Somebody – I think it was W.C. Fields – said “never work with children or animals”. Since he was in the entertainment business, I’m not sure whether he was complaining over the fact that both are difficult to make do what you want, or that they were both way easier on the eyes than he was.

Anyway, I love putting both kids and animals in my books. I’ve even been told that I write children well. I find this both to be a great compliment and a source of amusement. I’m single, never married, and with no kids of my own. I added the “no man in my life” bit because at least one of my fellow goddesses believes that her husband should be included in the “children” category on our “Better Know a Goddess” page — so I don’t qualify as having kids around on either count.

So do I have a special, mysterious, Pied-Piperish connection to the miniature horde? Have I done special, lengthy studies into the state of “being a kid”ness? Nope. I think the answer can be found in what my mom and my aunt still call me from time to time – Peter Pan. Yes, I’m a big kid with action figures and a mortgage. My young nephews think I rock because I bought them annual passes to Disneyland. I drag them there all the time, because I like to go. Wonder, absurdity, imagination, being the center of your own universe – I’m not saying I buy into that last one, but I understand and appreciate those qualities.

Kids see through b.s. They say what’s on their minds, and they think literally. When the hero moans “Every time I kiss her I die,” the kid says “Really? Is she poison? You should probably stop kissing her, then.” Ah, yes, the little children are a great foil to the abstract, at times absurd, rituals we adults go through in the name of love. They’re great for romantic comedy, to bring a laugh into the middle of lovers’ own self-absorption.

Do you have a favorite child in movies or literature? A least favorite? What makes them great – or awful? Do you like kids in romances, or do you think they’re too distracting?

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My husband and I were supposed to go see Three Hundred. Supposed to. When we got to the theater, Music and Lyrics was playing at the same time and he wanted to go see that instead.

You read that right. My husband wanted to see a romantic comedy over a graphic novel action movie based on a historical battle. You can see why I love this man.

We both loved Music and Lyrics. It was light, sweet, funny, and it showed us a good time. I don’t ask much more of a movie than to be entertained and this one worked for both of us.

For me, the movie had special relevance as a writer of romantic novels. The crux of the hero’s journey in M&L is that the hero, Alex, has been living off his past success as an 80’s pop singer/songwriter. He produced one solo album, but it was a flop.

It was a flop because all of the songs on the album, all of his original songs, were written by formula. They were written for the precise purpose of being popular and because of that, they lacked heart and soul. Because they were empty of real emotion, they failed. And he failed.

Does this happen to writers as well as songwriters? Is it possible that writers can become so scared, so desperate to deliver what the customer wants, that they lose their voice and their vision for what they want to say?

Writing is a business and what sells is the only thing that matters. Right?

Yes, but…

The climax of Music and Lyrics came when Alex wrote a song on his own, from the heart, for the heroine. The song wasn’t great. It wasn’t poetry. But it was from the heart, everyone could hear that, and because of that, it was a great song. It was a love song.

And when a book is written from the heart, it has a special magic. A book can shine with a certain purity, a certain resonance. When it does, you can feel the emotion on every page and you’re carried along on the tide.

Or not?

Do you think a good book is the result of inspiration or skill or luck? All three? None of the above? What do your favorite books have in common?

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Okay, so if you tuned in two weeks ago, you know my computer died and I had techno-DT’s.  A week ago I got a new computer.  Yay, me!  Oh, wait.  I actually haven’t accomplished anything in the last week except getting it set up and getting all my old stuff moved over.    Oh, and I got my Rhapsody reinstalled so I can listen to Barry Manilow again.  I missed Barry.

What was the problem, you ask?  What took so long?  In a word, it was “NEW & IMPROVED.”  Okay, that’s technically three words, but you get my point.  Windows has a new operating system called Vista and EVERYTHING looks DIFFERENT.   So is it really new and improved?  Only time will tell, I guess.  Then I started to wonder, what IS new and improved, really?  You hear it in ads all the time – everything from dish detergent to cars.  But is the new dish detergent really any better than the old stuff?  Eh.  Every once in a great while something comes along that teeters humanity on its balance.  Post-it Notes ® comes to mind.  Now that is a ground-breaking, ground-shaking, can’t-live-without item.  I’m not kidding.   But are the neon pink ones any better than the standard yellow?   Most of the time I really can’t tell the difference in the old product and the “new & improved.”

