Friday FabOoolousness – Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone

Remember the television series, Spenser: for Hire, starring Robert Urich as the crime fighting private detective who loved to cook alongside Julia Child? And his best friend, Hawk, played by Avery Brooks?  I can still hear Hawk’s voice as he called out Spenser’s name in his extra Hawk-like syllables, “Spen-saaaar.”  The hit show was adapted from the bestselling novels written by Robert B. Parker, and the novel and TV show’s success in the 1980s paved the way for four Spenser made-for-television movies in the 1990s.

In 1997, Robert B. Parker published the first in yet another series of nine bestselling novels featuring a new protagonist: Jesse Stone.

Night Passage (1997)

Trouble in paradise (1998)

Death in Paradise (2001)

Stone Cold (2003)

Sea Change (2006)

High Profile (2007)

Stranger in Paradise (2008)

Night and Day (2009)

Split Image (2010, published posthumously)

Before his death in January 2010, Parker saw television success again with his second adaptation: a made-for-television movie series, with none other than the great Tom Selleck portraying Jesse Stone.

Jesse leads a troubled life: he’s a former baseball star who quit playing due to an injury; his marriage to a movie-star, Jenn Stone, failed; he’s a disgraced former homicide detective fired from the force because of his drinking problem; and, now he’s the Police Chief in the small town of Paradise near Boston, despite having interviewed for the position while drunk.

The small town of Paradise grows on Jesse, and he works diligently to solidify his small police force (Deputy Suitcase: nicknamed after Jesse’s favorite baseball player “Suitcase” Simpson, and Molly: loyal policewoman, mother, and wife), and eliminates the big-city crime that has forced its way into the otherwise quiet community.  He not only battles the bad guys, but he constantly teeters back and forth with his own personal demons: his ex-wife, alcoholism and depression.

Tom Selleck was first introduced as Jesse Stone by CBS in 2005.  CBS started the TV movies with Stone Cold, the fourth book in Parker’s series, and then back-tracked with a prequel the very next year:

Stone Cold (2005)

Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006)

 Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006)

Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007)

Similar to most adaptations, the television movies differ slightly from the novels.  For example, in the books, Parker writes Jesse’s character in his mid 30s, but Tom plays Jesse as bit older on TV.  Also, in the televised Night Passage, Jesse is not drunk in his Paradise Police Chief interview, he’s only miserably hung-over from drinking the night before.  Another difference on CBS’s adaptation of Stone Cold, Jesse finds the murder victim’s dog at the scene of the crime.  Jesse adopts the dog, and the dog and Jesse share a close relationship throughout the rest of the movies.  In the novels, Jesse never has a dog.  Minor details though, right?

 

The remaining Jesse Stone television specials were not adapted from Parker’s novels, but writers Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman remain true to Parker’s Paradise and his flawed main character.

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)

Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)

The television movies are packed with familiar faces.  Selleck and Brandman introduced a new member of Jesse’s team in Thin Ice: the fabOoolous Kathy Bates as Rose.  Other recognizable actors frequent the movies in cameo roles such as Stephen McHattie as Captain Healy, William DeVane as Dr. Dix, Saul Rubinek as Hasty Hathaway, and William Sadler as mob-boss, Gino Fish.

 

Robert B. Parker was quoted saying, “Tom nails the character.”  Selleck is Stone; Selleck delivers Jesse’s dry, matter-of-fact one-liners perfectly, and always portrays the best television detective (who will ever forget Selleck as Thomas Magnum in Magnum P.I.), and police officer (he does it again as Francis Regan in Blue Bloods).  Tom Selleck gets better with age, doesn’t he?

This Sunday, May 22^nd, Tom Selleck returns to CBS in Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost.  Check it out!

What are some of your favorite novels that have been adapted to television or the big screen? Did the adaptation stay true to the book, or did they stray?  Will Tom Selleck always be Thomas Magnum, or are you warming up to him as Jesse Stone?  Which actor and/or actress do you imagine as a character in the novels that you read – and why?  I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FaBOOolousness – The “Boo” Factor – Friday the 13th

Who’s the killer in the original Friday the 13^th?

