Samhain Publishing

My twitter feed has exploded over the past few days, with capslock expressions of either utter joy or despair, sometimes in the same tweet. See, I follow a lot of people interested in – or employed by – the television industry. And right around the corner are network upfronts.

Up until last year, I had no idea what an upfront was, or why I should pay attention to one. New shows appeared on my TV schedule in the fall, stopped sometime in the spring, and either came back or didn’t depending on the whims of TV executives. But then my favorite actor was cast in a pilot, and suddenly I was very interested in the whole process. (Funny how that works, right?)

So here’s the process, as far as I can tell, in a nutshell:

1. Creative people write scripts.
2. Studios pick up a bunch of scripts.
3. Bunch of scripts narrowed down to a select few at each studio.
4. Casting/hiring of behind-the-scenes talent for those scripts.
5. Networks order pilots for some (but not all) of the scripts.
6. Pilot filming. (For more in-depth details on the pilot process, check out my blog post on flying to LA to watch the pilot filming of I Hate My Teenage Daughter last year.)
7. Upfronts. This is where the networks announce their schedules for the upcoming television season.

And that’s where we are right now, with upfronts right around the corner. So for the past couple of days, reports have been leaked at most the major networks, sharing which current shows are getting the axe, as well as which new shows have been placed on the schedule. The show I mentioned above was officially cancelled this week, which wasn’t a surprise – it had been yanked from the schedule so many times I would have been shocked if it ever showed up on the channel again. But for other fans of other shows, it’s been a nailbiting week of joy and sorrow.

In a way, it’s like the submission process for writers, on a far more public scale, and with many more people invested in the results. Though there’s a curious comfort in sharing the experience with others who are just as anxious, it’s also got to be stressful for the actors, writers, directors, and crew to know their impending employment status will be commented on by people across the country. Personally, I think I’ll stick with the individual acceptance or rejection letter, thank you very much.

Do you follow the upfronts? Were any of your favorites saved or jettisoned this week? And are there any new shows you’re anxious to check out?

I love, love, love the holiday season. I love the anticipation, the decorations, the food. (Especially the food. Unfortunately for my waistline.)

And, right there at the top of the list, is watching Christmas movies.

There are so many of them out there to choose from – classic to obscure, musical to black and white to blockbuster hit, there’s a holiday film for almost every taste and preference.

I, of course, love the well-known Christmas classics. But I also have a soft spot for some lesser-known films that fit the holiday genre. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites:

1. In The Good Old Summertime. Kind of counterintuitive, isn’t it, that a film with “Summertime” in the title is actually a Christmas movie? But the climactic ending to this musical precursor to You’ve Got Mail is set at Christmas, and Van Johnson and Judy Garland are simply brimming over with sexual tension as they realize they’re penpals in love with each other.

2. The Man Who Came To Dinner. Hysterically funny script, talented cast, and crackling dialogue make this one a keeper. It was adapted from the stage, but manages to translate to the screen quite well.

3. The Lemon Drop Kid. One of my husband’s favorites, we like to watch it over the Christmas break. Bob Hope in one of his funniest roles as a small time con artist who has to raise money quick – at Christmas time – to pay back a mobster.

4. While You Were Sleeping. I know it’s not particularly obscure, but it does tend to get overlooked when people are thinking of Christmas movies. Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman are adorable in it.

5. Meet Me In St Louis. Yes, another Judy Garland film to round out the list. But how could I leave off the film that brought us “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”? (And my favorite audition piece from my theater days, “The Trolley Song”.)

So how about you? What’s your favorite Christmas/holiday movie? What should I add to my “to watch” list this year?

I’m writing this at 2:14 am, having just folded the last load of laundry. I hope. There could be more items lurking in baskets needing laundering RIGHT NOW, but I’m not going to look. I need plausible deniability, here.

