My Last Bachelor

Yup. That's it. Kaput. Done. The End.

This was by far, the worst season of The Bachelor ever. Ironically, Travis is probably the best bachelor the show has ever had. In real life. But as a tv reality show bachelor, he sucks.

Rumor has it that the producers found him and had to convince him to be on the show. Let that be a lesson for them. ABC, find people who actually want to be there. It's the only way you're going to get a show that is halfway entertaining. I think poor Travis thought 6 weeks in Paris would be fun and a great escape from his harried schedule as an ER resident. But the joke was on him. It only took 2 shows before he began to look uncomfortable and sound stilted. It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap that he couldn't even chew his way out of.

And shame on ABC for using Moana as a ratings tool. Sure, no one forced the girl to be there and her self-inflicted victim routine got old, but she's a real live person with real feelings. Watching her crash and burn last night was beyond unpleasant. It was painful.

In the end, it did work out for Travis. He narrowed his selection down to 2 women who couldn't be more different. Sarah was the sun and Moana was the moon. Sarah was peace and joy, laughter and comfort. Moana was excitement and danger and drama. And Travis is definitely not a drama kind of guy, so he picked Sarah.

And speaking of drama, could the producers not have prepped Travis a little better with his final speech to Sarah? Not only wasn't it romantic, it was choppy and awkward. Sort of like his "Are you a sexual person?" speech. But I'm afraid what we saw last night was the real Travis. A gorgeous, intelligent, super nice guy who can't string 3 words together. In real life, a super catch. In TV reality world, a boring dud.


I wish the producers didn't feel the need to give us "high drama" or to fool us with their crappy editing. I don't want to see people hurt or made fun of. I want to see a romance. Which is why from now on, I'll just stick to reading them.

Okay, I give up. I'm hooked!

Poor George. Was there anything more painful to watch than that awful love scene (if you could call it that) between him and Meredith on Grey's Anatomy tonight?

What was Meredith- or as I like to call her- Lizard Face (because, sorry, she's looks like a reptile with weird eyes to me) thinking??? Did she not know she was going to break George's heart? Of course she did! Her "I didn't know I didn't want to sleep wih you until we did it" crap was the lamest excuse I've ever heard. She and Dr. McDreamy deserve each other. He's another one that makes me reach for the blue emesis bag (that's vomit bag for those of you not in the profession) He needs to shit or get off the pot. His "let's meet by accident every morning and be friends" thing is almost as bad as her idea of sleeping with George. Wrong, People!!

Okay, now that I've vented a bit, I will take my crow with a little salt and ketchup please. I've been avoiding this show like the plague. I really don't like medical shows. But Mel (all knowing and wise one) and Erin (all knowing and wise one II) are huge fans of the show, along with just about everyone else I know. So I figure, hey, if you can't beat em, join em.

And they are absolutely right. Grey's Anatomy is one of the best new shows on TV.

Now, if we can just get George and that spunky Dr. Torres together...

Napoleon had his Waterloo...and so did I

Unfortunately, it came in the form of Round 3 of the American Title II Contest. But there are still 4 fantastic writers battling it out to be this year's winner. Two of them, Gina Black and Michele Young are RWA Online chapter mates of mine. All 4 ladies have great dialogue scenes featured in this round, so don't forget to vote. Go to www.americantitle2.com by March 5. This round is crucial and every vote is important!

As I've said before, this contest has been a wonderful learning tool for me. I'd like to thank everyone who voted and lent me such unconditional support--my fellow RWA Online chapter mates, my family, friends and especially all the wonderful people who work in Labor and Delivery at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. You rock!

Two Weddings and a Funeral

No, it's not the name of a new Hugh Grant movie. Although I wish he'd make another flic soon. I need my Hugh fix!

On Sunday, my aunt died. She will be sorely missed, but she lived a long, full life. The last time I was in Miami was for a wedding. We've had 2 family weddings in the past 2 years and last Wednesday we had a funeral. As sad as a funeral is, there is also an upside to them. They reconnect us with family and friends. They bring us back to our roots. They remind us how precious life is and that we have to savor every minute we have with those we love.

