First Word

Now bad reviews happen with books. Not everybody has the same tastes. Even some of my favorite books and movies get panned. In fact, a good "panning" is to be expected every now and again. What I am not fond of seeing are reviewers, who pan one of our books, and then turn around and question the validity of the positive reviews. I've seen this happen a number of times. It doesn't seem to be enough for the reviewer to say he or she didn't like the book and here's why. What doesn't work for me are those reviewers who not only dislike a book, but go out of their way to act indignant that the book received praise -- and of course, the praise must be faked! Even when there are professional reviews saying good things surely these were faked as well. The author bribed them or they are friends and family. If I hadn't seen this assertion more than once, I would not be bringing it up. Just because a reviewer doesn't like a book doesn't mean that everybod...

How much of the artist is poured into the work? I get asked if I'm my heroine Brea Harper in California Girl Chronicles . I am not Brea. It's not an autobiography. But how much of the book reflects something about my life and psyche? I once took a great class in college about the psychology of authors and how you can see what was going on in their lives through the lens of their work. We studied many of the great authors and read about their lives and then read one of their greatest works. One of our assignments was to read about D.H. Lawrence and then read Sons and Daughters, which reflected back on his family life . In comparing the life to the work, we did pull out relevant events and factors that were in the stories. Of course, the author brings his or her "world" to the story. We are better writers when we come from a place of authenticity. It's harder to write about the richness of an experience when we've not had the experience. When I have very young a...

If you've watched our so-called scandalous California Girl Chronicles trailer on You Tube, you may have noticed it was very sexy, and yet not one moment of actual "sex" was described. We had a few viewers comment about its intoxicating allure and more than one comment that it was "soft core". I feel the need to point something out about this trailer. I has no skin, profanity or description of actual sex. The scene describes nothing more than a first encounter and a kiss. You listened carefully right? Brea is describing the first time she kisses Kale and how she feels about it. In describing her feelings, it's evident she is turned-on and would like there to be sex, but there is none ... yet. When you write alluring scenes, it's about writing it with the "feelings" and thoughts in mind. You pull the reader into the desires. You do not need to describe an act to make it sexy and titillating. Sometimes writers make the mistake of just getting do...

I love spoilers -- there I said it. I like to have at least some clue where my favorite shows are heading in the new season. Well, they just released the new trailers for True Blood, Season 5 and how lame! Come on now, let's see some better clues than your past catches up with you or doesn't stay buried ... or whatever. Let's see some hints with the actual actors and not the mundane set pieces we've all seen a hundred times over. I want some action here! Some clues! A spoiler or two or three. We already know that Bill and Eric are on the run and sharing some boo-hiss "bromance" time (yuck). Does Tara get turned into a vamp or zombie. I vote zombie, that's way more off-kilter and interesting. Mark my words, Tara isn't gone. Will we get to see any Eric-Sookie loving at all? I hope so. Here is an idea, let's send Bill off to meet the sun while Sookie and Eric make mad passionate love on Eric's Barbados estate (we know he has one from Season 4...

The following is an excerpt from the second book in the California Girl Chronicles: Brea's Big Break . If you read the first book, Brea and the City of Plastic, you are probably eagerly awaiting to see what trouble Brea gets into next. A small promotional print run was done this month. If you send me an email at info@3LPublishing.com , I will let you know how you can purchase your own copy way in advance of the official release date this summer.  Prologue My name is Brea Harper, and I am the quintessential California girl. I am blond, fabulously tall, pretty and smart. I’m a screenwriter, but often get mistaken for an actress since I live in Los Angeles among the other pretty people. My desire to write screenplays has nothing to do with fame or glamour. I love to write. Period. It’s how I express my creativity and fulfill my artistic impulses. I live in a small apartment near Hollywood with my best friend Denise, who as you might know already, is quite a live wire and loads of...