We’re leaving on vacation in the morning, or later today, depending on your definition of 2:16 am. (It’s getting later! *weeps*) By the time you read this, I’ll have been traveling for several days, with kids and hubby in tow, and we’ll probably know by then exactly what we forgot to bring along. Because no matter how far in advance I plan, packing never goes as smoothly as I would like. In fact, it’s usually an unmitigated disaster.

Someone will leave a swimsuit at home. Someone else will remember the contacts but not the contact solution. We’ll have thirteen bottles of sunscreen, but no bug spray, or vice versa. I’ll bring all the water shoes for the slide park, but forget to measure kids’ feet and they’ll no longer fit. (Note: No relation to actual events. Really. I promise.) We’ll all throw half the clothes in the house in our bags, and then proceed to wear 10% of the items brought along.

On the plus side, we’re not leaving civilization completely, so when we discover half the toothbrushes didn’t make it to our destination, we can stop by the store and pick them up.

So how about you? Are you a champion packer, or do you procrastinate, panic, and pitch everything in bags the night – or morning, as the case may be – before heading out of town?

I'm over the moon at the release of my new book, Take A Chance On Me, available today from Samhain. I originally wrote this book years ago, but it's gone through many revisions and reincarnations on its path to publication. Thanks, Samhain, for taking a chance on my book!

Accept no substitute…for love.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Jessica Martin is determined to earn a permanent teaching position at Summit High School. That means hard work, dedication, and even volunteering extra time to direct the school’s Shakespeare play. Which leaves no room for romance—especially with a co-worker. She didn’t factor in the school’s sexy security officer and the delicious fantasies he inspires.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Former cop Tom Cameron likes his job. Or he did, until the new substitute busted his orderly life right open. Now, he can’t seem to avoid her—deserted hallways, empty theaters, classrooms after dark—but he’s got too many skeletons in his closet to risk his heart again. Asking her out to distract her from the play’s, well, drama is a friendly gesture. Nothing more.

The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

Their chemistry could melt down the science lab, and before long they’re burning up the sheets off-campus. And uncovering raw emotions—a stark reminder that love isn’t in their curricula. When a troubled student goes over the edge, though, the need to stop a tragedy brings them right back where they started—face to face with fate.

Product Warnings
This book contains sexy encounters in classrooms, inappropriate use of school facilities, backstage shenanigans, and illicit activities on a ferryboat.

According to the Urban Dictionary, a guilty pleasure is "something you shouldn't like, but like anyway."

Wikipedia defines it as "something one enjoys, despite feeling guilt for it."

This year, I'm giving up my guilty pleasures.

No, I'm not saying goodbye to things I enjoy. I mean I'm giving up the guilt.

Instead, I'm embracing the books, TV shows, movies, and activities that give me joy, and refusing to color them with guilt or shame.

Because really, if it doesn't harm anyone else, what do I have to feel guilty about?

I don't currently watch any soaps, because my favorite went off the air last year. But I'm still active in the soap fandom, adore my soap-loving friends, and hold my head up high when discussing soap operas and why I'm a fan of the genre.

I love light, fun, fast-paced TV shows, and refuse to feel like I should be watching something more "deep". Sometimes I just want to be entertained.

I feel privileged to read – and write – in the romance genre. I believe love is a real force for good, and there's nothing "frivolous" about reading or writing about two people finding each other and fighting against the odds to make it work.

There are so many "shoulds" out there. So many judgments, subtle and more overt. This year, I want to let go of some of them, starting with the "shoulds" I place on my own shoulders. When it comes to what I do with my limited leisure time, I want that thin mist of guilt gone. It won't happen overnight, but I'm determined to make it happen.

So goodbye, guilty pleasures. And hello, guilt-free enjoyment!

What are your NON-guilty pleasures?

In many ways, Friday, September 17, marked the end of an era. After 54 years and over 13,000 episodes, the longest-running serial daytime drama on US television aired its final show.

