This weekend I had to work on Saturday. Definitely not my favorite thing to do...but you do what ya gotta do. I was the MC for two different scholarship events. Since my day job is as a public speaker, being an MC is a natural fit...but to be honest I just wasn't into it. When it's your job to keep a 3 hour program moving along, and making sure the 700 people in the room don't get bored to tears....you've gotta bring your A-game. One of the toughest thing to do as a professional speaker is sit through bad speeches. It's dreadful. So at both events I braced myself for the usual rambling, droning, babbling obligatory speeches that inevitably occur. I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong....there were some stinkers. However, the official Guest Speaker at the second event of the day was great. He told a story that I had to share....especially with other writers. I don't know the official name, so I'm just going to call it "The Mule Story".
A local farmer was digging a hole for a new well. When he wasn't looking, his trusty old mule wandered over and fell into the hole. The farmer couldn't figure out how to get the mule out of the hole. After several failed attempts at retrieving the mule, he decided to bury it. He could always get another mule. The mule stood there in dumbfounded disbelief as the farmer threw shovel fulls of dirt onto him. Showered with dirt, all the poor beast could do was shake it and step on top of it. The dirt rained down on him relentlessly and the mule continued to shake it off and step on it, refusing to be buried by the farmer. As he continued to shake it off and step on it, the hole began to fill beneath his hooves.
He kept repeating his mantra...shakeitoffsteponit....shakeitoffsteponit... until finally he reached the top and climbed out of the hole.
In life, but esepcially as writers or artists, we encounter rejection or outright dirt slinging. There are times when we just want to lay down, and allow ourselves to be buried by the crushing weight of it all. In those moments, we should all be like the mule. Shake it off and step on it.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hello Lynn Crain!
This week we take a look at Lynn Crain. I asked her some quirky questions and got plenty of interesting answers!
Welcome Lynn!
Lynn Crain writes for the following publisher(s): eXtasy Books, Loose Id, Whiskey Creek Press, Red Rose Press
Lynn’s favorite colors are fushia and turquoise. Her favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough. When asked if she’s a cat, dog or both kind of person and if she’d ever own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet her answers were ~ “Both. And as for owning an exotic pet, absolutely, I have three snakes now. Their names are Sandune, Psycho and Ghost.” Concerning her preference for warm weather or cold she states, “It would depend on where I’m at. I love the Carribean but I love places like Alaska as well. My favorite place is Scotland and I’ll take whatever weather it’s having at the time.” As for where she’d live if she could live anywhere in the universe, “Scotland. I love it there because it appeals to my old soul. I know I’d been there before I ever stepped foot in the place. Go figure.” In regard to what time of day she prefers, Lynn says she’s a night owl. Her favorite day of the week is Friday and her favorite number is 13. When asked if athletic shoes are sneakers or tennies and if a soft drink is called soda or pop, she responded: tennis & soda
Here’s a scenario posed to the author: “You’re at a conference and an agent comes up to you and says, “I’ve seen your name on the web. I’m interested in taking you on as a client. You have a couple of minutes to wow me to convince me that I should.” You can only plug one book in this short amount of time. What book would you plug to land this contract and why?”
Lynn’s response: Wow…what an interesting dilemma. There would be only one of two books I would plug. I’ll give both of them and you all tell me what you think.
Thank you, Miss M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would be interested in my current work in progress, Where’s My Underwear, Anyway? which is set in romantic Scotland. It’s about estranged lovers who are about to find each other again. They both have secrets and the story is about their journey to find out those secrets and well as their way back to each other. The hero is incredible as is the heroine. I think you’ll like it. It’s a story that is very near and dear to my heart as I just love Scotland. Would you like me to send you a proposal package?
