A to Z '14 - Appreciation

Happy April 1st, gang!

Once again, I am doing the A to Z challenge. This year I am honoring my grandfather who passed away on April 3, 2013.


So let's get going.

A is for Appreciation.

Appreciation takes on a few forms here.

My grandfather had a great appreciation for the arts. He sang. He actually performed in many vaudeville competitions. We are all proud to say, "he never got the hook!" Have you ever seen the movies or cartoons where a big hook came out and pulled the bad performer off the stage? That's actually rooted in truth! The performers whose acts were...weak...would get pulled off stage. Thankfully, my grandfather never got the hook! :)



His love and appreciation of the arts still runs deeply in our family. My mother sings and plays the organ. My brother is an actor (who can also sing and dance well, he just doesn't admit it! LOL). I sing, I used to dance, and I write. My grandfather appreciated all of our various talents.


But I also have appreciation. I appreciate who he was and what he did. I appreciate his singing and love of the arts. I appreciate all of the support he ever gave me. I appreciate him and the life he gave us.


Appreciation in life is incredibly important. It gives us the ability to broaden our horizons, and it gives us gratitude for our own talents and those of the people around us.


A is for appreciation.

Whatever happened to Maynard G. Krebs?

Most people know Bob Denver as Gilligan from Gilligan's Island. Sure, he deserves credit for that show. But what about his role on Dobie Gillis?

I grew up watching TV that was from before my time (I am convinced that has contributed to the pin up in me ;) ). Dobie was as much a part of my childhood as Dora is to kids today.

The thing is, I remember Maynard G. Krebs. In fact, I made a reference to the beatnik over Easter weekend.

Why am I talking about a lesser known role for an actor?

Because no one wants to be remembered as just one thing. Are you JUST the color of your skin? Just ONE talent? No. Not at all. We as people are diverse creatures. There is depth and complication to each and every one of us.

Now granted Maynard G. Krebs may not have been the pinnacle of method acting for Mr. Denver, but it is a role that he played that deserves as much credit as Gilligan.

Quite personally, I don't want to be remembered simly as a vet tech. Nor just as an LGBT writer. Saving animals is just as important to me as writing LGBT fiction that creates social change. They are equally important and I hope that both endeavors are equally remembered long after I'm gone.

Each of my books deserves credit just like every role an actor plays deserves credit. Loving Her, Unbreakable Hostage, Imperfect, Impeccable, Trajectory, A Summer of Butterflies...EVERY single piece that I write deserves its place in the annals of history.

So, let us look at a writer's works on the whole. Together, each piece of writing helps to create the beautiful puzzle and life of that writer.

Besides, where would be without Maynard? ;)

Happy reading (of ALL of my books), y'all! :)

Is Hollywood Killing Literature?

We ALL love a good movie. And since Hollywood first began, they have taken some of the greatest pieces of literature and turned them into moving pictures. Gone With the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men...the list is endless.

Nowadays, though, times have changed. How many of us have seen movies to books that we never read? I'll admit I'm guilty of that. Sat through the Twilight series, never read the books. It was all for the Mrs. ;)

We live in a world of instant gratification. A phone call will no longer do. Now we must tweet. Drive through wedding chapels, electronic everything, you name it. We are more inclined to sit through a two hour movie than we are to read a book.

Now I'll admit that I would LOVE to see my books become movies, reach a broader audience, etc. That's why I LOVE storycasting.com. Fantastic site that lets my imagination play! :) BUT, if my books do turn into movies, I want them to be true to the books. There will not be any exploding cars in Imperfect. If there are, that ain't my book.

If my books became movies, though, would I see people flock to get their copies or would Hollywood simply be the only focal point? I don't know. But I will admit that the idea of my books losing their clout is scary. I write with intention. I hope that actually comes across.

So, is Hollywood killing literature? I think it's a possibility. I would like to see the two art forms help and support each other. Hopefully our society isn't becoming completely anti-literature.

Don't forget, everyone, I'm about to start my next big tour. I'll be posting & tweeting my various stops along the way. I hope to see you there, and I hope you pick up your copy of Imperfect while we're at it too! :)

Happy reading!

Getting to Know You

Last night, the Mrs. and I had "Getting to Know You" from The King and I stuck in our heads! LOL. I had this idea anyway, but I thought the title was appropriate for today's blog.