As a publisher and editor, I can literally tell on the first page of a manuscript whether the book is going to end on the acceptance or rejection pile. I'm sure all you authors out there are eager to hear what to avoid if you want to get through the gatekeeping process. Tell it all on page 1 . How could you possibly do that on a single page, well, you would be surprised. Some authors give the book's big reveal on the very first page. They think this technique effectively draws in the reader -- and it could if you're a master of the storytelling process. Truth is, most new authors are not masters of that process, and the big reveal only serves to ruin the book's chances of getting accepted. So unless you're super talented and can pull that one off in some clever, interesting way, I don't recommend you approach your book's story that way. Passive voice and cluttered writing . Two-hundred adjectives strung together with a lot of passive voice is a big no, n...

Well, I am not really a big mainstream TV watcher. I love movies. I watch the premium channels, and the only mainstream show that I will watch to its conclusion is House , which ends this year. I enjoyed my days spent with the cantankerous diagnostician. My fondest memories are when two fall seasons in a row, I visited my favorite aunt in New Hampshire and propped my laptop with DVDs of the show running on the bed late at night and watched episode after episode. I completely associated this series with those crisp New England fall evenings even though the majority of the time I actually watched it in my own bed in California. Now the summer HBO Sunday night show season is about to start, and I bet all of you fans out there know what I'm looking forward to now ... True Blood Season 5 . I've read some of the spoilers and expect to see a season loaded with some engaging story lines to keep me hooked. I also have spotted the trailers for the new show Girls in which I am marginally...

All right ... ick! I was rallied to finally watch the new installment of the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, Breaking Dawn . I am so sorry all of you ardent and zealot Twilight fans, but no go! This movie was slow, tedious and ridiculous as we spent about 50 percent of the story awaiting (oh horror), the demon baby to emerge. I felt like I was on a bad trip into an updated version of Rosemary's Baby , which was actually a better movie. I guess if you like your vampire stories like cotton candy and bad CGI then this movie would work for you. I know it's designed for teen entertainment, but let me say this: the sex was graphic enough that although I allowed my 14-year-old to see it when it was released in the theaters, I kind of regretted it when I laid eyes on the actual scenes. Short of body parts on display, it was pretty obvious what Bella and Edward were doing on their wedding night. Since it's new on DVD, I don't recommend it. I don't recommend it for the...

Hello all of my loyal followers. It's Saturday morning and I always like to be entertaining on the weekends. So, I'm going to keep it sort of light this morning ... well, sort of light. Anyway, my writer's group Writer's Who Mean Business hosted an erotic writer named Rosalia, who has written innumerable erotic stories for dozens of books and publications. Rosalia was incredibly frank and interesting. While some of the material she held up would have made the typical author blush and perhaps let out a giggle (and this coming from the author of California Girl Chronicles , which is highly charged and erotic), Rosalia let it go with an utter frank, unaffected pride. I marveled as she held up blush-worthy titles and admitted with steady frankness that and I quote, "I like to write hardcore. It's what I like." She didn't even blink! Even if that were the case and I wanted to write hardcore like that, I know for certain a smile would creep across my face a...

Hello my Friend-Os and followers. I know, I know! I missed a blog yesterday. Slap my pajamas, I actually had a break in blogging LOL. Sorry! I was out networking. Yes, the meat and potatoes and foundation for new business -- relationship building and networking. If you're a business owner who is not out working the lines then you're not going to enjoy the kind of rewards I do in terms of new business. I make it my no. #1 priority to network and build relationships at least 3-4 times a month or more. Now if you're asking, "What is relationship building vs. standard networking" then here, let me explain in a quick nutshell. Relationship networking is exactly what it sounds like . It's not about shaking a hand and pushing a business card. Relationship building is about consistently showing up at networking events. It's about letting people slowly get to know you and understand your brand, product or service. It's at the heart about "making friends...

