Summer Activities

It's officially summer, I think. It's hot everywhere. Yesterday, I took my daughter to the beach, which was nice, but on the way home, at 6:30 at night the temperature was still 101 degrees when I got home.

Actually, I don't mind the heat. I like all the summer activities. Going to the beach, taking my kids to the variety of camps that are available (where were these camps when I was a kid?), and taking family vacations.

Here are few things I've been doing:

Having a baby shower and watching grown women drink water out of baby bottles -LOL

I'm going to be an aunt next month!!!!

Yay, can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Volunteering at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Great place! I love donating my time to a place that does so much to help the public become aware of the oceans and its inhabitants.

A lot of fun watching enjoy themselves!

Taking kids to play with friends at various amusement parks. I couldn't get on anything that went round and round. Ugh!

How come kids never get sick on these things??

Spent a week in Palm Springs. If you want hot, this is the place to.

These wind mills produce energy for the desert valley. One year my husband and took a tour of the windmills. Most of the information was way more than I wanted to know, but it was interesting. This year we just hung out at the pool. No windmill tours, but you drive by them on the way to Palm Springs and they are very cool to look at.

What has made each of these summer visits and activities so much fun is that I've had the chance to be with family and a friends that I love, and that's the best part.

Then there are the hours re-writing next year's novel. Thank goodness it's coming along well. Going back to a novel you haven't seen in months is always sort of awesome, because it's like reading a new novel, crazy as that sounds. I get into the characters again, and read the book as if someone else had written it. Very happy to almost have this finished!

So what has everyone else been doing this summer?

Julia

Interview with Margo Candela

While I was out in Palm Springs baking in 114 degree weather a couple of weeks ago, alternating between a pool and an air conditioned rec. room, I took along an advanced reading copy of Margo Candela's new release GOOD-BY TO ALL THAT, due to be released July 13th, and totally loved it.

Margo's writing style is unique, and I always enjoy reading about her unpredictable characters who are placed in very cool settings that are unfamiliar enough to intrigue me.

So today, I'm happy to share an interview with Margo, but first, a little about the book.

Great Reviews!

"Margo Candela combines a cunning wit with a deep understanding of the office politics specific to the entertainment industry to create a frantic atmosphere and a near breathless momentum as the story barrels toward an ending that's anything but your focus grouped happy fade-out." --Publishers Weekly

“Candela captures the ups and downs of Hollywood in her appealing send-up of the cutthroat side of the industry.” –Booklist

The Story:

Raquel Azorian has worked her way from temp to executive assistant and is this close to a promotion when her boss suffers a very public meltdown that puts not only his future in Hollywood, but also Raquel’s on the line.

It’s not just Raquel’s professional life that’s a mess, her whole family is in turmoil and Raquel is forced to become the intermediary—all while trying to figure out how to save her job and not derail her office romance with the man of her dreams. Unfortunately for her, the clashing of her personal and professional life is making that rung hard to reach for. When the chaos of juggling so many lives reaches a breaking point, Raquel realizes she’s going to have to choose—success at work or happiness at home. Whatever choice she makes, Raquel knows it going to cost her, but part of her is still pulling for her very own Hollywood ending.

The Interview:

JA: Tell me how you would describe Good-bye To All That to those waiting to read it.

Margo: The book came together for me when I conceptualized it as Working Girl meets Mad Men with a dash of Entourage. That movie and those two shows really sum up the world that Raquel, the main character, is living and trying to succeed in. It’s the funny, frustrating and highly fictionalized story of young woman trying to make it at a Disney-esque type of company while trying to keep her family from falling apart.

JA: What made you want to write a Hollywood industry novel?

Margo: I moved back to Los Angeles from San Francisco in 2005 and realized just how different the two cities are. In San Francisco, when I’d tell people I was a writer, they’d ask if I was published or what kind of writing I did. In L.A. everyone automatically assumes I write for film or TV and then they ask why I’m bothering with books. There’s just a different mindset here and a lot of it is influenced by Hollywood. Everyone is supposed to have a fabulous life and washboard abs, but that’s not the case. When I started to think about Good-bye To All That, I knew I wanted to write a novel about a young woman who let her job take over her life and I wanted to explore the non-glamorous side Hollywood.

