Secret Desires of Laura Lee Guhrke

by Anna Campbell

I discovered USA Today and New York Times bestseller Laura Lee Guhrke's writing when I was stuck in a Melbourne hotel with a sprained ankle. Her AND THEN HE KISSED HER was great company in unfortunate circumstances and was one of my favorite books of last year.

Since then, I've read the next two instalments in LLG's Girl-Bachelor series and they're as sparkling and romantic as the first volume in the set.

It's with great pleasure now that I welcome Laura Lee to the lair to tell us all about gentlemen and their secret desires!

Laura Lee, I really enjoyed your latest Girl-Bachelor book, SECRET DESIRES OF A GENTLEMAN. Can you tell us something about the story?

SECRET DESIRES OF A GENTLEMAN is all about unrequited love. Phillip, our hero, the Marquess of Kayne, is smoldering with love for Maria Martingale, our heroine, but can’t have her because she’s beneath him socially, and he has to fight his desire. It seemed a logical story arc, since the heroine is feisty and independent. I’d established her character in the previous books in the series, and when a heroine is that type, it’s fun to make the hero stuffy and snooty and all concerned with position. It was a fun story to write because with two characters like that, there’s bound to be some pretty hot conflict.

Oh, there's certainly that! One of the things I love about the Girl-Bachelor series is that it’s set in the unusual (for historical romance) period of the 1890s. Can you tell us what drew you to this time and also how that affects the kind of romance you write?


I’d like to say I planned it that way. But I didn’t set out to write a late Victorian, almost Edwardian, setting. But in the first Girl-Bachelor book, AND THEN HE KISSED HER, I knew the hero had to be divorced for the story to work, so that dictated the 1890s. By then, divorce was easier to obtain for British peers, mainly because of all the disastrous marriages of peers to American heiresses.

What’s next for the Girl-Bachelors?

I’m just finishing the fourth Girl-Bachelor book, WITH SEDUCTION IN MIND. It’s the story of Daisy Merrick, who decides to become a writer, mainly because she’s unemployable at anything else. She keeps losing her jobs because she opens her mouth when she shouldn’t. She lands a writing assignment as a theatre critic. Enter our hero, Sebastian Grant, who is a successful author and playwright, and who is suffering severe writer’s block. Daisy trashes his new play in a review, and later, she becomes his editor. He’s very unhappy about this.

Ooh, can't wait for that! Sparks are gonna fly! Sounds great. Getting away from the GBs for a moment, can you tell us about your writing journey?

Hmm...whenever I’m asked that question, I never know what to say. My writing journey has been kind of a rocky road! I sold my first book to Harper in 1992 and wrote four books under three different editors, then went to Pocket, wrote three books under two editors, then came back to Harper after they bought Avon. I’m happy to say that at Avon I’ve had only one editor and she’s terrific. I haven’t scared her off yet! I’ve written a total of fifteen historical romances, and when I’m done with this one, I plan to turn right around and write another.

I love historicals, and I don’t plan to change genres, but you never know. Sometimes, I yearn to write a historical novel set just before, during or after WWI. I so want to write a hero who flies an airplane and a heroine who drives a roadster. I must’ve read too much Jeeves and Wooster as a kid. And don’t even get me started on why Out Of Africa is one of the greatest movies ever. I love that time period. I am dying to get my current book finished so I can go see Australia. Can’t wait. Hugh Jackman, you are mine.


I think there's a bit of competition for the Hugh, but you sound pretty determined! Good luck with the hunting expedition! What is a day in the life of Laura Lee Guhrke like?

Oh, my average day is pretty run of the mill. I get up in the morning, hobnob with dukes, design beautiful ball gowns, play matchmaker to hopelessly clueless lovers, fight a few duels, slay a few dragons...ya know, just like every other writer I know.

I know you recently visited New Zealand, although sadly not Oz (sob!). What were the highlights of your trip?

