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Dear friends,

Happy fall everyone. Hard to believe September is already here. We’ve been living in Miami for over a month and finally starting to settle in.

Our super duper fancy building. I have to tell you, we have moved into the most luxurious building I can ever imagine. We did it by accident, but I’m not complaining. Seriously, I feel like I’m living on the Crystal Symphony (my favorite luxury cruise ship). You look outside and all you see is ocean (just like on the ship), when you’re sitting on the beach, young stud-ly men bring you iced towels to cool down, there’s even a chauffeured limo for use by residents whenever they want. Any time they call meetings of building residents, they call it for 4:00 p.m. because nobody who lives here works, except for us. Recently they held a complaint meeting at 4:00 where you were only allowed to complain - you couldn’t say anything nice - so I went just to see what people could possibly complain about living in such palatial quarters. It was awful. All the staff who were being complained about were there. I raised my hand and said, “this is the nicest place I’ve ever lived; everything’s perfect!” The head of the board told me to sit down and keep my mouth shut if I didn’t have anything mean to say. I don’t get it. That must be some kind of bizarre native Miami fancy-building custom. Anyway, my family prides itself on being the Beverly Hillbillies of Turnberry Ocean Colony.
I moved my children next to a nude beach!
So imagine my surprise when I took a walk on the beach recently and realized that starting two buildings down from us, there is a nude beach. I had to walk by it several times just to check it out and make sure it really was all nude, all the time - and it was! Turns out, this is the gay and old people nude beach. The beach for young heterosexuals is in South Beach. When I told Sam we were living near a nude beach, he lit up like a Christmas tree. It was the happiest I’d seen him since we moved here. Then I told him who frequented the beach and his face dropped. “Sorry Sam,” I had to tell him, “no perky young breasts , only long saggy grandmother ones.” Don’t tell anyone but that’s where I spend all my time when he’s at school. Kidding!

Gilding Lily. Meanwhile, I have two exciting plugs for friends to tell you about. First of all, my dear friend, Tatiana Boncompagni, has just published her first book - Gilding Lily. Tatiana is a young mother, married to a guy named Hoover, as in Hoover vacuum cleaners, and is a socialite herself (albeit a very nice, down to earth one). She writes for the Style Section of the Times, Vogue, and other la di da publications. The book is about a young mother married to an heir to a major fortune who writes for the Style section of a paper like the Times (Tatiana has no imagination, I tell you). When she starts writing about socialites in her own circle, she gets into big trouble. So, the book is life inspired (except for the part where the protagonist gets into big trouble. That hasn’t happened to Tatiana - not yet). I actually wrote a blurb for the book that was supposed to go on the front cover, but then she got a blurb from Plum Sykes, so she relegated me to the back. Don’t worry, I still love you, Tatiana. Anyway, if you’d like to buy a copy and support Tatiana who is schlepping around the company promoting the book right now, just click here to go to Amazon.com and here to go to Barnesandnoble.com to order your copy.

SouthnFrance Bon Bons. Here’s my second plug [hey, if you had something for me to plug, I'd plug that too. I'm an equal opportunity plugger]: You’ve heard me talk about my friend Charlene who started a small bon bon factory in Wilmington, NC called SouthnFrance. That’s Charlene there next to two 50 pound coconut bon bons. Anyway, if you haven’t heard me talk about her, I always tell people to buy their bon bons for Christmas gifts because they are so reasonably priced and delicious - especially the coconut ones. They’re my personal favorites. Anyway, they are entered in a small business contest in the “yummiest” category. If they win, they will find themselves at the center of a media storm that includes recognition on national and local TV, radio, in newspapers and magazines, and on some of the largest, most influential websites on the web, MSN and StartupNation.com among them. That would be HUGE for Charlene who has worked her tushy off to build this business and deserves the recognition. I don’t say that lightly. Owning a small business is the toughest thing a person can do. You can vote for her (once a day!) now through October 30th. Just go to this link and vote. It’s super easy. I’m voting every day. And I’m telling you, her bon bons are to die for!!! To vote, go to:

http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100/contestant/1582/index.php

Well, that’s it for now. I’d best go get dressed because my adorable husband is taking me out to dinner tonight. We don’t know anyone else in Miami (except for two other people) so we’re kind of stuck with each other most of the time. Good thing we enjoy each other’s company.

