thou must love me, let it be for noughtExcept for love's sake only. Do not say'I love her for her smile---her look---her way Of speaking gently,---for a trick of thought That falls in well with mine, and certes brought A sense of pleasant ease on such a day'---For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may Be changed, or change for thee,---and love, so wrought, May be unwrought so. Neither love me forThine own dear pity's wiping my cheeks dry,---A creature might forget to weep, who boreThy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! But love me for love's sake, that evermore Thou mayst love on, through love's eternity

And:

Belovèd, my Belovèd, when I think That thou wast in the world a year ago,What time I sat alone here in the snowAnd saw no footprint, heard the silence sink No moment at thy voice, but, link by link,Went counting all my chains as if that so They never could fall off at any blow Struck by thy possible hand,---why, thus I drink Of life's great cup of wonder! Wonderful, Never to feel thee thrill the day or nightWith personal act or speech,---

And:

First time he kissed me, he but only kissedThe fingers of this hand wherewith I write;And ever since, it grew more clean and white,Slow to world-greetings, quick with its 'Oh, list,'When the angels speak. A ring of amethystI could not wear here, plainer to my sight,Than that first kiss. The second passed in heightThe first, and sought the forehead, and half missed,Half falling on the hair. O beyond meed!That was the chrism of love, which love's own crown,With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.The third upon my lips was folded downIn perfect, purple state; since when, indeed,I have been proud and said, 'My love, my own.'

And:

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sightFor the ends of Being and ideal Grace.I love thee to the level of everyday'sMost quiet need, by sun and candle-light.I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.I love thee with a passion put to useIn my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.I love thee with a love I seemed to loseWith my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,I shall but love thee better after death.

And so it was. Elizabeth Barrett Browning never even left her house, frail and in her 30's she had given up all hope of deep, abiding love. And yet, deep and abiding love will find a way and it came in a letter, a man who would take her away in the night to Italy where they would live together, have their child (she was 43) and remain until her death in 1861.

How is it possible to find true love when there is no one and the world has passed you by? Elizabeth. Barrett. Browning.

Elizabeth and her son (yes, son) Robert Wideman Browning.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

2010-02-10T18:34:00.001-08:00

Everyone has already reviewed this book and I guess I'm a little slow in the up take. However, there is no way that I, in good conscious, could read this masterpiece and not comment. This book has it all. I was so amazed with how many times I laughed out loud, cried my eyes out and ultimately swooned, I started to take a tally. How in the world could so much of the human experience be packed into such a small book filled with letters no less? And how is it that this is one book in which I could not predict the ultimate outcome? Because it's genius, that's why. Juliet's laments over why she is still single at 32 had me muffling my laughter in the back of the classroom. The first letter from Dawsey was a magical thing, Ravensbruck brought out a mourning I hadn't expected and by the time it was over, I was web searching cruises to the Isle of Guernsey.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is a collection of letters between a frustrated writer, her publisher and a cornucopia of wildly eccentric characters from the island of Guernsey who desperately want the world to know what happened to them during the German occupation in WW2. What a tale!

For those of you familiar with the book, it's worth it to check out "Island at War" a BBC miniseries dealing with the German occupation. Fabulously romantic with unbeatable scenery, it really makes the pages of this book come to life. In fact, it's astonishing that the creators of both were not in cahoots. I don't wish to give anything away for any stragglers who have not already partaken of this rare gift. But the heroism, the courage of quiet people in unnaturally horrific circumstances is something that I think we only begin to understand with these testimonies. Their sacrifices only grow as the years separate us.

The island of Guernsey

TODAY'S TUESDAY PICK!!! -- STAMPIN' NAT!

2010-02-09T17:46:00.000-08:00

Today's pick of fav blog is my friend Nat's (Stampin' Nat!) amazing self made stationary gifts. I don't know how this girl does it! Look how adorable these Valentines are. She teaches classes, blah, blah, and I can barely sign my name at the bottom of a letter. Check out her awesome Valentines at stampinat.blogspot.com. She's even got a section on Valentines condomes -- *%$#&?! Love it!

Monday Movie: Ten reasons we love the NEW Emma!

2010-02-08T21:41:00.000-08:00

While the whole world was watching the SuperBowl, those of us who live and die for Jane Austen and Masterpiece theater could barely contain our excitement for the finale of the latest in a long line of Austen masterpieces.

TEN REASONS WHY WE LOVE THE NEW EMMA:

1.) At last! Emma is YOUNG, fun, flirty and not a stuffy, Princess, all calculated grace and no whimsy (Gwenyth Paltrow)
2.) Knightley and Emma are actually friends! When he "scolds" her it is actually teasing and confidence between two very loving friends.
3.) KNIGHTLEY IS HILARIOUS! Not only that he's charming and endearing and too cute for words. No. He's not 6' and deliciously handsome. Thank goodness! Who could ever believe that Emma wouldn't recognize someone like Rock Hudson (or Jeremy Northam) from the get-go? He's definitely and adorable older brother type.
4.) For the first time we truly see just how diabolical Frank Churchill is. Honestly! He was worse to Emma than Willoughby was to Marianne -- and Willoughby did actually love Marianne! (but he was a cad -- no one is sorry for Willoughby)
5.) Harriet is Emma's NEAR equal in looks. We always see Emma as clearly the more attractive of the two but for the first time, she gets a sort of peer in Harriet, showing us exactly why position, education, grace, wealth and wit were sooooo necessary for a woman.
6.) Enter the Ms. Bates. Gasp! Watching Miss Bates wheel her mother home or try to solicit Emma for a bit of company if only not to have to talk to herself -- SHOCKING! It was absolutely terrifying and we all understand Mrs. Bennet a bit better
7.) Three cheers for Mrs. E!!
8.) Great kiss!
9.) No, it was not as "beautiful" as the earlier version. This version is not polished or dandified by any Hollywood machine. It's messy and aggrivating, hilarious, and REAL. Love, love, love EMMA!
10.) It comes out on February 9th to own forever and always!

Sunday Scribblings... Writers Conferences: An Author's Golden Ticket!

2010-02-07T12:00:00.002-08:00

I am a writer. There. I've said it at last. Yes, by day I teach and tell people I'm a Lit teacher, but it never changes the truth. I write. Even when no one is looking. Even when no one pays me. Even when all odds are stacked so firmly against me that it seems a preposterous waste of time. I write anyway.

