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Blog Details for "My Irrationalities"
My IrrationalitiesMy IrrationalitiesSharing the ups, downs and irrationalities of my life as a caffeine addicted romance writer Articles
"I Was Just Trying To Milk The Goat"
2007-08-12 06:46:00 When you see a title like the above, do you really want (or need) to read what comes next? Click MORE PLEASE at your own risk....From Associated PressTACOMA, Wash. - A man accused of having sex with a goat is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday on a animal cruelty charge. Charging papers say a witness saw 63-year-old Arthur Lawton having sex with a goat May 8th in a barn at Eatonville's Pioneer Farm Museum where he worked.Lawton said he was trying to milk the goat.Lawton missed a scheduled arraignment on August 3rd but turned himself in last night to Pierce County sheriff's deputies.He's the second person charged in the county since the Legislature made bestiality a crime in response to the fatal injury to a man having sex with a horse in Enumclaw.A man accused of having sex with the family pit bull dog was acquitted in May.This just proves--ONCE AGAIN--that the world is going to Hades. More About: Milk , The Go , The G
The Return
2007-08-09 07:45:00 After a long and MUCH needed break from blogging, I'm back....I needed to get away from it for a while because I found I was devoting too much time to blogging, and not enough to my craft. Now I think I've found a happy medium. While I won't be posting every day, (maybe twice a week), that's something. I've been writing of course, and I'm still in the thick of it working on proposals and revising old stuff. But it's good to be back. More About: Return , The Return , Hiatus , Turn
SEXY Tales From My Blockbuster Queue: 8/09/07
2007-08-09 07:15:00 Mini movie reviews for Lie With Me, Lady Chatterley, Captives, and 9 Songs.THEME: Graphic/passionate love scenes. The following movies include simulated and unsimulated sex. If you don't know what unsimulated sex is, do a Google....MY KEY: A+ (Outstanding); A (Perfect); A- (Almost Perfect); B+ (Great);B (Very Good/Memorable); B- (Good w/some flaws); C+ (Above average);C (Average); C- (Okay, but disappointing); D+ (Bad); D (VERY bad);D- (Dreadful); F (An absolute waste of time)Lie with Me (2005)Cast: Eric Balfour, Lauren Lee SmithGenre: Romantic DramaRunning Time: 93 minLanguage: EnglishMY RATING: ADULTS ONLY!MY GRADE: C+SYNOPSIS: "Leila (Lauren Lee Smith) is a sexually voracious young woman who connects with men through brief physical encounters. One night at a crowded house party, Leila meets David (Eric Balfour) and its lust at first sight....Seduction is easy and very satisfying. Leila and David get to know each other -- which means being intimate -- in bed, at the park, on the ... More About: Movie Reviews , Sexy , Blockbuster , Tales , Queue
What Are You Reading?
2007-08-09 07:11:00 I just finished a great romance...Here's something from the Book Description listed on Amazon:"While trying to save her spiraling career, Sara Diamond befriends her new next door neighbor, Ryan Kinsmore. A soft-spoken younger man with charm and good looks, Ryan leads a mysterious double life which becomes increasingly hard for him to conceal from Sara as their intimacy grows."I don't think I'll be spoiling anything if I say the hero is an escort, READ: HIRED WHORE. LOL! But I still loved him and the romantic conflict. There were some things I didn't love, but overall, this was a great read. I had to buy this book from a third party seller on Amazon because it's out of print, but it was well worth the effort.As a writer, I hate the fact that I can't read a book without rewriting it in my head. I kept thinking how different I would have written this hero. Don't get me wrong, this author wrote him fabulously, but again, I think every writer does this when they're reading anothe... More About: Reading , Writing , Book Reviews
Industry Update: 8/9/07
2007-08-09 06:51:00 From Publishers Lunch...Fiction Deals:The Key:--The Key: "nice deal," $1 - $49,000; "very nice deal," $50,000 - $99,000; "good deal" $100,000 - $250,000; "significant deal," $251,000 - $499,000; "major deal," $500,000 and upDebut -- Sydney Salter's MY BIG NOSE & OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, about a girl who plans to get rid of her "Super Schnozz" and snag herself a boyfriend before senior year, and the summer that changes everything, to Julie Tibbott at Harcourt, in a two-book deal, by Ted Malawer at Firebrand Literary. ted@firebrandliterary.comDebut -- Rodes Fishburne's GOING TO SEE THE ELEPHANT, following the picaresque adventures of a young man in San Francisco seeking to be the greatest writer of his generation and unwittingly igniting forces larger than he could have ever imagined, to Kerri Buckley at Bantam Dell, by Fredrica Friedman at Fredrica S. Friedman and Company. fsf10@yahoo.comDebut -- Bill Folman's first novel, THE SCANDAL PLAN: or How to Win the Presidency by Cheating... More About: Industry , Publishing , Update