As The World Turns was the last of the Proctor and Gamble soap operas, still produced by the company that gave the genre its name. Last year, its sister show, Guiding Light, was cancelled; ATWT received notice in December that they were going off the air this fall.

I was surprised at how sad this made me yesterday. I haven’t been watching long – just since late spring – but the loss of all that history really hit me.

The show used to be half an hour long, and aired live. In 1963, they were interrupted by the news that the president had been shot. Amazingly, the actors went right back to work, finishing out the show, as soon as the report was over.

For twenty years, it was the top-rated show on daytime. It launched the careers of Meg Ryan, Courtney Cox, James Earl Jones, Lauryn Hill, Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Julianne Moore, and Matthew Morrison, to name a few. Generations have watched ATWT together.

So yes, I’m sad to see As The World Turns go dark as of yesterday. I may not have been a long time viewer, and I may have serious issues with the way the end of the show was written (hey, I’m a romance writer. I wanted my favorite pairing to get their HEA), but I respect the history and legacy of this long-running show.

For some reason, ATWT never caught my eye back in my main soap-watching days. I watched Young and the Restless for a while – I remember my first episode, Cricket had just stuck her head in the oven over some boy, and the first two commercials after that were for oven cleaner and the gas company. I watched General Hospital during the Luke and Laura years. My college roommate hooked me into Days of our Lives for a year or two.

Then I stopped watching. For many years. It wasn’t until YouTube that I got interested in soaps again. Suddenly, I could watch soap operas from all over the world – England, Germany, Spain. I was hooked. In fact, it was a friend from Lebanon I met on the internet, a fellow fan of Alles Was Zaehlt (my German soap) who encouraged me to take a look at ATWT. The new guy in town, Dr. Reid Oliver, she told me, was something else.

And boy, was he. If there’s any justice in this world, his portrayer, Eric Sheffer Stevens, will be the next breakout star to be added to that roster of distinguished alumni. He’s an amazing talent.

But his time on ATWT, as well as the rest of the cast and crew, is now over. And whether you watch soaps or not, or whether this particular soap was one you enjoyed, the entertainment world is just a little darker this weekend. The last of the legacy soaps is gone. ATWT, you will be missed.

Do you watch soaps? Did you ever? What was your favorite show, and favorite storylines? Do you have any thoughts on the end of As The World Turns?

www.kate-davies.com
www.kate-davies.blogspot.com
…because a little spice is nice!

I have a confession to make.

I hate to shop.

No, I take that back – I hate to shop for myself. I’m fine picking things out for my kids, or my husband, but when it comes to me – especially when we’re talking clothing – I’m completely out of my depth.

It’s one of the reasons I love being a writer. I can wear sweats and slippers all day long, and no one looks at me strangely. Even my day job is home-based, so I can avoid the whole “what am I going to wear to work today?” headache.

So my wardrobe is sadly out of date. I have plenty of jeans and sweaters, a couple of dresses with shoulder pads that would rival the eighties, and assorted items that looked great in the store but match absolutely nothing else I own.

But then along comes something like, oh, say, RT, and I’m staring into the closet with a rapidly increasing panic as the days count down.

With help from my husband and kids, as well as the fashionistas on Twitter and Facebook who were subjected to my department store twitterpics, I cobbled together something that resembles a wardrobe. Hopefully it will last the whole convention, but if not, I’ll throw in a pair of sweats just in case.

So what about you? Are you a shopper, or a shopping-avoider? What’s your best/worst shopping experience?

I’m a moderate-weather sort of gal. The area I live in rarely gets exceptionally hot or exceptionally cold. I’m happy to reside in a locale where a snowfall makes the news and a stretch of days that are above 90 degrees is a shocker. Don’t get me wrong, I love the four seasons. But I’d much rather visit them, then return to my temperate zone home.

Which is why, when I checked the thermometer outside my kitchen this morning, I groaned. It read seven degrees. (F, not C.) Even more shocking, I’d woken up to sub-double-digit temperatures all week long. It’s the coldest stretch of days that I can remember.