Answering this very question incorrectly cost Drew Barrymore’s character her life in Scream.

It all started in 1980, when innocent camp counselors worked to open an old camp site; a camp that had been closed after a young boy, Jason Voorhees, drowned in the lake.  How did Jason drown?  Two camp counselors that were supposed to watch him decided to have sex instead.  Devastated by her son’s death, Jason’s mother, Mrs. Voorhees took matters into her own hands to ensure the camp didn’t open again — to protect other children from counselors who were more interested in their summer shenanigans than watching the children.  One by one, she stalked the unaware teenagers, placing blame on each of them for her son’s death.  Mrs. Voorhees managed to brutally murder each counselor — all except for one.   Alice managed to escape Mrs. Voorhees’ murderous rampage and turned the tables on the crazed mother.  In what began the true Friday the 13^th style, Alice decapitated Mrs. Voorhees’ with a machete.

And then begins the Curse of Camp Crystal Lake.

In Part II, the supposed dead son of Mrs. Voorhees, is actually an adult, and very much alive.  Following in his mother’s footsteps, Jason slaughters Alice, his mother’s murderer, and returns to Camp Crystal Lake.  He lives in peace, until years later more teenagers arrive to open the camp — BIG mistake.

Part III picks up right where II ended, and is crucial to the series.  Why?  Jason finds a hockey mask, the hockey mask, to cover his disfigured face.  Jason continues to slice through dozens of teenagers over the years, proving he’s invincible along the way.

 

The series continues with: Part IV:  The Final Chapter, Part V: A New Beginning, Part VI: Jason Lives, Part VII: The New Blood, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, Part IX: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, and Part X: Jason X.  With twelve feature films and a television series, Friday the 13^th is considered one of the most successful franchises in movie history.

 Twenty-three years later, the franchise continued with a match-up that fans had been talking about for years: Freddy vs. Jason.  The battle of the century takes place in both Freddy’s dream world, and Jason’s home, Camp Crystal Lake, with only one victor.  Or was there?

In 2009, Friday the 13^th was reborn again.  The newest installment featured popular television stars for the new teenage audience:  Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester, Supernatural), Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt, The Mentalist), and Danielle Panabaker (Julie Stark, Shark).  The film didn’t disappoint this Friday fan, and had classic elements of the older versions — most recognizably, Jason’s resurrection after being buried in the water, from which he rises and grabs a survivor before the screen fades to black.  Did you jump?

In addition to the machete and the hockey mask, what is the other most famous element of Friday the 13^th and Jason Voorhees?

“Ki ki ki, ma ma ma” – The dreadful, eerie, creepy music.  There have been many debates over what the actual sounds of the Jason music are.  The ‘ki’ sound comes from the word ‘kill’ and the ‘ma’ sound from “mommy’; a line in the original movie spoken by Mrs. Voorhees in her child’s voice, “Kill her mommy!”

Unknown actors are often cast in slasher films early in their careers.  The Friday franchise is no different.  Who are two very famous Friday alums today?

Kevin Bacon (I)

Corey Feldman (IV and V)

Jason Voorhees remains one of the most frightening characters today.  He’s gigantic, has super strength, obtains supernatural abilities, and isn’t afraid to kill.  He always has his machete, but he will also never shy away from bows and arrows, spears, pitchforks or chainsaws: anything that will cut right through his victims.

Despite all the death, someone always manages to escape Jason’s clutches.  Wanna know the secret, kids?  I’ll give you a hint – the same rules apply from the movie Scream.  Don’t believe me?  Watch & see!

Do you think of Jason when you go camping? Will you ever send your child to a summer camp on Crystal Lake?  Who do you think is stronger and more dangerous – Jason or Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise?  Which Friday movie was your favorite & why? I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FaBOOolousness – The “Boo” Factor #2

The endearment “Sweet Dreams” changed drastically in 1984 when audiences met Freddy Krueger for the first time.

