Almost exactly a year ago, I blogged with the exciting news that I’d been on CBS. And then … nothing.

Sorry about that.

I moved to South America.

I taught English in Santiago, Chile for awhile.

Then decided I didn’t want to live in Chile. So, off I went to Peru … and Bolivia … and Argentina … and Uruguay.

Eight months later, I’m back in the U.S. For now. At least long enough to finish a funny book about my adventures.

So … since I will finally have a book to share with you in 2012, will you forgive me?

Happy Holidays!

I was expecting to be a quick “sound bite” in the story, so imagine my shock. I LOVED seeing (and hearing!) Mr. Sugerman reading my book – did you catch his “It’s well-written” at the end? I’m so thrilled!

But, enough about me. What do YOU think – do romance covers embarrass you and prevent you from reading them in public?

Oh, if you didn’t see the New York Times article, “Lusty Tales and Hot Sales: Romance E-Books Thrive,” you might want to check it out, too.

Well, it happened again last Friday night.

This time, I accidentally ran into him at 1:00 a.m. on Howard Street, where he was chatting with a producer after the opening of the movie, La Mission, in which he starred and his brother, Peter Bratt, directed. And, this time, I had an opportunity to chat and get a photo with him.

In, La Mission, Benjamin Bratt plays Che Rivera, a man whose violent temper and alcoholism resurfaces and nearly destroys him when he finds out that the son he’s proudly and single-handedly raised after his wife’s death, is gay.

I loved this movie, for several reasons (not necessarily in the following order).

(1) To me, La Mission, is a “male journey” film. And what better way to send Che on his journey than by forcing him to deal with homosexuality – the antithesis of masculinity to a man who seems to value masculinity above all else – in someone he loves. But the harder he clings to his beliefs about masculinity, the more he loses: his son, the budding romance between him and his neighbor, Lena, his grip on his alcohol recovery, and himself. Which means he’s forced to look at himself and his actions – and make some changes if he hopes to recapture his son, his self, and his life.

(2) Che’s character. What makes Che’s character work for me is his complexity. At face value, he’s machismo personified. But underneath every outward display of machismo, his actions, body language, voice, etc. express his true feelings and the fact that he cares, oftentimes deeply, even if he can’t express what he feels or if he expresses his feelings in ways that give the impression that he could care less.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(3) The romance. The romance between Che and Lena is great. The sexual awareness, the nervousness, and the sexual tension between them is at times sweet (remember your first date with someone you liked a lot?), at other times erotic (remember when you were super attracted to someone but tried to act normal?), and at other times sensual (remember when you made love to someone slowly, taking time to explore every inch of their body?). My only complaint is that there wasn’t enough of the romance. Encore, encore!

(4) The ways of the alpha male. As a romance author who loves alpha male heroes and finds the way men interact with others intriguing, I loved the male bonding scenes because they seemed so … well … male.

For example, there’s a scene where, shortly after Che finds out his son is gay, his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, Dee, shows up at Che’s job. He asks Che if Che’s had a drink.

“Nah, I didn’t,” says Che.

“Cool.”

“That it?” Che sounds irritated and impatient.

Dee pauses, then he says. “Yeah, mother f**ker. Sh*t. I gotta work.”

Dee cares. Che cares. And they show it in that indirect and mysterious male way.

Then, there’s a scene where Che’s friends are playing basketball and he joins them for the first time since they’d pulled him off of his son, whom he was beating.

Che walks up to the friend he’d threatened to hurt if he didn’t get away from him and says, “Yo man, are we cool?”

“You know it’s all good,” says his friend.

And they do the guy-handshake-one-armed-hug-and-slap-on-the-back thing, then play ball. Apology made and accepted, in that oh-so-male way.

But it’s not just with the guys. One time, that male communication style is obvious in Che’s interaction with Lena, when she prepares to tell him how much his son needs him.

“Can I say something to you?” Lena asks.

“It’s a free country,” Che says with shrug before he looks away as if he has no interest whatsoever in what she has to say. And yet he remains on the stairs, waiting for her to speak.

Haven’t we seen similar examples of this behavior in romance novels?

