This week’s author on tour has written QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE MARRYING. Melissa Senate (http://www.melissasenate.com) is fun and clever and just all around a good read. [This is also the most important part of this blog, so pay close attention. The part at the bottom about my cats is just a my inability to maintain focus on anything worthwhile, and the uncanny ability I have of bringing the subject back around to me.]

I’m going to direct you immediately to the place you can go to buy this funtastic book by Melissa: http://www.amazon.com/Questions-Ask-Before-Marrying-Dress/dp/0373895607/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212675874&sr=8-1 If you can’t get to your independent bookstore fast enough, click on this sight and purchase this book right away!

A very popular New York Times article lists fifteen questions couples should ask (or wish they had) before marrying. (Oh how I wish I’d had this list of questions before I got married! My life history would be very different.) Ruby Miller and her fiancé, Tom Truby, have questions 1 to 14 almost covered. It’s question 15 that has the Maine schoolteacher stumped: Is their relationship strong enough to withstand challenges?

Challenges like…Ruby’s twin sister, Stella. The professional muse, flirt and face reader thinks Ruby is playing it safe. And that the future Mrs. Ruby Truby (gotta love this name!) will die of boredom before her first anniversary or her thirtieth birthday, whichever comes first.

Challenges like…sexy maverick teacher Nick McDermott, Ruby’s secret longtime crush, who confesses his feelings for her at her own engagement party. (half fantasy, half major twist in the story. What would YOU do?)

But before Ruby can plan the wedding that may never be, Stella announces she’s pregnant by a one-night stand whose name might be Jake (or James? Maybe Jason?) and who lives somewhere under the glittering lights of Las Vegas. Ruby and Stella hit the road to find him—with a lot more than fifteen questions.

And after three thousand miles, a stowaway relative and hitchhiking teen lovebirds bound for an Elvis wedding chapel, the Miller sisters might get some answers. And a whole lot of shenanigans along the way.

“Senate’s prose is fresh and lively.” –The Boston Globe

Here’s how amazing the author is: Melissa Senate is the author of seven novels, including her debut, the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into a very cute TV movie for ABC Family, and Theodora Twist, her first young adult novel. A former editor of romance novels and teen fiction, Melissa lives on the southern coast of Maine with son, his Pokemon cards collection, and their two witchy black cats. She’s hard at work on her next YA for Delacorte, and just sold her next two adult novels to Pocket Books.

She’s not only prolific, funny, clever and beautiful (check out her website!), she has two cats. Anyone with two cats (or dogs or any combination of animals) has to be a great writer. My own cats are both editors, critics, distractions, and big sources of comfort. Fred, the alpha cat likes to sit somewhere above me, like the arm of the couch if I’m sitting there with my laptop, so he can stare disapprovingly at whatever I’ve typed onto the page. While Elmo, the adorable, but remedial, of my cats, will curl up right on the keyboard if I let him and lick my hands as though he thinks any word I type must be pure genius (thus one of the many clues that he’s not got all his brain cells).

But back to Melissa, I don’t know her personally, but I know her in the e-sense, and she’s a fine, sweet, jubilant woman whose writing has all the best qualities: fun, funny and a good sense of the trials and tribulations of love and life.

Why are you still reading this blog–shouldn’t you be reading Melissa’s book already!

I think I’ve lost weight too. I can see the leanness in my armpits and my wrists are smaller. My abdomen still protrudes and my butt still has to be shoe-horned into my jeans, but definitely my elbows are bonier. My earlobes are practically paper thin.

I’ve learned at my age (44, oh my god), that we lose weight in different places. Never the ones we want. But in all the odd non-necessary places. It’s how to obtain the inevitable pear-shape that I’m doomed to have.

I don’t believe in diets. But I’ve succumbed. I started putting on just a little bit of weight each year and realized (read: struggled with acceptance) that age does that. Cellulite is a synonym for maturing. And I’m becoming very mature. Too quickly. I refused to buy a size bigger in clothing and so I figured I would either need to go on a diet (dang it) or accept the possibility of death by circulation being cut off at my waist line.

