HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND ACCEPT LITERARY PIRACY

Yesterday was Yom Kippur, the most holy day on the Jewish calender.  After 25 hours of of fasting and repenting, we are, once again, sent out into the world, free of sin.

Yesterday, I also discovered that a copy of my second Figure Skating Mystery, On Thin Ice, is available free for download, here.  (Bear with me, I'll be tying these two random pieces of information together shortly.)

My first reaction was fury (I'm sure the fact that I was hungry may have contributed to that).  In a nutshell, a book that it had taken me several months to write - not to mention years to research while I was a TV figure skating researcher for ABC, ESPN, TNT, NBC, etc... - had been stolen from me.  I make my living from writing.  Every copy that's distributed for free is a copy that I didn't sell, and that's money directly out of my pocket and food out of my children's mouths (again, I was hungry).

While sitting in temple, however, I started really thinking about the issue (while repenting, naturally).  My print novels are often resold, either in used book-stores or on eBay.  I don't make any money from that, either.

In addition, I'm sure people loan their own copies to friends and family members.  Is doing it electronically really any different, morality-wise?  (These are the kinds of things one thinks about while sitting in temple on Yom Kippur.  Hungry).

By the end of the evening (fasting ended at 7:27 pm last night... but who's counting?), I'd made my peace with the piracy.  In the spirit of Yom Kippur, I've decided to accept that anyone who illegally downloads my books is no different from someone who borrows it from a friend or library.  Newly sin-free, I am making this my good deed for the year.  You want to read an Alina Adams book without paying - consider that you have my permission.

Then again, starvation and sleep deprivation is how they brainwash people, isn't it....

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #177-2

“Are you out of your mind?” Steven demanded of Sarah. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What business is it of yours?”

“You don’t think it’s any of my business that you’ve planted yourself in my aunt’s house while you’re pregnant with her husband’s baby?”

“I – How – Why would you – “

“I was there for the show you put on after Kirkland’s accident. You literally threw yourself at Grant’s feet. You went with him when he gave blood, and then you took him home afterwards.”

“That was months ago,” Sarah reminded. “It was before Grant married Marley.”

“So are you telling me you and Grant are over?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Yes. Absolutely. Grant and I are absolutely over.”

“Was that before or after you got pregnant?” Steven wasn’t about to let Sarah wriggle her way out via semantics.

She hesitated long enough for Steven to guess the answer for himself.

“You bitch,” he turned away in disgust, barely able to look at her.

****

Sarah pleads her case to Steven, Cass and Frankie get a new lead on Carl, Jamie makes a confession to Alice, Matt tries to make Donna see reason, Horace throws a wrench into Kevin's plans, and Lila comes to a decision about Chase.

All today at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_177p2.html

THE SECRET JEWS OF ROMANCE NOVELS

Yom Kippur is tomorrow.  In honor of the most important holiday on the Jewish calender, I offer a 2001 interview with me from J Weekly, about the secret Jews of romance novels:

Alina Sivorinovsky has a passion for passion.

Writing romance novels is an unlikely career path for the 31-year-old emigre from the former Soviet Union. A New York resident who writes under what she calls her "goyishe name" of Alina Adams, Sivorinovsky grew up in San Francisco and served as president of Hillel during some turbulent times at San Francisco State University.

"Before I could write I knew I wanted to be a writer," says Sivorinovsky, who arrived in San Francisco as a 7-year-old child in 1977. She spoke no English.

She has since gone on to publish four romance novels, including two that feature Jewish characters. Because of editors' fears that overtly Jewish figures might prove "offensive" to romance readers, Sivorinovsky crafts her fiction with what she calls "secret Jews."

Her first book, "The Fictitious Marquis," tells the story of a 19th century noblewoman who hides her Jewish roots from English society.

Hidden Jews, she says, also fit into her most recent book, "When a Man Loves a Woman."

The two lead characters are Jewish, but Sivorinovsky says she only gives subtle hints of their true identity. "I can't tell you how much I'd like to have my Jews out in the open rather than being Marranos," she says.

