Julia London's Blog, page 60

Just Give In…

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Sometimes it's better in Print

One of the downsides to e-publishing books in that format only, is that people who don't have e-readers (or don't want them) don't have access to a book.  So for all of you folks who wanted to read Daring, but aren't into the e-scene yet, I've got good news.  The wonderful folks over at Grand Central have given me ten special hard copies of my A-Tac e-novella, Daring to give away.  As you probably remember, Daring is Lara's book.

To enter the contest simply email me at:   dee@deedavis.com with your favorite A-Tac character and the reason you chose that character, along with your name, email and address (to be used for winning purposes only). So we won't miss the entry, please put Dee Davis Contest in the title line.  You'll be entered in a drawing to be held on October 15th.  And I'll announce the winners on my website and my blog.

In the meantime, catch up with other A-Tac characters on Facebook and at the A-Tac site.

So what's up with you on this lovely Saturday?

 

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Homeward Bound

Big D

Today I'll be leaving on a jet plane, homeward bound to Big D, my oh yes.  It'll be a short trip for me, but I'm looking forward to it, seeing the family, eating real Mexican food, and getting a hug from Mom.

The temps in Dallas are only in the 90s, which is much preferable than 107, which is what the temps usually run when we visit during the summer.  Dallas is one of those cities that a lot of people hate.  There's a lot of concrete, not too many trees, and it's not the most attractive city on the planet.

However, to truly appreciate Dallas, you must know the rules:

Never drive on 635 between the hours of 10am and 8pm.  There will be traffic.
In the worst part of the heat, go see a movie, go to Six Flags, or go shopping at one of the great shopping complexes.  My favorite is North Park, but the Galleria is OK.
On Sundays, do not be surprised if the city seems eerily quiet.  It's not the blue laws (long gone), but the Cowboys playing on television.  I can remember church services being let out early on when the Cowboys played.
If a food is labeled 'hot' do not assume that this is some sort of pansy-fied 'hot' such as they do up in New York.  No, Texans understand the word 'hot' and if they say 'hot' then dad-gum, it is going to smoke the roof off your mouth.  Be prepared.
If you want to see trees, you must go to the older parts of Dallas.  I grew up in Oak Cliff (south Dallas) with some of the prettiest trees in the city.  Highland Park is the fancier part of the city, and there's some nice trees there as well.

I would like to create more rules, but I have to go pack, and I'm worried about security at the airport today, so that's all I have.  However, here's the questions today:

Did you grow up in a place that people love or hate?  Are there rules for it that out-of-towners would never understand?  Anybody got exciting plans for the weekend?

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Things I Do that Tick Me Off

No one is perfect, let me say that right up front.  But I have some imperfections that are much easier to live with than others. Some of my less than stellar characteristics don't bother me–I think, love it or lump it.  But there are a couple of things that really tick me off about me.  I  got really ticked off at myself yesterday, and it got me to thinking about the things about me I wish I would change, but show no inclination to actually change.  I thought about the things I wish I had more of, but again, show no inclination to do anything about.

Let's start with eating habits.  For the most part, I eat a very healthy diet.  I am very conscious of eating fresh and whole, and avoid processed stuff.  But what I do that ticks me off is snack at night.  Healthy snacks, but snacks all the same.  I can walk into the kitchen and say out loud, I AM NOT HUNGRY and still walk out with something to eat.  Annoying.

Time management.  Oh vey.  Every day, every. single. day. I tell myself I am spending too much time on the internet doing very little.  It is time I could be churning out works for which I would actually get paid for.  But nooooo…..there I am on Facebook and Twitter and sites like Funny or Die and TMZ.  I have tried a variety of techniques, all very good techniques, but the problem is, if I don't want to do it that day, I won't.  I am very incorrigible when it comes to me.  More annoying.

Taking care of business. Everyone needs to do it: run their errands. I have the luxury of doing them when no one else is doing them.  So I can go to a store while people are actually working at a real job, be first in line, get in, get out.  But when do I do them?  Saturdays.  With every other person in the Great State of Texas.  I am at the grocery store with hundreds, instead of five of us, which I could do if I would get my act together.  And I am pissy the whole time. The sad thing is, I say to myself at the beginning of the week, "Grocery store!  Pencil it in for Wednesday morning."  I pencil it in, then I blow myself off.  I have absolutely no regard for me.  Extremely annoying.