Alas, I didn’t get to do as much sightseeing as I’d hoped. I hadn’t finished my book , so I had to take my laptop with me and work every day. But we did some fishing and caught some snapper, saw the famous Hole In The Rock, saw dolphins three to four times (always amazing!) and went to this fabulous island that’s a bird sanctuary and reserve. I can’t remember the name now, but it was beautiful. We had some great Thai food in Devonport, saw a bit of the Coromandel. It was a fun trip. It would have been more fun, obviously, if I hadn’t been working, but that’s life.

So, Laura Lee, it sounds like we may coax you back down our way again to see all the things you missed this time round! Yay!

I've got a few questions for our Bandita Buddies. What do you think is the appeal of the uptight hero? I mean, he's obviously a popular guy, look at Mr. Darcy, the uptight hero of all uptight heroes! Do you have any favorite uptight heroes or stories featuring uptight heroes?

Get commenting, people. One lucky person will win a signed copy of one of my top reads of last year AND THEN HE KISSED HER. This is a fabulous story and you'll just love it! Good luck!Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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Meet Golden Heart Winner Susan Heino

I'd like you all to meet a good friend and talented historical author, Susan Heino. Susan was the 2008 Golden Heart winner in Regency, and as you can tell from this interview, writes with a bit of humor (grin). As several in the lair have recently submitted entries to the 2009 Golden Heart contest, I thought it might be fun to relive the experience with Susan. That's us in the photo to the right - me in my funky hat and Susan with the big smile. So without further ado...Here's Susan!


Donna,
Thanks so much for inviting me to be a guest at hackey hudjson. I can’t hold a candle to some of the witty repartee I’ve seen other guests and Banditas post, so I’m not even going to try. Donna, please assure everyone my books are a whole lot more interesting than I am. Pretty please? Lie if you have to!
Thanks.

Somehow, I don't think lying will be necessary. Before we start talking about writing, though. Why don't you tell us about yourself?


I’m 27, descended from English royalty, and have often been mistaken for Angelina Jolie. Except that I’m better looking and have adopted 47 children from 3rd world countries AND cured cancer. And my husband was never married to Jennifer Aniston. Okay, only that last one is true. Unless he’s been hiding something from me…

Really, I’m just the ordinary housewife who still likes to climb trees, thinks snakes are cool, and writes Historical Romance. I also have an unusual fondness for chickens, and the color green. My family thinks I’m weird. It seems to be working for me, though. This past summer I won a Golden Heart, snagged an agent, and signed a two-book contract with Berkley Publishing. Plus, I have two beautiful, healthy children who only act like they’ve been adopted from a 3rd world country. Or Jupiter.

So, Donna, what else do you want to know about me?

I see the Golden Rooster has picked up interest. He's a bit of a Romeo - but I suppose that's to be expected when you hang out with romance writers.


Tell us about your background (I have some inside knowledge here) and how that affects your writing.


I have a theatre background, believe it or not. After bouncing through the Fine Arts, English, and Secondary Education departments in college I somehow landed in Theatre. It was a good fit, and about time, too, since Daddy declared I either must finally graduate or he would pull the plug on the ole’ money fountain. But during my last couple years of college I had a great mentor who encouraged me in playwriting and helped me find my wings. After college I landed a few low-paying theatre gigs—not to mention the various non-paying ones—but through it all I mostly supported myself with my brilliant typing and phone-answering skills. (Translation: I was the perky administrative assistant who made great coffee and spent way too much time chatting with the clients.) When wifedom and motherhood came along, I left the theatre and the administrative assisting but not the writing. I took my brilliant typing skills, my English department grammar expertise, plus what I’d learned in the theatre about timing, character building, pacing, humor, and life in general and focused it all on romance. Who’d have thought such a checkered past could eventually get so mixed up together into one constructive lump?

What was it like to win the Golden Heart?


