Musing of the Romantics

Trolling the Internet - Me Likey! by Marisa O'Neill

I’ve had some terrific fun on the internet this week. I’ve read all the horror on the economy I can stand – but I’ve also found some great things in romancelandia this week.
Thought I’d share a few of the blogs that made me want to engage.

There was a terrific commentary and review of Larissa Ione’s new book Pleasure Unbound on What Women Read. Shannon has some interesting commentary on the state of paranormal romances and what we as readers are wanting.

Then I stopped by Katiebabs blog to check out a terrific review on Lord of Scoundrels written by a – wait for it  - a man.   The male perspective on romance novels? You bet.  Interesting read, definitely check it out.

Our own Kati had a laugh out loud perspective on what kind of sex gives her the big ICK factor when reading romance on Adventures in Katidom.

And then the authors over at Write Minded are having a blow out Reader Appreciation Party with great guest authors, blogs and prizes until October 22nd that is just too much fun to miss.

I’m telling you – economy got you down? Check out these blog posts, you’ll be smiling before long.

Any of you have some interesting blog posts I need to read?

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October HOTM by Buffie Johnson

This month’s Hottie of the Month is dedicated to an author I met recently at the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference in Atlanta.   She is a wonderfully sweet person who has a wit that kept me smiling throughout the night.   A woman who could easily be your best friend -- one you could share your secrets.   This blog is dedicated to Jennifer St. Giles.

Not only is Jenni a wonderful lady and gifted author, but while the RNTV group was having dinner with her and fellow author Jacquie D’Alessandro, Jenni revealed an interesting fact that shot her WAY UP in points in my little book.    Sweet, darling Jenni has met, spoken with, and even touched . . . are you ready for this . . . the handsome, sexy, utterly delicious Gerard Butler.   GERARD BUTLER!!!!!!   Needless to say I was in complete shock and awe.   Can you imagine stand in front of this gorgeous man?   

I think we are all quite aware of just who Gerard Butler is, but here are few quick facts about this hottie.

~ born in Glasgow, Scotland (he has a sexy accent)
~ graduated from Glasgow University Law School (he’s got brains too!)
~ has appeared in several films including Dracula 2000, Phantom of the Opera, Tomb Raider, 300, PS I Love You, and Nims Island.

Now my question for you is . . . are you holding out on me too?   Have you meet, talked, and touched a famous, sexy man?    Girl, if you have . . . you need to spill.   Right.  This.  Minute.

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MYSTERY AUTHOR on Romance Novel TV

Back by popular demand – MYSTERY AUTHOR.

The rules of the game our simple:

1.    You try to guess who are mystery author is by asking her questions that will allow you to piece together her/his identity. 
2.    You can ask our Mystery Author anything you’d like; however, the Mystery Author is allowed to take the 5th on any answer. 
3.    You're limited to two questions per post.
4.    No guessing on the blog!! Please, Please. Even if you’re positive of the mystery author’s identity, email all identity guesses to mysteryauthor@romancenovel.tv. This way others can still enjoy the game.
5.    Our MA will be revealed at 7 p.m. EST.
6.    The first person to guess the correct identity (make sure to email your answers) will win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. 
7.    Have fun!

Dear Mystery Author, welcome, and thanks so much for joining us today.  It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone on the island. We’ve done some renovating; how do you like the place?  Are you up to the challenge of stumping our erstwhile detectives? They've trained with the best and would do Scotland Yard proud. While you ponder our queries, what can Colin (as in Firth) get you? Trust me when I say you'll need sustenance to endure our master detectives. What shall it be? Mimosa, martini, perhaps some caviar?

To start things off I’ll tell you one true thing and one false thing about our Dear Mystery Author. 
As a child, the Mystery Author once appeared on Romper Room.
The Mystery Author’s  very first heroine was a murderess with a fondness for chopping off people's heads.
Let the games begin!

Please Post All Questions on Romance Novel TV - you will not be eligible to win if you post on this blog.

Movie Sunday with Marisa - Toni Collette

Today is Toni Collette day on Romance Novel TV. I’m a huge fan of this talented actress and she has starred in some of my favorite movies. Ms. Collette is a chameleon, slipping on the skin of each character as if it were her own and changing with each role she takes on. She’s an actress who has played on the Broadway stage, independent films and studio pictures with the same ease and grace throughout.  She does what all good actresses do – she makes you believe --  and for one hour or two transports you to another world.  I had a hard time picking my three favorite movies to watch this weekend.  I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to laugh, cry or have the bejezzus scared out of me. 

In Her Shoes

This movie stars Toni Collette and Cameron Diaz as sisters and Shirley MacLaine as the Grandmother. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to run and rent it! It’s a tear jerker with a heart. Cameron Diaz gives a surprisingly poignant performance and Shirley MacLaine just gets better with age.  It is a quiet film filled with tragedy, romance and smiles.  It’s a hard combination to get right but each actress hits their notes with the precision of a really good jazz singer.  Two sisters, one responsible and forthright, the other unreliable and quirky, can’t live with each other and can’t seem to breathe in the world with out each other.  It’s about three women who discover themselves and each other and find a way to happiness.

