Julia London's Blog, page 13
February 21, 2013
Hook, Line, Sinker: Advertising
I rarely fall for ads (I think). I’m one of those people who will say that advertising doesn’t really affect me. Why do companies spend millions of dollars on ads, blah blah blah, when they won’t convince me to buy? Um , yeah, so…
Months ago, I started seeing ads for BB Cream. All kinds of BB Cream. L’oreal. Oil of Olay. Maybelline. Revlon. Garnier. And I said, BB Cream? What’s that? Why do I need it? Pssh.
And then I started seeing more ads telling me how BB Cream is the hot new trend and I really need it. Oh, do I? Ha.
Sunday, I was walking the aisles of the grocery store and there was a sale. On a few brands of BB Cream. And… I caved. I said, “Oh what the heck. Maybe I do need BB Cream.” So I went over the brands, on sale, and chose some Aveeno.
I think BB stands for Beauty Balm (I’m still not sure), but when I got home and tried it, I realized that it’s just tinted moisturizer. No big thrill. I’ve had tinted moisturizers (from cheapo to expensive brands) and I like them. For all the hype, BB Cream is really nothing new. But they got my money by making it sound groundbreaking and Brand Spanking New. Bravo, cosmetics companies. You got me again.
And now I’m over at Sephora.com (my occasional weakness) filling my cart. And I have a song stuck in my head from a McDonald’s commercial, Fishy Fishay… and suddenly I’m craving a Filet O’ Fish. I’m not a big fast food fan, but sometimes I could really go for it.
Click here to view the embedded video.
But not Wendy’s. Yes, their fish sandwich does look superior and the new redheaded spokeswoman (Wendy, wink) tells me it’s Northern Pacific Cod and “Now that’s better.” But every time I see her, I just want to smack her smug little face (and I am not a smacker). So, no Wendy’s for me. Ever. Until she’s gone.
Aha, so now I can go back to saying I rarely fall for advertising and feel justified.
Fishy, fishay…
Do you fall for ads? Or feel repulsed by them? Do you have any BB Cream? What have you fallen for lately? What ads annoy you?
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February 19, 2013
Flights of Fancy
What is it about good fiction (on the page or on the screen) that draws us in and manipulates our emotions almost as if the people involved were really part of our lives? You know the kind of book (or television show, or movie) that I’m talking about. The one you stay up all night to finish. Or glom every available episode in one sitting.
I remember in Austin once going to see the Star Wars films (the original three) in order. The showing was in an old restored theatre downtown, and it was so amazing (although somewhat difficult on the 
derriere) to see them all three in order in such elegant surroundings. And I was carried away once again to an empire far far away.
I also remember going with my mother when I was a little girl to see My Fair Lady. We were late and so wound up sitting on the front row, which, from my youthful perspective only made them that much large and therefore that much grander. I wished for a long time to be able to speak with an English accent—cockney or otherwise.
And I remember for months after first reading the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, trying, sadly without success, to walk through the back wall of my closet certain that if I just worked at it enough I could find my way to Narnia. (And we’re not even going to discuss how many times I tried to poke my hand 
through the mirror or catch other myself being something other than a reflection.)
So I can’t say that I’m surprised to find that my current fictional obsession, Downton Abbey, like so many before it, has drawn me in and me care so much for the characters that I have literally used all the tissues in the house watching one or two of the episodes (okay, this season almost every episode). I’m heart broken with the losses, but surprisingly find I am also anxious to see how the others get on.
Fiction is a magical thing. It allows us to be carried away to places we can never really find on our own. To inhabit if only for an hour or two the workings of someone 
else’s imagination. And if it’s really good, we are devastated when the ride is over.
So how about you? What are some of your favorite fictional worlds? Are you a fan of Downton Abbey? Did you go through boxes of Kleenex? Do you dream of waking up at Pemberly? Wish you could lead the rebellion and fly a starfighter?
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February 18, 2013
What’s your paranormal pleasure?
