Jane's Blog - Page 82 of 93 - Jane Porter | New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

Hollywood, Gollywood

August 29, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I wasn’t going to say anything because a lot of times nothing pans out, but I thought, what the hell, nothing may ever pan out but having Hollywood call is always cool, so I’m telling. A little.

Someone in La-La Land (L.A.) is interested in Flirting with Forty. It could go to their motion picture department, it could go to their television studio, it could just sit buried on a desk, or in a filing cabinet, but there’s talk and interest. But then, there’s been talk and interest before and their people and my people couldn’t see eye to eye and nothing happened.

Their people and my people are again talking (different studio this time, different interested parties) and have been talking for a number of days and I don’t know what they’re saying, but there is no agreement and yet eventually there could be. Who knows. I don’t get all worked up about Hollywood anymore. Too many hopes dashed, I suppose, and none of them related to my books but my own short years in Los Angeles pursing my ‘acting dream’. I didn’t fare well in Los Angeles. One, I’m too Type A for traffic. And two, I’m not thin or pretty enough for Hollywood but not interesting enough to be a character actor or talented enough to ever break any barrier. So acting, although it was my chief love from thirteen to twenty-one was booted, and I focused increasingly on my writing.

And my writing has caught some folks attention in Hollywood. Strange this circle of life.

I think I’d get more excited about LA offers and possibilities in La-La Land if I didn’t know how people talk. And how people credential themselves. Almost everyone in LA is a producer. Or a writer. Or a producer/writer/actor. Or, an actor/producer. So on and so on which is fabulous, I suppose if you’re high up on the foodchain and are a producer/writer/actor like um, Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell (okay, I totally love SNL and comedy), but most aren’t. Most….want to be.

I just want to be a writer, and write.

But in the meantime, while their people talk to my people and discuss if Flirting is the right vehicle for this studio, and if the studio can pony up whatever money is required (I really don’t bother with reading contracts because they just plain scare me) I think I’ll hold my own imaginary casting sessions for the tv/movie. I want suggestions for Jackie and Kai. Which actors do you see playing the part? And what about Jackie’s friends? Who should they be?

So if you’re bored and you’ve nothing to do, send me some names and we’ll put together our own cast, and that way, even if Flirting never leaves the bookstore, it’s had it’s bit of movie magic.

Zoom Lens

August 21, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I hear your pain.

Some of you are frustrated by the link I provided over to the 5Spot blog. I’m sorry if I confused you. I know I confuse me. In fact, I’m so confused I used to wear a t-shirt in college that read, ‘I Never Get Lost Because Everyone Tells Me Where To Go.’ But that was college (and the 80’s), this is now, and yes, there is probably a better way to link to 5Spot without frustrating so many readers. But I haven’t learned yet, so a second round of apologies.

I posted a photo of my surfer guy last night over at the 5Spot Blogger (as Megan Crane called it, a ‘5 Spot exclusive’), and yet people couldn’t find it. So now I’m adding a new link which will hopefully take you straight over to the pic. And it’s not even a photo from Hawaii. It’s Banff.

Now I’ll tell you why it’s a Banff photo. It’s my favorite picture of us because we both look very fresh and shiny and new. And we look so shiny and new because we’d been walking, and it was really cold outside so we ducked into this Banff store to get some gloves for me, and once inside the store, I didn’t want to leave. From the icy wind chill our eyes were watering and our cheeks glowed with color and folks, this isn’t how we normally look.

What’s different? Besides me looking not quite as new and shiny in real life, Ty’s usually not this um, covered.

In Hawaii Ty lives in board shorts or shorts, forgoing shirts on warm days, which is well, most of the time–which I totally appreciate.

I’m not saying I date a younger man to oogle him, but, he does look good without a shirt and I do like to stare at him. A lot. Very shallow of me, but there you have it.

Here is the link.

The Old Jiggity-Jig

August 20, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I love vacations because you get to unwind. Sleep in. Eat real meals. And in Australia we had such lovely meals, starting with rich mochas and lattes followed by plates of eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato, mushrooms, and heaps of buttered toast. We didn’t go hungry in Australia. And we didn’t really think about the consequences. Or we did, but pushed some thoughts out of mind and quickly had a second helping. Or in my case, thirds if it was my favorite dessert, the luscious meringue and passion fruit drizzled Pavlova.

I love the Pavlova.

And the Pavlova loves my hips.

So I’m back running. Slowly. Kind of speed walking. Kind of walk-jogging. I was never cut out to be a runner and my current running shoes just leave me aching and injured.

