Tuesday, January 31, 2012

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT

When my 7th grader came home from school asking about soap operas, I had to wonder what he'd been learning.

Turns out his Spanish teacher showed them Que Hora Es: The Mexican Soap Opera For Those Who Only Had Three Weeks of Spanish in the Fourth Grade.

I watched it and, I admit, I laughed. It's a brilliant piece of satire that, at the same time, manages to demonstrate precisely what's wonderful about soaps - language is no barrier to enjoyment.

Check out a sample below and tell me you didn't crack a smile at least once!



Monday, January 30, 2012

THE MOTHER OF ALL....

On January 4, I broke down and made a confession: I'd watched my first reality show. Dance Moms on Lifetime. I couldn't help it. Having worked in figure skating for ABC, ESPN, TNT, etc.... it all just hit too close to home. I couldn't look away.

And then, last week, news broke that Lifetime was developing a spin-off. Ice Moms.

I... there are no words.

My latest enhanced e-book is On Thin Ice, the second book in the Figure Skating Mystery series. Among the reviews from the both the original paperback publication and the current electronic re-release were:

Mystery Ink
: Who knew the world of ice skating was fraught with this kind of soap opera?

Romantic Times Magazine
: Though Jeremy's rapid progress in the sport is somewhat unrealistic, Adams is right on the mark with her portrayal of the time and money spent on training.

About.com
: The plot doesn't seem realistic at all, but is fun nevertheless.

Why do I have a feeling that Ice Moms will eventually prove me right... and more?

I can't wait!
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #143-1

“You are my heart,” Carl told Rachel, instead. “Being asked to walk away is akin to being asked to leave it behind.”

“No.” Rachel shook her head. “It’s a fair trade. Because you’re leaving with mine.”

He asked, “Do you believe that which your children accuse me of? Do you believe that I am a danger to them and to their loved ones?”

Rachel hesitated. A beat too long for Carl’s taste. “I believe that you have the potential. I believe that if the motivation were strong enough, you are still, as before, capable of just about anything.”

Carl inhaled sharply. The unvarnished truth when you’d been expecting a familiar platitude was a bit of a shock to the system. “Are you saying that…”

“Let’s not insult each other’s intelligence, Carl,” Rachel’s voice was neither acrimonious nor accusing, merely realistic. “You helped Lucas frame Donna for Cecile’s murder, which almost landed Jamie in jail for thirty years. You deliberately toyed with Marley’s sanity, knowing she was unstable, which led to Lorna’s accident and who knows what down the line for Devon. You started a mob war in order to cover your tracks. Kirkland was kidnapped and Spencer killed as a result. You are a very dangerous man, and I would be foolish to pretend otherwise.”

****

Rachel gives Carl an answer he isn't eager to hear, GQ catches Jen in a compromising situation with Steven, Kevin pushes Amanda to expand their family, Chase confesses his motivation to Lila, and Grant does his best to break Sarah's heart - with the last news she expects.

Is Grant telling the truth, though? Cast your vote at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_143p1.html

Friday, January 27, 2012

FREEBIE ROUND UP

Alina Adams Media has free books available for every taste and interest this week!

First up, a free copy of Jonathan's Story, the Guiding Light tie-in novel by Julia London and Alina Adams. Details in the post directly below this one.

Second, Skate Crime: Multimedia, a figure skating mystery with videos embedded alongside the text as part of the story is free to borrow from Amazon.

Finally, The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Dan Elish, a children's fantasy with it's own original musical score by a Broadway pro can be won at: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-book-giveaway.html

Thursday, January 26, 2012

FREE LIGHT!

I had such a good time celebrating Guiding Light's 75th Anniversary yesterday with my link-filled trip down memory lane, that I decided to extend the fun!

So, to continue the festivities - and the memories - I am offering a FREE copy of Jonathan's Story, the GL tie-in book, with every purchase of Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments enhanced e-book (which is also chock full of GL memories, as well as ATWT, AMC, OLTL, GH, DOOL, Y&R... well, you get the picture).

Simply purchase your copy of Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments on either Amazon or BN.com, then forward the receipt to AlinaAdams@gmail.com, along with your mailing address, and I will send you a copy of Jonathan's Story! (Offer good while supplies last, and only available to US residents.)

