First Word

I own the box set of Generation Kill , and it's one of my favorite all-time war series/movies. I'm not girly in that I have always been interested in history and war films. I watched with great interest the HBO mini-series The Pacific and Band of Brothers . In fact, if I were to compile a list of my all-time favorite shows, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill would probably make the list. The other day, I happened to catch an old favorite I watched many years ago, Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket . I remember when I watched it for the first time how intense and enthralling it was. I remember the scene where they photographed the dead body sitting in the chair just how upsetting that was to watch. Then at the end when Matthew Modine's Joker performs an act of mercy and kills the sniper how absolutely unsettling it was to watch such violence. Now fast forward to the 21st century. I was re-watching Full Metal Jacket and it hit me. After watching all of the gore and...

Disclaimer: the following passage has some profane language. Reader discretion is advised. This excerpt is from California Girl Chronicles: Brea and the City of Plastic. It is available for sale on Amazon or the 3L Publishing website . He fell back on the bed. We both lay together and tried to recover from such a powerful physical act. He turned his head to face me. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, “Fucking wow! What the fuck was that?” “I think that was the best sex I’ve ever had,” I replied and reached across to wipe the sweat off his brow. This suggestion seemed to intrigue him. He looked at me with this strange grin and replied, “Really? You? Me?” I sighed, leaned into him, kissed his lips, and replied, “Quite right.” “All right, look at me. I’m a man now,” he declared facetiously. “Sweetheart, you made me a man. I think … no, I know, I have superpowers too. See what you did! Now I’ll have to save the world or something. Or just make a movie about it.” “I’ll ...

This excerpt comes from the forthcoming book, We're All Dead due out in spring 2012. This little scene happens after our heroine Cookie Gingerbreadhouse escapes the deadly clutches of General Wilhelm, the necromancer lord and ends up in the company of the vampire king's "lesser" twin brother Lt. Colburn. Have fun!  As I was walking along, I saw a poster in the window of another storefront. It was like one of those old Army posters that said stuff like “Uncle Sam Wants You”. This poster read: Resist! There was a phone number. It occurred to me this might be associated with the resistance. Now I needed a smart phone. I felt certain this was the group I needed to contact to find Jellybean. Then I felt a hard blow on the back of my head. Someone had thrown something at my head. I rubbed my head and turned around. It was a vampire. I could tell by his white pallor. The minute I turned around, his fangs popped out and he circled around me. “What are you?” he said and sme...

A skier's worst nightmare. Every once in a while I stumble on something interesting while channel surfing. Last night, I was flipping through the premium channels and came across this little movie titled Frozen . It was slotted in the "horror" category, but when it said horror, what it really meant was horrific nightmare. Frozen is not a horror film like Scream . It's what they call in screenwriting, one of the premises that would fall under "your worst nightmare." Here is what impressed me most about three young people who find themselves stuck on a ski lift all alone on the mountain, the low production value. This well-done, little film didn't involve much in terms of budget. I would imagine a great deal of it was either filmed on an actual chair lift or sound stage. They probably rented a small ski resort for a few days. The acting at times got a little cloying, but I'm going to give this one three stars for its simplicity and tension being bui...

Fan sites absolutely and without a doubt just give me nothing but utter smiles. Now we have a poll , yes another infamous poll, asking whether Jensen Ackles from Supernatural could beat Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood in a fight. Jensen is winning our vampire Viking by a serious margin. I have to tell you, I only find these little gems that make me laugh every time, because of my Google Alerts. I don't go out surfing to find them. I'm not amazed that someone made this up on a fan site. You see all sorts of different things on fan sites. Don't get me started on what people do on fan sites that would astound and boggle your mind. It's the rabid outcry and response in the comments by the other fans. Wow! And double wow! People take their characters soooooo seriously. Oh, the furious scorn and outrage if you even remotely say one, little unpopular comment. It's utterly crazy to me fans get this, well, "into" it. I even sat down the other day, and a girl...