Thank you, Miss. M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would like my Protectors of the Earth series. It’s already published at XYZ but it shows my skill at developing a very different world of science fiction and fantasy. It has gates to other worlds, alien invaders, futuristic nanites and it interweaves paranormal fantasy essentials by the way of people who are known as elementals. There are a total of seven books in the series and are very interrelated. You see the characters from book 1 in book 7 as they are all needed to defeat the evil who is trying to take over the earth. The heroes and heroines are just that because I would certainly want them on my team if I were defending the whole human race. The reviews on it were fantastic! Plus, I just love combining aspects of the two genres and even have another idea on the back burner. Would you be interested in seeing those novels and the proposal to my new idea?
Thank you for the information Lynn!
~ Feel free to share if you have something in common with her ~
Welcome Lynn!
Lynn Crain writes for the following publisher(s): eXtasy Books, Loose Id, Whiskey Creek Press, Red Rose Press
Lynn’s favorite colors are fushia and turquoise. Her favorite ice cream flavor is cookie dough. When asked if she’s a cat, dog or both kind of person and if she’d ever own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet her answers were ~ “Both. And as for owning an exotic pet, absolutely, I have three snakes now. Their names are Sandune, Psycho and Ghost.” Concerning her preference for warm weather or cold she states, “It would depend on where I’m at. I love the Carribean but I love places like Alaska as well. My favorite place is Scotland and I’ll take whatever weather it’s having at the time.” As for where she’d live if she could live anywhere in the universe, “Scotland. I love it there because it appeals to my old soul. I know I’d been there before I ever stepped foot in the place. Go figure.” In regard to what time of day she prefers, Lynn says she’s a night owl. Her favorite day of the week is Friday and her favorite number is 13. When asked if athletic shoes are sneakers or tennies and if a soft drink is called soda or pop, she responded: tennis & soda
Here’s a scenario posed to the author: “You’re at a conference and an agent comes up to you and says, “I’ve seen your name on the web. I’m interested in taking you on as a client. You have a couple of minutes to wow me to convince me that I should.” You can only plug one book in this short amount of time. What book would you plug to land this contract and why?”
Lynn’s response: Wow…what an interesting dilemma. There would be only one of two books I would plug. I’ll give both of them and you all tell me what you think.
Thank you, Miss M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would be interested in my current work in progress, Where’s My Underwear, Anyway? which is set in romantic Scotland. It’s about estranged lovers who are about to find each other again. They both have secrets and the story is about their journey to find out those secrets and well as their way back to each other. The hero is incredible as is the heroine. I think you’ll like it. It’s a story that is very near and dear to my heart as I just love Scotland. Would you like me to send you a proposal package?
Thank you, Miss. M. First, tell me a little bit about yourself. That’s interesting. Based upon what you’ve told me I think you would like my Protectors of the Earth series. It’s already published at XYZ but it shows my skill at developing a very different world of science fiction and fantasy. It has gates to other worlds, alien invaders, futuristic nanites and it interweaves paranormal fantasy essentials by the way of people who are known as elementals. There are a total of seven books in the series and are very interrelated. You see the characters from book 1 in book 7 as they are all needed to defeat the evil who is trying to take over the earth. The heroes and heroines are just that because I would certainly want them on my team if I were defending the whole human race. The reviews on it were fantastic! Plus, I just love combining aspects of the two genres and even have another idea on the back burner. Would you be interested in seeing those novels and the proposal to my new idea?
Thank you for the information Lynn!
~ Feel free to share if you have something in common with her ~
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Interview with Jenna Petersen
This week Stephani Hecht and I are co-blogging to to speak. We are posting an interview with romance author Jenna Petersen who writes historicals for Avon and also writes erotic romance for Red Sage as Jess Michaels. This interview was done by a chapter-mate of ours Cheryl Smith and appears in the Heart of Detroit February issue.
Jenna will be visiting the Greater Detroit RWA chapter on Tuesday, February 17th to present a workshop on Writing Love Scenes.
So from both of us to you, enjoy!
Chick Chat with Cheryl Smith… Jenna Petersen
Jenna Petersen is a multi-published Avon historical romance author and also writes erotic romance for Avon Red and for Red Sage as Jess Michaels. She also speaks to chapters and will be discussing “The Anatomy of a Love Scene" at our February meeting. I'd like to thank her for her time and look forward to her workshop!
