The contents of a woman’s purse are like a window into her mind, her heart, her personality, revealing the deepest truths about her. At least according to a writing workshop I attended once. The author giving the talk gave the advice that, as writers, we should make a list of what our heroine had in her purse to get a handle on her character.

Since I write historicals, I didn’t find this particularly useful advice, but it did make me think about what I carry in my purse and what it tells about me, if anything.

First of all, let’s talk about my purse. I have a huge collection of purses. Purses are a fashion accessory and I am severely addicted to fashion accessories. That said, all my billions of purses have one thing in common: they’re all easy to get into. I want to effortlessly reach my whole hand in and pull out whatever it is I want. Tiny zippered openings? Not happening. A flap with a buckle? Too complicated. It has to be easy to reach in and grab. I realize that this makes me a prime target for a pickpocket, but I don’t care (probably because I’ve never had my pocket picked); if my purse doesn’t help me by displaying my wallet and my car keys and my lipstick, I’ll end up hating it and it will never leave the closet.

I think we all know how fashion accessories LOVE to leave the closet.

I think what my choice in purses reveals about me is that I’m easily frustrated. This is a true statement.

But what about the contents of my purse? Do all those little bits of things reveal my basic nature and my heart of hearts? Well…

I always carry a wallet. I do not think this makes me obsessive/compulsive. Isn’t the main purpose of a purse (besides being a fashion accessory) to hold a wallet?

I always carry lipstick. I do not think this makes me vain. It makes me…determined not to have chapped lips. Yeah, that sounds right.

I always carry an emory board. I do not think this makes me a closet manicurist. What if I’m shopping for lingerie and I get a hang-nail that snags the lacy strap? I’m just trying to be a considerate shopper.

I don’t always carry a cell phone and if I happen to have my cell phone, it’s not always charged and it’s probably not turned on. What can I say? I like to shop in peace. There’s nothing worse than getting a phone call while you’re trying on a swim suit. The person calling you doesn’t understand at all why you’re sobbing incoherently as you stare into a cruelly lit fun-house mirror.

But here’s the thing that I’m afraid reveals a real secret truth about me. I always carry a hankerchief. I have a huge collection of pretty hankerchiefs, handed down to me by my grandmother and my mother-in-law. Okay, I admit it, I’ve bought a few for myself at a local antique store. I happen to love the prettiness of a lacey hankerchief, the pure feminitity of one. Plus, it’s practical. Really. You just never know when you’re going to need a clean bit of cloth to dab at life’s little emergencies.

What unusual item do you always carry? Band-aids? Sewing kit? Dental floss? Hand sanitizer? Notepad? Tape measure? (Yes, I’ve carried all of these in my day.) Do the contents of your purse reveal the secret you?

54 Comments »

I have a confession to make — when I’m in an area where my cell phone won’t work, I get a little . . . nervous . . . agitated . . . jittery.

I tell myself that it’s because I worry something will happen to my kids and I won’t be there to assist them. Although in reality, by the time I get an “I’m in trouble” call, the deed (whatever it is) is done and all that’s left for me to do is yell, “What in the HECK were you thinking?”

The truth is something simpler . . . I’m addicted to my cell phone.

I keep it with me everywhere. I take it to the store, the bookstore, my parents’ house, when I’m driving, at the doctor’s, sitting at McDonald’s . . . it doesn’t matter where I go. If I’m there, my trust Motorola Q is right there with me and I obsessively check it every oh, seven minutes.

Ok, maybe more like five.

I do not, however, talk in public places or while driving because I know that’s annoying or dangerous. See? I do practice Safe Cellphoneage.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed OTHER people seem to always have THEIR cellphones with them, too, and seem even more addicted than I am. I was at the doctor’s yesterday for my annual physical where I saw a woman clutching her paper drape with one hand while in the other, she clung desperately to her cell phone with the air of a child holding a precious teddy bear.