Winning the Golden Heart really and truly is just as wonderful as I’d always imagined. It started one sunny day in March when my Fairy Godmother called to tell me I was a finalist. (Okay, it wasn’t my Fairy Godmother. It was an RWA representative, but you get the idea.) Suddenly it was as if I had an invitation to a royal ball at the shining castle on top of the hill. I was floating on air—no way it could get any better than that. Soaring on fairy dust, I rode a magic pumpkin all the way out to San Francisco. Then I swirled around in my fancy new gown and danced out my dream in the glow of agent and editor attention. Then, just when the clock began to strike twelve and I expected the magic to go away, the Prince looked deep into my eyes, handed me the glass slipper and told me get up on stage and deliver that acceptance speech I was supposed to have written. Oops—I sort of missed that part. Still, I’ve never been one to shy away from the limelight, so I muddled through the moment and absolutely loved every minute of it. I can’t adequately describe how honored I am to be among the ranks of so many talented and gracious Golden Heart Finalists, the 2008 Pixie Chicks as well as those from years past.

Then, shortly after San Francixco you had a very important call. We LOVE to hear call stories here in the lair. Can you share yours?



During the course of the months leading up to the RWA conference in July my manuscript was requested by an agent. Two editors had already requested it from other contests I’d won (and neither had rejected it, yet!) but this was the first agent to show interest. I was very excited to meet with her at the conference in San Francisco, but amazingly two other agents crawled out of the woodwork to express an interest. Yikes! Was I going to have to make a decision? I hate making decisions. I asked everyone to wait until I had time to go home, catch up on sleep and think clearly. In the end, though, it wasn’t a difficult decision. On the pumpkin, er, plane ride home I thought it through. It just made sense to go with the agent who loved my work the most, the one who offered representation even before I won that pretty little necklace. So I called Cori Deyoe with 3-Seas Literary Agency the day after I returned from San Francisco and gladly accepted her offer of representation. She’s done great things for people I know and trust, so it was an easy choice. And she doesn’t think I’m weird for collecting animals, so that helped. Turns out, signing with her was not a mistake. It was not a moment too soon, either. The very next day I got a phone call from Berkley Publishing! An editor there had been looking at my manuscript for months but finally they were ready to make an offer. It was a strange sensation; I remember hearing those words, but they just didn’t quite register in my brain. You see, I was sick. I had a raging head cold and jet lag and that euphoric Golden Heart meltdown. I wasn’t even sure what day it was, let alone be able to process this whole concept of actually getting an offer from a real, live New York publisher! So my groggy twenty-second The Call went something like this:

Very Important New York Editor: Susan? Hello, this is Leis Pederson from Berkley Publishing in New York.
Me: (Wonders if she’s ever met this person before. Remembers to be nice and tries to sit up. Gives up.) Oh, hey there. How ya doing?
VINYE: Very well, thank you. I’ve read your manuscript and I really love it. A lot. It made me laugh.
Me: (Blows nose.) Gosh, that’s nice. (Is fairly certain she sees pretty pink sparkles floating around her living room.)
VINYE: In fact, we’d like to make an offer for it. Would you be willing to discuss this?
Me: (Sniffles. Coughs. Gags. Grins stupidly.) Yeah, sure. I’m okay to discuss that. (Wonders if room really is spinning or if that cold medicine said every 6 hours instead of every 4 hours. But the pink sparkles are nice…)

Leis proceeded to say lovely things about my book and to make a really nice offer that would have had any normal person jumping up and down like a game-show contestant. I, sad to say, sneezed. I was totally happy on the inside, though. Somehow I remembered that people with agents usually let them do the negotiating so at some point I referred Leis to Cori. I’m hoping I managed to sound somewhat professional and not like I was blowing her off, but I probably sounded like I was blowing her off. I wasn’t—it was the cold medicine! Honest! But Leis did contact Cori and Cori had already contacted a couple other editors who’d expressed interest when I met them in San Francisco. All in all, Cori had five editors who asked to have a shot at the manuscript. Yeah, five! In the end, Cori negotiated a better offer from Berkley and I signed with them. I now have a two-book deal, the first scheduled for release in 2009 and the second in 2010. And that’s really nothing to sneeze at!

Can you tell us about your storyline?