So, now I'm barely back from Miami (an 8 hour trip from Tallahassee-- Florida is a very long state) and I'm headed back on the road again. I was supposed to be in Gatlinburg yesterday with my writing buddies, aka- Mel, Pam, Angie and Lisa. We've rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and we're going to write our butts off (ha!) . As much as I hate the thought of getting back in that car for another long drive, I'm also excited. I need to see my friends again and I need to refocus on my writing.

I won't have internet access till I get back, but don't forget that Round 4 of the American Title Contest starts Monday, Feb 20. The 4 remaining finalists are all awesome and I can't wait to read all the dialogue scenes. Go to www.americantitle2 to vote!

The SuperBowl commercial that never was

Any one else disappointed in the commercials during the SuperBowl? For me at least, the commercials are the best part. Now, don't get me wrong. I love football. College football, that is. But professional football, outside of the Tampa Bay Bucs, leaves me cold. By halftime I was convinced there wasn't any more creativity left in NY advertising. I mean, is a revolving fridge full of beer the best they can come up with? Then I found out about the banned Xbox commercial. My son showed it to me. Here it is:

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/index.php/archives/2005/11/22/banned-xbox-360-ad-best-ad-ever/

Is it violent? Well, yes, I guess it is. But there's no weapons (that you can see), no blood shed, and no one is injured or dies. But it's also fun, innovative and one of the best commercials I've seen in a long time.

I just don't get it. Maybe I'm jaded or maybe my idea of violence is off. I mean, one of my favorite movies of all time is Unforgiven, yet Silence of the Lambs makes me physically ill. Maybe the reason I don't get it is because this commercial reminds me of the way little boys used to play on the playground while I was growing up... before little boys started bringing automatic weapons to school. Maybe this new generation is just too impressionable for make believe. In which case, I guess Micorsoft's call not to air the commercial was a good one and a responsible one from a legal standpoint. But it still makes me sad.

Round 3 Voting is over

and I can't tell if I made it to the next round of the American Title II contest until February 20th, so stay tuned.

But doesn't my book look nice? LOL! This is from a fun website that my fellow RWA Online chaptermate Terri Garey recommended. Terri has her first book coming out this year titled "Dead Girls are Easy". It promises to be a fantastic book and I can't wait to read it.

Thank you to my friends and family for all the wonderful support you've given me through this contest. It means a lot to me!

Only 2 more days left to vote!

Voting for Round 3 of the American Title II Contest ends tomorrow. If you haven't voted yet, then please do so! Go to www.americantitle2.com or you can go to webmaster@romantictimes.com and place my title THE WAR BRIDE in the subject line.

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful support!

Looking back on January 2006

Wow. This month has really whizzed by and the scary thing is I don't feel like I've accomplished much. I started out with all these great writing goals. Following Stephen King's advice (not to me personally, he he, but to aspiring authors in general ) I planned to write 3 hours a day. That maybe lasted, oh, one or two days. And not in a row.

Then I decided not to be so hard on myself and write only on my days off work. I only work 3 days a week (or nights to be exact) but they are 12 hour shifts and sometimes I end up "losing" a day just catching up on sleep. And then something would come up on the weekend, and before you knew it, I had maybe only written one day that week.

So, thouroughly disgusted with myself, I sat back and tried to analyze what's holding me back. And because I love to analyze, I finally found something I could sink my teeth into. I'm not writing as much as I would like because I'm not writing the way I started out a few years ago. I've always been a natural born story teller. But now that I've become "educated" in the art of writing the story, some of my umph seems to be missing. I'm worrying too much about all the "parts" that need to be in my story. You know what I'm talking about. GMC, internal conflict, external conflict, black moment, etc. etc...