(5) Latino culture. I love the fact that this movie was shot in The Mission District of San Francisco, where I live, and that Latinos from the neighborhood appeared in the film. And the fact that it was an independent film produced by those familiar with the culture, insured it did not exploit the culture. For example, gang activity was woven into the story as a facet of life, not as THE way of life of most residents. And Che’s reaction to Jes’s homosexuality seemed realistic, as opposed to the instant acceptance of a Hollywood movie.

(6) Benjamin Bratt is H.O.T. In every scene. Need I say more?

So, highly recommend this movie and have already seen it twice – and I plan to show my support by seeing it again. For, the better the movie does, the more theaters it will appear in.

Want to see it for FREE? If so, leave a comment here, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for two FREE tickets to see it at a theatre near you!

And, for more information, don’t forget to check out www.lamissionthemovie.com.

What seemed like a brilliant idea (the costume) in the shower, felt embarrassing once implemented, as I realized I was nearly the only one walking around wearing a costume. (NOTE: I did find a handful of B&N and Borders staff in costumes – please go vote for a winner!)

Here’s a video of my costume – (yes, yes, I am spending waaaay too much time experimenting with my camcorder and video software. But it’s so much fun!)

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here are some wonderful discoveries made on my trip:

• Nearly all the B&N stores had MEN ON FIRE face-out on the romance new release shelf
• The B&N on Almaden Expwy in San Jose, CA had the most copies – 6 copies
• Within 3 days, the B&N store in Fremont, CA had sold 2 of the 3 copies and has 3 on backorder
• Several of the stores invited me to do a book signing – details coming
• Though MEN ON FIRE had not arrived at all stores, I signed books at 25 or so of them. Click here for a list of stores with autographed copies.

Isn’t that great news?

Now, I suppose I’d best get to work doing something like … oh, I don’t know … writing?! (LOL)

Help me reward them for their bravery – and their hard work in selling our books! – by voting for your favorite costume. The winning Barnes and Noble or Borders employee will win a $20 Macy’s gift card. So, PLEASE vote now!

“Do you want me to pick up a bottle of water for you?” asked Christine Witthohn, my agent and roomie at the Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” I said.

“Large or small?”

“Large, since I’m trying to drink more water.”

And, with that, Christine returned with the largest bottle of water I’d ever seen. Which sent me into a round of giggles.

When I retold the story to Cassy Pickard, more giggles ensued, and I said the water bottle felt like an award, which somehow led to a discussion of the author I aspire to be like one day, Dean Koontz, which somehow led to this video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Silly, huh? But, I still crack up every time I view it. (LOL)

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hope so — it was a BLAST! Delicious food, wonderful attendees, and great networking with agents and editors. You might have recognized some of them on video, i.e., Kate Burke (Penguin UK), Deb Werksmann (Source Books), Alesssandra Bazardi (Harlequin Mondadori), Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen (Michael Larsen-Elizabeth Pomada Literary Agents) and Christine Witthohn (Book Cents Literary Agency).

So … NOW, do you want to attend??

Not only is she a wonderful and talented writer, she’s a super nice person. So, check out the interview below. And don’t forget to pre-order MEN ON FIRE by visiting my books page. It’ll be out on October 27, 2009!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The delightful Elizabeth Jennings, author and co-founder of the awesome Women’s Fiction Festival (which I just returned from) in Matera, Italy, just sent it to me. Isn’t that cool?

Stay tuned for more Italy updates, as well as videos. I hope to get them posted this weekend.

I’ve conducted two workshops on Making the Mundane Erotic - what a fantastic experience to have my words translated real-time to Italians and get such fabulous feedback!

I also participated an author’s panel, where agent Maria Paola Romeo interviewed Tiziana Merani, Mary Leo, and I, while the wonderful Teresa translated. It was exciting — and nerve-racking — to have residents of Matera attend this event.

Rumor has it that I appeared on local television in the audience of the conference, as well as a participant at the Museo della Scultura Contemporanea (MUSMA), where a couple of us were blindfolded (including agent Deb Werksmann of SourceBooks and her hubby, Jeff) as we ran our hands along the sculptures and described what we were feeling.

Off to pitch my books to publishers looking to buy foreign rights. Wish me luck … Oh, and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. Everyone who does will be entered in a drawing for a gift from Italy. Photo coming soon.