Of Books & Beagles (No Boobies…yet)

Last April I met author Reed Farrel Coleman at the LA Times Festival of Books. He was able to help mutual friend and author Sara Henry (Sara in Vermont blog) pick me out of a crowd (before that we'd only met "virtually" through our blogs). And now I'm thrilled to be participating in the blog tour for his new book, Innocent Monster. Especially because the book involves wine…and a beagle. Here's some official stuff about the book and then we'll get to the really meaty stuff…you know, my questions:

About the book:

"Sashi Bluntstone, the 11-year-old Next New Thing on the New York art scene, has been abducted, and Moe Prager—former NYPD cop and former PI—is asked by his estranged daughter, Sarah, to join the search. He expects only tragedy; Sashi has already been missing for three weeks, and he hasn't been a PI for seven years. Now a well-to-do wine merchant, Moe agrees, primarily to attempt to restore his relationship with Sarah." – from Booklist

And now for my hard-hitting questions for a hard-boiled p.i. writing kinda guy:

1) Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way. Tell us what's hot in wine right now. Kidding! But what wine do you suggest readers indulge in when they first sit down with Innocent Monster? And how about when they finish it? (Obviously this book is worth two bottles, no?)

I'm all about reds and so is Moe. In fact, reds are allegorical for the books and the series: very complex, about different flavors and sensations at different points of the drinking experience, changeable. I would suggest three wines for Innocent Monster. I would begin with a South African Shiraz, transition to an old vine California Zinfandel, and finish with an aged French Cabernet.   


2) Where does your wine knowledge come from? My significant other, a wine guy himself, says you know your stuff.

I worked for a French transport firm for five years in the 80s and got a rudimentary wine education. They were big on office celebrations which meant lots of Champagne. I'm a dry, yeasty Champagne, not lemony kinda guy. My older brother David, the model for Moe's brother Aaron, has long been an oenophile and has a sommelier's certificate. He's the source of most of the details about wine in the book. I know the basics, but he knows the specifics. Now my oldest brother Jules has gotten into wine in a big way. Half the emails I get are from WTSO.com. We're allreds guys, but Jules and David do white too.      


3) I assume you do not feel compelled to kill people or solve mysteries during book signings and conferences, but do you feel obligated to be drinking wine? (This would be such a fantastic excuse for constant imbibing that I'm really hoping for an affirmative answer here!)

One never needs feel the obligation. Drinking red wine is my default setting. I like the occasional beer or gin and tonic, but these days it's all about the red wine. Plus, at conferences, drinking can get a little ridiculous and with a glass of red in your hand you can stretch a glass out for a long time but still enjoy it. Try that with a beer. Doesn't work. I didn't even need your prompting to say that red wine drinking is just the perfect drink at conferences, conventions, and book events.  


4) A beagle or two makes an appearance in Innocent Monster (and surprisingly, not as the title character). When did you first realize they are in fact the greatest dog ever?

My closest and dearest friend Ellen, a school librarian, always hated dogs. I mean HATED dogs. So when she decided to get a beagle, I knew they were magical and mythical creatures. And the beagle she got, Olivia, is just the coolest dog. She loves her Uncle Reed to no end and howls for me when she hears my car pull up to the house and makes me pet her, which I would do without prompting anyway, for 15 minutes before she calms down. She even smiles at me. Olivia is the model for the dogs in the book and she did in fact eat all of Ellen's family's Hanukah gelt (chocolates shaped like coins and wrapped in gold foil). God, she was really sick for days.


5) Do you think that the beagle will take over all future novels and suddenly you'll be the beagle mystery king giving the cat mystery genre queens a run for their money? Beagles have that sort of mind-bending power, you know.

Hey, if there are cat and dog detectives already, why not have a beagle be the Sherlock Holmes of animal detectives?


6) You've covered wine and beagles in a book - which pretty much covers the three most important things in my life. Do you think you can get breast cancer into your next novel and confirm that you are in fact stalking my life for writing inspiration?

Read the next Moe book, Hurt
Machine and see if I don't surprise you.


***

Obviously we can expect to see Reed back on this blog. I'm thinking Moe is one of the 2,000 men a year diagnosed with breast cancer. (Hey, at least it's fictional!) And here's a bit more about Reed. Please note that among his awards is the "Shamus Award" (and for today, he gets the "Seamus award"). But the most important part about him is that he would be eternally grateful if you now went and bought his book (or really, all of them). You can do that on the link right below.