Keep the Light shining!
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #142-2

“Why did you reach out to me, Marley?” Grant cut through the chit-chat, needing to hear her answer before he could go on.

“I missed you,” she said softly.

“I wanted to visit. I tried, over and over again. Bribes, threats, flattery. You’d made it clear I was persona non-grata. When they took you away at the airport, you wouldn’t even look at me.”

“I couldn’t.”

He swallowed hard. “Do you really hate me that much?”

“No!” The words exploded out of Marley’s throat and she lunged for Grant, stopping only inches from him, realizing any kind of physical contact would be too much at this point. “I don’t hate you, Grant.”

“Then why? Why would you treat me like this? What did I ever do to warrant being cast out like some prodigal son who’d committed one infraction too many?”

“You… you loved me.”

****

Marley stuns Grant with the last thing he expected to hear, Lucas attempts to rein in Felicia, Kevin blindsides Amanda, Steven challenges Jen, and Elizabeth and Cory hit Rachel with an ultimatum of their own.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_142p2.html

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

THE INCREDIBLE LIGHT-NESS OF BEING!

In honor of Guiding Light's 75th Anniversary today, some of my favorite posts about the guiding light who made the world turn and allowed it all happen: Irna Phillips...

Irna Phillips inducted into the Hall of Fame

Irna's version of her life story... and questions raised regarding its veracity

Irna Phillips and religion

How the Bauers came to Springfield (with vintage photos!)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

HEAT WAVE

To continue with the Beat-Those-Wintertime-Blues theme started yesterday, check out the below video of All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital stars singing (and dancing to) Heat Wave.

When it first came out in 2010, it was just funny. Now it's kind of sad... But, it made me smile, nonetheless, I hope it might do the same for you!

Monday, January 23, 2012

HEAT WAVE

With most of the US buried under snow or taking cover from rain, I thought we'd switch up the mood with some hot summer action courtesey of Days of Our Lives circa late 1980s.

You've got star-crossed Kim and Shane, Victor lurking in a white leisure suit, sweaty Chris (in lavender! - and before he began passing himself off as Roman) and Savannah, big hair, shoulder pads, and a Phil Collins soundtrack!

Check out this on-location soaps in their heyday shoot below:

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #142-1

“I will fight for you, Rachel,” Carl said calmly. “I shan’t go gently into the good night, you must know that, as well.”

“I’ll fight for you, too. For us. I know you don’t believe it, but, that’s precisely what I’m doing now.”

“They have no right,” Carl insisted. “Jamie, Amanda and Matthew have no right to tell you who you may or may not choose to spend your life with.”

“They didn’t,” she said softly. “They merely informed me that if I chose a life with you, they’d in turn choose to be no part of it.”

He hesitated, then confessed, “You know my instinct is to say, the hell with them.”

“I know. You’ve been doing a yeoman’s job suppressing it.”

“Your children initially objected to our marriage. Not merely Amanda with her Hadley Prescott masquerade, but Matthew bringing Alexander Nikos to town. We stood united in the face of their shenanigans, and they backed down in due course. What makes you think we can’t make that happen again, without employing these extreme measures?”

“Because. Fifteen years ago, you were merely the man their father hated. You’d been a threat to me, to them, but that was in the past. Now, you’re a threat to their children.”

“Poppycock! Kirkland – “

“I know. I understand. They don’t. I want to make them understand. But, I can’t while the situation is still so fraught. You moving out will calm the waters. It will allow them to let down their guards and listen to me. Without preconceived notions. I want to make it so that you can come home, Carl. I want to make is so that everyone can come home.”

“When?”

****

Carl questions Rachel's plan for reuniting her family, Donna challenges Matt to step up, Kirkland confirms Grant's worst fear, Kevin asks Morgan for a favor, Lucas provokes Felicia, and Cass and Frankie face a no-win scenario.

Help them make their decision at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_142p1.html

Friday, January 20, 2012

EMMY FOUNTAIN

SoapClassics.com
has released a best of Guiding Light DVD set and, not suprisingly, The Slut of Springfield episode is featured.