Eric Northman and Sookie in Season 3. This blog gives a really great rundown of all of the scenes in which our Viking vampire exposes his derriere. I read the well-documented times Eric Northman gives a visual feast on his rear-end and started laughing. I don't think the writer meant it to be funny, but come on. You're documenting butt shots. Alexander Skarsgard seems to have absolutely zero qualms about giving us a feast of butt shots to choose from. I didn't post him from behind, because I have taken a vow not show naked shots on my blog LOL. But I have no problem giving you a nice look at that sublime body (Yum). Oh yeah, and my favorite female character Sookie is here, too. Go read the other blog, though, if you're a Skarsgard naked fan! It's very entertaining, I promise. I do have to say in some respects I admire a guy who can disrobe on cue and have absolutely nothing on it. Of course, this coming from the mouth of a woman who writes sexy scenes in her boo...

Readers of the first print run of California Girl Chronicles: Brea and the City of Plastic missed out. When I did the second print run, I rewrote and added a lot of new material. Some of it was to provide more character development and some of it was to develop relationships a little deeper. The reviewers, and we've had over 20 requests to review the book in the last two weeks, are seeing the new edition. So, here on the blog I'm going to pull some relevant excerpts from the new edition to give you a peek at what you didn't get to read. The following is the revised scene when Brea first meets our kind and loving producer, Kale. I smiled and slinked by him just enough that he could feel my energy but far enough that we didn’t touch. I sensed his smile, turned, and grinned back. As I walked into the lounge area, I heard Drew’s band already playing. I decided to find an open stool at the bar and just hang back until he finished. Fortunately, a guy already drunk got up, ...

In my insomniac hours, I like to surf around and use my Apple TV to find random and fun things to watch. I have discovered numerous fan videos of my two favorite characters Eric Northman and Sookie Stackhouse from True Blood . Here are those two video links. Out of literally dozens, there are just fun and sexy. Eric and Sookie -- Let's Go Straight to No. #1 We all like no. #1 ;). Eric and Sookie -- Devotion Well, this one is romantic and very hot and sexy. I have to be honest, I really like the song! Of course, I like the scenes, too. I (squee) like the romance, too. What can I say. I am a romantic at heart.

You have to love Cheryl Mullick and Tre Bella Spa! Check them brows! If I had a picture of the original state of the brows, you would really catch my thrill over what she does with "the frame to your face." It's Friday! And like Sunday, I don't feel like posting a serious blog. Besides, have you ever gotten so behind on your projects that you just have to shrug? What are you going to do? There are only so many hours in day, right? So today rather than rant and rave and go off on some tangent, I thought I would focus on nothing important at all. Like I said, it's Friday. Soon, I will also galavant off to Tre Bella Spa owned and operated by my dear friend Cheryl Mullick, who gave me the infamous "dirty girl" quote on the cover of California Girl Chronicles , enjoy Rain Drop therapy and get some eyebrow landscaping done. And you know what else, just because I love Cheryl's ability to take what originally looks like a caterpillar and turn it into a...

The other day I read about this famous author who Tweeted about a famous actor's sex appeal after seeing the celebrity naked in the gym locker room. Now I'm not going to perpetuate who the author was or the famous celebrity, because it was tasteless in the first place. After I had a few days to simmer on what an invasion of privacy that was, I decided to blog about it. Even if I have a small glimmer of influence to get people to think about just how much that Tweet invaded that celebrity's privacy. Let's for the sake of argument suggest that while the gym is a somewhat public place, the locker room is not. If our celebrity had streaked or walked around in the public gym naked then this person would be fair game. Otherwise, if someone is changing or showering in the gym, he/she is not, in my opinion, fair game. Just because you happen to spot someone changing in the gym locker room doesn't give you license to Tweet about or talk about it. I was further turned off kno...

