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It’s Day 6 in the Twelve Days of Christmas giveaway extravaganza! All you have to do is check in on this blog for a trivia question from Lakeshore Christmas, and send your answer to ll.wiggs @ gmail.com (remove the spaces). Correct answers will be entered to win.
Today’s question: What is the name of Mr. Byrne’s grandson?
Today’s prize: A $25 Indiebound gift card.
Congrats to Janie–you won the www.random.org virtual drawing for a copy of Anjali‘s book and Just Breathe! Very cool that you support the Humane Society because Anj totally does. See the bottom of this post for today’s drawing.
Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger
Interesting question posed by my friend Suzanne the other day:
Who did you lust after at age 14?
In literature, people. We’re looking for a heartthrob that went viral, starting with a book–like Edward Cullen in the Twilight books. Readers fell in love with Edward, and then they fell in love with Robert Pattinson in the movie.
In literature. We’re looking for a heartthrob that went viral, starting with a book–like Edward Cullen in the Twilight books. Readers fell in love with Edward, and then they fell in love with Robert Pattinson in the movie.What character could you not stop thinking about?Well, lessee. I came up with a few.Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger, as played by Mark Lester and Jack Wild in the Disney musical “Oliver!” — I remember plastering their Tiger Beat posters all over my room.And there was Ponyboy Curtis in THE OUTSIDERS. The movie didn’t come until years after the book and I can’t remember who played him. But I had a paperback version of The Outsiders with a photographic cover, and I was obsessed with the boy in the photo. I wanted to marry him.Oliver Barrett (played in the movie by Ryan O’Neal) in Love StoryLouis & Lestat in Interview With the Vampire (1976)Here are a couple from my mother’s generation:Heathcliff (played in the movie by Laurence Olivier) from Wuthering Heightsand Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind.But to me, the winner is the timeless object of lust, but especially as played by Colin Firth:Fitzwilliam Darcy. I didn’t read the book until I was sixteen, but I swooned over that man, and when Colin played him, I knew I could die happy.It’s hard to think of books that went viral like Twilight! Probably Outsiders.music & filmJackson Brownethe BeatlesShawn CassidyDavid CassidyJohn TravoltaMichael JacksonDonny OsmondBobby ShermanFreddy PrinzRobert Redford/Paul Newman (tho they’re older)Andy Gibb—– Original Message —–From: Suzanne SelforsTo: susan WiggsSent: Friday, May 01, 2009 5:53 PMSubject: conferenceI have to do a 20 minute thing about summer reading and I’m trying to figure out if there was an Edward (Vampire in Twilight) equivalent for my generation, in literature?Mark Lester grew up and became a doctor.
It took me a while to think of a parallel from the Ancient Past. But I came up with a few. Remember any of these?
Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger, as played by Mark Lester and Jack Wild in the Disney musical “Oliver!” — I remember plastering their Tiger Beat posters all over my room.
And there was Ponyboy Curtis in The Outsiders. The movie didn’t come out until years after the book and I can’t remember who played him. But I had a paperback version of The Outsiders with a photographic cover, and I was obsessed with the boy in the photo. I wanted to marry him.
C. Thomas Howell as Ponyboy
70s sob story
Other contenders: Oliver Barrett (played in the movie by Ryan O’Neal) in Love Story
Louis & Lestat in Interview With the Vampire, later played by Tom and Brad.
Sorry, Robert P. You've been out-vamped.
Romeo has been played by a couple of tasty morsels:
I think Zach Efron is their love child.
Leonard v Leo? How are we supposed to choose?
1996 version
Here are some from my mother’s generation:
Heathcliff (played in the movie by Laurence Olivier) from Wuthering Heights
Cathy and Heathcliff, a fun couple
and Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind.
Rhett! Oh Rhett! We DO give a damn!
But to me, the winner is that timeless object of lust, especially as played by Colin Firth:
He must be in want of a wife.
Fitzwilliam Darcy. I didn’t read the book until I was sixteen, but I swooned over that man, and when Colin played him, I knew I could die happy.
Your turn! Post your pre-teen crush (from a book that later became a movie) in Comments and you’re automatically entered in the drawing for Just Breathe AND a copy of the latest in Romeo & Juliet stories, Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors.
I’m a tough sell when it comes to movie adaptations of books. When the book is a beloved children’s classic–even tougher. When the adaptation is a feature-length film based on a 32-page picture book…well…. But the good news is, the director is Spike Jonze and the story was adapted by Dave Eggers. And the trailer is very watchable. See for yourself here. What do you think? Will it be the next Wizard of Oz?
over and over again
It’s Groundhog Day, when we find out whether or not winter will ever end. It’s also the title of one of my favorite movies. Any writer can relate to the concept of doing something over and over again, until you finally get it right. Or at least close enough to right to declare in publishable.
A few random Qs from my publisher… 
What is your favorite flower?
Magenta cyclamen. In the dead of winter, I can always find a few secretly blooming in my garden.
What are you reading now?
Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein. It’s a memoir by twins who were separated at birth and adopted by strangers, and never found out until they met for the first time as adults.
Who is your favorite Harlequin author?
That is SO not fair, because my favorites change along with my moods. When I have a rotten cold in the middle of winter, it’s tea and toast and Betty Neels. For a feel-good girlfriend book, I love Debbie Macomber, but when I need a sexy cowboy, it’s Linda Lael Miller all the way. If I’m in the mood for an alpha male, Nora Roberts or Linda Howard fills the bill. Jennifer Greene for a good cry. If I have a hankering for military guys, it’s Merline Lovelace and Suzanne Brockmann…see what I mean? I could go on like this all day.