Most GL fans assume that Kim Zimmer won her Emmy that year for this episode (a clip of it was, in fact, aired during the broadcast, adding to the confusion). She actually did not. Read all about why, here.

Though the actress would go on to win three more trophies, her first win is as much remembered for her hairstyle and exuberant - and gracious - acceptance, as it is for her theatrical achievement.

Check out the clip!



And make sure you help demonstrate the buying power of soap fans by ordering your GL DVD set ASAP!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

FREE BOOKS FOR ALL - TWO DAYS ONLY!

As I've been writing about (for months now, I know - bear with me), my dream for transitioning soaps from TV to the Internet involves enhanced e-books, stories that are part text, part video, cheaper to produce and with a built in revenue model.

"Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition" was Book #1 in my Figure Skating Soap Opera series. Now Book #2, "On Thin Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition," which continues the story began in Book #1 - soap opera style, is out and available on Amazon and BN.com.

To celebrate the new release, and to give my readers a taste of what an enhanced e-book is actually like, I am offering my very first enhanced e-book, "Skate Crime: Multimedia," absolutely FREE for two days only, January 19 and 20, 2012.

To get your copy at no cost, go to: http://www.amazon.com/Skate-Crime-Multimedia-Skating-ebook/dp/B004HZXVPK/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=books&qid=1294410823&sr=1-5 either today or tomorrow before midnight PST.

And make sure to tell me what you think? Can you see soaps continuing in this fashion?
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #141-2

“This isn’t about Kirkland.” Lorna invited herself inside, slamming the door behind her before turning on Grant with both barrels. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, seducing a kid only a couple of years older than your son?”

Like Sarah before him, Grant first considered denying everything before changing his mind and choosing to own the situation, flipping the tables on Lorna and demanding, “What business is this of yours, exactly?”

“None,” she admitted.

“Good. I’m glad we’ve got that settled.”

“Except that I happen to know a little something about older men who prey on young girls.”

Her implication couldn’t have been clearer. Or more offensive. Grant’s face managed to both flush and pale at the same time as he thundered, “Are you seriously comparing me to – “

****

Lorna forces Grant to view his relationship with Sarah in a new light, Felicia offers Cass a lifeline, GQ and Allie find common ground, Frankie attempts to kill two birds - and Donna - with one stone, and Kirkland tells Charlie the truth.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_141p2.html

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

DAYS LONG AGO...

I've been feeling nostalgic for soap's glory days lately. (I can't imagine why.)

My first job in soaps was in 1994, at E! Entertainment's Pure Soap.

I'd just gotten my Master's in Broadcasting, and when I saw Pure Soap, I sent a letter to one of the hosts, Michael Logan, telling him that his show was great, but it was lacking just one thing - me.

He agreed. I flew down to LA from SF for a week's work trial and, at the end of it, they hired me. I started as an Associate Producer, then was promoted to Writer, and stayed with the show until it was cancelled at the end of the year. At the time, there were ten soaps on the air and, when Another World was ultimately cancelled in 1999, it went out with a 2.3 rating. Who wouldn't love a 2.3 now?

Thanks to YouTube.com (down with SOPA!), some episodes of Pure Soap are still available.

Check out this interview with Kristian Alfonso (the slightly snarky historical intro is mine)....

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

GOT CHANGE?

Mindy's Twitter (https://twitter.com/MindyLewisBauer) originally launched in February 2009 as part of Ms. Lewis' return to Springfield for the Four Musketeers' 25th High School Reunion (http://pgpclassicsoaps.blogspot.com/2009/02/mindys-meme-mindy-comes-home-to-guiding.html).

When Guiding Light went off the air in September of the same year, Mindy continued sharing the lives and loves of her family, friends and neighbors on-line (http://pgpclassicsoaps.blogspot.com/2009/09/shining-light-back-in-days-when-both.html).

A year later, with the cancellation of As the World Turns, P&G got out of the soap business, and I kept up the site on my own - because I knew what it felt like to have a beloved show yanked away, and I didn't want to do that to the people who'd so loyally followed the project.

Now, however, my other writing assignments are taking up too much of my time for me to keep up Mindy's Twitter the way that I'd like, and you all deserve.

But, I am not abandoning it. Instead, I am putting it in the hands of the people who love GL the most.