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have those things in your story. And God knows, I have to start with a plan. But I think I've just been overthinking things lately. As my pal Mel says, I have to go with my instincts. And since she always gives the best advice, I know she's right. Now, if she'd only believe me when I say my instincts tell me that Sarah Tennessee is gonna win The Bachelor...

And the Final Rose goes to...

Sarah from Tennessee. Yup. You heard it here first.

I'm going out on a limb and making my Bachelor prediction a little early, but I have almost no doubt in my mind that Sarah from Tennessee will get Travis's final rose. Even though there's only been 3 episodes so far of The Bachelor-Paris, careful examination of all the facts show that all roads lead to Sarah. Which is ironic, really, because Sarah and Travis both live in same town--Nashville. Nice twist, eh? The Bachelor had to go all the way to Paris to fall in love with the girl next door. It's a great tagline for the final episode. ABC execs must be eating it up.

Here's why I think Sarah will be the one to win Dr. McHunky's heart. It's pretty much a given that the final four will be Sarah Canada, Susan, Moana and Sarah Tennesse. Next week, that annoying twit Tara will get the axe, and something dramatic is going to happen with Jehan. Either she leaves the show, doesn't take Travis's rose or Travis doesn't offer her one. My money is on #3. I think ABC is building up next week's Jehan drama into something bigger than it really is.

He isn't going to pick Moana. She's this season's Trish. The Bachelor "bad girl" that we've come to expect and love to hate. Moana makes it to the final 3, though. This will create plenty of angst for Sarah Tennessee who has called Moana a bitch to the cameras and has deemed both Moana and Susan "totally wrong" for Travis.

He also isn't going to pick Sarah Canada. She was the lead horse out of the gate but she's already losing ground. He initially loved her laid back attitude but with each show she's getting more and more possessive. She won't make it to the fantasy dates. At least I hope not. The girl gets on my nerves.

This leads the final show down to Susan, the sex kitten vs. Sarah, the kindergarten teacher/girl next door. Travis was practically drooling over Susan on their one on one date last week. Susan is "ridiculousy beautiful" as Travis puts it. But so far, all they've shown between them is a glassy-eyed Travis and Susan proclaiming that's she's one "smitten kitten" over him.

I think Susan will definitely give Sarah a run for her money, but in the end, hometown girl will win. I just didn't get it until last Monday's show, but all the signs are there.Sarah Tennessee is the only girl on the show that's gotten a hard time from Travis. He's constantly probing her, testing her out. And that's because he's interested.

Episode 1: Sarah tells Travis that she was nervous about meeting the other girls. He immediately gets a serious look on his face. Don't you get along with other girls? Sarah gets nervous and is afraid she's given Travis the wrong impression. She's worried she won't get a rose. But she does...

Episode 2: Sarah tells Travis that she's been friends first with every guy she's ever dated seriously. Again, Travis calls her out on that, implying that Sarah isn't impulsive enough to go for love/attraction at first sight. Again, we listen to Sarah in the interviews saying that she thinks she blew it and is worried about getting a rose. But she gets one...

Finally, Episode 3: Travis and Sarah have the only real conversation we've seen this season on the deck of the boat. This time, he goes in for the kill. He says to Sarah: "I'm thinking, this girl never dates. This girl likes to hang out with the other girls. Is she passionate?" And the look on his face when he asks her this is serious, engaged. Sarah gets flustered, they share another look that makes Travis seem a kid on his first date. And then bimbo Tara interupts them and Sarah looks ready to kill her. Sigh. I was ready to kill her!

And finally, there's the fact that I'm now of the opinion that Sarah is really the most attractive girl left. She's not obvious beautiful, like Susan. But she's girl next door beautiful. She's not afraid to let the cameras catch her in glasses and no makeup. And I have to say, that on Casino Night she was by far the classiest one there. The top picture doesn't do her justice, but the gold dress was out of this world. Ultimately, Sarah is the one that fits Travis best. I can see her getting down and dirty while camping, or looking glamorous in the ballroom. Now, I just want to see some sparks between them. And I think we will. Starting next week.