I want to tell you the secret to a happy, passion-filled life ... when you truly follow your passion you will never lose! Sometimes following that passion takes risk. It might seem scary. It might have barriers to overcome, but you never look at barriers as anything more than a puzzle to solve. Every single time and without fail that I've followed my passion, I have never regretted it. Life and change and reinvention are great things. Some people reinvent easier than others. I've reinvented so many times now, and each time something tremendous happened. I grew and changed and fulfilled all aspects of my life. When something goes out of balance, it's really a tipping point. A tipping point is an opportunity to re-balance and re-harmonize. Opportunities show up regularly in our lives. You have to have clear vision to see those opportunities. It's when you keep closing up and shutting doors and seeing something as an opportunity to change and evolve that you will unleash y...

You all know I have nothing but "fandom" when it comes to my favorite actor Alexander Skarsgard, but this little picture ( click here ) resulted in him getting the "Tacky" award. First, if you're going to look maybe you ought to not do it while you're on a panel in front of a bizillion cameras! Maybe he didn't really calculate that move very well. Maybe his testosterone just took over his little head first and his big head second. Whatever the case maybe, it was bad form. To make matters worse, notice the comments (all from men) on the page where this is posted. Oh, yeah they're slapping him on the back, "You go boy!" You know maybe that actress doesn't care in the least or maybe she does. Maybe she, too, was ready to have a "Skarsgasm," but I for one would be really unhappy about someone quite obviously leering at me that way in public. I recently had a guy come up while we were doing a book signing, practically sit on top of...

I learn lots of fun things that drive business. I like to share fun and prosperity-generating information with all of you. Here are some great tips for success. Every member of your team is a salesperson . People get stuck in their "roles" and don't realize they project the company everywhere they go. You in some respects are the brand. When you're out networking, always seize the opportunities. These opportunities will present themselves to you at all turns. You need to be on, alert and ready to pounce. If you own the company, set up a reward system for everyone to participate. It doesn't matter if it's your secretary. If he or she sells something for the company, reward him or her. Every member of your team must participate in social media . You can't keep ignoring the power of social media. If you use social media the right way and not just to post your pictures of your cats and kittens or your drinking shots, you will attract business. Your staff sho...

I have heard about the "cons" or conventions. I knew from an episode of Entourage of ComiCon, which was a pretty interesting episode. We had all sorts of "characters" running around down to some hot porn girls and some "toys"! With the release of California Girl Chronicles , my awareness of conventions increased. My right-hand PR and marketing chick Victoria Andrew encouraged me to do the convention circuit to sell books and products. I figured why not? It looks, if nothing else, pretty interesting. So I am traveling to Chicago next month to participate in the Romance Times Book Lovers convention. I am imagining all sorts of fabulous fun with committed romance fans. Now California Girl isn't exactly your typical romance book. In fact, it's more of a fun romp into a single girl's professional and personal escapades. If you have a great book, the conventions offer an opportunity outside of the bookstores to get out in sell your book face to face...

Again, it's Saturday morning, and I hate being serious on a Saturday morning. So, I decided I would dig into my books the California Girl Chronicles and pull out my favorite funny dialog to make you laugh or at the very least crack a smile.  Johnny: “You’re hot and nice. I like you. And I like that you have real body parts.”  Brea: “Do you consider yourself a womanizer?”  Ryan: “No, I just love women.” Ryan: “You know, Americans are the only ones who get all excited and say they love shit. We’re like the most enthusiastic nation! Other people say, ‘Hey, I like it,’ but not us, man. We love everything!” Denise: “Why did you screw the friend?”  Brea: “I was drunk,” I replied. Denise: “Oh, got it.”  Brea: “Are you going to trash this script?”  Kale: “No, we had you do that." Ryan: “Nope, I do what I want – and that doesn’t bother either of them.”  Brea: “Are you sure about that? Freeloader.”  Ryan: “Freeloader never! It...