With the release of Beautiful Creatures and Oz: The Great and Powerful, romance and the paranormal are the new fun and I have a paranormal treat to share with you. Today is release day for two of the fabulous Whine Sisters. Jacquie D’Alessandro’s first book in her Heaven Can Wait Series, He’s No Angel is out. This hot fireman and a fun librarian pack a powerful punch. And Wendy Etherington’s first book in her New Mystic City Series, Sparked, is out too. A bewitching and magical story about a sexy cop and a woman with powers.
Read about them below and follow their links to Amazon links for more!
He’s No Angel: Tristan Barrington, Earl of Ryland, has been stuck for nearly two centuries in a prison-like limbo between Heaven and Hell, ever since his death in 1820. The only way out is to perform the good deeds assigned to him by his nemesis, the mysterious angel Task Director, Alessandra Foscari. Unfortunately for him, she always assigns him tasks that involve helping human couples find True Love, and cynical Tristan is not a romantic guy. After a bunch of failures, he now has one final chance to earn his angel wings– or it’s off to Hell for him. Not good. And even worse? He only has a few weeks to make this latest couple fall in love. And worst of all? His couple is not cooperating
Link http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Heaven-Wa...
Sparked: Sparks fuel desire… When a rebellious sorcerer of New Mystic City steals the Queen’s ancient and powerful scepter, warrior witch and security commander Abia Quinn is charged with the vital mission of retrieving the vital artifact, but she doesn’t count on a startling encounter with NYPD lieutenant Nick Westin, who unknowingly has captivating and rare powers of his own.
Do you plan or have you planned to see Beautiful Creatures or the new OZ? Have you read a paranormal lately?
Happy Reading! And Remember every day to dream, believe, create, inspire, love and heal.
Jennifer St. Giles
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February 15, 2013
Weekend Reading: Fairy Tales
Whether it be the tales from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, or any other source, who doesn’t love a good fairy tale? Okay, maybe some people. But I love them! I love fairy tales. I think most romance readers do. 
I know the writers like to borrow heavily. One look on the romance shelves at your favorite bookstore (or online, let’s pretend we all still go to bookstores), and it’s not hard to find a Cinderella twist or a Beauty-Beast theme, or maybe a little Snow White or Little Mermaid mixed in.
You can get lots of versions of Grimm’s or Hans Christian Anderson tales online now for free. Which is pretty sweet. What I love is that they’re all pretty short, one quick read before bed. But I also like the Disney versions. You all know I’m a Disney kind of girl. My favorite Disney Princess is Cinderella followed closely by Ariel.
What’s your favorite fairy tale? Disney princesses, yay or nay? Who’s your favorite princess? Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson?
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February 14, 2013
The Romance Writers’ (and Readers’) Holiday!
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!
There are various schools of thoughts about Valentine’s Day. Some people revel in all the elements of it – the cards, the flowers, the candies, the special romantic dates, etc. Some others HATE it and every about it – from the crass commercialism to the falseness of forcing emotions on a specific day of the year.
Me? Heck, I’m a romance writer, all about LOVE, so I find myself coming down on the HUZZAH side of it — I even bought a lovely, flashing heart necklace to wear today!
My significant other? Well, he tries. He remembers a card and usually flowers or some present (many years, he’s used up his best gift ideas for my birthday – just 2 weeks ago) and he does make a valiant effort. This year we’re going for a nice dinner at a place we both like…. Nice!
But, his best gift was not something even remotely romantic — though the whole process of him selecting it really was. We have had a ‘no-appliances-for-gifts’ rule since our marriage nearly ended on our first Christmas when a toaster oven appeared under our tree for me. Yeah… a toaster oven. So, some years ago, he asked me if we could dispense with that rule one Valentine’s Day. He told me it would be worth it, if I would give him a chance. Of course, considering how much effort he was putting into it, I agreed.
On Valentine’s Day, he gave me a TeaDrop hot tea maker! He knew how much I love hot tea and knew this was a perfect gift for me — he was right!
