Posted by: Author | September 29, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: Tallahassee, volkswagon, wordless Wednesday
Posted by: Author | September 28, 2010
The Trouble with Writing Romantic Adventures with an International Flair
One of the problems with writing the stories I love to write is the number of scenes that have to occur on an airplane. You can’t do international plots without some type of travel to get there. The good news about planes is that if you’ve been on one commercial jet, you’ve sort of been on them all. Easy to describe the scene. Most readers know of whence ya speak.
One downside is that Lears and Cessnas, the usual suspects when it comes to private planes are more individualized. New descriptions are essential but sometimes that’s hard, too. I mean, really, how much can you change leather seats? And the smell of leather is lovely but it is unchanging.
One other good thing about scenes in planes is the intimacy factor. There aren’t many more places more intimate than sitting by someone for hours on a plane. Trust me on this one. Sat by a dude from Nigeria once that thought spraying himself with a potent perfume every twenty minutes was a good substitute for his bi-weekly bath. Can you say Ugh?
So, I’m getting ready to write yet another plane scene. This one will be fun (insert evil cackle here) as my girl will be humiliated more than she already has been from being in a jail in a foreign country. I know you may be asking what could Jillian think of that’s more nefarious than the indignity of peeing in public in a holding cell but trust me, this is worse. At least in our heroine’s mind. This is the event that threatens her fragile hold on her self possession. Doesn’t help that the hero is the one she has to go to for help. No, doesn’t help at all.
Posted in Random thoughts, Writing | Tags: airplane, hero, heroine, Lear Jet, Nigeria, Surfer Bride, WIP
Posted by: Author | September 27, 2010
Wishing I’d Taken Typing
I never took a typing class. Always planned to be a lawyer and have a secretary. Then computers came along and I decided I could learn some skills (eventually had to due to the changes in the world). I used to write my stories long hand. Planned to hire a typist for them if I ever decided to publish. Of course, word processors came in and that was much easier than long hand. Except for the hunt and peck thing.
I have actually learned to type a little by default and from constant use for court documents. The reason I wish I’d taken typing now is that I was in the car for six hours on Sept 27th. I wrote like a maniac- in my head. Lots of scenes for the WIP. I mean, I had the dialogue, the mannerisms, and the scenery down. Down cold. COLD.
Then, eye doctor appointment. While I was waiting for my eyes to dialate, I had more ideas for the scenes come to me. Fully formed- edited in. Again, in my head. Wow. Really cool, inspired day.
Alas, came home to actually get it all on paper and because I can’t type as fast as I can think, I only got one scene down. I have eight to go.
Since I got up at 3:45 am, I’m petering out. The energy level is gone. So, will have to plug away later. Can’t. Type. One. More. Sentence.
Query: does the fact that I have these scenes fully formed in my head now make me a plotter or am I still a pantser? I vote for pants as I didn’t have any of this in my head at 4:00 am today. What say you?
Posted in Random thoughts, Writing | Tags: pantser, Plotter, Surfer Bride, typewriter, WIP
Posted by: Author | September 26, 2010
“Love in the Highlands”
Yesterday I re-worked a short story I initially wrote in May, 2009. I was delaying working on the WIP and wanted to warm up before I dove in. As I read the thing, I realized how much I’ve grown as a writer in that time. Wow. The bones of the story were solid but it really needed some tweaking. So, tweak I did.
Submitted it to Romance Stories Magazine and it will be in their November issue. It is called Love in the Highlands and is the story of Evan and Clarissa. I hope you’ll check it out when it’s available. It takes place in the Highlands of Scotland, specifically, John O’Groats. One of the northernmost places in the United Kingdom.
Check out the area map and the photo. Breathtaking place.
Posted in Writing | Tags: Highlands, John O'Groats, Love, romancestoriesmagazine, Scotland
Posted by: Author | September 25, 2010
“I Gotcha”- By Joe Tex
One of the problems with being a lawyer is that you’re trained to analyze everything and I mean everything. For example, I have a thing about analyzing song lyrics. Like the song by Paul Young that has the words “everytime you go away, you take a piece of me with you” – Is that about cannibalism? LOL! I know, I know, that’s stretching it but you see where my brain goes. I just can’t help it.
