Bah Humbug!

Hi all,

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and got stuffed. :) Sadly, I had to work. TV News does not take a day off. Oh well. It's not my favorite holiday anyway. My favorite holiday used to be Christmas, but I'm not really feeling that this year either. You see, I was always very into my family traditions at Christmastime. Seems silly, probably, but we always did the same exact thing every year - even when my brother and I grew up, we still did it. I could describe the routine, but it wouldn't seem exciting to you. The point is it was something familar to look forward to every year. Something special.

Now my parents are divorced and my childhood home has been sold. My brother's way out in Colorado, my mom's in Florida, and my dad's new family is going skiing. It's just not the same. I know, I'm a grownup now and should be making my own traditions, but if you're single and alone, that's tough to do. I mean, should I bother getting a Christmas tree? Seems silly since I never have anyone over. What, is the dog going to admire it? And besides, trimming a tree by yourself seems kind of lame...

Maybe I'll pick a new favorite holiday. Like Flag Day, maybe. Or that might be bad, seeing as it would require I go out and buy a flag. Hm. Maybe Groundhog Day. As long as I don't get stuck in a time loop like Bill Murray. :) Though that actually turned out pretty well for him in the end...

Marianne

PS - just so I dont get in trouble with the fam if they read this blog - for the record I am invited to the ski trip on Christmas with the step family. And I'm sure Mom would be more than happy to have me down to Florida if I wanted to fly down. I mean, it's not like I'm being ditched or anything. All I'm saying is Christmas is different this year. And that makes me much less interested in bothering with it.

What, No Roses?

Hey all,

Sorry I've been a blog slacker...it's been a busy, busy week! We're in "sweeps" at Channel 7 and my book is due next week so I'm polishing, polishing, polishing.

Anyway - I got the cover copy for said book - "What, No Roses?" and I'm thrilled with it!!! It's sooo perfect and better than anything I could have written myself. Anyway - I thought I'd post it to see what you all thought. :) Does it sound like something you'd like to read?

WHAT, NO ROSES?
And you thought your Valentine's Day was bad?

AND ALL THAT JAZZ
Unless Dora Duncan can stop it, it's going to be another St. Valentine's Day Massacre. A year ago, her (now ex) boyfriend Nick stood her up at the worst possible moment. That was when she gave up important TV reporting for stories like "Too Stressed for Sex." And though such clips have a certain relevance, things have been a whole lot quieter. Too quiet. Until now. Now she's gotta go back in time (don't ask!) and stop that very same Nick from messing up the time-space continuum. She has to travel back to a place where everybody speaks easy and cuts a rug-and this Chicago ain't no musical. Here, there are tommy guns and torpedoes, guys and dolls, gin joints, flappers, stoolies, rats and a whole lot more; and prohibition means anything but no.

It's the 1920s. Time for Dora to roar.

Romance Divas Workshop

No time to blog - busy workshop'ing over at Romance Divas. Topic is "What to Expect When You're Expecting...A Book Contract."

Check it out. Ask questions. :)

Marianne

Weekends and Workshops

Hope you all had good weekends. Mine was fine. I had a RWA board meeting on Saturday (I'm VP of the New England chapter) and on Sunday night, as I mentioned before, I went to see Bauhaus in concert. What a great show. Peter Murphy's voice was as amazing as ever.

Worked on WHAT, NO ROSES?, of course, as well. It's shaping up nicely, I must say. I'm looking forward to finishing and passing it in!! Sooooon. Soooo soooooooon! I also can't wait to see what they come up with for a cover. I've had good luck on covers so far, but I'm always nervous before I see them. It's BS when people say, "Don't judge a book by its cover." I always do it! I will totally buy a book if it has a cool cover. And I know others do as well. Plus the cover does so much to define the book. For the record, I told them I wanted it to look like the Chicago movie poster. Not that my opinion counts much. We'll see what they come up with. The book is part of a multi-author series of comedic time-travels, so they have to do something thematically that will work for more than one book.

BTW the first book in the Vintage Romance series is Naomi Neale's "I Went to Vassar for This?" which comes out in June and sounds adorable.

So this week I'm going to be doing a workshop on the Romance Divas website. Be sure to stop by. It's called "What to Expect When You're Expecting...A Book Contract!" Here's the blurb:

It's the moment a writer remembers forever. You pick up the phone and there's an editor on the line saying they love your book. Better yet, they want to publish your book! Suddenly, for one brief, shining moment, all your dreams have come true.