This madness has been going on for 20 years. Then it was in notebooks and peache folders in high school, scribbling away about doomed rock stars in the middle of Algebra. My twenties were spent in a maelstorm of screenplay contests, printing off 120 pages on a printer you had to feed individual paper. Today I'm incredibly sophisticated with my pink Dell lap top and my full time job. But how does one break out of their computer and land on the shelves of Amazon.com or the illustrious Barnes and Noble? If you've read anything about publishing, the answer is: YOU DON'T! But, to all the writers who are reading this post, rest assured about one thing: THEY LIED!

There is a golden ticket. For singers, it's American Idol. For writers it's a thing called The Writers Conference. They are expensive (thank you full time job!) but the good news is that they are year round, all over the country and probably coming to a city near you.

Why are Writers Conferences such a boost for new writing careers? Well, anyone who has ever performed the masochistic duty of sending out rounds of query emails (they don't even accept written letters anymore) knows what a trial in self -hatred it becomes. First, nobody cares. Second, even though they ask you to include the first ten pages in your query, they don't read them. Last year, I sent out queries for my book about an international Punk icon who disappears from her adoring (but violent) public and buys a bed and breakfast in the South of England. Now, I realize that punk rockers may not be the first choice for all agents and editors, however, it became clear to me that they weren't even reading the pages when they said things like, "a little more conservative than what I was hoping for". Surprise, surprise, agents really don't read unsolicited material.

At the writers conferences, they have to. It's their job. You can pay an additional fee and have agents write all over your first ten pages and conference with you about what they did love, and what they didn't. They have to look you in the eye and discuss your project. If the agent doesn't like your material, they'll tell you and they'll show you exactly why. If they do, many agents feel kind hearted enough to allow conference attendees to send them material. In other words, you are miles ahead of the email query.

My Experiences at the SDSU conference Jan 29-31st

My book: A gothic teen romance set in the French Revolution in which Martine Demont, a starving girl with an ability to telepathically connect with her loved ones, is saved by a cursed boy.

My Strategy: I researched the attending agents, found the agency I most wanted to work with, someone who was looking for teen Gothic romance and who was relatively new. This helps because new agents actually want clients and I want someone who WANTS me. As for the sacred 10 minute window of opportunity, I decided long before the conference that I would sit down, LISTEN, and at the end of whatever the agent said, if they did not include: "Please send me the rest", I would then ask them exactly when they knew they were not interested in my book. Was it the title? Was it the genre? The first page? Where? I need to know exactly where my pages became a snooze fest or not up to standard.

What Happened: I actually went to a presentation that the agent was giving right before our scheduled appointment. This allowed me to see whether or not I thought I could work with her, if we were the right fit. She blew me away. She was so enthusiastic in her approach to teen lit, so approachable and fun that a terrible gnawing began in my stomach. I suddenly wanted the chance to work with her more than I'd imagined. It was almost cruel. I introduced myself after her presentation and then proceeded to panic. When we finally met, she had written all over my pages clarifying to me what the difference was between good and great (thank you!). She told me what she enjoyed and what was still misty (ha ha) and then said nothing. Oh dear. I took a deep breath and launched into "Where were you out?" She looked at me and said: "I'm not. I want the rest of the book." HOOO RRAAAAYYY!!!!!!!!! Granted, it's just another step in the yellow brick road but every step is forward motion. Even if she just reads it -- it's more than anyone else is reading.

Results: I'm not the only one this happened to. In fact, I know, personally, three people who have had this happen for them within the last year. Considering that I don't know many writers, this is a pretty amazing statistc. My friend Seamus, who has been shopping his WW2 thriller for a year, consulted with the top agent at the conference, had a very less than impressed interview with her and when he asked my get to the point question of "When were you out?" she said the same thing my agent did and even gave him the award for best submission.

Huh.

I guess sometimes, you've got to lead the horse to the water, and ask him why he's not drinking. Apparently, he will then, dip his nose in the water and swallow it down. Not that anyone in this scenario is a horse.

Writers conferences: the golden ticket.

GIVEAWAY!!!! Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

2010-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Courtney doesn't know what's going on when she wakes up in the body of Jane Mansfield (not the 50's bombshell) a reserved, regency beauty. Suddenly, she can needlepoint, dance, ride horses and remember memories that are not her own. She also finds herself in a love triangle she doesn't understand involving people she's never met. Soon, she finds herself falling for the devestatingly attractive Edgeworth. Will she want to return to the present?

This has been a popular title among Jane Austen lovers. And although it was not my favorite, it was an entertaining, quick read.

RULES OF THE GIVEAWAY:

You are entering to receive a free copy of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. The Giveaway will be between 2-5-10 and 2-20-10.

* Leave your comment with your EMAIL ADDRESS

* If you are a follower (let me know), I'll enter you twice

* If you are a follower and post the giveaway on your blog, I'll enter you three times!

GOOD LUCK!

Searching for Jane Austen Pt. 1

2010-02-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

Jane Austen was not happy in Bath. While it was the center of fashion and entertainment for the vacationing set of Regency England, Miss Austen felt stifled and out of place between the gossips and convention. When her father gave up the rectory in her beloved Steventon, it was with a heavy heart that she was uprooted to the more equitable climate of Bath.

The Austens spent a very little time in happy circumstances. Her father died, leaving the Austen women bereft much like Ann Elliot prejudiced against the city after her mother's death in Persuasion. Bath is a shockingly small community and the relationship between rank and street address was keenly felt. The farther away from the Crescent a person lived, the farther they had fallen in life. During Regency England, the center of the town with the Pump Rooms, the Crescent, the Cathedral and theater was splendid. It was therefore, quite astonishing to most how degraded the living quarters became the closer one moved towards the river. Jane had to watch her family of nearly destitute women move closer and closer to the river and therefore, ruin. She was powerless to stop it.

She did not write for 10 years.

However, it is nearly impossible to believe these solemn facts when you visit. My mother (having hired a car and nearly losing our lives on several ocassions) literally gasped when we turned off the highway and started down the narrow road leading into the Greater Bath area. The city sprawls out over the most glorious hillsides and it is true, the stone is golden and catches the light whatever time of day it is. Bath is not a bustling city, all noise and movement (although Miss Austen typically spoke of it as such). You stroll in Bath, you take the double decker bus and they linger. The shops are glorious (special mention to Waterstones: the most FABULOUS book shop in the universe) and everything is an easy walk.

More importantly, everything is Jane Austen. It is ironic that her least favorite place is so indelibly stamped by her having lived there. I'm sure many things have happened in Bath (the Romans for Heaven's sake) but no one cares about that. In Bath there is the overwhelming certainty that the city is what it is today because Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were written by a young lady who hated the city but immortalized it through her heroines.