But then I will do something that surprises me.  For example, I signed up to train for a half marathon.  The group starts running at 6 am in downtown Austin every Saturday.  I have to get up at four to wake myself up, eat something, and get down there on time.  If you would have asked me two months ago if I would do it, I would have laughed.  But I've done it for six weeks now.  And I like it! Commendable.

So I guess the upshot is, I am still, after all these years, a work in progress.  I see areas of improvement, and I see areas that could use improvement.  But lets be real:  It's probably not going to happen.  Old dog.  New tricks.  The two don't mix.

What things about you tick you off?  What things do you do that surprise you?  How motivated are you to change anything about yourself?  What one change would make you happier with your most excellent self, or is that even possible?

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My Very Excellent Supermarket Adventure

I've mentioned in numerous previous blogs that I don't like going to the supermarket.  It's one of those things that I have to do, but I find it more a pain in the neck than enjoyable.

Until last night.

Last night after dinner I headed to Publix–I'd put off going as long as I could but running out of half and half finally pushed me into the Can't Procrastinate Any Longer zone.  So with my mile-long shopping list in hand, off to Publix to I went.  Things were going as usual (translation: yawn-fest) until I came to the aisle with the ethnic foods.  My attention was caught by a Cadbury Aero chocolate bar.  Hmmm…that sounded good.  As I stepped closer to investigate, however, I saw a product that would turn the entire evening around.

 

Yes, Spotted Dick.

Gotta give it to those Brits–they have a sense of humor when it comes to naming food (there were also cans of Mushy Peas.  Really?  Maybe they're good, but anything with "mushy" in the title is losing points with me).  Now I've actually heard of spotted dick—in fact, I made mention of it in a book (Naked in New England) by way of an English character.  I know it's a pudding with dried fruit in it.  But I hadn't thought about it in a long time.  I didn't know spotted dick came in a can.  And I didn't know it was microwavable (aren't you glad to know you can nuke your spotted dick?).  Giggling to myself (because, you know, it's Spotted Dick, people!) I immediately took the above picture of the can and texted it to my sister and several friends.  Much hilarity and ribald texting ensued (because, you know, it's Spotted Dick, people!).  One of my gal pals texted me back a photo of an item in her pantry that immediately had me abandoning the spotted dick and heading toward the condiment aisle.  I looked and there it was:

 

Pat's Ho-Made BBQ sauce.  Now, I don't know about you, but I've often wondered what ho's do when they're not ho-ing.  Well, now I know.  They make BBQ sauce.  Unlike the Spotted Dick in a can which was pretty pricey (it'll cost you almost six bucks to enjoy Spotted Dick), the BBQ sauce made by the ho's can be yours for a mere $1.95.  I can't wait to taste the ho-made BBQ sauce, but really, even if it's awful, the label alone renders it something that I must have in my pantry.  I can't help but wonder what would happen if the ho-made sauce met the Spotted Dick?  The mind boggles.  My sister texted me that if she'd been with me in the supermarket everyone would have heard us laughing and probably would have thought we were drunk and have called the cops.  Yes, I can well imagine it–we would have been arrested and dragged off to the pokey.  We'd have to call my DH to bail us out, and since we only have one car, he would have had to come get us in the golf cart–us and our Spotted Dick and ho-made sauce.  And that, my friends, will someday be a scene in a book J.

So tell me—have you ever tried Spotted Dick?  Does it sound good or gag-worthy (tee hee!) to you?  Have you ever had ho-made BBQ sauce?  Do you enjoy supermarket shopping–or is it a chore for you?  What are some funny/off-the-wall/interesting things you've found at the market?

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Back to it…

The newly clean now-a-playroom garage!

I've been "detoxing" over the long weekend and a few days before–trying to get the house straight (after 11 months here, it's about time), thinking about revisions but forcing myself not to write just yet until it's all in my head, organizing school for the girls, working in the yard, melting in the heat, and generally enjoying time with the family.

And today all that ends.

Sigh.

Actually, I'm looking forward to getting back into it–I clearly needed the break. Looking back, there were only a few days in the last ten years (yikes!) that I did nothing work related at all (okay, thinking about revisions isn't exactly "off" but there's only so much brain shutting down that I can do!). That's the downside of working for yourself; when I was practicing law, most of the time a vacation meant a vacation and some downtime naturally followed, so this was a nice bit of time.