Or have they?

Once a writer sells, she's instantly thrown into a whole new world of trouble. Now, instead of worrying about margins and POV, she's got to deal with contracts, covers, revisions, publicity, etc. It's enough to make your head spin!

In this workshop, Dorchester and Berkley author Marianne Mancusi takes you down the road of publication. From the moment you get the call to the happy day your book hits the shelves, she'll explain what you can expect to happen. You'll learn about contract negotiations, advance payments, revisions, galleys, covers and cover quotes, promoting, option clauses, and more. She'll also discuss editor etiquette - how you can develop a good working relationship with your publisher that will last for years to come.

This is NOT just a class for those who have already gotten the call. This is a class to prepare you for that day, so when it happens, you won't have to scramble.

I should be posting the first lesson in the forum section this afternoon or evening. Please stop by and ask questions so I don't feel all lonley! :) You have to register, but it's free and it's a great site anyway with tons of good writer resources! So what do you have to lose?

Marianne

Made up in Manhattan

You all know her as Activity Director, but my friend Mary does more than plan cheesy nights out to fake Neil Diamond concerts. She's actually a very talented, multiple award winning (including many, many Emmys) investigative producer. She and her reporter, Hank Phillippi Ryan recently uncovered a huge ticket scandal going on in NYC.

You see, all these Massachusetts people have been getting parking tickets from NYC, even though they hadn't even been in the city on the dates of the alleged violations. And the cars cited on the tickets don't match up to the owner's vehicles.

The tickets aren't fake - and if they're not paid, they can be sent to collection agencies. But no one knows at this point what's going on - some think the police may be making up ticket numbers to fill quotas, while others believe that there could be some kind of fake or stolen license plate thing going on. The mystery of PlateGate is still ongoing. But in the meantime, Mary and Hank got some kudos in the New York Daily News!! Check it out.

Also, you can find the transcript for their story, "Made Up in Manhattan" here. Pretty interesting stuff!

Marianne

Gods of the Goth Girl

Sorry I didn't write yesterday - the day sort of got away from me. Between my book being due soon and producing pieces for November sweeps at Channel 7, I've been a bit busier than usual. But it's all good.

This weekend I scored a ticket to go see Bauhaus in concert! For those of you who don't know, Bauhaus are the godfathers of goth. They produced amazing, dark, complex music back in the 80s that is still beloved by black wearing, vampire wannabe teens today. I love them. When I was in high school, I got to see Peter Murphy, the singer, when he was doing his solo tour. I had a front row seat and at one point he leaned down and sang straight to me in his deep, soulful voice. It was a goth girl's dream come true, for sure.

Then when I was in my 20s they did a Bauhaus reunion tour. I saw them down in Orlando with my friends Ali and Bobby. A beautiful experience, especially when Peter Murphy donned his vampire cape to sing "Bela Lugosi's Dead." Sigh. I remember a neighboring club did a goth/industrial night after the show so we spent the rest of the night doing the "foot stuck in the mud" dance to bands like Sisters of Mercy, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, Lords of Acid, etc., etc.

It's interesting how when you're a teen music defines everything. If you like goth, you probably (like me) dressed all in black. If you liked electronica, you probably wore baggy pants and whistles or pacifiers around your neck. If you liked punk you had a mohawk, maybe, or at least a bunch of ripped DK shirts.

But when you grow older you can't dress so expressively anymore. It wouldn't go over well at work, for one thing! And now, no one would suspect that I totally still feel like a goth girl inside. In fact, they might think I like (ugh!) Dave Matthews! (yuck, yuck, yuck!) But that's okay. At one time that kind of misconception would bug the hell out of me, but now I'm zen with it. I'm not going to hide what I like, nor am I going to go out of my way to prove I'm cool and unique for liking it.

That said, I'm not exactly going to be wearing florescent pink to see Bauhaus... ;-)

Marianne

Various stuff

Hi all,

Hope you had a fun weekend. Saturday night I went out with a group of like 12 people to BarLola - this cool new Spanish tapas restaurant on Comm Ave. Activity Director picked a winning place! The food was delish and the restaurant had a fun atmosphere. And a great martini menu as well. I like tapas cause you aren't wedded to one food choice. Very fun. I'd definitely go back!

