I have had the pleasure of working with Jen and Jessica over at Romancing-The-Book.com and have written a guest post that they have graciously posted. Check it out:
Jill Shure on Finding Inspiration
Leave a comment on that post for a chance to win copies of Night Jazz, Night Glitter, and Night Caps!
Thanks, Jen (and Jessica!)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Packrat City
My husband and I have too much stuff. Some if it could be considered worthwhile, like my playbills from the theater in London and old travel brochures. But I also have obsolete business files and day planners.
We could probably live in a small, comfortable townhouse if we'd just get rid of our stuff. Books and more books, old linens, old frying pans. I always mean to get rid of these things but I'm much too busy. Besides, I find it upsetting to part with stuff. And yet one day, someone will have to sort through all this stuff. Even if I've moved on to my next karmic level. My stuff will have to endure the scrutiny of strangers so these things can be discarded or recycled.
I never look at the stuff except when I see a pile of it and think, I'm never gonna need this stuff again, am I?
Anyone in the same (packed) boat? Do you keep things around long past their prime for sentimental reasons?
We could probably live in a small, comfortable townhouse if we'd just get rid of our stuff. Books and more books, old linens, old frying pans. I always mean to get rid of these things but I'm much too busy. Besides, I find it upsetting to part with stuff. And yet one day, someone will have to sort through all this stuff. Even if I've moved on to my next karmic level. My stuff will have to endure the scrutiny of strangers so these things can be discarded or recycled.
I never look at the stuff except when I see a pile of it and think, I'm never gonna need this stuff again, am I?
Anyone in the same (packed) boat? Do you keep things around long past their prime for sentimental reasons?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Books
Okay, I'm a writer. But I'm also a reader, and I love to read a variety of things from news magazines to The Vermont Country Store catalog. I'm crazy about mysteries as well as romances. I love fast thrillers by writer Daniel Silva. I adore historical mysteries by Ariana Franklin. I'm just beginning to follow writer Michael Connelly. In fact, I've been overseeing a mystery group for a year and we'll be reading THE LINCOLN LAWYER in June.
Often these mystery books have a passionate affair as a subplot which satisfies the romance reader in me.
I adore humor, too. I'm a big fan of Janet Evanovitch and Nelson DeMille. Evanovitch and DeMille manage to write page turners which also happen to be hilariously funny -- something I hope to accomplish in my next book, A CLAUSE FOR MURDER, which is a cross between chick-lit and a mystery. I suppose it should be labeled a cozy. But it's very modern and hilariously funny.
Because funny is always good.
In my new book NIGHT GLITTER, a romance which is out now, my character, Lupe Cardona often offers comic relief for the novel. She's a complex character. Readers may initially find her obnoxious, if not ridiculous. But she's supposed to be funny. Later on, the reader will discover that her behavior is based on a life filled with intense complications.
Of course, NIGHT GLITTER is the sequel to NIGHT JAZZ, a time travel novel. NIGHT GLITTER begins in 1932 and takes place in both New York and Hollywood during the Great Depression. And thanks to murderous thugs, a silent film heart-breaker named Franky Wyatt and enough sizzling scenes to make your heart pound, the book should appeal to mystery and romance readers.
Often these mystery books have a passionate affair as a subplot which satisfies the romance reader in me.
I adore humor, too. I'm a big fan of Janet Evanovitch and Nelson DeMille. Evanovitch and DeMille manage to write page turners which also happen to be hilariously funny -- something I hope to accomplish in my next book, A CLAUSE FOR MURDER, which is a cross between chick-lit and a mystery. I suppose it should be labeled a cozy. But it's very modern and hilariously funny.
Because funny is always good.
In my new book NIGHT GLITTER, a romance which is out now, my character, Lupe Cardona often offers comic relief for the novel. She's a complex character. Readers may initially find her obnoxious, if not ridiculous. But she's supposed to be funny. Later on, the reader will discover that her behavior is based on a life filled with intense complications.
Of course, NIGHT GLITTER is the sequel to NIGHT JAZZ, a time travel novel. NIGHT GLITTER begins in 1932 and takes place in both New York and Hollywood during the Great Depression. And thanks to murderous thugs, a silent film heart-breaker named Franky Wyatt and enough sizzling scenes to make your heart pound, the book should appeal to mystery and romance readers.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
America
I am proud to be an American. But ... I wonder how we got to this sad point in history. We have minimal access to modern train travel, and air travel is a bleak experience. Try waiting in endless lines, sitting in miserable seats, and being charged extra for everything you need from luggage to food. And after you've paid for all these extras, the experience is still unpleasant. And no one complains. Why? The TSA might drag you away.
Our schools depend on our belief in a brighter, smarter America. But in Florida a new bill has been created to pay teachers by results and not pay them for an advanced education. But if teachers are not encouraged to seek a higher education, why should our students go for an advanced degree? And what should teachers do when students don't do homework, don't show up for class, or don't make any attempt to do the work? Should we punish the parents? Because we can't punish the students. And why are our schools so unimportant? We have the money for new stadiums, so why not teachers?