This weekend, we went out to some little towns in Central Texas and did the wine tour thing. I didn't take pictures, but it was an eye-opener. Not because the wines were so amazing (though some were) but because I had no idea the drought here in Texas was as bad as it is. Here's a pic of our poor Lake Travis, 46 feet below normal:

Lake Travis at 46.52 feet below normal. (PHOTO BY CHASE A. FOUNTAIN/TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE)

We passed Lake Buchanan, and I was looking out at the scenery not sure what I was looking at until we drove about 15 yards from a boat dock…and there was no water. Truly sad stuff, and you can see driving around how it has affected a lot of little towns that make a large portion of their income from tourist business in the summer: fishing, boating, all of that has, literally, dried up.

And stupid Lee didn't dump any rain on us at all!!

Of course, the drought is horrible, but what's scary are the fires. They're all over the place right now, and a news report I read this morning said that over 500 homes had been destroyed and people have lost their lives, including a young mother and her baby. It's heartbreaking. Our neighborhood is spitting distance to Leander and Cedar Park and Pflugerville, all of which have massive fires, and the neighborhood itself is surrounded on three sides by very dry ranch land. Yesterday was horrible because of the incredibly high winds that came in on Sunday; hoping today calms down and they're able to contain them. Last I heard, they were zero percent contained.

If it's raining where you are, send some our way!

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Deep Disclosure

 

After spending years in prison under deep cover, black ops agent Tucker Flynn joins A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college. Nothing can shake him—except a vulnerable young woman marked for death.

DUAL DECEPTION

When Tucker is assigned to protect—and secretly investigate—Alexis Markham, he expects a routine mission. But this mysterious beauty has a past even darker than his: her father created a horrifying new biochemical weapon—and was murdered to keep it secret.

Alexis has spent the last decade racing to stay one step ahead of the shadowy operatives who will stop at nothing to possess her father's formula. She can trust no one, not even her handsome new bodyguard. But the heat that flares between them is impossible to resist. Will giving in to passion bring her the safety she's always craved, or will her love for Tucker draw him into a killer's sights?

 

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To Much Reality?

[image error]So here's a question for all of you who watch reality shows (me included)…can a show go too far?   I'm asking the question because of the news that Taylor Armstrong's husband, Russell committed suicide.  Now I don't watch the Real Housewives series, but I do watch the news and of course was shocked, and weirdly entranced with the news coverage of his death and the speculation as to how the show would handle it.  And a part of me couldn't help but think that we shouldn't be covering it at all.  That this poor man's life was turned upside down because of our seemingly insatiable[image error] appetite to be voyeurs.

As reality shows begin to push the boundaries more and more, should there be lines that can't be crossed?   The question isn't a new one.  Shows like Jerry Springer, Maury Povitch, Sally Jessie, and even at times Oprah, pushed the same envelope in a different format.  But there was eventually a backlash from viewers, and this type of programming started to disappear.  However, I saw a promo recently for a new show on one of the cable channels that looked suspiciously like Maury's old "Who Fathered My Baby" shows. [image error]

I'm not here to pass judgment either way.  I just think in light of the man's suicide, it's a relevant question.  And as a society one that I think we need to at least acknowledge, if not examine.

So how about you?  Have you been watching Housewives?  Do you think the show contributed to his death?  Are we pushing the envelope too far?  Inquiring minds…

 

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When Lightning Strikes

A tourist in Paris, amateur photographer, got the most amazing shot of the Eiffel Tower. It has been all over the news, but in case you haven't seen it…[image error]

I like to think that's the way it is when I get a new book idea, a great big charge comes down and zaps me full of inspiration. Maybe I should be in Paris. (not really, I have plenty of new ideas). Hey let's not forget that GRAVE EXPECTATIONS is out now! Go buy one or two, would you, please? Thanks!

Storms are no laughing matter when they go bad, of course. Much of my area is still reeling from Hurricane Irene and the damage caused. Towns and houses were destroyed in areas no one ever expects hurricane damage. So sad. My prayers are with everyone affected (which, unfortunately, includes some family members).