Tomorrow I’ve vowed to get a new pair, but in the meantime I provide my younger son with endless entertainment as he sits at the track and watches me do my 8-10 laps.

Today I made the mistake of making eye contact with him as I passed by.

He puts his hands somewhere in front of his body and moves them around.

I run slowly, wincingly towards him to retrieve my water bottle. ‘Hey.’

‘You’re uh, bouncing,’ he says. ‘Your chest.’

I know this kid so well and he never changes. ‘Yes, I know. Those are called boobs.’

He’s seven and a half and such a smartass. ‘Okay.’ Then he nods across the track. ‘And that lady in black and white has lapped you.’

I could hate him if he weren’t flesh of my flesh. ‘Yes, she’s a real runner.’

He gestures to a lady walk-running past us now. ‘And she’s just passed you by. And I don’t think she’s a runner.’

I screw the plastic cap on my water. It must be so fun to be young and fit and lazier than sin. ‘She passed me by because I stopped to talk to you.’

He shrugs, lies back on the grass. ‘Whatever.’

And if you’d been there to read my mind it would have said, ‘Little bastard.’ Followed by, ‘I’m wishing I hadn’t eaten so many Pavlovas now.’

But I did eat the Pavlovas. And the eggs and bacon and buttered toast. Also the two mochas a day before I remembered to order skinny lattes (not half so fun!). So I’m crammed back into my jeans, and trying to wean myself off 9 meals a day and attempting to drag myself off to the track for a daily jiggity-jig.

Or as my dearest son Ty would tell you: A jiggly jog.

Over At Blogger…

August 19, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I’m keeping some of my 5 Spot authors company with the new The5Spot blog. And what the heck is 5 Spot? It’s an imprint. Um, an emblem on the spine of my Flirting with Book. A…thing.

But I just added a post there, my second blog with them ever. I like that place because I get to add photos. I wish I could add photos here but hey, that’s an issue for my web team, not you all. So if you want to see some photos, or see what kind of things I say in my alter ego state, drop by here and see me, and read my newest blog and know that sometime over the weekend I will be sharing some pics from Australia, and finally a photo of me and my surfer guy…together. That’s right. We have been photographed together and The5Spot Blog…thing…will have those photos sometime between now and Sunday night.

And now I must go feed the gecko small crickets. And dig some mealworms and waxworms out of sawdust for the gecko’s bowl. I’m so glad I have a gecko for a pet. I always wanted a lizard. I always wanted to clean up lizard poop.

Thank You for Readers

August 17, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I’ve got to thank my readers. They’ve been amazing. They’re making Flirting with Forty very successful, creating a buzz I could only dream about. Until now.

While the Amazon and B&N.com sales have slowed somewhat, Flirting is still showing strong on Bookscan, which is probably why the book has now gone back for a 6th printing in a little over a month. A 6th printing. Bringing the total print run to 62,500. I’m thrilled, I’m thrilled, I’m thrilled. But better than those numbers, are the emails I’m getting from readers, readers that have connected with the story at a level I didn’t expect. People have written me to say that it’s as if I could read their minds, and others have thanked me for putting into words what they’ve felt for years. Others just wanted me to know that my book made them feel laugh, or cry, or both. And some others, mainly Redbook magazine readers, wrote to say that they haven’t read a book in ages, or that reading hasn’t ever been easy, and yet they got lost in Flirting with Forty and read it in record time.

These emails are the things I treasure most. The book sales are great–they represent a future for me-but what gives me pleasure, and comfort, and encouragement is the knowledge that I’ve written something that validates other women’s experience. My story isn’t my story at all, but thousand and thousands of other women’s story.

For a little girl that wrote stories for herself, to keep from being lonely, it’s heady. Dazzling. Life changing.

So to my readers–you amazing, kind, honest, smart, extremely hardworking women–thank you. I’m a fan of all of you.

Yours, Jane

PS To express my appreciation, I’m sending a thank you gift to the first 100 readers that email [email protected] and put Fun Flirting Freebies in the subject header. I’ll send you some great promo items including What’s a Flirting with Forty pen, Flirting letter opener, and my favorite–Jackie Lauren’s Luau Cookbook. Make sure you put your complete name and mail address in the body of the email so the cookbook and fun stuff reaches you. Give us a couple weeks to get them all out (although you probably will receive your goodies sooner!). Be sure to email today before we run out of goodies and remember–you’re all awesome, even those of you who don�t want any Flirting freebies, and I couldn’t have done this without you.

That’s It?!?