JA: How much research did it involve, and how much of the craziness reflects real life?

Margo: I did a lot of listening, question asking and observing of friends who have desk jobs in big companies. I didn’t feel like work for me because I have a thing for office life. I find it fascinating and I’m lucky that friends were willing to share their workplace horror stories.

JA: I know you're a screenwriter too. Have you written a screenplay to Good-bye To All That?

Margo: I’ve written three screenplays so far, but Good-bye To All That is too fresh for me to consider tackling. It’s not easy to adapt your own work and most writers advise against it, but for me it was an opportunity to take a look at my books from a different perspective. The script I wrote for Life Over Easy is currently being read by producers and I’m really proud that I got it to a point where it can stand alone as a movie and still have the essence of the novel. I’ve also finished a draft of an original screenplay, but my preference is to write novels.

JA: Wow, that's exciting! Good luck with those. When you do get around to adapting GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT, and Hollywood snatches it up, who would you like to see play Raquel, Kyle, and the parents in a motion picture?

Margo: Jessica Alba would be perfect for Raquel. She’s smart and sexy, but I could see her dressing down and doing a hardworking Raquel justice. In the book Kyle is a smart and slick very attractive redhead so I’d have to go for Ewan McGregor. I was thinking about his charm and sex appeal when I wrote the Kyle character.

JA: Great choices! I liked Raquel's parents and their conflict. In some ways, they were typical Latino parents, but in many ways they were not. Were they based or inspired by anyone you know?

Margo: Let me state for the record that Marlene, Raquel’s mother, is in no way shape or form based on my mom. Her father is also nothing like my dad. I have no idea what kind of person I would have grown up to be if I had parents like Marlene and Robert. What I tried to do is see her parents as people, not just as Raquel’s mom and dad and give them traits and issues that arose from them being individuals. I will admit that there is a little bit here and there in all my characters of people I’ve met and know, but I’m always very careful not to borrow too much from someone’s real life. Using other people for novel fodder is one sure way to get yourself disinvited from Thanksgiving dinner for the rest of your life. Personally, I like turkey too much to risk making anyone I care about angry at me.

JA: Very good point and an important one to make. I don't know any writer who bases their characters on actualy people, just general traits that are common to people in general. Which brings me to Raquel who wasn't typical, stereotypical, or predictable at all, which was why I liked her so much. I felt bad that none the men in her family, personal life, or at work seemed to be there for her. Reason?

Margo: The book takes place in a time in Raquel’s life when men and romance aren’t on her radar. She’s kind of given up on having a relationship and is instead married to her job. She and her job have the perfect relationship because, for the most part, she’s getting what she wants and sees a bright future on the horizon. When her boss has his breakdown, she realizes she’s truly on her own. She can’t hide behind her job or depend on anyone to do theirs so she can continue to succeed at hers. I like to think that she’ll find the right guy. It just couldn’t happen while she was trying to sort out her work and family life. She had enough on her plate without throwing in the love of her life.

JA: I felt like the story wasn't over for Raquel. Are there plans for a sequel?

Margo: A sequel for Good-bye To All That would be great fun to write. I’d get to delve into a different part Hollywood and of what makes the industry tick. It would also give me an excuse to hang out at parties, raw food cafes and colonic spas for ‘research.’ But for now, I’m content to let Good-bye To All That stand on its own. My next book will also be set in Los Angeles with a whole new cast of characters and their issues.

JA: I look forward to any all your future books, Margo. And if you decide to write a sequel to GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT, I'll go with you to those parties and raw food cafes, but I'll skip the colonic spas - LOL. Thanks for a great interview!

Bloggers, please leave Margo some questions or comments for an opportunity to win a copy of GOOD-BYE TO ALL THAT. I'll draw a winner from one of the comments on Sunday night.

