Word ooze
Across the page after page
Your verb sap
At first glance
Unrelated utterances
Upon further study
Related to universal truths
Beautiful mind
Beautiful poet
Author Cindy Jacks--Mom, EX-wife, writer and all around hot mess
Thursday, July 30, 2009
To M, because he's brilliant
Non-practicing alcoholic and domestic violence escapee who lives with her lovely young boyfriend, snarky teenage son, ex-husband (the nice one of course), 2 large neurotic dogs and 2 indifferent kitties. Trying to get my sh*t together for the umpteenth time. Pretty sure it's never gonna happen, but hey, no f@#ks given, right?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
HEA...Why Do We Love It So
The Disney Movie Club shipped me the wrong movie. I’d ordered “Monsters, Inc”, but I received “Enchanted.” My upper lip curled in disdain at the sight of the cover, but my four year-old son was unfazed by the error.
“Let’s watch this movie, Mommy,” he said, finding (as children often do) the simplest solution to the problem.
Now, I’m a huge fan of Pixar, the quality of their storylines and the detail in the animation makes their movies easy to sit through over and over again. And over and over and over…well, you know how kids can wear out a DVD. “Enchanted,” on the other hand, seemed to me a saccharine piece of shlock I didn’t want to watch even once, much less dozens of times in a row should the little one develop a liking for it. But, thanks to McDreamy’s starring role in the movie, I decided to give it a go. If nothing else, I could stand watching Patrick Dempsey as the charming leading man for a couple hours.
By the second musical number in which rats, pigeons, and cockroaches helped our heroine scrub down the hero’s filthy New York apartment, I was laughing aloud at the funny and astute satire of archetypical Disney princess movies. And though I don’t want to spoil the ending for those of you who want to see the movie, but haven’t gotten around to it, I will say this—by the end of the movie I cheered right along with my son when Princess Giselle wound up with her true love. Okay, I’ll admit it, I even got a little misty. My heart rejoiced though my brain huffed, “What a load of crap.”
Given the predilection in romance and sensual erotica genres for a neat, fulfilling happily-ever-after ending, the movie made me wonder—Why do we love HEA so? In reality almost as many marriages fail as succeed and that doesn’t take into account the myriad of people we burned through just trying to find the person we’d be willing to take a chance on. With a real world full of broken hearts, dysfunctional couples, and blasé pairings, how can we willingly suspend our disbelief and seek out fiction that propagates what some would call the myth of true love?
I finished my long list of reasons why we shouldn’t buy into HEA and then the realization struck me—It is for all these reasons and more that we do crave the fantasy in our fiction. HEA endings allow us to experience vicariously the satisfaction that so often eludes us in our day-to-day lives.What woman doesn’t want a break from work, motherhood, chores, and the tedious (and often messy) reality of an adult relationship? Somewhere inside of us is a little girl who wants to flounce around the house in a tiara and a tutu. We love to conjure up mental images of a prince who knows how to anticipate our every need, who will catch us each time we fall, and who doesn’t fart, burp, pee on the toilet seat, get cranky or forget to take out the trash.
That we have different tastes as to the form of our princes has given rise to the different icons of masculinity we romance writers use to delight our readers—the dark and brooding vamp who longs for a mate to bring meaning to his soulless existence, the uber-macho warrior who needs the softness of a feminine touch, the rebel without a pause who runs into the one woman that can ease his restlessness, and of course the regal and gentlemanly prince who finds his true, but forbidden love through a chance meeting. Just to name a few.
With our appetite for love and romance sated for a little while by the many incarnations of our princes, we are all the more ready to take on the challenges each day brings. But when the real world gets to be a little more than we can take, we’ll be back at the cinema, the video store, and of course Once Upon a Bookstore hungry for more flights of fancy.
Check out Ana's happily-ever-after in Point of Distraction the Final Collection today! http://www.lyricalpress.com/cindy_jacks
“Let’s watch this movie, Mommy,” he said, finding (as children often do) the simplest solution to the problem.
Now, I’m a huge fan of Pixar, the quality of their storylines and the detail in the animation makes their movies easy to sit through over and over again. And over and over and over…well, you know how kids can wear out a DVD. “Enchanted,” on the other hand, seemed to me a saccharine piece of shlock I didn’t want to watch even once, much less dozens of times in a row should the little one develop a liking for it. But, thanks to McDreamy’s starring role in the movie, I decided to give it a go. If nothing else, I could stand watching Patrick Dempsey as the charming leading man for a couple hours.
By the second musical number in which rats, pigeons, and cockroaches helped our heroine scrub down the hero’s filthy New York apartment, I was laughing aloud at the funny and astute satire of archetypical Disney princess movies. And though I don’t want to spoil the ending for those of you who want to see the movie, but haven’t gotten around to it, I will say this—by the end of the movie I cheered right along with my son when Princess Giselle wound up with her true love. Okay, I’ll admit it, I even got a little misty. My heart rejoiced though my brain huffed, “What a load of crap.”