Another for instance: the Dr. Hook song where he says “pappa was a rolling stone… all he left us was ALONE” – when he sings it, it sounds like “all he left us was A LOAN.” Could be either as the dead man left his family with nothing so why not a debt?
This tendency of mine to pick apart songs drives my kids over the edge. They think I’m insane- so of course, that just encourages me to keep it up!
On the way home from work on Friday, I heard the song by Joe Tex called I Gotcha. I swear that song is a threat to rape someone. It creeps me out. I loved the song back in the day when it came out- til I listened to all the words. Sounds to me like he’s gonna chase her down and make her “give me what you promised me” and “I’ll teach you to play with my affection”- go check out the lyrics and tell me I’m not crazy. Is this a criminal action this song is threatening? And I mean no disrespect to the singer himself. Just not digging the words to the song. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/joe_tex/i_gotcha.html
Posted in Random thoughts | Tags: Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, Joe Tex, Paul Young
Posted by: Author | September 24, 2010
Friday Facts- September 24, 2010- Hurdy Gurdy Man
The book I have coming out in January, 2011 is called Solo Honeymoon and the heroine’s father is a one named folk singer from the 1960s- inspired by Donovan Leitch- otherwise known as Donovan- I have been listening to his music this last few days to get in the groove of this story again so I can be ready for the edits. As I listened on Thursday, Sept 23, I realized I needed a Friday Fact and decided to talk a bit about the instrument called a hurd-gurdy. Donovan has a song called The Hurdy-Gurdy Man.
The Hurdy-Gurdy has a long history. It is actually a sort of combination of a guitar and a piano. Not really a piano but it does have a keyboard element. The Hurdy-Gurdy was earliest known to exist in the 11th Century. The instrument was played in medievel times and into the Renaissance. It has a sound similar to bagpipes.
The shape of the instrument changed a bit in the later years of the Renaissance. The French version looked more like a lyre (more round) and the other versions had the guitar look to them. The instrument became the instrument of the lower classes for a time after music tastes changed. There was a resurgance in the upper classes in the 18th Century when famous composers wrote some songs for it.
Donovan’s arrangement of the song didn’t have a hurdy-gurdy in it at all. But in the liner notes of the album, I found this interesting tidbit: Donovan wanted the song for Jimi Hendrix and his producer told him it was to be his own next single. He couldn’t get Hendrix to play on the record as Jimi was on tour so he got Jimmy Page on electric guitar, John Paul Jones on bass and John Bonham on drums- how cool is that- three future members of Led Zepplin playing for Donovan!
Posted in Friday Facts | Tags: Donovan, Donovan Leitch, Friday fact, Hurdy-Gurdy, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Led Zepplin, Renaissance
Posted by: Author | September 23, 2010
Reminder of the One I Walked Away From
That’s a title up there- not a sentence so those of you that know I hate sentences that end in prepositions can rest easy. I’m saying it’s not a sentence. AND being cognizant that you’re breaking rules is all that matters anyway, right? Ok, enough digression. There is a point to this post after all.
I started Ghost Moon by Heather Graham at lunch on Sept 21. I only got a little bit read. I think the prologue and Chapter One was all. Picked it back up on the 22nd at lunch and was enjoying the story until I got jerked out of it by the name of one of the characters. The name was very, very close to the name of the One I Walked Away From.
I have very, very few regrets in my life and I can’t say that walking away from this man was a regret but periodically, he comes to mind and I think about what could have been. He was from Miami and this book is based in Key West where Heather Graham lives. It is funny to me that she used a name so close to his and that she lives so close to his hometown. And yeah, I know the old saying about when close counts but as those of you that know me know, I’m all about making connections. However tenuous they may be.
The man of whom I speak and I were very good friends. He had a girlfriend and I had a boyfriend. One night when we were out with a gang of friends that didn’t include either of our current loves, we ended up outside alone. As we talked, he leaned over, pulled me close to him and kissed me. It was one of the most gentle and sensuous kisses of my life. He treated me as if I would break and since I’ve always been a strong person, I felt cherished like I have never been before or since.
He wanted to go somewhere to be alone together but I couldn’t do it. The kiss had taken me by surprise and it was wonderful but I couldn’t knowingly, with aforethought, cheat on my boyfriend.