Little Miss Sunshine

I’ve been telling Maria to go see this movie for a year. Well she finally cozied up to her DVR and saw it. My job is done. If you haven’t seen it – go rent it!  Amazingly crisp, clean, clear performances from the entire cast which includes Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Paul Dano and Abigail Breslin. What happens when you’re father is a heroin addict, your brother-in-law tried to commit suicide, your dreams for a new career are shattered and your son has taken a vow of silence? Well you take the whole family to the Little Miss Sunshine Contest.  It’s a road picture with a family discovering themselves and finding that together they can do anything. It’s a gem of a movie that made me laugh out loud and cry just a little. 

The Sixth Sense

I remember the first time I saw this movie – I was shocked. It’s the kind of movie that you want to stand up at the end and say BRAVO, Well done. It’s all about the ending. So I can’t tell you too much, except that Toni Collette transforms herself from an Australian movie actress to a single mom living in Philadelphia (accent and all) trying to figure out why her only child is so strange.  If you haven’t seen movie – go rent it.  If you have seen it, rent it again. It never gets old; it’s clever and taught, frightening and tender. There’s also a stellar performance by Bruce Willis.

So those are my picks this week. I always love a good actress movie marathon. Do you have a favorite actress you would spend the weekend having a movie marathon with?

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You're Going to Buy What?

By Marisa O'Neill

  I just opened the new Hammacher Schlemmer (try saying that fast 5 times) catalog at my dentist office and thought, whoa, wait a minute here…  Did they start inventing stuff while I was sleeping?  Well apparently they did.  And even though these gadgets are not necessary to my survival I’m thinking if I hit the jack pot and won the lottery, I would so buy these things. 

Take for example the personal movie theater that hooks up to your iPod, which was developed using technology by the U.S. Military and looks like a cool pair of 80’s sunglasses. I could watch the latest episode of Lost or finally start watching the first season of Buffie while I was waiting on line at the supermarket.

Oh, and speaking of the supermarket, now I never have to forget a thing- because of course I’m going to purchase the voice recognition grocery list organizer. While I’m there I’m going to pick up the magnetic soap holder that keeps the soap dangling in the air so I never have to bother with soap scum again!  Whew! That’s a relief.

  Yes, they have been inventing things while I’ve been sleeping. I woke up to find myself living next door to George Jetson and his dog Elroy. 

So, what new gadgets would you buy if you hit the jack pot?

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Movie Sunday with Marisa - Heroines

We talk a lot about heroes on this site and why not there are so many great ones to talk about.  But this weekend I’m all about the HEROINE.  Heroines come in all shapes and sizes and from different backgrounds and circumstances.  They may face an evil from without or fight personal demons from with in. They can be spunky and plucky or gritty and determined.  My only requirement is that the heroine has courage; courage to go beyond her circumstances and effect change.

What’s Love Got To Do With It

Starring Angela Bassett – Love this movie.  A while ago (and no, I won’t say how long) Maria and I had the opportunity to film a Tina Turner concert at Radio City Music Hall in NY.  It was TREMENDOUS. We stood with the rest of the crowd yelling TINA, TINA.  Tina’s been a big favorite of mine for a long time. And when the movie, What’s Love Got to Do With It came out I was there.  The movie was made from Tina’s 1986 autobiography I, Tina. It’s an honest and heart wrenching account of Tina’s life from her abandonment as a child to her abusive marriage and her comeback as one of the all time greatest performances around.  Angela Bassett gives a stellar performance and portrays a woman who under the most dire circumstances never gave up. She believed in herself enough to follow her dreams and keep going even when it felt like there was no way out.  She found a way out and is a testament to woman everywhere that with faith, courage and a lot of hard work you can change your life for the better. She’s a true heroine.

Dolores Claiborne

Stars Kathy Bates. Even though this movie is from a book by one of my favorite authors – Stephen King, Dolores Claiborne is not a horror or a thriller. It’s a story about love, dignity, friendship and the actions a mother will take to save her child.  The love between a mother and daughter is not an easy one to define. It is froth with twists and turns and the unexplainable bond between the two changes moment to moment as each grows. But, as in the case with Dolores Claiborne it always comes down to doing anything you can to protect your child.  Kathy Bates gives a superb performance as Dolores a woman who will go to any lengths to protect the one person on earth she loves – her daughter. She may even have killed her husband. She’s the heroine every mother is.

Alias

Ok, so Alias is not technically a movie but a TV show – but you can rent it on DVD and have a marathon – so it’s like reading an entire series instead of a stand alone. It’s also a show that was created, written and produced by one of my favorites J.J. Abrams.  I was addicted to this show and every week come rain or shine I was there.  Jennifer Garner stars as Syndey Bristow an undercover operative who assumes aliases each week in order to save the world.  A kick ass heroine who is always putting herself in danger while her male counterparts sit back in the van monitoring the action.  She is brave, courageous, speaks several languages (as any good spy can ), breaks secret codes while kick boxing the enemy, wears Dolce and Gabbana with the best of them, and still has time for friendships and a love life. She’s the heroine of our fantasies.

