July 2, 2008

How I Found Real Love in the Society Pages

Hi everyone! Yes, I’m baaa-ck! The Jaunties have been nice enough to let me come “home” and post today! I’ve avoided getting Jaunties Quills stuck in me as punishment for being away so long, so I feel that is a triumph in itself. I thought about a lot of things to write about while I was here. I mean, my latest book, Lessons From A Courtesan just came out June 24. Or I could talk about what I’ve been doing since I’ve been away (hint: write, write, write and then write some more).

But I decided not to cover those things. I mean, it’s not like it’s been a big secret to most of you that I had a book coming out. And me telling you about sitting in a chair watching words flick onto a screen is not that thrilling.

So I decided to share with you a story that is about REAL romance. So I write romance novels (duh, Jenna, we know that…). And it’s awesome because I get to take two characters who I like and match them up and watch them go through hell and high water before they can finally be together. At its best, romance reflects the optimism of the human spirit and the hope that we can find everlasting love. But some people say it’s unrealistic and fantasy.

So the other day, I saw something that proved to me that those critics are wrong. And clearly they need love in their lives.

I never read the Society pages in our local paper. We didn’t grow up here, I don’t know a ton of people outside our small circle of friends and honestly it just bores me (we never seem to have those funny ones like you see on Jay Leno or whatever). But for some reason, a couple of Sundays ago, I actually looked at the pages that listed weddings and anniversaries.

And I stumbled into a real life romance.

It was an anniversary listing. The couple had been married for 25 years. On the surface it was typical: a picture from the wedding day and a picture of the couple now. But then it caught my eye. It was very evident that the man in the “today” picture had been in some kind of debilitating accident or had some kind of illness. So I looked at the picture from 25 years ago. There he was, young and healthy and handsome. Filled with hope and joy on the day he married the woman he loved. It was so… sad to me in that moment. How were they to know that something bad would happen to them?

And then I looked at her. On her wedding day, this woman was beautiful and young and smiling in that way that just says “JOY!” Her picture from today… she looked exactly the same. Still beautiful, yes (lucky her), but her eyes still sparkled as she sat with her arm around her husband. Still filled with love and devotion and joy.

And I realized that her picture is what we strive to capture in romances. The kind of love that can withstand tragedy and still be joyful. Because that does exist, it is real and if we’re lucky, we find it and never have to use the “for worse” part of “for better or for worse”.

So have you ever secretly witnessed a real romance like I did? Maybe a moment between two elderly people in an airport or perhaps right in your own home! Share!

January 29, 2008

Jenna’s Goodbye Blog

The new year is always a time for change. I know I always sort of re-evaluate where I am and what I’m doing and try to figure out if it’s time for a change. I’ve been a Jaunty for a little over a year now, blogging a few times a month, and playing with my Jaunty friends. And Jaunty, of course. Couldn’t forget our pokey little friend. I’m close friends with my Jaunty pals and we still get along really well.

But change has to come and after a lot of thought, I decided that the time had come to say farewell. I still love the ‘girls’ (let’s not start any rumors for that gossip column lady at RT!!) and I definitely love all you loyal, wonderful readers! It just felt like it was time for a change.

I’ll still be around and comment here from time to time. And I hope you’ll all continue to visit with me at Jenna Petersen, Jess Michaels and MySpace. I have two books out this year (SOMETHING RECKLESS as Jess Michaels on April 22 and LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN as Jenna on June 24), so I wouldn’t want you all to forget about me.

In the meantime, a huge thanks to Cindy, Margo, Shirley, Kim, Robyn, Shana and Anne for putting up with me as long as they have. And a big, big thanks for all of you for all your comments and love here.

See you in internetland! Much love,

JennaP

January 17, 2008

When Writer’s Strike

Probably most of you are aware that right now the writer’s in the WGA are on strike. Let me preface all of this by saying that I am 100% behind the writers. The sticking point in negotiation is that the studios don’t want to pay the writers a percentage of the billions (BILLIONS) of dollars they make off of streaming shows via the internet. Yeah. That’s right. They want to put content writers have written online, make money off advertising… and then not pay them. Nice, huh? So go Writers! Go WGA!