When I ran Another World Today for P&G, we also had a Bay City-based Twitter role-playing game. Where fans got to continue the story.

I would like to do something similar, here. From the beginning, Mindy's Twitter has been interactive, with fans tweeting their thoughts on what she and her friends should do. I'd like you to continue doing it, and I will retweet the best suggestions, so that everyone can experience it on one timeline.

Just write what you think is happening in SF to @MindyLewisBauer, and see if your update gets picked up for retweeting. (Not everyone will get retweeted all the time, especially if stories contradict each other, etc... But, this is a work in progress, we'll work out the kinks as we go along, together.)

Mindy has recently recapped where all the stories left off in 2011 (i.e. Roger/Holly/Ed, Harley/Cyrus/Mel, a newly married Beth and Phillip, Reva's conflict with Marah over Jeffrey, etc...). Please stick to stories as they've been established, to cut down on confusion, but feel free to introduce your own with characters that haven't been as active.

This will be an original, on-of-a-kind experiment in interactive storytelling. I can't wait to see where we all take it!

Monday, January 16, 2012

NAME DAY

How my daughter got her (very soapy) name, courtesy of Martin Luther King Day, at: http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/how-martin-luther-king-helped-name-my-daughter/

Plus, check out our roundtable from 2011 regarding Diversity on Daytime at: http://pgpclassicsoaps.blogspot.com/2011/03/soaps-jewish-problem-diversity-on.html
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #141-1

“I thought I could do this,” Rachel confessed to Carl, broken. “I thought I could obey my children’s wishes, stay away from them until all three came to their senses and realized what a futile cause it was, trying to separate me from you.”

“And you’ve done it. Surely, you don’t consider rushing to be by Jamie’s side a slip in our strategy? This was an aberration, a necessary bending of your resolve – “

“Jamie didn’t want me there,” Rachel said. “He said… he said he didn’t want to get into it with me.”

“Jamie was in shock,” Carl dismissed her concerns as hardly meriting discussion. “His son was battling for his life. Who takes seriously the word of a soul in such dire straits?”

“I made it worse, Carl. My being there made my son’s already excruciating burden even worse.”

“Impossible.”

“Amanda said as much to me.”

“Ah,” Carl sighed, happy to finally be at the crux of the matter. Jamie’s perceived grief and subsequent rejection he could do nothing to assuage Rachel’s concern over. But, Amanda and her petty vengeance…. “Amanda, of course. Not Jamie, at all. Amanda.”

“Amanda was the one who had to point out to me that I was hurting my son just by being around him.”

“Amanda,” Carl reminded, not even vaguely amused. “Has an agenda where you and I are concerned.”

“You think I don’t know that? You think I didn’t call her on that?”

“Then I don’t understand what the subsequent issue could possibly be.”

“She wasn’t wrong, Carl. She may have had selfish, manipulative reasons for drawing my attention to the situation, but she was not wrong."

***

Rachel makes a shocking request of Carl, Grant holds back with Sarah while Jamie presses Kirkland, Jenna asks Dean a question he can't answer, and Donna attempts to rid herself of the past as John makes an overture towards the future.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_141p1.html

Friday, January 13, 2012

QUALITY OF LIFE

One Life to Live was never *my* show.

I started off life as a General Hospital fan, and my husband was a lifelong All My Children watcher. Friends joked that our children were destined to be OLTL fans.

Because, you know, ABC had a complete line-up then.

Except for a couple of stories I was really into: the Mary Karr/Mary Vernon baby-switch, the Gabrielle/Max/Steve triangle (I preferred Steve - go figure), Asa and Becky Lee's surprising love match, and David and Jenny (I actually saw Michael Zaslow for the first time as David not Roger; he had me as soon as he sat down at the piano - see clip below), it was never must-watch-TV for me.

But, it was another soap, and I am mourning it's demise as much as I did all the rest.

I moved to New York City in the last week of 1994 to work on SoapLine, a talk-show ABC was developing to promote their entire line-up, produced by Linda Gottlieb, fresh off her stint on OLTL.

SoapLine the half-hour talk show in development quickly morphed into SoapLine, the one minute segments ABC Daytime used to keep fans up to date during the unending preemptions of the OJ Simpson trial in 1995.