George Michael and Mary J. Blige, sing "AS"
2007-08-09 06:00:00 Check out this fantastic music video. I'm still trying to figure out how they did it.... More About: Videos , George Michael , Michael , Mary , George
WRITERS: I'll show you mine, if you show me yours. :-)
2007-03-03 16:57:06 I've been hearing a lot about first line contests. Well, I'm not running a contest, but I thought it would be fun if we post the first lines from one of our stories....I'll go first:Zachary Granger had gone to a horrible place.Okay, I showed you mine. Now show me yours. :-) More About: Show , Write , Your , Writers , Mine
Editor responds to rejected writer's drunken insults
2007-03-03 16:57:06 OMG... You have GOT to read this....Need a good chuckle? Check out Diary Of A Mad Edit or.BACKSTORY: Write r submits poetry to a lit mag. Writer gets rejected. Then writer gets REALLY pissed. STOOOPID writer composes a silly retort filled with expletives and :::gasp::: actually mails it. Upon receiving it, editor scratches his head in amusement, then posts a hilarious response. More About: Drunk , Pond
Racism In Publishing Survey
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Are you an African American author? Well, Karen Scott wants to hear from you...I cut and pasted the following post from her site:==================================== ===============Racism In Publish ing , How Does It Affect You?Are you an African American author who?s been published for at least one year? If so Karen Scott wants to hear from you.She?s conducting a survey based on the racism within the publishing industry, and whether or not it?s as prevalent as some believe. She?s looking for black or African American authors who have been published for at least one year.She would like to know about your specific experiences within the industry thus far. She wants to know how AA authors feel about the current shelving policies, and niche marketing. She wants to know who you feel is to blame for the problems that you face. She also wants your suggestions on how things can be improved upon.In all, there are twenty questions in the survey, and all that she asks is that people be as hones... More About: Survey , Shin
DREAMGIRLS!
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Finally a film clip from Dream girls ! Golden Globe Winner/Oscar Nominee Jennifer Hudson and Oscar Winner Jamie Fox: Film clip of Jennifer singing "And I Am Telling You."... More About: Girls , Girl , Dreamgirl
Industry Update: 2/09/07
2007-03-03 16:57:06 From Publishers Lunch...Fiction Deals:The Key: "nice deal," $1 - $49,000; "very nice deal," $50,000 - $99,000; "good deal" $100,000 - $250,000; "significant deal," $251,000 - $499,000; "major deal," $500,000 and upDebut -- THE VICTORIA'S SECRET CATALOG NEVER STOPS COMING author Jennie Nash's THE LAST BEACH BUNGALOW, about a woman whose new built-from-scratch home is almost ready to move into when she falls in love with an old, crumbling beach bungalow, and how that sparks her search for home and belonging, to Jackie Cantor at Berkley, in a two-book deal, by Faye Bender at the Faye Bender Literary Agency (NA).Debut -- Former NY Post columnist Jasmin Rosenberg's HOW THE OTHER HALF HAMPTONS, about a Hamptons sharehouse that plays host to drunken escapades, hot tub hookups, hideous hangovers, and juvenile mischief, to Emily Griffin at 5 Spot, by Paula Balzer at the Paula Balzer Agency (World). Debut -- Alfred Sciarrino's VINCENT BLACK LIGHTNING 1952, based on the 2002 bluegrass Song... More About: Industry , Update
FICTION WRITERS: Multiple Viewpoints mean multiple voices
2007-03-03 16:57:06 In your current opus...how many POV characters do you have? AND the most important question: Are their voices different? Have you checked? Do your people speak with the same vocal inflections? Do they use the same words? Do they THINK the same? How are your POV characters different from each other? The answer lies in their backgrounds, goals and motivations.What are you doing to ensure that all your POV characters are unique? Where are they from? What's their age? Do their backgrounds and experiences show in your prose and dialogue? More About: Voice , Fiction , Write , Viewpoints , Multi