Does. Not. Compute.

Even worse, there’s no accompanying snow to distract (both me and the kids), no school closures due to inclement weather, and no easy way to explain to a kid that just because it’s sunny out doesn’t mean they can wear short sleeves to school.

But the weather, unfortunately, is not under my control, so I’ve been dealing with it in a variety of ways. I bundle up, I keep the electric kettle at the ready for hot chocolate or tea, I surreptitiously nudge the thermostat higher when I pass it by. And I think about the best weather-related advice my mother ever gave me.

It was a cold snap similar to this one, and I was in college. We were on the phone, and I complained about the weather. She said, “Sounds like a good night to curl up in bed with a good book. Or someone who’s read one.”

WIN!

So, since the “someone-who’s-read-one” part is taken care of, I’m on the lookout for some good books. Those steamy hot, curl-your-toes reads that will raise my temperature, make me blush, and banish any thought of wind chill factors. What books or authors do you recommend I try out during the deep freeze?

I just got home from two back-to-back getaways, one with each side of the family. Not counting the single turnaround day in-between, I’ve been away from home for a week and a half. It’s a little strange, to be settling in again, especially after two diametrically opposed trips. See, one side of the family spent their vacation in a very nice hotel on the Oregon coast. The other side, camping at a state park in Washington. From luxury to roughing it with almost no down time in between.

Which did I like better?

I can’t decide.

Seriously, I loved both trips. They were both family-oriented — a reunion at the coast first, camping with my folks second — and a change of pace from the rest of our summer. The coast vacation came at a particularly good time, because home was sweltering under an unprecedented run of 100-plus-degree temperatures, so it was wonderful to escape to sun, sand, and surf — in the mid-eighties, no less! We spent days on the beach and had fabulous dinners every night. Seriously, the first night was the best pizza ever, the second night, an amazing seafood restaurant, and the last night, fabulous Italian. (My chicken parmesan was the biggest plate I’ve ever had, and melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.) Plus the cousins all got to play together for hours every day, which was great.

But the camping was wonderful, too. It was our inaugural trip in our tent trailer, and we had a great time. Barbeque almost every night, long rambles through the woods and along the beaches, hanging out with my parents who were staying just a few spots down the campground, flying kites and lounging with a good book or three…I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Because when it comes down to it, the best part of both vacations was the familly time. It’s rare to get that much of an opportunity to be with family, both our little group and the extended one, and we made the most of it. So whether it was in a hotel or a tent trailer, this vacation was the best ever.

How about you? What’s your ideal getaway?

I seem to have a thing for Captains.

Captains with a first name that starts with the letter J, even better.

The first Captain I remember who caught my eye was Captain Jack Sparrow. That swaggering walk, that blatant sensuality, that piercing, eyeliner-heavy stare…rowr. I hold him responsible for my fascination with all things piratical. (Historical pirates, that is. None of these new-fangled pirates need apply.)

Then Captain Jack Harkness came along. About a month ago I discovered Torchwood, a BBC sci-fi drama that’s a spin-off of Doctor Who. My second Captain Jack, played by multi-talented John Barrowman, is a time-travelling con man who becomes a hero, saving Cardiff, Wales from aliens. He’s sexy, tormented, sexy, funny, and did I mention sexy?

So here I’ve got two Captain Jacks vying for my attention, when along comes Captain number three. At least this time his first name isn’t Jack.

It’s James.

James Tiberius Kirk, that is.

Saw the new Star Trek movie last weekend, and just had to add another Captain-with-a-J to my list.

Wowza! By turns brash, self-destructive, sexy, funny, and mega-alpha, Chris Pine’s Kirk is an amazing hero, and I can’t wait to see more of him. (Got that, movie people? Get cracking on a sequel!)

So there it is, my Captain collection. From historical to futuristic, from outlaw to “the” law, I’m hooked. How about you? What’s your weakness when it comes to heroes?