August 15, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I can’t be home already. I was only just leaving, just arriving, just skipping about Australia having the most marvelous time. How can I already be back in the Pacific Northwest? How can my trip be over? How can two weeks just…well…fly by?

The trip went so smoothly, too, each and every hotel was great. No lost reservations. No dented rental cars. Nothing embarrassing (other than the one night the one son peed his bed but shhh, that was jet lag when we first arrived and too much liquid before what wasn’t a normal bedtime.)

No, the trip was fantastic. The Australians are lovely. The continent huge and endlessly fascinating. My traveling companions perfection. (Bed wetters not withstanding, and since it wasn’t my bed that got wet, I really can’t complain.)

And now I guess it’s time to write.

Or do book signings. Yes. I do believe I’ve quite a few book signings coming up. Spokane this weekend. Bellingham on Tuesday. Hawaii the 26th and 27th and then Fresno, Visalia and San Diego the first half of September. So come see me. Please come see me. You’d be doing me a huge favor. I hate to sit alone.

Laying It All Out There

August 12, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I just finished giving my first talk here at the Romance Writers of Australia’s conference on the Gold Coast and I had lots of lovely people tell me afterwards I did a great job, and how much they appreciate me sharing so much of my own life, and maybe it’s not what I should do, but I do do it. I’m not sure why. I’m not sure if I can stop sharing so much. And not sure if I should.

I’m getting so much reader mail on Flirting with Forty, so much from readers who don’t usually read books and they’re all so surprised they liked Flirting with Forty and amazed at how much they felt. And then they discover my website, and see that Flirting with Forty has many parallels to my own life, and they end up cheering for me, glad I’ve my own Kai.

And I wish it was that neat and tidy. Nothing is as neat and tidy as a novel, but we can hope.

And this is what I have learned most regarding this novel and its reception: women crave hope. They want it in buckets and spades. They want love and they want happy endings and they want to believe that being good, and trying hard will be rewarded.

I want to believe it, too, which is why I write stories like Flirting with Forty. It’s why I take the risks I do and talk so openly in workshops, on my blogs, in my books. My novels have lots of autobiographical bits but they don’t follow my life and the plots aren’t like the path my life really takes, but I try to point in the direction of Happy Ever Afters. My compass doesn’t read North. It reads Hope. The little arrow always swings back to Hope. It has to. Without hope, what have we?

Which is why flying now is less than comfortable, and knowing I must board a plane in several days with my children fills me with some trepidation as the world situation is less than ideal, but I have a compass and I have a direction and I have my themes. Love, hope, acceptance, validation and all that good stuff.

So yes, I do lay it out there and I think we should. I think we can’t be afraid to be real, and to say what we want, and express what we need and recognize it takes courage–balls–to speak straight. To speak about the things we believe and the things we see we don’t always think is fair, or right. Maybe life isn’t fair, but we can always work to make it right. And maybe women don’t know they deserve happiness and tons of love, but they do. They do. You do. I do. And I’ll keep saying it. For as long as I need to.

Sex On The Beach

August 8, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

Okay, there’s no sex on this Northern Queensland beach but I got your attention, didn’t I, and that’s what counts.

I love Australia because Aussies must be a bit like me–mad about their email and internet connections because there are internet cafes everywhere. Even at the post office.

I can do so much at Australia post offices, too, which is really fantastic. I can buy minutes for my phone. I can type emails. I can book plane tickets (on the internet). I can mail things and purchase post cards and fun touristy tea towels. If the post office sold Cadbury chocolate, I wouldn’t even need to go anywhere else.

(I’m actually taking a furtive look around the Palm Cove post office now to make sure no chocolate is available.)

We’ve had a great time so far. The wind has been blowing the past few days which made our jaunt out to the Outer Great Barrier Reef extra exciting. The ship’s crew ran back and forth with white barf bags and the Japanese tourists around us were filling them up so rapidly that I wasn’t sure whether to be filled with pity or horror. Never have vomit bags been so needed, and never have huge rubbish bins been filled so fast and furiously, either. Fortunately I had my crew taking ginger pills and other pills before and during trip to ensure quieter stomachs. The only drawback was that I couldn’t shake the sleepies after taking the good little no-queasy pill and spent an hour at sea sound asleep, sprawled on a bench, looking very much like a couple dozen other Japanese tourists who weren’t recovering quickly from the morning sail.

Happily I did get in the water. Unhappily it was very cold in and out of the water. But I saw things. Lots of things. And the boys were all much hardier than me. They actually snorkeled for an hour or more. I drank tea. Loads of it. While busily snapping pics as the official photographer.