WRITERS: Second Lines
2007-03-03 16:57:06 If you posted your first line here this past Monday...how about posting the second? If you didn't particpate, feel free to post the first two lines of your current WIP.Here's everybody's first lines:Joely Sue Burkhart: I scented him in the arid noon.Heather Harper: Thank God it's Friday, and f*ck me.Rene: They looked nothing like the guy on the cereal box.Raine: The house was exactly as she remembered it.Bernita: She was on her way to a murder.Elle Fredrix: This is what you want. This is what you want.Scott: Death has a way of catching up to you.Amie Stuart: I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, resisting the urge to sink my fist into my baby brother?s smug face.Jaye Wells: "Digging graves is hell on a manicure."Marcia Grayson: Death didn't become her.Ivan: "F*ck me!" she explained. Jill Monroe: Maybe she should just fake it. Nienke: This must be what waking up from a coma feels like.Erik Ivan James: "You gonna take her first big brother, or can I do her first?"Ala... More About: Write , Writers , Second , Writer , Line
Important Poll
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Give your opinion below...My son has a birthday coming up. Which action figure rocks the most? Superman, Batman, Wolverine, Aragorn, Green Arrow, or Aquaman? He likes them all, but I'm not about to break the bank by cleaning out the toy store. Pick only one: More About: Port , Poll , Import
Great YA Reads
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Here are a few YA books that I highly recommend......But before I give my recommends, please allow me this one rant. I've read enough YA books to know what I like and what I don't. What I don't like are books where authors go on and on in a stream of consciousness narration that rambles all over the place. I made the mistake and bought two books by an author (who shall remain nameless), and I winded up shoving them under my bed because they annoyed so much. I'm out ... $27.00 because I lack impulse control. The blurbs sounded interesting, so I just bought them. NEVER. AGAIN. That was my mistake. NOTE TO SELF: DO NOT BUY TWO BOOKS BY AN AUTHOR YOU'VE NEVER READ. I should have known better. WHAT I LIKED:French Kiss (Diary of a Crush, Book 1), by Sarra ManningBOOKLIST SYNOPSIS: Fluffy romance fans will be delighted by this first title in the Diary of a Crush trilogy highlighting the misadventures of 16-year-old Edie, a precocious English schoolgirl who falls for older ... More About: Great , Read
Favorite Songs and Parodies
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Final Fantasy and Weird Al---what a combination! :-)... Here's Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spiritlyrics - nirvanaHere's Weird Al's: Smells Like Nirvanalyrics - weird al yankovicMichael Jackson's: I'm Badlyrics - michael jacksonWeird Al's: I'm Fatlyrics - weird al yankovicMichael Jackson's: Thrillerlyrics - michael jacksonFinal Fantasy's: Thriller (dance parody) More About: Songs , Song , Arod , Parodies , Favorite
Favorite Blast From The Past
2007-03-03 16:57:06 This has to be my favorite music video of all time. It's the most unique and romantic one I've ever seen...Do you have a favorite?lyrics - a-ha More About: Last , Blast from the Past , Past , Blast , Favorite
MOVIE RECOMMEND: Flags of Our Fathers
2007-03-03 16:57:06 What an enjoyable history lesson!...Flags of Our Father s (2006)Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam BeachGenre: DramaRunning Time: 2 hours 11 minutesLanguage: EnglishMY GRADE: ASYNOPSIS: Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie GuideMY TAKE: History lessons galore in this film as well as stellar performances, especially by Adam Beach who played Ira Hayes, the Native American soldier in the famous photo on the right. Yeah, there was a Native American in that pic. He's the one all the way on the far left. Did you know that after serving his country and risking his life, he couldn't get served in some bars? And that he suffered from alcoholism brought on by Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome? Also, did you know that the flag in that photo is the SECOND flag? The first one was... More About: Men , Hers
Industry Update: 2/5/07