Born in Odessa, Sivorinovsky takes a pragmatic approach toward being "part of a minority population." But, she adds, that "doesn't mean I can't be a little subversive."

In "When a Man Loves a Woman," published last April by Dell, Sivorinovsky features two physicians in a plot that she jokingly describes as "When Harry Met Sally at the ER."

Neither character minds working on Christmas. The heroine is named Deborah Brody. "Non-Jews don't pick up," she says, but the author gets mail from her Jewish fans saying, "We figured it out."

As a writer for mass audiences, Sivorinovsky acknowledges that Jews constitute "a minority culture in a majority culture." But she questions editors' reluctance to feature openly Jewish characters.

"I genuinely feel editors underestimate their readers," she says. She believes editors are governed by a view that romance readers only want accounts of "white bread people in white bread towns.

"That's not true," she asserts.

Read the entire piece at: http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/15059/writer-hides-jewish-characters-in-her-popular-romance-novels/

GOOD-BYE TO ALL MY CHILDREN - ONE MORE TIME

Originally published 9/24/11

CHILDREN'S HOUR

Thank you, NY Post for quoting me in their coverage of All My Children's last episode: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/amc_ya_later_mqTnEEoIpNzLdwmlzDYOmK?utm_campaign=Post10&utm_source=Post10Alpha

Below is the complete text of what I wrote following the show's airing on Friday:

When it came to the final week of “All My Children,” I managed to keep from crying up until the final five minutes of Wednesday’s show. (With “Guiding Light,” I started during Phillip’s 4^th of July toast and kept going into September.)

When David Canary launched into his monologue about Stuart, the identical twins playing hide and seek as children and Adam always being able to feel when Stuart was there, I lost it. (Can we give David Canary an Emmy for a week’s worth of work? Tom Pelphrey won his second award for what was two weeks, give or take, so we’ve got precedent. If not, how about reinstating the Outstanding Guest Star category?) My tears continued up through Adam and Stuart’s bedside reunion and into Stuart reuniting with Scott (Canary and Daniel Cosgrove managing to achieve instant chemistry despite not have played father and son since Cosgrove's first stint in 1996. A master class in acting all around.)

I smiled when Erica once again mentioned Pine Valley not being the corner of Hollywood and Vine, a callback to the classic black and white clip of AMC’s early days featuring Susan Lucci sporting some seriously big hair, as well as her diva, fall-back explanation for all things, “I am Erica Kane.” I hummed “Send In the Clowns” during Jack and Erica’s showdown (“I thought that you’d want what I want/Sorry, my dear…”), I saw “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” coming as soon as Erica asked Jack what she was supposed to do now, but nearly clapped with delight when the expected, “Tomorrow is another day,” turned into “Watch me!” A challenge if I ever heard one, and a perfect tag for a show intending to continue its life on-line.

I started getting Moldavian Massacre flashbacks (and began looking for Ali McGraw) the minute a gun-totting JR decided to crash a party featuring the entire town, and will freely admit I want to know who the mystery woman David hinted about hiding is.

Tad’s speech was sweet, but it suffered from the same problem the rest of the week had. When Tad talked about meeting Jesse and Angie in high-school, I wanted to see it. The same way I wanted to see, not just hear about, Tad and Dixie in Myrtle’s dress shop, Erica learning that Kendall was her daughter, and Bianca stripping down to come out. All of those things were talked about – needing, pleading, begging for flashbacks. That never came.

There are many, many wonderful things about soap operas. But, one of their greatest strengths – something that puts feature films and live theater to shame – is that when they talk about an event from the past they don’t need to merely talk about it (or cheesily recreate it). They can show the past exactly as it happened. Those of us who remember these phenomenal moments (especially from the days before VCRs and DVRs and YouTube – yes, boys and girls, some of us actually used to put tape recorders up to the TV) are dying to see and relive them again. And those who didn’t catch them the first time have an opportunity to experience the magic that made Tad and Dixie, Angie and Jesse, Kendall and Zach, beloved supercouples.