We as authors usually have an author or book, something, that started our love of the romance genre and inspired us to try to pen our own first novel. What made you decide to become a writer?
Well, back in first grade I actually won a Young Authors contest for my school. I always wanted to write. However, I came to romance pretty late in life. I didn’t really start reading them until after I started writing them. I really fell in love with Julia Quinn and that set me off to romance. Many authors have a first novel they’d rather not have the world see but took satisfaction in getting to “The End” anyway, just to prove they could actually complete a book. Do you have a manuscript tucked away you hope never sees the light of day?
I have about twelve manuscripts like that. I think you learn a lot about writing from writing and I definitely did that! If one of your books was made into a movie, which hero would you like to see portrayed on the big screen and what actor would you love to see play him, and why? I think Justin from LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN (July 2008) would be a beautiful thing to see on screen. I always picture him as Julian McMahon. Actually, the cover of LESSONS was inspired by an h-o-t photo of JM. As you can attest, Avon is a premier publisher of historical romance. Can you tell us how you felt when you got “the call” and how long you’ve been with Avon?
Actually, my first sale story is good. My husband had been on a very dangerous whitewater rafting trip and had gone a little… missing. I spent Monday, September 20th calling everyone in the universe trying to find him and picturing all the horrible things that could have happened to him (bad imagination… BAD!!). So he called me finally at 6pm. There had been an accident, the guide had been pretty badly hurt, but was ultimately okay. There was no signal, so he couldn’t call while they waited for evict to take the injured guy out. So I cried and he headed home (long drive). He pulled in the driveway at about 6am on September 21 and I hugged him and said, “I think that’s enough excitement for the rest of my life.”
Flash forward about five hours and the phone rang. It was my fabulous agent, Miriam Kriss, telling me I’d had an offer for two books from Avon. That was September 21, 2004 and my first book, SCANDALOUS, came out in October 2005. Since you write as both Jenna Petersen and Jess Michaels, you must be very organized to keep it all straight, and very busy. Do you ever hit a wall where you’d like to burn your computer and how to you get past writer’s block?
I don’t really believe in writer’s block. If I’m blocked I either just need to write through until I hit a “good” spot, or I’ve messed something up along the way, so I need to backtrack a little and figure that out.
The awesome part about writing under the two names is that it almost gives me a break of sorts. Generally, I write a Jenna and then move to a Jess. It gives my brain a little shift, which helps keep me fresh.
I also find that taking a break when I can between books (usually a couple of weeks before I get really antsy) or traveling with my husband and completely unplugging… that keeps the love for writing really visceral and fresh.It seems like every author has experienced a crazy fan, or dealt with someone who has made a snarky comment about their books or the romance genre in general. Have you ever had anything strange happen to you directly relating to your publishing career? Oh gosh, definitely. Amazon removed a review for my first book that basically said that I shouldn’t be allowed to live for writing such a crappy book. I didn’t feel like it was a threat, but apparently Amazon did (I didn’t report it, I figure people are allowed to have their opinion). That’s probably my best story, but there are definitely more. I’ve tried to develop a thick skin about it; sometimes it’s harder than others. But it’s one of those things you just… do. For self-preservation. Do you have an agent, and if so, do you feel having one is beneficial to keeping up the business aspect of your career while giving you more freedom to focus on the creative end? Do you think an agent is helpful when targeting a big publisher like Avon? I do and the woman is a saint. Seriously… the things she puts up with. Really, though, I think especially with the big houses like Avon or the other NYC houses, you have to have an agent. You can make a deal yourself, of course, but there is so much else an agent does. From dealing with contracts to being a buffer between you and your editor when problems arise, to helping you plan a career to moving you from one house to another… there are a million reasons to have a publishing professional on your side. Finding the right one is really the key.