The nurse had to ask her to ‘put the phone down’ in the same tone of voice one might use to talk a jumper off the ledge of a building. The woman, I might add, did not wish to release her phone and gave a huge list of reasons why she might need the phone in the middle of her exam (none of which had the least relevance, I might add).

The nurse looked irritated by this dependency, but I have to say, I was in my little room across the hall nodding my head. Of course, I had cleverly hidden MY phone between the exam table and the cushion and had set it on vibrate, so that if it went off, I would be the only one to know, though what I would have done if that HAD happened, I don’t know. “Excuse me, doctor, but I have a strange tingling under my left buttock. Would you mind leaving the room for a moment?”

What about you guys? Any of you found yourself a slave to technology? Your cellphone? PDA? Computer? The internet? If so, do you want to be cured or are you sort of enjoying your little addiction? (Btw, did I mention that I’ve downloaded 21 games on my cellphone? AND 121 of my favorite songs? Oh yes!)

62 Comments »

You know the song in THE SOUND OF MUSIC that goes, “These are a few of my favorite things?”

“Whiskers on kittens… brown paper packages tied up with string.”

I don’t agree with some of Julie Andrews’s choices. While kittens are adorable, their whiskers are not that appealing to me. Whiskers are not attractive on a show horse either, since it’s a sign of poor grooming. And on men… well, a five-o’clock shadow can be sexy on some guys, but if you have to kiss them, whiskers just feel like sandpaper.

I’m not fond of brown paper either, but I guess I should remember that song was written about a time before glitzy wrapping paper came into vogue. And back then brown paper packages meant presents. I’m okay with presents. I like them usually. But I can list a lot of things that beat out presents for my favorite things.

So fellow goddesses, since quizzes are a great get-to-know-you vehicle, and since I like to learn about the goddesses I hang with, this is another chance to talk about some of our fave things.

What are some of your favorite things and why? Name your favorite:
-LOVE SONG
-ROMANTIC MOVIE
-ROMANTIC STAR IN MOVIES OR TV
-PLACE TO READ
-READING MATERIAL (newspapers, magazines, novels, non-fiction, how-to manuals, on-line sources, etc.)
-FICTION GENRE/SUBGENRE (literary, historicals, mysteries, paranormal, etc.)
-Complete the following sentence: To me READING IS  better than
       a) TV and movies
       b) chocolate
       c) sex
       d) as necessary as breathing

54 Comments »

No, I’m not talking about that scene in WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, altho that was a great scene.  I’m talking moments - the satisfying moments when you say “YES!” and fling your fist at the universe in elation.  That was primarily metaphorical.  I’m not advocating flinging your fists all over the place, especially if you’re driving.  There are crazy people out there who’d shoot you for that.

I hope you’ve had lots of YES moments in your life.  I’ve had my share and I’m grateful for every one. 

Today I’m talking about YES moments in books and movies.  Goddess Sabrina got me thinking about this a few days ago when she blogged about tidy endings and I thought about the movie SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and that wonderful scene at the end of the flick where you know it’ll all be okay.  I said “YES.”

But the YES moments don’t always have to come at the end.  Sometimes it’s the characters’ “turning point” - the moment they morph into the person you always knew they could be.  Like in GROUNDHOG DAY when Bill Murray finally gets it right.  Or when the bully gets theirs - like in CHRISTMAS STORY when Ralphie whales into Skut Farkus.   Every person who’d ever been terrorized by a playground bully said YES!  I loved the moment in ALMOST HEAVEN when Ian Thorton put the meanspirited Valerie - the one whose misspelled notes had started all the pain for him and Elizabeth - in her place.  That was definitely a YES moment.

Conversely, maybe there is never a YES moment and you’re left dissatisfied.  I always thought Charlie Brown should have aimed for Lucy instead of the ball - just once.  

What are your favorite YES moments in books and movies?  When were you denied a YES moment that still rankles inside you? 