My mother and I stayed at a bed and breakfast that should be a MUST for all Jane Austen fans. Grosvenor Lodge is a true Georgian building, completely refurbished and absolutely the most lovely rooms we have ever stayed in. It was the closest to Jane Austen living as we were going to get.

Collin is the owner and quite possibly the funniest human to have ever walked God's earth.

The Roman Baths are extensive and yes, the water is still bubbling. Sad to say, but it is no longer possible to dip into them for their healing purposes :)

A little further walk away from the Pump Rooms and the splendor of Roman ruins is the Jane Austen Center. They do a wonderful overview of Jane's life and especially how colorful her brothers were. There is very little authentic memorabilia and none of it directly related to Austen, however, upstairs is a DELIGHTFUL tea room where every menu choice is related to an Austen character. I had the Darcy tea and ate the entire piece of chocolate cake myself.

This is a picture of Gay Street where the Jane Austen Center is situated (look closely and see the man dressed in Regency just visible). One of Austen's houses is two doors up but is currently a dentist's office. You can't help but laugh at that -- A very appropriate progression considering how she felt about Bath in general.

Check out this movie I made after I came home: Austen's greatest hits! I was so inspired. But then... how can we not be?

MY FAIR GODMOTHER GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-01T18:13:00.001-08:00

There are few books as fabulous as "My Fair Godmother" by Janette Rallison. To be fair, my dear friend Natalie (under my followed blogs under: Stampin' Nat) was the one who alerted me to it and told me it was the "perfect" book. She was right.
Savannah is a Junior in high school and having the worst day of her life. When her godmother, a punk teen more interested in shopping than accurately granting wishes, gives Savannah a taste of what she believes to be her deepest desire, Savannah is thankful to get back to life as usual. That is, until she realizes her choices have affected someone else, a shy choir boy by the name of Tristan. She must do everything in her power to help Tristan before it is too late. Together, they make a formidable team and Savannah realizes that one should NEVER underestimate choir boys!

Granted, this is a lame review. I simply can't spell EVERYTHING out because it would positively ruin the whole story. One of the great charms of this book was the spectacularly surprising turns the story takes. I was floored after the first chapter. I laughed out loud in the second. I gasped (again, out loud) in the third and nearly fell over in the fourth. The only thing I can say about this quick read is READ IT! It's the kind you read in one night and spend the rest of the next day in the glow of possibility for a relationship you never actually had.
The author, talented Janette Rallison, was kind enough to talk to me and divulged that she is in the middle of book two! Same fairy -- different thwarted lovers and she promises she is working hard to insure that "new boy" is every bit as swoon worthy as our Tristan.

Sigh.

RULES FOR GIVEAWAY:

You may enter to receive a free copy of "My Fair Godmother" between February 1st and February 15th.

This contest is open to everyone

Enter by commenting on this post and LEAVING YOUR EMAIL.

Followers will be entered twice (please mention you are a follower)

Be entered three times by posting this giveaway to your blog!

Good Luck!!!

The Haunting Mystery of Lanhydrock

2010-01-18T12:24:00.001-08:00

I saw his face in clips on Antiques Roadshow while dressing for school one morning. A shadowed picture, misty with years and a time long since forgotten. He was Tommy Agar Robartes, the 36 year old heir to Lanhydrock, an estate at the zenith of Victorian and Edwardian splendor. The eldest of 10 children, Robartes was popular, athletic, the ultimate hope for future generations. He was an MP for Cornwall, a catalyst for change, for improvements for the working class. When war broke out in 1914, Tommy Agar Robartes enlisted, although he was the titled heir of his family. Men like Robartes with responsibilities of Lordship were, by and large, given desk jobs and remained safe on English soil. This wasn't good enough for Tommy who demanded that he be sent to the frontline with his men. Once there, he was a brilliant strategist who once was so outraged at what he considered a cheap shot attack by the Germans that he had his family send over all of his instruments, taught his men to play well enough to be considered a band and advertised a concert of German music all over the French Valley where both sides sat, day after day in stalemate. He knew the Germans would not be able to resist the music and once the concert had begun and the Germans were singing in the nearby brush, Tommy's men threw aside their instruments and opened fire. Once they'd inflicted the losses they felt they were owed, Robartes posted another concert for the Germans and promised that no further attack would ensue.

He was a favorite of his men one of whom remembered that Captain Robartes was "always extremely kind and gentle. He treated us all as friends. There were many little actions which we appreciated... when he returned from leave he would immediately visit us in billets, or wherever we were, asking kindly after our welfare. Not only that but he never returned empty-handed; a present from the homeland would be issued out to each one of us."
Tommy Agar-Robartes was the beloved son, the golden standard of a world that was turning to mist around them and on September 30th at the Battle of the Loos, Captain Robartes was shot while rescuing a private from certain death. The private, a common man of no rank, survived the war, Tommy Agar Robartes, like thousands and thousands of others was buried in a mass grave in a place that would later be called "the Wasteland". The army sent his preparation kit of toilettries back to his mother who put it away, never to open it. And just like that, Lanhydrock disappeared forever. Only one of the ten Robartes children married and had children and in the 1950s, their empire was over, the house turned over to the National Trust.

Today, if you choose to venture out on the misty Bodmin moors of Cornwall, you will find the house immaculate, ready and waiting for a family who will never come. On the morning I finally made my pilgrimage, it was rainy and haunting... and packed! Every school in the south of England was there to see a REAL Upstairs Downstairs house. But it was still lonely, still wistful, the children's nursery, Tommy's room where his letters were still out, the dirt of his knee pads still intact, his favorite painting of a deer stag still hung as it ever was. The grounds were like a fairies wood, endless and magical. Being at Lanhydrock, one is immediately aware that nearly all English 1920's inspired literature must have been inspired by this last standing relic to that forgotten time. Gosford Park, House at Riverton, Brideshead Revisited, Upstairs Downstairs, Atonement, Remains of the Day... all of them have touched these waters. Moving through the archways, through the roses and the libraries, it is at once everything that we had and everything we lost in the graveyards of our own wastelands.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton -- Review

2009-12-04T19:01:00.000-08:00

"Last November I had a nightmare.

It was 1924 and I was at Riverton again. All the doors hung wide open, silk billowing in the summer breeze. an orchestra perched high on the hill beneath the ancient maple, violins lilting lazily in the warmth. The air rang with pealing laughter and crystal and the sky was the kind of blue we'd all thought the war had destroyed forever. One of the footmen, smart in black and white poured champagne into the top of a tower of glass flutes and everyone clapped, delighting in the splendid wastage --" Kate Morton

And so begins the fragile and haunting memories of Grace Bradley in Kate Morton's unparalled "House at Riverton". In 1924, a young and disturbed poet took his life by the lake at the great house of Riverton with only two young women as witnesses, one, Hannah, the lady of the house and the other, Emmeline, her sister, a famous actress and the lover of the doomed poet. Now, 70 years later, Grace Bradley sits in a nursing home at 99, the last surving member of the Riverton household and the last person on earth who remembers what happened that fateful night. Ursula, a movie producer, wants everything Grace can remember, everything Grace has spent a lifetime trying to forget.