Labor and Delivery Nurse writes Romance in the Closet

Isn't that a great title for a newspaper story? My friend Rosanne came up with that idea. The local paper didn't buy it, at least not yet. But I'm ready for the day they come knocking on my door.

When I started writing 3 years ago I wrote on the family computer in the den. But the distractions were just too much. And since I'm a plotter who needs absolute solitude and quiet (see my friend Mel's blog to take the Writing quiz) it didn't take me long to realize I needed a space of my own. Trouble was, with 3 kids, we didn't have the extra room. So when my husband offered me his closet (yes, his closet) I jumped on it.

It's not a big space, but it's big enough to house my desk, chair, a small filing cabinet, a CD player and still let me walk a few steps in each direction. This weekend I made the space truly my own by painting it Sherwin Williams Ivorie, recommended by my sister Carmen, the Interior Designer. The color, btw, is not really ivory. To me, ivory implies white. Instead, its a cream color with gold undertones. Very warm. I think Sherwin Williams and the crayola people need to get a grip. In their quest for original sounding names almost half of the names given don't even come close to matching the color.

I also got a new desk and lamp. The lamp, which you probably can't see too well cuz the picture came out sort of dark, has this cool sort of African design on it.

So, this is where I write. The space might be small, but my ideas and dreams are not.

Round Three

I'm happy to announce that The War Bride has made it to Round 3 of the American Title II Contest. While this is exciting for me, I'm very sad to see Theresa Meyers, Lois Templin and my fellow RWA Online chaptermate Debra Parmley eliminated. They've all written wonderful books that I hope to be able to see in print soon.

Round Three features Best Story Summary.

THE WAR BRIDE

As a British spy during the Napoleonic wars, Miles Mountkeefe thrives on danger and excitement. When his partner is murdered during a routine mission, Miles suspects they were double-crossed. Hell-bent on discovering who betrayed them, he travels to London with a coded letter he is convinced will help him solve the murder -- a letter that only his partner's widow, Tess Beauchamp, can decipher.

While the letter contains nothing that will help Miles, it reveals to Tess that her illegitimate daughter, whom she believed dead, is alive somewhere in Spain. With Miles' help, Tess knows she can save her daughter; but this spoiled son of nobility, infamous for his rakish reputation, is the last man on earth Tess wants to trust. Determined to seize the opportunity to right the wrongs of her past, Tess persuades Miles to escort her to Spain, supposedly to search for her husband's killer.

Miles is accustomed to dealing with ladies who instantly fall for his charm, but Tess is a different kind of woman; her tenacity and lively spirit irritate and fascinate him. And Tess is shocked to find that Miles' bravery and sense of loyalty make him a different man than she once imagined.

Together, they reluctantly join forces. But opposing agendas, dangerous secrets, double agents and a burning attraction they can't deny make their journey more perilous than either of them bargained for.

Come check out the voting website to read the rest of the summaries at www.americantitle2.com. Remember to cast your vote by February 5!

To Bunco or not to Bunco...and about that DVR

Last night, I unBunco'd. That's what you do when you set out to play Bunco, but you don't. We meant to play. We really did. The Bunco Broads (the best damn Bunco group in Tallahassee... take that back, the world) met at my house for our monthly session of the most exciting dice game there is (at least outside of Vegas). But we got sidetracked. Instead of rolling dice, gossiping and screaming with laughter, we sat around the fire, gossiped and screamed with laughter. Oh, and I got tons of great advice on my writing career and since my current wip, The Church of Bunco, is centered around a heroine whose main passion in life includes among other things, Bunco and the film Bull Durham, I thought it was quite apropo. The funny thing is, I never missed the Bunco. Which of course, is the main point of my post. It's not what you do, it's who you do it with.

