Annie's World

Late Note

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:54:00 +0000

Just a quick note to let you know that a family emergency has kept me busy and out of internet access, which is why there was no new post last week. Hopefully, I'll get to a new one today or tomorrow.

I also hope your life is smooth, calm, and uneventful. Trust me, the reverse is no picnic...

I'm in the Club Today

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:16:00 +0000

The Barnes & Noble Mystery Book Club has been featuring romantic suspense authors every day during the month of February. They kindly asked me to participate and today's my day. Check it out here.

Playing the WNBA

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:00:00 +0000

Last week's post was about romantic thrillers made by Hollywood. As I was re reading the list, it struck me that there were several that wouldn't be considered thrillers in the typical sense. Which struck another chord, this one from my recent panel participation for the local chapter of the WNBA.

No, not the basketball wizards. The Women's National Book Association. This is a really cool association, started in New York in 1917 by a group of women booksellers who were excluded from the all-male Bookseller's League. The only criteria was that members derive part of their income from books. Teachers, librarians, agents, writers, publishers, booksellers, production people, illustrators--all were welcome. Ninety-plus years later the organization is still promoting the role of women in this field through chapters across the country.

What better place to talk about romance--the one genre written (mostly) by women for women?

We had a fun and informative night talking about the history of the romance novel (most scholars credit Richardson's 18th century novel, Pamela, as the first), the subgenres it encompasses, and the future of the form and format (Kindle anyone?).

I was in charge of the subgenre portion and as I look back it's easy to see that there is just as much of a mash up in today's romance novel as there is in Hollywood. Whether it's Jane Austen and zombies or the paranormal Victorian mystery of Soulless, pretty much anything goes. As long as there's that HEA ending--or the implication of one.

Which, as Martha would say, is a good thing.

Anyway, here's a pic from the evening. That's Beth Pattillo on the left, whose new book, Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart, is out this month. I'm in the center, and Jody Wallace--who is the hoot and a half behind meankitty.com, and who writes paranormals and erotica for Samhein--is on the right.

The Thrill of Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:09:00 +0000

I decided to take a break from my own work and think about someone else's. So I was cruising around the 'net and came across a topic in Yahoo Answers. The question was:

What's the best romantic thriller ever made in Hollywood ?

Sadly, there was only one answer and I didn't like it: The Saint and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Although The Saint is a great romantic thriller, even with the silly cold fusion plot, but the Brangelina vehicle is too campy to be romantic or thrilling.

So, I scroll through my brain for my own picks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(this is me, scrolling my brain) . . . . . . . . . .

Okay, so there are probably plenty I've forgotten, but here are the ones I remembered, in no particular order:

1. Romancing the Stone. Romance writer Joan Wilder tries to save her kidnapped sister in Venezuela by enlisting the unwilling aid of a sexy smuggler who his own reasons for helping. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas. 1984

2. Tequila Sunrise. Childhood buddies, now on opposite sides of the law, and the woman (and drug deal) that comes between them. Kurt Russell, Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfeiffer. Written by Robert Towne, of Chinatown fame. 1988

3. The Terminator. The one that spawned all the sequels (and James Cameron's career) with one of the most romantic lines: "I came through time for you, Sarah." Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, and Arnold Schwartzenegger in his career-changing role ("I'll be bahk..."). 1984

4. The Bodyguard. Probably my top choice. The romantic and thriller story are intrinsically entwined in this tale about a retired Secret Service agent, skilled to the bone, trying to protect a spoiled, self-indulgent pop idol from a deadly assassin. Kevin Costner, Whitney Houston. 1992

5. Blink. Not a big movie but I've seen it many times. A newly-sighted blind woman is witness to a murder but the cops assigned to the case don't believe her. Aiden Quinn, Madeleine Stowe. 1994

6. Notorious. Another top choice. Alfred Hitchcock directed this story of a "bad" girl hired to go undercover with a dangerous group of post-Nazi Germans. Ingrid Bergman is the amateur spy and Cary Grant her government agency handler. 1946

