After a very busy October, it’s time for vacances (vacation)!
My friend Wendy and I met yesterday at another French bistro, F & B Atlanta, and had a glass of wine with our lunch.
We talked about art and writing, and about our past and upcoming trips. I had some news to share about my next book, the one she just read, pre-publication, as my beta-reader. She’s working on a new painting, and next month, to celebrate her birthday, she’s going on a week-long vacation on a Caribbean island.
It was so much fun to catch up, and I love hearing about Wendy’s (sometimes crazy) adventures. We both raised a houseful of kids (well, she’s still raising hers), and although I’ve known her for several years, yesterday was the first time I realized that the age span of her five children is the same as that of my four: 9 years (technically, for my group, it’s 8 years and 9 months).
My children are older than hers, and none of our kids know each other. They mostly went to different schools, and Wendy and I met not through them but via mutual friends. We connected over our own endeavors, not through our kids’ lives and activities. We talked about that fact yesterday, and about how nice and even refreshing it is to share stories about what we’re doing in our own lives right now.
Wendy had found some problems in my (title still to be revealed) next book, and gave me her take on the book and her opinion about that title–I had changed it from the working title I used most of last year, while I was writing it. I’ve settled on the new title, and I was so grateful to my friend for giving me her valuable feedback, so that I could give the story a final polish.
When we meet again, she’ll be back from her trip, rested and relaxed, and I’ll be looking forward to going on mine. Meantime, I’m going to Nashville, where I’ll be a panelist at the 2015 Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. *
Which is going to be a fun adventure!
* This week and next, there won’t be a “Pizza and a Movie” post 😦 because this Friday, my husband is taking me out to dinner for my birthday, and the next Friday, I’ll be in Nashville.
Before I get to this week’s Pizza and a Movie, I have some changes in my schedule for October:
Now, for this weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Sicario
This film was a clever, well done story of revenge. I don’t always go for movies like this, but it was engaging and suspenseful. I love Emily Blunt, too, who, last I read, is married to John Krasinski, who was “Jim” in The Office on TV. (And I love Jim, and John, who has the same birthday I do, by the way, which is coming up shortly…)
Now for the pizza. My husband wanted jalapeños on half of it, and so, instead of extra cheese on mine, I went with pineapple. That made it a bit difficult to choose the other two toppings, but after a short conference while Bill was pouring my husband’s beer (he already had my wine ready), we agreed on the bacon and mushrooms.
We sat outside because it was beautiful, and talked about a variety of things: work, home, plans, and our recent trip to Raleigh for Bouchercon 2015. He’s not going with me Nashville later this month, but I loved having him with me last weekend in North Carolina. After we left the conference, we drove over to Durham where I stopped in the Duke Hospital Gift Shop and left a signed copy of ALL THE ABOVE for the book buyer.
Then we made the short journey to Chapel Hill to see where our daughter, a UNC student who’s studying in France right now, plans to live next semester. Then we went back to Durham where some friends who’ve just moved there had invited us to stay the night. After watching the Falcons win, the four of us went to a French restaurant nearby.
So far, it’s been a great “birthday month!”
It’s only October 2nd, but I’m going to be so busy this month that if I don’t get this done now, it won’t happen.
My friend Wendy is a talented artist, an avid reader, and the mother of 5. How does she do it all? Je n’ai aucune idée! (I have no idea!)
The last two times we had a rendez-vous, we met for déjeuner – lunch – on a Wednesday, and we had a glass of white wine. As we caught up on each other’s lives, the subject of our creative endeavors came up.
Art, and writing.
Wendy is full of energy, smart, clever, and fun. She’s been encouraging me and my writing for years. Her objets d’art are lovely and cool. Last Wednesday, as we dined at La Petite Maison, I told her about my latest book – the one I’ve just finished writing, for which I finally decided on a title.
I told her a little about the story, and although the book has already been edited, revised, edited again, and proofed, she asked if she could read it, pre-publication.