About the author:

Reed Farrel Coleman has been called a hard-boiled poet by NPR's Maureen Corrigan and the noir poet laureate in the Huffington Press. He's published eleven novels—two under his pen name Tony Spinosa—in three series, and the stand-alone Tower co-written with award-winning Irish author Ken Bruen. Reed has won the Shamus Award for Best Novel of the Year three times, won the Barry and Anthony, and twice been nominated for the Edgar. He is a co-editor of The Lineup and was the editor of the anthology Hard Boiled Brooklyn. The former executive VP of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University. You can reach Reed on his website, Facebook, or Twitter.


Innocent Monster 

Angels in My Life

Based on that title, you're expecting a mushy post, aren't you? Really?

It's like you don't even know me.

I mean the Anaheim Angels. Okay, right the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (but that's just so stupid; the Angels and Disneyland are NOT in Los Angeles. Sorry. Pet peeve on the loose).

The Angels have played a special part in my and Chris's (epic!) love story. Our first date was at an Angels game (June 12, 2004); we've managed a Angels game every year since (preferably in the Diamond Club. Ahem.), even last year post-chemo but in the midst of radiation we spent our anniversary at the Angels game (see photo to right: fake hair; fake eyelashes; real smiles).

But recently, we had the ultimate Angels experience. Well, ultimate in a year when they weren't going to see any post-season play (which is a nice way of saying they sucked).

We were guests of Bank of America in a Dugout Suite. Which is...Sweet!!! Check out these seats!! It's like he was pitching to us.

(real hair; real eyelashes; real happiness...and yeah, that sky's real too. We're standing, but our seats are right there. Right. There. Awesomeness.)

Dessert cart inside the suite. Oh. My. Gawd. Yeah, I went for that red velvet cake you see in the upper right. Did I mention the bar in the suite? Yep, that too. But back to the game...

Ok, so I had to use my zoom lens on this one, but still...I'm loving this shot. I may have a sports photographer career in my future. Or some next life. Truly an amazing experience to view the game this close up. It reminded me of the first time I sat really close up at a ballet. I was forth row center--close enough to hear the ballerinas grunt (occasionally), see their muscles quiver, and ...get sprayed with sweat following some otherwise spectacular spins. At this Angels game the crack of the bat was much louder, we could hear the players talking (and yelling), we could hear the umpire's calls clearly and even heard him "caution" the Oakland A's players who were getting a little, well, rude about his calls. We could even get dusty from the field.

This shot was taken before the game started (and it was hot out, so most folks are inside the suite...where the bar and the food were), but gives you an idea just how cool our seats were.

Yep. Loving those Angels in my life.

The Month of Pink

Happy October. And you know what that means. We are of course launched into Breast Cancer Awareness month. The Pink Ribbon Place kicked it off on Thursday night (September 30th--we were getting a jump on things) with a candlelight vigil. I did a brief M.C. stint for the event but mostly I enjoyed meeting and talking with the other survivors--including a young woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 26. She was pregnant with her fourth child and her husband had been injured and was unemployed when she was diagnosed. She is in remission now, but tragically the baby, who was born healthy, died just a few weeks ago. I can't imagine the strength she has. She was there to speak to the crowd about her journey and how the Pink Ribbon Place helped her through (she had no insurance and couldn't get any health care providers to pay attention to her at first because she was "too young" for breast cancer.) Her three daughters played with Seamus, so he did his part too. An inspiring evening. And for the month of  October the lights on top of City Hall in Riverside will shine pink, to remind us all.

It's also been an exciting few weeks around our house. First, the Women of Achievement Luncheon (see post below), then some exciting news on the memoir agent search (not sharing yet...too soon!) and then an article came out in Inland Empire magazine featuring Seamus & me both as part of the "12 Local Survivors Tell Their Stories." (my picture even made the "table of contents"!!; that's it over to the right only it's not that blurry in the magazine).
I'm not too sure those links are all that useful (you may have to search through the online version of the magazine to find us (I'm on the page next to Ellen DeGeneres! Right after the article on Reese Witherspoon!  I'm like a Z-list celebrity! ;-) ). If I could post the article here, I would of course.

