Men and All Things Mad

I'm a huge fan of Mad Men. I love the back in time feeling the show gives me, thanks to the terrific writing and the attention to detail. It's fun to spot all the retro objects - record players, Thermos jugs, nylon stockings, clasp handbags...

Darling, be a pet and hand me my kitten heel slingbacks

Plus I love watching people in suits and tailored dresses drink martinis and smoke pack after pack of cigarettes. It's the kind of thing I like to watch, if not actually participate in myself.

I'm over here in my sweats, but you guys go right ahead!

Riding on the coattails of Mad Men's success, two other shows from the same period have appeared: The Playboy Club and Pan Am. When I saw that those shows were appearing, I immediately programmed my TIVO so I could watch.


Alas, I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. There are the nylon stockings, the cigarettes, the martinis - but something is missing. Both new series have lovely girls

and handsome actors

Mr. Squinty

but what they don't have is the level of writing that is on Mad Men. For example, the character of Sally, Don Draper's daughter, is so perfectly drawn that she has become a flesh and blood character.

Cute as a button. AND an amazing actress to boot.

The Playboy Club, however, relies on the old standby of Funny Sassy Minority Roommate and Squinty Handsome Enigmatic Guy. (The Carol-Lynne character is interesting; I'm staying with the show to see how she develops.)

One reason why we will keep TIVO'ing The Playboy Club

Oh, and my husband loves to watch the Bunnies of course, so - yeah, we'll stick with it.


 Like a jet that has had to be rerouted with no travel plan, Pan Am, unfortunately, seemed to be all over the place. Yes, there is the girl who's an artist at heart working as a glamorous Pan Am stewardess, and yes - Christina Ricci's figure is to die for. DIE for!

Hasn't Wednesday Addams matured well?

But I didn't buy in on the other story lines. Honestly, I just didn't care about the affair between the French stewardess and whoever-it-was-she-was-sleeping-with, and I didn't believe the story about the stewardess who is also a spy. 


I just don't believe that adding retro details + period costumes = great show. What's next - the 60's hospital drama? (I thought of it FIRST, NBC.)

I'll give Pan Am time. A pilot (Ha!) is a tough thing to pull off, and those period details are fascinating. Still, the producers of The Playboy Club and Pan Am would be wise to remember the most timeless element of any show: great writers.

Devil's Kitchen

I have been working with Lisa Daly, my wonderful cover artist, for a few weeks now on my upcoming Kindle title, Devil's Kitchen. It's the second volume in my Crown Phoenix series, and it is the sequel to the print edition of The Night Watchman  Express.

And I'm just so excited by what she developed for me that I've been hooting and hollering and jumping around ever since I first saw it. And maybe I have dropped a few tears. And giggled in inappropriate places.

Pssssst - it's up there

By the way, Lisa is a phenomenal artist. Here is her Paper Wasp:

And her Dogbane Beetle:

 My cover concept artist, who worked with Lisa, is a writer as well as a book cover wizard. Her name is J. J. Makins, and she is the author of the novel, The King of Egypt. 

I really had a dream team to develop the cover for Devil's Kitchen with my own Mana leaning out of the frame at the bottom, underneath that mysterious house. And this post is really a letter of thanks to two lovely, talented artists.

Thanks, Lisa! Thanks, J.J.!

Team Mike

Continuing my occasional Twilight-driven Team Theme series, I've been thinking a lot about Mike lately. In the books and the films, Mike is the fella who is on the sidelines. He likes Bella too (of course) but he is a joke figure, a sidelined character. After all, if you have a huge werewolf who never wears a shirt:

Whew! Smokin!

and a cold, sexy vampire who worships the ground you walk on:

Cold as ice, but still smokin!

why pay attention to the guy who has to work in his parent's hardware store?

Nice guy, but - not so much.

Let's face it, most guys in the world are like Mike though. There just aren't that many Edwards out there. Nor Jacobs. Most guys get sick, make fools of themselves, and they don't enjoy sitting there with their girlfriends watching Romeo and Juliet, nor old fashioned musicals. After a few minutes of that, most guys would let go a belch, grab the remote, and put on Sports Center.


I don't fault Stephenie Meyer in this. She created a compelling world with vivid characters, and I admire her for it. Furthermore, she is creating impossible male characters, and women have had to compete for years with impossible females in literature. Who is really as lovely as Scarlett O'Hara? (Although I might be just as annoying.) Who can wear shoes like the ones in Carrie Bradshaw's closet? And who is as exciting as Daisy in The Great Gatsby - so exciting, in fact, that a millionnaire would throw huge, expensive parties every weekend in order to get one glimpse of her?

Daisy, in my mind, always had black hair, not blond Mia Farrow waves. Was any actress ever more miscast?

But I do wonder if paranormal romance novels can go one step further than the Twilight series. Is there a paranormal character who struggles not only with his or her capabilities but also his (or her) humanity? Could the reading audience out there be interested in Mike, as much as they were interested in Edward or Jacob? 


If you know of a book like that, and especially if you are the author of one, please let me know in the comments section. I'm always looking for a great fantasy to read - as long as it includes a little humanity.


RZYEEHV2RNDR