Gym Tales

So good morning everyone. Feeling good. Did the 5:30 am gym thing. Enjoying my stairmaster and weights date. When all of a sudden he appeared. Braided Ponytail Psycho Man. I've told you about him before. He stalks his ex-girlfriend and I guess he was looking for her this morning. Scary. Eyes aglaze. Looking all around. Ponytail swinging. She wasn't there. Lucky her.

Diet and gym stories are so much fun. My buddy, fellow writer of the upcoming novel, Conversations With The Fat Girl, keeps a very fun blog on the perils and joys of losing weight, the gym, and food. So fun... check it out! She's a good friend.

Last night's entry... ancient history. I'm cool. Just enjoying the movie about Sylvia Plath's life. I understand a number of writers have than artist's angst... about life, their creative process, how their work is being perceived. The whole subject is interesting to me. Artist angst. I don't think I have angst. Who knows? Maybe I do.

Have a fabulous day!
fs

Enjoying Wine, Watching Sylvia, Questions

Tipsy. Not really. It's Monday. Kind of my day of rest. No gym. No late night at the office. Just taking care of writer correspondences and watching a very interesting movie about the life and mind of a writer.

Sylvia.

Starring Gwyneth Paltrow. As the Lady Lazarus.

Interesting combination drinking wine, seeing the torment and heartache of a fellow writer, and thinking about how crazy fun mad it can be getting ready to be an official member of the writing life. Published life. It's a great movie so far, though the drama and angst of her life... are writers destined to have drama-filled life? Does drama fuel the creative process? Can you have a drama-free life and still create compelling stories?

Met some cool people this weekend. Designers. Baseball and softball players. Attorneys. Writers. Regular workers without cool titles. Nothing wrong with being a regular worker without cool titles. Can be the source of a lot of fun and good times, oh yeah. Can working class and professional class combinations work? The whole college/no college thing? If they live thousands of miles away from you? What are the rules about meeting someone who's got someone? What if it's bad? What if there's a crack in the foundation? What if... Just curious about what you think... I think about the saying: If they cheated to get with you, they'll cheat to leave you.

Sylvia's just recited one of several great one-liners in the film: "I'm thinking of trying something new. I'm thinking of taking on a lover."

Back to Sylvia. Back to finishing up a glass of wine. Funny how one glass can buzz you when your day's meal has been lunch... salmon, vegetables, diet soda, apple slices. No time for breakfast today except coffee. Dinner... veggie sandwich and glass of wine. Veggie sandwiches are good and practically 0 points and filling -- lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, cilantro, pickle, mushrooms, whole grain bread-- and kicked off the successful WW plan for me. More on that later...

I'm cool. Sylvia... is another story. Probably need to study her life more to understand her angst. Most writers I don't think are as... hmmm.
fs

Cydney Rax and Book Remarks

If you're into books written by and about black authors, one website you need to check out is Book Remarks.

Created and maintained by Cydney Rax, Book Remarks keeps you updated on current and upcoming books of interest. Primarily fiction, but some non-fiction too.

Cydney is an author herself. Her first novel, My Daughter's Boyfriend, debuted last summer in hardback. From the title, you can tell it's a steamy rollercoaster ride of passion, heat, and drama. It will be released in paperback this summer, and Cydney is at work on her second novel, My Husband's Girlfriend, which will debut shortly.

In addition to her duties maintaining Book Remarks and writing, Cydney helps to create and nurture new authors and those with aspirations in publishing. She's been a big help and cyber-shoulder to lean on during these months leading up to the publication of my novel, Down For Whatever. She was one of the first to link to my website, feature information about my book on her site, and allow me to ask her questions about the first-book process since she had just gone through the process.

Take a look and send Cydney some cyber hits and some love from those who like books by and about black people. Check out her blog too!
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Erica Kane-Martin...Montgomery

Erica Kane is at it again. The resident diva of All My Children is walking down the aisle this month for her 10th marriage. That would make her, OK, this is a mouthful:

Erica Kane-Martin-Brent-Cudahy-Chandler-Montgomery-Montgomery-Chandler-Marick-Marick- (Montgomery is forthcoming again!)

That's exciting.

Only in soaps can someone endure 10 husbands in 30 years. Oh, I forgot about Elizabeth Taylor-Hilton-Wilding-Todd-Fisher-Burton-Burton-Warner-Fortensky. Dreams can come true.