Now I have covered the male characters I loved in 2011, and I thought now I would cover the girls. Girl power is big in Hollywood right now. The Carrie Diaries is being developed by the CW Network and HBO has a new girl-driven series coming this spring titled Girls . Now I am honestly not intrigued with Carrie Bradshaw's teen and young adults years, so I will be passing up that show. Girls looks like it might be somewhat interesting, sardonic and sarcastic. And with all of this current and upcoming girl power, we have some great female characters to cover. So, here we go. Sookie Stackhouse (the book version): I love Sookie. She's fun, sexy, courageous, and human even if she's "fae". The TV version, I have some qualms about her on True Blood . She has vacillated quite a bit and changed and "rearranged" so to speak. She can be bad-ass, but the writers, while I know are trying to reset the story for 2012, had her say and do some things that, while I...

I am learning so much about how to work with Tumblr and create a following for Brea's Blog. I am still learning, and I suspect I have a long way to go. In the meantime, I wanted to share a couple of tips and my favorite bloggers/blogs. 1. I noticed you need to find common ground and interests with your Tumblr "mates". I am a huge True Blood fan. I love other shows too, but the show has so many compelling characters that I find interesting to discuss with others. It is also based on Charlaine Harris' book series, which gives it even more fodder to discuss as opposed to just the TV show. So I started following some of the Tumblr blogs that focus more generally on the books and show than just an obsession with a single character on the show. Believe me when I say there are some serious (and I mean serious) fan sites on Tumblr. 2. Participate in your community of interest. Once you start participating in your community of interest versus just blogging ...

I noticed on Skarsgardnews that my resident favorite vampire Eric Northman on True Blood got voted in the top 10 favorite vampires. As I have more than amply said, the Viking is my favorite character from 2011 and possibly one of my favorite all-time characters. I also smiled over the reference that he is the best vampire in a track suite, too. I guess unlike Dracula, his tastes in men's fashions don't involve a cape. Well, I do think I should point out that he likes to spend a lot of time in racer-back T-shirts and tanks too. If we're going to critic the wardrobe, my favorite outfits appeared in Season 3 when he dons various Talbot-influenced garbs including the oh-so-popular blue-green sweater and the famous brown-stripped shirt he ultimately disrobes from to reveal, a-hem, his very nice body when he seduces and kills Talbot. Hey, do you suppose Talbot's choices in designer clothes has anything to do with his name and the famous women's clothing store? Hmm ... I...

I like to live by example. So when I tell authors or business clients for that matter they should do X, Y or Z, I prove my point by walking my own talk. So for authors, in particular, this information will be invaluable. For business readers, the same theories apply for products and services. Conventions and Trade Shows  - reaching out and touching directly with your customers is no better way to understand their buying habits. Some booth space can cost $2,000 or better for the larger shows. I try to find shows put on by non-profit where they sell space for $800 or less. I see the value in prospective clients and not just book sales. Otherwise I wouldn't do it. I rarely sell enough books to cover my expenses. I love, though, the opportunity to talk to people and fans. I like to hear what they're thinking and want to buy. I love meeting and greeting new authors. Giveaways  - We are working on a T-shirt for  California Girl Chronicles  with the infamous phrase, "Love...

It's Sunday and I only do fun things on Sunday for the blog. I get asked all of the time, "Are you Brea?" And I tell people "no" all of the time. So what do Brea and I share in common? Here you go: We both worked on a magazine . I worked on several over the course of my long career, and I was promoted to publisher of California Computer News . It wasn't until about two years ago that I pulled back writing magazine features to focus exclusively on 3L Publishing's books. Brea's magazine stint lasts only a few months before she's laid off with the infamous day-glow pink slip. I've never been laid off in my entire career.  Brea's best friend's name is Denise . My lifetime best friend's name is also Denise. Denise in Brea's world has zero in common with my beloved Denise. Denise in California Girl Chronicles is an exhibitionist and very direct and messy. My Denise is none of those things.  Brea is a screenwriter . Yes, I am al...