As part of the latter, we created stand-alone vignettes, such as snippets of screen-tests for the role of Tina (that ultimately went to Krista Tesrau), a feature on Clint Ritchie's recovery from a horrific tractor accident, Kassie DePaiva talking about her country music singing career, and Catherine Hickland making her Broadway debut as Fantine in Les Miserables.

Also from Linda, I heard stories about her days on OLTL, including her insistence that viewers didn't even realize that Mia Korpf was Asian, so it was no big deal to recast her with a blonde, and about focus groups that just didn't understand how and why Luna was psychic.

Although SoapLine's pilot didn't get picked up, I stayed at ABC Daytime to produce soap segments for the Mike & Matty show, and worked on the first Super Soap Weekend in Florida.

Even though it was never *my* show, OLTL was a huge part of my professional life.

It's killing me to see it go.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP

When news broke yesterday about four One Life to Live stars taking their characters (McBain & the Mannings) to General Hospital once OLTL ends its ABC run this week, the blogosphere, and Twittersphere, and... uh... Facebooksphere? broke into a loud and vociferous debate about the wisdom of such an action.

Fans invoked AW's Jake, Vicky, Cass and Lila moving to ATWT in 1999 as an example of an identical tactic's earlier failure, while others noted the Linda Dano ABC line-up hop of the same year, and other crossovers such as the AMC/OLTL baby-switch saga, or the comings and goings of Ashley, Amber and Sheila within Y&R and B&B.

In 2008, I wrote an article on this blog entitled Pair Jumpers, where I talked about actors who'd made a splash as a supercouple on one show attempting to take that chemistry to another canvas. And how it had never, ever, ever worked.

Four years ago, the piece was, to put it kindly, not well received, as you'll be able to tell via the comments.

Any thoughts on it now?
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #140-2

“Jamie is full of it, like usual. All that crap about me needing rest. He just wanted to get me away from Kirkland,” Grant mumbled, even as Sarah was forced to drive his car home, help Grant up the stairs with her shoulder beneath his arm, and maneuver him into his bedroom where, despite her cajoling, he preferred to collapse in an armchair, refusing to get into bed.

“Okay,” Sarah sighed. “If you’re not going to listen to doctors’ orders – “

“Jamie’s a quack. I don’t even think he went to medical school. The way I hear it, he was a novelist,” Grant extended his fingers in air-quotes. “Then he leaves town, comes back barely a few months later, and suddenly he’s a doctor. This town will believe anything. As long as it’s not a Harrison doing the telling.”

“Then you leave me no choice,” Sarah picked up her thought as soon as Grant finished talking. Or rather, ran out of energy to continue.

“What?” he asked, alarmed by her serious tone.

***

Sarah stuns Grant with the last thing he ever expected to hear, as Jamie does the same to Kirkland. Donna gets a surprise update from Matt while Frankie resolves to help Sharlene, and Felicia lays down the law where Lorna and Lucas are concerned.

It's a day of surprises and schemes at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_140p2.html

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

DEFEAT THE REVOLUTION!

You say you want a revolution?

Well, if you're a One Life to Live or ABC Daytime fan, odds are, you probably don't.

So, down with The Revolution!

And if you're interested in sabotaging from within, here's a suggestion:

The Revolution is currently looking for all sorts of "regular people" to guest on their show.

They want people who:

Wear their clothes too tight

Want a makeover

Want a makeover for their closet

Want a makeover for their bra

Want to feel sexy
(Makeover, bra and closet optional?)

If you fit any of those categories (or can fake it), you might want to contact the show (directions at the links) and get on camera before sharing your opinion on this latest addition to the ABC Daytime line-up, LIVE!

Good luck!

Monday, January 09, 2012

FAST TRACK

Anne - How long does it take you to write a book?

Alina - When I worked at Procter & Gamble Productions, I wrote tie-in novels for their soap operas, “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light.” The process of merging television and book production was not an easy one. I was writing the books close to a year in advance of when it would show up on air. But, because book production is so much slower than television, I still needed to write the book in six weeks (to tie-in to a TV story that hadn’t been written yet, and could possibly change. For instance, in “The Man From Oakdale,” the character of Dusty is dead. Everyone talks about him being dead. Alas, by the time the book was released, Dusty was alive again. Oops.)