7. The Big Easy. More mystery than thriller, it still has one of the best bedroom scenes ever filmed: when Ellen Barkin's insecure assistant DA says she's never had much luck with men, smooth, easy-going homicide detective Remy McSwain (Dennis Quaid), gives her a slow, sexy grin and says, "your luck's about to change, cher." Sigh. 1987

8. Last of the Mohicans. You may not think of this as a thriller, but the race through the eighteenth century American wilderness to evade a vindictive Mohawk is as thrilling as any contemporary cop drama. And it contains another of my all-time favorite lines, as a desperate Hawkeye is forced to abandon his love to the encroaching natives: "You stay alive, no matter what occurs! I will find you. No matter how long it takes, no matter how far, I will find you." Another sigh. Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. 1992

9. Witness. A young Amish boy witnesses a murder and when it turns out the killer is a cop, the only place the boy will be safe is back on the farm. Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis. 1985

10. In the Cut. The grittiest one on the list. A serial killer is loose and a closed-off English professor may be the only lead the cops have. Mark Ruffalo is terrific as a tough, sexy detective putting the moves on Michelle Pfeiffer. 2003

11. Blade Runner. This futuristic sci-fi is another genre-bending entry. But who can resist Harrison Ford's weary, reluctant detective falling for an is-she-or-isn't-she-human beauty, knowing that if she isn't, he may have to kill her. 1982

12. Ghost. Love overcomes death in this supernatural thriller that has the ghost of a murdered man coming back from the grave to protect his love from his killer. Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg in her Oscar-winning role as the medium between them. 1990

13. Out of Sight. A bank robber plays a roguish cat-and-mouse game with the beautiful federal marshal trying to arrest him. George Cloony and Jennifer Lopez. 1998

That's it, folks. All I could come up with. Weird how the most recent one is six years old, and many are in the '80s. Is that a sign of my age, or a sign that Hollywood doesn't do these movies anymore?

Cover Up

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

I got the cover for my October release today. There's my name, nice and big, and--hallelujah!-- they even managed to include the word RITA-Winner below it. I asked them to include that on the last book and my editor balked. To say the least, I was annoyed, hurt, and pissed off.

All is forgiven now. Sort of.

It's the weirdest thing to have your name up there as if everything from cover to cover is yours. It's not, you know. Although the words between the covers are mine, the story would have been very different if it had been left up to me. It wasn't. Same with the cover. The publisher creates it and even if I have other ideas or objections, it's a done deal. Same with the back cover copy.

There was an article about James Patterson in the NY Times magazine this past Sunday. At one point it talks about James and his Giant Entourage meeting with the publisher to discuss marketing his empire. They showed him cover mock-ups to get his input. But that only happens when you reach Pattersonian heights. Otherwise, you get what you get.

Sour grapes?

Hell, yeah.

Okay, so it could be worse. I could have to self publish. Or languish around as I did for years, UNpublished. I should shut up and thank The Powers That Be for what I have.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you come a little closer I'll give you something to be thankful for. Right in the kisser...

Pie in the Face/Feb

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:20:00 +0000

The Pie Inspector is sniffing around the Otherworld Diner again.

Check out what she's up to.

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:57:00 +0000

Last week I shared one of two interesting reader emails. Here, in summary, is the other: when is your next book coming out and isn't it a long time between books for a romance writer?

Ouch!!

First off--yes, October 2010 IS a loooong time from May 2009, when my current book, One Deadly Sin, came out.

Second--it ain't my fault!!!

Okay, we'll that's not exactly true. I don't set the pub schedule, that's true. The publisher, in this case, Grand Central Publishing, sets the release date. The schedule is based on who they have lined up, how they're going to juggle the available slots (they only release a set amount of books/month), and how fast I can get the manuscript to them.

So some of that I can't control. But the latter--yeah, entirely in my hands.

And I'm afraid my hands just don't type very fast. When it comes to writing, I am not a quick study. I like to tell myself it's because my books are more carefully crafted than some, but you and I both know Nora's books are terrific and she's no slowpoke.

This "crank 'em out" issue is a dilemma. To have a real career in romance, it's an unwritten law. According to the research, romance readers go through piles of books a week, and they're always hungry for more. They want to be able to go back to the bookstore and read another one by a favorite author. What's this stuff about waiting a year for another book? The faster you can write the books, the faster your career moves.