Hugs,

Karen

August 16, 2008

Hello darlings,

I have the most fun video of my July Barnes and Noble reading for you to watch. It was filmed and edited by Smita Paul, the brilliant videographer (in her spare time). Don’t worry, it’s not a boring film of me droning on about my brilliant work (even though we can all agree it is brilliant). We had the BEST time at the reading and I think you can really experience the joy from this short film. I was surrounded by my wonderful friends and even a few fans I didn’t know (all dressed up like Audrey Hepburn). It was truly an evening to remember. Click the URL below and it’ll take you to youtube. The best way to watch is to let it load first and then replay it so doesn’t play all skippy-like.

Watch Karen’s video by clicking here!

Big news on the moving front
Have you wondered why you haven’t heard from me until now? I’m sure you’re too busy having a fabulous summer to even think about your wayward author friend who is probably cruising some exotic locale in the name of research for her next book. But shockingly, that’s not what I’m doing. If you really want to know, I am right in the midst of moving to Miami Beach, God’s waiting room…I mean God’s Country (or something like that).

Why did we move, you ask?
Oh, it’s a long story. But you have time, right? Mark, my adorable husband of 27 years decided he wanted a break from his job and I supported him wholeheartedly (excellent wife that I am). He’d been working non-stop since law school and for the last few years hadn’t been making it home until after ten every night. He’d come home, finish his workout at eleven thirty and have dinner at midnight (naturally, I cooked using only the freshest ingredients). With Mark and his hefty income on hiatus, downsizing was in order and that meant leaving New York City. But where to go? We considered the usual suspects - New Jersey, Scarsdale, Brooklyn, the Bronx, etc. No place really excited us.

Then we had an idea!
We thought, as long as we’re moving, let’s go somewhere super fun with good food and a Latin flavor that is experiencing a housing depression so we can pick up a new apartment on the cheap. Miami came to mind. Actually, that was Mark’s thinking. My thinking was, let’s go live on the beach somewhere so I’ll wake up everyday, look at the ocean and feel like I’m on vacation. Miami also came to mind. So voilla! that is where we are right now, surrounded by boxes, starting our next adventure. I love adventures, don’t you?

The view out my window
Do you see that view of the pier in the picture way above? That’s right out my office window! Whoo Hoo!!! Here are a few more images of the new homestead.

That’s our building on the left. The picture on the right shows the view off our balcony. There is an eight foot sting-ray that hangs out on our beach (in the water, of course) that I can clearly see from thirty-three floors up. From up here, it looks like an underwater bat and it appears to swim dangerously close to people in the water but then at the last second, it always veers away and doesn’t sting or kill anyone (at least not so far). I can also see schools of fish and sharks from up here - the water is that clear! This abundance of sea creatures has convinced me that I shouldn’t go any farther than knee high into the ocean.

On the left is one of two pools our building has. On the right, you can see my favorite thing about the whole apartment. In case you can’t tell, that is a jacuzzi tub with a built in TV set that actually gets cable! I kid you not. I can get video on demand while soaking in the tub. These people in Miami really know how to live. Anyway, if you’re coming down this way, let me know and I might invite you over to take a bath or swim in my shark and sting ray infested ocean if you dare.

Well, I simply must go grab a glass of wine and sit on my balcony listening to the surf and watching the stars. I hear there is a lunar eclipse tonight. Have a wonderful rest of summer.

Love,

Karen

100+ Audrey Hepburn look-alikes descended on the Greenwich Village Barnes & Noble last July when I read from Holly Would Dream. I wish you had been there! It was so much fun.

Dear Friends,

I am so excited to give you the following news. But wait, why hear it from me when you can hear it from People.com.

Sarah Jessica Parker: Single in the City Again?

By Stephen M. Silverman
Originally posted Thursday June 26, 2008 10:50 AM EDT

Taking Carrie Bradshaw to the big screen proved a shrewd move for Sarah Jessica Parker – the Sex and the City movie’s so far raked in more than $300 million – and now she’s eyeing the role of another single urban professional.

