Too Much Inspiration

Usually I have one or two ideas which compete for my writing attention. But this season, I find myself juggling way too many ideas. So I alternate. Today I work on one book and then another. This sounds great. Unfortunately, it may mean that I take way too long to finish anything. This has happened before.

Having completed novels, screenplays, and blogs, I know I can do the work. I just have to figure out which one I feel most passionate about.

If you're an author with the same problem, I would love to hear from you.

Uplifting Week

We are participating in Palm Springs Modernism Week, and the film series on architecture and design has been so inspiring.

It seems that any creative energy inspires me. I have been enchanted by the brilliance of the film makers and the architects who have inspired them. People who have designed and built so much we can be proud of here in California and elsewhere.

Many of these innovative mavericks remind me of friends I knew in college at Michigan and my boyfriend who became an architect.

I will post more later.

What Bill Gates Could Have Done.

Every day technology changes. And if you spend time with people in high tech industries, you're bombarded by these daily updates.

But yesterday over lunch, a tech engineer complained about how his electric bills have gone through the roof thanks to the new smart meters.

We talked about solar panels, etc., and I was once again struck by how much time has been devoted to computer updates over the last few years, yet so little money was spent by people like Bill Gates to update solar energy. Right now, we need huge expensive solar panels which aren't as efficient as they could be. But what if instead of developing smaller phones and faster computers, Gates along with other business people had put together teams to develop solar energy?

Maybe we'd have solar panels the size of cell phones now. Panels which could be plugged into a tiny unit attached to our houses. This would have made a major difference in our quest for cheap, clean energy.

Well, Gates didn't. And so while our bills go through the roof, we have to wait until something better comes along.

Looks, looks, looks!

Do you ever consider a book because you like the author's looks? A silly idea? I'm not so sure. Many of us are influenced by looks in terms of celebrities we follow, shows we watch, and movies we choose to see.

So would you ever refuse to read a book because the author's photo is unattractive? Or the author looks old?

How do you feel?

On being a writer

It's 2011 and other than pushing my new mystery A CLAUSE FOR MURDER, I'm focusing on the next book in the Betsy Ross series. I often wonder what pushes me. Because coming up with a new and funnier novel, is a daunting task. Between structuring the novel, creating vivid characters, and making the words flow, there are the final rewrites.

All this before the real work begins. I mean the task of supporting a new book. Creating interest. Making sales.

We've reached a time in history where anything is possible. But it's hard to stand out from the pack. And with stores like Borders going under and new technology, it's a challenge to juggle so many roles. Because being a writer is a private, intimate matter. But standing up in front of people or creating a persona on the internet is another. Dual roles for a writer. And both of them are creative yet demanding.

I believe many writers out there feel this pressure. If you're one of them, I'd love to hear from you.

London, a city I love.

For about fifteen years my husband and I made an annual trip to London. Mostly to see theater. During that first trip, I fell in love with the old theaters, the magic the Brits can create, and the knowledge that this was the best live theater in the world. Great acting, great directing, great everything. I thrilled every time our jet landed -- after an eleven hour trip, and we could look out the window and see the Concord landing, too. In later years, the flights from LA seemed to arrive later and the Concord was discontinued. But still...

But after 9-11, dips in the world economy, and a weakening dollar against the British pound, it became harder to justify these trips. My favorite British playwright Alan Ayckbourn had grown fed up with the British reviewers and gone to Scarborough. The musicals seemed to be based on B-Movies from the US, and what was left seemed thin in comparison to previous years.

But I still long to wake up as our flight passes over Ireland, the smell of breakfast fills the jet, and I know our long journey to England is just beginning.

I miss visiting the Museum of London, The Imperial War Museum, and too many others to name here.

Now we stay in the US. New York has loads of wonderful plays and musicals. Many of these have a British star at their helm. And Upstate New York has brilliant fall foliage. But I hope to make that flight again one day soon. And feel that magic again.

Youtube Events

I am so excited to be producing two videos to promote my new book, A CLAUSE FOR MURDER.

Guest post at AccessRomance

I have the pleasure of being a guest blogger at AccessRomance today. My post is titled "A 1930's Romance with a Sears & Roebuck Catalog." In it, I discuss the trends and fashions during the era of Night Jazz and Night Glitter. Here is an excerpt:

During my research for my novels Night Jazz and Night Glitter, I became fascinated by the 1920’s and 1930’s fashions. It was a research journey I adored. For example, the 1920s didn’t begin with really short skirts. They rose gradually following The Great War also known as World War I. And the cloche hat was based on the helmet worn in that war.

Read the whole article here.

Thanks, AccessRomance!

Interview on "The Authors Show"

I am on air today on "The Authors Show" with Don McCauley. Visit http://www.theauthorsshow.com/ to listen to my interview and find out new information about Night Glitter!

Guest Post: "Always a Reader"

I am so honored to be featured on Dallas Woodburn's blog. Dallas Woodburn is a writer and the founder of "Write On!". I am so pleased to have a post on her blog.

Click here to read my guest blog, "Always a Reader."

Dallas is a great voice in the Southern California writing community, and I urge everyone to check out her blog.

Thanks, Dallas!

In the beginning, there was Marjorie Morningstar

Whenever I consider the state of publishing and how challenging it is to be a writer, I look back at what inspired me to write in the first place, what made me feel passionate about books. I always return to the first time I read Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk.

I remember how compelled I felt to devour every word of that huge novel. How I traveled with Marjorie as she plunged into a love affair with the illusive Noel Airman, a character who delivered passion, romance, and an endless challenge. A man Marjorie believed would give her everything she needed if only she could capture his heart and bring him to the altar. Her journey was my journey. Marjorie Morningstar was my fantasy and the fantasy of many other female writers who have confessed their passion for this novel.