After dinner we went out to a few bars and I didn't get back home 'til 2am! Yawn!

Sunday I slept most of the day but then went to my mom's. She recently sold my childhood home and I had to go collect some of my stuff before the new owners took posession. It was weird and sad to walk through the rooms and think that this would be the last time I ever did. I looked at my old bedroom and remembered closing the door, cranking the music and dancing away my teenage angst. I looked at the stairs and remembered every Christmas, my brother and I running downstairs to gasp at the presents under the tree. I looked at the family room and remembered all the warm cozy nights, reading by the fire. I looked at the backyard and remembered the awesome treehouses my dad built and all the fun we had in them.

The house has so many memories for me. I lived there from birth til I went away to college. My dad built the place - so it wasn't even like it had ever known any other family except mine. I kept it together until I left, then cried in the car on the way home. :(

The place was sort of my touchstone. No matter what happened, it was always there to come back to. Now it belongs to someone else. It sucks. I wish I had money - I would have bought it myself just to keep it in the family. :( But oh well, what can you do? I guess if I've learned anything at all this summer and fall it's that material posessions come and go and you have to concentrate your love on people, not things. It's just a house. It's bricks and wood. My family- the people who gave that house its meaning and memories - are still here. And they can never be sold or destroyed.

Anyway - probably way too melancholy for a Monday morning, but whatever.

Marianne

Channeling Writer Zen

If any of you have met Dorchester author Marjorie Liu, you know she's a very zen like person. I would love to have the focus and serenity that she exudes on a daily basis. So when she explained her secret to writing a book in a month, I paid attention. I hope she doesn't mind, but I'm posting her secret here:

1. I sit down at the computer.
2. I let go. I give my mind permission to do its thing.
3. I don't get up from the computer until a) I really have to go to the bathroom, b) the dog really has to go to the bathroom, c) I have to eat or else my stomach will eat itself, and d) it's time to sleep.

Simplistic but smart, right? So I decided to try it today. I wasn't in the mood to write. I wanted to do anything BUT write. I even had the urge to clean my apartment - which shows you how much I just did not want to write. But I had to do 3,000 words today to get back on schedule with The Book that Will Not End. So what the heck? I decided to try it.

I took a shower first, and thought of what I was going to write. I formulated the scene in my mind. Then I sat down at the computer. I let all of the week's stresses go. I didn't reread earlier parts of the manuscript. I started at an empty page. And then I didn't get up from the computer til I wrote my 3,000 words.

I was tempted. I wanted to go do other things. Nap, clean, watch movies, go jogging. But I didn't. Because I had to write my book. And I gave myself permission to do that. To let everything else go and just disolve my conciousness into this imaginary world I am creating.

And it really worked. I wrote my 3,000 words. And now I can go out tonight without feeling guilty. Without feeling all behind in my work. Without worrying whether I will finish my book on time.

Thanks Marjorie!

Marianne

Random Firefly Rant

Sorry to be a blog slacker yesterday. The day just got away from me. But I did finish watching the Firefly series on DVD. So you can rest assured my time was well spent! Though I have to say, I'm very disapointed I can't go out and buy a season 2. Why the heck did they cancel such a good show after only 14 episodes? So not cool. Firefly could have been the next Star Trek. They could have had Firefly, The Next Generation! Now I'll never get to see whether Mal and Inara will admit their love to one another. If Kaylee can ever get the good doctor to loosen up. Will Zoe and Wash have a baby? Will we ever learn about the Shepard's past? What the heck will happen to River? And will Jayne ever meet a girl who can change his ways? (I think that would be a FUNNY episode!) The series ended in a such an unfinished fashion. I assume because they probably hoped to do another season.

Oh yeah, I forgot. There's a movie. It better answer all my questions or I'm going to be seriously mad. Of course, someone I know who saw it gave away the fact that people die in it. Like main character people! :(

Okay I"ll try to see it this weekend and then let you know what I think...But right now, what I think is Joss ought to revive the series and continue where he left off. I bet it'd be super popular now. As always, he was just ahead of his time...

Still, now what am I supposed to watch? Maybe I should start Buffy again. With seven seasons, it should keep me busy for a while... Or maybe Angel. I never did watch Angel...

Okay that's all I got today...Feel free to discuss Joss's genius, Firefly and Serenity. Just don't you dare post any movie spoilers!! We can discuss AFTER I go watch it!!!