 

Happy and carefree high school students in Springwood, Ohio transformed overnight into terrified teenagers afraid to fall asleep.  It all started when Tina dreamed of being chased by a horribly burned man wearing a green and red striped sweater, teasing her with his razor-sharp knives in lieu of fingers on his right hand.  Tina escaped his clutches just in time, and woke up with tears in her night-gown.  How can something that occurs in a dream actually happen?

Tina’s best friend, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), experienced a similar dream the very same night.  Nancy dismissed her nightmare as just that, a nightmare.  Being the good friend that she was, Nancy agreed to spend the night with Tina so that she wouldn’t be alone.  Joining the girls, of course, was Tina’s boyfriend, Rod, and Nancy’s boyfriend, Glen (introducing Johnny Depp, ladies).  Tina fell asleep feeling safe with her friends nearby, and Freddy appeared again; only this time, Freddy didn’t miss slashing Tina with his razor-sharp claws.

Do you remember that scene?  Tina, wearing the oversized, white button down shirt, flailing about, blood spraying everywhere, levitating, crawling on the ceiling, and finally crashing into her bed — dead.  Her boyfriend standing helplessly by, watching an invisible knife slash through his girlfriend, screaming her name, “Tina!” – completely terrified and confused.   

The nightmares continued for Nancy, finally convincing her that she and Tina were dreaming about the same man.  Continuing to have nightmares, Nancy saw the burned man kill Rod; and, later found Rod dead in reality too – just like Tina.

Finally, Nancy’s mother confessed that the man haunting and stalking her in her dreams was Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) – a child murderer that was burned and killed at the hands of the children’s parents.  Together, Nancy & Glen devised a plan to trap and kill Freddy, but Glen made one fatal mistake – he fell asleep.

Do you remember that scene?  Glen lying on his bed in his midriff jersey t-shirt with his television & gigantic head phones, sinking through the bed as Freddy sucked him in, the blood rushing through the mattress with the velocity of a fire hydrant.

Alone, Nancy battled Krueger to the end, living to see another day; actually, Nancy survived to see another few installments of the Nightmare franchise: Nightmare 3 and New Nightmare.

Do you remember the eerie nursery rhyme?  The little girls dressed in beautiful white baby-doll dresses playing hop-scotch and jumping rope in the parks?

“One, Two, Freddy’s coming for you.

Three, Four, Better lock your door.

Five, Six, Grab your crucifix.

Seven, Eight, Gotta stay up late.

Nine, Ten, Never sleep again.”

Say what you will, that rhyme still spooks me to this very day!  Not to mention the fact that I have a hard time remembering the actual lyrics to the peaceful, children’s song.

Wes Craven created the Nightmare franchise with his horrifying screenplay and his directing brilliance.  Robert Englund may still be recognized today as his character, Freddy Krueger, more than he is as Robert Englund, the actor.

A Nightmare on Elm Street opened the door for nine feature films, including a 2010 remake produced by Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller.  The original Nightmare will always be great; but, the remake included more of the back-story of Freddy Krueger, and the children he preyed on, making the 2010 film very exciting for a Nightmare-aholic like myself.

Wake Up!

The Nightmare franchise has also featured an array of popular actors over the years in addition to Langenkamp, Englund and Depp, such as Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburne, Jason Ritter, Breckin Meyer, and Lochlyn Munro.  Additionally, Rosanne Barr and Tom Arnold appeared briefly in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare.  The 2010 movie successfully catered to today’s teenage audience by casting the brilliant Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy (in an absolutely FaBOoolous performance assuming the role from Englund), Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl), Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Movies), Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body), Rooney Mara (The Social Network), and Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

Hopefully, the franchise will live on.

Do you believe that if you die in your sleep, will you die in real life?  Do you prefer the 1984 original or the 2010 remake?  Do you fear Freddy, Jason, or Michael more?  What’s your favorite scary movie?   I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FabOoolousness – Love a Good Mystery?