I don't think it's the same with other genres. Michael Connelly doesn't put out more than one book a year, does he? Then again, neither does Susan Elizabeth Phillips. In fact, I once heard her speak at a conference and she said she writes one page a day.

One page!

Of course, it's a damn good page. But still...

I'm struggling with this need for speed. I've got a few ideas for series, but my agent is doubtful I could produce that fast.

Maybe she's right.

Maybe she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about.

In any case, isn't it the turtle who wins the race?

Mail Call

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:00:00 +0000

I received a couple of interesting emails from readers over the holiday. Each one sparked some thinking I thought I'd share with you.

First I received a note from a reader named Edie Swann curious about how I came up with the name of my heroine in One Deadly Sin, which was, coincidentally (for her) Edie Swann...

My first reaction was, how cool is that? I "invented" a name that a real person already has!

But then I had to answer the "how" and that got me thinking about character names. The christening of "my" Edie began with the kind of woman she was: a little bit rough and rootless--she does ride a Harley, after all--but not so kick ass that she couldn't yearn for the things she didn't have, like family and home.

Linguistically, the "E" in Edie is a soft sound, but the hard consonant "D" toughens that up. And the "ie" at the end is informal and casual, which is how I imagined my biker chick heroine.

So there was some real method behind the madness, at least when it came to her first name. How I came up with Swann, though, I have no idea. Sometimes I just try out names to see if they "fit."

In fact, I'm having trouble with names in my upcoming book. Two Lethal Lies. For spoiler reasons which I won't go into here, my editor had a problem with my hero's last name. I've spent weeks trying out alternatives and still haven't come up with anything that works.

I just finished Lisa Gardner's Hide and discovered in the Author's Notes at the end, that some of the characters bore the names of people Lisa actually knows. She also runs a contest that gives the winner a chance to name a character in her books.

I've never read a book with a character that had my name. Have you? I wonder if it's weird or wonderful. Maybe it depends on the character?

I did ask my reader if "my" Edie was anything like her, but alas, she declined to respond.

YYY

Playing Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 16:22:00 +0000

My goodness it's been a while.

First there was the holidays, and then there was recovering from the holidays. I don't transition well. This is true in life as well as in writing. I need lots of time between endings, whether it's vacations or chapters or books.

In case you're interested, though, here are the highlights of the past few weeks:

Finished a first pass on the revision of Two Lethal Lies (October 2010)

Went to New York to visit family.

Ate TONS (for which I am paying double at the moment...), including:

Hong Kong style crab at the Imperial Palace in Queens
The best pizza in the universe at Positano's, Herricks
Wonton soup that actually tastes like it at Jade King, Roslyn Heights
Portuguese churrasquiera (spit-roasted over wood charcoal) from Barraida, Mineola
Ramen noodles and steamed buns at Momofuku
And, of course (because how can you go to NY and not) kosher dogs, mustard and kraut at the deli

Sat on my glasses and had to spend the rest of my time in NY with duct tape holding them up so I looked like a total dweeb

Watched lots of snow fall

Saw Up in the Air, which is NOT the feel-good movie the trailers make you think, but is thought-provoking character study that made me glad to be me and not him

Returned home and saw Sherlock Holmes, which was entertaining enough, but just enough

Had a wonderful New Years with friends playing Apples to Apples

Made a second tour of Two Lethal Lies

Sent my 3 proposals to my agent, who hasn't got back to me yet on any of them...

Watched snow flurry (I think it's the same 90 flakes being blown around and around)

Netflixed the movie Snow Walker, which I highly recommend

YYY

And now you're all caught up.

Kindred Spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:45:00 +0000

This morning I read the Sunday NY Times Magazine. Yes, it's Tuesday, but I'm at my mother's and in this neck of the woods the Sunday magazine comes on Saturday. By Sunday it's been swept off to recycling with the rest of the Saturday papers. Which means a trip to the garage and an archaeological-like dig through a mound to find it. And being the lazy person that I am, well--let's just say I skipped the magazine this week. But then it magically appeared on the kitchen table this morning--the puzzle done--which meant sometime between Saturday and today my brother did the traipsing and fetching.