How many books have you written?
30-ish. I stopped counting after thirty because it was making me feel old.
What is your favorite vacation spot?
Right here, right now. It’s a boring answer, but I’m really lucky to live where I do. There’s a pristine beach about ten yards from my window, a dead-on view of Mount Rainier, sailboats, kayaks and motorboats on the premises, a pool and deck, a big garden twined with pathways, a primeval rain forest 1/2 mile down the road, a cafe in the neighborhood with great lattes and pizza, a vintage movie house within walking distance and all the fishing, birding and beachcombing, sitting and reading and dreaming you could want. Provided I’m doing a good job with my deadlines, every day feels like a vacation.
Before becoming a writer, what did you do?
Wrote and illustrated long, angsty unrhymed poems, skied in the Matterhorn, rode the Orient Express, played center on my field hockey team, spoke French, played the cello, drank pastis in a cafe in Trieste with dangerous people, sneaked into a Rolling Stones concert, flirted with my master’s thesis advisor, taught Euclidean geometry, Calculus and long division, stole my sister’s boyfriend and married him, became a vegetarian, learned to dance the Cotton-Eyed Joe, made the first cut of the Teacher in Space program, taught myself Fair Isle knitting and counted cross stitch, faux finished every wall of the house, campaigned for John Anderson, ignored my mother’s advice, gave birth without anaesthesia, read Georgette Heyer’s complete oeuvre, gave my hair to Locks of Love, rode a bicycle down the volcano Haleakala, sang in a church choir, told my sister sorry about the guy and had a laugh, became an adult literacy volunteer, lived in a tract home in the ”burbs and read romance novels aloud while nursing an infant, because I was trying to teach myself the craft while bonding with the infant. Then I sold my first book, and everything changed…
Do you have a new book coming out?
Always. My latest is Fireside. I’ll have several historical reissues this year, and then Lakeshore Christmas in October.
What is your favorite food?
Pizza with melanzane (eggplant), served in a tiny cafe in Amalfi with a view of the sea and a glass of San Pelligrino, shared with the abovementioned laughing husband.
Do you have any pets?
Barkis the Wonderdog, a young Doberman with floppy ears and a stubby tail and a desperate need to be petted at all times.
What is your favorite romantic movie?
It’s a tie– “Harold and Maude” and “Last of the Mohicans” (the Daniel Day-Lewis version). Runners up: “Terminator” and “Speed.” Really.
This year is Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary. Do you have any special message you’d like to pass on?
Girl, you are lookin’ hot for a sixty-year-old! Keep doing what you’re doing. It’s working well for you.
Your turn! How would you answer? Click “comments” and post there!
- What’s your fave?
This is just so wonderful, and they crack themselves up. I’m a sucker for iconic theme songs:
Happy Birthday Eric!
- a repeat viewing of Good Will Hunting, which I haven’t seen in years; watching the film in light of last month’s Michael Hauge workshop was very enlightening
- Boston Legal, which makes me laugh
- birthday cake! Who doesn’t love birthday cake!
What are you grateful for today?
We interrupt this blog to remind you: GO SEE MAMMA MIA! This is my favorite kind of movie, the kind that drives snobby critics nuts because we love it so much that we completely ignore them. They’re going to complain about the thin plot line (Hello? It’s a musical comedy, guys, based on ABBA songs, ferpetesake) and some will even critique Pierce Brosnan’s singing. True, he can’t sing, but he does it with utter sincerity, like when your husband sings to you.
It’s just a totally good time. Yeah, go ahead and leave your husband at home messing with the air compressor or hitting golf balls into the Sound or whatever guys do when you leave them alone.
The perfect dates for this movie are your best friend and your 11-year-old niece. If there’s a better movie moment this summer than “Dancing Queen” in this movie, I will strap on my mother’s platform boots!
Here are some of my personal favorites. Some would be real longshots for an Oscar, but in my perfect world, a few of the honorees would be…
The Wizard of Oz. AKA the most watchable movie ever made. Best Picture.
The Shawshank Redemption. A masterpiece of emotional restraint, storytelling, and acting by the entire cast. If you can keep from floating away on a raft of tears in the end, you’re made of stone.
Harold and Maude. My favorite screen romance, and surely the winner for Best Soundtrack and Best Song.
Last of the Mohicans. Okay, I lied. This is my favorite screen romance. Best Score by a mile. So much better than the novel, you’ll forget there ever was a novel.
Lady Jane. Best tragic romance, with Cary Elwes looking so handsome you’ll melt on the floor. Best costumes, for sure.
Terminator. Second-best tragic romance, and Michael Biehn will own your soul.
Breaking Away. This is one of those movies I can’t help but watch every time it shows up on TV–a classic story of a young man figuring out who he is and where he belongs. Bonus points for the opera score.
Blazing Saddles. What can I say? I’m in charge here. This movie is so stupidly funny it deserves something.
Henry V and Much Ado About Nothing take the prize for Best Collaboration by a Now-Divorced Couple–Kenneth Branagh and the incomparable Emma Thompson.
Hoop Dreams. A movie every person in America should see, along with Apollo 13.
Sense and Sensibility. The only feature film that does justice to Jane Austen.
Amadeus. This probably won an Oscar for something, surely. A flawless depiction of genius and passion.
So there you are. Just a few overlooked faves. How about you?