Since then, we have put the rule back in place and prevented anything that could lead to violence….LOL!
So, do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Has there been a memorable celebration or a special gift that you still smile over? Please share it with us! Because I’m feeling the love of the day, I have an advance copy of my April book – At The Highlander’s Mercy – for someone who shares their story today!
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February 13, 2013
Gearing up for the Big Romantic Day!
I’ve always liked Valentine’s Day–what’s not to like about a holiday that revolves around love, flowers and chocolate? But I discovered something yesterday that has shot Valentine’s Day waaaaay up the I LOVE IT meter for me. As I was wandering through a World Market store, I discovered these:
Pink Peeps dipped in chocolate--absolutely perfect!
Yes, those are Valentine’s Day Peeps. I ADORE Peeps. Marshmallows rank right up there in my Top Ten Favorite Things list. And since my favorite Peeps of all are the little chick peeps (as opposed to the bunny peeps or any other shape), and since pink is one of my favorite colors, these Valentine Peeps were right up my alley. But to put these over the top, they’re not only Peeps, they’re DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE. Yes, their little chick butts are sitting in a lovely coating of milk chocolate. There might be fancier desserts, but I can’t imagine a more perfect one. Now, if someone could only come up with a chocolate Peep cupcake, I’d be in heaven 
So–are you a Peep person? What are some of your favorite desserts?
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February 12, 2013
Taking Writing Advice, Life Advice, and Everything In Between …
Yesterday, I hosted guest blogger SaraLynn Hoyt on my blog, and she wrote about ensuring that indie pubbed books are high quality. At the end of that post, I disagreed with one thing she said: that you should make the changes suggested by your critique partner (or editor).
I definitely agree that you need to fix problems with your story, but not every issue a CP or editor raises is actually a problem. I’ll go even further and say that even if your CP or editor says everything is great, that doesn’t mean the story is done.
Why? Because one of the major components of being an author is to understand the story that you are trying to tell. And also to understand that you are the writer. Editors often don’t write. Most CPs do, but they have their own unique way of looking at stories.
My personal rule of thumb is to very carefully consider each and every comment that a reader makes–but I may decide that the comment doesn’t need to be addressed (or that it needs to be addressed in a different way, which I’ll discuss below). If two readers make the same comment, then I will absolutely do something. Two=change. One=my best judgment.
This is a rule that developed when I first started critiquing with Dee Davis and former Whiner Kathleen O’Reilly. (Hands over ears now, Dee). Sometimes I would ignore their issues. But if they both had the same issue, I’d address it. If two people are confused are annoyed, chances are the rest of the world will be as well.
But the even bigger issue is that you as a writer have to understand that no one knows better than you what your story should be. I have spent weeks tweaking a story that my editor thought was done because I wasn’t happy with some element of it. I have completely ignored suggestions on how to fix a story–and come at the problem from a different way. Editors and beta readers are very often not writers. They know that something is off and they will make a suggestion. But that suggestions may not be the solution.
Or they may articulate a problem (this scene seems draggy), when in reality the scene doesn’t drag if the writer had properly set up the backstory so that the reader understands the underlying tension between the characters in the scene. Ditto character development. “Your heroine is a bitch in this scene” may really mean “I don’t understand her motivation and backstory.” It may not be the scene that needs to be changed but elements of the story leading up to the scene.
So that’s my take on revising–listen, analyze, and then do what’s best for the story that you are trying to tell.
The same advice applies in life: listen, analyze, and then do what is best for you. Sometimes it’s hard to ignore well-meaning advice from others. Sometimes, though, you have to in order to make your book–or your life–the best it can be.
How do you writers deal with comments on your drafts? How do you readers deal with suggestions about your life? Share!
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February 11, 2013
Multitasking
Hey, everybody! So sorry this is late. No excuse except disorganization. My daughter came home from college for the weekend, and my schedule got thrown off. I seriously blame it on aging. I used to be able to do twelve things at once. My memory was intact, my body…well, let’s just say everything had its own place and stayed there without help from structural engineers.