Not so Desperate Housewives

One cool thing about my day job as a TV news producer is I get to interview a lot of different people from all walks of life. Some interviews are hard - especially those with mothers who have lost their children to tragic accidents. Others are quite fun.

On the fun end, yesterday I aired a story about the women of HRT - short for Hormone Replacement Therapy. They're a bunch of Massachusetts moms, sick of gossiping at the coffee house, who got together to form a rock band. They have a CD and they play shows locally.

To be honest, when I first got assigned this story I was sort of like, oh how cute, suburban mom rock band. But when my photographer and I went to film a rehearsal, we was blown away at how professional these the group sounded. They are amazingly good! Their lyrics are hilarious, too. They sing about things that women their ages can relate to: fighting with their families, drinking too much coffee, spending their husbands' paychecks, etc. Really funny stuff.

At the same time, they insist they're not some "Desperate Housewives" type band. And they're right - these women really rock out. They know how to play their instruments and the singer (Lisa?) has a great voice.

Anyway - I very rarely mention stories I cover in my day job in this blog, but I had to make an exception cause these women were so cool. I could totally see someone writing a Lady Lit book based on this concept. A group of women (all with various life issues) coming together to form a rock band. Wouldn't that be a great book? Quick - someone take the idea and write it!

The rest of you go buy their album. It rocks!

Mar

Three things about me...

I've seen a lot of these about me type quizzes lately and I'm a total self-indulgent sucker for them. :) I think I stole this one from Barb Ferrer.


Three screen names that you've had: mari2, starrgirl, starrgrrl

Three things you like about yourself: my eyes, my creativity, my free-spiritness

Three things you don't like about yourself: my tendency to overthink and obsess about everything, my tendency to cry at the drop of a hat, my tendency to procrastinate

Three parts of your heritage: Italy, Holland, and British Isles (England, Scotland, and Ireland)

Three things that scare you: Right-wingers, jellyfish, and angry alcoholics

Three of your everyday essentials: coffee, chocolate, Internet access

Three things you are wearing right now: gray top, black pants, "I Did Not Vote 4 Bush" bracelet

Three of your favorite songs: "How Soon is Now" (Smiths), Heroes (David Bowie), Just Like Heaven (The Cure)

Three things you want in a relationship: Appreciation, love, silliness

Three things you can't live without: computer, coffee and cell phone

Three places you want to go on vacation: Iceland, Italy, Japan

Three things you just can't do: cook, do math, conform to society's expectations

Three kids names: Collin, Astrid, Rayne

Three things you want to do before you die: Become a bestseller, live in NYC, play videogames in Japan

Three celeb crushes: Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, David Bowie (Yup, I like the Brits!)

Three of your favorite musicians: David Bowie, Morrissey, Simon LeBon (heh)

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you: eyes (am a sucker for blue or green eyes), long eyelashes, and good hair

Three of your favorite hobbies: playing videogames, snowboarding, watching movies

Three things you really want to do badly right now: quit my day job, travel abroad, finish my book

Three careers you're considering/you've considered: writer, teacher, reporter

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy: I like videogames, I like Dungeons and Dragons, I'm not obsessed with shoes.

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl: I am overly emotional, I love unicorns, and I'm secretly a hopeless romantic.

:) Mar

Weekend Fun

Most of my weekend was spent working. I had to write 5,000 words in 2 days to meet my quota. Since a comfortable pace for me is 1,000 words a day, this was pushing it. My forearm hurts this AM. I think I'm getting carpal tunnel. :( I also had to start going through the galleys of Boys that Bite.

The good news is that I was able to accomplish it all. :) And I was able to go out on Saturday night.

As I mentioned before, Activity Director had approved my application to attend Hallo-Scream at the Bayside Expo center. It was awesome!! There were 3 Haunted Houses and a haunted museum. The actors were great - really freaky with excellent costumes. And I think they loved having 3 giggly, screaming girls clutching onto one another as we made our way through the rooms. They really got into scaring us to death!

They also had a cool pumpkin carving exhibit. Here are a couple of pics. (Click for larger image)

At one point this guy with a videocamera filmed us going through the haunted house and then interviewed us afterwards. I, for some reason, thought it would be funny when the guy asked me how the haunted house was to say, "It's Spooktacular!" In hindsight, that was a really, really stupid move. Especially from someone who works in TV and should know better than to speak in cheesy, promotional soundbites. I just know I'm going to end up on some commercial next Halloween that gets replayed every ten minutes on every network in Boston. So I now have about 11 months left before I have to leave the city forever or die of embarassment. :)

Yes, my life gives me so much fodder for my books...