Also for P&G, I wrote an officially sanctioned continuation to one of their off-the-air soap operas, “Another World”. It was a weekly series, and each webisode was about 7000 words. Your average book is between 70,000 to 100,000 words, so that would be a book every two months or so.

I don’t know if I’m a good writer. But, I am a fast one.

Read the entire interview at: http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com/2012/01/alina-adams.html

Leave a comment and enter to win your choice of "When a Man Loves a Woman: Enhanced Multimedia Edition" or "Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition." Every entry will receive an enhanced ebook excerpt, "Skate Crime: Multimedia."

Other opportunities this week to win a free Alina Adams Media Enhanced Ebook:

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-book-giveaway.html

http://fullmoonbites.blogspot.com/2012/01/read-book-see-movie-at-same-time-by.html?zx=59a0e878620d42fe

ADDED on 1/11/12: http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-ebook-worldwide-dessert.html
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #140-1

“Okay,” Matt looked from one to the other. “Somebody needs to clue me in. What are we talking about, here?”

“Dean…” Jeanne beseeched. “It’s not… it’s not important.”


“No?” he asked, voice utterly neutral.

“You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”


“I am,” he repeated slowly, part question, part answer.


“Yes,” Jeanne told him firmly.


“Hey, guys,” Matt pointed his way. “I’m still in the room.”


“It’s not big deal,” Jeanne turned to her husband, figuring that if Dean wouldn’t listen to her, maybe Matt would.


“So I hear,” Matt agreed.


“Your wife spent the night with me,” Dean blurted, prompting both Jeanne and Matt’s heads to whip around.


***

Jeanne and Dean lay out their version of New Year's Eve events to a befuddled Matt, Jamie negotiates unfamiliar territory with Rachel - and with Grant, Lorna offers Sarah the hindsight of her own experience, Steven gets a surprise, Morgan sticks to his guns, and Amanda goes for the jugular.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_140p1.html

Friday, January 06, 2012

NOT ONLY IS SHE MERELY DEAD... NO, WAIT! SHE'S NOT!

Thanks to The TBR Pile for not only offering a rave review of "Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition" -

Murder on Ice is a very entertaining mystery. The author definitely kept me guessing as to who the killer was, which is something I have always liked in a book. Bex is a great character. She is smart and has lots of courage to try and figure out who the killer is. The other characters in the book definitely enhance the story. I loved the scenes with Frances and Diana as they were very amusing!.... I like the videos because it added a nice visual to the story. If you missed this first in the series, pick it up.

- But also for letting me guest post on the subject of why dead no longer has to mean completely dead (what also would a soap fan write about, after all?):

As we learned from both “The Princess Bride” and “The Wizard of Oz,” nothing is really dead until it’s really most sincerely dead.

The same applies to publishing. In theory, once a book is out of print, it’s dead. Well, mostly dead, as Miracle Max would say. (Really, if you haven’t read “The Princess Bride,” do yourself a favor and hop to it, ASAP. It has all the great lines from the movie, plus about a thousand more zingers. But, I digress….) You might be able to find a copy of an out of print book in a used book shop, or borrow it from a friend. Maybe the library will stock one, for old times sake.

But, it used to be that out of print meant as good as dead.

Not anymore. Thanks to the explosion of e-publishing, not only can currently released book ostensibly live on forever (shelf space just isn’t as important anymore), but even books once given up for… well… dead (how’s my leitmotif going? Sick of it yet?), can find new life.

Read the entire entry at: http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/2012/01/throwback-thursday-guest-post-murder-on.html and please leave a comment.

And let's all hope that the demise of other mediums we love has, like Mark Twain's, been greatly exaggerated.

Thursday, January 05, 2012

FREE BOOK! FREE MUSIC! FREE DESSERT!

Well, kind of....

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-book-giveaway.html) is offering the chance to win a free copy of "The Worldwide Dessert Contest: Enhanced Multimedia Edition." An Alina Adams Media electronic book and original musical theater score CD all in one.

