Roma E. Black's Blog, page 2
August 7, 2018
Do I dare to send Jennifer Lawrence my screenplay? Yes or no?
Jennifer Lawrence is the perfect Sofia Ricci, the main character of The Fashion Intruder.
The screenplay of The Fashion Intruder is almost ready. I wrote “almost” as there is no such thing as a finished script until the end of filmmaking.
Below is a part of my treatment. What do you think about it? Does she like it?
Treatment – Part 1
Welcome to the world of F-Streets.com, the bravest fashion initiative ever. Its creator is the novel’s heroine – Sofia Ricci, a 30-year-old Italian attorney who you’ll get to know as a young girl viciously destroying Chanel’s 2.55 bag. Yes, the love for fashion can be drastic…
Then we move forward 25 years, and from Sofia’s apartment window we overlook the Spanish Steps and flagship Dior, Gucci and Prada boutiques. The script’s pages guide us through the reality of four different worlds: law, football, ballet and finally the one connecting them all – fashion. Also good sex heats up the atmosphere but more about that later…
Back to Sofia, in her adult life she achieves spectacular success, receiving awards for leading a department in a prestigious legal office. As much as she loves fashion and ballet, she loathes the Italian national sport – football. Sofia has everything a woman desires: good looks, career, money and an indecently handsome boyfriend – the La Scala leading dancer. She also has a great relationship with her girlfriends, three energetic ladies who would give their life for Sofia. Despite all this, our attorney feels that she doesn’t live her own but someone else’s life, constantly fulfilling other people’s expectations. But how long can you live like that? Hmm, Sofia seems to have mastered the art of it…
Destiny, however, will push her to fight for her fashion dreams when one of her major clients gives her an ultimatum related to his son, his business idea and fashion. Sofia chooses to ignore the life chance and does what the client asks. But this makes her feel used and unimportant. As a result of a heated argument, Sofia quits her job paying no attention to the fact that her bank account is empty as a result of a recent shopping spree in Paris. The doors of other legal offices become shut for Sofia, thanks to her well-connected boss.
July 11, 2018
Falling in love with the La Scala’s principal dancer? Yes or No?
‘It was too dramatic, but what else could you expect from dating a principal dancer from La Scala? Drama on stage, drama in life! She had had enough. She needed to have fun and feel carefree, because she had more than enough serious issues.’
The Fashion Intruder describes how difficult a relationship between a celebrity ballet dancer and a civilian can be, especially when this one is also a star in their own profession.
So if you want to have your own answer, you have to read The Fashion Intruder:)
On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fashion-Intrud...
July 10, 2018
I am fed up with Chanel… Only Chanel and Chanel
The fashion world never saw a greater rivalry than Coco Chanel vs. Elsa Schiaparelli. They absolutely loathed each other. Gabrielle Chanel only ever referred to Elsa as “that Italian woman.” Coco went completely nuts when it came to Elsa’s designs.
Elsa was her only true rival, as far as Coco was concerned. So Paris had its own little fashion war in the 1930’s. Today probably half of the Parisian girls would wear a “Team Coco” t-shirt, while the rest would proudly don a “Team Elsa” shirt.’
If you want to hear the rest of the story, you will have to read The Fashion Intruder;)
July 7, 2018
Seraphin, it’s very nice to meet you!
The letters found in the attic of the family house in Provence opened his eyes to the truth that the grandparents who brought him up were far from the perfect couple he’d imagined them to be.
He was still looking for his perfect partner. No relationship has ever been good enough to stick with, he thought, contemplating his next bet.
July 6, 2018
Sofia Ricci intrudes Paris…
Paris was practically an unconquerable fortress. Its top prestige among the fashion capitals, jealously guarded by the sharp eyes of Parisian women that quickly caught any and every stylistic faux pas, made Paris crucially important for the future of Sofia’s project.
She was therefore prepared for the worst. Between smiles and sips of coffee, the French women wouldn’t miss the chance to pin her down and twist the knife a bit – which in their case would be more like turning a slender dagger with an ornately encrusted hilt, and it would be all the more painful at that.
In their eyes, I will always be an Italian redhead, clumsily trying to copy the Parisian style,Sofia thought, looking critically at the contents of her wardrobe. She was convinced that the way she looked would be a crucial, so she selected her outfits for the trip with great care, changing the sets of clothes and accessories she had picked for the business meetings several times.
July 4, 2018
Goodreads Giveaway !!!!!
The Fashion Intruder
by Roma E. Black
Giveaway ends July 20, 2018.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
July 2, 2018
For the lovers of The Devil Wears Prada…
The Fashion Intruder is a new fashion fiction novel which will take you on a journey across four different worlds: ballet, law, football and the one connecting them all – fashion.
Italian atmosphere, French style, English tea and Russian approach to business will quickly lead you through Intruder’s pages.