After Hallo-Scream we went to this new bar called MATCH. It's on the corner of Newbury and Mass Ave for those of you who are familar with Boston. It was great! Trendy and cool with a great atmosphere and vibe. Their specialty is mini-burgers (so cute!) and martinis. I would totally go back in a heartbeat and recommend it to anyone looking for a hip Boston bar. (And I am very fussy about my hip Boston bars, just FYI.)

Anyway - this week is probably going to be uneventful as I have to write and do galleys every night after work. But it'll be worth it in the end. As my agent said, "What, you don't expect to have a life, do you?"

Mar

Writers that Whine

Read this on a couple of blogs and since I've been whining myself so often lately, I figured it deserved a mention.

First - I have the Book That Will Not End (aka: WHAT, NO ROSES?) due on Thanksgiving. Which, uh, means it has to end. And soon. But hey, no problem. I've worked it out mathmatically by word count so if I work hard I can have it finished, revised, and turned in just in time for my editor to read it over his turkey dinner. (Because, you know, once he picks it up and starts reading he's going to be so enthralled he'll forget all about cranberry sauce and apple pie and pilgrims and football.)

But then, just when I think I've got everything under control and may be able to sneak in a quick trip to Florida over Thanksgiving break, I get an email from my agent who says I need to turn in the first three chapters of STAKE THAT! by December 1st. Gulp. Turns out they need them for a cover conference. Now, don't get me wrong - cover conferences are GOOD and I want them to have all the info they need so I don't get a bad cover, but at the same time, this now means going directly to my computer. Not passing Florida. Not collecting turkey.

Okay, I say. Fine. It'll be a lonely Thanksgiving, but it's for a good cause. I can do this. Then today I get sent the Page Proofs for BOYS THAT BITE. With instructions to have them back to the mothership in one week's time.

GAHH!

So anyway - I promise you this does have a point - I am stressed and overworked (remember I have a full time job, too) and not sure how I am going to get everything done. So I go into a reporter friend of mine's office. And I start moaning and complaining about how terrible my life is. ;-)

She was NOT sympathetic. You see, she's a writer too. And she's got her first book out to editors now and is anxiously awaiting their acceptance. She says she should be so lucky as to have my problems and if she gets a book deal she will be happy and never complain ever again.

I laughed. Because I know I said the same exact thing a year and a half ago when my book was out to publishers. I thought once I got my book sold, I'd be happy and content and all the world's problems would disapear. In fact, if I got a book deal, surely world peace couldn't be far behind.

How silly was I!?

Anyway the moral of this story is that writers (and people in general) will always find something to complain about. I used to complain I didn't have a book deal. Now I complain cause I have too many. Neither complaint is unjustified, but neither is very productive either. (And complaining about having too many books does NOT (for the record) help you win friends...)

The best thing to do is be thankful for what you have, do your best to live up to your commitments and remember that you can always eat your turkey on the Fourth of July.

Spooktacular Plans & Character Naming

So I submitted my Saturday night outing idea to the Activity Director (in triplicate, as required - ha, ha!) and I'm pleased to say it's been approved! So this Saturday night, my friends and I are going to attend HalloScream Park at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. It's like four or five Haunted Houses and a huge pumpkin carving exhibit. Then, after getting our scare on, we're going to go dancing at some club. Of course, my original proposal was amended by the Friend Committee so we won't be wearing costumes, but hey - better than nothing, right? (I can always dress up at RT if I feel the urge to costume myself!)

Anyway - I'm pleased. Hopefully it'll be fun or I'll probably be barred from suggested activities in the future... :)

BTW - if anyone is looking for some revenge, make sure you enter Lisa Gardner's Lucky Stiff contest. If you win, you get to name a murder victim in her next book. (Unfortunately you can't send in a complete description of the victim to make it more realistic...) This is kind of unique twist on what I've seen a lot of authors doing lately--auctioning off or holding contests to let readers name their characters.