Author Kate Morton takes the reader back to the bygone era of pre WW1 England, showing us the glittering world of the English upper crust through the musings of a 14 year old servant girl who grows with her "superiors" into womanhood. Grace's life as a servant is taken straight from the beloved episodes of Upstairs Downstairs. There is a Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Bridges, a Rose, an abused scullery maid. There is an Edward who returns home with shell-shock. Indeed, much of Morton's novel seems an homage to Upstairs, Downstairs on both ends also providing us with a headstrong suffragate daughter as with Elizabeth, a Georgina etc. But it's a lovely homage. And the poetry of Morton's words, her images, her nuances, hold the reader with golden ties.

The cast of Upstairs/Downstairs

Through the years, Grace is privy to Hannah and Emmeline as they grow, as they change, as the world betrays their innocence in the name of "have tos". She is there, as a young girl herself, when the poet, Robbie Turner first enters Hannah and Emmeline's lives. She is there when he leaves. She watches from the station as Hannah hands him her hair ribbon before he goes to war; a ribbon he will carry the length of the war and beyond. She is there when he returns, years later, changed, as they all are, with eyes only for one. Finally, Grace is there, indeed, is the catalyst for the tragedy that brings the young poet, Hannah and Emmeline to their collective destiny.

This book was magically and wildly nostalgic. The words and the allusions Morton uses are often breathtaking. I was whisked away, I was transported, and just as Grace begins to blur reality and memory, I too found it difficult to reconcile a head full of memories that were not my own. As Grace gets closer to the truth and her final breath, the ghosts she's kept at arm's length for so many years are thick and insistent, everywhere and calling her. The beauty of Morton's writing, the achingly beautiful story that she creates allows the ghosts to call for the the reader as well. When the mystery was finally revealed, I literally gasped out loud. When the book was finally over, I wanted to cry. It has been many years since I've had the pleasure to read art and Kate Morton is truly an artist.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon Review

2009-11-25T18:14:00.001-08:00

I was led to believe this was a fairy story. The cover, the back of the book, everything led me to believe this was a dark "sorta fairytale" I could sink my teeth into. Au contraire.

The Godmother, by Carolyn Turgeon is a look at the psychology behind a fairy godmother who not only falls in love with Prince Charming herself, but ultimately feels better suited for him as well.

Lil is a fairy godmother cast out of her rich, lustrous fairy world and forced to live her days disguised as an old lumpy woman on earth because she didn't fulfill her mission to unite Cinderella and Prince Charming. Every day she binds her wings painfully and looks for signs, glimpses that somewhere, her ethereal fairy sisters are still aware of her, coming for her.

Through a series of flashbacks, we see Lil's fairy world before she chose poorly, the clear lake the fairies sleep under, the exquisite rush of flying over the human world, the tantalizing look at first love when she sees Theodore (Prince Charming) for the first time and a hypnotizingly dark Cinderella who has more issues than we've been led to believe. These flashbacks reveal bits of the story and begin to parellel Lil's present situation in the "real world" when she decides to bring two lonely people together. She figures if she can help these two interesting people find each other, she will be forgiven and be allowed to return at last. She is tired, she is old and having to remain in the human world is a drudgery she can bear no longer.

This story should be silly. We're talking about fairies and Prince Charming and Cinderella. But it is deep and dark and sensual in its magic. I found myself whirled into a vast and beautiful world I had no desire to leave. I wanted desperately for Lil to return, to be her gorgeous fairy self again, to see Theodore, to find what was taken.

So how did it go wrong? I will not reveal the final chapter but found myself actually a little miffed that I had been manipulated so completely and I found myself in a bad mood for days. There was no magic, the climax was absolutely not worthy of the author's talents. I've read plenty of books I didn't like and then quickly forgot. But this book was in my top five favorites by the second to last chapter -- and then failed absolutely. I was ready to buy a copy for all of my friends and give it to my friends for Christmas. But this is not one I'll be recommending or reading again. Sigh. A real shame because I still want to go to the fairy world, I still want to see Theodore and I still want Lil to be the fire-haired goddess she used to be.

But this book shows you -- you can't have everything.

2 stars out of 5

LOOKING FOR JOHN KEATS IN HAMPSTEAD!!

2009-09-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

After fifteen years I finally find myself in his garden, in front of his house, on a solitary morning with only the National Trust men present for the reconstruction. But I cannot enter. It is closed. Everything is quiet, even the working men seem to be muted and all there is remains the sound of wind in the trees and the shushing after. I am here. Is he?

The view across from John Keats home.

The path outside the "Old Bull and Bush" where Lord Byron, John Keats, Sir Walter Scott, Leigh Hunt and Percy Shelley all came to eat, recite and enjoy themselves.

The neighborhood of Keats is still red brick and coal stains, narrow winding cobblestone streets and overgrown gardens in the foregrounds of mansions for the rich and famous.

The park across the street from his neighborhood.

The immortal trees of Hampstead.

2009-09-26T00:33:00.001-07:00

FILM FRIDAY!!! BRIGHT STAR

2009-09-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

I don't remember many things very clearly anymore. The "who", "what", "when" and the "whys" get contaminated with years and memories of lessons learned. But I do remember the exact moment I fell in love with John Keats. I was in college, in Utah, the snow was heavy outside, the day dark and already moving into evening in the early afternoon. My professor told us the story of the young poet who lost his life to consumption at 25. She read some of his poetry. I have never been the same.

Jane Campion (writer and director of the Piano) is not one of my favorite film makers and Ben Wishaw was so convincing as the homosexual Sebastian in the new Brideshead Revisited that I was more than worried that together, they would ruin the passionately doomed romance of John Keats and Fanny Brawne. How wrong I was. To be fair, this is not the story of John Keats. Many of his most interesting moments are not even referred to. It is quite simply, the love story of he and Fanny Brawne, a girl his intellectual peers scoffed at and who Keats himself railed against in torturous love letters. For years Fanny has been villified as not being good enough for this gentle poet's most sincere anguish. Jane Campion changes that.