Where were the flashbacks? Yes, we got musical montage snippets at the end on Monday through Thursday, and the opening on Friday. But, there could have been so much more. Soap fans are not stupid. They can handle seeing more than one Jake, more than one Kendall and Bianca, more than one Tad, even. (Yup, there was a Tad before Michael E. Knight and, quite frankly, I was dying to see the abused little boy Ray Gardner threw out of his car and Ruth and Joe adopted.) They can also handle seeing families no longer on the canvas, the Cortlands, the Cudahys, the Brents, the Tylers. They are all our children, as we were so often reminded today. Or at least our good friends. You don’t throw photos out of a family album just because the members no longer live within shouting distance.

Finally, as someone who was given the honor of helping PGP revive their own cancelled show, “Another World,” on-line in 2009 with “Another World Today,” there is one thing I want to say to Prospect Park and their plan to do the same with AMC and OLTL. Listen to the fans. Include them. Yes, this is Agnes Nixon’s show, her vision, her baby, but it is also the result of forty-one years of people putting their time and their devotion and their hearts into what she started. Real life children are the products not just of their parents, but of their environment and their experiences and their interaction with people who care about them. “All My Children” deserves to be the same.

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #177-1

“Frankie and Cass called me from St. Petersburg,” Felicia refused to back down. The same way Rachel had refused to back down almost twenty years ago, when Felicia had been the one uninterested in hearing what she had to say. “They’ve located the body-guard who supposedly went down with Carl and the children’s plane.”

Rachel’s back shook, as if she’d been struck from behind. “A-alive?”

“Very much alive.”

Rachel spun around, unable to take it. “Were Carl and – “

“No,” Felicia shook her head. “They weren’t there with him. At least, not that Frankie and Cass were able to find.”

Rachel’s sigh of relief seemed the exact opposite of what a woman who’d just been told her husband and children were still presumed dead might express. And yet, that was quite obviously what she felt.

****

Felicia triggers a surprising reaction from Rachel, Marley and Sarah deal with their Post-Traumatic-Iris-Stress, while Steven makes a discovery about his ex-girlfriend.  Kevin takes drastic measures to save Jen, Charlie has to deal with Zeno and Allie's relationship, and Frankie gets an eyeful of how the other half really lives.

See for yourself at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_177p1.html

WATCHING TV LOVE STORIES MAY BE BAD FOR YOUR REAL LIFE LOVE STORY - DISCUSS

AlphaGalilleo.org reports:

The study, just released electronically and soon to be published in the September 2012 issue of Mass Communication and Society, found that the more an individual believed in television portrayals of romance, the less likely they were to be committed to their relationships. In August 2012, several of the most-watched television shows (Burn Notice, True Blood, The Big Bang Theory, and Two and a Half Men) featured romantic relationships prominently throughout their episodes. This research is especially important at helping individuals understand the impact that television viewing can have on their relationships.

“In this study I found that people who believe the unrealistic portrayals on TV are actually less committed to their spouses and think their alternatives to their spouse are relatively attractive,” Dr. Jeremy Osborn, the article’s author said. “My hope would be that people would read this article and take a look at their own relationships and the relationships of those around them. How realistic are your expectations for your partner and where did those expectations come from?”

Over 390 married couples participated in the study. The participants responded to questions about their satisfaction with their current romantic relationship, relationship expectations, relationship commitment, belief in television portrayals of romantic relationships, viewing frequency, and several others that focused on their spousal relationship.

I find this very interesting for a variety of reason.

Number One: Prior to meeting my husband, I published four romance novels.  Since meeting him, I haven't published any.  I moved on to murder mysteries, soap opera tie-ins, non-fiction and family sagas.  My husband claims it's because, after meeting him, I learned that true romance was nothing like what I'd read about in books or seen on TV.  He's right.  I wrote all about it in Romantic Heroes, Post Marriage.  (And if you think he comes off as awesome there, read this.)