I've never done this, but I think it's a fun idea and I can see the appeal. My friend Liz Maverick borrowed my name for one of the heroines in her upcoming December chick lit book Card Sharks. (About girls who play poker-check it out!!!) I thought that was pretty cool, actually. To return the favor, the evil vampire in my STAKE THAT! book has been given the name Maverick. (Yes, yes, I get to be the heroine and make her the evil vampire. If you know Liz, you know she'd appreciate that, really.)

Alesia Holliday always puts her kids in her books. Lani Diane Rich used her friend Wanda's name and attributes in TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR. In Lindsay Sands vampire books SINGLE WHITE VAMPIRE and LOVE BITES she has book editor characters named Kate Leaver and Chris Keys (obvious plays on Kate Seaver and Lindsay's own editor Chris Keeslar.) She also adds a cameo appearance of Lady Barrow herself at the RT conference.

I'm sure there are many more examples out there. Some more subtle than others. But it's fun if you're in on the joke. And if not, it doesn't detract from the book.

So you writers out there - do you put friends and family in your books? Have you auctioned off a character's name? And you readers - would you think it'd be fun to have a character be named after you? Would you like winning a contest where you got to do that?

:)
Marianne

Undead and Unreturnable

So about a year and a half ago everyone started talking about this book. A vampire book that was supposed to be really funny. I thought to myself, well, I like vampire books. And I like funny books. So perhaps I should check this book out. It was a small book. Short with a cartoon cover. Funny title, too. "Undead and Unwed."

You may have heard of it. :P

Now MaryJanice Davidson is like uber famous author extraordinaire and the 4th book in her Undead series is hitting store shelves. No longer a slim, small paperback. This time she's got the hardcover treatment. In fact, she's such a star that for the last Undead book I saw in one bookstore that Berkley had even put out limited edition, signed and numbered copies.

You know you've made it when your books have numbers on them.

Yup, MaryJanice has done quite well for herself. But it doesn't surprise me in the least. The series is one of the funniest I've ever read. Betsy, as the reluctant queen of the vampires, is irreverent and hillarious. And her sidekicks are equally amusing. I'm sure this new one will be equally fun.

Here's a blurb:

Even the undead celebrate Christmas, and Betsy is in heaven shopping for gifts.

But all is not merry in the mansion. It?s become infested with ghosts?really needy ones who have no qualms asking Betsy to run errands for them to rectify their pasts. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose, and, being tall and blonde, Betsy perfectly fits his type.

They say Christmas is a time for friends and family. But with a half-sister who?s the devil?s daughter, an evil stepmother, a fiend living in her basement, and assorted spirits and killers running amok, Betsy is not sure she?ll survive the holidays. Oh, right. She?s already dead?

You can go read an excerpt here.

Complaining

Since I have good friends in Florida who get slammed by hurricanes every year I can't really justify complaining about a bunch of rain and wind up in Boston. But at the same time it's sooo annoying. How come we never got a normal New England autumn? You know, where you go and pick apples and drink cider or peep at brilliantly colored leaves while wearing cute orange cashmere sweaters? Why did it go from 80 to 50 in one day? What happened to the sun? Does it not like us? Is it off sulking somewhere because when it was hot and sunny I was complaining about that?

Okay, fine. I'll shut up. :)

But actually...while I'm complaining ... I'm not so happy with Depeche Mode either. One of my favorite bands as a teen -and now they have a new album out and are hitting the road on a worldwide tour. Great, right? Well, I just realized they are NOT PLAYING IN BOSTON. They are playing everywhere else in the universe - including foreign countries I wasn't sure even existed! But not Boston. What's up with that Dave? Martin? You have loyal fans in Boston. We bought all your albums. We wore all black for you. Why won't you come see us? The closest venue is in NYC in December. Which is not really close at all. I am very disapointed. :(

On a more positive note, you know that charity anthology Bewitched, Bothered, and BeVampyred I mentioned the other day? Well, I've been asked to contribute a short story in Volume 2. This time proceeds will go to breast cancer research. Lots of top romance authors involved and I'm very honored to have been asked.

Back to complaining about the rain...

Marianne

Mar the Teacher

This morning I got to play teacher to a bunch of middle school students in New Hampshire. I taught them about the process of writing and publishing a book, had them do a voice exercise, and bribed them with candy to get them to ask lots of questions. :) (I fielded everything from "Where do you get your ideas?" to "Do you like Legos?" (Heck, yeah, I do!! Check out this Lego Viking Castle being attacked by a dragon set!!))