MISTAKEN BY MOONLIGHT will be coming out in late 2009 through Berkley Publishing. This manuscript was my Golden Heart winner and I’m happy to say it’s also my first sale. I can’t wait! Hopefully readers will fall in love with Dashford and Evaline just like I did. The story starts out simply enough with a typical Regency setting—a lonely young lady alone in a moonlit garden meets a wandering lord who’s eager to avoid matrimony. It becomes somewhat less typical pretty early on, though, when we realize said lonely young lady is drunk off her gourd. Said wandering lord gladly tries to seduce her only to have her pass out in a sotted stupor. But he’s really a nice guy. He can’t just leave her to sleep it off out in the garden, can he? Of course not. He needs a quiet place to stash the senseless stranger. The only place he can think of, though, is his bed. When poor, senseless Evaline wakes up the next morning—with a killer hangover and no gentleman in sight—she thinks she’s done the unthinkable. She’s ruined for sure. Worse yet, she can’t even remember it! She’d like to remember it, though. She’ll just have to find this mysterious gentleman and try for another go ‘round, since the damage is already done. One good thing, however: at least he isn’t Lord Dashford, the dissolute scoundrel who wants to marry her for her money. Well, of course he is Dashford and of course he does want to marry her once he finds out she’s not just some random trollop, but he’s not nearly as desperate for her money as everyone thinks he is. That’s just a ruse because—well, it gets complicated. Eventually Dashford and Evaline do fall hopelessly in love, but their journey to happiness gets all mucked up along the way with meddling mothers, atrocious aunts, finagling former fiancés, sordid family secrets, multiple mistaken identities and—for good measure—a flood. But by heavens, the next time Evaline gets the chance to ruin herself she does end up remembering it!

This one sounds like so much fun, I can't wait to see it on the stands. So what follows?


I’m just finishing up DECEPTION AT DAWN, another Regency Historical with characters from MISTAKEN BY MOONLIGHT. I really can’t say too much about it because some of the plot elements cross over between the two and I’m not into spoilers, but I’ve been having a blast writing it. The hero is hot and the heroine is a bit, er, unconventional. These characters carry some heavy baggage into this story, but I promise you’ll still find plenty of humor. So far my agent assures me it’s a great follow-up to MOONLIGHT. Hopefully we’ll see this one hit the shelves sometime in 2010. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a third and fourth book in this series, too, but that’s not etched in stone yet. A girl can dream, can’t she?


That she can - and this seems like a perfect note to turn the conversation over to our readers. Susan realized one of her dreams through her Golden Heart win followed by a sale. But we all carry dreams in our heart and hope that some of them will be realized in 2009. Tell us about some of your dreams, realized or not...or if not, tell us about your last drunken sotted stupor experience (grin).



In honor of Susan's debut MISTAKEN BY MOONLIGHT, I'll send a copy of THE TROUBLE WITH MOONLIGHT to the commentor she chooses as a winner.

Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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Stay Tuned...

by Anna Campbell

Yay, it's December!

Is my excitement based on the fact that it's nearly Christmas? Is my excitement based on the fact that it's summer and the days are long and hot and lazy? Is my excitement based on the fact that a new year with the promise of a fresh start beckons?

NO!!!!

On 30th December, my third book for Avon, TEMPT THE DEVIL, hits the shelves. A big moment in Campbellandia, believe me!

But enough about me...

It's a huge month in the lair and I hope you guys will be with us all the way!

Firstly, we're going to hold a very special celebration.

The 12 Bandita Days of Christmas!!

Nothing to do with the traditional 12 Days of Christmas which went from Christmas Day to Epiphany, when the wise men turned up with goodies. Our 12 days go from 12th to 24th December and there will be Rooster-themed prizes every day, culminating in a super prize on the 24th to mark Christmas Eve.

THEN for anyone dedicated enough to comment on Christmas Day, you get to go in the draw for a SUPER DUPER PRIZE!

What other treats do we have coming up in the lair for you over December?

We have lots of Bandit fun. Recipes. Christmas traditions. Cabana boys...

And we have GUESTS!

On Wednesday, 3rd December, we're delighted to welcome Golden Heart winner and new Berkley Historical Romance author Susan Heino to the lair. She'll talk to Donna about her sale and her forthcoming book MISTAKEN BY MOONLIGHT.