There are many myth’s that go around about publishers, like if you misuse a comma your manuscript will be instantly rejected or that editors use manuscripts to prop up the uneven corners of their desks and don’t read them at all. What is the biggest myth you’ve discovered wasn’t true about editors since you became published? Before I published I was so, so scared of editors and agents. Seriously, I never pitched, I felt so uncomfortable around them. And… they are just people. Really nice people generally. Now I have nice, normal conversations about things outside of writing… and I think I would have been a happier unpub if I’d been able to do that before hand. When you aren’t working, what do you like to do for fun? Not… working? What is this not working you speak of?
No, seriously, we’ve been traveling a lot. Last year we went to China, which was amazing. We also went to Seattle, Hawaii and a bunch of other places. This year we’ll be spending some extra time together in DC after the conference. So traveling and spending time with my husband is really important to me. If you could go back to any time in history for a month, when would it be? What modern convenience would you miss most? I’d probably go back to the Regency, since that’s the period I write in. It would be cool to experience it… but only for a while. I would miss toothpaste. Shampoo. And INTERNET!! Could you imagine wearing corsets and hoops for a week much less your entire adult life? Well, luckily there wasn’t much of that in the Regency. They were much more comfortable undergarment-wise. But seriously, all the clothing stuff would be tough. I am such a jeans and socks girl.What books do you have coming up?
2009 is CRAZY for me. In January, the anthology A RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY was released. It features a novella under my Jess Michaels name, “By Valentine’s Day”. Then on March 31, my next historical, HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT is out. April 21, TABOO (Jess Michaels) hits shelves. And to end the year, in November 2009 I begin a series called The Billingham Bastards with the book WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES.
So busy, busy, busy. And I’m so excited that going to Detroit is going to be part of my busy year!
Cheryl Smith is published in short romance fiction, a multiple contest finalist, and member of The Greater Detroit RWA. You can find her short stories at thewildrosepress.com. www.cherylannsmith.com
Jenna will be visiting the Greater Detroit RWA chapter on Tuesday, February 17th to present a workshop on Writing Love Scenes.
So from both of us to you, enjoy!
Chick Chat with Cheryl Smith… Jenna Petersen
Jenna Petersen is a multi-published Avon historical romance author and also writes erotic romance for Avon Red and for Red Sage as Jess Michaels. She also speaks to chapters and will be discussing “The Anatomy of a Love Scene" at our February meeting. I'd like to thank her for her time and look forward to her workshop!
We as authors usually have an author or book, something, that started our love of the romance genre and inspired us to try to pen our own first novel. What made you decide to become a writer?
Well, back in first grade I actually won a Young Authors contest for my school. I always wanted to write. However, I came to romance pretty late in life. I didn’t really start reading them until after I started writing them. I really fell in love with Julia Quinn and that set me off to romance. Many authors have a first novel they’d rather not have the world see but took satisfaction in getting to “The End” anyway, just to prove they could actually complete a book. Do you have a manuscript tucked away you hope never sees the light of day?
I have about twelve manuscripts like that. I think you learn a lot about writing from writing and I definitely did that! If one of your books was made into a movie, which hero would you like to see portrayed on the big screen and what actor would you love to see play him, and why? I think Justin from LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN (July 2008) would be a beautiful thing to see on screen. I always picture him as Julian McMahon. Actually, the cover of LESSONS was inspired by an h-o-t photo of JM. As you can attest, Avon is a premier publisher of historical romance. Can you tell us how you felt when you got “the call” and how long you’ve been with Avon?
Actually, my first sale story is good. My husband had been on a very dangerous whitewater rafting trip and had gone a little… missing. I spent Monday, September 20th calling everyone in the universe trying to find him and picturing all the horrible things that could have happened to him (bad imagination… BAD!!). So he called me finally at 6pm. There had been an accident, the guide had been pretty badly hurt, but was ultimately okay. There was no signal, so he couldn’t call while they waited for evict to take the injured guy out. So I cried and he headed home (long drive). He pulled in the driveway at about 6am on September 21 and I hugged him and said, “I think that’s enough excitement for the rest of my life.”