I tried a couple of the healthy, change-your-lifestyle diets and I failed. I have no desire to change my lifestyle, it finally dawned on me. I like my lifestyle–drinking wine, eating nice foods, desserts, exercise on a regular basis with the occasional week off. Life’s too short to eliminate fats and sugars and carbs and everything I love like butter and potato chips. Everything in moderation of course. But I had to lose the pounds that I’d put on before moderation would work. So I’ve resorted to a starvation diet. It’s not really starvation, just super control. A smoothie at noon and a salad for dinner. That’s it. Only, not on the weekends. yes, I know, I’ll just gain the weight back. I’m setting myself up for the pendulum. But if I get 3 months of feeling good, then I’ll decide what to do then. For now, I’m going to enjoy my new thin wrists, and see if I have something sexy to wear that shows off my delicate armpits and my deflated breasts.

I just returned from vacation a week ago and I’m still not caught up. Why do we go on vacation if it causes so much stress to prepare for lift off, and more stress upon re-entry? I must say that I am more relaxed upon my return though.

My boyfriend and I went to Peru. He’s into all the ancient archeological ruins and I’m into returning to cities of my youth. We went to Lima first, which is where my family lived when I was in the 3rd and 4th grades. It’s where I got caught cheating on my second book report. I had copied the back cover. I had thought it was a brilliant idea since on the book report due the previous week I’d done the same thing and the teacher had held my report up as an example of how a book report should sound. I wish I could remember what books they were. Is it ironic or karmic that I write an occasional book review for the LA Times now? I certainly don’t do any plagiarizing after getting caught in the 4th grade in Mr. Wilson’s class.

Our family’s house is now a lamp store on a very busy street in the San Isidro district of Lima, Peru. It’s been 35 years since I was in Lima. Doesn’t seem possible. The saleslady at the lamp store didn’t think so either. Our neighbor’s house is now a cute little bistro. Eber and I stopped in and had an empanada and a coke.

I certainly couldn’t cheat going up the Inca Trail either. 4-day climb to Machu Picchu. I will say it was hard. Not the hardest thing or even climb I’ve ever done, but it was relentless is in its combination of uphill and downhill steep inclines. The landscape changed daily from mountain scrub rugged terrain to cloud forest subtropical. A day away from Machu Picchu orchids of all shapes colors and sizes bloomed all along side the trail. The trail itself has to be described. The Incas built this trail to get from the metropolis of Cusco to the hidden city of Machu Picchu. Rocks laid so narrowly and so steepily that it’s hard for me to believe the Incas were smaller in stature than the average American. I’m 5 foot 7 inches and to step down on each step I had to have the aid of my walking stick and my other hand on my thigh. One section of the trail was 3000 downhill steps in this manner. Downhill was just as strenuous as uphill. But the spectacular view and vegetation and the whole experience kept me going. I’d wake up in the morning, look out my tent flap at the 20K foot high snow-capped mountains in the near-distance, the porters would bring me a steaming cup of mate de coca and I would imagine myself doing this every day.

All in all, the escape to another world was marvelous. I wish I was going again tomorrow, but then that’s probably just procrastination. Just like this blog.

Girlfriend Cyber Circuit Book Tour!

Today’s hot topic is Maggie Marr. Here’s the scoop on this hilarious ride through Hollywood:

Maggie Marr’s first novel, Hollywood Girls Club, introduced us to four fabulous Hollywood heavyweights and best friends - Jessica, Celeste, Lydia, and Mary Anne. Now, in SECRETS OF THE HOLLYWOOD GIRLS CLUB, these high-powered women take on a new challenge-the Hollywood rumor mill. Those who fell in love with Marr’s witty writing and fast-paced plot will be eager to dive into this sequel which delves even deeper into the glamorous, treacherous Hollywood lifestyle.

Although she is one of the hottest actresses in Hollywood, Celeste is wondering how long she can maintain her success. With age creeping up and body parts sagging down, how will she maintain her “It Girl” status? Mary Anne, recently back in LA after a breakup in London, is helping to write Lydia’s latest movie called The Sexual Being. Of course, her bigger challenge will be avoiding her old flame, Holden Humphrey, who happens to be starring in it.

Lydia has recently started receiving mysterious notes that seem to be hinting toward a secret she’s kept buried for years. **This is the best part–who doesn’t love a secret?!** Not only that, Jessica, uber-agent to the stars and recent new mom, has just told Lydia that somebody has gotten their hands on a very compromising DVD that Celeste made with her ex-husband (book sales could have skyrocketed if they’d included the DVD with the book, but that’s probably why I never made it in advertising!)—how will she protect her friend (and the top earner for her production company)? Meanwhile, publicist Kiki Dee has gotten her hands on some of these secrets and is willing to do almost anything to keep her spot at the top of the Hollywood PR machine. Will the Hollywood Girls Club discover the source of the threats? Will Celeste give in to the Hollywood machine and undergo plastic surgery? Will Mary Anne and Holden find happiness with each other? And with so much going on, will Lydia’s latest movie ever be completed?

