Category: Writing Life

Cast Your Ballot for…Romance

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Sometimes a woman, even a romance writer living in one of the world’s most exciting cities, can get stuck in a bit of a rut. In search of a new adventure, I entered THE ULTIMATE THAILAND EXPLORERS Contest with fellow romance novelist Liz Maverick. Imagine our surprise when what started out as a little promo lark hit pay dirt.

Yes, good people, we’ve made the semi-finals!

To go from finalist to winners, we need your vote, and the other four competing teams in our chosen destination of PATTAYA are some pretty tough competition. Our competitors’ occupations include corporate trainer, physical therapist, architect, wellness manager, advertising exec, and a coupla singers/song writers.

rebels-of-romance
Click the image to go to the Ultimate Thailand Explorers website. Once there, you can watch the video, but you have to register to vote.

And our main heat is packing a seriously cute baby!

That said, Liz and I are no slackers. We stand proud of our genre and yes, proud of the twenty-four books we’ve collectively written. If we get to go to Thailand, we mean to use the opportunity to put a positive public–dare we say worldwide–spin on romance.

Our video, Liz & Hope, is parked under the PATTAYA section at www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com. The poll closes November 11th. Once you register, you can vote up to every 24 hours–I’m just sayin’.

Help us show not only Thailand but the world that romance writers rock!

Last Night at Lady Jane’s

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Last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon was the usual slam dunk success.

Read all about it on the Lady Jane’s web site, reportage courtesy of guest author, Mari Mancusi.

Hope

PS Converting to the latest version of Word Press has resulted in a few weeks of radio silence, but I’ll be resuming my regular weekly blogging… “anon.”

Hope

Nekkid Truth, Part III: Getting the…Biz-ness

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With hair and makeup out of the way, we sally forth to our third and final essential ingredient of a winning publicity photo.

The retouch.

“But I want to look like myself,” you say.

Coiffed, buffed--and retouched. Photo by BizUrban.com.
Coiffed, buffed--and retouched. Photo by BizUrban.com.

And good for you. You should. In a recent Vanity Fair interview, 51-year-old film star and legendary beauty, Michelle Pfeiffer was asked to comment on the preponderance of plastic surgery among celebrities. To paraphrase the presumably unaltered Pfeiffer, as we grow older we should still be recognizable to our friends.

Candid shots are great for family and friends, the people who already know and yes, love us. But when a photo is intended for wider, public distribution, we want to put our best…face forward.

Arguably those smile lines and crow’s feet are badges of honor. And our faces are mobile, ever changing landscapes. A photographic portrait, however, is a static freeze frame capture of a set of sub-seconds. With unlimited time to look, viewers invariably hone in on the flaws.

In publishing we say, “the writing is in the rewriting.” Similarly, the “art” of photo editing/refinishing is every bit as essential to a great final product as capturing the winning shot.

A good photographer knows how to steer clear of overly plasticized perfection while conveying a polished yet natural look. 

In the before/after photos shown here, notice how photographer, Biz Urban manages to “disappear” not only the puffy dark circles beneath my eyes and the small scar on my left cheek but also a good part of the last decade!

Before: A perfectly nice photo for family and friends but for promo not so much.
After: note how the puffy circles disappear from beneath my eyes. Ditto for the scar and freckle on my cheek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voila, publicity photos that look like me–currently–with the photo retouching equivalent of a few light (and pain free) nips and tucks.

For more information on Biz Urban, including samples of her work, visit her website.

Photographer Biz Urban.
Photographer Biz Urban.

Hope

Lady Jane’s Salon, Oh What a Night!

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Last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon celebrating co-founder Leanna Renee Hieber’s debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker was quite possibly our biggest crush yet.

The upper room of Madame X was crammed with attendees. Even before the program began, seating was once again standing room only–and barely that.

Leanna Renee Hieber. Photo by Morgan Doremus.
Leanna Renee Hieber. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

PRISM award winner, special guest Isabo Kelly kicked off the program by telling the story of how she and Leanna Renee first met in a New York law office followed by a wonderful reading of her work.

PRISM Award winner, Isabo Kelly. Photo by Morgan Doremus.
PRISM Award winner, Isabo Kelly. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

Leanna Renee was pretty as the proverbial picture in an authentic Victorian gown and bonnet done up in what we’re fast coming to think of as “Strangely Beautiful” blue.