Given the predilection in romance and sensual erotica genres for a neat, fulfilling happily-ever-after ending, the movie made me wonder—Why do we love HEA so? In reality almost as many marriages fail as succeed and that doesn’t take into account the myriad of people we burned through just trying to find the person we’d be willing to take a chance on. With a real world full of broken hearts, dysfunctional couples, and blasé pairings, how can we willingly suspend our disbelief and seek out fiction that propagates what some would call the myth of true love?
I finished my long list of reasons why we shouldn’t buy into HEA and then the realization struck me—It is for all these reasons and more that we do crave the fantasy in our fiction. HEA endings allow us to experience vicariously the satisfaction that so often eludes us in our day-to-day lives.What woman doesn’t want a break from work, motherhood, chores, and the tedious (and often messy) reality of an adult relationship? Somewhere inside of us is a little girl who wants to flounce around the house in a tiara and a tutu. We love to conjure up mental images of a prince who knows how to anticipate our every need, who will catch us each time we fall, and who doesn’t fart, burp, pee on the toilet seat, get cranky or forget to take out the trash.
That we have different tastes as to the form of our princes has given rise to the different icons of masculinity we romance writers use to delight our readers—the dark and brooding vamp who longs for a mate to bring meaning to his soulless existence, the uber-macho warrior who needs the softness of a feminine touch, the rebel without a pause who runs into the one woman that can ease his restlessness, and of course the regal and gentlemanly prince who finds his true, but forbidden love through a chance meeting. Just to name a few.
With our appetite for love and romance sated for a little while by the many incarnations of our princes, we are all the more ready to take on the challenges each day brings. But when the real world gets to be a little more than we can take, we’ll be back at the cinema, the video store, and of course Once Upon a Bookstore hungry for more flights of fancy.
Check out Ana's happily-ever-after in Point of Distraction the Final Collection today! http://www.lyricalpress.com/cindy_jacks
Non-practicing alcoholic and domestic violence escapee who lives with her lovely young boyfriend, snarky teenage son, ex-husband (the nice one of course), 2 large neurotic dogs and 2 indifferent kitties. Trying to get my sh*t together for the umpteenth time. Pretty sure it's never gonna happen, but hey, no f@#ks given, right?
Thursday, July 16, 2009
12 Things I love about Ana
With the release of the final installment to the Point of Distraction Series only days away, Ms. Ana Welsh has been on my mind. Mostly, I've remembered the fun of creating and 'watching' the character blossom. She has some signature moments that always make me smile. Thought I miss writing about Ana, I love to visit her world and reread the collection often. I hope you enjoy her journey as much as I have.
And without further ado, here are 12 things I love about Ana -- my favorite moments from each story:
Story 1: On the dance floor with Miguel
Story 2: Granny panties!
Story 3: Mmm...pineapple
Story 4: A Scunci?!
Story 5: Ana runs into Nikhil...literally
Story 6: Chocolate sauce on the dining room sconces
Story 7: Cinnamon apple pancakes
Story 8: Ana the photogenic
Story 9: Honey drizzles
Story 10: Malasadas
Story 11: That damn Peter Frampton song
Story 12: Todd's post office faux pas
Chock full of fun, laughter, tears, friends, adventures, good wine, great food and sexy, sexy men, you can't go wrong with Point of Distraction. Check out all four books July 20th!
Non-practicing alcoholic and domestic violence escapee who lives with her lovely young boyfriend, snarky teenage son, ex-husband (the nice one of course), 2 large neurotic dogs and 2 indifferent kitties. Trying to get my sh*t together for the umpteenth time. Pretty sure it's never gonna happen, but hey, no f@#ks given, right?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Bread Dough Diaries--Epiphany #2
Happy Monday, all. While Monday marks the end of Easter festivities for some, it also means it’s Bread Dough Diaries day! Come on, don’t pretend like you aren’t excited, lol.
So, today’s installment is actually more of a Cake-Batter-Epiphany, but I think it qualifies since technically cake IS a type of bread–just ask Marie Antoinette. I know, I know, she didn’t really say that. Anyhoo, I started writing the first chapter of Clean–Book 2–Devil in the Details this weekend (woo hoo!) and of course, immediately came up against a snag. Here’s the situation:
The book opens with an echo of the ‘box nightmare’ that plagued our heroine, Della Jordan, from the first book. DJ indeed finds herself in a box, a broom closet to be precise, but this is no nightmare. She’s actually trapped in the closet with a five year-old girl who’s mother has just been murdered by three Russian mobsters. The thugs don’t know DJ and Natalia are there and our heroine would like to keep it that way. My challenge as the author–how to get them OUT of the closet.
