Speaking of dreams...
I don't know how many of you remember around the middle of January, the news reported on "The Best Job in the World." It's the position of "caretaker" on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Queensland Tourism is actually looking for someone to live on the island for six months, do touristy things and blog and report on it. To apply, one has to create and post a video on line.
Well...I did it. The odds are certainly not in my favor (they've had over 15,000 applicants), but what the heck. I had a good time making the video and dreaming big. So if you want to see my video you can click on the link below and view my application for "The Best Job in the World."
http://www.islandreefjob.com/applicants/watch/xmkhAGLTl44
How awesome would this job be????
--Gabi
Also reading:
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig (I got interrupted by Rita judging)
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Good News
I'm happy to announce I've been taken on as a client by the Marlene Stringer Agency. It's exciting to be starting this new phase in my writing career and I'm ready for the challenge.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Dogs and Goddesses by Crusie, Stuart, and Lane
Pandora's Box by Natale Stenzel
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
Dogs and Goddesses by Crusie, Stuart, and Lane
Pandora's Box by Natale Stenzel
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Froth
I write froth. Fluff. Brain candy. You name it. And I'm proud of it. OK, my critique partners say that my books have definite depth and emotion and that I get into some heavy areas, but, you know, my taste in reading leans absolutely to works that make me chuckle (I like my movies that way too) or are uplifting (Think SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION or SECOND HAND LIONS).
Now I honestly believe that everyone has different tones that are their favorites, but personally I HATE books where the characters have so much baggage that they need porters to help them move from scene to scene. I will fight for your right to read and enjoy such books, but don't force them on me.
If I'm reading a romance, I don't want heaviness. That doesn't mean no villains--I love a good villain--that doesn't mean no suspense--I love a good suspense--but it does mean that I get turned off by a hero who comes from an abused childhood who has beaten an adult drug addiction , who pairs off with a heroine who's been raped by her foster parent and then spent the rest of her childhood in and out of institutions. Not that such histories don't have a lot to be admired, but that's not the reason I read romance. I read for total escapism. Too much reality ruins it for me.
I have accepted that my books will probably never reach the status of "great" American literature because of my tastes, but they're MY tastes and I don't have to justify them to anyone. Doesn't mean that I don't have themes in my novels--I do. My last novel's theme was "all gifts have a price" (along the lines of "all decisions have a consequence") and I've often written the theme that "home is not a place, it's a person". Themes are the great universal truths that I (again this is about me) believe in.
Anyway, I write the books I would like to read. If you're looking for angst; deep, soul-wrenching pain; or people overcoming insurmountable (which I never believe the characters can overcome--why do you think they're called "insurmountable"?) problems, find another author.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
RITA books are finished
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves
Now I honestly believe that everyone has different tones that are their favorites, but personally I HATE books where the characters have so much baggage that they need porters to help them move from scene to scene. I will fight for your right to read and enjoy such books, but don't force them on me.
If I'm reading a romance, I don't want heaviness. That doesn't mean no villains--I love a good villain--that doesn't mean no suspense--I love a good suspense--but it does mean that I get turned off by a hero who comes from an abused childhood who has beaten an adult drug addiction , who pairs off with a heroine who's been raped by her foster parent and then spent the rest of her childhood in and out of institutions. Not that such histories don't have a lot to be admired, but that's not the reason I read romance. I read for total escapism. Too much reality ruins it for me.
I have accepted that my books will probably never reach the status of "great" American literature because of my tastes, but they're MY tastes and I don't have to justify them to anyone. Doesn't mean that I don't have themes in my novels--I do. My last novel's theme was "all gifts have a price" (along the lines of "all decisions have a consequence") and I've often written the theme that "home is not a place, it's a person". Themes are the great universal truths that I (again this is about me) believe in.
Anyway, I write the books I would like to read. If you're looking for angst; deep, soul-wrenching pain; or people overcoming insurmountable (which I never believe the characters can overcome--why do you think they're called "insurmountable"?) problems, find another author.
--Gabi
Books I'm reading now:
RITA books are finished
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves
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