breakfast at the W
I just came from a wonderful breakfast with Tracey Jackson, my screenwriter. She's not exactly MY screenwriter but she is writing the screenplay to The Ivy Chronicles. We met at the W Hotel, having given up on The Coffee Shop since they are so rude there. Plus, all their waitresses are 90 pound models and I for one, feel short and fat just walking in the door. Loved the W for breakfast. The food was delish, the service was perfect, A+ for atmosphere, and our table was really large and comfortable. By chance, Tracey's husband, Glen, was eating there, too. He's a lovely man (a rare book dealer!) who bought our breakfast, which I thought was very gentlemanly of him. Glen was breakfasting with a man named Jack Feldman, one of the co-writers of the Copacabana song with Barry Manilow. He seemed to be as nice as he could be, although we didn't talk much. I've never met an actual songwriter, so this was momentous.
Tracey and I had much to catch up on - her new script (sounds so funny), update on the Ivy movie (they're looking for a director), my latest projects, our kids, our health, blah, blah, blah. The most exciting thing is that she took me shopping for a big, stylish bag after we ate. I decided it was time for me to own a grown up purse. Usually I just carry my ugly Canyon Ranch gym bag or a Harrod's bag. But this morning I realized how tacky that looked when I'm all dressed up as I was today. I'm so rarely dressed up these days that I hardly notice the tackiness of my purse, but today I did. So, Tracey, who knows everything there is to know about bags, took me to Kenneth Cole where, in three minutes, I picked out the perfect black bag at a reasonable price. I can't wait to organize all my junk into the bag. That sounds really sad and pathetic on second glance. Has my life become so dull that I'm looking forward to throwing my crap into a new purse. Yes, I guess it has.
Friday, April 28, 2006
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posted by Karen Quinn : 11:41 AM
celebrity sighting
Last night, as Mark and I were on our extended Sunday night walk, who did we run into but Elvis Costello and Diana Schur. It was in Chelsea, about Sixth Avenue and 17th or so. I stood behind Elvis and peeked through his glasses (that's how close we were). He has the terrible eyesight like I do, only I wear contacts. His glasses are very thick and coke-bottle-like. He's much smaller than I imagined and he wore a ratty jacket that looked liked it came from a second-hand store. There is a second hand store on that street, as a matter of fact. I bought a leather jacket there about two weeks ago. Diana didn't look nearly as glamorous as she does on her album covers. Her hair was mousy brown and I think she had split ends. They were out with another couple and I'm guessing they were on their way to dinner. That's it for tonight in the celebrity sighting department.
Monday, April 17, 2006
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posted by Karen Quinn : 9:45 PM
blogging update
It has been a while since I've blogged. I have a feeling my blogging will slow down for a while. I've been working hard on India Fudge and soon, I plan to start another book in the Ivy and Wife genre. I'm turning into the quintessential Wife in the Fast Lane.
This is off the subject, but the TV is on and I have to say, if I hear Howie Mandel say, DEAL? OR NO DEAL? one more time in a promo I'm going to throw a dictionary at my TV set. VOMIT? OR NO VOMIT?
Schuyler is out on the town tonight so I'll be worried until she comes home. Sam is home and I'm worried that he doesn't go out enough. Is that a mother's lot in life? To worry about your children until they're successfully on their own? But by then, you're old and that's depressing. I don't think Mark worries about our kids the way I do. It's a genetic (or maybe hormonal) thing but that makes it no less unfair.
I saw Harry Connick, Jr. in The Pajama Game today. He was fantastic. The music was fantastic. Harry's body was fantastic. I guess, all in all, I thought the show rocked. If you come to NYC, I recommend it highly. Ooops. The whole run is sold out so you won't be able to see it unless you already have tickets. I hope I didn't get you all excited and now you're let down. Sorry.
Sam wants me out of the room so I'll have to stop blogging. He's at that age where he prefers to not have me around. I miss the Sam who used to follow me around like a puppy. I should just get a puppy.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
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posted by Karen Quinn : 9:35 PM
I'm writing again
I've started writing again. That feels very good to say. I've been promoting The Ivy Chronicles for months. You wouldn't think it would be that much work, but it is. Nothing happens unless you think up an idea to get the word out on the book, then take care of all the arrangements to make that happen, then go do whatever it is you agreed to do - usually a speech or a TV or radio interview. It takes so much time. But the sales are going well, so I guess it is worth the effort. Meanwhile, with the promotions winding down, I FINALLY got back to writing India Fudge and the Time Travel Tunnel. I'm making a lot of changes to it, and right now, it feels like the story will never come together. But I remember feeling that way with Ivy and Wife in the Fast Lane. There is always a point in the writing process where you feel like what you've created is unfixable. But that's the thing I like most about writing - it's like a puzzle. First, you have to get the plot to work. Then, the characters need to be well drawn, their motivations understandable; they need to be likeable and identifiable. For me, there have to be funny lines and those are tricky to write. India Fudge is partly a mystery, so I feel the need to make it a page turner, to end each chapter with a little cliffhanger. Then there is the pacing to consider and the quality of the writing. Every day I make progress, but right now, getting this book to work feels like a conundrum (which is the name of my favorite wine, by the way). I look at my calendar and it's quite empty. That is thrilling because it means hours and hours of doing what I love best - writing.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
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posted by Karen Quinn : 4:33 PM
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