The star, 43, is in discussions with Warner Bros. about a screen version of novelist Karen Quinn’s The Ivy Chronicles*, described by the Hollywood Reporter as an up-to-date take about class and the single woman in Manhattan – though unlike Bradshaw, title character Ivy Ames moves out of the Upper East Side after the double whammy of a job loss and a divorce.

She has to withdraw her children from their expensive private school, though they also provide her with a eureka moment: Ames starts a service to help women land their kids in upper-crust kindergartens.

The trade paper likens The Ivy Chronicles to The Devil Wears Prada meets The Nanny Diaries, with a dash of the TV mini-series The Starter Wife thrown in.

Jerry Weintraub, the honcho behind the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, is poised to produce.

*Whoo Hoo!!! Yipee Yi Aye!!! Go Karen, it’s your barfday!!!! Yee Ha!!

For a long time, Ivy was supposed to be played by Catherine Zeta Jones, but due to scheduling conflicts/creative differences/outrageous demands for bowls of M&M’s with all the browns removed (choose one), she isn’t doing the project. Still, I am grateful to her for finding the book in the first place, and getting Jerry Weintraub and Warner Brothers involved in the project.

I’m also extremely grateful to Stan Zimmerman (that’s him, above) and Jim Berg for writing the script that got Sarah Jessica Parker interested in making the movie. It’s a wonderful script and I had a fantastic time working with Stan and Jim on it. No, I wasn’t an official screenwriter, I was an author-leach who injected myself into their lives whether they wanted me or not. You guys are the best. Jim, I’m sorry your picture isn’t here but I couldn’t find it on Google. Everyone, just imagine a really cute guy with brown hair and that would be Jim. Stan and Jim are writing and producing a new TV show for the Lifetime network called “Rita Rocks” that will premier next fall. It’s about a harried working mom who regains her identity by becoming a musician in a garage rock band. Schuyler auditioned for the show, which was a great experience for her even though they didn’t pick her (but we won’t go there). I’ll let you all know when the show airs so you can watch it and help their ratings soar.

My Denver Book Tour

Last week, I did a whirlwind tour in Denver for Holly Would Dream. There was a reading at The Tattered Cover, a breakfast with Welcome to Colorado, an beautiful party given by my long time friend Kathleen Stowers (pictured with me here), and two charity events organized by Scottie Iverson, the Energizer Bunny of the Denver non-profit world. My favorite part was seeing all the beautiful women decked out in their little black dresses and pearls. At the Colorado Angels event, we did a “best little black dress” contest , which was won by twin Audrey Hepburns! Scottie even arranged to get a real live Mercedes Maybach to that event. As you may remember, Holly gets splashed by a Cary Grant-type character (Denis King) driving a champagne colored Maybach on her way to work early in the book. I’d never seen a Maybach in person, so that was quite a treat. Enjoy a few more pictures below:

We got the cutest puppy ever!

Okay, now to more important things. After sixteen years of nagging, we finally relented and got Schuyler a puppy. Meet Olive, a 1.5 pound Pomeranian. She’s doing really well in her new surroundings. Unfortunately, our cat, Cookie is very freaked out about this new intruder and has gone into hiding and is barely eating. Smokey is handling it better - she just walks by Olive and hisses at her. If anyone out there has suggestions as to how we might help Cookie relax and live in harmony with Olive, please let me know.

Holly Would Dream

Of course, no newsletter of mine can go by without a mention of my page-turning summer read, Holly Would Dream. If you haven’t gotten your copy by now (shame on you!), But just click on HERE and you’ll be whisked away to Amazon.com where you can make your purchase.

Here is one of many Amazon reviews by a woman I swear I don’t know!

By Ellesha Wanigasekera “mistress of pages” (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This book was soooooooooooooooooo scrumptious. I snuck it in at every possible opportunity, even taking mini “reading breaks” at work (shhh! Don’t tell!) and it was absolutely the most fun read I’ve ever had. I love Holly (and Denis - especially Denis ;) and I really hope this book gets made into a film. She has a wicked-fun sense of humour and I LOVED all of her clever metaphors. Her characters were hilarious and the sex scenes were YUM (literally - strawberry jam, anyone?). This is a totally delectable read, and inspiring to boot.