Plan A- in typical DJ style, was to come out, gun blazing. She’d neutralize the threat then retrieve the little girl. But my bullsh*t alarm went off and I couldn’t write it that way. What’s wrong with that scenario? 1- DJ’s one tough woman, but I doubt she could take out three guys with only a .32 before one of them has time to open fire on her. 2- No matter what they show in TV and movies, five year-olds do not often keep their cool in a crisis soooo the only thing that’s keeping Natalia from kirking out is the fact that DJ is there to hold her hand. If DJ leaves the girl alone in the dark, the mother in me says the girl will start screaming and crying, especially because her mother has been killed. All the ruckus would give away DJ’s surprise attach for sure. Back to the drawing board.
Plan B- With this one, I thought I’d found the ideal solution. As DJ often did in the first book, she texts Mickey for help. Though he’s surprised to find out that she’s not in Barbados as she should be, he calls 911 and reports a domestic disturbance at the NJ apartment DJ’s trapped in. Ultra-pleased with myself, I went about my day….and then I decided to make cupcakes.
While I folded the cake flour into the batter, my inner monologue declared a loud ‘DOH!’ Of course Plan B wouldn’t work. Mickey can’t call the cops. DJ’s whole career is about avoiding police involvement. There’s a dead body in the apartment which means the po-po would have a few questions for Ms. Jordan. Damnit! Back to the drawing board.
Then, right in the middle of filling pastel-colored cupcake liners, the answer hit me. Mickey could still call 911, but instead of domestic disturbance, he reports smoke coming from the window of the apartment next door to where DJ is holed up. The sirens would still run off the Russians and DJ could slip out with Natalia without any law enforcement complications. And since I’ve got a source who used to be a NJ firefighter who can tell me what the firemen would do in the case of a false alarm, I can work out the details with a high degree of accuracy. Yessss! I licked the batter from my wooden spoon quite satisfied with myself. DJ’s out of the closet and I’m free to write on…until I hit another plot snag which I’m sure will happen any time now, lol.
So, today’s installment is actually more of a Cake-Batter-Epiphany, but I think it qualifies since technically cake IS a type of bread–just ask Marie Antoinette. I know, I know, she didn’t really say that. Anyhoo, I started writing the first chapter of Clean–Book 2–Devil in the Details this weekend (woo hoo!) and of course, immediately came up against a snag. Here’s the situation:
The book opens with an echo of the ‘box nightmare’ that plagued our heroine, Della Jordan, from the first book. DJ indeed finds herself in a box, a broom closet to be precise, but this is no nightmare. She’s actually trapped in the closet with a five year-old girl who’s mother has just been murdered by three Russian mobsters. The thugs don’t know DJ and Natalia are there and our heroine would like to keep it that way. My challenge as the author–how to get them OUT of the closet.
Plan A- in typical DJ style, was to come out, gun blazing. She’d neutralize the threat then retrieve the little girl. But my bullsh*t alarm went off and I couldn’t write it that way. What’s wrong with that scenario? 1- DJ’s one tough woman, but I doubt she could take out three guys with only a .32 before one of them has time to open fire on her. 2- No matter what they show in TV and movies, five year-olds do not often keep their cool in a crisis soooo the only thing that’s keeping Natalia from kirking out is the fact that DJ is there to hold her hand. If DJ leaves the girl alone in the dark, the mother in me says the girl will start screaming and crying, especially because her mother has been killed. All the ruckus would give away DJ’s surprise attach for sure. Back to the drawing board.
Plan B- With this one, I thought I’d found the ideal solution. As DJ often did in the first book, she texts Mickey for help. Though he’s surprised to find out that she’s not in Barbados as she should be, he calls 911 and reports a domestic disturbance at the NJ apartment DJ’s trapped in. Ultra-pleased with myself, I went about my day….and then I decided to make cupcakes.
While I folded the cake flour into the batter, my inner monologue declared a loud ‘DOH!’ Of course Plan B wouldn’t work. Mickey can’t call the cops. DJ’s whole career is about avoiding police involvement. There’s a dead body in the apartment which means the po-po would have a few questions for Ms. Jordan. Damnit! Back to the drawing board.
Then, right in the middle of filling pastel-colored cupcake liners, the answer hit me. Mickey could still call 911, but instead of domestic disturbance, he reports smoke coming from the window of the apartment next door to where DJ is holed up. The sirens would still run off the Russians and DJ could slip out with Natalia without any law enforcement complications. And since I’ve got a source who used to be a NJ firefighter who can tell me what the firemen would do in the case of a false alarm, I can work out the details with a high degree of accuracy. Yessss! I licked the batter from my wooden spoon quite satisfied with myself. DJ’s out of the closet and I’m free to write on…until I hit another plot snag which I’m sure will happen any time now, lol.
Non-practicing alcoholic and domestic violence escapee who lives with her lovely young boyfriend, snarky teenage son, ex-husband (the nice one of course), 2 large neurotic dogs and 2 indifferent kitties. Trying to get my sh*t together for the umpteenth time. Pretty sure it's never gonna happen, but hey, no f@#ks given, right?
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