This novel is partially based on real events for which the fashion world is a background and in this aspect it can be compared to The Devil Wears Prada.
Both Roma and Lauren Weisberger were inspired by events from their own lives, reshaping them by their imaginations.
The whole story was written to show that nothing is impossible.
Ready? The fight for your dreams starts right now.
July 1, 2018
Who’s Mr. Lager.. Lagerfeld? A sneak peek into The Fashion Intruder.
The shocking-pink curtains (so Elsa Schiaparelli!) flowed all the way down to the oak floor, leaving just a tiny patch of naked windows open to the afternoon sun. The few rays of light penetrating the palazzo interior reflected off crystal mirrors and glass chandeliers, projecting colorful collages onto the walls of the parlor. A chaotic array of hat boxes, arthropod skeletons made into everyday objects, and hundreds of photographs set in ornate gold frames made the interior look quite reminiscent of Holly Golightly’s wacky apartment, as immortalized in the movie ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.
In the middle of a red, piano-shaped sofa, sat a five-year-old girl, Sofia, the granddaughter of the house’s owner, dressed in a black velvet dress with a lace collar, dark knee-highs, and patent-leather shoes. The dark hue of her outfit, quite unusual for such a young girl, made her light complexion look even paler, highlighting her large, inquisitive green eyes, encircled by long lashes. As she kept clumsily throwing back the red hair repeatedly falling onto her forehead, the girl was adamantly pursuing a destructive plan: using a nail file to saw a metal clasp, shaped as two interlocking letter Cs, off of a handbag.
A harmless, childish idea – a casual onlooker may have thought. Perhaps rightfully so, if the ‘CC’ in those small hands was not a crucial element of the most famous, timeless handbag in the history of fashion, designed personally by Gabrielle Chanel.
An elderly woman had been watching the girl for several minutes, initially wondering what her granddaughter actually intended to do with the handbag she had dug out of the depths of a wardrobe – a misguided present the grandmother had received from an admirer long ago. Now her curiosity was satisfied. It was without regret that she watched as the girl’s destructive zeal quickly turned what was a precious vintage handbag into a worthless object. But it was not out of carelessness that the grandmother did not react. In fact, Gina had always thought that Chanel lacked even a tiny speck of good taste, that her whole career had been just a string of fortunate coincidences.
‘Oh, if it had not been for Lagerfeld, no one would ever remember her now!’ she said in a raised voice as she approached her granddaughter.
‘Nonna, who are you talking about? Who’s Mr. Rager… Ragerfeld?’ asked the girl, now clumsily trying to attach the clasp removed from the handbag to her favorite doll’s little hat.
‘Mr. Lagerfeld – Karl – is a genius, who’s managed to get every little girl wanting to wear clothes with that logo,’ the grandmother explained, pointing to the clasp she had just filed off of the Chanel handbag. Struggling to explain as simply as possible the complexities of the fashion world, she added: ‘Look, Sofia, this symbol was invented a long time ago by one of us, an Italian woman – Catherine Medici, who was the wife of the King of France. The queen used it to decorate her jewelry, and then later, Gabrielle, the lady who designed that black handbag, took it as her logo.’
‘But are you sure, Nonna? There’s no letter G, only two letter Cs,’ the girl asked in disbelief, unable to fathom how someone with the first name Gabrielle and the surname Chanel could use two letter Cs as her symbol.
‘Yes, her first name was Gabrielle, my dear, but everyone called her Coco.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, it was a kind of artistic nickname, from back when she was young. She had used it during cabaret performances in French cafés,’ Gina explained, and looked down on her granddaughter with a smile. ‘You know, Sofia, you remind me of a certain woman who, just like you, would destroy anything that Chanel created,’ she said, recalling her friend.
‘Oh, will you please tell me about her, Nonna?’ Sofia asked with glee.
An interview with author Roma E.Black
Where did you get the idea for The Fashion Intruder?
A few years ago, accidentally, I met one of the best-known fashion designers, and then I helped her in a legal dispute. Consequently, I got to know more people working in the fashion world. The fact how different that world was from my advocate routine made me ask myself what would happen if a corporate lawyer quit their job and started to create a fashion portal, and fell in love with a capricious artist? Also, at that time the UEFA Champions League was on and it was just unbearable to observe people watching matches all the time and everywhere… And so, The Fashion Intruder step by step arose from various shreds of events, newspapers and gossip sites. All this was ‘decorated’ with my greatest love – ballet.
What’s the best thing about being a writer?
The coolest thing is that you can give people an escape from their daily routine or from a family evening when they are the only one who has not yet been married / has no child / has no husband or a perfect house.
The fact that my readers can transfer themselves to another reality to find a safe haven after arguing with their boss or splitting up with the love of their life is the best in being a writer. Writing is just like having a magic wand.