On Thursday, 4th December, I'm delighted to host my fellow Avon author and New York Times bestseller Laura Lee Guhrke on her first visit to the lair. Laura Lee is the author of one of my favorite series, The Girl Bachelors. I'm looking forward to hearing what's coming up for the GBs in future books! I loved the most recent instalment THE SECRET DESIRES OF A GENTLEMAN which has a real touch of Mr. Darcy!








On Friday, 5th December, K.J. will introduce thriller writer Jason Starr. His book THE FOLLOWER sounds like it's keeping a lot of people awake and shivering into the night! I'm really looking forward to hearing about his rollercoaster ride to writing stardom! We'll have to turn the lights down low in the lair and be vewy, vewy quiet! Eeeeek!






On Saturday, 6th December, Tawny and Beth will host one of our favorite visitors to the lair, Western historical author Stacey Kayne. Stacey will be talking about her latest release, THE GUNSLINGER'S UNTAMED BRIDE (how's that for a cover?) and also about the revival of interest in the western. Yippee-yi-ai!






On Sunday, December 7th, the delightfully witty Deb Marlowe will be guesting with us to talk about her latest release AN IMPROPER ARISTOCRAT. Deb is a regular commenter on the Bandit Board and I always love it when she pops by to say hello. Her friend and Bandita extraordinaire Caren Crane will be the mistress of ceremonies for the fun and mayhem.


On Friday, 12th December, one of my favorite people, Aussie Presents Extra author Kelly Hunter, pops in for a really fun interview. She'll be talking about PLAYBOY BOSS, LIVE-IN MISTRESS, her latest release, and also about life as President of Romance Writers of Australia.











On Friday, 19th December, USA Today bestseller Dianne Castell talks to Donna about the new Kensington Brava release STAR QUALITY. Sounds like a fun day in the lair!







On Monday, 29th December, one of our most popular visitors to the lair, Lorraine Heath, will pop in to talk to Suz about her latest Avon release BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND DESIRE. We love having Lorraine as our guest so I'm sure you're all looking forward to that big time. It will be such fun to discover what's happening with the Scoundrels of St. James!

Then we finish the month out in style - well, I hope so anyway! On 30th December, it's the big launch party for TEMPT THE DEVIL. Let's make sure it's a ripper of a day in the lair! There will be margaritas, cabana boys, laughs, dancing, music - oh, and lots of giveaways!!!! Hey, in the meantime, why not try your luck on my website contest to win one of three signed copies of TEMPT THE DEVIL. All you have to do is tell me what tempts you.

If you get a chance, check out the Jo Leigh charity auction. It's for a great cause and there are some fabulous prizes including crits, workshops, books and goodies. Grab a gander at the fabulous hackey hudjson Basket which includes lots of fantastic stuff including signed copies of Bandita books!

So what are your plans for December? Family stuff? Quiet time (yeah, you wish!)? Work parties? Catching up with friends? It's always such a big social month - let's talk about parties!Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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Eloisa James' Special Treat!

by Anna Sugden

Can there be a better way to kick off the holiday season in the Lair than to welcome back one of our favourite guests - Eloisa James?

Join us as we celebrate the launch of Eloisa's latest book in the Duchesses series "When the Duke Returns", find out how to make your holiday special with treats just for yourself ... and be part of the chance to win one of Eloisa's 5 (yes, 5!) prizes.

So without further ado, I'll hand you over to Eloisa.

Thank you, Anna. I'm delighted to return to the Bandita's Lair.

Decembers tend to pass in a whirl of wrapping paper and exhaustion—a month spent creating beautiful memories for other people, most of whom are under the age of consent and are perfectly happy chewing on squeaky toys.

My point is that we often forget something: ourselves. What would make you really happy? As a woman?

My answer is to feel loved. And my prescription is love yourself this holiday. When your children look back over their memories, they'll see it in a whirl of joy, presents, and love. But you're the key to that. The only way you can be the calm center at the heart of their joy is if you yourself are joyful. And the only way you can be joyful is if you are happy with yourself.

Recipe for Self Love

Lingerie. Buy something and wear it under your sweatshirt. The crucial point: you're not doing this for your partner, but for yourself.