Who are your favorite movie/tv heroines? Post All Comments on Romance Novel TV

Buffie's September HOTM

I have to admit that I wasn’t quite prepared for this month’s hottie.   I know, I know . . . how is that even possible?   Well, I guess I had forgotten to write down the date of the blog and thus had never gotten around to conducting my research for this month.    Then Sunday afternoon I noticed on the home page of RNTV that this was the week for the Hottie of the Month.   So I was watching TV with the hubby trying to come up with a worthy hottie at this late moment when an advertisement for CSI Miami came on.   I teased my husband about his obsession with Emily Proctor (yes, he has his obsessions too).   And then I saw him.   Yes, HIM.   This month’s hottie.    Right there, on the screen, in living color.   He is beautiful.     Let me introduce you to Adam.   Adam Rodriguez.

Adam was born 33 years ago in Yonkers, New York, to a Puerto Rican and Cuban family.    He attended college at NYU where he received an education degree.  Wouldn’t you just love to have a teacher that looked like Adam?

He has been voted one of Inside TV’s 50 Sexiest Men on TV and In Touch Magazine’s Hottest Hunks of Summer.    Most people know him from the CBS TV series CSI Miami, where he plays Erik Delko.    

I found this quote by Adam regarding his thoughts on romance:    “My idea of a romantic time is when two people are focused just on each other.   That could be at dinner, in bed, in the midst of mayhem, whatever.”   

I think the man has a good grasp on romance, don’t you?   And I do believe that my last minute research has resulted in one wonderful Hottie of the Month!

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Home Movie Saturday - Twin Talk

Maria won't watch HBO's True Blood a second time.  Me?  I'm definitely watching it again.

What about you? Have you seen it? Are you interested in seeing it? Have you read the books?

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My Favorite Place for FREE Entertainment

by Marisa O'Neill

I was listening to NPR the other day and they were interviewing Librarians about library attendance in the last year. Not surprisingly, library attendance is up by about 20 – 30 percent. More and more people are going to the library for their books. Why? Well as you might have guessed, when it costs twice as much to fill up our cars at the gas station, and fill up our shopping carts at the supermarket it’s hard to find extra cash lying around. I know some people have a line item for books in their monthly budgets and no matter what; they still buy their books every month. I’m certainly one of those people.

However, I’ve definitely been borrowing money from that line on my budget to feed my face and gas up my car, so I do have less to spend on books than I had a year ago. And while I use to visit my local library at least once a week, now I’m there at least twice a week. I have a fantastic public library and great librarian. I take out movies, dvd’s, read magazines and daily newspapers there. They also have guest lecturers, free movie nights, art exhibits, book clubs, Sunday afternoon concerts and workshops on anything from yoga to book binding. It’s my go to place for absolutely FREE entertainment! 

Lately, I’ve been at my local library giving my library card a work out. I’m always going to buy my ‘go-to’ authors latest releases because eventually they’ll find a place on my keeper shelf. But, I’m finding when it comes to debut authors and authors that are new to me, well, to be honest I go to the library first to check out if I want to read that author. If it’s a yes, I’m buying the next book. If it’s a no, I’ll borrow their second book.

 What about you, have you been to your local library lately?

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Smashing the Hard Drive By Michelle M. Pillow

Welcome today's Guest Author, Michelle Pillow. Michelle is an award winning muli-published author who writes futuristic, paranormal, historical and contemporary romances.  She also co-hosts a weekly radio show called Raven Radio, with author Mandy M. Roth.  Her latest release Recipe for Disaster is on book shelves now.

 

I love Impressionists and Post-Impressionist paintings. I have the prints on my walls, send out cards from my van Gogh collection and would probably name it as one of my favorite periods artistically. For those of you who don’t readily know the name, van Gogh’s the guy most people recognize as the artist who cut off his earlobe.

A perfect example of fame and fortune after death, van Gogh’s paintings have sold for over 80 million US dollars. In life, he wasn’t so successful and is known to have reused many of his canvases to save money. It’s estimated he painted over a 1/3 of his works and hidden paintings can be discovered beneath.

Did everyone see that news story where scientists uncovered the hidden portrait beneath Vincent van Gogh's "Patch of Grass" painting? Scientists have

 

developed a way of looking under paintings using "synchrotron radiation induced X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy" to see the work hidden underneath. They’ve used this technique to reveal van Gogh’s “latest” work.

However, this recent uncovering of a concealed painting got me to thinking—while artistically and historically fascinating, maybe Mr. van Gogh didn't want the thing to be seen. Sure, he was known for painting over things, but hey, as writers we delete stuff all the time. I’ve had a few late night sessions at the computer, drugged with cold medicine and confident what I wrote was solid gold only to discover the next morning my twelve armed hero seemed to have fallen in love with himself. (Ok, so not THAT bad, but close)

On the other hand, perhaps he’d be thrilled to know beloved works he covered were finally going to get their chance to shine. I know some readers love the deleted scenes, just as art enthusiasts love these new discoveries.

Who knows what kind of technology the future will bring. What if someday scientists will  be able to read all the deleted scenes and embarrassing works that never leave the cyber graveyard and display them for the world to see—even if you’ve smashed your hard drive?

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