It was fun, but exhausting. I don't know how teachers can be "on" for so many hours a day. I taught three classes and I was sooo tired afterwards. And I even went to bed early the night before!

On Saturday night Activity Director actually let me pick the event of the evening, so I chose movie and drinks. Not as original as say, Superdiamond, but definitely less of a cheese factor. ;-) We saw "A History of Violence" - the new Cronenberg flick. I thought it was pretty good - definitely held my interest. I liked the dark themes of nature vs. nuture and Darwinian evolution of man through violence. Cronenberg always makes you think, that's for sure. Next up I have to see Serenity. I have 3 episodes of Firefly left to watch first though...

Speaking of Joss stuff - Joshilyn Jackson has a great open letter to Joss Whedon on her blog. I'd totally sign my name to that letter. I agree with every last word. Esp the part about it needing to be Spike and Buffy as opposed to Angel and Buffy. I mean come on, Jossy! That should be a given. (But I still love and adore and worship you.)

(Oh - and so Joshilyn, when are we going to play WoW? Us gamer girl authors have to stick together!)

By the way - you know those book trailers I was telling you about on Saturday? Christin Feehan says they're the #1 way she promotes her book. That out of everything she's done, these were the most successful. And I mean, Christine Feehan, people! Obviously the woman knows what she's talking about. I worship at the feet of her marketing genius!!

And lastly - Happy Birthday Jason! This weekend marked the 25th anniversary of the first Friday the 13th horror movie. I LOVE cheesy horror movies and Jason is my ultimate anti-hero. There's just something about the big oaf in the hockey mask that I find so darn cute. I have the dvd box set of all the movies and when Freddy vs. Jason came out, I saw it opening night and cheered on Jason. (My ex cheered Freddy - I should have taken that as a sign... j/k)

Yes, I'm a strange girl. Is this the first blog entry of mine you've read?!?!? ;-)

xoxo
Mar

Book Trailers are Cool

I'm off on a major dog walking excursion with my friends in a few mins, but wanted to pop on and write something so I could keep my "blogging every day" promise.

Have you seen these book trailers? Christine Feehan does them for her books and they're soo cool. A great alternative way to market a book in today's MTV society. I sooo want one! Though being a TV producer, I think I could recruit a photog/editor friend and produce them myself instead of hiring an outside company. (Not that I think I can do better, just that I am poor!) Maybe I'll do one for Boys that Bite. :)

Anyway - check them out and let me know what you think: Circle of Seven Productions.

Mar

More about me! This time alphabetically

Thought this was cool. Stole it off My Space from my ex-boyfriend Craig...

A- Age
31

B- BIRTHDAY
March 2, 1974

C- CURRENT CRUSH
Mal from Firefly

D- DRINK OF CHOICE
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Diet Sprite and Diet Coke

E- EATING CURRENTLY:
Nothing, uh had Cheerios for b-fast.

F- FAVORITE FOOD..
chocolate eclairs - mmmmmm - yum!

G- WHO DO YOU GO TO FOR ADVICE?
Mary and Hank for girl advice. My dad for everything else. :P

H- CURRENT HATRED:
George W
Overly large SUVs
The dumbing down of America
I, uh, could go on...

I- I THINK:
too much for my own good.

J- JOB? :
TV News Producer by day, Author by early morning/night/everywhere in between

K- KIDS?:
Don't have any, but want them someday. At least one.

L- LOVE? :
is equally the best and worst state to be in.

M- MOVIE:
Love them. All types. All genres. Nothing better than curling up on a couch with someone and watching movies. Except maybe playing videogames...

N- YOUR PHONE NUMBER:
I hate the phone. Please email or IM me instead.

O- OVER OR UNDER:
Is this supposed to be some sex question in disguise? Sooo not answering.

P- FAVORITE PERFUME/COLOGNE:
Happy by Clinique. The original kind - not all the new variations.

Q- QUIRK ABOUT YOURSELF?
I'm a geek guy trapped in a girl's body.

R- LAST TIME ON THE ROAD:
NJ writer's conference a couple weeks ago.

S- SCHOOL:
BU grad. Would like to go back and get treaching certificate.

T- TV SHOW?:
Like watching old ones on DVD - Firefly and Black Adder, currently
Fave shows of all time - Buffy, 90210, Twin Peaks

U- COLOR OF YOUR UNDERWEAR:
black

V- LAST TIME YOU WERE IN VEGAS:
7 years old. But may go soon for a weekend with friends...