This man and I remained friends for a long time after that but I was always careful not to be alone with him again in a similar situation. I do think about that kiss sometimes and wonder if I had gone with him would the rest of the evening have been as memorable as that one kiss that took place over a quarter of a century ago.
So, reading this book with the character name being so close to the name of the One I Walked Away From, brought me back to a dark May night a very long time ago. Thanks Heather for evoking a memory of a younger, more desirable me being kissed by a man who clearly thought the world of me.
Posted in Books, Random thoughts | Tags: Ghost Moon, Heather Graham, Key West, Miami, WIP
Posted by: Author | September 22, 2010
Wordless Wednesday
Posted in Wordless Wednesday | Tags: door, wordless Wednesday
Posted by: Author | September 20, 2010
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Been wearing hard contact lenses since I was 16. You’d think I’d have some sense by now, huh? Nope. None. I’m an idiot. Two weeks ago, I noticed that the vision in my left eye was worse. Seemed to have gone blurry. Called the eye doc and she was out of town so we made an appt for the next week. But the next week, she wasn’t back due to a family emergency and I had to reschedule.
Finally got in there today and the nurse said my one eye had gone from a minus 3 to a minus 4.5 since last year. I was stunned. Seemed like a HUGE drop. Dang. Made me worry. Then the nurse asked me to take out the contacts and let the dr look at them. So, I did. When the Doc came in, she asked, “when you took them out, did you put them in the case correctly or did you swap them?”
I told her I put the right one in the right side and vice versa. She then had the solution to my problem. I’d been wearing them in the WRONG EYES!! Well, stupid me- why the hell didn’t I think of that?? DUH moment, for sure.
The really bad news over all this is she showed me on the color chart of my eyes how the right cornea had adjusted itself to the new lens I’d put in it. It was kind of scary to see how my eye had already begun to reshape itself. She couldn’t get a true reading on my vision because of the change in the cornea. Now I have to wear my glasses for a solid week to allow my corneas to return to their natural shape.
I HATE MY GLASSES.
The glasses are for distance and not for reading at all. I can see perfectly to read without any corrective lenses. Can’t read with the glasses on at all. So, a week of constantly putting on and taking off glasses is ahead of me. I know I shall have a headache every day. I hate this and I hate being a moron even more.
Posted in Random thoughts | Tags: contace lenses, corneas, eye doctor, glasses, idiot, moron
Posted by: Author | September 19, 2010
On Dennis Quaid and Bad Marriages
I just spent 7 hours in a car with one of my dear friends on a trip back home from a conference in Orlando. She escaped from a bad marriage to a control freak a bit over a year ago. One of the things he didn’t allow her to do was go to movies. She has been enjoying the freedom to do what she wants and is on a quest to see all the movies she’s missed. As an example, she’d never seen any of the Harry Potter movies.
So, on this long drive, I was recommending movies to her that she needed to add to the list of must-sees. She likes Dennis Quaid so I had to recommend two of my personal favorites of his. Frequency and The Big Easy. Now, before you say anything, like “My Gosh, Jillian, how can you like The Big Easy when Mr. Quaid is sporting the absolute worst Cajun accent on the planet in that movie?” Let me just say that you have to ignore that in this film. It is a good story about police corruption and it features one of my favorite cities in the world: New Orleans. AND one of the best love scenes in any movie I’ve ever seen. My goal is to write a love scene as evocative as the one in this movie. Just gotta ignore the bad accent. It’s a hard thing to do, but trust me, it’s a good movie. And for my friend, Jeff, Ellen Barkin is pretty hot in it! While the women are looking at Dennis and ignoring the accent, the men can enjoy Ellen in some cute little running shorts.
Frequency is another fun Quaid film. It has elements of time travel and crime. It’s an intriguing idea and even though reality must be suspended, it’s a good one to watch. Not a bad accent in the crowd, either.
I couldn’t believe my friend had never seen either of these and if anyone has any other recommendations for her, post them here and we’ll turn her into a well rounded film viewer yet.
The Big Easy
Posted in Random thoughts | Tags: Dennis Quaid, Frequency, marriage, New Orleans, The Big Easy
Jillian Chantal 