She wanted to be my beta-reader.
Of course, I said yes, and I sent her the PDF later that day. That night, she sent me her initial (very positive) reaction (phew!). She also helped me fine tune the “elevator pitch” or “log line,” and the “blurb” (description).
It was so refreshing to talk to someone who reads constantly (and reads a variety of work) about my next book. Inspired by the fact that our birthdays fall during the next two months, Wendy and I also decided on a new plan: we’ll have lunch at a French restaurant once a month, on a Wednesday, and have a glass of wine with our meal.
Une très bonne idée! et merci, Madame!
On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, I went to my first Quiet Heroes Luncheon hosted by CURE Childhood Cancer, here in Atlanta.
I was one of over two hundred “Quiet Heroes” honored guests invited to the event, now in its 11th year. CURE Executive Director Kristin Connor had invited me to attend after she read my latest book, ALL THE ABOVE: My son’s battle with brain cancer.
A silent auction to raise funds for CURE took place before lunch, and each “Quiet Hero” received a big gift bag filled with bling. Then we sat down and listened to Kristin’s welcome, and to speakers Jill Becker, Chris Glavine, Amber Larkin, and (former Atlanta Braves player) Tom Glavine. It was inspiring to hear their stories, why they are involved in CURE, and what’s being done to help win the fight against childhood cancer.
After the lunch, I hurried over to thank Kristin for inviting me and to say hello to Tom. I told him that my son Jack, who is a cancer survivor, is a big Braves fan, and that several years ago, he saw Tom at a birthday party somewhere and got his autograph.
“He’s 24 now, and he still has it,” I added. We chatted for a minute, and I nervously forgot to ask if I could get a photo of us together. But after I picked up my auction item, I spotted him again and boldly asked. “Sure,” he said.
Earlier, I explained to another mom that Jack was technically an adult when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 19. But in the world of cancer treatment, he was “pediatric,” or a child, because he was under 21. That was a big benefit for him in some ways (usually, easier MRIs, and sometimes, gentler handling and help).
Many of his countless MRIs were done at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston Hospital, and he saw a pediatric oncologist at the AFLAC Clinic. I remember being in the waiting room there with him, in the midst of very young cancer patients; at six foot four, he was the tallest one by far. But his radiation treatments were done across the way at the Winship Cancer Institute; in that waiting room, he joined the adult cancer patients, most of them decades older, and many of them very sick.
During the lunch, I sat between a mom whose son is a cancer survivor, and another mom (and dad) whose son passed away after a long, difficult battle. Talking about Jack brought back the emotions I felt when he was fighting cancer. I left with renewed gratitude that he survived, and renewed hope that other young people will also beat the disease.
Flash back to before I knew about the Quiet Heroes Luncheon. Jack was involved in Relay for Life at UGA, but not in CURE. I had heard of the organization only by listening to Atlanta native Comedian Jeff Foxworthy’s spots on the radio; he’s been a strong advocate for CURE for many years.
Which brings me to the second half of this post, a la Jeff Foxworthy’s famous “You might be a Redneck if,” applied to my book, ALL THE ABOVE (and my other books) – and how you might be involved:
You might be on my Street Team if:
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and I hope that you’ll buy a copy of ALL THE ABOVE: My son’s battle with brain cancer. You’ll find a story about a mama bear (me) who did everything she could to protect her cub (Jack)…and you’ll see how Jack’s journey changed his life. Join my Street Team if you haven’t already, donate to CURE, and help finish the fight against childhood cancer.
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
Mistress America
These pizza toppings were a particularly good combination. The pizza was tangy, yummy, and semi-healthy.
Ahead of time, my husband and I had agreed on the Artichoke Hearts. We waited until the last second to choose the other two toppings. Looking over the menu, my eyes fell on Bacon and his fell on Sliced Tomatoes, and after a short discussion, we modified that to the Sun Dried version.