Once more up till all hours of the night unable to sleep with my mind going 100 mph. I guess I will have to eliminate all caffeine in the afternoons again. I only had an iced tea, but that was enough to keep my brain working late. Well, not one to wile away a good night with the moon, I got to thinking about classic love affairs in literature and film. The ones we can never forget. Some of the best love affairs are quite chaste. The characters longing for each other, but kept apart by various barriers either self-made or just in the way. Isn't that part of a classic love affair ... the longing and want? If it were blissful without drama, we as the audience would have no vested interest to keep reading or watching as the case may be. Here are some good ones: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice -- there's was one of misunderstanding and inadvertent offense which kept them separated. I've read the book and seen the multiple films of this classic tale writ...

If you've read California Girl Chronicles , I know many of you are eager to find out the answer to the annoying cliffhanger. If you've been reading this blog on a regular basis, you might have figured out by the spoilers "sort of" what happens. If you're hoping I'm going to reveal all now ... you're out of luck! Sorry! Book two, which I just did a limited run of printed copies for promotional purposes, is completed -- and it has been completed for quite sometime. Book three is completed in my mind ... but stories tend to take on an organic unfolding of their own, so it may end up in an entirely new direction by the time it's finished. I am going to reveal a few promised secrets, though, as committed to in that headline. First, our beloved dreamboat producer Kale may not be as heavily involved on canvas in book three as many of you might like to see. Not going to say why. No worries! He is very involved in book two, and he won't be completely going ...

Now I can't say which girlfriend sent me this message this morning, but it was pretty darned funny. She said she dreamt that she got caught in bed with Alexander Skarsgard by her husband. And she blamed me because it was all part of my diabolical plan to write about it in one of my books. Of course, I woke up for work this morning with this message in my in-box and started cracking up. Wow! I now apparently have set up my girlfriends to get caught cheating with the Swedish actor ... AND it's all part of my evil intentions to come up with good book material. Hmm ... now that's an interesting premise: I'll set up all of my girlfriends with miscellaneous hot guys to get caught cheating or maybe just to experiment to see what happens. Will they get caught? Maybe they'll fall in love ... ! Yes, that's it! I now have a grand master plan for endless amounts of book material all at the expense of my girlfriends' marriages. What divine genius! I must now thank my gir...

Now before I launch into this morning's diatribe, I have to give a little preemptive strike. Facebook and Twitter are much more controlled environments, and I only find my jaw dropped onto the ground occasionally. Where I am suffering the most shock and awe is on Tumblr. Don't get me wrong, I like Tumblr and I use it for Brea's Blog . When I am on Tumblr and I do my most exploring is when I run into stuff that is mind-blowing! The difference between Tumblr and other social media like Facebook and Twitter is that it's geared toward bloggers. What you find in the blogger world are a lot of fan sites. Again, don't get me wrong, I like fans. I am trying to build a fan following for my own book California Girl Chronicles . The average run-of-the-mill fan is fabulous. We need fans to support our books at 3L Publishing . So, these comments are not aimed at pleasant "fandom" where boundaries and rationale logic apply. These comments are aimed at fans who have gone...

Please help me make our book trailer for California Girl Chronicles, a viral success. Please pass the link around and enjoy. Here is the link to the You Tube Trailer . BTW, it's very hot and sexy ... so enjoy!!

So, I received a lot of submissions from authors of the category of book I'll call the "death, disease and dying books." I'm going to say something that will largely be met with an unpopular uproar, but I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of the barrage of these book types. Yes, many of them are designed to be inspirational. I love to be inspired. The problem is most of them spend 200 pages discussing the negative subject of what happened and only a chapter on the inspiration ... I overcame it. It's depressing and mostly not the way I as a reader want to spend an afternoon. Again, I realize from the deluge of these book types that many authors are saying "boo, hiss" at me right now, but honestly it doesn't challenge me to my higher sense of positivity to spend six months of my life as an editor of these tomes buried in the misery. Now books that spend the majority of that time exploring resiliency and positive outlooks even in the darkest ...