I think Madonna might have been struck by lightning. She's looking fab lately. Remember just a little while ago, when she had those sunken cheeks and looked a bit like the Wayland Flowers marionette Madame? Not anymore. She has had something done or undone, or maybe gained back a few crucial pounds? Whatever. She looks great. Scratch her off the list to play Miss Havisham, Vampire, in the film version of Grave Expectations.[image error]

An artist, Zoe Estrin-Grele, recently did me the honor of bringing my characters to life for my website. You can check them out at my Facebook page: Pip, Estella, Miss Havisham.

Join me (like, sign up, or follow) in any of my social media forums (or my newsletter) to be entered to win a $50 gift card for the online store of your choice (Amazon, B &N, Books-a-Million). Winner chosen in two weeks (Sept. 17).

Sherri Browning Erwin Readers(Facebook), Jane Slayre(Facebook),  Grave Expectations (Facebook),  Newsletter,  Sherri Browning Erwin (Tumblr), The Jane Slayre (Tumblr), Wolfish Young Gentleman (Tumblr), and @sherrierwin (Twitter).

 

 

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It's All in the Place

[image error]When I read, one of the most important things to me about the novel is the setting.  When I escape I like to go places I haven't been.  Whether it's somewhere far away or somewhere created by an author's imagination, part of the reading journey for me is all about the place.   Whether it's Tolkien's Middle Earth, Mary Stewart's Greece, C.S. Lewis' Narnia, Austen's Bath or WWII as seen through the eyes of Herman Wouk, I love the feeling of visiting some place I've never been before.  And in many cases, the settings of favorite books have inspired trips to those locales–Scotland, England, Vienna, and Italy to name a few.

Not surprisingly, as a writer I also feel that setting is important.  Often times for me the setting becomes a character.  Almost as important as the hero and heroine.  In A Match Made on Madison, my romantic comedy set in Manhattan, the city is central to the story line.  The places that Vanessa and her friends go are all actual places that I love, parts of the city I wanted to share with readers.

But setting can also be important in establishing the tone of a story. A hot steamy love story will work much better if it's set in a similar local.  Miami, New Orleans, or as is the case with my new release Dangerous Desires, the jungles of Colombia.   The jungle provides not just a backdrop for the characters, but an integral component of the story line.  It is because of the setting that things heat up in the way that they do.  Conversely, sometimes it's cold that makes a story work, when Annie Gallagher's child (Dark Deceptions) is kidnapped, it is the desolation of the mountain she lives on combined with the falling snow that lends an eerie tenor to the story.

Sometimes the type of tale drives the setting.  A gothic set in a high rise in Manhattan doesn't work as well as one set in a fog shrouded estate on the Cornish coast.  To Kill a Mockingbird wouldn't have had the same resonance if it had been set outside the deep south.  Try to imagine any of Larry McMurtry's books set in say Connecticut.   Or Sex in the City in Peoria.  Can you

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Lonesome Dove

imagine Jack London's books set in any urban area.  Or a regency set in the 1950's?   Setting is sometimes the defining element of a novel.

So when I begin a book, a lot of thought goes into where it should be set.  Some books are easy to define—the setting practically demanding its place in the story. Others are harder to get a handle on.  But always it's important to match the setting to the tone and pacing of the story.   And once the decision is made it's equally important to work to bring that chosen setting to life.  If you have the luxury of writing about somewhere you've lived or visited, it makes your job much easier.  But just because you haven't been to a place, doesn't mean you can do the research and still bring it to life.

[image error]All three of my time travel novels were set in the past.  Two in fourteenth century Scotland and on in the late 1880's in Colorado.  Of course I've never visited the past, and yet with the right research I still was able to write authoritatively about those specific times and places.  The same is true of contemporary settings.  One of the nicest compliments I've ever received concerned the setting of Dark of the Night.  The woman, a bookseller, wrote to say that she thought the book was so realistic she was certain that I was a native of Atlanta.  I've never lived there at all.  I just did my homework.

Part of a writer's job is to carry the reader away.  And one of the most useful tools in our arsenal is setting.  There's a reason "It was a dark and stormy night…" is the way Snoopy always begins his novels—it sets the tone and allows the reader to anticipate the coming ride.

What about you?  Do you notice settings in a book?  What are some of your favorites?

AND…just a sidenote–Deep Disclosure is officially out now!

 

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