Actress Jenny McCarthy isn’t above showing off her body or book smarts. The former Playboy model is the author of a number of bestsellers including, “Life Laughs”, “Baby Laughs,” Belly Laughs,” and ”Love, Lust & Faking It.” Also, McCarthy has written serious books about autism including,  ”Louder than Words: A mother’s journey in healing autism. ”

Now McCarthy, is going back to her comedic roots with a new book, “Sinner: Confessions of a Recovering Catholic.” The book industry site, Galleycat, has a post today about the new deal Hyperion has to publish McCarthy’s latest book next fall.

In the post, McCarthy is quoted as saying she grew up intending to be “a nun”, but all sorts of things happened during her childhood, which had her changing course and taking a road that led to her becoming Playmate of the Year (1994) and eventually an entertainer. McCarthy has been a regular on television with appearances on popular series like “Baywatch”, ”Home Improvement,”  ”Just Shoot Me,” and “Two and a Half Men.”

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian makes a point about hooking an agent during a writer's workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

Multi-talented author and Media City Groove guest blogger, Sue Ann Jaffarian, conducted a very informative writer’s workshop called, “Turning Agent Woes Into Agent Wows,” at the Buena Vista library here in Burbank last month.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian gives a "to do list" for snagging an agent at a writer's workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

Forty-to-fifty writers showed up for the September 17 workshop. Many spent most of the time scribbling notes as Sue Ann covered the agent search from manuscript preparation to how to write the kind of e-mail query that will catch an agent’s attention. Also, Sue Ann shared some tips on where to find agents on the Internet and what to ask should an agent offer to represent your literary work.

Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Author Sue Ann Jaffarian reacts with a smile to while chatting with writers after a workshop at the Buena Vista library in Burbank September 17, 2011

 Sue Ann is a paralegal and a motivational speaker as well as an accomplished writer. She’s the author of three popular mystery collections: the Odelia Grey series, the Ghost of Granny Apple series, and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. Oh, she is enjoying success writing short stories as well.

She has a wonderful witty blog  here.

Also, check out  Sue Ann’s guest post on Media City Groove. She will be blogging again about her writing adventures and life journey here soon.

A  Hollywood movie deal reportedly in the works for the yet to be released biography of the late Steve Jobs. Sony Pictures is in talks to shell out big money for the film rights to the bio, according to Mike Fleming over on deadline.com. Check out the details here.

Catching up on some celebrity book deals. Rocker Courtney Love has signed a deal with HarperCollins for a “tell-all” memior, according to the publishing  site Galleycat. Love’s untitled memior reportedly will be a no-holds-barred telling of her life from “ childhood to the present day.”

Love was married to deceased rock legend, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana. Love has had success with her band, Hole, but also personal problems and trouble with drugs in her later years.

Also Galleycat is reporting the autobiography of  Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to hit bookstores in October of 2012. Simon & Schuster has worked out a deal with the former California Governor to publish, ” Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story.” Schwarzenegger’s recent love child scandal/marriage collapse to Maria Shriver will probably make it a best seller from day one of publication.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Sue Ann Jaffarian

Since I was a kid, I have loved short stories.  Amongst my favorites were “The Ransom of Red Chief” and “The Gift of the Magi,” both by O. Henry, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, and “The Telltale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe. They packed fun, poignancy and terror in just a few short pages, providing word for word a powerful punch.

Short fiction has always been with us, but in the past few years it has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity.  When print magazines and online e-zines, always a great place to shop stories, started to fold or accepted fewer stories, many authors and writing associations joined together to publish anthologies with central themes, creating a reading smorgasbord for readers like me. Two of the best, though by far not the only great ones, in the past few years have been Politics Noir edited by Gary Phillips and Shaken, Stories for Japanedited by Timothy Hallinan.

Before this year, I had two short story publishing credits. One, titled “Ho Ho Homicide,” was in a holiday anthology a few years back and was recently purchased to be reprinted in a 2011 Christmas anthology.  My other published short story, “Love Bytes,” can be found in a romance anthology called Love At Large.

Now with the rocketing use of e-readers, short stories have another venue through which to reach readers. Priced anywhere from free to $1.99, short stories have become a hot commodity on Amazon.com and with other e-book retailers, and I have thrown my hat into the ring.

In spring of this year, I came up with an idea to write a series of short stories with a central theme and release them individually over the course of a year.  The series is called Holidays From Helland follows Zelda Bowen, a 30-ish, single woman living in Southern California, as she endures one crazy holiday after another with her dysfunctional family. The stories are funny and often heartwarming and heartbreaking.  The first one, “The Rabbit Died,” was released in June. The second, “Pull My Paw,” came out in July, and the third in the series, “Where’s Your Daddy?” has a September release. The first two have done remarkably well and have set the pace for the stories to come. I am planning on ten in all. They sell for $0.99 each and are available for Kindle and Nook.