A great method to enjoy reading is to find an author or a series of stories that you simply can’t put down. 

My collection of the series on a messy bookshelf

One fabOoolous example: James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club Series. 

The series follows four female friends (a detective, Lindsey Boxer; an attorney, Jill Bernhardt, and later Yuki Castellano; a medical examiner, Claire Washburn; and a reporter, Cindy Thomas) as they work together to solve murder cases in San Francisco.  Without giving too much away, I’ve included a short synopsis of each story.

1^st to Die– Lindsey and her team of friends investigate the serial murders of multiple couples.  Readers are introduced to a few of the hardships in Lindsey’s life following her working on a tough case, “The Honeymoon Murders”, and her diagnoses of a life-threatening disease.        

1st to Die received such great reviews that a two-hour television movie starring Tracy Pollan as the blonde bombshell homicide detective aired in 2003. 

2^nd Chance, co-written by Andrew Gross – The Women’s Club investigates a local gang-related murder spree.  Lindsey’s troubles continue, plus her father is introduced (they too share a troubled past).  The other three women have their hands full while assisting Lindsey with the case: one of the four is targeted by the killers, another gets involved in a relationship with one of the victims, and another announces life changing news. 

3^rd Degree, co-written by Andrew Gross – Arson, fire, and bombs – OH MY!  The third installment of the series is action packed.  The “August Spies” threaten to kill every three days, and promise the politicians in San Francisco aren’t safe.  FBI investigator, Joe Molinari, joins as a recurring character while one of Lindsey’s friend’s life is in danger.  3^rd Degree is nail-biting!

4^th of July, co-written by Maxine Paetro – Lindsey goes on vacation to stay at her sister’s house in a desperate attempt to escape the drama and sadness in her life.  The detective in Lindsey can’t vacation, so she starts investigating the murders that she reads about in the small town’s newspaper, and discovers that these murders seem familiar to her.  Lindsey then does what she does best – she throws herself right in the middle of the cases.  Local authorities warn her to mind her own business, but does she? 

The 5^th Horseman – co-written by Maxine Paetro – Lindsey and team investigate a San Francisco hospital when one of their own family members takes a turn for the worst after what should have been a routine hospital stay.  A pattern of inexplicable deaths emerge, and the investigation then threatens one of their own.  A new member of the team is introduced in the fifth installment: Yuki. 

The 6^th Target, co-written by Maxine Paetro – Lindsey focuses on two cases – A shootout on a ferry ride where one of her best friends narrowly escapes with her life, and the kidnapping of affluent families’ children – no ransom, no contact – the children simply vanish. 

7^th Heaven, co written by Maxine Paetro – The governor’s son is missing, and another arsonist is on the loose destroying rich couples and their beautiful homes.  Romantic tensions flare as Lindsey fights the intensifying emotions for her partner Rich, and her FBI agent, Joe. 

8^th Confession, co-written by Maxine Paetro – Cindy discovers a homeless man’s corpse, and her empathy pushes her deep into the case.  Despite Lindsey’s warnings, the reporter in Cindy yearns for her big story, prompting Lindsey’s partner to keep a watchful eye, and a few other things, on Cindy.  Will jealousy break up the group?  Meanwhile, Lindsey investigates the mysterious deaths of a wealthy couple, and discovers her case might be related to another homicide that occurred decades earlier.   

The 9^th Judgment, co-written by Maxine Paetro – Mothers and their small children are being brutally murdered in public parking garages, and the killer proudly signs his work with lipstick on the car windows.   At the same time, a cat burglar happens into the wrong home, and is now wanted for murder.  After successfully closing the cases, Lindsey’s life is turned upside down; the ending brought me to tears. 

The series releases the tenth installment, 10^th Anniversary, Tuesday, May 2^nd. 