53 Comments »

There’s a debate going on within Romance Writers of America about whether or not a romance novel has to have a happily ever after to be considered a romance. To me, this is a no brainer. If the hero and heroine do not end up together at the end of a book, it’s not a romance. It may be a great novel, but it isn’t a romance. Gone With The Wind was great. It’s one of my favorite books– not a romance.

So tell me what you think? Does a book have to have an HEA to be a romance? And what are some great books that are romantic but are not romance novels?

58 Comments »

I have a confession to make: I google EVERYTHING. Words I don’t know, names of people I haven’t seen in years, dates that are important to me . . . if it can be written, I’ll google it.

One time, I even googled myself. That’s when I found out that Karen Hawkins is not only a romance author, but also . . .

1) Real Estate Mogul Karen Hawkins.

2) Organic Food Champion Karen Hawkins.

and 3) Sister Karen Hawkins, the nun.

Sometimes I wonder how I would like these Alternative Careers. Could I develop the skills and knowledge to be Organic Karen Hawkins? Handle the stress of a high pressure ever-changing real estate market like Mogul Karen Hawkins? Become . . . (gulp!) Sister Karen Hawkins?

So here’s the Googling Goddess Game:. Google your name and give us your top three Alternative Life Choices. Would you want these careers? Is there one that made you laugh? Or one that made you go “hmmm!”?

47 Comments »

I’m talking about plot threads, not cleaning. You see, I like mine tied up neat and tidy. Yes, I’ve noticed that real life doesn’t work that way. No, I don’t care. That’s why I prefer popular fiction to literary fiction–because popular fiction ties up loose threads, resolves conflict, and settles things.

Unfortunately, these days no book, television show, or movie is considered sophisticated unless it leaves plot threads hanging. Look at how the critics salivated over the “brilliant” series finale of “The Sopranos.” Me, I just got mad. I felt like the show had engaged me for six seasons, then left me swinging in the wind. No justice for Adriana and no self-awareness for Tony OR Carmela. The series began and ended with the characters going nowhere, just like in real life. Remind me again of why I watch TV?

What bugs me is that literary fiction didn’t used to be biased against tidy resolutions. Whether Shakespeare’s plays ended happily or tragically, they wrapped everything up nicely. So did Jane Austen’s books and virtually every other nineteenth-century novel. Then along came the age of naturalism and realism. Suddenly, literary fiction was expected to eliminate any shred of tidiness. “Life is messy,” said the critics, “so fiction should be, too.”

Balderdash, I say. Fiction has more uses than to mirror real life. It’s supposed to take us OUT of real life, help us cope. And as a writer, I can tell you it’s harder to tie up loose ends believably than to leave things messy. Messy takes no skill—that’s why bad literary novels abound. Tidy is hard work.

Still, I seem to be in an ever-shrinking minority. Even romance reviewers now complain if a book or a series ends TOO neatly. There is no such thing to me. I may not be a tidy housekeeper, but I like tidy books.

Anybody else share my love of tidiness in plots? Be honest now, and pay no attention to my crankiness (I AM on deadline). I promise not to judge you even if I can’t share your preference. Do you like all the plot threads resolved? Or do you get a certain thrill out of messiness? Does it depend on the kind of book you’re reading, messy for some kinds, tidy for others?

36 Comments »

I’m a feel good junkie. About every month or two, I have to grab a feel good fix from my keeper shelf. This happens if I’m stressed or depressed or just haven’t read anything that gives me that ahhh feeling in my heart and soul. Sometimes I reach for a movie or food, but most of the time it’s a book.

For some reason, all my feel good books are books I’d read before I published my first book in 1998. I’m not sure why, but perhaps it is because I read those book through the eyes of a reader instead of a writer.

My feel good books are:

Megan McKinney’s When Angel’s Fall
Linda Howard’s Son of the Morning and After the Night
Sandra Brown’s Slow Heat In Heaven
Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Heaven Texas
Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and The Star
Judith McNaught’s Something Wonderful

Feel good movies:

Sweet Home Alabama
Pride and Predjudice
Gone With The Wind

Feel good food:

McDonald’s french fries
Creme brulee

How do you get your feel good fix? And who or what do you reach for?