This is going to be a brief who's who of my books! :) The celebrity pictures are who I have in mind to play these characters. Don't forget that you can cast my books as well at www.storycasting.com! That site is a blast! Go check it out! ;)






Loving Her























Linda - Linda is a mechanic who owns her own shop in University City District (UCD) in Philadelphia. She's tough, but very gentle and vulnerable. She is extremely dedicated and loyal.











Katie - Katie is a veterinary student at U Penn and works at a local pizza parlor for money. She's young and vibrant, fun and full of energy. She is mature and logical. She loves being in love and fully believes in happily ever after.











Donna - Donna is Philly cop. She is tough as nails and yet as gentle as a kitten. She is extremely insecure. With no family left, her friends are her family and she will go to any length to protect and take care of them.












Liz - Liz is a southern belle who is a ballerina and a motorhead all at the same time. Tall, elegant and regal, she's also very down to earth and loves a loud engine! She dances with the Pennsylvania Ballet and listens to Metallica on her own time. She has only been with one person: Jen - and she plans on spending her forever with her.










Jen - Jen has MS. She used to be the director of a cat shelter, but when she met Liz, she followed her all around the country. She is quiet and introverted, but don't get her gabbing about her woman because she won't stop! :)











Stephania - Stephania is an exotic, multi-racial beauty. A professional model, she is seen globally, but is still very grounded. She is a spitfire and doesn't back down from any fights!











Maria - Maria is slightly older than the rest of the crowd. She is a grounded, stable woman who works for an Hispanic newspaper in Philadelphia. She adores her family, but only from a distance. Though Stephania is a lot to handle, Maria keeps her sound and grounded.













Brynn - Brynn is a little brunette bombshell. A police officer in Doylestown, PA., she is friends with Donna's partner, John, and his wife. Brynn and Donna meet thanks to John and they begin their lives together as two young female officers in love.



















Unbreakable Hostage





























Lareina - Lareina is a Puerto Rican with exotic and enchanting looks. A Ph. D. student in algebra, she's smart and beautiful. She is very close with her family and holds her Catholic traditions very close to her heart. Strong, resilient, intelligent, and determined, she is one Latina who can never be kept down!













Tony - Tony is an overweight brut. He fell over the fine line between genius and crazy a long time ago. He is obsessed with Lareina and lives in his own dark, twisted world.















Marc - Marc is English, but he's been living in the States for some time now. He is lonely and leads a quiet life save for his work as a missing persons detective. He is captivated not only by Lareina's beauty but by her quick wits as well. He is a caring and gentle man who needs to be saved as much as he saves others.


















Imperfect (not yet released)






Carol - Carol is an IT guru. She's intelligent and caring. She takes the world's burdens on as her own. She is loyal, compassionate and extremely insecure.




























Alex - Alex is a woman with a troubled past. Though she is now back on solid ground, she can never full erase her history. She is a true romantic. She is funny and dedicated, but also very demanding at times.




















Ok, there ya go! Hope you liked getting to know some of my characters. If you'd like to know more, go check out my books! :)

Ode to my Heroines

After I wrote my blog about Jason Statham, I thought it was only fair that I pay a tribute to all of my women. ;)




Not like that. I mean the heroines in my books.




Ok, now the only character in Loving Her that I have dead set in my mind is to have Katherine Moennig play Linda. Sorry, no ifs ands or buts on that one. I'm sure that like my gay half, most of you are TOTALLY ok with that! ;)



I had Salma Hayek in mind for Lareina in Unbreakable Hostage. She is too gorgeous for words. I also think that the beauty and intelligence that Ms. Hayek brings to the screen would play perfectly to Lareina's beauty and intelligence. The fact that she has killer curves would help at the box office! ;)






Then there are my girls for Imperfect. I have a serious crush on both of these gals, but for different reasons.



I LOVE Jorja Fox. Yes, I'm a big CSI nerd. But she's also a phenomenal actress! She is the perfect embodiment of Carol. I relate to her well, and I think a lot of other people do as well, which is what I was striving for when I wrote Carol's story in Imperfect.






Then there's Alex. Sweet, beautiful Alex. This may seem like an odd choice to you, but I would LOVE to see Debra Wilson play her. She is gorgeous, she's sharp, she's funny. She is the perfect Alex.





Come on! Two hot women?! Does it get any better than that?!