ABC aired a dramatic series for one season (2007-2008) and cast Angie Harmon as Lindsey Boxer.  While I enjoyed the show, the episodes didn’t stick to the novel’s storyline, and the show was short-lived.  The visualization of the TV cast helps create a picture show in my mind as I read Patterson’s novels.  I can’t help but envision Angie Harmon as Lindsey (except Lindsey is blonde in the books), Laura Harris as Jill, Paula Newsome as Clair, and Aubrey Dollar as Cindy. 

Here’s to hoping that a network adapts a screenplay for the remainder of the series!  Why stop after 1^st to Die?  Who doesn’t love a good two-hour mystery? 

Do you like The Women’s Murder Club series?  Who’s your favorite character?  What other series has you riveted and eagerly awaiting new installments?  I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FabOoolousness – Click & See!

The end of the week snuck up on me so I’ve decided to take this time and publish my first Mash-Up.

What’s a Mash-Up?

Blogs that can’t be missed

Blogs that deserve a click

 Blogs that I recommend

 My Mash-Up ranges from beautiful randomness, to information hot spots.  I hope you’ll click all ten & see!

Monday Mystery Fun: 

Check out Masters of Mystery Monday by K.B. Owen.  She hosts fun facts and quizzes, all about classic mysteries.

Check out all of K.B.’s other posts on her website: http://kbowenmysteries.com/

Perfect Blog for Animal Lovers:

“Bling, Bitches, and Blood” by Amy Shojai – my favorite is Tuesday’s Tips.  You can catch Amy speaking at the OWFI (Oklahoma Writers’ Federation Inc.) conference in Oklahoma City, May 5-6.

Check out all of Amy’s tips at her website:  http://amyshojai.com/

Informational Blogs:

Jen Hansen’s blog is great for writers, the technically challenged, dating, book reviews, and more.   A perfect example, Jen provides step by step instruction on how to schedule a blog’s publishing date and time using Wordpress and Blogger.

Check out all of Jen’s other posts at her blog: http://jennyhansenauthor.wordpress.com/ 

Piper Bayard’s blog “On Life, Belly Dancing, and Apocalyptic Annihilation” – yes, really – all those things.  I love movies; therefore, I love the Bayard, Holmes, Movie and No Popcorn posts most, but enjoy so many of her apocalyptic pieces too.

Check out the other posts at Piper’s blog: http://piperbayard.wordpress.com/

Peter Saint Clair’s “My Silent Fury” covers everything from mystery fun, to writing tips, to cults, and to crime.  And, as his tag line reads, “whatever the hell else I want.”  This week he featured The Columbine Tragedy and the David Koresh and the Branch Davidians’ anniversary stories.  I’m hooked!

Check out Peter Saint Clair’s other posts at his website: http://mysilentfury.com/

Blogging Randomness and Pure Fun:

Daniel Garner writes of living life in your 30’s on his blog, “Post Thirty Post”.  Plus, he has fabulous guest posts written by my dear friend, Jenn.

Check out all of Daniel’s posts at his blog: http://www.postthirtypost.blogspot.com/

Blogging for Writers:

Social media queen, Kristen Lamb, provides information galore including writing techniques, time management for writers, and social media 101.  Kristen’s Twitter Tuesday posts are perfect for those wanting to stick their toes in, and learn to swim the distance.  Kristen Lamb’s blog addresses all of these topics in a fun, humorous tone.

I credit Kristen, my guru, with throwing me in, and teaching me how to swim (in the pool of social media, that is).  Check out all of Kristen’s posts on her blog: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/

Blogging for Writers:

The great “How We Write” series, written by Jennifer Holbrook-Talty, and different writing techniques to the same series, “How We Write”, by Anna DeStefano, includes multiple ways to plot, revise, edit, and so much more.  Two ways are always better than one, right?

Check out more of the series, and their posts, on their blog sites: “The Glamorous Life” http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/,  and “Anna Writes” http://www.annawrites.com/

Writing tips galore!  Check out Roni Loren’s Fiction Groupie.  R The Ten Commandments of the Successful Author or The Author Bio – Six Important Components.