So...what was I saying? Oh, yes, what I read in the magazine. It was a profile on artist Jenny Holzer, who puts attention-grabbing statements on everything from T-shirts to buildings, and who lives in a "half-fixed" farmhouse in Hoosick, NY.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the profile. Just sub "writer" for "artist" and you'll see what I mean:

Fantasy Career: To be a divine artist as opposed to a workmanlike one. And to save the world.

Work She'd Take Back: How about everything I have done to a certain extent? I disappoint myself routinely. If you are an artist and you are honest, you are never good enough.

Artwork She Covets: An all-black Ad Reinhardt would match my heart.

Favorite Line of the Moment: The future is stupid.

Ahh..how fun to run across like-minded folk.

Queen of Denial

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:25:00 +0000

Read a story about the musical "Memphis" in the NY Times today.

It was mostly about how the story changed over time while in its pre-Broadway tryouts. In one version the lead character was beat up. In another he died. But what never changed was the actor playing the lead. Never a household name, Chad Kimball has been playing this part since the show originated in Boston. But while the show was being fine tuned (and, I assume being financed) it wasn't a steady gig. In between bouts, Kimball did 2 other shows that were flops and that shook his confidence. He also suffered through rumors about the producers replacing him with a "star." By that time he was in L.A. and was so upset he almost thew up.

I feel ya, man.

Doesn't take nearly that much to shake my confidence.

His story has a happy ending, though. The show opened on Broadway to pretty good reviews, and his reviews especially were great. I saw him perform on The View yesterday.

Plunging into the creative world, whether it's performing or writing is a tough journey. Holding onto your faith in yourself isn't easy. Especially if you don't have instant success. I know people in the music business who came to Nashville to make it big and never did. Some of them left, but many stayed, and are still plugging away at it, doing gigs for little or no money. I wonder how they hold on for so long.

I wonder how long I'll hold on.

Did I mention One Deadly Sin was nominated for a 2009 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award?

Pretty cool, huh?

Some days it's not cool enough.

Some days it feels as if nothing will be cool enough.

Well, here's to you, Chad Kimball. May your road be a little smoother now.

SHOUT OUT

And as long as I'm talking about confidence and road-smoothing, I want to give a woohoo to my friend, Marie-Nicole Ryan, whose recent release, Seducing the Sherri ff, is on the Samhain Top Ten Best Sellers List. Way to go, MN!!

Now Appearing...

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:12:00 +0000

If you're interested in where we authors get our ideas, I can let you in on the secret. But you have to go over to Romance Junkies, where I'm guest blogging. Stop by and say hello!

The Idea Contagion

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:27:00 +0000

Ideas are funny little things. Like germs they're invisible until they take shape in the form of a book, business, or bad cough. And like germs they kind of float around and land randomly.

Take, for example, the plagiarism lawsuit against Stephanie Meyer. It was brought by Jordan Scott, the author of a 2006 book called "Nocturne," which, needless to say, has not had the mega success of "Twilight." Scott accused Meyer of lifting plot lines and other elements to use in "Breaking Dawn," the 4th book in the Twilight series. The suit was dismissed last week, but I bring it up here only as an example of how ideas spread.

On a personal level, I, myself have been accused of idea theft. My 4th book, BLIND CURVE, is about a homicide detective who has a stroke that renders him blind. My book came out almost at the same time as the now-defunct TV Series, "Blind Justice." A reviewer on Amazon accused me of stealing my idea from the show. Never mind that my book had been conceived and written nearly a year prior to the show airing. But as I said, ideas are like that. They flutter around, and who knows where they'll settle next?

In my case, they've settled in General Hospital, where James Franco has taken up the role of "Franco," a weird photographer/artist who captures and creates gory crime scenes of homicides.

Anyone who's familiar with my book, DEAD SHOT, will see the similarities. So...should I sue ABC?

It's been interesting to watch how the soap has tweaked the idea for their own uses. Several of their lead characters are mob-related, so Franco has plenty of crimes to home in on. Does he, like my Dead Shot heroine, Gillian, have a death wish? Or is he just a voyeur who wants to get closer to the object of his affection? Is there a particular crime--one that's very personal--he wants to solve or avenge? It will be interesting to see how many more (or less) similarities to my book pop up.