John Keats was an English poet in the early 1800's (1815-1820) who turned down life as a doctor to devote time to his passion and gift of poetry. Because he was from humble roots and not a Lord as poets were expected to be, he was brutally criticized and scoffed at by those who referred to him as the "cockney" poet. He nursed his wayward mother through her bout with consumption, and his younger brother. Tragically, Keats himself caught the ravaging illness and died at 25, alone, in Rome where friends believed he stood a better chance of healing. He died believing he was a failure, despite the fact that in less than a year, he would be a household name. However, at 22, John Keats met and fell in love with a handsome, coquettish young woman in the poet circle by the name of Fanny Brawne. Keats was absolutely madly feverish for Fanny but knew he could never provide for her, never marry her. When he began to show signs of illness, the two became engaged anyway and Fanny and her mother cared for John until the fatal trip to Rome.

Campionn takes a few liberties and ignores a few hard truths (like the fact that Brawne frequently left Keats for weeks to attend parties and admire her own waist -- all this according to his very unbiased poet snob friends), but if a girl can't take a few liberties, why pass through history's painful moments again at all? I like how Campion did this film. I felt the looks, felt the kisses, cried my eyes out when they at last had to say their final goodbyes. Although Campion fudges Fanny's undying devotion in the post script, the film moved me deeply. The awful injustice of Keats's life and yet his incandescent splendor is wonderous and sometimes appalling. Campion does not show details of his death, of his suffering, nor does she show the infamous grave marker alone in Rome which Keats merely wished to say: "Here lies one whose name was writ in water..." This is the story of Fannny Brawne and how she loved and how she lost. Abbie Cornish does a masterful job and at last... at last! We have a little bit of Keats.

2009-09-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

2009-09-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Letter to Fanny Brawne 1820:
My dearest girl,
I shall be selfish because I wish you to see how unhappy I am for love of you and endeavor as much as I can to entice you to give up your whole heart to me whose existence hangs upon you.... I am greedy of you.. Do not think of anything but me. Do not live as if I was not existing. Do not forget me. Goodbye! I kiss you.. oh the torment...!

2009-09-25T23:52:00.001-07:00

2009-09-25T23:50:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW WITH LEANNA HIEBER!!!

2009-09-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

LEANNA HIEBER has so graciously given us insight into her writing process for the fabulous novel: "THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER". We thank her for her generosity of time and spirit.

"These are awesome questions and they were great fun to answer. Blessings!

Question #1.) How do you go about creating such great ambience? Do you listen to any certain music when you write? What things put you in the mood to write such eerie scenes in Victorian London?

Leanna: I write as if I’m a cinematographer. I adore ‘setting the stage’ – that’s where my theatrical background seems to shine, and the more mysterious the stage, the better. It’s my favourite part. Nothing compels me more, titillates me more or has me literally itching to write than dreaming up an eerie, moonlit scene with an edge of danger and the possibility of romance. Some of my earliest memories are of telling ghost stories, so it’s just in my blood, a particular style of storytelling I’ve always been drawn to. 19th Century Gothic novels have always called to me, like a siren, luring me towards their atmospheric shadows that are so resonant to my interests. I do like to listen to film scores while I write (Particularly melodic Philip Glass scores) and rich, contemporary classical music that was the “pop” music of Victorian times and slightly later, imagining it played from a faintly hissing phonograph. I particularly love Chopin, Tchaikovsky, R. Vaughan Williams and Dvorak.

Question #2.) How do you feel about people comparing Alexi to Professor Snape?

Leanna: Snape is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting and compelling characters ever written. He’s definitely and quite clearly influenced my Alexi, as has Mr. Darcy, and every stoic, brooding historic and Gothic hero. Alexi is all my literary love affairs wrapped up into one hero. And I’d never deny that Severus Snape is one of my foremost literary love affairs.

Question #3.) It says on your website that it took 9 years and many rewrites for Miss Percy to find her way to print. How was the original story different than what we read today?

Leanna: Originally I’d included a great deal of back-story and scenes from Percy’s convent childhood. The story wasn’t nearly as tight, the action not nearly as knitted together. It was far more vague in the revelation of prophecy and even the talents of the Guard. I credit my agent and editor for helping me adjust simple and structural choices to draw action forward in the book and push things along in a more consistently unfolding way. Once they pinpointed it, I knew they were right, I just needed those outside, professional eyes. My Editor: “We need to learn about what the Guard does earlier on in the story.” Me: “Well, how about making the Exorcism Chapter Two?” Editor: “Great. And Prophecy. Much earlier.” Me: “How about the prologue?” Editor: “Awesome.” And there you have it, give or take a few edits.

Question #4.) What do you think it was that finally tipped the agents/publishing world in your favor? After 9 years, why did they finally see the light?

Leanna: Perhaps the most significant factor was my agent changing my boring working title into The Incredibly Long Yet Descriptive Title that it is now. It was the descriptive nature of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker that got my editor’s attention. This title navigates the cross-genre nature of this book, and that was the critical tipping point, to find a publisher who was not scared of the cross-genre nature but rather an editor and house that would celebrate it as such, as Dorchester does. Plus, Dark / Gothic Victorian Paranormal / Fantasy is pretty “in” right now. Didn’t know or care about that when I started the love-affair that is this book, but it sure is handy now.

Question #5.) What was the inspiration behind Percy as an albino?

Leanna: She appeared to me just as she is; a vision, of sorts, much like the kind I’ve granted Percy. The idea of a girl who looks like a ghost, can relate to ghosts and yet isn’t a ghost was so fascinating to me; a girl caught in both worlds, the very threshold of living and dead embodied in one sweet young lady … A girl who could go into the spirit world and pass for dead… Oh, wait, I’m getting ahead of myself, that’s book two… *s*

Question #6.) Why Jack the Ripper? He's barely in it at all and has nothing to do with the plot? Red Herring?

Leanna: I couldn’t write about Victorian England without including a bit of “Jack”. I was putting in so many real London haunts (all my ghosts, save the ones on Athens’ grounds, are real, documented London haunts) that I had to give Jack the Ripper a sidebar, and a paranormal explanation. He is, in his way, integral to the plot because the Guard is now aware that a different game is afoot, there are things they’ve never faced that are now on the loose. Without “Jack” there wouldn’t be a looming threat, nor an indicator of Prophetic things that remain in control of other-worldly/divine power and intervention. The Greek Mythological tie-in fell into place and it just felt right. It would be hard to throw in mentions of characters who deal with the “Underworld” without the reference to the particular creature that “Jack” proves to be.

Question #7.) What inspired you to mix Victorian England with Greek Mythology?