Check out all of Roni’s posts on her blog:  http://fictiongroupie.blogspot.com/

What’s your favorite blog that you absolutely can’t miss?  I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FaBOOolousness – The “Boo” Factor

Who doesn’t like scary movies?  Jumping in their seats?  Covering their eyes?

 

Growing up in the 1980s, I remember staying up late with my girlfriends and watching Friday the 13^th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween.  Here we are twenty years later, and we still have late-night watch-a-thons at least once a year and we watch those very same movies.  A few of the sequels lost the original’s “Boo” factor, but that didn’t stop us from catching as many as possible.  Maybe we simply like nostalgia, or maybe we simply love a great scary movie!

 

The scary movie genre fell a bit silent in the early 1990s, but in December of 1996, a new era began with the screenplay magnificence of Kevin Williamson, and the directing brilliance of Wes Craven with Scream.

The intensity of Scream opened immediately with Drew Barrymore’s scene, and continued throughout the entire movie – the piercing ring of the telephone, the horrifying sound of the digitized voice, the mystery behind the long, black cloak, and that creepy mask.

The mask — That Ghostface mask still frightens me to this very day.  I absolutely love Halloween, and opening the door to see all the creative children; but not Ghostface!  I have to force a smile while I hesitantly place yummy candy in Ghostface’s pillow case.  Anyone else notice that?  Ghostface always has a pillow case at Halloween, not a jack-o-lantern — why a pillow case?  What’s in the pillow case?  Would I be so afraid of that pillow case if Ghostface wasn’t so spooky?

What’s another of the most impressive aspects of Scream?  The whodunit mystery — Billy did it!  No, Principal Himbry did it!  No, is Gale doing it?  No, maybe it’s Cotton? It’s Randy!  No, who is the killer?  It’s Billy!  Oh, and Stu?  And, cue the Ah-Ha moment — Brilliant!

Who remembers Randy’s rules?

1) Never have sex

2) Never drink or do drugs

3) Never, ever say “I’ll be right back”

Having watched scary movie after scary movie, I absolutely loved the obvious, satirical, slap-in-the-face cliché moments in Scream.  Combining the terror of the anticipation of Ghostface with the laugh-out-loud comedy, Scream left its mark in movie FaBOOolousness.

Sequels usually don’t carry the same power as the originals; however, Scream 2 sure didn’t fail Scream in terms of the whodunitmystery.  It’s definitely not Billy & Stu….or is it?  Is it Gale?  No, is it Randy?  No, it’s Derek.  Nope!  It is…. and Scream 3, the only installment not written by Kevin Williamson, took a different approach.  While it wasn’t nearly as successful with the whodunitmystery, I still had the killer pegged wrong.

Scream paved the way for scary movies, and luckily, today the scary movie industry is still going strong.  Now, here’s to you, Scream 4:  Sidney’s back, Dewey’s back, and Gale’s back.  I can’t wait!  We’re going Saturday…are you?

What’s your favorite scary movie & why?  I’d love to hear from you!

Friday FabOoolousness – Kristen Lamb

When I lost my job in 2010, I decided there would not be a better time to embark on my next journey.  I immediately started my first manuscript, a story I’ve dreamed of telling since college.  The writing came naturally, but then I started to ask myself – what’s next? 

In November, I registered to attend DFWcon, and hoped to answer just that.  My friends had always laughed at my refusal to set up a Facebook account, and one friend harped on me for years that I needed to blog.  So, I faced my fears, and walked into a Branding and Social Media Introduction class led by Kristen Lamb.

Kristen Lamb

At the conference, I heard over and over again that social media leads the way, and helps aspiring authors build their community & platform.  If people like you, they’re more inclined to buy your novel.  Isn’t that what all writers want?    

So I bit — I took a big bite for me — I enrolled in Kristen Lamb’s online workshop.  For thirty days, she provided her FabOoolous insight and held my hand as I took baby steps into social media.  And I mean baby steps.  I think they may have coined the saying, “there’s no such thing as a stupid question,” for me; to make me feel better.  At the end of the first month, I started panicking.  I wasn’t ready to go out on my own!  Kristen proved herself even more FabOoolous when she extended the workshop for another thirty days.  Whew!  That was music to my ears! 