Now, on to that *******DVR of mine. What's the point of having a smart techno machine automatically tape all your favorite programs if it keeps cutting off?? After I had unBunco'd and then brainstormed for a couple of hours on the phone with my wonderful cp Mel (who came up with my fab title The Church of Bunco, btw) I sat down on the couch to watch 2 programs I had taped. Love Monkey and Lost. Don't ask me why both these programs ran over their scheduled hour, but they did and my machine cut off the ending. So, I now I have no idea if Jack and Ana Lisa bonded on the beach or if Tom ever signed Wayne or if the evil Eli got his at the end. GRRR!!!! Me and that DVR are going to have words today. Very strong ones.

(You may have noticed I 've decided that Bunco needs to capitalized. If James Frey can do it, then why can't I?)

On Writing

So, I'm not exactly Stephen King, but I do have a few things to say about writing. Number one being, if you're too busy answering posts and playing on the Internet, then you're NOT WRITING. I complained to my husband the other day that I haven't had enough time to write lately. His response: "Really? You were on the computer all day yesterday. What were you doing?"

I couldn't answer him. I know what I was doing. But I didn't want to admit that I've become an internet junkie. I went to my Yahoo! loops directory and discovered that I'm on 23 loops. Yes. 23. Now some of these loops are inactive and some I have to receive individual emails to keep me current on my RWA Online duties. And then of course, there's my Bunco loop. Can't miss any of those messages! And my American Title loop. Gotta have that one. But the majority of those 23 loops are writing related. And while they offer wonderful advice and keep me current, I've decided to go No Mail on them. Keeping current on the latest in the industry is great, but if you're not producing anything to GET you in the industry, then it's time to prioritize.

Of course, this No Internet thing does not apply to blogging :)) I'll still check out all my favorite blogs, but I'm going to limit it to one sweep daily. That's it.

Okay, now on to some writing.

PS. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. I promise, it's not scary!

My Eggs are Rotting!

Yes. She actually said this on National TV. Sigh. When will people learn that alcohol and reality TV just don't mix? And this from a female physician! Is it any wonder that Dr. McHunky tossed her out on her ear? And if that wasn't enough, she came back for more: "Am I too short? Are my boobs too small?" (yes, she actually asked him all that) I have to say Dr. McHunky handled her very well.

Last night, The Bachelor started up again. Since I'm a reality TV ho, of course, I was glued in front of my televison. Dr. McHunky (real name: Travis) picked an interesting array of women. My personal faves so far are Sarah (from Canada) and Susan. On the surface, they appear complete opposites, but he seemed to really like them both.

Personally, I find Dr. McHunky to be all that and a bit more. I just hope he doesn't disappoint!

Jane Millionaire and The Bachelor

I just started reading Jane Millionaire by Janice Lynn. This is the book that won last year's American Title Contest. The book is funny and fast paced and very sexy! I can't wait to finish it!

Speaking of reality TV and romance... Now that Survivor is in hiatus, I have another show to look forward to. The Bachelor starts this Monday night! Yes, I know, it's corny and all, but who cares? I already have my trusty DVR (Tivo to some of you) programmed. This season's show was filmed in Paris. The Producers hope this will bring the "original" sense of romance back to the show that suffered such a hit after last year's "Jen" disaster.

This time our hunky guy who can't get a girl in real life is an ER resident. Ha! I can't wait to see this "Dr. McDreamy" in action!

American Title 2 Contest Marches On

Round 2 of the American Title II Contest is now over. This was a particularly grueling round. Not only did it take place during the busy holiday season, but this time, 3 finalists were eliminated. Plus, we didn't find out the results of the votes on the scheduled day due to a glitch in the holiday calendar, adding to the already extensive nail biting going on by all the finalists. I can't post the results , but I can truly say it was a sad day for all of us.

Although there are definitely some negatives to this contest, there are a whole lot more positives. One of us will definitely get published by Dorchester. Perhaps even more than one of us. I've learned a lot about self-promotion. I've made new writing friends that I hope to cheer on as we all get published one day. But the best part of this contest is the enormous support my family and friends have shown me. Their belief in me, and in my writing has touched me in ways I can never express.