Remade movies, however, are a different thing.  We watch a LOT of movies in our house as it’s my husband’s hobby.  Sometimes the remake is better, but sometimes it’s really not and the difference is usually very apparent.  One remake that was better was Sabrina.  Oh, Lord, give me that Harrison Ford.  I never really bought Bogart as Linus anyway.  One remake I didn’t like as well was You’ve Got Mail.  It’s a remake of In the Good Old Summertime with Van Johnson and Judy Garland (1949).  I love that old movie.     

Here’s one on which my former high school students and I vehemently disagreed:  Colin Firth’s Pride and Prejudice or Keira Knightly’s version?  Although Keira is lovely as Elizabeth, COLIN FIRTH RULES.  Are we perfectly clear on this fact?

So what have you tried that’s truly NEW & IMPROVED?  What movie remakes are better than the original?  Which ones make you scratch your head and say, “What were they thinking?” Which movies should never be remade?

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Yesterday I bought a new cell phone today. I chose it for two reasons. One: it’s pink. Two: it has something called V Cast which I thought sounded cool. I don’t really know what that is, but I figured I could download ring tones really easily. Right?

Wrong. I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to download my freaking ring tones. I finally stopped when my head hurt and my eyes started to bleed. If any of my kids were home, they’d figure it out in ten seconds. They’d give me that you’re so old look, grab the phone from me, and do that rapid-fire text stuff that I just can’t grasp.

So, after a long frustrating day, I decided to relax with a DVD I rented last week and already owe a huge fine on. I needed to de-stress, but I forgot that somehow I’d programed the language of my DVD player to be Italian. Which drives me crazy. Pause is inmovil and volume it volumen. I don’t know what menu juste hora means. I’ve tried to switch it to English, but I can’t. Oh, and I can’t get the closed captions to go away, but for some reason, my son can. And I know that he doesn’t understand Italian any more than I do.

Years ago I accepted that I am techno-challenged. I figured I must be missing the techno-gene. I’m okay with that. I figured I’m also missing the loves to cook and lives to clean house genes. I am surprisingly okay with that too.

Are you too techno challenged? Or maybe you’re missing the gene that gives you a burning desire to whip up an omelet or run a vacuum?

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I really am. Well, only an eighth, but that counts, right?

But that�s not why I love St. Patrick�s Day. It�s because I lived in New Orleans for 17 years, and the parades there weren�t like any others. First, the parade krewes actually threw things, like Irish-themed beads and doubloons . . . and cabbages, potatoes, carrots�

I kid you not. They threw the traditional ingredients for Irish stew (well, not the beef, because that would be gross). We crazy New Orleanians even took the stuff home and cooked it. I can already hear some of you (Claudia?) screeching, �Yuck!� I guess you had to be there.

The best part for me, however, was the walking clubs. They strutted by carrying kissing canes�paper or silk flowers stuffed into Styrofoam-encased canes. The male club members offered flowers to women they found attractive, and in exchange, the women gave them kisses. On the mouth. In the street. When I was in grad school, I used to LOVE collecting those flowers. Kiss an anonymous stranger? Why not? What fun!

Then I got older (and got married). Suddenly, kissing a middle-aged guy with beer-laced breath lost its appeal. Even showing off all the flowers I�d accumulated (tokens to one�s attractiveness�or brazenness) didn�t make up for having to kiss the drunken fellows weaving down the street.

My point is, isn�t it amazing the things you won�t do now that you�re older and wiser? I wonder if that�s why we don�t write about older women much in our books. Because once a woman�s over thirty, she�s just as likely to tell the rakehell to go take a flying leap as to let him seduce her.

So, what won�t YOU do anymore? What things did you do as a young �un that you�d never do now? And does anybody know if Cillian Murphy or Liam Neeson ever march in a St. Patrick�s Day walking club?

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Life is closing in around my edges.