However, this strike does put a crimp on my television watching. I mean, I have “my shows”!! The Office (PB&J anyone), CSI, Battlestar Galactica (which is not back yet, but I’m scared!!), etc. Of course, you all know about my sick obsession with reality television, but I have limits. And now it’s all I’m left with… for the foreseeable future. So here’s what I’m watching or plan to watch as I hope the studios get their acts together.

Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels – Help! I watched the first Rock of Love with the Poison frontman and now I can’t help but watch the strippers battle it out for Bret’s heart again. It’s just WRONG, but it’s so right!!!

Paranormal State – This one is on A&E and follows the paranormal phenomenon investigation group from Penn State. It’s really cheesy, but also tooootally creepy.

Intervention — Another A&E show, but it’s actually really moving. Follows addicts as their families prepare to participate in a secret intervention. Makes me cry and thank my lucky stars that I made good choices.

Survivor — The classic show comes back in February. I can’t help it. I still love watching the rats and the snakes battle it out.

Amazing Race – This one takes couples of all kinds around the world, doing tasks and testing their relationships. It’s over for this season, but I was rooting for TK and Rachel, the super chill, clearly supportive “recently dating” couple. Also, they were kind of hippies. Hippies are fun.

Celebrity Rehab – Anything on VH1 Celebreality you know is going to be BAD! And yet, I can’t look away from the trainwreck. Help.

So what shows do you desperately miss during the writer’s strike? And what reality and news shows are you tragically watching instead?

January 7, 2008

My Cat Snores

The offense: Snoring so loudly that she wakes her mother up.
The culprit:

Yeah, that’s right. My cat, my little cat, snores. This little wheezy sound that just cuts through the air like a knife. What’s worse is that she loves nothing more than to climb up on to my back or stomach and lay with her head next to my ear. This means the snoring is like a buzzsaw that echoes and vibrates through my skull.

Maybe I could try one of these things:

They work for humans, right? Except she doesn’t like things on her head (despite the photo of the accused).

Sigh. The things we endure for love.

December 26, 2007

Twas the Day After Christmas…

…and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even my spouse.

Our stockings are slung o’er the tv with no care
In the hopes that our sugar high soon would be bare

The kitties were nestled all snug on our bed
With visions of cat nip toys dancing in their heads
And El Guapo with his movies and I with my hats (and shoes and skirts and blouses)
Had just settled down for a long, Christmas nap.

Yeah, that’s as good as I could do. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are recovering well from sugar and toy high. And just think, soon we’ll be celebrating the New Year! 2008 or bust!!!

December 11, 2007

News of the Weird

So my homepage on my desktop is Yahoo and I’ve personalized it. You know, created the look I like, the headlines I want to receive, the stocks I watch, the weather, etc. One of the cool things I get on my homepage is a section called “Oddly Enough“. This is a part about well… weird news from all over the world.

At the time I’m writing this, some of the Oddly Enough headlines include:

Hairdresser finds bank vault plans in trash
Thief uses flower pot to steal Porsche
Laughing Santa gets the old heave ho ho ho
Merry Christmas, we’re stealing your pork!
Mayors promote fluorescents as ’state bulb’
Mafia boss arrested while watching Mafia TV show

See, just… weird stuff. And the stories are often even weirder. But it’s just a little moment out of my day when I say, “What the…?”

And that’s entertainment.

Have you heard any news of the weird lately?

December 5, 2007

I’m No Martha

This time of year it becomes clear that the world of women (and a few men) is divided into two groups. The Marthas. And the UnMarthas.

I think you know who I’m talking about. Martha Stewart. The Grand Dame of decor and fine living and making ice sculptures from buckets of water you freeze from your private lake and all that stuff.

I, alas, fall into the UnMartha category and I never feel it more than at Christmas. Because Martha-ing goes into full swing this time of year. There are the sparkling light displays outside which…. we don’t do. And then there are the fine decorations inside with the matching tree ornaments and the coordinated tree skirts and the candles with the perfectly matched wicks. I decorate, but our tree is a hodgepodge of ornaments with personal meaning and history. Which I actually like, but it’s not exactly Martha-ie.

