'South of Sunset' – A Free-Day Weekend!

I've updated the South of Sunset ebook cover and added a section describing what the title means to those of you not familiar with Los Angeles.

To re-promote South of Sunset, I'm giving it away from Saturday, March 3rd through Monday March 5th. You'll find it on Amazon Kindle and if you don't have a Kindle you can read it in a variety of ways! 

What's it all about? HOLLYWOOD. A name that needs no introduction. Such a world-renowned name conjures up images of movies, sunglass-wearing stars, palm trees, plastic surgery, drug habits, the proverbial overnight success … and the happy ending. In this collection of original short fiction, the author takes us into the minds of an assortment of losers, dreamers, successes, wannabes, and has-beens. A conglomeration of fact and fantasy, the time period ranges from the mid-80s to the present. "South of Sunset" isn't just a location ... it's where myth and reality merge. 

The action within these seven stories takes place in various Los Angeles locations, all the main characters happen to reside south of Sunset Boulevard.

South of Sunset FREE through March 5th!

The Joy of Melt and Pour Soap Crafting

For the past two months my double boiler and I have been the best of friends. My kitchen is super clean and my bathroom is stocked with enough soap to starting selling … again! Yes, I've been making soap like it's the Christmas rush even before the official start date!

Key Lime Pie Soap

Last week at this time I was putting the finishing touches on a piece of Key Lime Pie soap for my new book, THE JOY OF MELT AND POUR SOAP CRAFTING. It's been fun getting back into it after a [nearly] two-year absence. But my next project, Leaving Nadir, is calling to me and I must complete that.

So that's what's been going on and I while it was fun to write and recreate some unique recipes, like Fruit of the Vine Wine soap, Coffee 'n Cream soap, Soapsicles, and even my signature Hollywood Fruit, Nuts & Flakes soap, I look forward to my return to fiction.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

THE JOY OF MELT AND POUR SOAP CRAFTING

Help Me Name a Soap!

Yes, I'm almost done taking photos for my forthcoming soap crafting book! I've been crafting soap, and other bath & body products, for years. I've been planning an entire series of books, and only this month does it look like I'll finally have that soap book finished! It's called THE JOY OF MELT AND POUR SOAP CRAFTING and it'll be available on Kindle, B&N and Smashwords around November 19th.  

Before it's completed, I need your help in naming a soap! The backstory is that when I was at the supermarket I discovered a 4-pack of colorful plastic gelatin molds. For $2 it was a great deal and they make some beautiful looking soaps. Currently, it's called Gelatin Soap, but I'm sure a better and catchier name can be found. 

Name this soap!!!

The soap is a combination of clear melt and pour base, magenta mica [a natural mineral colorant], and strawberry fragrance.

So what do you get if you supply the name of this soap?

1. A copy of the book in either the .PDF or Kindle format. 

2. Your name will be listed in the Acknowledgments section right in the front of the book! 

Let me know what you think this soap should be called and the winner will be listed here! If you could do so by the weekend, that would be excellent!


11/16/11 UPDATE! Thanks everybody! A name has been found & the individual insists upon anonymity! I'll reveal the soap's new name next week after the book has been released.

SQUIRRELS IN THE HOOD is in Your E-Hood!

If you love squirrels, cats and birds, you're in the right place! I discovered the joy of photographing squirrels in my L.A. neighborhood due to their close proximity. And I learned a lot about squirrelly behavior!

Squirrels in the Hood was originally written by hand in a notebook but I finally found some time to transcribe it into Word. The photos I'd taken really helped to shape the story. So, here's the official blurb.

When Sunshine the cat departs in 2006, the second story balcony she occupied is very empty. Now that birds can be fed, the author does so, also attracting an array of hungry squirrels. Follow the adventures of Alpha, Doc, Cocoa Butter and other squirrel-friends as they dine in the Bird & Squirrel Café located in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles. Squirrels in the Hood includes 19 color photos taken by the author.

I've also included my first book trailer. Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh, the author of CassaStar, I was able to see how cool book trailers are. I wasn't aware that books even had trailers! I was inspired to try making my own.

Squirrels in the Hood - B&N

Squirrels in the Hood - Amazon

Squirrels in the Hood  - Smashwords

Hollywood Office Temp

Although I've written a little about Hollywood in NOTES FROM NADIR, the majority of the book takes place far, far away from the proverbial glitter and glitz of Hollywood.

What really happened in Hollywood? How long was I out there? Did I work in the entertainment industry? Did I meet lots of celebrities?

Some answers. I originally wrote HOLLYWOOD OFFICE TEMP [H.O.T.] many years ago. This book is partially based on my years working in and out of the wonderful world of showbiz. My character, Chris Yarborough, is just that, someone who might have a few similarities to me. This book is based on people I met in Lalaland, I have also incorporated other peoples' stories to make this a better read. Some of the characters names have been changed to protect the innocent … and the guilty.

I'm also still working on the manuscript for LEAVING NADIR.

***

Chris Yarborough is a Midwesterner as green as the corn back home in Ohio.  This former bookstore employee moves out to Los Angeles to pursue a profitable career in screenwriting. 

Without an instant script sale, she stumbles upon an ad that reads: TYPE YOUR WAY TO THE STARS! The company is in a prestigious Century City high rise and she works there until the company closes. Out of work, her career as a temp is launched.

Chris temps in an East L.A. warehouse where the elderly owner is carried to her office to downtown where she discovers Banksluts, Inc. Other jobs in studios bring her in contact with famous actors. She learns that as a temp, she is the maid of the secretarial world. One employer says, "If you don't want to use her you can send her away."

As she searches for a literary agent and that elusive script sale, Chris encounters an array of unusual characters. A partying apartment manager, an important film director who could launch her career, a lawyer with an office furnished in kindergarten motif, and several household names. Sometimes working in the entertainment biz, including stints at Playboy, Universal Studios and Warner Bros., to jobs in unrelated fields, the plucky screenwriter perseveres.

HOLLYWOOD OFFICE TEMP is written in diary format. We are shown the excesses of the 1990's as a nobody tries to become a somebody in Hollywood. Here's a new interview!

Notes from Nadir ~ The Interview!

I've recently been interviewed about my novel, Notes from Nadir. It was a novel interview [pun intended!] in that I got to make up some of the questions that I could ask and answer about how this book came into being.

Instead of using the sample excerpt that is seen when the book's downloaded, I got to choose what part of the book I wanted to share. That's fun to do as the reader can see a "new" area of the story.

Much to everyone's relief, it's not a mega-long interview so I didn't get bored doing it! If you're interested, here's the link: 

ANOTHER HOLLYWOOD EBOOK WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Due to the fact that one of the winners of THE HOLLYWOOD FICTION E-BOOK CONTEST was unable to collect their prize, I'm now announcing another winner!

This individual was chosen randomly by another draw of names. Who is this fifth winner? Let me give you a hint: he's quite a prolific writer and blogger!

Stephen Tremp, SOUTH OF SUNSET

Make sure you visit his blog as he has some great news of his own to share!

Thank you for entering the contest, Stephen!

Stop by every Monday and Thursday to read LEAVING NADIR.