These days if I’m headed to the mailbox, and a neighbor stops to talk to me, I forget the reason I came outside in the first place. And, apparently, things aren’t going to get better. My mother does crossword puzzles constantly, because she’s seen so many people her age deteriorate. My in-laws can’t operate a TV remote. I might consider doing those brain exercises. What about you?
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February 8, 2013
Weekend Reading: All Things Tudor
The discovery of Richard III’s bones under a car park (aka parking lot) in Leicester has renewed my fascination with the Tudors. And now, recreated from the bones, they say Richard looked like this:
Which, some observe, isn’t far from this:
Shrek's Lord Farquaad
But I digress. My first two manuscripts, which were never published and have been lost in many moves, were Tudor set. I love the time period! Especially the drama surrounding the “disappearance” of the princes, the two young sons of Edward IV and Richard III’s nephews.
Did he kill them? Were they killed at all? Were they simply hidden away, secreted away somewhere safe from those who wished to usurp the crown? Would Henry VII have killed them had they been available when he came to take the crown? So many questions, unanswered through time.
My theory was that the Duke of Buckingham killed them to protect Richard III’s reign (and his cushy place in it), against Richard III’s wishes. I came to this conclusion from reading Alison Weir’s The Princes in the Tower, and I still think it’s a possibility. But no one really knows.
But if I remember correctly, Weir mentioned that they found two skulls under the stairs in the White Tower, so maybe they could do some DNA testing on those? Or maybe they have? Anyone know?
But The Princes in the Tower is a good read and I want to find it again. I also enjoyed Weir’s The Six Wives of Henry VIII. 
I’ll be snowed in this weekend, so I plan to do some reading up on the Tudors. What are you reading? Do you share my Tudor fascination?
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February 7, 2013
Attack of the Deadline Zombies
It’s 8 a.m. and I am wandering into Walmart, wearing plaid pajama pants a fleece pullover, no make-up and my hair piled into a shih tzu puff ball on top of my head. I search the aisles for coffee and Excedrin. It’s my theory that if I mix the two, the result will be some sort of extra-caffeinated super-espresso. My zombie-like shuffle seems to unnerve the other shoppers, who do everything short of plastering themselves against the shelves like one of those Garfield dolls to avoid contact. I grunt and grumble to myself as I toss Lunchables, frozen lasagnas, and “cooking substitutes” into the cart.
I run into a parent from my son’s preschool in the candy aisle, where I’m stocking up on chocolate covered coffee beans. She takes one look at my outfit and my cart and says, “Coming up on a deadline, huh?”
I nod and shamble away.
I write every morning, rain or shine, holiday or vacation. But for some reason, in the month or so before a deadline, when I have all but the last few chapters polished up, my brain chemistry seems to change and I am only creative between 2 and 4 a.m. Despite the fact that I have the whole house to myself during the day, I can only work when the rest of my family is sleeping down the hall. So I become the less cheerful, less functional, “Nocturnal” version of Molly – Cranky Vampire Molly.
My family is very understanding about this periodic personality transplant. Most of their accommodations involve digging their own footwear from Unmatched Sock Mountain in the mornings and accepting that sometimes, Mommy is going to have to drive you to school looking like the four-year-old picked her outfit.
Eventually, I snap out of nocturnal mode, the turn the book to my editor on time, and start sleeping like a normal person. I’m not sure if this is my brain’s way of making me suffer for my “art” or a nostalgic appreciation for the days when I was still working full-time and had no choice about late nights. Either I stayed up all night writing, or I would have to write the books on my work computer, which my boss would not appreciate. I’m hoping that after a few more years of writing full-time, I will become less Vampire Molly and more presentable during daylight hours.
So, other writers, what pre-deadline rituals do you suffer through? Or are you all the “turns the book in months before the deadline” types?
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