In light of the recent proclamation that Sweden has all of the hot men (and not presumably Australia, which I thought ruled the world in terms of all things hot and male), I decided to check out who other than hot man du jour Alexander Skarsgard (voted five times Sweden's sexiest man) live among the Suedes. In my quick search that took more than one minute, I found the hot Swedish man video to inform, and of course show me why Sweden rules in male hotness. In less than 10 minutes, I felt fully informed, advised and educated! I now must force Australia to concede the crown of the hottest male of the species and turn it over to Sweden. For yes, my fellow females, Sweden does as it so seems have dozens of prime male hotness to choose from. I will, however, stick to my fundamental belief that Mr. Skarsgard's temperature is hottest of all, which of course confirms and supports his ongoing prize as the sexiest one, too. Enjoy the video ;).

Jeaninne and Michelle Last night we launched Manuel's Murals at Cha-Cha's in Rocklin. I want to congratulate Jeaninne Kato's whose party went off beautifully. She looked amazing, and she had a full house! The book is available on Amazon, 3L's website (www.3LPublishing.com) or at manuelsmurals.tumblr.com. Let me say one thing: when you work with a publisher (any publisher), can you genuinely say that you feel like the CEO is your friend, supporter and cheerleader? When you work with us, you will very likely say that your publisher is all of those things and more! We are a small, intimate team of professionals who are passionate about our work. We only work with authors who we like and respect their work. In working with us, we forge powerful bonds ... so that hug is a true, loving hug between two girlfriends! I would imagine most big corporate publishing machines don't offer that kind of profound friendship and support! You become another author in a sea of autho...

It's Saturday morning -- and most readers know I don't focus on serious subject matter over the weekends (well, sometimes not during the week either ;). Nothing gets my attention more as a writer than a fantastic piece of dialog. A snappy one-liner in particular just gets me to either laugh or remember it forever. In my work, I constantly strive to write that great, memorable one-line. The reason I adore True Blood (among many reasons) are the classic, memorable one-liners. Here is a list of some of the most unforgettable lines throughout the seasons. If you can write dialog this amazing, well, you're probably a literary super star (hmm ... sort of like Alan Ball and his writing team).  Pam : Do not tell me you put our entire species at risk for a gash in a sundress? Arlene : Zombies are the new vampires, didn't you know that? Sookie :  Bill, you were just licking blood out of my head. I don't think it gets much more personal than that." Bill, you were ju...

SPOILER ALERT: The following is an excerpt from California Girl Chronicles: Brea and the City of Plastic. In this scene, she meets Kale, her central love interest in the series. The book is available for sale on 3L Publishing www.3LPublishing, Amazon, Kindle, iBook, Nook and is available to order through Bakers and Taylor for bookstores. 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, or more like fell off, and weaved unsteadily toward the bathroom. I swiftly grabbed the stool, slid up, and could see Drew already at the microphone. I saw his eyes move my way, and he stared right back just for a moment. Then he drifted off into the song. Before I could order, a lemon drop was plunged in fron...

I spoke yesterday at Women's Success group in Roseville at Crush 29. Whenever I get out and about an away from the confines of my desk or seriously just out of my own head, I am very pleased to realize the progress in our media campaign for California Girl Chronicles and in general. A couple of super fun moments I want to share. First, notice my outfit in the picture. Just for the record, the clothes got more attention than the presentation LOL. Between comments about the chic shoes you cannot see in the photo and the admiration of the outfit, I had to laugh. I had one woman at the evening event I attended tell me I looked "glamorous". I'll take it. Here is the amusing part. I went into White House Black Market, saw this outfit on the mannequin and just made it easy and bought the whole thing. The presentation went very well (aside from a sad, little spectacle we observed that believe me was met with a lot of head shaking and confusion over such blatant insecurity),...