It's the month to wear pink, think pink, drink pink, and...support your local breast cancer resource center!  Such as...The Pink Ribbon Place.  I'm just sayin'....

Women of Achievement

Yeah, the title kinda cracks me up, but they really did give me such an award. Not just me, there were six of us. And there we are in the first photo (L to R: Barbara Purvis, Colette Lee, Debra Murphy, Colleen Walker, Yours Truly, and Betty "Bets" Folsom). The luncheon was very nice and my friends and family turned out in all their glory (two full tables of 'em!).

So rather than bore you with what I said and what was said about me (the others were fascinating of course...surely they have their own blogs?), I'll just show you some of the great photos my personal paparazzi (Mike Easley of Vital Excess) captured.

Here's me with my dad and step-mom (and she won the beautiful nautilus shell necklace in the raffle!).

 And here's me with my mom and Chris. We were almost ready for that photo. (Yes, right, my height comes from my dad. And a killer pair of Cole Haan Nike Air heels!)

And now that's me with Chris and Chris's mom Trudi (No idea where Chris's height comes from; I'm just glad he has it.)

Michelle Pierce (my awesome assistant) and Laureen Pittman (my unparalleled paralegal). (Oh, and they're not that tall; I bent down!)

Me on "the big screen" during the luncheon. Thankfully, from my vantage point on the stage, I really couldn't see this. Because I don't think seeing oneself on a screen that large could be a good thing. Unless you're Julia Roberts. Which I am decidedly not.

Here's me making faces. Oh, and giving my "acceptance" speech. There were laughs (intended) and tears (not at all intended!).

On stage with Collette and Debra (the banner is the YWCA logo--and part of what we were honored for).

And last, but certainly not least, here are the wonderful Women of Table 17 who nominated me. I'm proud to have such an esteemed group appreciate my work for Alternatives to Domestic Violence, The Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, and, of course, The Inland Agency's "The Pink Ribbon Place."

So there you have it. A great day. And this also gives the much anticipated update on what my post-chemo hair looks like now. Yeah, I lightened it.

A Dog's Life

I've been busy writing...just not the blog (a week? Seriously? And I thought I'd be doing so much better). I am completely absorbed with writing The Dog Lived (and So Will I) memoir and it's pretty much all I'm thinking about. I believe I finally have the book proposal done. For those of you not familiar with the world of non-fiction book wanna-be publishing, let me explain.

When one writes fiction, as I had been doing (spectacularly unsuccessfully, but joyfully...usually) the book needs to be finished, polished, finished again, rewritten, polished more, finished and then rewritten again (or is that just me?) before one even thinks about bothering the first 50 or 60 agents of the eventual 200+ agents one will need to bother before maybe, possibly, one agent responds and says "okay, I'm taking pity on you. Thanks for the letter, go ahead and send me 10 more pages." Then, assuming the agent likes that and eventually likes the other 250+ pages and agrees to represent you, that whole process is followed again while the agent tries to find a publisher for the book. These numbers aren't really even exaggerated.

With non-fiction, I have now learned (having paid not much attention to it previously) the process is different. So while I've been diligently working away on the actual writing of the actual memoir itself,  I have also been spending enormous amounts of time researching and writing the book proposal. Basically that's a 50 page document that a) describes the memoir and the story being told, b) describes why I'm not only the perfect person to write it but quite possibly the only person, c) reviews competitive/ complementary books already out there and why this one would be better...or at least different, and d) provides a chapter by chapter summary. Oh, and then attachs a sample chapter. Boat. Loads. O' work.  And I'm thoroughly enjoying it. To the point of distraction. (Day job? What? Clients need their documents? Really? Now? Huh, what did you say honey? I missed that...I was writing.)

My writers groups (yeah, I have two of them) have declared the proposal ready to go. I believe the proposal is ready to go. I believe the intro and first chapter (as well as a few other chapters) are ready to go. Something in the back of my brain is telling me that the second chapter is not right. It's a great chapter...but it may belong in another book. Ugh. So I'm going to have to deal with that.

I've also been researching agents who might possibly be interested in such a book. In essence I research for an agent looking for memoir, pets, cancer/ health, and humor...and there are a lot of them. Then I broadened it by eliminating "pets" (even though this is as much a dog memoir as a breast cancer memoir). I'm about 3/4 of the way through researching a list of....411 agents. Wow. Who knew? And won't it be embarrassing if all 411 aren't interested? And you know I'll share that embarrassment right here with all of you.  My biggest obstacle, but one I think I've overcome, is that I don't want anyone for one moment to groan "oh jeez, another downer  cancer book." Because it's so not that.