Thanks!

Julia

What I Love and What I Hate

I've been neglecting my blog lately, because summer had shown up and forced me to go on things like girl scout camp, swimming with my kids, vicious ping pong tournaments, and even to watch Disney movies. I'm in full mommy mode. But while sitting in the heat beside the pool, I made a list of things I loved and hated. Mostly it was a silly exercise to keep from being bored to death, but since it was sort of fun, I'll share my list with you.

Ten Things I Love

1. Smell of freshly shampooed hair on my kids (after they get out of the chlorinaded pool)

2. NYC lights viewed out of a hotel window 25+ floors up (thinking of next years RWA conference which will be in NYC and getting excited already)

3. Hot cup of coffee on a Sunday morning a I sit to work on my novel.

4. Scent of very old books

5. Watching World Cup Soccer - and the sexy players

6. A board game on a Friday night with my family

7. Complete silence

8 Puppies, puppies, puppies!

9. A good book I can't put down

10 Clothes sized so that I can buy a smaller size and pretend I've lost weight.

Ten Things I Hate (or really dislike, or find annoying)

1. A $3 softdrink that is mostly ice

2. Computer crashes that happen after I've written something brilliant (both happen rarely)

3. Ridiculous style of dress that's lasted way too long. I'm talking about men's pants below their ass and women wearing those double shirts - one shorter than the other, creating a band around thier stomach. This is not attractive. Come on!

4. Tissue-paper-thin toilet paper at Chipotle. Great burritos, but what's up with the toilet paper?

5. Babies crying at movie theaters. Sorry, but ticket prices are $12-$15 these days - no babies please.

6. Califlower

7. All the cartoon shows for ADULTS. Hasn't our generation grown up yet?

8. Make up - hate that women feel they have to wear so much of it. Also hate that I'm allergic to it and that my eyes look like tomatos when I have to wear it.

9. Driving tickets. All of them. Speeding, parking, seat belts - they're all bogus.

10. Hearing about another Hollywood 20-something actress getting arrested for something stupid she should know better not to do. Tired of Linsay Lohan already.

World Cup Soccer

Gooooaaaaaaalllllll!!! Are you watching the World Cup? I'm catching as many games as I can. Definitely following the Argentine team, the USA for obvious reasons, and South Korea where my kids were born and became interested in their team when I was there in 2001 and watched them prepare to host the 2002 games.

I think I watch mostly, because nothing reminds me more of my dad than the world cup. He was a soccer fanatic. If he could have afforded it, he would have been one of the crazy fans in the audience covered in the Argentine flag with his face painted in blue and white. He loved, loved, loved watching the World Cup. He would go to the Argentine club and watch the games with other Argentines on a big screen and come home talking about how great it had been. He would record the games on VHS tapes - in fact, the reason we bought our first VCR was so that he could record world cup games in 1978 when the World Cup was played in Argentina.

My dad died quiet a few years ago, but when I watch the Argentine players' handsomely intense faces, I remember my dad cheering and shouting and it makes me happy.

Yesterday, Argentina played South Korea at 4am California time. I taped it and my husband and daughter watched it with me (my son only cared about the Lakers so he was in his room listening to the game on the radio - yay Lakers!). I thought it was adorably cute that my daughter was cheering for South Korea. I think my dad would have thought it was cool too. World Cup time seems like a time to cheer for your roots. Even many generation Americans cheer for Germany or England or where ever their ancestors came from.

Besides, it's fun!

Do you have rituals or events or times that you enjoy, because they remind you of someone special or a happy time in your life? I hope so. I think we sort of need these anchors in life that repeat every so often and remind us of who we are and the people we love.

Have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to all the Father's out there!

