"We filmed it in the old, abandoned, part of a hospital. Very creepy."

I was volunteering in the IP lounge at the conference and so was privy to some interesting conversations taking place. Aside from the expected discussions of publishing, the Willamette Writers Conference adds a unique perspective in that it also includes screenwriters. It was clear, by simply observing the two two distinct groups, that film and print are very different worlds indeed.

Visual by nature, the film agents and producers represented this in how they dressed and spoke. Networking in a way that could only come from a world of celebrity interactions.

As usual when I attend a conference, I was primarily there to study craft. But even still, it is impossible to avoid the business end of things. And this, is something that draws energy from me faster than a wormhole. And yet, the energy of the film group was extremely contagious, so that I found myself drawn to them like a baby toward an open electrical outlet.

I went to sleep dreaming about the settings of my books, about re-creating the scene in Untangling the Knot where Gabriella discovers the Statue of Mary in Pienza, Italy, or where Jessica walks along the esplanade in Boston.

Lucky for me... it s not entirely a dream. In fact, just a couple of weeks from now I will be on the East coast. I will get to visit the Patriot's stadium and visualize Ryan doing his field goal kicks there. I will get to write in the sand at the cape, just as Gabriella and Chloe did, and I will get to go back to the church where Mandy and Ryan plan to get married.

It's not quite the same as re-creating it for film, but whatever is left out my imagination will cover for me and I will appreciate the chance, for a moment, to dream of the film adaptation.

Do you have a favorite book that's been adapted for film? I'd love to hear what it is (the classic and best, being, of course Pride and Prejudice:>) Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. I always love hearing from my readers.

Cheers,
Deanne

“You can’t dye hair blonde, you bleach it.” (15 year old)

Isn’t it amazing the things you know at fifteen? Instagram – check, fad diets – check, manipulating the system – check; natural consequences – not so much.

This overhear reminded me of so many years ago when I was fifteen and still naïve about what really mattered in life. Long, blonde hair seemed incredibly important; as did (don’t laugh at the Brady Bunch context) a face without freckles. And I discovered great news; One household kitchen item could cure both apparently. Sitting in the sun with lemon juice on your face and hair was supposed to do the trick.

Ri-i-ight. Who in their right mind would ever think something like that was a good idea? Apparently me, and I ended up with a sunburnt, dried out, face and brittle, straw-like, hair.

Now I have come to love my freckles (although who knew that they would start to expand from those cute little dots they were back in high school to continent sized landmarks) and am amazed and grateful that my natural, strawberry-blonde hair hides the grey.

Still, while I have learned to accept myself in a way I never dreamed of in high-school, lately it seems like every dinner conversation at our house includes a dialogue with my husband over our need to lose some weight. And by lately here, I actually mean like for the last two years. So, we finally decided to re-visit Jenny Craig and become serious about it.

Funny, though, that the response I get most often upon telling friends that I am on the program is – “But you look fine. I don’t think you need to lose any weight.”

And, perhaps that is true… maybe I do look okay. But I’d like to pause here and re-visit some recent blog / social media posts.

1. Food has been featured in many (and if you haven’t found my Molto Mayhem blog with recipes from the novel
I am working on you may not realize this.)

2. I have been whinging a lot about the training I am doing for learning to kick a field goal (again, refer to my Field Goal blog)

3. The symptoms of menopause have been discussed in great length here over a period of time.

So, while I may not look like I need to drop some weight, the truth is, my body is telling me I do… and but
quick!

As well, though this is something else a fifteen year old might know but never say out loud, fortunately my daughter is only 9 and she had no qualms about it. She understood right away when my husband and I told her we were on a strict diet. “So then you’ll be able to wear that pink dress again?”

Yes.... it is all about fitting into my clothes comfortably and walking the hills around our house without wheezing.

She also went on to say, “Okay. So then if you and Dad are on a diet, does that mean I get to have the extra desserts every night?”

Big sigh….. “Sadly yes! Yes it does.”

Have you been on a diet you liked (or hated), or had a dress you really wanted to wear again from years earlier? I'd love to hear how you handled it and what people said if you told them. (I'd also love to know what crazy stuff you did at 15 if that is easier to talk about:>) Leave me a comment and share the journey.

Cheers,
Deanne