I am really excited! Victoria Andrew has done an excellent job in organizing my first stop on the California Girl Chronicles book tour. What should I call it? Hmm ... Brea's Big Book Tour. I like it! All right so among the many events she has arranged, we have a major book signing at Women and Children's First Bookstore, which according to Victoria who also hales from Chicago, is very prestigious. Since I've done nothing more than idle away time in Chicago O'Hare (and I have a very funny story about the time I failed to realize the size of that airport), I have no idea about this bookstore. So, I will go on Victoria's word that it's a big deal that we got accepted. She worked very hard to arrange this book signing. The main event is, of course, the Romance Times annual convention being held out in Rosemont, April 10-15. We will introduce my beloved Brea Harper to a crowd of new fans. We also signed up to run the book trailer at the convention hotel of choice ...

In one of the quietest, little movies of the year that stirs up big emotions, we find ourselves in the world of a Adam, a young man diagnosed with a rare back cancer. I knew I wanted to see this movie, and it came as no surprise it was a great movie since it had been nominated for numerous awards. I was surprised that it wasn't exactly your typical movie about life, death and the big C. It moved with a slow, visceral build with a very intimate look at Adam's reaction and slow meltdown and eruption as he realizes, yeah, hey he could die. The scene where this realization finally hits him is superb. Adam, who doesn't drive for fear he could die (yes, the irony is not lost), decides to grab the wheel when his best friend played by the low-key Seth Rogen gets too drunk to drive. Adam, who at this point has been pretty controlled about the whole thing, finally lets loose on the car and not only drives recklessly but pounds the steering wheel, letting go of loads of pent-up anger ...

So, I promised I would give a review of my birthday present True Blood and Philosophy ... well, I have to tell you. If you really want a deconstructed insider "revelation" about the show, go to Love True Blood and forget the book. This book takes on a very conventional deconstruction based on historical philosophy and modern feminism. I always hope for a deeper look at a piece of work that pulls back the veil between me and the storyteller to help engender a greater understanding of the story -- whether it's on TV or a book. The website really accomplishes that goal while the book is just too, well, boring. It didn't give me a deeper meaning to the characters. I wasn't at all enlightened and frankly mostly bored by it. Now the website written by very literate fans of the show is much more intriguing and revealing. Also, there is a mention on the Love True Blood site today about how Charlaine Harris doesn't map out her books and focuses primarily on one bo...

SPOILER ALERT: The following is a brief excerpt for California Girl Chronicles: Brea's Big Break, which is the second book in the series due out in summer 2012. If you hate spoilers, read no further. If you love spoilers, enjoy! I arrived at the Tea Leaf, and he was sitting out front reading his Blackberry, engrossed in something. He looked up, smiled and set it down. I pulled out the iron chair, which made a scraping noise on the pavement. Curtis had two cups sitting in front of him and slid one across to me. I looked down, smiled and asked, “For me?” “I took the liberty of ordering hazelnut.” He smiled. “I noticed you liked it.” “How sweet,” I replied. “Thanks!” I said and took a sip. Curtis looked at me with a curious tilt to his head, grinned and asked, “You have a manager?” “No,” I replied. “Kale said they’re all bloodsuckers and to get an entertainment attorney.” “Kale said?” he asked with a strange look. “Well, yes,” I replied and frowned. Curtis looked down at h...

So, it seems the blog is now well over 2,000 page views per month. My audience has made their vote on my content with the most number of views. Apparently when I wax, wane or whine for that matter about anything that involves True Blood and everyone's actor and hot man du jour Alexander Skarsgard, the readers come running. I'm also tickled to see that California Girl Chronicles excerpts attract a nice draw, too. Well, it turns out that all men right now from Sweden seem to be piquing the female interest. A new poll ranked Sweden as the land of plenty o' hot men! I guess for the single ladies looking for the beautiful race, Sweden is it. I always thought Australia offered beautiful, chiseled-cheeked men a plenty. When I was "down under," I couldn't help but pick my jaw off the ground a few times. Even the bellhops looked like they belonged on the cover of GQ . It was hard not to stare! These guys were so rarely gorgeous, I found myself looking much like you w...