Julia

Planning a Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

I'm planning a bridging ceremony for my girl scout troop so today's post will be short. Like all ceremonies, there are more work than they seem. Not only do those involved in the ceremony have to "know their lines" and be prepared. But getting and buying the decorations and props, the food, making sure all recording equipment is working, all batteries charged. Whew!! Lots of work. That said, I love ceremonies. I didn't used to. As a kid, they embarrassed me. Sometimes they seemed boring. But looking back, every ceremony that marked something important, whether it was my first communion, high school graduation, or a sporting event it's there in my memory locked with all the feelings and emotions of that day. They were stepping stones in life that are wonderful to look back at.

I'm excited for my girls and tomorrow is going to be great for them.

Will be back next year with a more writerly post : )

Julia

Update on the reading for the Pacific Review/Ghost Town Literary Magazine for Cal. State San Bernardino:

Tonight: Thursday, June 10th

Place: Tio's Tacos (one of the stranges places I've ever been to - all kinds of "art" made out of recycled materials. Interesting place to visit. 3948 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, Ca. 92501

Readers: Patrick Sommerville, Anna Weatherford, Vicki Barras Tulacros

Time: 6pm

Sadly, I can't be there, but if you enjoy literary events, definitely be there. You can even arrive early and indulge in some tacos and a margarita! And stroll through the grounds and check out all the strange sculptures. There's actually a house made out of bottles there.

Have fun!

Julia

Entering a New Literary Universe

Last Saturday, I attended a literary festival called the Saturation Fest and Thursday we had our first reading at Cal. State San Bernardino to celebrate and promote it's lit mag of which I was one of the editors this year. I have to say that this is a whole new world for me coming from the commercial fiction world.

Readings I have personally done or have attended at bookstores are well attended depending on the popularity of the author. Celebrity authors or those with books on the best seller list, usually have a line of people at their signings and readings. Those in attendance are mostly readers, though occasionally, someone from the audience will come up to the author and admit they are writers or have a deeply buried desire to write some day. Mostly, though the focus is the author and the books she or he has produced, and the reason people attend the reading is to either meet the author, or to purchase an autographed copy of the book.

The literary/college reading, because there are a variety of short stories and poems in the magazine, does not focus on one author but on literature itself. The audience that attends has a stake in literature. They love the written word and are there because they are instructors, students, lit majors, or writers. Our reading Thursday night on campus was packed with people. And there was a very cool buzz in the room. The Saturation Fest was bit more bizarre and seemed to attract only a small fringe group.




I started to think about the differences between literary and commercial fiction and reading a bit about it on the net. Lit. fiction always seems to be described at "good" fiction while commercial fiction as less valuable. One site described commerical fiction as "designed to be read quickly, easily, without needing to think too much. It is built on the reader’s reactions to the words and the emotional impact those words illicit. Grammar, structure, and ideals take a back seat to the emotional impact of the stories words." Wow, really?


I think I know what she means -- sort of. Commercial fiction is designed to entertain so there aren't obscure topics that will require the reader to sit back when they are finished reading and ask themselves "what did that really mean?" And as far as grammar, structure, and ideals, I disagree if she means authors don't pay attention to writing conventions . When I first started writing, I took a workshop where the instructor told me to forget all I'd learned in college, and to stop reading literary novels and non-fiction books. That I should not worry about writing perfect sentences. Fragments were okay. And that I should write the way I talk (scary). I took her advice, but soon learned that I actually paid even more attention to structure and grammar. Every sentence fragment, every sentence not written properly was planned and designed that way for impact. So, yes, emotional impact is very important, but so is grammar and structure.

One blogger that I found who offered a good way to look at literary vs commercial was Tamim, a writer from San Francisco. He argues that the difference lies mainly in the experience you are expecting to have and I agree. To me, those that make the judgment calls on lit fiction being superior to popular commercial fiction need to reevaluate what they are basing their opinions on. I've seen great and poor examples on both sides. And I believe there are more points in common than not.

Wednesday, June 10th we're holding our second reading for Cal. State's literary magazine, Pacific Review/Ghost Town at Division 9 Gallery 3850 Lemon St., Riverside, 92501 at 6pm. The venue may change and I'll post an update if it does. Come out and see me and some of the other great readers!


Julia