Flash forward about five hours and the phone rang. It was my fabulous agent, Miriam Kriss, telling me I’d had an offer for two books from Avon. That was September 21, 2004 and my first book, SCANDALOUS, came out in October 2005. Since you write as both Jenna Petersen and Jess Michaels, you must be very organized to keep it all straight, and very busy. Do you ever hit a wall where you’d like to burn your computer and how to you get past writer’s block?
I don’t really believe in writer’s block. If I’m blocked I either just need to write through until I hit a “good” spot, or I’ve messed something up along the way, so I need to backtrack a little and figure that out.
The awesome part about writing under the two names is that it almost gives me a break of sorts. Generally, I write a Jenna and then move to a Jess. It gives my brain a little shift, which helps keep me fresh.
I also find that taking a break when I can between books (usually a couple of weeks before I get really antsy) or traveling with my husband and completely unplugging… that keeps the love for writing really visceral and fresh.It seems like every author has experienced a crazy fan, or dealt with someone who has made a snarky comment about their books or the romance genre in general. Have you ever had anything strange happen to you directly relating to your publishing career? Oh gosh, definitely. Amazon removed a review for my first book that basically said that I shouldn’t be allowed to live for writing such a crappy book. I didn’t feel like it was a threat, but apparently Amazon did (I didn’t report it, I figure people are allowed to have their opinion). That’s probably my best story, but there are definitely more. I’ve tried to develop a thick skin about it; sometimes it’s harder than others. But it’s one of those things you just… do. For self-preservation. Do you have an agent, and if so, do you feel having one is beneficial to keeping up the business aspect of your career while giving you more freedom to focus on the creative end? Do you think an agent is helpful when targeting a big publisher like Avon? I do and the woman is a saint. Seriously… the things she puts up with. Really, though, I think especially with the big houses like Avon or the other NYC houses, you have to have an agent. You can make a deal yourself, of course, but there is so much else an agent does. From dealing with contracts to being a buffer between you and your editor when problems arise, to helping you plan a career to moving you from one house to another… there are a million reasons to have a publishing professional on your side. Finding the right one is really the key.
There are many myth’s that go around about publishers, like if you misuse a comma your manuscript will be instantly rejected or that editors use manuscripts to prop up the uneven corners of their desks and don’t read them at all. What is the biggest myth you’ve discovered wasn’t true about editors since you became published? Before I published I was so, so scared of editors and agents. Seriously, I never pitched, I felt so uncomfortable around them. And… they are just people. Really nice people generally. Now I have nice, normal conversations about things outside of writing… and I think I would have been a happier unpub if I’d been able to do that before hand. When you aren’t working, what do you like to do for fun? Not… working? What is this not working you speak of?
No, seriously, we’ve been traveling a lot. Last year we went to China, which was amazing. We also went to Seattle, Hawaii and a bunch of other places. This year we’ll be spending some extra time together in DC after the conference. So traveling and spending time with my husband is really important to me. If you could go back to any time in history for a month, when would it be? What modern convenience would you miss most? I’d probably go back to the Regency, since that’s the period I write in. It would be cool to experience it… but only for a while. I would miss toothpaste. Shampoo. And INTERNET!! Could you imagine wearing corsets and hoops for a week much less your entire adult life? Well, luckily there wasn’t much of that in the Regency. They were much more comfortable undergarment-wise. But seriously, all the clothing stuff would be tough. I am such a jeans and socks girl.What books do you have coming up?
2009 is CRAZY for me. In January, the anthology A RED HOT VALENTINE’S DAY was released. It features a novella under my Jess Michaels name, “By Valentine’s Day”. Then on March 31, my next historical, HER NOTORIOUS VISCOUNT is out. April 21, TABOO (Jess Michaels) hits shelves. And to end the year, in November 2009 I begin a series called The Billingham Bastards with the book WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES.
So busy, busy, busy. And I’m so excited that going to Detroit is going to be part of my busy year!