And Number Two: I am a soap watcher.  Since the age of 10.  Pretty much everything I learned about relationships at a young, impressionable age, I learned from daytime dramas.  (In related news, my husband says he learned everything one needs to know about charming women from AMC's Tad Martin.)

Since a majority of my readers are soap fans, as well, I have to ask: What do you think of the study's conclusions?  Have TV romantic relationships affected your real-life ones?

SOAP SCHOOLING

One of my many, many other identities, the NY Gifted Education Examiner, has written a piece about former soap scribe Craig Heller now offering his services as a consultant for writing teen's personal statements when applying to college.  (Seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it?  Getting help to write a personal statement?)

Read the entire thing at http://www.examiner.com/article/get-help-with-the-soap-opera-that-is-nyc-school-admissions-from-a-soap-writer and if you didn't know that, in New York City, parents need to write an essay chronicling their two year's old achievements (thus far) in order to gain admission to nursery school, well, this will make it even more fun.

But, the article got me thinking.  What if the soap characters we know and love had to write personal statements to get into college?  What would they be like?

Hello, my name is Will Munson, so far, I've been comatose, accidentally poisoned my sister-in-law, sent to a mental institution and gotten married.  All before finishing high-school.  As you can see, I'm an overachiever.

Or

Hello, my name is Lizzie Spaulding.  I've shot a man, survived leukemia, and terrorized my stepmother.  I am obviously a very creative problem-solver.

Got one of your own?

Write it in the Comments below.  My favorite entry wins a very soapy prize!

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #176-2

Iris pressed a hand to her chest, as if she, in fact, were the key victim in this particular drama. “Oh, you poor thing. You may not believe me right now, but I do understand what you’re going through. Your grandfather, you biological grandfather on your father’s side, his name was Alex Wheeler. He and I – “

“He dumped you,” Sarah said, not unkindly. She was hardly one to sit in judgment these days, was she? “You were in love with him, but he dumped you before he knew you were pregnant. So you tricked Elliot Carrington into marriage, and then you dumped Dad on him before taking off for Europe. I know. Dad’s mentioned it. Several times.”

“I did the best I could under the circumstances. And Elliot was a marvelous father to Dennis, he was much better off with him as a little boy than with me. Of course, Alex would have been a wonderful father, too, if only I’d told him.”

“You mean, if he’d stuck around. Dad may have adopted Alex’s name twenty years ago, but he still wasn’t thrilled about how everything played out. Not with Alex, not with you, not with Elliot.”

“Matters would have been easier,” Iris conceded. “If Alex and I had raised Dennis together. Bringing up a child single-handedly is excruciatingly difficult. That’s why I was so upset when I heard that you were left all on your own today.”

“I wasn’t on my own,” Sarah reminded. “Marley was with me.”

“And that’s another thing. If I were there, I should have never allowed that scheming viper to swoop in and whisk you away, keeping you from your true family the way she did!”

****

Iris offers unsolicited advice to Sarah, while Lila has an answer - and a question - for Rachel.  Felicia and Jamie wonder how much to tell his mother about Cass and Frankie's discoveries, Kevin has a reality check for Donna and Matt, Zeno offers Allie his take on GQ, while the later gets a lesson from Horace.

Get your AWT fix for the weekend at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_176p2.html

THAT WAS THE SOAP YEAR THAT WAS

It's been exactly one year since my book, Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments, featuring video and interviews with the actors, writers, and producers who created the scenes that fans voted best of all time, was released on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

To celebrate, please enjoy excerpts below from some of our favorite interviews with:


Eileen Davidson (Kristen, Susan, et. al... Days of Our Lives)

Michael Corbett (David; Young & Restless)

Eden Riegel (Bianca; All My Children)

Victoria Rowell (Drucilla; Young & Restless)

Hillary B. Smith (Nora; One Life to Live)

Maree Cheatham (Stephanie; Search for Tomorrow)

Thom Racina (Headwriter; General Hospital)

Julia Barr (Brooke; All My Children)

Linda Dano (Felicia; Another World)

Michael Malone (Headwriter; One Life to Live) 


See also:

Guiding Light Tribute

As the World Turns Tribute

Pride Day

Thanks for making this a wonderful, soapy year!