Hugely annoyed that California Girl Chronicles is out of stock on Amazon and not yet available in bookstores? Well, you can purchase a copy at the 3L Publishing website and forget waiting for Amazon to restock. Our distributor Bakers and Taylor will not start listing the title until March, so it will take time to weave into the stores. In the meantime, you can get it at 3L Publishing, and you're really supporting me, the author, and not Amazon, which I'm sure doesn't need all of your support anyway. We've had over 20 book reviewers request the book this week. Here is what the book is about:  Meet Brea Harper, she is the next Carrie Bradshaw only transplanted in Los Angeles. Funny, witty, beautiful, and very sexy, Brea takes readers on a wild ride into her outrageous romantic and professional life. Demoralized and forced to work in what she calls   bikini hell   just to make ends meet, Brea pursues her career to become a screenwriter only to be continuously distrac...

Eric and Sookie Lovers Posted this Picture! I want to personally thank Erika over at the Eric and Sookie Lovers blog who has reposted two of my blogs. She also allowed me to use some of her very cool pictures, and this one to the left was her response to my big shout out, "Hell to the no" to the "bromance" idea between vampires Eric Northman and Bill Compton on the forthcoming Season 5 of True Blood . Nobody seems to be Team Erill! Or is that Errrrrrill! We all keep praying to the great shrine of Alan Ball that maybe, just maybe he's throwing us all off! No shipping Eric and Bill! Maybe he just planted that idea to send us all screaming into the Scandinavian forest in Narnia where Bill will be tossed down the Wardrobe and fed to the Lion and the Witch! How about that one?! Although my disappointed little shipper heart noticed that right before Season 4, Alexander Skarsgård hinted about what was coming, and it turns out the hints were accurate to what happens...

An authentic Skarsbrow! I wanted to find a picture of Kristin Bauer Van Straten aka as Pam on True Blood doing the infamous Skarsbrow, because I have fantasies in which I will my one eyebrow to arch solo when someone does something ridiculous or questionable. Like the other night, I so wished I could Skarsbrow when my networking buddies were grabbing each other's "girls". Yes, the moment of ass- and boob-grabbing antics was a well-deserved Skarsbrow situation. Unfortunately, I don't have the required eyebrow dexterity to pull it off. Anyway, in my search for a photo of Pam doing it (she's a woman after all), I found this hilarious link in the Urban Dictionary . Unbeknown to me, Mr. Alexander Skarsgård is so famous for the ability to lift a single brow, he got an official term for it in the dictionary. Go Skarsgård. When you're impacting the slang, you know you've made it to the big time LOL.

I had a recent comment on the blog that I removed (it was rude) that suggested that the Charlaine Harris books are for tweens. Let me first share that "tweens" are young pre-teens between the ages of 9-12. Teenagers are in the teenage years 13-19. Now I have not read the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, but my teenager has. The Stephenie Meyer's series is somewhat tame without the overt sexuality contained in the Charlaine Harris books. Meyer's books are acceptable reads for tweens. For the reader who suggested Harris' books are for tweens, I must correct you. Harris books are not for tweens and should not be read by tweens or some teens under the age of 16 (18 in my book, but I'm a little stricter). Anyone who would say that Harris' books are for tweens or teens has not read the Harris books. They are for a mature audience and contain violence and sex. The graphic book covers might fool you, but they are not for the younger audiences, and any sugge...

True Blood Season Five spoilers are starting to drop. And so it seems that my favorite Viking Eric Northman will share a hinted at "bromance" time with our "southern comfort" vampire Bill (see article ). Ugh! Who wants to see that? Not me. Bring on the great "shipping" of Eric and Sookie and forget "bromancing the bill". All right Truebies, you all raise your hands if this is what you want to see in Season Five? As my friend Sonya cites as her favorite Michelle phrase, "Hell to the no!" So not interested in this "dynamic duo". I fear we'll be put on hold minimally another 12 episodes before we see our Viking God reunited with his fairy princess. Doesn't the True Blood writing team know that we all can't get enough of Sookie and Eric? Can't we at least get a single season of how they would be as a real couple with our vampire's memory actually functioning? I mean come on, we had to spend two agonizing seaso...