Cheryl Smith is published in short romance fiction, a multiple contest finalist, and member of The Greater Detroit RWA. You can find her short stories at thewildrosepress.com. www.cherylannsmith.com
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Sex in the City
This is a story written by Stephanie Cohen of the NY Post on January 25, 2009 about a retirement community my God parents have been living in for the past 35 years or so. Every once in a while the newspapers head south for the winter and get tangled into this little web of geriatric sex...
Thanks for this extremely hysterical snippet Stephanie Cohen...my aunt and uncle thank you also for the fine publicity! And thanks for the fictional story idea!
Here is the link...http://www.nypost.com/seven/01252009/news/nationalnews/retire_to_the_bedroom_151976.htm
to Happy Reading,
AP Miller
Thanks for this extremely hysterical snippet Stephanie Cohen...my aunt and uncle thank you also for the fine publicity! And thanks for the fictional story idea!
Here is the link...http://www.nypost.com/seven/01252009/news/nationalnews/retire_to_the_bedroom_151976.htm
to Happy Reading,
AP Miller
Thursday, February 5, 2009
AJ and the Amazing Technicolor Building
By AJ Llewellyn
As I prepare to fly to Hawaii tomorrow in the first step of planning a new life there as a book store owner and erotic fiction author, it struck me how hard I worked to achieve my life as I know it…how I have craved security and certainty…and a place in the entertainment industry. From the time I was a small kid I was obsessed with Hollywood. I loved movies. I loved old movies, new movies…I was the know-it-all that drove my family crazy with detailed knowledge of background, scripts, producers, directors…I learned everything I could.
When I finally got to move here 25 years ago to go to school, I began my up and down relationship with Hollywood as I went about the business of trying to make it as a writer.
And then I got my first studio job. I was in heaven. I worked at Odyssey Pictures (RIP) doing screenplay coverage which in turn got me work at Paramount and other companies…in the meantime I was a prolific journalist working as a bureau chief for a group of Australian newspapers. A chance meeting landed me my favorite gig reading screenplays for an independent production company at Universal Studios. I loved it. I loved the studio, loved the work, I loved the people. I took the studio tour many times a week, a nod to the little boy in me who first took the tour aged 10, screaming at the special effects.
I still do.
I was laid off a year ago along with many others thanks to the WGA strike and again two months ago owing to the pending SAG strike. I didn’t take it too hard. I thought I’d get some freelance work and I have, but man, I miss that place. A few days ago my former boss called and said the studio needed some one to read a couple of projects and I dutifully drove over there the following evening.
I have not missed the car inspections, the scrutinizing of my driver’s license now I no longer have my own pass…but once I was on the lot, the joy came flooding back.
The Technicolor Building looked exactly the same and I love that building…I think because in Australia it took us so long to get color TV that I am obsessed with it today. I remember exactly where I was when I first saw a TV program in color. I was skiing with my family in Perisher Valley in Mount Kosiusko and the owner of our ski cabin turned on the TV when we came in and proudly showed us…the infamous “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” episode of The Brady Bunch…
But I digress. I forgot how much I missed this little city within a city. I’ve missed high-fiving the security guards who patrol the lot’s cross walks give you for making it across James Stewart Way safely. I took the path to the building I was meeting at…I had a few seconds…I ran around the corner and stopped in my tracks.
The building where we’d worked was gone…a monolith was being erected in its place. I couldn’t believe how far and fast this work had gone. I found out it’s the new Tonight Show building and will be ready for lift-off when Conan O’Brien takes over the reins.
I checked on my favorite places. The Psycho house is still there, Mama waiting in the window. The Bates Motel set just below it waits…the village square so famous for the Back to the Future movies is being restored in painstaking detail thanks to a fire last year. Most people don’t know this square has been used for countless productions, most recently the TV series The Ghost Whisperer.
The sets from The Princess Diaries are gone, replaced with lavish store fronts that could be Dubai…could be London.