Then there’s the cooking. I like the IDEA of cooking, but I never get it quite right. The science of it has just never been my forte. I can follow a set of directions perfectly and still come up with a lopsided cake. And don’t get me started on tarts. I’m okay with a pumpkin pie. And I can cook meat pretty well. But I’m never going to be the girl who lays out a six-course spread with fancy appetizers.

Finally, there is the Christmas wrap. I can wrap a gift, of course. But I have always done so simply and if the paper is a little… folded, then I’ve never stopped to recut and rewrap. I don’t use bows since the cats seems to like to eat them. I’m not going to make my own gorgeous little tags. I’m just so not a Martha.

So… are YOU a Martha? Or not? And what is the most or least Martha thing you ever did at the holidays?

November 29, 2007

The Other Me

Have you ever Googled yourself? This is something we authors shouldn’t do, but probably end up doing more than we care to admit. All you do is put your name in (I put quotes around it to narrow the search) and hit search. You will be amazed what you’ll come up with. For instance, there are several Jenna Petersen or Jenna Petersons (I have to put in both since people misspell my last name constantly). One is a massage therapist in the Boston area. She’s very nice. When people send her my email because they put in the wrong spelling, she always forwards it.

Then there’s a little girl who plays volleyball in Idaho, which is such a small world since I grew up in Idaho.

There don’t seem to be any other Jess Michaels, though someone did own that domain before I bought it out from under them a few years back. Whoever she is, she isn’t up to much.

So who do you come up with when you Google yourself? Any interesting doubles running around with your name?

November 15, 2007

Writers Write

For the last six months or so I have been ‘an author’. For the last two weeks, I’ve been ‘a writer’.

So what’s the difference?

Well, an author has all this outside stuff to do. Sometimes I think I get all caught up in that outside stuff, like managing my MySpace page and writing blogs and posting responses to message boards and traveling to conferences. The websites, the amazon numbers, the group sites… all ‘author’ territory.

What does a writer do? They write. That’s it. They write. Butt in chair, staring at the blinking cursor, working scene by scene… WRITING. That’s the hard stuff, the tough stuff and honestly, it’s the good stuff. When the ‘author’ work gets hard and frustrating and painful and disappointing, when I go into the writing, that’s good. It’s safe. It’s pure pleasure.

Sometimes, though, I see aspiring authors getting all caught up in ‘author’. They want the recognition, the website, the pen name, the whatever. And they forget about the writing. So here’s my writing advice for the week. I rarely give it here, but what can you do.

You can’t get to author without writer.

If you don’t do the work, if you don’t sit in the chair, if you don’t sweat and grow and learn your craft, it won’t matter if you built a website or picked a pen name or have your review sites all lined up. It won’t matter.

And besides, when you’re knee deep in reviews and conference flights… you’ll want that safe place that writing provides. So make it. Nurture it every day if you’re a writer. Give it your whole heart. And it will give you so much in return.

November 7, 2007

Firs Kiss Week: The History of the Kiss

To celebrate first kiss week, I wanted to give you all a very brief lesson on the history of the kiss!

The term kiss derives from the Old English word cyssan. The scientific name for it is osculation. Warm and fuzzy, both. For a long time scientists thought when people touched lips it sent an electric current between them. This was later disproven and instead they determined that it was a way for us to exchange hormones. If my hormones like yours, then we’ll probably kiss some more (raises eyebrows suggestively).

The first mention of a kiss in writing was in a 1500 B.C. Indian text. Kissing wasn’t mentioned much in the Western world until the Romans came to power. Some who believe kissing is learned think they may have learned kissing from Eastern culture. But can that be right? Were people just not making out in the West before that? I can’t believe it.

In many fairytales a kiss ‘awakens’ or ‘transforms’ a character. Some famous movie kisses include Lady and Tramp in Lady and the Tramp, Buttercup and Wesley in The Princess Bride, Michael and Fredo Corleon in The Godfather: Part 2 (the kiss of death), the beach kiss in From Here to Eternity, Rhett and Scarlet in Gone With the Wind.

So, what is your favorite book, movie or art kiss? And can you REALLY believe that Westerners didn’t kiss before Roman times? I mean, really???