In fact, GH created a piece for the art show opening I wished I had thought of for the book: an actual bedroom set up to look like someone had been murdered there, complete with blood and a chalk outline (which, of course, the police no longer use , but what's realism when it comes to TV?). In Dead Shot, all the scenes were photographed. It would have been cool to have Gillian, create a scene using actual furniture, like a set.

But hey--that idea didn't land on me.

So if ideas are out there, thick as bacteria, what makes something iconic? Do you have to be there first? Well, we know Meyer wasn't the first with the vampire trend. Why aren't they making movies out of Sherrie Kenyon's books? Yes, she made the top of the Times list, but I guarantee she's not a household name like Meyer.

Were there others writing Pride and Prejudice or David Copperfield? Maybe if we'd had the blogosphere and the media, Jane and Charles would have ended up in court, too.

Heard about other idea contagions? I'd be interested in hearing about them, too.

GOING SOULLESS

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

The Pie Inspector is back at the Otherworld Diner.

Check out what she has to say about the steam punk book, Soulless.

HAPPY IS AS HAPPY DOES

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Life may be like a box of chocolates--which isn't very comforting as far as I'm concerned--but I hope your Thanksgiving is as predictable as you need and as surprising as you want.

HAPPY T DAY EVERYONE!

Consequences

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Got my first epithet thrown at me for my Precious post. I was surprised. I guess you never know what nerve you'll touch when you write about race and religion. Mind you, I'm happy talking with folks who disagree with me. But I do object to anonymous name calling. Not only is it cowardly, it does nothing to further the discussion.

Precious

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:18:00 +0000

I saw the Lee Daniels movie, Precious, last night. I understand, via the NY Times, that the movie has engendered criticism in the African-American community. I can totally understand how difficult it is to see negative representations of "your" people. The whole Madoff thing made me cringe. Definitely NOT good for the Jews.

And it wasn't all paranoia either. One of my best friends, well-educated and the antithesis of conservative, made a joke about the religious background of the key players in the financial meltdown, and believe me she wasn't accusing them of being WASPs.

So I get it.

At the same time, Madoff IS a scum bag. And there are plenty more where he came from.

Just like there are plenty of bad people whose skin is dark. It's a fact. But it's also a fact that there are good people, too. And despite the horror that is Precious's life, she has an innate goodness that only needs a few good people to help bring it to the surface. And those people are also black.

In fact, I don't think the story is only about black people. Yes, it's set within the African-American community and all the characters are black (except, I suppose, the social worker, Miss Weiss, whose ethnic background is deliberately left unspoken but who is played by the multi-racial Mariah Carey), but it's also more universal than its particular setting. The damage parents can do, the brutality that family can become, the way one person's interest can change a life--these cross over all ethnicities.

So, no, I didn't think the movie was racist. I thought it was what great art is: powerful, thought-provoking, and above all, profoundly human.

Mall Princess

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:48:00 +0000

I was in the mall the other day, getting money back on a pair of pants that went on sale 2 days after I bought them. It was the middle of the week and the place was almost empty.

Now this is what we call an "upscale" mall. Kate Spade, Tiffany, Versace. It's quiet, airy, and always smells good.

I was on my out when I realized something.

I love the mall.

It's peaceful, it has fountains, and when you're there you're surrounded by beautiful things.

Shallow? I'm not afraid to admit it.

But really, where else can you go and experience the fantasy of being a princess? The place is kind of like a palace, with luxury everywhere you look. Inside each door is someone eager to wait on you. And when you leave it could be with something that makes you feel special and privileged.

Sigh.

I know there are plenty of people who feel exactly the opposite. But maybe the malls they frequent are more rowdy than royal. (And yes, I enjoy those, too.)

But for my princess fix, I recommend the regal variety. And the best thing about it? No purchase necessary. You can sit by the fountain, enjoy the calming fragrance, and pretend you have all the money in the world. Who's to know different?

Aack--It's That Time Again

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and even us busy writers have to stop and wonder WTF am I going to serve that day.