Interview with author Dan Elish:

What is the one book everyone should read?
Why the Worldwide Dessert Contest, of course! Also, Act One by Moss Hart.

Please tell us in one sentence why we should read your book?
No other book combines changing desserts, great rhymes, and roller-skating apple pies so well.

What was your favorite book as a child or teen?
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Phantom Tollbooth.

What inspired you to want to become a writer?
Hearing Ella Fitzgerald sing the songs of Rodgers and Hart. Wanting to write musicals led me to wanting to write books.

How do you react to a bad review.
Badly.

For more, and to enter to win, go to: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/01/author-interview-book-giveaway.html
ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #139-2

Felicia asked, "Has there been any word on Kirkland?”

Donna shook her head, pained. “When Steven called, he only told me to come pick up Michele and Bridget. I guess I’m not worthy of being told how my grandson is faring.”


“I haven’t heard anything either,” Felicia confessed. As close as she was willing to come to commiserating about their mutual, respective persona non grata standings.


“Will you let me know if you do? I realize I have no right to ask, but I’m afraid… I’m so afraid for Kirkland. I love all my grandchildren equally, I swear I do. But, Kirkland… Kirkland has always seemed the most vulnerable. The most sensitive. Steven, he has his purely intellectual world to withdraw into, nothing can hurt him there. And the girls, it’s silly of me, wishful thinking, perhaps; but I can’t help believing they’ve inherited both Jake and Victoria’s resilience. They just roll with the punches, no matter what. Kirkland – it’s as if he were missing some protective layer the rest of us are born with.”


“If we’re lucky.”


“If we’re lucky,” Donna agreed. “He’s so open, so trusting, so decent… and so easily wounded, as a result.”


“He has a great many people pulling for him. And Jamie will see to it he gets the best possible medical care.”


“I don’t know how much more of it I can stand,” Donna burst. “Being shoved to the outskirts of my family in this manner. I’ve already lost Michael and Victoria, now Marley wants nothing to do with me, and if Steven ultimately has his way, neither will Michele and Bridget. What right do any of them have… How dare they? Who do they think they are, by virtue of what extensive life experience or innate superiority do our children decree themselves qualified to judge us?”


***

Donna and Felicia find themselves in the same boat, Kirkland's crises prompts a surprising reaction from Steven, a heroic gesture by Grant, manipulation by Sarah, and Rachel to come forward. Meanwhile, John reaches out to Sharlene - with unexpected results, and Dean comes to see Matt about Jeanne.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_139p2.html

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

GOTTA DANCE!

Okay, time to make a confession.

Remember this summer, when I wrote a long post about how reality television was awful, and it was killing scripted programming and no one should never, ever watch one ever?

I've been forced to make an exception.

Dance Moms on Lifetime.

I watch Dance Moms. (Though not on Lifetime. On my computer. When I have time.)

Here's the thing. My brother was a competitive ice dancer in the 1990s, my eight year old son currently takes ballet (my 12 year old calls to me as I leave the house to take his brother to lessons, "Have fun being a dance mom!"), and, most importantly, I covered figure skating for ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBC for a good chunk of my in-between soap years, then wrote five murder mysteries about it.

I so get the whole Dance Moms... thing.

And I justify watching by pointing out that it's not really a reality show. There is nothing real about it (it's obvious if you've even so much as ever brushed up against that world). What Dance Moms is, in fact, is an improv show, where the situations are staged and phony, and the "actors" (i.e. the titular moms) are really, really bad at improvisation. Which somehow makes it good.

So... that makes it okay? Right?

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

ONE LIFE TO SKATE

As One Life to Live winds down its ABC run (la la la la, I can't hear you, it's not happening; AMC is still on the air, too. As is GL. And ATWT. And Santa Barbara), I continue with my efforts to develop a new distribution channel for serialized storytelling via enhanced e-books.

Murder on Ice was a novel I published in 2003 with Berkley Prime Crime as a paperback original. The entire figure skating mystery series is five books long, with recurring characters, on-going plotlines, juicy secrets and shocking revelations. I.e. it's a soap. (Not that I told my editor that while I was writing it, but I always knew what it was. Soapy is the only way I know how to write.)

The book is currently available as Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition, with videos courtsy of The Ice Theatre of New York included with the text as part of the story.