Round 3 begins January 23 and will feature Best Story Summary. You'll have to wait till then to see if The War Bride made it.

I'm looking forward to reading all the summaries. I'm betting the competition will be awesome!

Have you been Naughty or Nice?

I have to admit to being both this year. But I like to think I've been more nice than naughty, at least in real life. (I'll save the naughty for my writing:))

Merry Christmas to all! And may Santa bring you everything you deserve!

Here's where you can find the current lowdown on the big guy:
http://www.noradsanta.org/index.php

Peter Jackson! Wow!

I used to want to be the Jodie Foster of Romance. I still love Jodie, but I have a new idol/mentor. Peter Jackson. The man is absolutely incredible. Not only does he look great (I think he's lost like a hundred pounds since he did Lord of the Rings) but he's hot! As evidenced by his before and after pics on the left.I love the way this man thinks.

I saw King Kong last week. It was one of the best movies I'd seen in a long time. It has everything. Great acting, great plot, beautiful cinematography, to-die-for (literally) action scenes and one of the best leading men in Hollywood (and I'm not talking about Adrian Brody) This makes 4 Holiday seasons in a row that Jackson has a blockbuster movie out. You just can't argue with that sort of success. Now I just have to figure out how to get published and hit the NYT best seller list 4 times in a row!

Hey, if you don't aim high, you'll never get anywhere. Right?

Which reminds me. If you haven't voted yet don't forget. www.americantitle2.com Vote for The War Bride and help make me the Peter Jackson of Romance!

Round 2 starts today!

I'm happy to announce that the next round of the American Title 2 Contest starts today and I'm still in the running! I truly appreciate all the support and well wishes I've received from so many people. Without your help, I would never have made it to this second round.

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Jeanmarie Hamilton and Suzan Hyssen. These are two incredibly talented ladies and I hate that elimination is a part of this process, but I expect that good things will happen for them in the future. Remember their names!

This next round will be particularly grueling because the 3 contestants with the lowest votes will be eliminated. The featured blurb this round is a description of the story's hero and heroine. Here's mine from The War Bride:

Miles Mountkeefe lives a gentleman’s fantasy of danger and excitement as a British spy in the Napoleonic wars. But when his partner is murdered, Miles’s entire world crumbles and he charges himself with a single-minded mission: find the murderer. Getting his partner’s widow to cooperate is the key to his investigation; unfortunately, Tess Beauchamp has an agenda of her own. She might be the most beautiful woman he’s ever set eyes on, but he has no intention of letting anyone, or anything stand in his way… including his growing attraction for her.

Tess Beauchamp yearns to return to her homeland of Spain and right the wrongs of her past. When Miles Mountkeefe shows up on her London doorstep seeking her help in solving her husband’s murder, Tess realizes this is her golden chance. But Tess is guarding a secret she dare not reveal--and the last man on earth she trusts is the only man who can find her daughter.


To vote, please go to www.americantitle2.com.

Voting for Round 2 ends on January 1.

Thanks!

Is Microsoft the devil?

Warning: This blog is Christmas commercialism at its best.

I know it happened with the Cabbage Patch dolls. And it happened with Playstation. Now it's X-Box 360. The demand for Micosoft's newest game creation far outweighs the supply. Is this done on purpose? And why? Will holding back shipments of X-Box 360 create even more demand for it after the Christmas shopping rush? Or did Mircosoft make a mistake and not produce enough of these babies? Or... is there some techno glitch with the new X-Boxes they aren't sharing? Either way, the result is the same. Lots of techno-geeks (including my beloved 14 year old son) will go without the one thing they wanted most these Holidays.

My local Target store got 14 of them in for the After Thanksgiving sale, all of which went in the first few minutes the store opened, and have only gotten 2 in since. One local man was even stalked at the Walmart and mugged for his X-box 360. What's up with that? I have to ask myself, is Microsoft the devil or what?