HOW THE LIGHT WAS LIT

Yesterday, we commemorated two years since the end of As the World Turns, with a look back at signature couples, Carjack and Nuke.

Today, three years since the cancellation of Guiding Light, please enjoy the following trips down memory lane:

Kim Zimmer on The Slut of Springfield

Tina Sloan on Lillian's breast cancer

Jill Lorie Hurst on Otalia's love story

HOW THE WORLD TURNED

As the World Turns aired its last episode two years ago.  In commemoration, please enjoy two interviews with scriptwriter Susan Dansby and academic Sam Ford on a pair of ATWT signature couples, Carly & Jack, and Luke & Noah.

Susan Dansby on Carjack

Sam Ford on Nuke

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #176-1

“Well, do let me know if you still need my help," Alice said.  "Iris can be a formidable opponent. I know, I’ve been up against her myself, several times.”

“She wasn’t a fan of your friendship with Dennis. Or his father.”

“As on other occasions, I allowed Iris to drive me away from Elliot.”

“With my help,” Rachel recalled.

“You and she were great friends at one time.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, “Please, don’t remind me. She was using me to manipulate you and Elliot, and I was so flattered that a woman of her position and – I believed at the time – class was taking an interest in me, I allowed myself to get thoroughly played. It wasn’t my most shining moment.”

“No,” Alice agreed. “But, I’d say the end result was worth it, wouldn’t you? You met Mac through Iris.”

“While she was having me escorted out in the middle of a party!” Rachel smiled, happy for the chance to be reminiscing about something joyful for a change. “He sent me roses the next day. I couldn’t believe it. A figure like Mac…”






****

Rachel confesses her concerns to Alice, Kevin sees through Steven, Cass and Frankie mix business with pleasure, Jamie attempts to warn Kirkland, Donna seeks out a figure from her past, and Iris descends on Grant and Marley.

It's time to make your voice heard at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_176p1.html

SOAPS AND SKATING AND SERIALS, OH MY!

Thanks to Jean Henry Hall for interviewing me on her blog, Murderous Musings.  An excerpt is below:

What was it like working for Proctor and Gamble Productions as website producer for the soaps, “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns”?

I was there for 10 years, and I had a wonderful time. Writing the websites meant writing in the voices of characters from the show, characters I hadn't created but still needed to bring to life through words (without the help of actors!). It's a great skill for any writer to have.

Tell us about your latest groundbreaking project, Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments.

Soap fans love to talk about their favorite moments. And there have been books written on the history of various soaps and stories. But, up until now, you could only read about how great they were, you couldn't actually view the scenes themselves. That's all changed now. "Soap Opera 451: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama's Greatest Moments" is a one of a kind book in that, after asking fans and soap experts what were some of the greatest moments of all time, I went and interviewed the actors, writers, producers and directors involved with those moments - and then I added links to where you could actually view them. It's a completely interactive experience that's never been done before.

How did you become a bestselling author?

Doug Wilson, who directed ABC's figure skating coverage for many, many years tells a story of how, during the 1988 Olympics, he was planning to open Brian Boitano's Long Program with a shot from across the ice. But, the camera he'd designated for it broke down, and he had to improvise what became Boitano's dramatic, opening head-shot, which is still used on retrospective shows today.

According to Doug, "This just goes to show, that if you work hard and prepare and plan everything out... there's not telling how lucky you can get." Like Doug, when it came to being a bestselling author, I got lucky. In December of 2011, I wrote a biography of skater Sarah Hughes, hoping she would at least make a respective showing at the Salt Lake City Olympics. Two months later, she won the whole thing.

In 2006, I pitched the idea of doing a book based on "As the World Turns" to coincide with their 50th Anniversary. The show wrote the book into the on-air story. And "Oakdale Confidential" debuted at #3 on "The New York Times" best-seller list.