Whenever I go out networking, I inevitably return to home base with fun stories. If you've read my book California Girl Chronicles then you know my heroine Brea is demoralized when she's forced to wear a funny T-shirt with the phrase "Love My Coconuts" emblazoned across her chest. Here in 3L Publishing La La land, we thought it would be great fun to send book reviewers that phrase on a T-shirt as a thank you for their reviews. When I mentioned this to my girlfriends last night, two of them immediately demanded I have 40 extra printed for them to gift or sell to their friends and associates. I started laughing. I had no idea there was so much passion about wearing the infamous coconut phrase across your chest. One of the women said it was way better than the breast cancer phrases. I never thought of it that way and laughed. Yes, I think I would have more fun with that, too. Now dear readers if you think you too are going to want one of these darlings, you should send...

Alexander Skarsgård  Oh darn! I tried to grab the entire set of pictures of the True Blood cast at the Golden Globe HBO After Party ... but ah shucks! Look who was the only picture I managed to download LOL. Whoops! Or maybe not exactly whoops ... perhaps apropos since Alexander Skarsgard plays my favorite character on the show, Eric Northman. And hey! Guess what! He looks cheerful. Let's see why would he look cheerful here and not so much in the recent paparazzi snaps? Hmm ... let me mess with you for one moment. Maybe it's because, well, it's an event. It's expected to walk the red carpet for promotion of the show. Um, he's not being stalked and snapped while eating or drinking or (more famously) coming or going from the gym! Which reason do you think? All right I am so being a brat here and I know it. In defense of all celebrities who don't like photos snapped of them while they eat or drink in particular, I must point out that no one not even the photogr...

" The dialogue is enticing yet real, which Michelle uses to bring more depth to her characters than initially meets the eye ." ~ Ziggy Soto, New Book Review Today's topic du jour: the importance of writing great dialogue and its value to the storytelling process. What Ziggy caught and mentioned in that book review is a dead-on perception of what I did with the dialogue in California Girl Chronicles . It's nice when readers get it . Another reviewer on Amazon made mention of the use of the dialogue, too. She referred to it as pedestrian, which means commonplace. So let me make some points about the value and importance of great dialogue when telling a compelling, grounded and realistic story that feels authentic and real.  Keeping it real . First, great one-liners are always memorable, yes. As I more than posted here on the blog, one-liners become completely unforgettable in both film and books. Great dialogue becomes just as memorable, but also it grounds the ...

Here is a new review of California Girl Chronicles reposted from Ziggy Soto's blog . Ms. Soto does book reviews for a number of mainstream book review sites as well as her own. I would like to personally thank her for taking her valuable time to read the book and write her critique. Thank you! Book 1 of Michelle Gamble-Risley’s California Girl Chronicles is not what you’d expect—it sure wasn’t what I expected anyway. And I’ll admit I wasn’t disappointed at all. Everyone loves an entertaining, escape-for-awhile novel, and that is exactly what Brea & the City of Plastic is. Book 1 takes us through Brea Harper’s journey of moving to Los Angeles to make it as a screenwriter, while going through some fun, sexy, humiliating, and heartbreaking moments along the way. In a world where business and professional lines are blurred, this novel is more than appropriately titled, and there’s never a dull moment. While Brea may be a born-and-raised Cali girl, women everywhere can relate ...

If I blog on Sunday, I always try to focus on inconsequential fun. Since my reader statistics showed that many of you like to read the funny and comedic excerpts from my books and screenplays, I thought I would start the day off with humor from the California Girl Chronicles series. Enjoy! "You don't treat women like hamburger and they won't treat you like hotdog." ~ Kale, Brea and the City of Plastic "My logical smart girl side of me was screaming, 'Run Brea, run!' Yet here I was on the back of a mare with a guy who appeared to have no brains, which was really unattractive in a man. Remember I was smart and smart likes smart. Today I wasn't smart enough to get off that horse and go home." ~ Brea, Brea and the City of Plastic INT - Red-Velvet Loung - Night Tom Jones wears a boring white shirt and black trousers. He walks on stage, strips off his horrible corporate attire to reveal black disco plants and a red silk shirt. He sings, "...