Exactly the way I did Another World Today for P&G, and the way that I would like to see soaps continue in an attempt to cut down costs.

About.com recently reviewed the new edition at: http://figureskating.about.com/od/figureskatingbooks/fr/Review-Of-Murder-On-Ice.htm, writing, in part:

The author... shares her view of the elite figure skating world in an amusing and entertaining way. Readers get an idea of the the rivalries that exist in competitive figure skating, and the story's heroine, Bex Levy, has a delightful sense of humor.

I hope you'll check out the new, enhanced edition of Murder on Ice, as well as subsequent installments of On Thin Ice, Axel of Evil, Death Drop and Skate Crime, and let me know how you think the series works as an enhanced e-book, a murder mystery, and as a soap, too!

Monday, January 02, 2012

FRIENDS DON'T LET HUNGOVER FRIENDS TWEET

This Sunday, January 1, 2012, SoapNet ran a One Life to Live marathon. Within an hour of the first episode, someone on Twitter asked the question: What if there'd been social media when this episode first ran?

It seemed like an innocuous, speculative query. But, in minutes, it somehow turned into a game wherein posters (led by ringleaders, https://twitter.com/#!/WeLoveSoapsTV, https://twitter.com/#!/tommiecas, https://twitter.com/#!/SpinsVixenella, and, I confess, https://twitter.com/#!/SoapOpera451) went back in time and offered their opinions as if the shows airing on SoapNet (as well as their contemporaries, i.e. ATWT, AW, GL, GH, etc...) were live, prompting such observations as:

I like Roger Howarth but I don't see how OLTL can sustain this character. I predict Todd will be forgotten in a year & never mentioned again.

I love Mia Korpf! OLTL has the most diverse cast. Finally an Asian character.


Personally, can't stand AW's new Vicky/Marley & the SORASd Frannie an ATWT. 2 green actresses going no where fast.

They just wanted this no-name chick to get her Patty Duke on. Identical cousins
?

Sabrina's British accent is so awful, more Marland rewriting history.Irna Phillips would be rolling over in her grave

Doug Marland hates the Stewarts & ruined Steve. We've been overrun by the Snyders.

ATWT Snyders are just GL Reardons. Emma is Bea, Meg is Nola, Dusty is Kelly and Lily is Morgan. Stop recycling TPTB!

Doug Marland's stories go on forever. I prefer OLTL's faster pace and time traveling.

On DAYS, Vivian really hates Carly. I'm afraid of what she might do next! Duh, writers, it's Dennis Carrington, not Dennis Wheeler. I never watched TEXAS so the paternity ret-con isn't cannon.

And so, so, SO much more. Click on each individual Twitter handle above for the whole story (and note how confused the people who came in mid-conversation are).

Happy 2012! (From the paaaaaast! Oooh, spooky...)

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #139-1

“Hello?” Steven dutifully answered his cell phone, albeit with a minimum of enthusiasm. However, the expression on his face quickly shifted from contempt to alarm as he opened and closed his mouth several times, either trying to get a word in edgewise, or merely attempting to think of something to say.

Sarah, Michele and Bridget exchanged frightened looks in response, all three understanding that any situation that rattled Steven was bound to be really, really bad.


This time, Sarah deliberately tried to catch Steven’s eye in order to ferret out what Grant might be telling him. But, Steven turned his back on them all and plugged his ear with one finger, the better to concentrate on what Grant was saying.


Finally, he nodded fervently – despite the fact that Grant couldn’t see him – and said, “I’ll call in and let them know soon as I hang up. I’ll meet you there. I’ll try and reach Dad, too. Text me if you hear anything else. Please, Grant.”


It was the please – specifically Steven saying please to Grant – that threw Sarah and the girls from controlled fear into unchecked terror.


“What is it? What’s wrong? What happened?” they peppered Steven with questions before he’d even hung up.


***

Grant is forced to turn to Steven for help, prompting a surprising response from Sarah; Jeanne and Matt face off after their respective New Year's Eves, Cass is suspicious of Charlie and Kirkland's accident, Chase stuns Lila with the next step of his plan, and Felicia schools Lorna in marital reality.

All at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_139p1.html