I took an appreciative sniff of the balmy evening air. I if I could snag this freelance position, I would still belong to Hollywood…via email, which is largely how my work has been the last couple of years anyway. I prayed to my mother in heaven for a little good luck and ran to my meeting. I called my lit agent who made a joke when I said that the offices were all the same down to framed movie posters, shelves of screenplays and the odd touch of whimsy…this particular executive favors lunch boxes.
I have no idea why they are so popular but many creative types love them…anyway, I left fairly confident of getting some work and in the fading warmth of this heady California evening, I reminded myself I haven’t strayed far from my dreams. I remain entranced. And I am still here. And so is the Technicolor Building.
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,
A.J.
As I prepare to fly to Hawaii tomorrow in the first step of planning a new life there as a book store owner and erotic fiction author, it struck me how hard I worked to achieve my life as I know it…how I have craved security and certainty…and a place in the entertainment industry. From the time I was a small kid I was obsessed with Hollywood. I loved movies. I loved old movies, new movies…I was the know-it-all that drove my family crazy with detailed knowledge of background, scripts, producers, directors…I learned everything I could.
When I finally got to move here 25 years ago to go to school, I began my up and down relationship with Hollywood as I went about the business of trying to make it as a writer.
And then I got my first studio job. I was in heaven. I worked at Odyssey Pictures (RIP) doing screenplay coverage which in turn got me work at Paramount and other companies…in the meantime I was a prolific journalist working as a bureau chief for a group of Australian newspapers. A chance meeting landed me my favorite gig reading screenplays for an independent production company at Universal Studios. I loved it. I loved the studio, loved the work, I loved the people. I took the studio tour many times a week, a nod to the little boy in me who first took the tour aged 10, screaming at the special effects.
I still do.
I was laid off a year ago along with many others thanks to the WGA strike and again two months ago owing to the pending SAG strike. I didn’t take it too hard. I thought I’d get some freelance work and I have, but man, I miss that place. A few days ago my former boss called and said the studio needed some one to read a couple of projects and I dutifully drove over there the following evening.
I have not missed the car inspections, the scrutinizing of my driver’s license now I no longer have my own pass…but once I was on the lot, the joy came flooding back.
The Technicolor Building looked exactly the same and I love that building…I think because in Australia it took us so long to get color TV that I am obsessed with it today. I remember exactly where I was when I first saw a TV program in color. I was skiing with my family in Perisher Valley in Mount Kosiusko and the owner of our ski cabin turned on the TV when we came in and proudly showed us…the infamous “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” episode of The Brady Bunch…
But I digress. I forgot how much I missed this little city within a city. I’ve missed high-fiving the security guards who patrol the lot’s cross walks give you for making it across James Stewart Way safely. I took the path to the building I was meeting at…I had a few seconds…I ran around the corner and stopped in my tracks.
The building where we’d worked was gone…a monolith was being erected in its place. I couldn’t believe how far and fast this work had gone. I found out it’s the new Tonight Show building and will be ready for lift-off when Conan O’Brien takes over the reins.
I checked on my favorite places. The Psycho house is still there, Mama waiting in the window. The Bates Motel set just below it waits…the village square so famous for the Back to the Future movies is being restored in painstaking detail thanks to a fire last year. Most people don’t know this square has been used for countless productions, most recently the TV series The Ghost Whisperer.
The sets from The Princess Diaries are gone, replaced with lavish store fronts that could be Dubai…could be London.
I took an appreciative sniff of the balmy evening air. I if I could snag this freelance position, I would still belong to Hollywood…via email, which is largely how my work has been the last couple of years anyway. I prayed to my mother in heaven for a little good luck and ran to my meeting. I called my lit agent who made a joke when I said that the offices were all the same down to framed movie posters, shelves of screenplays and the odd touch of whimsy…this particular executive favors lunch boxes.
I have no idea why they are so popular but many creative types love them…anyway, I left fairly confident of getting some work and in the fading warmth of this heady California evening, I reminded myself I haven’t strayed far from my dreams. I remain entranced. And I am still here. And so is the Technicolor Building.
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,
A.J.
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