Leanna: They’re two of my great loves, and they’re a great fit as the Victorians were celebrating a renaissance of classical themes during their era, a neo-classical period of great intensity. Bulfinch wrote his great treatises on Greek Mythology at this time and so between that neo-classicism and the burgeoning interest in spiritualism, the main themes of my story were already laden in the Victorian consciousness.

Question #8.) What is the most significant change you've seen in your life now that you are an author?

Leanna: I’m busier than I’ve ever been in my whole life. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. But I’ve never been so happy to be an artist as I am now, I feel so lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to do what I love more than anything in the world and get paid for it. With many artistic interests, I’m feeling more at peace with being a novelist than at any other time in my artistic career, which means I’ve really found the one love that trumps all; my books.

Question #9.) Were you able to travel back to England for research?

Leanna: Yes, blessedly. I was there during college on a research scholarship involving Shakespeare and classical theatre. And a return trip was for personal research on many different writing projects, with Miss Percy most prominently in my mind and heart. And I can’t wait to go back for more.

Question #10.) Will the sequels continue to focus on Percy and Alexi or will Rebecca and Michael be in the spotlight?

Leanna: Book II will pick up exactly where Book I leaves off, with Percy and Alexi remaining in the main focus, but with more insights into the Guard as well. As it currently stands, Rebecca and Michael are slated to have their own novella, in which I grant them well-deserved starring roles. At the moment this novella is scheduled to release in a Fantasy Christmas anthology October 2010.

Question #11.) You are an incredibly artist in many fields. How do you organize your time to write as well as act and perform?

Leanna: Barely. I’m not auditioning at the moment due to the push on the Strangely Beautiful series. The time constraints in theatre are really demanding and all that auditioning never promises actually getting the job. However I do keep my hand in the business, I work for a small television company in New York doing some freelance production work and I work as a television extra on shows like Gossip Girl or the Law & Order franchises. I love being on set and it feeds the actress side of me who will never want to leave that industry for good. As a playwright, my published scripts live for themselves and I have the occasional pleasure of granting production rights around the country. Plus, any time I get the opportunity to read from my book, I’m thrilled to do so, accents and all. There’s so much about my theatrical life that helps me as an author in both presentation and promotion. I’ve now begun teaching workshops about merging theatrical techniques into writing, and that’s a really exciting thing for me to be able to bring my passions together in one lively discussion.

Question #12.) Will the Greek Mythology continue through out the series?

Leanna: Indeed, and it will intensify during the climax of Book II. Book III, the prequel, will have the Mythology rather front and center. However I’m still interested in Mythology juxtaposed within the 19th century, so the Victorian backdrop will never be removed, Victoriana will always be a character in the books in and of itself.

Question #13.) Will we see more (hopefully good things) for Alexi's sister?

Leanna: We’ll see Alexandra more included / provided for. We’ll also catch glimpses of her childhood in the prequel, and moving forward in time into Book IV.

Question #14.) What advice would you give to writers in the throes of writing the all important query letter?

Leanna: Be brief, honest, write a good hook to intrigue the reader but give the general overview (you want to keep the reader guessing, not the editor or agent), give an interesting tidbit about yourself and then keep your faith. And keep submitting. If you don’t end up with a huge stack of rejection letters then think of all the great war stories you deprive yourself of telling when you do sell.Every blessing and thanks for the opportunity to talk about the 'book of my heart'! "

Find Your Inner Ava Gardner on Mad Men!

2009-09-22T19:17:00.001-07:00

The Cary Grant and Grace Kelly of Today on Mad Men

2009-09-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Trendy Tuesday -- Meet the Fabulously Dressed Mad Men

2009-09-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

Trendy Tuesday -- All Hail Janie Bryant -- Costume Designer for Mad Men

2009-09-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Where oh where can a girl turn when she just needs to be fabulous? Typically I turn to the greats, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers. However, perhaps you have heard the news that there is a new kid on the block. If you tuned into the Emmy's or have been following the critical syrup poured over technical favorites, then you've heard the fashion rumblings of MAD MEN. This is a series on AMC, American Movie Classics and it is fabulous. If you are in the mood for intense retro drama with clothes to kill for, this is your show.

The Mad Men style has been so popular that even Banana Republic started a look inspired by costume Janie Bryant's girl loving style. Take a look: http://bananarepublic.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=49101&userSearchText=mad+men

And with more and more fashions looking as though they were designed for pre-pubescent boys, actresses like the sultry sex goddess Christina Hendricks are a God send to remind us that we are indeed women. Ava Gardner and Sophia Loren have no fear! Janie Bryant has even announced that she will be starting her own line of wearable clothing. We hope she doesn't stray too far from the delicious fabrics and colors of her Mad Men creations. Wouldn't it be lovely to be THAT polished for just one moment? Too really, truly, feel at last that we are women -- hear us roar!

Elizabeth Moss as Peggy Olson -- Hello Debbie Reynolds

2009-09-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

Christina Hendricks as the "sex" of the show, throwing back to Sophia Loren

2009-09-22T18:09:00.001-07:00

January Jones as Betty Draper and Grace Kelly Look Alike

2009-09-22T18:03:00.001-07:00

The Fabulous Cast of Mad Men

2009-09-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ask Leanna a question!

2009-09-17T22:57:00.000-07:00

ASK LEANNA HIEBER a question about her fabulous new novel! Leanna has so graciously agreed to answer any and all fan questions next Wednesday on my blog. Take advantage of this opportunity and share what's on your mind!

Thursday Theory!

2009-09-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

William Stearns Davis?? Anyone?? I found this book by accident, looking, looking, for something about, I don't know, the revolutionaries in the Revolution. The only copy I could find was a 1929 copy about to be tossed in a library. For 4 bucks, how bad could it be?

It's FABULOUS!! Rene Massac is a local gentry with noble ties who gives it all up for Virginie, the daughter of a Paris bourgoise. His family does not appreciate his fervor for Rousseau and the new ideal or for his unforgivable decision to marry Virginie. In a desperate attempt to keep the family name untainted by bourgoise blood, Rene's mother turns to none other than Queen Marie to help thwart the lovers. But Rene does not give up Virginie or his new friends Desmoulins, Danton, or St. Juste even after the king throws him into prison and the queen diverts his passions by sending him on an out of country mission. Of course, the Queen goes too far and actually has Virginie kidnapped. This is how far I've gotten. The King has just been over ruled, defied, and the bastille has been stormed. Rene cannot find Virginie and Danton is doing everything he can to intimidate the gendarmes into giving away her hiding place.