Toes. A winter pedicure is delicious, partly because it's a secret known only to you (and perhaps the man you deem lucky enough to kiss your coral pink toes).

Time. That's the main gift you have to give yourself: time. Put on some music, get into the bathtub, and read. I even have suggested reading material: my latest, When the Duke Returns. My duke, Simeon, returns to England after years exploring the wilderness to meet the wife he married by proxy: Isidore. But he takes one look at her and offers an annulment: she’s too beautiful, too sexy, and too angry for him. Typically for a man, he’s underestimating Isidore (not to mention the power of lingerie—see above)!

It’s my hope that in reading how Simeon and Isidore fall in love, even in the midst of terrible problems with water closets (toilets), siblings, a rather horrific mother-in-law and a house renovation, will help you survive your December.

What’s your favorite survival recipe? What do you do to survive in the midst of chaos (and let’s not even talk about Black Friday shopping)?

Don't forget that 5 lucky commenters will win prizes today - Eloisa is giving away two copies of 'Desperate Duchesses', two copies of 'An Affair Before Christmas' and one copy of 'Duchess by Night'. Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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The Book or the Film?

by Anna Sugden

There has been a lot of controversy lately with the new Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' (where do they get these titles?!). For those of you unaware of the issues troubling Bond fans, it's all to do with the last two (Daniel Craig) movies.

You see, they go back to the beginning and tell the story of how Bond developed into the character we know today. The purists believe that this is the only way to see Bond and that this is as close to the James Bond of the Ian Fleming books as we've seen, since George Lazenby. Film fans, meanwhile, are horrified that some of the classic Bond-isms eg 'Martini, shaken not stirred' and Q, are missing from these films. It doesn't matter (much *g*) who plays Bond, but the Bond-isms have to be there.

All of which got me thinking about the problems with turning books into films.

Think of the controversy about the Harry Potter films. Though it's obvious to anyone with an ounce of common sense that turning an 800-plus page tome into a two hour film is just the teensiest bit tricky, die-hard fans get quite upset that chunks of the story have had to be left out. They don't see why it's a problem to capture all the depth of characterisation and complexity of plot, without seeing that the end result would be a major bum-numbing epic!

They had the same problem with Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'.

Similarly, the recent version of 'Pride and Prejudice' (once you've got over the horror of anyone other than Colin Firth playing Mr Darcy!) raised hackles by straying from the well-known and much-loved story.

That's not to say that any of these films is bad - they're just not 'as good' as the book. Personally, I think they're very entertaining and enjoy them for what they are ... but that's just me (except for 'Pride and Prejudice' - which I didn't like!)

You only need to speak with authors like Lisa Gardner about the adapatations of their books to know how they feel about what was done with their beloved stories.

On the other side of the coin, are the movies that are better (in the viewer's mind) than the book. The one that stands out most for me, is 'Practical Magic' (starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and the drool-worthy Goran Visnij and Aidan Quinn). While Alice Hoffman's book is very good, the film has much more charm.

And then, there are the multitude of TV adaptations (Thank you, BBC) and movies that are really good translations of the printed word to the screen. The Colin Firth version of 'Pride and Prejudice', 'A Town Like Alice' (the Bryan Brown TV series) and Inspector Morse are just a few examples.

I've seen a number of debates about potential movies made from popular series. Who would play Eve Dallas and Roarke (pause to drool) if they made the JD Robb '... In Death' series into movies? What about Ranger, Joe Morelli and Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich's series? It's a brave director and producer who take on such feats - because you know you going to irritate a bunch of people no matter what you do!

I know that the fabulous Robert Crais has sworn not to allow his books to be made into movies or TV series, because he wants the reader to have their own interpretation of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike - not one fashioned by Hollywood.

So, what do you think? Do you like books being converted to films? Which do you think have been done well and which badly? Have you read a book which inspired a film and been disappointed? Does it matter if book and film don't match exactly? Are there books you would love to see turned into movies? We all dream of our books being optioned, but how would you feel if the only recognisable element was the title?!