2007-03-03 16:57:06 From Publishers Lunch...Fiction Deals:The Key: "nice deal," $1 - $49,000; "very nice deal," $50,000 - $99,000; "good deal" $100,000 - $250,000; "significant deal," $251,000 - $499,000; "major deal," $500,000 and upDebut -- Fifty-one-year old debut fiction writer Donald Ray Pollock's KNOCKEMSTIFF, a dark and wry work of grotesque southern gothic, based on the town of the same name in rural southern Ohio where the author was born and raised, with a violent and unsavory cast of characters hurtling from one life disaster to another -- from the father who pumps his son full of steroids in order to vicariously relive his glory days as a perpetually second-place bodybuilder, to the outback psychotic who gets unceremoniously mixed up with two teenaged siblings committing incest in a dynamite hole, to Gerald Howard at Doubleday, at auction, by Richard Pine of Inkwell Management. Debut -- Jeff Garigliano's MAMBO DOGFACE, about a 14-year-old commando wannabe sent to Camp Ascend!, a boot camp... More About: Industry , Update
This Kid Defies Gravity
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Check out this short dance film... More About: This , Ravi
Tales From My Blockbuster Queue: 2/9/07
2007-03-03 16:57:06 Mini movie reviews for:Hollywoodland (mystery,drama); The Gathering (horror); Somersault (romance, drama)...MY KEY: A+ (Outstanding); A (Perfect); A- (Almost Perfect); B+ (Great);B (Very Good/Memorable); B- (Good w/some flaws); C+ (Above average);C (Average); C- (Okay, but disappointing); D+ (Bad); D (VERY bad);D- (Dreadful); F (An absolute waste of time) Hollywoodland (2006)Cast: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Bob HoskinsGenre: Mystery, DramaRunning Time: 2 hours 6 minutesLanguage: EnglishMY GRADE: B+SYNOPSIS: Felled by a single gunshot wound, [George] Reeves (portrayed in Hollywoodland by Academy Award winner Ben Affleck) leaves behind a fiancée ... and millions of fans who are shocked by his death. But it is his grieving mother ... who will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. [She]seeks justice, or at least answers. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but [she] hires - for $50 a day - private detective Louis ... More About: Buster , Blockbuster , Tales , Bust , Bloc
WRITERS: Your Target Audience
2007-02-05 07:54:00 So you're writing a novel and maybe it's not your first. Maybe it's your third or even your fifth...WHO are your intended readers? Ever thought about it? Age group? Socio-economic background? Race? Religion? Ever considered what type of people may be interested in your baby? Senior citizens? Housewives? Teens? Males in their early 30s? Whites? Blacks? Asians? Hispanics? All of the above? Others? How different or similar are you from your target audience? More About: Writers , Target , Writer , Audience
Rant Central
2007-01-31 07:40:00 What specifically is eating at you?...This is your chance to b**** and moan about whatever has got your dander up. Please, rant and rave. Who or what has gotten underneath your skin? No real names, please, just speak in general terms. Your child's teacher? The garbage man? The grocery boy? An editor reject your baby?Here's my rant. After months (okay, years) of my DH bullying me to go to the eye doctor, I finally did. I HAVE TO WEAR PROGRESSIVE GLASSES! DRIVING AND READING. MAY AS WELL BE ALL THE TIME! Yes, I'm screaming because I don't want to wear glasses. And the doctor won't let me wear contacts, so I spent $800 today. And I have to wear glasses. I have to wear glasses. I have to wear glasses! Oh, did I tell you I have to wear glasses? I'm not taking this very well, am I? Look, I understand that some of you may wear glasses, but I've never worn them. Never had to. This is a big thing for me. It's just another sign that I'm getting older, I guess. G... More About: Rant , Central
What Dreams May Come
2007-01-31 07:23:00 So I'm driving this school bus on top of a fence (going about 70mph)...and every fifty feet or so I stop to pick up a goat or a chicken. Once the last "passenger" comes aboard, I drive straight into my high school and my eleventh grade teacher is there screaming at me, saying I've missed handing in a book report and I'm going to get an F for the term. Meanwhile the goats and chickens scamper off to class. Only they all look like Methos from Highlander.This was an actual dream of mine. It made perfect sense at the time. LOL! Care to share? What is the wackiest dream you've ever had? More About: Dreams , Dream , Come
Bride has bad hair day meltdown
2007-01-31 07:21:00 Funny as heck!... More About: Bride , Hair , Down , Bad Hair Day
You're NOT the one that I want!