I love this book. I love it because Davis does what no one else does, gets into the twisting, dank alleys of Paris, into the cafes, names them, listens to the people as they march and plead, gives faces to St. Juste and Robspierre that are not pre-demonic. It's as close to being there as one could hope. I dearly hope that Rene and Virginie finally do find each other and can't wait to see how it happens.

My Strangely Beautiful version of the book trailer!!!!

2009-09-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

* PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS ONLY FOR ENTERTAINMENT VALUE!!! I'm in no way affiliated with Leanna Hieber or the Dorian Gray film. Just enjoy!!

The Debauchery Begins! Dorian Gray

2009-09-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

Colin Firth and Ben Barnes in Dorian Gray

2009-09-10T11:19:00.001-07:00

2009-09-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T11:07:00.001-07:00

Film Friday!!

2009-09-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

MOVIE: Dorian Gray STARRING: Colin Firth (yay!) and Ben Barnes (yay, yay!) COMING OUT: Allegedly this Fall.

Hello all! Today I'm on jury duty. You have to report at 7:45 AM when you report to jury duty which would be no big deal except that last night I stayed up until way too late cutting MY OWN book trailer for "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Percy Parker". Yes. I'm just that weird. It was upon this journey that I stumbled upon DORIAN GRAY with the beautiful, phenomenal, enchanting BEN BARNES. Now, ladies. Let's review the story of Dorian Gray. Victorian London, a young man too beautiful for his own good, somehow rigs it so that he can live a life of complete hedonism without aging, without it showing up in his person. As I sit here in the waiting area of the Justice building and watch different individuals file past, I can appreciate that this (hiding your sin from marring your countenance) is no small feat. What always worries me about this story is that there is the whole man-love thing in it. Or hinted at. It is Oscar Wilde of course. There's nothing wrong with man-love if you're into that. I'm not. It does nothing for mme and I really don't want to see Ben Barnes kissing Colin Firth. There is a very good review which I have posted from the Times that says while MOST of the debauchery is man/woman -- there is 'one brief scene' of consumation between the men. Yuck. This is not my fantasy. Nevertheless, the preview looks FANTASTIC. Ben looks FANTASTIC and well... take a look for yourselves.

Meanwhile, has there ever been a more perfect moment for Dorian Gray? I can't help but thinking that our world may finally view his torture as lamentable but infinitely more interested in where they can find a painting of their own... plastic surgery isn't going to last forever.

ps. yes. I did rip off a WHOLE lot for my book trailer for "The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker." I can't help it -- it TOTALLY worked.

Enjoy!

Wednesday's Window! ( Still thinking of Miss Percy...)

2009-09-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Victorian London.....

Mystery Monday!

2009-09-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

The Strange and Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber kept me up until 12:30 this morning on a night when I had sworn that I would finally begin my responsible regim of "early to bed". Not so! This is a story of romantic, gothic London during the threat of the infamous Jack the Ripper. A group of fringe young people are "chosen" to protect London from evil paranormal energy. I was looking for eerie and spooky without vampires, something with some substance. This hit the spot and was so fun! I was mesmerized by the romance in this book. It's daring, it's addictive, it's forbidden and sends tingles down your back. Alexi is a Mr. Thornton from North and South meets Alan Rickman as Professor Snape in Harry Potter. So attractively forbidding and intense -- Heathcliff but with a sense of duty and a soul. He has lived his life as the leader of the chosen group, able to cause gas lamps to inflame by his very presence. He has forced himself to live a stoic, repressed life but when he meets a strange and ghostly girl who sees dark visions he is undone. And so is the reader! I was up all night, gave my students busy work so I could clandestinely read at my desk. When it was over, I sighed and felt a little empty, wondering where my Alexi was. I can't wait for the next one and I hope that the next one is even more steeped in Victorian London.

The Lady in the Graveyard

2009-08-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Who is she? I don't know. I stumbled upon her while pretending to prepare for my high school students to return. What I do know is this: According to http://www.pariscemeteries.com/pages/about.html, this sculpture is Antoine-Gaétan Guérinot (1830-1891) in division 55, statue by Barrias. So I looked Antoine up. There was a lengthy article in French at http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rvart_0035-1326_1986_num_74_1_347596 entitled the Tombs of Artists which describes the fashion of hiring an artist to immortalize someone as they wish to be seen for eternity. Apparently this was particularly attractive in the 1800's but this does not answer the question: who is the lady in the graveyard?

But Antoine was a man! He was a noted architect of the day. Why was a hauntingly beautiful woman immortalized above a male architect's tomb? I do not know but I have been thinking of her all day. I put on a little Keren Ann, a fabulously atmospheric French singer and wondered. When I left my classroom, the sky was no longer desert blue but stormy and dark.

Coincidence?

Statue in Paris Cemetary

2009-08-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

Marie Antoinette: Villanous or Victim?

2009-08-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

We all know the story. Even if we don't know the story, we do. The story of the beautiful young queen beheaded by her people is one that lives in our subconcious even if we don't realize it (Sophia Coppella anyone?). Who doesn't feel a pang of horror at the thought of any woman having her best friend butchered, her husband murdered by the people he employs, her children torn from her and finally being killed herself?

Is it gruesome? Is it justice? The two camps were and are rigidly divided.

THE GOOD QUEEN

Grace Darympole Elliot was a British courtesan also went to the Temple Prison. In her memoirs, she recalls the betrayed queen as "virtuous". She says that Marie Antoinette was as "aimiable and good a princess as ever lived." Madame Elliot even goes so far as to say that the Queen's own servants recalled her as "goodness itself", a "kind and most affectionate mistress." Then again, Madame Elliot spent her life as a social climber and professional mistress to scores of royal dupes. So. Why should we care about a Queen who counts Madame Elliot as a friend?

* She was a neglected daughter of the great empress of Austria -- Maria Therese. It is said that she was so neglected by her imperial mother who had another favorite that the girl could barely read and write in German. She also continued to get scathing letters from her mother listing all of her failures as a sovereign and wife from her doting mama.

* She was married off to a stranger at 14 years old and was the laughing stock of France when she and Louis could not consumate the marriage because of his erectile dysfunction. Of course, he was only 15 himself...
* She had to deal with life-term mistresses (the ruthless Madame Du Barry) and other older courtesans who hated Austrians (Seven Years' War). They thought she was a brainless, spineless, childless, twit. At fifteen. Which of course begs the age-old question: why do women do everything in their power to destroy other women?

* Her husband hated Austrians (Seven Years' War) and practically said nothing to her. Ever. Which does little to improve erectile dysfunction.

* After Louis's "operation", she had four children but two died and she was left desolate by their passings.
* She was too young to know who her enemies were or how to successfully navigate in any political climate.