****

Read the entire piece, including advice for aspiring writers, interactive storytelling, and my latest novel, "Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga" at: http://murderousmusings.blogspot.com/2012/09/bestselling-author-alina-adams.html

YOU GIVE ME FEVER

As everyone in Port Charles walks around shaky and sweaty from Jerry's dreaded water-based epidemic, it brings to mind another fever that once taxed all of "General Hospital's" resources: Lassa Fever!

Watch Part #1 at the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XIAd0EjoIM and see Monica in medical action, Scotty as a good guy, Bobbie as a bad girl, a very, very young Laura, Lesley locked out of the hospital while her husband Rick is locked in - with Monica.

In case you're wondering, no, one of the Lassa Fever symptoms is not making everyone look vaguely green.  That's the result of video-taping directly off the television screen in the late 1970s.  Times were brutal, then, folks.

And who ultimately ended up responsible for bringing the Fever to Port Charles?  Was it an evil villain looking to take over the world?

Nah.  It was this guy:

Find Part #2 at: http://youtu.be/cbI17GrL9TI

Monica tries to convince Rick that seventeen year old Laura marrying nice guy Scotty is a dandy idea, and Edward berates Tracy and Alan.

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #175-2

Rachel leaned back from embracing Russ. Only to spot Iris, who’d seemingly materialized right behind his shoulder in that instant.

“Russ! Darling!” Iris threw out her arms for a kiss and hug of her own. “It’s been much, much too long.”

“Iris,” Russ said, noncommittal, discovering late in life that standing pinned between his ex-wife and ex-fiancé was not the most comfortable of locations.

“I am ever so sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat, earlier.”

“Well,” Russ glanced over at Rachel. “Under the circumstances…”

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been…” Russ all but shook himself loose from her hold while attempting to keep smiling politely. “Fine. I’ve been fine.” Inspiration struck then, and he said, “I’m surprised to see you here, Iris.”

“Where else would I be? This is my family domicile.”

“No, I don’t mean – I mean right now. I thought you’d be with Sarah.”

Iris demurred. “I’m afraid our mutual granddaughter hasn’t exactly welcomed me home with open arms. Despite my best effort to reach out, she’s remained rather inhospitable.”

“Well, I’m sure she’s had a lot on her mind lately. Sarah’s in the hospital.”

“The hospital? Whatever for?”

Russ hesitated for just a moment before admitting, “She’s pregnant.”

****

Russ drops a bombshell on Iris, while Rachel does the same to Amanda and Lila.  Sarah finds herself trapped between Grant and Marley, Frankie and Cass fail to agree on Charlie, and Matt begs Donna to reconsider.

Should Lila do as Rachel asks?  You decide at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_175p2.html

WIN A BAG FULL OF FREE BOOKS!

Romancing the Blog is hosting a huge, huge, HUGE giveaway of books, gift-cars, and other romantic swag for both domestic and international readers.

Among the prize offerings?  My own very soapy Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga (Volume One).

Check it out and make sure to enter at: http://romancing-the-book.com/2012/09/romancing-the-blog-miraculous.html (scroll to the bottom of the latest entry).

Good luck!

IN DEED

Inspired by the 9/11 Day movement, which created the observance to "provide a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and remind people of the importance of working more closely together in peace to improve our world," and in a personal belief that everyone can serve in their own way via their individual unique skill set, my contribution to doing a good deed on 9/11 is to offer one of my books for free to all who can't afford one regularly.

If you're a skating fan, I've got Murder on Ice: Enhanced Multimedia Edition, a figure skating mystery with professional footage by The Ice Theatre of New York included as part of the story.  Read more about it, here.

If you're a soap fan, I am offering the manuscript to the As the World Turns tie-in novel, The Man From Oakdale.  I will send it to you as a Word document you can read right on your computer.

Just email me at AlinaAdams@gmail.com and tell me which book you prefer.

BOOK REVIEW HIJINKS

Last month, The New York Times published a story about authors hiring services to write glowing reviews about their books on Amazon and other sites.