First off--organic or shot full of hormones? When I put it like that the choice is self evident. But have you checked out the price of organic turkeys? Sheesh, you'd think they were covered in gold. Then again, the health of one's family is priceless (yes, I'm full of cliches today...).

Second--inside or out? Stuffing or dressing? If you were raised in the north, it's the former. If you were raised in the south, the latter. So what do you do if you were raised in the former and live in the latter? You see my dilemma...

Third--sweet, white, or none. My nieces like sweet, I like white (since I almost never eat mashed potatoes and gravy any other time of year), and it would be a whole less caloric for everyone involved if there were no potatoes on the table at all.

Thanksgiving is a very complicated holiday.

Last week's NY Times Dining section led with an in-house duel between two of their food writers. One said Thanksgiving would be nothing without the turkey. The other said turkey shmerky, no one cares about the turkey. It's the sides that everyone looks forward to.

I'm a sides person myself, but you could take all the sides away and as long as you have the turkey it would still be Thanksgiving. Take the turkey away, though, and you just have another great meal.

So...here's a question (or two) for all of you out there: turkey or sides? Organic or the poor house? Stuffing or dressing? Orange, white or none? Share your holiday sagas (and recipes).

The Glow of Success

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Over the weekend I went to a reception for Sue Grafton, the wildly successful writer of the Alphabet mystery series. Sue is a friend of a friend and she was in town for fun not business. But that didn't stop me and another local writer from seeking her advice. And she was gracious enough to talk career, agents, publishers, promotion and all the other woes us midlisters have.

It's a strange thing to talk to a writer who has reached the levels I aspire to. Strange because it lets you see the possibilities right there in flesh and bone (it can be done!) while also reminding you that you are nowhere near those heights and have no idea how to reach them.

Also at the same event were two young British men spending their Gap Year between high school and university in town. One of them wants to be an actor, but will return to England to take up the law at Cambridge. When I asked why he wasn't going to drama school he acknowledged that a successful acting career takes luck as much as talent. So he will study law and do as much acting as he can at the same time (evidently there's a lot of opportunities at Cambridge) and see what luck brings him.

Looking back, these two encounters form opposite ends of the success see-saw. For all the frustrations I've felt at the way my career has gone (or not gone) and all the things I've tried to do to break out of the midlist doldrums, there is a line beyond which I cannot cross. Or rather, cannot control. I can make sure my title, cover, back cover copy--my "package" as they call it in the industry--looks great. I can make sure the story inside the package is the best I can do. Beyond that is luck, and that, dear reader, is out of my hands.

Small comfort, I suppose. But comfort nevertheless.

So... here's to Luck. May she shine on all of us aspiring writers, and may the glow of success be your own.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

The other morning I was chatting away--about stuff that had happened to me, stuff that I'd heard on NPR, stuff that I was reading in the paper--and noticed my husband, who was on his first cup of coffee and pouring over the sports section, was going "uh huh" in a randomly listless way.

In short: paying no attention.

When I abruptly stopped and said I'd talk to him later, he laughed and pointed out that our circadian rhythms just don't jive. All he wants to do first thing in the morning is read the paper in silence. By the time he's perky I've slowed down and don't want to talk at all.

"We're just not made for each other," he says.

Now he tells me. After 35 years of marriage.

"Maybe we should get a divorce," I say.

He looks up briefly, then back down at the paper. "Okay, but you get it."

We've joked about this before. In patches far rougher than this. But it's always been too much work. Far easier to soldier through and find our way out of the jungle together.

I suppose if one of us was desperate enough we would have broken through what seems like a mountain range of tasks, paperwork and legalities to reach separation on the other side. In fact, I wonder that anyone makes it over those hills.

Given the divorce rate ( and despite what Neil Sedaka says), it would seem as if breaking up is easy to do. But from my perspective, it's not easy enough. It must take courage and cause and an armful of unhappiness to saw through those ties.

We've had our moments. But we've also had enough humor (his) and stubbornness (mine) to eventually see us through them.

Not to mention the fact that we're too lazy, too entrenched, and the alternative is just too damn hard.