I've also been reading stacks of books. I read a lot of breast cancer memoirs when I was going through treatment (favorites were "Cancer Vixen"  and "Five Lessons I Didn't Learn from Breast Cancer (and One  Big One I Did)" . So now I've moved on to Dog Memoirs. Okay, I admit...I love dogs but I never used to read dog books. Because the dogs usually die!! I can't handle that. But in the interest of "my art" I'm reading them. And yes, I read (and sobbed over) Marley & Me. I'm moving on to Fixing Freddie (about a badly behaved beagle!). Oh, and I also finished, and really enjoyed, An Eagle Named Freedom (man saves eagle; eagle helps man through his cancer journey!)

I'm enjoying the process and learning a lot. And much to my surprise writing the memoir is helping me realize a few things and process even more of the cancer odyssey Seamus and I both went on. Oh, and it's also making me realize just how lucky that dog is. (And me too. ;-)  )

I'll keep you posted on the progress. And when I get a few pics, I'll tell you about the Women of Achievement Luncheon too. It's been a busy week!

Seamus-style

Busy weekends are obviously hard on Seamus. Way back when he had cancer and they told me he only had a year to live I did what any animal-loving recently-divorced probably over-compensating pet owner would do...I spoiled him rotten. So rotten that his mild separation anxiety turned into a full blown crazy case of separation anxiety. Hey, if mom leaves there's no food, no cuddles, no fun--that's worth howling about.

Consequently, if we leave the house, our neighbors insist we not leave Seamus behind (and oddly, he's the first one to alert them if indeed we've jumped ship--he howls, rattles the fence, barks, howls, pleads, screams, and then howls some more. Until eventually...call it 15 minutes in...the neighbors begin to leave messages on our answering machine). So on Thursday night Chris had plans with "the boys" and I had plans with my "BC" girls--drinks with two friends at just about the stage of breast cancer treatment I was last year, only they both had mastectomies and are in the reconstructive stages (and also, way braver than me!). Seamus went to spend a few hours with his besties Will and Nellie (half great-dane, part boxer, all love). Which he loves, but it also exhausts him. Then the next day Chris and I both had to go into the office during the day, then I went to a funeral/celebration of life and Chris represented at the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center Comedy Night in the evening. That meant Seamus had to go to Ruff House (pet resort) overnight. And since we also were going behind the orange curtain (Newport Beach)  on Saturday for my niece's 6th birthday party, Seamus had to spend Saturday there too.

My two nieces love their Uncle Chris--he carries them around, gives piggy back rides, let's them ride on his feet (one on each foot/leg) and plays games endlessly.

(That's Chris and Elisha...the birthday girl).
But at the end of the weekend...who do you think is more exhausted?

It usually takes Seamus a day or two (or, um, a meal) before he'll start speaking to us again.

Do and Don't

Here's a link to a great article on what to do and not do when talking to someone recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Useful info that I completely agree with.  I gave my own ideas (and examples!) back in this post, but I was perhaps a tad more bitter. Who, moi?

Happy Friday everyone.

Back in Blog

Two months? Seriously? I left you for nearly two months? I had no idea it had been that long since I blogged. I would have said 3, maybe 4 weeks. It's funny to think how crucial this blog had been to me just a year or so ago as I used it first to update friends and family and then to help me process the entire breast cancer odyssey. Now it seems like the odyssey was a lifetime ago. I think most of the side effects of chemo are gone--my hair looks reasonably normal (see new photo...which I'll explain in a moment), my feet are back to almost their pre-chemo size, I can no longer blame weight gain on chemo (as much as I'd like to) and most importantly, I don't very often think about "my" breast cancer or worry about recurrence. Apparently I even forgot about the blog.