* Her best friend was dismembered.

* Her husband was beheaded.

* She was spat on, thrown waste at and finally beheaded herself.

* She apologized to the excecutioner for stepping on his feet.

THE INFAMOUS L'AUTRICHIENNE!

L'Autrichienne was the name disappoving old prigs (women) gave the young queen. Translation: The Austrian Woman -- which was a very bad thing coming out of a seven year war with Austria. But they were clever and soon found a way to say L'Autrichienne in such a way that it could combine the hated enemy and the French word for Bitch. Always thinking, those courtesans.... They hated her.

* She was young and beautiful

* She would be queen.

* She was often "loud" and uncouth according to French standards of grace and etiquette.

* She had an addiction to gambling, suitors, and legendary parties.

* She didn't consumate her marriage for seven years. Almost a decade. Which would put her at... that's right... 22.

But let's be honest. Which royal inner circle is warm and nurturing? Which band of beautiful, popular, rich women gets together to improve each other's soul and care more for her friend than for herself? All of these grievances would have remained petty jealousies, irritating but par for the course if the people hadn't risen up and said: "Rawr!!!!" (see yesterday's blog entry).

Life for the peasant in the late 1700's meant a 16 hour work day with a forced FREE labor day during the month (your Sunday, if you please) to do things fun, easy things like, pave the roads. Hey, we all need exercise! It also meant paying taxes to the church, the monarchy and the local nobility out of their crop. Meanwhile, the church, the monarchy and the local nobility were all virtually tax free. They didn't pay a dime. The king had a little something called the lettre de cachet. Roughly translated, this means "Asta la vista, baby." The king could throw you in jail without trial for the rest of your life. Add to all of this a famine where the people who work, build, and pay for the country are starving, you get "unrest."

The people HATED the court but most importantly, they hated Marie Antoinette. More than anyone.

Why?

* The queen had an annual allowance for dresses which came to 150,000 livres which was nearly 300 times greater than the average annual income for one of the schleps paying the taxes for all those dresses.

* She ran up debts, every year, closer to 500,000 livres even though country was in near economic ruin from money spent on wars (one of which was called the American Revolution).

* She was Austrian and constantly suspected of being a spy (which of course the war Austria declared on France during this little misunderstanding didn't help).

* Between the 500,000 for a Queen a la mode and the wild gambling parties, the palace kept 300 cooks, 2000 horses, 700 rooms and 20 kilometers of roads.

* After the revolution began and the reforms had started, the Queen (and king but no one cares about him) took the cap of "liberty" and trampled it under their feet. Probably not a good idea but especially bad when in the middle of a drunken feast when the entire country is starving.

Is this all her fault? Was she a callous, ridiculous woman who drove the people to madness? Was she a pawn in a wider political arena? The fact that France chose a queen who could not read or write with a fetish for debaucherous living is interesting in itself.

But does a silly young woman deserve to die simply because she's silly?

I don't know. I've never watched my family die of starvation while the people I give my food to can't quite keep the dress budget under 500,000 livres.

One last note. When the women from Paris stormed Versailles to demand audience with a queen hiding in her bed chamber, several of them fainted when they saw the splendor of the palace. This was the palace they'd paid for, their husbands and sons, never having known that there was anywhere that beautiful on earth. They almost forgot why they were there: there was no grain, no bread, no food at all in the city and Marie Antoinette was having feasts.

La Revolution

2009-08-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when anyone writes about the French Revolution, they only write about Marie Antoinette? And if not about Marie Antoinette, they write about some silly, vapid, courtesan who spends her days wishing she was Marie Antoinette and her nights sleeping with whichever Count or Marquis it takes to keep her at court?

How is it that after rewriting how Western government views itself, all we remember is: Marie Antoinette -- she had really nice clothes -- she had wild parties -- and then they killed her. Sad.

But it's not the France I know.

The day Coldplay came out with Viva La Vida, I broke out in goosebumps. The colors are glaring and loud with the French symbol of Revolution, a woman brazenly storming the Bastille, half clothed: of course. Ah. The good old days of half naked women on money, telephone ads and art, when the number one rule was LOOK DOWN because you never knew what kind of billboard awaited you on main street or in the middle of centre ville. You know -- BEFORE the Euro?? I lived in France for two years when I was 21. Every week there was a protest, a march, demonstration, a strike. Sometimes they were over the salaries of the postal workers (which they protested by blowing up the local post office at Christmas) and sometimes it was a demonstration by those dissatified with their welfare benefits. Once, I saw the entire Cananbiere lined in Marseilles by Muslims, standing behind miles of machine gun holding troops while a group of French Nationalists marched solemnly up the street holding only a French flag. It was silence as I've never experienced before. Any false move, the wrong insult hurled at the wrong protester or demonstrator and the whole of Marseilles would have gone up in -- dare I say it -- revolution.

It was in those moments that I remembered the revolution, we all did. That it took place in those streets, with ancestors of the people we saw now and left the king probably singing something very similar to Viva La Vida: "I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own." These days the massive romantic, stone baroque buildings are used as banks, city halls, or community centers. No one speaks of the crowds surging through the streets, the taking over of the ancien regime, the terror that blanketed "Liberite, Egalite, Fraternite." In fact, a French friend of mine was asked to stop singing "Les Marseilles" on Bastille Day as it was offensive to the French people.

Ah well.

No one speaks of LaFayette, Marat, Dantes, or Rousseau, but nobody can seem to erase them entirely either. Even in Viva la Vida, a rock and roll song by a bunch of British lads who probably despise the French as all British lads do, Louis XVI, Robspierre and Bonoparte are still with us. It's even in Broadway musicals like Phantom of the Opera. Christine wanders through the Paris graveyard, a sublimely chilling moment of the Belle Epoque. But what was the Belle Epoque except the time AFTER the revolutions (yes, there were two), AFTER the dust had settled, AFTER we were allowed to associate France with beautiful scenery, clothes, art and not with blood, betrayl, revolution. And let's not forget the Phantom. Older, damaged, scarred... one of les pauvres still taking his vengeance out on the beautiful, privileged upper class.

Who knows what other stories there are of that wildly terrible but essential moment in history? All we ever get are "let them eat cake" stories of whores and buffoons who just happened to be well-dressed enough to matter. Maybe they were the only ones who did matter. But I kind of like to think of the children of the revolution as the ghosts in the Ramalama Bang Bang dance number on So You Think You Can Dance; all heated up, thirsty for revenge and by God, not going to take it anymore. This is the France I lived in. This is the France where I grew up.

Viva la Vida.

Vive La France!