Now, thirty-six days in, I have tweeted, blogged, and Facebooked.   I have officially joined the 21^st century.

Kristen Lamb knows what she’s talking about.

Facebook is one thing; I found most of my old elementary, high school, and college friends, and have built my community around them.  And you know what?  I should have joined years ago.  I’m having a blast catching up with everyone! 

But Twitter?  Day one, I had two followers.  Two weeks later, I am just shy of 200!  I have met hundreds of writers who are just like me.  What a relief, I am not alone!  I love reading their posts, and have found so many useful tips by simply following the writing community on Twitter. 

And the blog – I was probably the most nervous about blogging.  I’m not an expert in anything, so what do I blog about?  Kristen recommended that I reach out to friends and family and build a list of 100 words that described me:  my very own spaghetti sauce ingredients.  What a fun exercise!  The word that most of my dearest replied with was opinionated.  I have to laugh, there’s no surprise there!  With my list, I built my platform. 

My Platform = My Opinion

Week one, I had over 470 visits to my blog.  To me, that is amazing!  And now, I’m blogging two posts a week:

 Tiffany’s Tele-Tuesday – where I give my opinion based on my addiction to television

Friday FabOoolousness – where I give my opinion based on all other things fabOoolous (authors, books, movies, sports, etc.)

I didn’t know Kristen Lamb in February, but today I have the honor of saying I do. 

Kristen, you are absOoolutely FabOoolous! 

Kristen, you are my social media guru!

I highly recommend everyone check out Kristen’s FabOoolous blog, her FabOoolous website, & buy a copy of her FabOoolous bestselling book, We Are Not Alone – The Writer’s Guide to Social Media.  

Who is your guru?  Who has helped you achieve a goal?  I’d love to hear from you! 

Check back next Friday for a FabOoolous Scream edition!

Friday FabOoolousness #1

Who doesn’t love Fridays?

Friday FabOoolousness will follow pretty much any ‘ol random thing that makes me go “Ooh.”

My first FF installment congratulates bestselling author, Candace Havens.

At DFWcon, I walked into a workshop for non-plotters led by the FabOoolous Candace, and I liked her immediately.  She shared with us three simple ways to plot, but she really grabbed my attention when she referenced one of the TV shows I loved (and was yanked too soon): The Dresden Files.

I read Candace’s bio and learned that she wrote the biography on Joss Whedon, Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy.  Are you kidding me?  The Dresden Files and Buffy? Now, I’m really a fan!

Candace has published multiple times including Charmed & Dangerous, Charmed & Ready, Charmed & Deadly, Like A Charm, The Demon King and I and Dragons Prefer Blondes.  She also writes steamy romances for the Blaze line of Harlequin including today’s feature, She Who Dares, Wins.

Oh, yea – did I mention she also does radio reviews for 96.3 in the DFW area and is one of the top entertainment journalists lucky enough to interview top celebrities?

Candace, you make me go “Ooo”!

Today she celebrates a book-birthday: She Who Dares, Wins, a sexy, romantic mystery out today. Check it out:

He’s high risk… and very high reward!

Well, it certainly wasn’t the assignment detective Katie McClure was expecting. Traveling to London to protect an old scientist who’d been receiving death threats? Too easy.

As it turns out, Dr. Macon Douglas is hot. The kind that makes Katie ponder her own kinds of experiments – namely ones that involve Mac being naked. But the death threats are real…along with the wicked chemistry that seems to sizzle and zap whenever they’re together. Can Katie keep her professional thoughts in mind and keep Mac safe – or will she risk everything and dare to be bare?

You are FabOoolous, Candace!

http://www.candacehavens.com/

What author do you think is FabOoolous?  I’d love to hear from you!

Next week, my social-media guru and bestselling author, Kristen Lamb.  Be sure and come back!