Steam Punk

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:12:00 +0000

I know I'm late to the party, but I've just heard about steam punk. In books it's supposed to be the Next Big Thing. I gather it involves the 19th century, anachronistic technology--perferably steam-driven--and lots of metal doodads and goggles. I had trouble putting it all together until I picked up a copy of Gail Carriger's Soulless.

The books is set in an alternate version of Victorian England where vampires, werewolves and other supernaturals wander around under the auspices of the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, a division of Her Majesty's Civil Service. Ms. Carriger introduces the requisite "glassicals" on p. 10.

The book is fun and charming, though I'm trying to figure out how to translate the light touch and the humor to my darker, not-so-funny style.

I'm told that other icons in the steam punk library include The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea, and the movie Wild, Wild West.

If you' re still having trouble picturing all this, check out some folks dressed up as steam punkers for Dragon Con, here.

So...anyone out there into steam punk? Read anything? Seen anything? If so, share. The whole thing has got me way curious.

Back in Business...the Otherworldly Kind

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:48:00 +0000

The Flu Blahs are gone...well, going. And just in time, too. On Friday I debut at the Otherworld Diner.

Now, I won't be cooking, though I will be cooking up trouble. You see, I'm the Pie Inspector, and I drop in from time to time (but mostly on the last Friday of the month) to make sure the Diner's pastries are up to snuff.

What IS the OD? Ahh, thought you'd never ask.

The OD is the home of cooks, waitresses, bakers, hostesses, and sundry romance writers who love otherworldly things, be they vampirish, ghostly, alien or the like. Can they read minds? Can they jump through wormholes? Do they have faery blood? If the answer is yes, you will most likely find them enjoying a home-cooked meal at the Diner.

Now this doesn't mean I'll start sporting a glitter wand instead of a .9 mm Glock. But I do have other interests, particularly if they're in the area of moving pictures. And I am a bit, well, opinionated. So look for me to spread my wisdom about paranormal and sci fi movies and TV shows.

To kick things off and create a buzz on the street, there's an interview with yours truly. It includes both the superpower I'd give myself if I could, and the one I think my friends and family would bless me with. But you'll have to read the interview to find out what they are.

Hope to see you at the Diner. Drop by, have a piece of pie, and stay a while to shoot the breeze.

Blah

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Sick. Self diagnosis: H1N1.

The End of Gourmet

noreply@blogger.com (Annie Solomon) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:43:00 +0000

The last Gourmet Magazine came today, and my husband is so traumatized that he can't even look at it for more than a few pages at a time.

I find this remarkably odd.

He never cooks. When I'm out of town he either eats cereal or toast or just has someone else make him dinner...at a restaurant.

But something about Conde Nast's cancellation of Gourmet has completely unnerved him.

I admit he liked to pour over every issue. It is--was--a pretty magazine. He'd spend time when it came, savoring whatever he savored and that was it. He rarely referred back to it or asked, three weeks later, for that rabbit cassoulet he read about.

Nor does he like to travel. The magazine was a trove of travel ideas, what to see, what to eat, where to go. But he hates to leave his house. In fact, when he does travel, he takes his house with him...his RV is a dear friend.

So I'm at a bit of a loss to understand why the demise of Gourmet has given him such a wallop.

Too much a sign of the times?

Perhaps. But I can't say he's one of those high life kind of guys. His favorite pastime is digging in the dirt. Seriously. One of his proudest (and, secretly, most enjoyable) achievements is the rain trench he dug around the shrub beds in the front and side of the house. When it rains he likes to go out on the porch and make sure those sunken alleyways are doing the job the way they were engineered to do. So it's not like he was managing a hedge fund or drinking Cristal and downing caviar while Rome burned.

But Si Newhouse struck a nerve, I guess.

God, it's a cold cruel world.

This Sunday in the NY Times Magazine, Ruth Reichl, the editor--former editor--of Gourmet did the one-page interview. Asked to predict the fate of another Conde Nast publication, The New Yorker, Ruth predicted that magazine would be around forever. Evidently, Si "loves" that mag.

Not my baby boy. He canceled our subscription to The New Yorker months ago. With Gourmet on the other hand, we had to wait to be dumped.

That's us. Always right in front of the trend.