So what have I been doing? Well, many exciting things. Our work carries on at The Pink Ribbon Place and in October we'll be doing a city-wide "Tuesdays for Ta-tas" event where each Tuesday night in the month of October different restaurants will donate twenty percent of the proceeds from diners who bring the flier with them. Thanks to Mi Tortilla, El Torito, Ciao Bella, and Phood on Main (all in Riverside) for participating. We've also got another Professionals Panel discussion coming up in November and the good and great Dr. Karam will once again make the trek from LA. I was also interviewed by Inland Empire magazine for their October "breast cancer awareness" issue and a photographer came to shoot pics of me and Seamus (not the photo you're looking at). I'll let you know if I make the article (I kind of think the writer might not have liked me much. Imagine! ;-).

I've also been hard at work on The Dog Lived memoir, which I'm really, really happy about. I spent 9 days in Ocean Isle Beach, NC with fellow writer and friend Lori Lacefield, doing nothing but writing, reading and relaxing (which of course means wine; maybe the occasional rum & coke). At this point, I've got a pretty solid (I think!) draft of the proposal done and about half the actual memoir.  [Blog readers who are also writers---what's the current thinking on memoir proposals? Is the manuscript supposed to be, like a novel, completed before the proposal is shopped to agents? Or, is it, like other non-fiction where the proposal is shopped before the manuscript is completed? Everything I found seems to be contradictory. So, at this point, I'm plodding ahead writing both. It was immensely helpful to get the chapter outlines and sample chapter written.]  The trip was such a writing success we've scheduled a sequel. Lori and I, together with another writing friend Jane (we all met at the Maui Writers Conference...which just cannot be a bad thing) will be heading to Paso Robles for week in November. I'm much enjoying being "writer girl" instead of "cancer girl" or even "lawyer girl."

But I am still "former cancer girl" and "lawyer girl"--and that's what the new photo is about. I was pleased (also, shocked) to be named a 2010 "Woman of Achievement" by the Riverside County YWCA. The luncheon honoring the six women selected will be September 16th at the Riverside Convention Center. It's an honor to be selected but it also requires things like being videotaped (which they then show on a giant screen in front of hundreds of people) and press releases...with photos. So I had to get a new "head shot" since none of my other professionally done head shots look like me (long blonde straight hair is but a memory now). My friend Mike Easley of Vital Excess Designs did this photo (and then appropriately photo-shopped a few years off me! ;-)  ). Oh, and yes, I lightened the color of my hair. My hair is healthy enough I can do that now.

In other big news--I put my hair in a ponytail for the first time in a year and a half. It was a puny ponytail and hair started slipping out after only an hour or so, but it was a ponytail. It was 108 out and I was just headed in to the office yesterday (a Saturday) for a few hours...so I thought I'd see if I could do a ponytail. I was giddy with childish enthusiasm over my childlike hairdo. I've moved from toddler hair to kindergarten hair.

I'll be back with another post soon.
No, really. I will.

(Leave a comment please--then I'll know you're still out there too!)

And by the way--here's the photo Mike liked. I think it's a bit too "dreamy/ serious" but it's an option.

I Have Survived

One year ago today--July 14, 2009--I finished (oh, wait...I "sucessfully completed") alllllllllllll treatments for breast cancer. WOO!!! HOOO!!!

And in celebration I had a bad hair day. You have no idea how good it feels to have a bad hair day again.

Also, there was this video clip, sent to me by a client:  "Bald Head Blues"

And then there was thai food and a nice dry Gewurztraminer shared with Chris (Okay, Seamus got a little chicken satay without the peanut sauce).

For now, all is right with the world.

Tomorrow, I have to remember to make my mammogram appointment. But tonight...it's all good. (Here's where you break into your choice of a) I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, b) Eye of the Tiger by Survivor, or c) theme song to Survivor...depending on how much Gewurztraminer you've had).

Jet Lagging

We are indeed back from a fantastic trip to Geneva, Switzerland and various regions in southern France. Chris and I have, however, both had serious jet lag like we've never had before (so I guess that means I can't chock it up to another chemo side-effect; hmmm...age?), so I haven't had a chance to blog--oh, and we were staying in a gorgeous but wi-fi challenged bed & breakfast, so I had no opportunity to blog while on vacation. I hope you don't mind, but I kinda liked being mostly away from the computer for a couple of weeks.

At any rate, as you can see, the lavender was in bloom...as were the sunflowers and a few patches of the Provencal red poppies were also still hanging out. More pictures later. But it's nice to think that this time last year I was a cancer patient just finishing up my final two weeks of radiation and still bald...and now, look! C'est la vie, indeed.