One of the coolest things that ever happened to me was when I worked at Berkley Editorial, at Penguin USA. I loooove coming up with the titles for books (other people's books, not mine--that's way harder!) and I must have been decent at it, because other editors would come to me all the time for help brainstorming titles. Too many to name or remember now, but one will always stick out for me, because the author was the fabulous, talented, smart, NYT bestseller Jayne Ann Krentz.
And she loved the title I came up with so much, she actually dedicated the book...to ME.
That's right! Take a look at the first few pages of Falling Awake (cool, right? ; ) and you'll see my name, and Jayne's kind, wonderful, never-to-be-forgotten words:
To Louisa Edwards, with thanks for the title. Yep, you were definitely cut out for a career in publishing!
Music to my young editorial assistant ears. Of course, life swerved a bit and my career in publishing hopped the editorial tracks and is heading down a slightly different path, but hopefully the sentiment will hold if I'm a writer instead!
Today, I get to write the dedication for my fourth published novel, Too Hot to Touch, and I'm a little stumped...I've already dedicated books to the obvious suspects: my husband, my parents, and my sister. This time, I get to branch out, which is fun, but poses its own problems.
So help me out! If you wrote a book, who'd get your dedication page?
I'm getting really excited for the new movie version of Jane Eyre! That's one of my favorite books of all time, and I've never been entirely satisfied with any movie based on it, so my hopes are high. Michael Fassbender seems like a great choice for Rocherster--dark, dangerous, handsome, a little cruel. I know less about Mia Wasikowska (didn't see Alice) but the reviews so far make it sound like she's perfect for Jane.
Movie adaptations of beloved books are very tricky--we, as readers, form such close attachments to our own ideas of the characters that if the movie doesn't conform to the original, it can be very jarring. I don't personally feel that a movie has to be word for word, to-the-letter faithful in order to be a good adaptation. In fact, sometimes that's a detriment, because what makes a great book isn't the same as what makes a satisfying movie experience. So long as the movie catches the spirit of the book and transports me to the same emotional place, I'm happy!
So what's your favorite movie adaptation of a book?
With January and February over, we're finally moving out of the months designated as Hollywood's landfill, where they dump all the movies they can't believe they ever spent money on--but that they DID spend too much money on just to can. Rule of thumb: if a movie is released in the first two months of the year, you don't want to see it. Spend your ticket money on a good book!
Okay, I'd be happy if everyone did that all the time, anyway, but also I'd be a hypocrite, because I love going to the movies. *Almost* as much as I love to read. And we're getting closer and closer to the great movie months of the year--spring, before the big brainless blockbusters of summer (which, let's be honest, are sometimes awesome, too.)
And this spring, the movie I'm most looking forward to, hands down, is The Adjustment Bureau. Ever since I first saw the preview...and now, after the great review in the Washington Post? I'm even more excited than before! Apparently, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt have sizzling chemistry together. I think you can see it even in this short trailer:
I woke up this morning feeling like spreading the love, so I'm giving away a copy of last year's edition of Cooking for Two, the fabulous hardcover from America's Test Kitchen that cuts all their delicious recipes down to a manageable size. If you're tired of being held hostage to a fridge full of leftovers, this is the cookbook for you! It's a really useful book with a lot of yummy, foolproof recipes; I have a copy on my own shelf.
To be entered for a chance to win, head over to my Facebook fan page and comment on the original post about the giveaway. You must live in the U.S./Canada AND 'Like' the FB page in order to be eligible. Good luck!
I grew up in Virginia, went to school in Philadelphia, spent five years in Manhattan, then moved to a teeny town in Ohio. Now I live in fabulous, funky, fun Austin, Texas, which is very inspiring...
Once an editor of romance novels, now I'm writing my own. My Recipe for Love series combines contemporary romance with my love of food, restaurants, and smokin' hot chefs!