Herman Wouk was and still is a storyteller. He followed no formula. His book was a love story set in the New York of the 1930s. Marjorie stood for every beautiful young woman who believes with all her heart that she is destined to be a great Broadway actress and the wife of her dashing ideal, in this case the handsome but flawed Noel Airman.

Wouk wrote masterfully for many years. He managed to surprise us over and over with not only Marjorie Morningstar but also The Caine Mutiny for which he won a Pulitzer. He also penned Winds of War and War and Remembrance. I met him once at UCSD. It was thrilling because I'd read almost everything he'd ever written. I believe he now lives in Palm Springs where he is still writing.

I long for Wouk's brand of storytelling. He was clever and unpredictable. He did not follow a modern paradigm of how you do it. So whenever I doubt my role in this universe, I return to my favorite novel, Marjorie Morningstar, to rediscover what it was that sent me on this journey in the first place.

New interview on "Hot Books, Great Authors"

You can now listen to my interview on "Hot Books, Great Authors" with Valerie Connelly. Click here to listen!

In this interview, Valerie and I speak about 1930's, Night Glitter's sexy Franky Wyatt, writing, and a whole lot more. Visit the website and listen to the interview here (I'm featured in the second half of the interview). And let me know what you think!

Thanks, Valerie!

What Americans Enjoy Reading

Another newspaper has just cut out book reviews. While this may hurt many well-read Americans, most Americans won't notice. To me, too many esoteric books with little appeal to the average reader received most of the reviews. So while it's a shame, I'm not sure the impact will be felt that far or wide. To me it's a matter of who is reading what. If you grow up hating everything from Beowulf to The Sound and The Fury because you were forced to read this "fine" literature in school, you may have missed out on all the fun of reading. And you may never willingly pick up another book again. So if English teachers and book reviewers have hurt your love for books and what they have to offer, remember, bookstores on and offline, have a lot out there which you might enjoy. It's like those Harry Potter books. Because they were fun and exciting, children fell in love with them and read them as fast as they were printed. Reading doesn't have to feel like you're drinking a laxative before a colonoscopy. There are mysteries, romances, biographies, and everything else under the sun to fall in love with. So take a chance. If the book reviewers at major newspapers had done so, they might still be in demand.

New reviews for NIGHT JAZZ and NIGHT GLITTER

What a day it has been for my Night books!

First of all, a lovely review of Night Jazz was posted at Romance Junkies and at Joanne's blog Just Me Joanne



Click here to check out Joanne's thoughts on Night Jazz at Romance Junkies.

Secondly, Night Glitter has been reviewed by Book Junkie, a fabulous book blogger.

Click here to read the review of Night Glitter at Book Junkie.

I know I've said it before, but it cannot be said enough: I am so pleased to be a part of the amazing book community and romance community online. Check out the blogs above--they are full of great reviews, inspired thoughts, and wonderful writing.

Thank you, Joanne and Book Junkie!

A passion for reading.

When I was a kid, if my parents chose to punish me, they turned off my TV. It was a great hardship. Until I discovered reading. I became an addict for Nancy Drew mysteries. By the time I was twelve, I was reading adult fiction. Nothing stopped me. I loved reading.

But I have seen our society change. Some people still read a book every chance they get. Others regard reading as a chore. Why? Is it the books they were forced to read in school? Have traditional publishers begun to bore us with their formulaic books? Have schools failed to create good readers, so that young people struggle to follow a storyline?

Or are we passive, preferring to watch the world through a TV set?

Don't get me wrong, I still watch a lot of TV. But I read a lot, too. If Harry Potter can inspire millions of children to read, then it must be the books that have been the problem. What does it take to inspire you to start a novel and discover the world inside?

BellaOnline review and interview

The wonderful Lisa Binion over at BellaOnline Fiction Writing has posted her review of Night Glitter, as well as an interview with me. Both articles are available this week.

Here's an excerpt from the review:

The story was really good, entertaining, and easy to follow. The first book made me hungry to read its sequel and find out what happened.

Click here to read the whole review at BellaOnline.

And from the interview:

When I started with Night Jazz, the first in the series, I wanted to use time travel which was not only very exciting to me but very popular at the time I wrote the book. But I wanted to break with tradition and write a novel during the 1920s, a period which has fascinated me ever since I was a child and loved TV shows such as The Untouchables and The Roaring Twenties.

Click here to read the interview.

Thanks, Lisa!

Juicy Guest Blog at Love Romance Passion

The lovely Keira at Love Romance passion was generous enough to have me do a guest blog as a part of her "Kiss and Tell" feature.

The post is called Kiss and Tell: Jill Shure on Her Hero, and trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on this one!! Take a look!

Thanks, Keira!

Guest Blog at Coffee Time Romance

I have had the pleasure of working with the crew over at Coffee Time Romance & More and their blog, Coffee Thoughts. I'm pleased to share with you all my guest post, Turning Up the Heat in Miami with Night Glitter.

The post is complete with a FREE sample drink recipe from Night Caps. So head over there and check it out!

Enjoy!

Brenda Novak's Online Auction

I am very proud to be taking part in Brenda Novak's online auction to benefit diabetes research. My donation is all 3 of my Night books, Night Jazz, Night Glitter, and Night Caps.

That's right. All this could be yours!

Click here to view item at the auction.

Click here to learn more about the auction and to view other items.

Guest post at Romancing-The-Book

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!)