The Salon and signing ended at 9:00 PM but guests lingered afterward including we four founders who took time out to mug for the camera–and yes, congratulate ourselves on yet another successful salon night.

Lady Jane’s Salon meets on the first Monday of each month from 7-9 PM at Madame X. Proceeds ($5 at the door or one gently used paperback romance novel) support Share the Love.

Founders Syndrome...From left to right, Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan & Hope.
Founders Syndrome...From left to right, Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan & Hope. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

Guest authors for October are USA Today Bestseller, Kathryn Smith and award-winning young adult author, Marianne Mancusi. As they say, stay tuned…

Hope

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of…Miss Leanna Renee Hieber

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As little girls, lots of us played at dress-up, even imagined ourselves as fairytale princesses a la the Walt Disney storybook tales. I know I did.

Some of us took the fantasy well…a wee bit farther.

(L to R) Leanna Renee with photographer, Biz Urban at the August Lady Jane's.
(L to R) Leanna Renee with photographer, Biz Urban at the August Lady Jane's.

My dear friend, Lady Jane Salon co-founder, and newly minted Dorchester author, Leanna Renee Hieber took the game up a notch, make that several notches. Parading about her parents’ living room in rural Ohio speaking in a British accent and quoting the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, it was clear Leanna Renee was doing more than playing a part.

She was living a dream and quite possibly a past life.

And so was born Percy Parker, the heroine of Leanna Renee’s Victorian set fantasy romance, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.

Percy is a most unusual romance heroine just as Strangely Beautiful…, the first in a quartet series, is a most unusual romance-think Victorian Ghost Busters. Delicious!

But there’s more. Lady Jane’s Salon has joined forced with our friends at Romance Novel TV to bring you Lady Jane’s Book Club at RNTV. Now those of you who aren’t able to attend the physical salon (as well as those of you who do) can participate monthly. The book club offers videotaped interviews with the featured salon authors as well as the ability to interact with the author and other readers via an online discussion of the book complete with a list of suggested topics.

So much goodness…

Madame X in Soho, New York City's sexiest lounge.
Madame X in Soho, New York City's sexiest lounge, the perfect setting for Lady Jane's. Photo by BizUrban.com.

Leanna Renee will be reading and signing at this Monday’s (September 7th) Lady Jane’s Salon from 7-9 PM and yes, books will be available for purchase onsite at our beloved venue, Madame X. Special guest reader: award winning author, Isabo Kelly. A special Strangely Beautiful cocktail is being… concocted for the event for the recession busting price of $5.

As always, proceeds from the door ($5 or one gently-used romance novel) will go to support Share the Love.

In the meantime, please do visit RNTV for the book club questions and a videotaped interview with Leanna Renee.

Happy Labor Day Weekend,

Hope

PS The third and final installment of Nekkid Truth: La Touche Finale will be posted here this week, so please check back for the final unveiling: before/after publicity photos of Yours Truly by the uber talented Biz Urban.

The Nekkid Truth, Part II: Gilding the Lily

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Some people put on makeup like they brush their teeth or put on clothes, which is to say every day. Some people never go near the stuff. Me, I fall somewhere in between. I wouldn’t go out for the evening without mascara, lip gloss and a smattering of powder, but I would and do frequently roll out of bed and head out for coffee with bed head and pillow creases.

Photo by BizUrban.com.
Girl in the mirror--and yes, those taped up reminder notes are mine a la "Romancing the Stone." Photo by BizUrban.com.

But having publicity photos taken isn’t just an excuse to play princess for a day. It’s also an investment. You want to be able to use those photos for some time, perhaps years to come on your web site, press materials, social networking profiles and yes, your book jacket. If there was ever a time to put your best face forward, to strut your stuff, and to well, Work It, that time is now.

While I’m hopeless with my hair, fortunately I’m a decent hand with the war paint, as our mothers, mine at least, called cosmetics Back in The Day.

Unlike me, Jane doesn't really need cosmetic improvement.

Like almost everything, when it comes to makeup, moderation is key, less is more. We still want to look like ourselves…albeit a really, really hawt version.

Next and final stop on the Princess Train: the photo retouch. Thankfully, along with the actual shooting, photo editing is your photographer’s job. A good thing, too.

All this prepping, preening and posing has worn me to a nub.