And who would play the yummy scrummy Roarke? Or Ranger?Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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Seduced by the dark side

by Suzanne Welsh

For the past year I've had a cell phone. Yes, me, the lone hold out in my town where people upgrade electronic devices like changing shoes, broke down and bought my first cell phone. To give you a little past history of why this was so monumental, let me take you back to an age when cell phones were nothing more than a glint in Ray Bradbury's eyes as he wrote his first Star Trek screenplay.

As a young teen I loved talking on the phone. It was the social network of our time. The phone hung on the wall in the kitchen, but the cord was long enough to stretch to the stairs leading down to our basement. (In Ohio we all had basements.) So after dinner, washing the dishes and doing my homework I could spend half an hour perched on the top step talking to my friends--usually my best friend Marion or my equally good friend Terry. We'd talk about school, boys, friends, boys, clothes, boys, music....and yeah...boys



That stayed the norm until I went away to nursing school. Then I'd talk to boys, friends and my family on the pay phone at the end of the dorm hall, a fact that probably saved my nursing school career, since it limited the time I could spend distracted from studying, (minus the TV time, the chatting in other people's dorm rooms time, oh yeah and the vodka on the weekend time.)




By the time I started my family portable phones were the new rage. But I stood by my old favorite, the wall mounted phone. Didn't have to worry about charging it between uses. Always knew where it was...mounted on the wall. And any child wanting to talk on the phone had to do it within hearing range of the mama. :)



But then we moved to Texas about the same time cell phones invaded every home. It was amazing to look around when stopped at red lights to see every driver in front, behind and around me talking on a cell phone. One day I was at the groceries, enjoying the quiet as I thumped the cantelopes, only to have my peace distrubed by a lady yelling at her child over the cell phone. Please, I'd come shopping to get away from my family. Why would I want them to be able to find me via a portable phone?

After that a few things happened to change my mind.



1) I became a romance writer. I made friends and started traveling more for my new career. I needed to stay in touch with my family, and having a cell phone meant no long distance bills to my husband, no matter where I'd roamed.



2) My daughter became pregnant. Now it was very important for me to be reached any hour of the day or night.



3) It was time to come out of the dark ages. People were actually texting and on the internet from their phones. Sigh. The old wall mounted phone could never do that!


So now I find myself charging my phone when I'm at home. My kids ONLY call my cell, unless I don't answer that. At work, I put it on vibrate and carry it in my pocket...but only IF I'm expecting one of them to call. Despite my seduction to the dark side of modern communication, I refuse to talk on the phone in a patient's room!

So dear friends, how about you? Have you ever held out against something, only to slowly be seduced to it's good points?Source URL: https://violeta-diario.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-12-04T16:28:00-08:00&max-results=7&reverse-paginate=true
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Cast of Twilight Movie in December's In Style

Today, the much anticipated Twilight movie premiered here in the Philippines. I can't wait to watch the movie this coming weekend and so I ended up surfing the world wide web for some Twilight goodies.

Thanks to Instyle magazine for featuring the most talked-about cast of Twilight movie in their December issue which are probably out in the newsstands today.

Here's some of the photos taken during their photo shoot and an excerpt of their interviews.







Robert Pattinson
"I don’t want to look trendy, so I try to find clothes where somebody wouldn’t be able to say, 'Oh, you’re a cool guy,’" says Pattinson. The actor also admits, "I do like the 'expensive but disheveled' thing if I am going out."

Kristen Stewart
"I love women’s clothes fashioned after men’s clothes," said Stewart of her Helmut Lang tuxedo jacket and Zac Posen shirt. "You definitely feel more feminine because you look better in the clothes than the guys do!"

Rachelle Lefevre
"I feel like there is something about having wild hair that makes people assume that I might be fierce and cool," says Lefevre of her mane. "So I can just let that do all the work and be my regular intimidated self!"

Nikki Reed
"They put me in 12-inch stilettos [in the movie] because I am supposed to be taller than my sister... It was the running joke that we might not be able to shoot because I might not be able to walk. I was like, 'Can you just have us sitting and put me on a pillow?'"

Kellan Lutz
"I love wearing old-fashioned stuff, like top hats and bow ties and striped suits."

Source
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