37 Comments »

The goddesses welcome Julia Quinn to the Mount!  Julia’s new book is The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever and hits the shelves June 26! 

Lightning Round!  Julia Quinn is swamped with deadlines, but after a lifetime of trying to convince her family that she’s a goddess, she couldn’t resist the chance to come and by and actually be one for a day.

In the interest of sanity (hers, but mostly her editor’s), we’re going to make it quick and painless. Give us your favorites, JQ!  (Or at the very least, the first choice that comes to mind.)

Childhood book: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsberg.

Romance novel: I could never choose.

Non-Romance novel: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

What is your favorite word? I like to make them up and see if anyone notices.

Weird website: The Stinky Meat Project. www.stinkymeat.net).

Halloween costume:  See the picture.

Ice cream flavor:  Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche. 

Fruit: Blackberries.

Starbucks order: Triple Grande Nonfat Caramel Macchiato with no vanilla.

Alcoholic drink: Lemon Drop

Non-alcoholic drink: Diet A&W Root Beer. And that high-maintenance Starbucks order above.

Goddess: I’d tell you but I think Gibson would beat me up.

Other than writing, what other jobs or professions have you undertaken or considered? I attended medical school at Yale for about three months—just long enough to dissect a human backside. Other than that, I’ve been a full-time writer pretty much since I finished university.

What was the first piece you ever had in print? I wrote the sections on Crete & Cyprus in Let’s Go: Europe 1991. It was exciting work—I lost eight pounds (since they didn’t pay me enough to buy proper food), had my every belonging infested by fleas, and was propositioned by a monk on a boat to Haifa. But I do know where to get the best souvlaki pita on Crete. (The train station in Chania, if anyone is interested.)

What are you working on at the moment?A two-novel set, the first of which is called The Two Dukes of Wyndham. It was inspired by a Dire Straits song called “Industrial Disease.” In it, Mark Knopfler sings, “Two men say they’re Jesus. One of them must be wrong.” So I thought—how about: “Two men say they’re the Duke of Wyndham. One of them must be wrong.” The second novel is about the man who turns out not to be the duke.

So, what are your favorites?

50 Comments »

Splurge (noun) - A sudden burst of extravagance. Also a great Scrabble word.

I like to splurge. To spoil myself. I don’t do it often, at least not on a grand scale, but I enjoy it immensely. It’s like giving me a little gift to myself – something that I really want and that probably no one else would get me.

A couple of days ago I realized that while I had booked the hotel room for the Dallas writer’s conference (don’t worry, Karen Hawkins, we won’t have to sleep in the lobby), I had neglected to purchase airline tickets. So I went online and I looked up the various prices and found some nonstop flights (I HATE having to change planes). As I was about to click the “book this flight” button, I stopped. Wait a minute. I will only fly one time this year. This is essentially the only vacation I’m going to have for the next eight months at the least. And so I got myself a first class ticket to Dallas. I splurged.

Do I need to fly first class? No. Could I have bought three round trip tickets in coach for the price of that one round trip up in front? Yes. Did my mom make that face when I told her how much I’d spent? Yes. But it was within my so-called vacation budget, it was unusual, and I wanted it.

Generally my splurges are much more reasonable. A trip to the grocery store where I happen to travel down the cookie aisle and for no good reason get myself a package of chocolate Double-Stuf Oreos. An uncut press sheet of the new Star Wars postage stamps so I can frame it. The complete DVD series of Xena: Warrior Princess because I like Bruce Campbell as Autolycus. But they’re all special, because they’re…frivolous, I guess. Not something I need, but something I just want. And it feels good to spoil myself once in awhile.

Do you ever splurge? Do you buy yourself a little something special that has no real use but that you wanted? What’s the largest or most enjoyable splurge you’ve ever indulged in? (I have to name my life-sized Yoda for that.)

44 Comments »