W- WISHFUL THINKING
NYT Bestselling author who lives in a sweet penthouse in NYC and doesn't have a dayjob.

X- how many x's do you have:
As in ex boyfriends? Huh. Um... 13? Not counting repeats.

Y- YOUR FAVORITE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE?
Hoping it'll be 2006.

Z- ZODIAC
Pisces - and I'm totally like one. Imaginative, sensitive, compassionate, unworldly, intuitive and sympathetic.

Blogging every day. Aren't you proud?

Someone told me recently that because I'd been a blogging slacker (my words not theirs) and didn't post everyday, they'd gotten out of the habit of reading my blog all together. So I've re-commmitted myself to at least post some interesting tidbit each and every day. To keep you all from getting too bored and leaving me. :)

Er, so, now I feel obliged to entertain you. Okay, fine. For starters, check out this link It's a really freaky illusion. Funny how our vision plays tricks on us. I have no idea how it works except to say that I guess we're all in the Matrix...

Next up - have you all seen the cover for Gena Showalter's latest book "Enslave Me Sweetly"? It's the sequel to her awesome "Awaken Me Darkly" Alien Huntress book. And I thought the FIRST cover was hot. Wait til you see cover #2. I bet Gena's going to have more than a few male readers when this is released.

More on my Romance Divas workshop - It's going to be held the week of November 13th in the Romance Divas forum. It'll be mostly forum based, but I think we're going to do a live chat at some point during the week as well. It's free and I promise to be entertaining as well as informative. Topic, for those of you who missed yesterday's blog, is "After the Call." Basically I'll be talking about what happens from the moment you get an offer on your book til the time when it hits store shelves. Even if you haven't sold your book yet, it's information you should know. This way you'll be prepared when everything starts happening really fast!

Have you all read Agent 007's entry about "You've Got the Look: The Author Photo"? Basically she says looks do matter with publishers and if there's no author picture in the book, that's because the author is ugly. Just FYI, Ms. 007 - it could also be cause the author was a slacker and forgot to send in her photo on time! Er, not that I know this from (cough) experience, but I just want to throw out an FYI that even though there won't be a picture of me in Boys that Bite it doesn't mean I've morphed into an ugly troll and my publisher doesn't want anyone to know it. It's like the lack of acknowledgements. It's not that I don't believe anyone helped me with the book. It's just I uh, forgot to write them.

Sad, I know. Ungrateful, faceless author girl is very ashamed. She promises to thank everyone under the sun in "What, No Roses?", even her videogame partner who actually hindered the writing process rather than helped it. In fact, she might even thank random people off the street, just to prove she's really, really grateful...

Oh, by the way, something I AM grateful for - a kick butt review of SK8ER BOY on Romance Reviews Today! w00t!

SK8ER BOY - Mari Mancusi
Smooch
ISBN: 0-8439-5604-6
October
2005
Young Adult
Suburban Massachusetts - Present Day

The student body at Sacred Mary's High School is composed of two kinds of people: the populars and the freaks. Dawn Miller has always been a part of the former. That is, until the day a new girl, Starr, comes to Sacred Mary's. Starr has a punk-rock personality that has never been seen by the likes of the populars. Something beyond her appearance catches Dawn's eye, and makes her want to know more about the different life this girl lives.

One day Starr takes Dawn to Boston and shows her a world she's never seen before. She shows her the underground world of Boston. It's on this trip that Dawn meets Sean, a scruffy skater from the other side of town. As time passes, Dawn finds herself falling hard for Sean, and breaking all the rules in the process. She's now become a player in a very dangerous game. The question is, how long can she play before she loses?

SK8ER BOY is the best reincarnation of the Cinderella story that I have ever read. Dawn has the wit and charm of a princess, the naivete of a child, and yet, she is an unbeatable character that we all can identify with. As you follow her on her quest to win Sean's love, you will see the world revealed through different eyes. Does good triumph over evil? Can you really find Prince Charming? SK8ER BOY gives hope to all of the skeptics out there; it's definitely a book you will want to return to again and again.

Amanda Roberts

Okay, I've sent you a cool link, praised another author, advertised my workshop, apologized for my shortcomings, and bragged about my review. I think I've fulfilled my bloggerly duties for the day! :)
Have a good Thursday...
Mar