An Easy Valentine

Looking for something romantic to watch in this season of love? The really romantic stories never lose their luster, even after 32 years. Check out one of my favorites, The Big Easy from 1986, a romantic cop thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin and written by Daniel Petrie Jr. Quaid plays Remy McSwain, a bad-boy, well, crooked, New Orleans cop. Barkin plays Anne Osborne, an uptight D.A. As he investigates mob/drug murders, she investigates him. The chemistry between these two is red-hot (the movie is rated R but not sexually graphic) but what's so compelling is how thay actually fall for one another. The moments of vulnerability, betrayal, and redemption are awesome. And the mystery is compelling and startling, to boot! ^_^ Here's a clip ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqT7UxxAVgM

It's an Honor

I love all reviews - my heart kicks up in a flurry of excitement every time I see a new review. A review tells me my work has touched a reader in some way - that I have done for someone else what books have been doing for me my whole life. I especially love reviews where the reader hits upon EXACTLY what I was trying to do when I wrote the book. Today's review of Queen of the Universe does exactly that. "Realistic characters in engaging situations..." YES! Like in my all-time favorite romcom movie Tootsie, I try to take characters with relatable emotional responses and place them in situations that are sometimes zany, sometimes wacky, sometimes poignant, always heartfelt. Thank you to every reader who has ever left a review for me or for some other author who brought you joy. Cherish is the word I use to describe ...

The Perfect Finale

I hope you all had wonderful holidays <3 One high point of December was that I finally got around to watching the series finale of the show Psych, a delightful show I talk about all the time on my facebook page. The goofy humor, the eighties references, the awesome cast, the amazing guest stars. I have seen some series finales over the past few years that really upset me because they did not end on a high note for fans - they did not give the fans what they wanted - what the show spent hours and hours making them want. BUT I am psyched to say that the Psych series finale DELIVERED on every possible front. And you know what? Before I saw the finale, I was hoping that things would go a certain way for McNabb - a minor character who is not even in every episode. And what I wished for McNabb - is EXACTLY what happened! And Lassie got a better send-off than I ever could have imagined! Psych totally nailed the series finale :)Here's the amazeballs opening ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knTjOjOdZNo

The Wizard of Literature

I love reading romantic comedy, romance, chick lit, women's fiction, and mystery. Occasionally, I'll read literature or general fiction, and sometimes science fiction or fantasy. One fantasy book I've read is The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin, which I quite enjoyed. And my goodness, HOW impressive that Le Guin kicked butt in such a male-dominated genre! Ursula Le Guin just died yesterday, peacefully at her home in Portland, Oregon, and gosh it makes me sad to see her go. But how did someone like me, so steeped in romance and women's fiction, even stumble upon the peerless Le Guin in the first place, you ask? Women's fiction led me to her. In Karen Joy Fowler's wonderful book The Jane Austen Book Club, Jocelyn gets Grigg to read Jane Austen, and after much patience, Grigg gets Jocelyn to read Ursula Le Guin-- and Jocelyn LOVES it! And, well, Grigg got me to read Ursula Le Guin, too. Have you ever read any of her books? If not, a great, unexplored author waits on your horizon. The L.A. Times pays tribute to her.