A few weeks ago, we walked into Corner Pizza with no preconceived notions of what toppings to select. As we were discussing the choices, a young couple sitting at the bar watched and listened, and once we made our decision, they told us we were “cute.”
I took it as a compliment.
As for this week’s movie…well, I can’t give it more than a C. I didn’t think it was particularly funny or witty, and both of us later decided that the older step-sister was bipolar. I walked away thankful that A, I don’t live in NYC or up north, and B, I’m not the age of the characters in this film.
It would just be too complicated for me.
Now, if you’re a northerner, please don’t take offense. I love visiting “the city” and have traveled up north a good bit – but mostly in the summer and fall. Once I went to New York in January, but lucked out with the weather. It was simply very cold (freezing by Atlanta standards) but not horrible or blizzard-y. In fact, the folks I spent time with who live up there thought it was “nice.” Another time, I visited the city in December, and it was even colder (and windy) but it didn’t snow, thank goodness.
In the movie, I liked the fact that one character was a writer. But a lot of the dialogue seemed, well, pretentious. On the other hand, that worked (and was very funny) in the Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine. I loved that movie, and laughed a lot while watching it.
Now, I don’t like all Woody Allen films (who does?) but I admire the fact that he’s always working on something. He keeps on “showing up.” It’s what I try to do, as a writer.
When you think about it, Mistress America sounds like it could have been the title of a Woody Allen movie. Right now, I’m struggling with a title for my next thriller. I’ve finished writing it, and it’s been edited and is ready to go, except for its name.
I may just have to figure it out at the last second.
After I published my recent August “List Post,” I was asked to appear with fellow authors Valerie Connors and Mike Buchanan at Queen of Hearts Antiques Book Fair at their Marietta location, 2745 Sandy Plains Rd in Marietta, GA 30066.
Queen of Hearts is hosting
“QUEEN’S BOOK FAIR, FEATURING LOCAL PUBLISHED AUTHORS at all of its locations (Marietta, Alpharetta and Buford)
Each store will feature various local, published authors so come out and meet our local authors!”
See below for more information, and come by to browse for antiques and to pick up signed copies of my nonfiction book ALL THE ABOVE: MY SON’S BATTLE WITH BRAIN CANCER, and my novel UNDERWATER!
This weekend’s Pizza Toppings at Corner Pizza:
Movie:
No Escape
Owen Wilson, who stars in this film, is one of my favorite actors.
It’s partly because of the way he talks, and partly because of his imperfect nose. He’s not a pretty boy. And whether the movie is decent, good, or great, I usually like his acting. This was the first one I’ve seen him in that wasn’t a comedy, and the first one where he played a dad. I was drawn into the story, and I liked the movie well enough; for most of it, I was on the edge of my seat. I didn’t even mind the slow motion parts, though I’d heard that some people did.
There was one dialogue scene between Owen Wilson’s character and the one played by Pierce Brosnan that I thought was unnecessary, or at least, badly done. At best, it was distracting, and it didn’t explain that much to me. If you see the film, you’ll know what I’m talking about, so let me know if you agree.
Now for the pizza. As Bill (of Corner Pizza) guessed, we I had decided on the toppings before we arrived. I was in the mood for pepperoni, and the other toppings are two of my favorites. My husband agreed, and everything melanged together nicely.
It was the perfect prelude to a fun weekend * – some of which I already wish I could replay, in slow motion.
* I appeared on the Thriller panel at the 10th annual Decatur Book Festival (my first time there as an author), and I moderated the Urban Fantasy panel, just after. I also signed books at the Atlanta Writers Club Booth, attended two presentations at the Romance Pavilion, and attended an interview with YA (Young Adult) author Sarah Dessen. I had hoped to meet her and talk about writing, books, UNC, and many other things, but before I got an opportunity, she had gone back home to Chapel Hill, NC.
JULIA MCDERMOTT 