Voila! Off to "wardrobe" I go...Photo by BizUrban.com.
Voila! Off to "wardrobe" I go...Photo by BizUrban.com.

Hope

Nekkid Truth, Part I: Princess for a Day

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The photos from Friday’s shoot with uber wonderful photographer, Biz Urban are in and FYI, the woman is equal parts saint and wizard. In the course of five plus hours, she put up with my blinking problem, perennially crooked smile, and the wilting heat and still managed to get some good shots. 

Ground Zero AKA my local Aveda Salon.
Ground Zero AKA my local Aveda Salon.

Some really good shots.

We’ll be posting said gems…anon, namely after I get my current book proposal in. Alas, this writing gig is really messing with my modeling career!

Getting in touch with my Inner Princess is fun!

For now and as promised, I’m getting my Jamie Lee Curtis on and showing you the unexpurgated me–as in wet hair, no makeup, and scariest of all, no photo retouching!

Next stop: makeup!

Hope

Not a throne but close enough...
Forehead much? I am so dialing this down when I get home!

PS All behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Biz Urban–did I mention, she’s a saint!

Nekkid Truth

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Yes, it’s that time. Time to retire my lovely but alas somewhat dated (2006)publicity photos and forge that new photographic frontier: photos that actually look like me. Currently.

To that end, today, all day, I’ll be primping, prepping, and yes preening for new photos by Manhattan photographer, the lovely and talented Biz Urban.

And bonus, we’re going to shoot before as well as after photos with mayhap even some behind-the-scenes tossed in. If we’re lucky, the cats may get into the picture (so to speak), too.

Check back here for the Nekkid Truth: me as God made me with (gulp) four or so decades added on.

Should be most…revealing. 😉

TGIF,

Hope

Salon Recap: Another Fabo Lady Jane’s…

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August is typically a Dead Zone month here in Big Apple Landia, but you’d never know it from the turn-out at last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon. Yes, we had another packed house and great, diverse readers as per always.

Author Johnny Diaz. Photo courtesy of www.bizurban.com.

Boston Globe features writer and author, Johnny Diaz came down from Beantown to read from his latest contemporary release, Boston Boys Club, which he dubbed as a gay version of Sex and the City–think romantic, poignant, and yes, delicious!

Local author Anna DePalo read from her Silhouette Desire, The Billionaire in Penthouse B, showing us that “housework” can be fun but “mistresshood” far “funner”!

Last but never least, the lovely Delilah Marvelle fogged up the windows by reading from her wickedly humorous Lord of Pleasure in a (very authentic sounding) British accent, no less. And FYI, can that lady ever rock white satin and feathers!

 

Delilah Marvelle was a marvel in white. www.bizurban.com.

Distinguished attendees included faces both familiar and new including powerhouse literary agent, Donald Maass; Scandalous Women blogger, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon; bookseller and reviewer, Stacey Agdern; blogger, Kwana Jackson; RWA/NYC prez, Karen Cino; and Rob DiCaterino, Web Manager for RT BOOK Reviews.

Up next month at Lady Jane’s: Salon co-founder, Leanna Renee Hieber debuts The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker–wearing full Victorian regalia, no less. Don’t miss it!

Hope

Me lifting my glass at the August Lady Jane's. www.bizurban.com.

PS: You Alert Readers out there may have noticed that our photos for this month’s Salon come courtesy of the uber talented, Biz Urban. In the next month or so, look for updated publicity photos of yes, me, all taken by Biz. And bonus: I’m going to get my courage up and my Jamie Lee Curtis on and pose for before and after shots…emphasis on the before as in before the makeup goes on. Yes, you’ll be treated to a behind the scenes gander at me and just me, as God made me–well, plus a few decades added on. Should be most…revealing.

August Lady Jane’s Salon etc.

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Tonight’s Lady Jane’s features authors Johnny Diaz, Delilah Marvelle and Anna DePalo. Same time (7-9 PM), same place (Madame X) and bonus: admission is free for this month only! Go to Lady Jane’s Salon and read all about it.

Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who tuned in to my Saturday interview for Medallion Press on BlogTalk Radio. Heather Graham and Vicki Hinze are two talented and tres savvy ladies. In reference to romance readers being teased for their reading choices, Heather said, “Love is probably one of our finest emotions.” Indeed! Click on over and listen to the recorded program online…

Hope