On the way back to Cairns the ship’s captain slowed down so we could watch the humpback whales and for fifteen minutes we were all riveted to the windows, and lining the deck, to get as good a view as possible. The whales swam under the boat at one point—very exciting–and the day was great before the whales but the whale encounters made all the fat poofed up barf bags even more acceptable.

Australians are great. They really are. Even the ones that work in tourist restaurants and don’t feel like being in the restaurant wait business. Because a surly Australian will always be a hundred times friendlier than a surly American and that, my friends, brings me back to the beach.

Sex on the beach.

Or not really because the beach in Queensland is fraught with all kinds of Crocodile Dundee like possibilities…snakes, crocs, jelly fish, sharks.

But isn’t that the charm of this unbelievable country? There are endless miles of gorgeous pristine beaches.

Beaches just waiting to eat you.

Techie Hell

August 4, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

Technology and I do not make good bedfellows. In fact, technology and I do not make nice, well, ever. I understand the ATM, and have learned to make that work for me, but computers leave me baffled, particularly when Microsoft updates its software and quietly dispenses with rival software on my system, insensitively dispensing with the software I like and *know* how to use.

I know I live in Microsoftland and appreciate that many of my friends and their husbands are gainfully employed by Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn’t seem to remember that there are people like me out there, people who can barely remember their user id and password, much less anything connected to the systems.

Systems, indeed. My systems are pen and paper and a stack of good books. Which actually don’t help me much when I’m trying to answer email, update the JaneBlog, or place an international phone call from my newly purchased international SIM phone.

Which brings me back to the present. I’m now in Sydney, having enjoyed a most chilly wet day in non warm, non-winter clothes and having spent the last hour trying to get my new Blackberry-like phone (purchased just for this trip so I wouldn’t have to search for internet cafes) to let me do what I want to do.

Problem is, my new Blackberry-like phone, called cheerfully a Pocket PC, seems to have lost its light, or I’ve turned it off and now I can’t even read the screen. Books never have this problem.

Worse, my computer minutes are ticking away and I’ve all these little gadgets spread out on the internet cafe’s desk and I can’t concentrate, not with the hem on my jeans plastered wetly to the back of my legs.

You’d think that living in Seattle I would know what a) winter feels like, and b) what rain does to a sweatshirt. But nope, I didn’t pack one waterproof anything (weather report said Sydney was sunny) and now our clothes are spread out over our room trying to dry before I cram them back into the suitcase for our jaunt north to Cairns.

Cairns I trust will be warmer and dryer.

Cairns will also need to have an internet cafe since I don’t know why the hell I bought a new Pocket PC when I can’t even use my full size PC in Bellevue.

Bye Bye Miss American Pie

August 2, 2006 by Jane · Comments Off

I’m heading to Los Angeles tomorrow with kids where we’ll meet Surfer Ty who is also flying in from Hawaii. In the evening we’ll board a Qantas flight to Australia, landing in Sydney on Thursday before hopping to Cairns on Saturday for 5 nights. All told, we’ll be gone two weeks with four of those days spent at the Romance Writers of Australia’s annual conference, taking place this year on the Gold Coast.

It’s been another long day at the computer, today especially rought since the damn thing has decided to freeze up every ten minutes or so. I don’t know why it does this. I just want it to work so I can wrap up my last minute emails and details along with the workshop I’m presenting at the conference.

I get nervous about cocktail parties, ladies brunches, and conference lunches, but speaking never makes me nervous. Whether there’s two people or two thousand, I feel comfortable at the microphone, confident that I’ve got something to say.

I suppose I say the things I need to hear—be strong, take risks, have compassion, laugh, love, forgive. I talk about craft and how to strengthen the book. I talk about the challenges in this profession and the need to honor the muse. But ultimately what I convey is that you’re not alone. We’re all working hard, and we’re all struggling along, and even if some people seem to be breezing through…they’re really not. Life is life. Life is hard. But that doesn’t make it bad. It just means the world–our world–is complex and we’ve got to be good problem solvers. We’ve got to want to make lemonade from lemons. We’ve got to want to see the glass half-full.

In just hours I’ll jump on yet another plane but this time there aren’t any goodbyes as the kids and Surfer Ty are coming with me. It should be a great trip. Should be a perfect combination of work and fun.

As long as spending two weeks in hotels and on planes and in rental cars with a chick with kids won’t be too much for Surfer Ty. I know he grew up in a big family, and I know he’s handling dating me very well, but he’s about to get a whole lot of togetherness.

Jet-lag style.