We have so many malls. Store after store. Yet we dress like slobs. We spend millions at the mall and don't seem to care how we look. We fly, work, and eat in restaurants dressed as if we never saw a store. Odd, huh?
We want our children to read, but we as a country don't read much. We prefer TV. And most of our news shows don't focus on promoting American education, American industry, or the terrible shape of our roads and bridges. Our news shows often focus on the latest winner on AMERICAN IDOL.
In fact we seem to be obsessed with three things in America. First and foremost is being thin, though we're getting fatter. Being thin matters more than who we are as human beings. Next comes the shopping mall and then reality TV.
Television promotes us into believing that being cool matters the most. Have unrealistic breast implants, have your teeth veneered, look starved, and drive the right car, and you've got it made.
And you definitely need a presence on FACEBOOK. So how come so many people are lonely if they have so many internet friends?
We have political leaders who talk about human values and religion. But a lot of the time it's just hot air. It's a smoke screen which covers up the fact that America needs to catch up with Europe and Asia in many areas such as health care and train travel. It's a smoke screen that doesn't tell you that the reason you can buy so many cheap goods in the stores here is because it's all made somewhere else. It's a smoke screen that doesn't warn you that your job may disappear while you're focused on the winner of THE BACHELOR.
And while we're at it, we do need to take control of our health care. We are about 79th in the world. This is fine if you never get sick. But allowing Wall Street to dictate how an insurance company will pay out claims, is just plain nuts. Wall Street is not about you. It's about the few at the top who manage to skim off the profits and disappear into their posh estates in Fairfield County.
There's a lot to be proud of here. But we need to pay attention to more than the latest diet.
Our schools depend on our belief in a brighter, smarter America. But in Florida a new bill has been created to pay teachers by results and not pay them for an advanced education. But if teachers are not encouraged to seek a higher education, why should our students go for an advanced degree? And what should teachers do when students don't do homework, don't show up for class, or don't make any attempt to do the work? Should we punish the parents? Because we can't punish the students. And why are our schools so unimportant? We have the money for new stadiums, so why not teachers?
We have so many malls. Store after store. Yet we dress like slobs. We spend millions at the mall and don't seem to care how we look. We fly, work, and eat in restaurants dressed as if we never saw a store. Odd, huh?
We want our children to read, but we as a country don't read much. We prefer TV. And most of our news shows don't focus on promoting American education, American industry, or the terrible shape of our roads and bridges. Our news shows often focus on the latest winner on AMERICAN IDOL.
In fact we seem to be obsessed with three things in America. First and foremost is being thin, though we're getting fatter. Being thin matters more than who we are as human beings. Next comes the shopping mall and then reality TV.
Television promotes us into believing that being cool matters the most. Have unrealistic breast implants, have your teeth veneered, look starved, and drive the right car, and you've got it made.
And you definitely need a presence on FACEBOOK. So how come so many people are lonely if they have so many internet friends?
We have political leaders who talk about human values and religion. But a lot of the time it's just hot air. It's a smoke screen which covers up the fact that America needs to catch up with Europe and Asia in many areas such as health care and train travel. It's a smoke screen that doesn't tell you that the reason you can buy so many cheap goods in the stores here is because it's all made somewhere else. It's a smoke screen that doesn't warn you that your job may disappear while you're focused on the winner of THE BACHELOR.
And while we're at it, we do need to take control of our health care. We are about 79th in the world. This is fine if you never get sick. But allowing Wall Street to dictate how an insurance company will pay out claims, is just plain nuts. Wall Street is not about you. It's about the few at the top who manage to skim off the profits and disappear into their posh estates in Fairfield County.
There's a lot to be proud of here. But we need to pay attention to more than the latest diet.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Midwest Book Review: GLITTER a "Top Pick"
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Night Glitter review in The Midwest Book Review.
From the website:
The deadliest things have the prettiest faces. "Night Glitter" is a follow up to Jill Shure's previous novel Night jazz, as the protagonists fall upon the tough times of the 1930s and as Jeri is forced out of their New York hometown and finds herself in Hollywood and finds a more eventful life that she really wants, trading the New York underworld for the Hollywood underworld. "Night Glitter" is a riveting thriller and drama, and a top pick.
--Mary Cowper, The Midwest Book Review
Click here to read the review. Click here to purchase Night Glitter from your favorite bookseller.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
NBC6 Miami Segment
My interview on South Florida Today is up on the NBC Miami website!
This segment features drinks from Night Caps and also features Pawel Prus, a handsome bartender from Bar 721.
Click here to watch!
Welcome to Miami!
Yesterday, I appeared on the NBC program "South Florida Today" on NBC6 in Miami. What a treat! Now, I am enjoying the city and catching up with some friends in the area.
I will be sure to put a link to the interview when we get the video uploaded. The segment was a blast - we had a bartender on site mixing drinks from my book Night Caps. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Is anyone from Miami, or have you visited the city? Any suggestions of what to see and do while we're here? Leave a comment!
I will be sure to put a link to the interview when we get the video uploaded. The segment was a blast - we had a bartender on site mixing drinks from my book Night Caps. I'm sure you will enjoy it.
Is anyone from Miami, or have you visited the city? Any suggestions of what to see and do while we're here? Leave a comment!
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