Well, that’s all for now. Thank you for hanging with me during the ups, downs, and sideways of my brilliant writing career. I am grateful to all of you.

Love,

Karen

June 9, 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

I had an assistant (for a day)!
Last Thursday, I had my first reading for Holly Would Dream in New York City. Everyone was invited to come in their best little black dresses and they looked fabulous! My friend Joanne Porzio decided to be my assistant, which mainly consisted of sitting on the toilet while I put on my make up. I LOVE having an assistant! George and Scott gave me a genuine Audrey do (tiara and all), while Schuyler worked her liner magic to give me cat eyes. Another friend, Smita Paul came over to film the event, so while we were in the car Joanne and I squeezed together and had several pretend conversations for the camera. This was the first time I ever went to one of my New York City book signings by car instead of subway. I’m moving up in the world!

My Public Awaited me!
When we arrived at the bookstore (Barnes and Noble in Greenwich Village), Smita jumped out first so she could film Joanne and I exiting the limo (really a town car). Then, to my surprise, a big crowd of my friends had gathered in their little black dresses and holding signs that said, “The Karen Quinn Fan Club.” They were screaming with excitement and people on the street gathered to see what was going on. My friend, Juicy Judy, who looked amazing, acted like she was seeing the Beatles (which she kind of was, except that I’m one person and not a band - otherwise, we’re very much alike). Everyone walking by was laughing and smiling and taking pictures of us with their cell phone cameras. Let me tell you, if you can get people’s attention in Greenwich Village, you’ve arrived (they’ve seen it all). It was such a blast! I had to re-exit the car and look surprised a few extra times so we could get it on tape. I’m so happy we filmed this because now it is all a blur.

By the time I got upstairs, people were all lined up and I began to sign. I’ve never had to sign BEFORE an event started. My friend, Penny brought beautiful flowers from her own garden, so my signing space was gorgeous. I signed for forty-five minutes and then began my reading.

My reading
Donna, from Barnes and Noble, introduced me. It was so wonderful looking out on a sea of Audrey Hepburns (really, my friends dressed like her). For those of you who were there, you looked amazing and I thank you for going all out like you did. What fun! I read the prologue from the book, which is inspired by the movie, Sabrina. Then I told some of the many true stories that inspired scenes from the book. One story involved my friend, Julie Nelson, who sang opera on a yacht while sailing in Santorini. So Julie graced us with the same aria she sang on that beautiful day in Greece. People laughed; they cried. No, really, they did. They laughed at what I said and cried when Julie sang (it was that beautiful).

Truth is stranger than fiction!
For those of you who were there, do you know the story I told about the man who died on the cruise ship and his wife who continued the trip and met another man by the end? One of our friends who was at the reading came up to me after and told me that the man who died was her grandfather. I won’t say who it was, because I don’t know if she wants me to, but can you believe that? Apparently the woman was her step-grandmother and she married the guy she took up with on the ship.

There are many more photos to see!
Click here to look at ALL the photos from the reading!(http://karenquinn1.angelfire.com/karen_quinns_holly_w/)

I’m having a bit of trouble getting my photos of the reading into the newsletter (calling all word-press pros — HELP!), so I put the pictures on one of those free display sites and you can take a look at them. It was the most fun evening, as I’m sure you’ll be able to tell from the pics. I’ll be at the Tattered Cover in Denver on June 17 and Barnes and Noble in Wilmington, NC on July 10.

By the way, if you haven’t gotten your copy of Holly Would Dream yet, be sure to order a NEW copy today from Barnesandnoble.com or Amazon.com.

Note received yesterday from a random reader
“I love it.
I want to be Holly.
You’re so amazing, Karen! [note from KQ: ahem, yes, thank you it's true]
I wanna do something I love, you’re so inspiring!
But I LOVE LOVE it, having so much fun reading it.
Only complaint I have is that it’s going to fast.”

Okay, this note actually came from Stacey, my stalker. But she wouldn’t have said she loved it unless she meant it. She’s NOT that kind of stalker.

So go buy your book now if you haven’t already. Remember, the holidays are just around the corner (how often can you get such a fun gift for $11?) And be sure to look at the photos from the first reading. They are gorgeous. Thank you Nancy and Penny for taking them.

xxxoo

Karen