2007-01-31 06:28:00 OMG! This show is horrible, I tell you, HORRIBLE!!...Have you seen the new reality show You're The O ne That I Want on NBC? They're holding auditions for the next Sandy and Danny of Grease on Broadway. NONE of these people can sing. None of them. It's dreadful. They had some people earlier in the competition who could BLOW, but they cut them because ... hmmmm.... I guess they didn't look the part. But what do they have now? Pop tarts with voices that sound like screeching cats and dogs. Why oh why can't these superficial idiots in Hollywood ever allow people with real talent to shine? What is with this image thing? Why does somebody have to look like a cover model in order to get somewhere in that business? Look, I don't care if the person looks like Quasimodo! If they can sing, then damn it, give them a chance!
Industry Update: 1/31/07
2007-01-31 06:00:00 From Publishers Lunch...Fiction Deals:The Key: "nice deal," $1 - $49,000; "very nice deal," $50,000 - $99,000; "good deal" $100,000 - $250,000; "significant deal," $251,000 - $499,000; "major deal," $500,000 and upDebut -- Iowa Writer's Workshop graduate Alan Drew's book about a family whose lives are thrown into chaos when the 1999 Istanbul earthquake destroys the family's home and way of life, to Kate Medina at Random House, by Dorian Karchmar at the William Morris Agency.Debut -- Adam Lewis Schroeder's EMPRESS OF ASIA, in which a war veteran struggles to uncover his dying wife's long-kept secret, to Diana Szu at Thomas Dunne Books, by Anne McDermid Associates (US).Debut -- Tiffany Baker's THE LITTLE GIANT OF ABERDEEN COUNTY, pitched as Wally Lamb meets Elizabeth McCracken, about a girl who grows physically and emotionally beyond her small town's wildest expectations, to Caryn Karmatz Rudy at Warner, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, by Daniel Lazar at Writers House (wo... More About: Industry , Update
The Face Beneath The Words
2007-01-26 07:30:00 If you're like most fiction writers...you use photographs to put a face on your characters. I know I do.Currently, I'm using Rex Smith as the inspiration for my male lead. He's a beta/alpha mix (guess that would make him a gamma, huh Cece? [g]). Most of the characters Rex portrayed back in the late 70s and 80s had that similar personality type. Shy. Humble. Easy-going. Slow to wrath. Guys with simple needs and desires. But still waters run deep as the saying goes. That's my Noah.My heroine is a young Olivia Hussey as she was during her Romeo and Juliet days. Jenni (my female lead) may look innocent and sweet, but she's a tiger underneath with the drive and ambition of someone twice her age. Not only does she have a tongue like a switch blade, she also doesn't suffer fools or the company they keep. Generous to a fault and loyal to those she loves, Jenni would storm the gates of hell for a friend---Noah especially.How about you? What actors/celebrities are you using as inspirati... More About: Words , Face , Bene
Yeah, But How Is He In The Sack?
2007-01-26 07:11:00 The wait is finally over. Fifty, one hundred ... sometimes three or four hundred...PAGES later, your hero's patience has paid off. He's finally going to get your heroine into bed. Sooooo, fiction/romance/romantica/erotica writers, how is he gonna behave between the sheets? Will it be a slam--bamaroonie or will he take a cue from the tortoise, and go slow? What are your characters telling you? What do THEY want? Will it be a quickie in a closet? A car? The woods? Or will he wear the sheets out for hours? More About: Sack , Yeah
Tales From My Blockbuster Queue: 1/26/07
More articles from this author:2007-01-26 07:00:00 Mini movie reviews for The Illusionist, One Last Dance, Dreamland and Flyboys...MY KEY: A+ (Outstanding); A (Perfect); A- (Almost Perfect); B+ (Great);B (Very Good/Memorable); B- (Good w/some flaws); C+ (Above average);C (Average); C- (Okay, but disappointing); D+ (Bad); D (VERY bad);D- (Dreadful); F (An absolute waste of time)The Illusionist (2006)Cast: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel , Rufus SewellGenre: Mystery, suspense, paranormal, romanceRunning Time: 1 hour 49 minutesLanguage: EnglishMY GRADE: ABLOCKBUSTER SYNOPSIS: A supernaturally talented magician attempts to undermine the rigid social structure of turn-of-the-century Vienna by using his powers to win the love of his upper-class, childhood sweetheart in director Neil Burger's cinematic adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser's short story. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie GuideMY TAKE: How the heck could I NOT love this movie? Two of my favorite actors graced it. Ed Norton and Rufus S... More About: Blockbuster , Tales , Bust , Bloc , Queue 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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