The service helped one author, John Locke, become the first to sell one million independently published e-books.

Meanwhile, another author took it a step further, not only posting positive reviews for his own books under a series of fake names, he also gave one star reviews to competing authors, probably under the theory that not only must he succeed - all others must fail.

And now, I have a deep, dark confession to make: The thought never occurred to me. 

It never crossed my mind to pay people to write positive reviews for me (and/or negative reviews for other people).  Primarily because I assumed that, in order to review a book, one should read it.  And it doesn't seem like, if one is spending one's day writing reviews for pay, one has much time to actually, you know, read the book.

I have, however, in the past, offered thank you gifts for people who took the time to buy my books, read my books, and review my books (both good and bad). 

Is that the same thing as paying for reviews?  I'm honestly not sure.

The fact is, I am so grateful for all of my readers, I wanted to give something back to them for their loyalty to me over all these years.

So, whether it counts as a bribe or not, my thank you gifts still stand:

Buy and review any of my books, send me a link to your review at AlinaAdams@gmail.com, and I will send you a copy of any other Alina Adams Media ebook of equal or lesser value that you like.

To me, that only seems fair, but, if you disagree, please let me know in the Comments below.

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #175-1

“Donna,” Marley startled in surprise when she arrived at the hospital pharmacy, picking up Sarah’s prescription for iron pills prior to her discharge, only to come upon her mother, seeking a remedy of her own.

“Oh, hello, darling.” No matter how fast Donna tried hiding what she’d just been issued, Marley was quicker, and her eyes widened in disbelief when she read the medication’s name.

“Donna? Are you – are you and Matt trying to have a baby?”

“What gave you that idea?” Donna’s default setting was always to bluff by pretending not to understand what she was being accused of.

Her daughter raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly think there’s a fertility drug out there that I’m not aware of?”

****

Marley questions Donna about her family planning ambitions, while Grant does the same to Sarah.  Cass and Frankie get answers in St. Petersburg - along with even more questions.  Jamie wonders how far Rachel intends to go in her quest for revenge against Hamilton, and offers Amanda advice about Morgan, while GQ gives Steven something new to think about regarding Jen.

All today at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_175p1.html

SERIAL DRAMA

Amidst all the excitement over Amazon unveiling a new Kindle yesterday, the part that really grabbed my attention was their release of Kindle Serials, stories that will be emailed directly to readers, one chapter at a time, all following a single, $1.99 purchase.

Hmmm... sound like any particular genre we're all familiar with?  One that we've been told, over and over again, is "dead?"

I started my own romantic serial, Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga, based on my work for P&G's AnotherWorldToday.com.

Launched in 2009, AWT started off with one episode a week, then expanded to two in 2010, with readers getting to vote at the end of each installment regarding where they want the story to go next.

Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga works the same way.  I write it along with my readers.  Volumes One and Two are out now, and I am writing Three based on your feedback.

Last week, Dear Author did an entire feature on the success of serialized stories.  They quoted me as saying:

What I’ve learned from my previous soap work, especially www.AnotherWorldToday.com, is that there is no such thing as one topic on which every single reader agrees on.  Even when you think there is no way somebody could want the story to go in this direction, someone inevitably does.  I’ve had votes so close, they’ve literally been mathematically 50-50, with a singe vote making the difference.  What’s also interesting is that, since I leave the votes open indefinitely, sometimes they can flip months after the original question was posed and the scenes already written.  The whole interactive aspect is what I find so exciting about writing a serial.

Read the entire article at: http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/the-revival-of-the-serial/?shareadraft=baba46959_503acec456a44

Check out Volumes One and Two of Counterpoint: An Interactive Family Saga below, and please let me know what you think about the idea of serialized books - I consider them soaps between the covers!

CONFUCIOUS LIED

Confucius (allegedly) said: Do a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.
 
Who am I to argue with Confucius?