Now again, just like good old Jason, you can cast the characters (both male and female) in Loving Her and Unbreakable Hostage. Since Imperfect has not yet been released, it's not up yet on Story Casting. However, you can bet that the minute Imperfect is released, it will be up on storycasting.com !

So, enjoy my female eye candy as well. Again, I have to clean up my drool. So go play on storycasting & tell me which women YOU want to see in my movies! ;)

Ode to Jason Statham

Ok, so this blog refers back to the blog earlier this week about literary blasphemy.




In the same trip that we saw "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" (dear God, will I ever stop shuttering from that?), my baby got me The Transporter and Transporter 2. Why? Because she's the bestest in the whole wide world! :)





If you don't know this about me yet, I am only "half gay," otherwise known as "bi." And I have had a thing for Jason Statham for a while now. My gay side LOVES guy movies, so it's actually NOT my crush that has me watching the Transporter series or either of the Crank movies. I like action, fast cars, and all that good stuff! :)






Seeing Jason doesn't hurt, though. ;)



He was the inspiration for Marc in Unbreakable Hostage. Hell, he IS Marc from Unbreakable Hostage! I purposefully made Marc British so that Jason Statham could play him when the movie comes out. I'll let ya know when that happens! LOL.





God only knows why my partner puts up with my and my dumbass crush, but she does. :) I think it's mainly because she knows that there is no chance in hell of me ever meeting him! LOL.




I know you're sitting there wondering what the hell the point is to this blog.




There actually wasn't one. BUT, I will plagiarise from myself and say that using celebrities as inspirations for your characters is not a bad idea.


Use them and their voice to create a realistic dialogue. Use their features to help describe how your characters look. Now, you may see someone different in your mind when you read Unbreakable Hostage, and that's fine! I think that's one of the many joys of writing. Your characters don't always look the same to the same people. I love that subjectivity! :)




Remember (and no, I am NOT getting paid to say this. I say it because I just happen to know that these folks ROCK), there is always www.storycasting.com where you can actually cast the characters for Unbreakable Hostage! How cool is that? Oh yeah, and it's free! Does it get any better than that? I think not!



So, while I'm cleaning up my drool from looking at Jason, go hit up storycasting.com and have some fun! I'll be checking to see who you cast! ;)

Music and Writing

Ok, this was so not what I was going to discuss today. Alas, I find myself hopelessly drowning in music, so it must be done! LOL.



For Christmas, my brother gave me an itunes gift card. The irony in this is that I don't even own a CD player any more, let alone an ipod!

My computer is my music box, and I don't mind since I pretty much live in front of it any way. However, my better (and smarter) half knew that I could use itunes on my large music box. So, I have just downloaded my first grouping of songs. Holy crap! My brother has SO created a monster! LOL.





As I type these letters, I have goosebumps. The song that is currently playing is one that I listened to endlessly as I wrote Unbreakable Hostage. It's bringing back a myriad of memories and emotions that far surpass any language. It's even better now that Unbreakable Hostage is a reality. I can't even begin to describe my emotional state. It's unusual, but fantastic! :)





Many of you know that my music collection ranges from opera (I studied Belle Canto technique for 3 years. Anyone hear that? Yep it's the fat lady (me) singing! LOL) to world music to new age to heavy metal. Yeah, I'm all over the place. I'll admit, though, I label myself as a "metal head." I'm not ashamed that Metallica's music pumps through my veins or that my adopted middle name is "Rammstein." In fact, Rammstein is so much a part of my identity, it's a huge part of my books! LOL.




Rammstein is this incredible heavy metal/techno group from Germany. They are scray, dark and deep. The lyrics are haunting and true. From a standpoint of musicianship, these guys have it all. Incredible and diverse melodies, lyrics that aren't fluff, elements that are fluid. Even if you didn't like metal, you'd have to give them "mad props" for originality and for using their music to actually say something.




Liz in Loving Her is my "metal head" ego. She is a ballerina who drives a big block Chevy and adores metal as much as I do. She dances to a Rammstein song as a part of her audition to the PA Ballet.




In Unbreakable Hostage, though I never refer to the band name, Rammstein is the music that Tony listens to and that haunts Lareina day and night.