Photo: Cover for new short story, "Where's Your Daddy?" by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Unlike my mystery novels, these stories are being published by me as an independent, and may open the door for me to publish novels in a similar manner in the future. I’m certainly not opposed to going that route and many traditionally published authors are now doing it with great success. It’s a brave new world for authors willing to take chances and step outside their comfort zone.

So what happens to Zelda and her clan when I reach the tenth story in the series? Will I abandon the idea of selling short stories online. Not on your life! I find these condensed tales fit well with my novel writing and allow me to stretch my author legs. They take less time to write than a novel and are less stressful, filling the gaps between book deadlines like creamy grout. I’ve already developed another short story series idea that will be totally different than anything I’ve written to date.  It will start up as soon as Holidays From Hell finishes up next spring. So stay tuned.

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In addition to short stories, Sue Ann Jaffarian writes three acclaimed mystery series: The Odelia Grey mystery series, The Ghost of Granny Apples mystery series and the Madison Rose Vampire Mysteries. She is also a full-time paralegal in Los Angeles and a motivational speaker. Check out Sue Ann’s website and  blog.

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, 2:00 pm, Sue Ann will be at the Buena Vista Branch Library (300 N. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA) presenting a free writer’s workshop:  “Turning Agent Woes into Agent Wows” discussing how to put your best foot forward when approaching agents.

“The Help” got a boost to number one at the domestic box office with a weekend estimate of $20 million. The comedy-drama is about a young southern white woman and her relationship with the black “help” during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer star.

“The Help” is based on the 2009 bestselling novel of the same title by Kathryn Stockett. The film’s budget, $25 million. In two weeks, it has made around $71 million and is getting some Oscar buzz as well.

After two weeks at number one, “Rise of the Apes,” fell to number two with around $16.3 million. Followed in third place, by the fourth installment of the “Spy Kids” movie series, which generated about $12 million. “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” stars Jessica Alba and Joel McHale.

The attempted reboot of  “Conan the Barbarian” fell flat, coming in fourth with an estimate $10 million. This new telling of the mythical warrior Conan’s revenge story features Jason Momoa in the starring role. In two earlier film versions, “Conan the Barbarian” (1982) and “Conan the Destroyer” (1984) a rising action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, played the lead character.

Rounding out the top five, the aninmated family film, “The Smurfs” with somewhere around $8 million. Final box office numbers out tomorrow.

The Kardashian sisters, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé are about to become published novelists. That’s right. The reality show divas have written a novel and it’s called “Dollhouse,” according to the publishing industry website, Galleycat.

A fan of the sisters came up with the title and reportedly is featured in the book, which hits store shelves this November first. More here.

Photo courtesy Southland author Cheryl Holt


New York Times bestselling author dishes on the dramatic changes in  the publishing industry

I always considered myself to be the walking, talking success story of American publishing.  I’m a lawyer, and at age 40, I had two babies back to back.  Suddenly, I was a stay-at-home mom and trying to figure out how to replace the income I relinquished due to this life change.

I decided to start writing novels.  I didn’t know anything about writing books or about the publishing industry.  I simply forged ahead, armed with a steely determination that I would figure it out and prosper in a big way.

After four years of trying, and seven finished manuscripts, I finally sold my first novel.  Over the next decade, I went on to write 28 books for four major New York publishing houses.  Along the way, I became a Waldenbooks, USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author.

But it came at a price.  I wore out my wrists and neck.  I now suffer from several stress-related conditions, and I nearly bankrupted by family by suffering through the financial ups and downs that come with an artistic career.  It was almost a relief when, at the end of 2009, my last publisher dropped me, and I decided to quit writing.

For almost a year and a half, I shut down my webpage and turned off my email.  I didn’t think I would miss writing, but such an intense artistic enterprise has a way of embedding itself into your DNA.

 A friend began nagging at me to try again, and after months of listening to his harangue, I finally relented and agreed to start over one more time.  However, during my hiatus, the industry I knew and understood, where I had once worked so intensely, had vanished.

Books are an impulse purchase, made when people have extra money to spend.  With the crash of the economy in 2008, the publishing industry began to implode.  People stopped buying books.  At the publishing companies, there were massive layoffs, more mergers and consolidations, and it was a virtual bloodbath for authors.