What’s your advice for aspiring writers?
I reckon that if you want to be a writer there is one essential thing: write and show what you have written to others. Look how they react, do not worry if they do not like it and do not get overexcited when then lavish praise on you. A writer is not a donut, so not everyone has to like them.We write for ourselves and for others. We receive some stories that we have to tell people for some reason. This is not our choice, a story has chosen us. Therefore, write every day, even just a few words. From the first word, every book begins.
What are you currently working on?
I am working on the second part of The Fashion Intruder. The first part is about FStreets revolution, the second one is on feminine power.
How do you get inspired to write?
Inspiration comes to my mind just like that, sometimes it is a scenic movement at the premiere of The Lady of Camellias or merely a stupid meme found on the internet. I often joke around and tell my friends about crazy things that happen to me every day. The Fashion Intruder is based on a story that happened in my life, so sometimes an impulse comes and hits the back of my head, shouting: I am here!!!
What do you think about an alternative Fashion Intruder story? I’m sharing with you the first version of The Fashion Intruder, written five years ago…
‘Hello, girls!’, Sofia said, approaching the table where the clearly amused Claudia, Geraldine and Nicoletta were sitting and chatting vibrantly. Before she even managed to pull back her chair, she heard: ‘Sofia, look, you’ve been terribly outdone!’ This came from Claudia, surrounded by a pile of fashion magazines, holding up the latest issue of Vogue. Written across its cover was: ‘Amal Clooney – the world’s most beautiful attorney.’
A waiter observed the chattering girls, trying to figure out the best moment to serve them the breakfast they had ordered. But each time he thought he might be able to interrupt, their discussion took a new turn, provoking even more peals of excitement.
‘Hey, are you trying to bait me, first thing in the morning? You can’t even wait until I order breakfast?’, Sofia shot back with a smile. ‘I know you are trying to prod me with those articles about Amal, just so that I will visit those television studios of yours. But nothing of it, Claudia! Basta!Aside from that, today we are going to the Fendi show. Have you forgotten?’
‘I remember. But the studio recording is not until 9:00 pm. You can make it to both the fashion show and the studio. Come on, Sofia. Be part of the discussion! Maybe you’ll meet your Clooney there. And I’ve already ordered you breakfast: an omelette, as per usual’, her PR consultant parried back, energetically gesticulating with arms bedecked with massive Chanel bracelets.
‘My Clooney? Are you kidding me?!’, Sofia snarled. ‘At most, there’ll be a whole herd of self-important men. After one minute of their cockfighting there will be feathers flying. I’m not going anywhere. After the fashion show I have to go straight home; I still have a few documents to prepare for tomorrow’s closure.’
The waiter, having lost his patience, thumped down a tray bearing four fitness omelettes, two vegetable cocktails, and a mineral water. But the girls paid no attention to his behaviour. While still talking, they grabbed the plates and drinks from the tray and set them on the table in front of them.
‘Give me a break, Sofia, I know you: you already have everything ready! And the merger is an excellent reason to justify a media appearance – both for your company, and for you personally, of course. Just this one time, give it a go! Please, I’m asking you to…” Claudia said, all the time fishing around inside a huge Balenciaga bag.
‘Yeah, right. First, in the morning I have to choose between identical business suits, black court shoes and classic handbags, only later to meet Bianca Baltioutside the studio in a red Dolce & Gabbana dress,’ Sofia said with a scowl. ‘Do you remember my last appearance on television? I felt like Monica Bellucci among high-fashion models. Next to Bianca I looked like a monster in a grey sack.’
‘Don’t exaggerate, Sofia,’ Claudia said amusedly. ‘You know just as well as I do that your profession simply demands a classic look. Bianca is a different league, whereas you can aspire to the likes of Hillary Clinton.’
‘My dear,’ Nicoletta said with a smile, seeing her friend’s sour expression, ‘they would hire you even if you arrived wearing just your underwear. Or maybe then they’d even ask your advice more often?’
‘You know that’s not the point,’ Sofia responded. ‘Look at my calendar! Nothing but meetings with clients, conferences, and hearings in court. Barely do I finish one merger when Pietro already has another one ready for me, this one yet again the “most important in my career”. And although I’m a junior partner at the company, my parents still keep reminding me of what I haven’t yet accomplished in life. And to make matters worse, my boyfriend has nothing else on his mind than the next premiere at La Scala.’
By saying all of this, she hoped that she would manage to convince her PR specialist that today was not really the best day for public appearances.
‘Such is the life of an attorney. I accept that’, she said a moment later, ‘but sometimes it’s just too much. So don’t force me to try to outdo Amal Clooney today, on top of everything. I’ll be a failure on every front: in terms of the outfit and prestige’.
Bianca Balti – an Italian model, one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels, the face of a Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign.