SECRETS OF THE HOLLYWOOD GIRLS CLUB is a spot-on insider’s look at an industry where those at the top of their game must do anything to keep from being brought down.

Not only is the book hot, but check out Maggie and her bio. She knows her Hollywood stuff!

Maggie Marr is a writer and producer for Six Mile Ridge Productions and Dahooma Productions. She began her Hollywood career as a motion picture literary agent at ICM Talent Agency in Los Angeles, where she represented writers, directors, and actors. She worked with Owen Wilson, Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, and Reese Witherspoon, and was involved in big-name projects including The Rule of Four, He’s Just Not That Into You, Charlie’s Angels, Austin Powers, Meet The Parents, Wedding Crashers, and Something’s Gotta Give. Prior to becoming an agent, Margaret was an attorney, having received her JD from Loyola University in Chicago. She recently completed the television pilot Daughters, and is currently developing a pilot with Mandeville Productions as well as producing two films for Dahooma that begin lensing this year.

SECRETS OF THE HOLLYWOOD GIRLS CLUB
By Maggie Marr
Crown│ Publication Date: April 15, 2008│978-0-307-34631-5│ Hardcover│ $23.95
www.CrownPublishingGroup.com
www.MaggieMarr.com

I’m actually going to change out of my XL tee shirt and pajama bottoms, take a shower, and head down to my local Borders books to pick up several copies to hand out to my friends. I know a lot folks who would get a kick out of this. And after you’ve read it, send me an email. I love e-talking about books. And my cats don’t read much.

We ain’t rock stars, not yet anyway, but there’s a group of us women writers who are going on tour together. Man, this writing life is turning into more and more of a social network than I ever expected. To me, the best part of this tour is that I don’t have to wash my hair, put on makeup or even leave my cats at home alone. Heck, I could do this tour naked, if I wanted, which I don’t because I need to lose about 15 pounds. The group is called Girlfriend’s Cyber Circuit. The last time I wrote it was about Valerie Bertinelli and Elizabeth Berg, now there’s a whole slew of great writers I get to hang out with on my blog. Each week we’re featuring a different author on our blogs. You should check out each and everyone of them. Some of the funniest, most delectable and just plain great writers are in this bunch.

Here’s a list of all the women I’m touring with:

Ellen Meister http://www.ellenmeister.com/
Sheila Curran http://www.sheilacurran.com/
Sara Rosett http://www.sararosett.com/
Karin Gillespie http://www.karingillespie.com/
Judy Merrill Larsen http://www.judymerrilllarsen.com/
Kelly Parra http://www.kellyparra.com/
Jackie Kessler http://www.jackiekessler.com/
Allison Winn http://www.allisonwinn.com/
Wendy Tokunaga http://www.wendytokunaga.com/
Becky Motew http://www.beckymotew.blogspot.com/
Michelle Yu and Blossom Kan http://blog.chinadollsnovel.com/
Cindy Cruciger http://www.ferfelabat.com/
Deborah LeBlanc http://www.deborahleblanc.com/blog/client/
Elizabeth Graham http://www.elizabethgraham.blogspot.com/
Jana Deleon http://www.janadeleon.blogspot.com/
Marilyn Brant http://www.marilynbrant.blogspot.com/
Melissa Senate http://www.melissasenate.com/
Nadine Dajani http://www.nadinedajani.com/
Roberta Sleib http://robertaisleib.com/blog/
Therese Fowler http://www.theresefowler.com/

Good thing they don’t know that I’m wearing my fuzzy gray jacket that I like to put on on cool mornings when I get up to let the cats out at 5am, and I haven’t brushed my hair (much less cut it in 6 months), and I’m grouchy because my stomach has been growling since 4am because I’ve put myself on this ridiculous diet to lose 10 pounds. More about my diet on a day when I don’t have anything worth writing about.

Watch this space for more news on each of these writers. Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the hilarious writer Maggie Marr. I might even shower before writing that blog. She’s that good.

Well, I better sign off right here before my anti-diet crankiness surfaces on the screen through my typing.

aaargh,

Amy