 The big book chains—that used to order 8 weeks of stock—began to order 2 weeks instead.  In response, the companies slashed their print runs, so even if an author had a book published, its shelf life flitted by in the blink of an eye.  Reprints of old titles became the norm; it’s much cheaper to republish an old book than to lay out the expense for a new one.

The “star” authors continued to write for the big companies, but many of the mid-list and low-list authors were dumped.  Borders finally filed for bankruptcy and will liquidate.  Barnes and Noble stores—if you’re lucky enough to still have one in your town—have shelves that look empty.

The authors who lost their spots with the NY publishing houses turned to e-books.  Their decisions to self-publish were made easier by the advent of functional e-book devices such as Kindle and Nook.

 As I jumped into these turbulent waters, I quickly saw that there was no way for me to sell a manuscript to a NY print publisher.  There are only a handful of companies that publish paperbacks, and I had written for 4 of them.  The others had never been interested in signing me.  So NY was off the table.  What was I to do?  And how was I to do it?

Even though I didn’t want to begin self-publishing, I decided to try e-books.  I had been suffering from the opinion shared by many readers that e-books aren’t “real” books.  But I eventually realized that I was fussing like an old dinosaur.  I didn’t want to learn “new” things.  I didn’t want to start over in a new and scary world where all the rules had changed.

But I forged ahead and figured it out.  My first two e-books were posted on-line in June, and with their release, I sent out an announcement to my email fan list.

In reply, I received many happy letters from fans who already own e-readers and who were excited to read the new books. But I was surprised and saddened to receive dozens of really angry letters from avid readers who were upset about my switch to e-books. Many people said that I had “sold out” as a writer.

The division seemed to be age-based.  Younger readers told me they loved their electronic readers and were excited to see me embrace the new technology.  Older readers, who love their print books, were incensed and offended by the entire notion of e-books.  One reader asked, “If we continue down this road, what will happen to libraries?”

What indeed?

I didn’t have any satisfying answers for the angry people who wrote to me.  The book industry has changed—as has the author’s place in it.  As readers and writers, we can’t fix the economic factors driving all this chaos.  Authors are not flocking to e-books because they prefer them over print books.  They’re making the move out of necessity.  If you hear that your favorite author has published an e-book, the chance is great that she has lost her spot with her NY publisher.

More and more authors will be making this move, which will begin a burgeoning cycle of change.  More authors will be dropped by their publishers, so more authors will write e-books, so more devices will be invented, which will lower the price of e-readers and push even more readers into e-books.  In a few years, it’s likely that very few paperbacks will be published.  If a reader wants to find a book, an e-reader and on-line publisher may be the only way to do it.

For those of us who love books, it’s a daunting and scary thought.

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CHERYL HOLT lives and writes in Los Angeles.  For details on her backlist and two new e-books, “Seduce Me” and “Nicholas,” click over to her website  http://cherylholt.com/

British author Jane Austen is a superstar in the literary world.  Only six of Austen’s novels were published: “Emma,” “Sense & Sensibility,” “Mansfield Park,” “Northanger Abbey,” “Pride & Prejudice, ” and “Persuasion.”  Austen died on July 18, 1817 at the age of 41, but  the writer still has plenty of buzz these days.

Her novels have been the inspiration for movies, TV series, and other books. Austen is as popular as ever.  Last week, an unfinished manuscript by Austen sold at auction for $1.6 million. The handwritten draft of “The Watsons,” including author editing notes, was purchased by the Oxford University Bodleian Library, according to publishing site Galleycat.  The manuscript is only 68 pages — and the first 12 pages are  owned by  a New York institution. More here.

The end is near for the zillions of Harry Potter movie fans. The eighth and final installment in the Potter film series opens tomorrow at midnight. All ready, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2″ is breaking records for movie screens and ticket sales.  Nikki Finke has the scoop over on deadline.com

Jaycee Dugard’s book sells 175,000 copies 1st day

The 18-year kidnap ordeal of Jaycee Dugard has really grabbed public interest. Dugard’s interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer last Sunday brought in huge ratings  last Sunday. Nearly 15 million viewers reportedly watched the two- hour special. Yesterday, her memior detailing her years held captive in a tent by convicted sex offender, Phillip Craig Garrido and his wife, Nancy, debuted.  “A Stolen Life” sold 175,000 copies on Tuesday, according to Galleycat.  More here.

Hollywood & Carmageddon

Some folks in Hollywood are making plans to  avoid what may be a real life disaster. The shutdown of  the 405 freeway, between the 10 and 101, this weekend. It has been dubbed Carmageddon. The Wrap has details on what some local entertainment companies are doing.