I have a book due in a little over a month. I’m going to England for a 10 day trip in exactly a month. I’m not great at math, but even I can figure out that I have very few weeks left to finish this book. I should probably count down to my deadline in days, but that’s too scary.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that I’ve entered the Land Of “Huh?”

It’s that place where life as it’s lived in the Real World fades to gray and the World of the Book takes over. The Land of “Huh?”

Here’s what I’m talking about: a couple of days ago, my editor at Berkley called. I didn’t recognize her voice. I didn’t recognize her name for a full five seconds. The Land of Huh?

Yeah, it can get embarrassing.

I can’t sleep. I forget to eat. I don’t know what day it is. I forget where the kids are supposed to be. I’ll get in the car and hop on the freeway and forget where I was heading.

Huh?

I’m a bit dangerous right now, I can admit that, but I don’t think I’m alone in this. Even without a deadline, there are ways to enter the Land of “Huh?” Ways to get lost, to lose yourself in something so vivid and entertaining that you don’t want the Real World to intrude.

What is your passport into the World of Huh? What movie, book, song, or person can take you out of this world?

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Okay, so maybe I’ll admit to having a teeny inferiority complex. When we first started The Goddess Blogs, it took me all of three seconds to figure out that my fellow Goddess authors are all delightfully funny. I’m in awe of their talent and pea-green with envy that humor comes so naturally to them!

It’s tough enough being witty and entertaining and interesting and fun. But funny? Trust me, it’s like pulling your own wisdom teeth out with a humongous pair of pliers if humor isn’t your forte. Which is why I get butterflies in my stomach every time I contemplate writing my next blog.

So why am I here? Why do I wrack my brains to be worthy of participating? What am I getting out of this? The answer is simple. I’m here because I need it. I benefit from a romance blog like this in countless ways.

Sure, we authors want to showcase our books and hopefully drum up interest and a reader following. After all, selling books is what keeps us employed and able to pursue our passion. But there are lots of other benefits, too. You may know by now that I adore lists and can’t function without them, so let me count the benefits in a list:

1) Laughs. Both the bloggers and commentors have given me so many lol moments.

2) Commiseration. I get sympathy and empathy from people who understand my neuroses, who share my passions and pet peeves, who think fictional characters are actually real, who would defend their precious books with their dying breath… We romance readers are a breed unto ourselves.

3) Entertainment. Whether the posts are funny, sad, intriguing, whatever, they take me on a great ride.

4) Knowledge. I learn interesting stuff I never knew and have to think about things I’ve never considered before.

5) Creativity. I get to express my feelings and have a creative outlet for rants and raves.

6) Escape. Visiting here is a great way to procrastinate from work. Alternatively, it provides a nice brain break when I’ve been hard at work.

7) Anti-depressant. Reading the blogs and comments cheers me up when I’m down and always, always brightens my day.

All those are great reasons to participate in The Goddess Blogs . But the foremost reason I’m here – and the reason I’ll keep coming back – is the

8 ) Camaraderie. A shared sense of belonging.

I’m not alone when I have this site to turn to. I’m part of a larger community. I can stay connected to the world. And the best thing about participating? I make lifelong friends.

I was heartbroken when my fave romance board folded several years ago. I still enjoy visiting other boards and blogs, but none have been quite so satisfying or fulfilling to me as The Romance Journal. The people I met there gave me such pleasure and joy. Which is why I’m so very glad to have The Goddess Blogs now. It’s a true pleasure getting to know my fellow writer and reader Goddesses. Without you, my teeny inferiority complex would mushroom into some hulking anti-Muse perched on my shoulder, hooting derisively and calling me unflattering names every time I tried to be funny.

But I wonder if everyone else who visits and participates has the same expectations of our site as I do? We just celebrated our one month anniversary yesterday, so this seems like a great time to ask some questions about expectations, since a blog site is only as good as its participants. The thing is, we can make The Goddess Blogs what we want it to be.

So what do you want The Goddess Blogs to be? Why do you visit romance boards and blogs? What do you get out of it? What would keep you coming back here day after day? What would make you follow every discussion and post your own comments? In short, what would brighten your day?

(And I’ll try not to feel too inferior if you come back with some funny as well as serious answers.)

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