I had to allow myself to get into some very dark places mentally and emotionally when I wrote Unbreakable Hostage. I had to start to think like someone like Tony. If you know me, you know just how oppositional that is to how I think and behave. It was scary at times, honestly. I had to be able to bring myself back to reality when I was done writing, just to remember who I was & that Tony was nothing more than a creation. I'll tell you, though, I don't know if he'd be the person he is if not for Rammstein, and especially this particular song. Should I ever be fortunate enough to see Unbreakable Hostage become a movie, you can BET that this song will be integrated into it! I won't have it any other way. This song helped me to create this story. It is as much a part of Unbreakable Hostage as I am.



Any music can be good or bad. I tried to make that point with Rammstein in both books. I do love them, and I don't want to paint this band out to be evil, but there are some really bad people out there who listen to anything & everything! I even refer to Sting's song "Every Move You Make," which is about stalking (yes, it's about stalking. Look it up. It was never meant as a love song) in Unbreakable Hostage to prove that even though bands like Rammstein sound scary, they may actually not be evil people. And vice versa as well. Let's face it, Sting's voice is beautiful & if you don't fully listen to the lyrics, his song sounds harmless even though it's not. Catch my drift?




Music is integral to our lives, our thought patterns, and especially to the film industry. Music envelopes our entire existances. At least it does mine. I could not imagine a world without music. That is why I have music on as much as I can, especially when I'm writing. Without it, I am not inspired.




I know this blog is a bit off-center. Perhaps it is the music playing that has my brain jumping around as much as it is. I apologize for that.



Think for a minute about how much music plays a role in your life. Think of it in your favorite movies. Think about what songs or styles of music your favorite authors write about. Music is more than important to us. It is IN us: in our lives, in our stories, in our thoughts, in our emotions. Music is ingrained in our DNA. Go listen to some good music & see how your day plays out ;)





As for me, I'm going to listen to all my new downloads and write like a little fiend! ;)

Writing is FUNdamental!

Good morning!

I'm sure I'm gonna be hit with some kind of licensing/copyright infringement thingy with today's title, but c'est la vie! :)




Yesterday I was washing dishes (exciting, I know), and I was thinking about my brother. For those of you who don't know (which is very few since I can't keep my big trap shut!), my brother is an actor. And if you haven't already guessed it, I am RIDICULOUSLY proud of him! He's been on some big shows, worked on quite a few movies, has made some great connections and has started to build quite a name for himself in good old Hollyweird! ;)





My brother has a great job. He's an actor - the great pretender! So far, he's been a lawyer, a doctor, a dead body, an advertising agent, and too many more to list! Currently, he is "the most irritating man in the world!" LOL. Check the link below to check him out! ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzj_5scsOoA



So, as I was getting dishpan hands, I was becoming slightly jealous of his glamorous life. Then it hit me. I, too, have a glamorous life. It can be tough to find under the dirty dishes, vacuum cleaner, litter box, letting the dog in and out of snow mounds and so on, but it's there. My brother gets to BE people, but I get to CREATE people!




I get to create people, locations and events that my brother can merely play in. It may be his playground, but I built it! :) I created the person he might just be playing. I have created police officers, criminals, dancers, mechanics, computer geeks, Ph. D. students, and more! I have created cities, homes and events. I created people's stories. That's pretty cool, damn it! :)



I am proud that I can play make believe as an adult. I love the fact that I play in a way that is similar to my brother. Not many people get that luxury - at least not at this age! :)





It's fun being able to use your imagination to create and/or be someone else. I have lived vicariously through my characters, which means that I've lived a pretty exciting life! So, akin to my brother's various roles, I have been a teacher, a student, a hostage, a computer geek, a workaholic, a mechanic, a ballerina, a cop, a model, a writer, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a lover and more! How great is that?! Then, just to add the icing to the cake, I can play on storycasting.com (that has got to be one of the best websites EVER!!!) and cast the actors who I'd like to portray my characters! If I'm a nice sister, I can cast my brother. I can make ANY actor play ANY of my characters & that freedom is just plain awesome! :)

All of this excitement reminds me: What do you do for work? ;)




Yes, writing can be tedious at times. Editing is boring. There are times you're writing so much that the words become blurry or they suddenly look foreign (haven't we all had that happen? You look at a word long enough & it just doesn't look right any more. Crazy, huh?). The flip side to that negative coin is the creativity, fun and adventures we writers get to be a part of! Just as readers get sucked into stories, so do we! Trust me, non-writer folk, we get swept away in these stories and characters as much as you do! It's a blast!



So on that note, it's back to house work for me. Rest assured, though, my imagination will be running rampant later when I write!