So, that’s precisely what I did. Because I loved television, I studied television in college, and then I went to work in television. I loved to watch figure skating, so I became a television figure skating producer. After my oldest son was born and the travel associated with skating competitions became unmanageable, I switched to working in soap operas–because I loved soap operas. In the meantime, because I loved to read, I also wrote books, primarily figure skating mysteries and romance novels.

Ultimately, having three kids and going into an office every day became too difficult, so I switched to freelance writing part-time. And, in addition to raising children, I began writing about educating children. And about finding free stuff to do with children. And just general raising children (do I really need to link this one)?

In other words, every single aspect of my life, from my marriage, to my parenting, to the stuff that I do for fun, became a job. At which point, it ceased to be fun.

I can no longer watch television without analyzing it to death (a primary reason why nobody wants to go to the movies with me. Apparently, being trapped in a dark room with a person who sees every plot twist coming from a mile away is… annoying, to put it politely).

I can’t watch skating without thinking of how I might turn it into a book. Or how I would have covered a given story if I were there on-site.

I can’t read without comparing it to my own work, good and bad.

As for my kids, well, let’s just say everything is blogger fodder.

I am now basically working 24/7.

Read my entire lament at: http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/all-work-no-play-makes-mom-tired/

And if you have tips, I'm all ears!

ANOTHER WORLD TODAY EPISODE #174-2

“Marley!” Grant burst through the door, sounding as if he’d run the entire way to the hospital, then up the stairs, eschewing the elevator. He looked from his wife to Sarah, then quickly back again, lest he reveal too much to either one of them.

“Grant!” Her chin jerked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

“Bridget called. She said you were at the hospital.”

“With Sarah,” Marley clarified, misinterpreting his concern. “Did you think I was the one hurt? I’m fine.”

“I – Yes.” Grant leapt on the easy out she’d given him. “I – I guess I misunderstood.”

“I asked Bridget to call and tell you that I was at the hospital with Sarah, and could you please come home and stay with them?”

“Oh.” Grant said. “I – I left them alone. Is that alright?”

“It’s fine. They’ll manage for a few hours, they’re not babies. It was more for my peace of mind than theirs. Anyhow, Sarah is about to be discharged.”

Grant swallowed hard, still not looking her way. “What’s wrong with Sarah?”

“Sarah is pregnant,” Marley said in a tone that made it clear Grant was to react as if the revelation were perfectly normal.

Which he barely managed, but, again, not for the reasons Marley suspected. “So is she… still?”

****

Grant and Marley both have questions for Sarah, Rachel confronts Chase about Iris with surprising results, Donna and Matt get answers - though maybe not the ones they'd like, Kevin questions his motivations, and Cass and Frankie encounter a shockingly familiar face.

Whose face is it?  You decide at: http://www.anotherworldtoday.com/2012/2012_174p2.html

AMERICA'S GREATEST HOLIDAY: LAZY MOM'S DAY

Hear ye, hear ye, let the glorious news be spread: Friday, September 7, 2012 is National Lazy Mom's Day!  (Yes, it is too a thing.)

Now, I have already outed myself as the ultimate Lazy Mom, by proclaiming my parenting style to be Occam’s Mother:

Occam’s Razor is a scientific heuristic that, simply put, states the easiest solution to a problem is, more often than not, the right one.

I am Occam’s Mother. I believe that the easiest thing for me to do, vis-à-vis my kids, is, more often than not, the right thing....

Read my entire Declaration of Parental Independence at: http://www.kveller.com/blog/parenting/whats-easiest-for-mama-is-best-for-kids/

But, that's not all!

In honor of this most glorious of all holidays, I have come up with a list of 10 Ways to Celebrate Lazy Mom's Day.

Tips include:
Sleep With a Professional
Get a Fast Car
& Can't Somebody Else Do it?

Details at: http://www.redtri.com/new-york-kids/lazy-mom-day

As the two, boring, old, staid, out of touch with how regular people really live political parties battle it out for the chance to do whatever they want to us for the next four years, I say we ignore them and form our own movement.  Lazy Moms of America Unite!  (That is, you know, if it doesn't take too much effort...)