Sometimes, when drinks have been consumed, my friends and I have played the Erica/Elizabeth last name game, reminiscing on the last names we could have taken on of former dates. But, since no drinks are being consumed at the time of this writing, I can't remember/reveal mine (as if... there are that many.)

But, if you dare... what is your Erica/Elizabeth last name?

Happy strolling down memory lane... and enjoy the 10th husband, Erica Kane!
fs

Meeting Vanessa Williams, part 1.

Hey... that's me, Frederick Smith, author of DOWN FOR WHATEVER, in the middle. Vanessa Williams on left. Daria on right. More on the evening in a minute. Boy, do I look sleepy, nervous, star struck, all of the above. The next entry and picture are a lot better. This is from a lecture she did at Cal State Los Angeles on Thursday, April 28, 7 pm in the Golden Eagle Building. Fun night for all! (Don't ask me what was going on with my eye... I'm far from having a weird eye... hmmm...)
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Vanessa Williams, part 2

A bunch of folks from Cal State Los Angeles at the Vanessa Williams lecture. That's Vanessa in the middle of Melrose Place and Soul Food - the Showtime Series - fame. That's me on the far left. Always jumping in someone's picture. Daria, Johnny, Que, and company.

Anyway, let me just say that Vanessa Williams is so down-to-earth, friendly, sista-girl honest, and socially conscious. Where do I begin with what she talked about and how she moved the crowd.

First, she opened up by reading entries from a new chapbook she's written and published. She read a short story about her life growing up in Brooklyn, specifically about a teenage crush on the Puerto Rican bodega boy, Julio. It was steamy hot story. Then, Vanessa read another story about a love triangle involving two women and a man. This story became the basis for a short film she wrote and directed for Showtime called Dense. (Funny remark of the night was when she said all those old relationship dramas make for good storylines for projects you're wanting to work on... of course fictionalized.)

Dense screened at many Pan African film fests and other independent film fests this winter and spring. It also aired on Showtime. Very good film -- the dialogue, the cinematography, the acting. Vanessa did a great job on the film, and this was the basis for the question and answers at the end.

Vanessa dished on everything: the Melrose Place season (a great experience, fun cast... then when the format changed to more of a soap, the staff couldn't exactly see Rhonda sleeping with Jake... thanks for your services!); moving to L.A. (got the Melrose gig within a year of moving to town... probably thanks to the buzz on her New Jack City role); black-and-brown dramas (there is definitely a demand and a future in these projects, thanks to the Soul Food series).

One of the defining moments of the night was when Vanessa talked about ancestry, genes, and the recent developments in DNA testing that can help black people trace their roots. Prior to this, the main way to explore geneology was through the oral tradition, story telling, or maybe through newspapers and public records. This winter, Vanessa participated in a DNA-ancestry search and was able to trace her roots through her maternal side to the African country of Cameroon. (You can research how to do this by checking out any of these sites: African Ancestry, or African Ancestry Inc.)

Vanessa and her husband Andre (a Detroit native like me) are a great creative team. Overall, a good night. A good program. Thanks Cross Cultural Centers at Cal State L.A. (And thanks Vanessa for the encouragement with the novel! Thanks for wanting to read about "my mess"!)
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Jamie Washington and Vernon Wall

Last month I had a nice visit to Nashville... as you may recall. While there, I connected with a couple professional colleagues whom I consider legends and great people I always looked up to in terms of their contributions to education, knowledge of diversity, and general friendliness and welcoming personalities. Never really talked with them, but would always see them at annual ACPA Conferences, smile, wave, head back to California. This year, I made an effort to say something to both... and I wanted to give a short shout-out to both.

Dr. Jamie Washington and Dr. Vernon Wall.

I attended a couple presentations they were both involved with this year at ACPA in Nashville. Highly recommended facilitators, speakers, or general diversity consultants for your school, business, or organization.

Book them now before their summer and fall calendars fill up!
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The Vanessa Williams (Soul Food) Post Is Coming

The post on the Vanessa Williams (Melrose Place/Soul Food -- the Showtime series) lecture and film screeening is coming. Waiting for pictures so I can post with the entry.

In the meantime... Fred's Top 5 at the moment are:
1. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey
2. Mesmerized by Faith Evans
3. Alone by Heart (yeah, it's like 20 years old... but been in heavy rotation with me since Carrie Underwood did it on American Idol a month or so ago)
4. Slow Down by Bobby Valentino
5. Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani

Later.
fs