2006 Installment #3

Installment #3

Book Launched

I officially launched Grayson Hall: A Hard Act to Follow at the 40th Anniversary Dark Shadows Festival. My hand was a claw after the weekend, signing nearly 200 copies. People were very gracious with their comments, "thank you for writing something for adults" and "thank you for your candor" were two of the compliments that resound the loudest. I had only three bizarre little episodes (which given the venue is less than expected)--1st) A strange little man man kept insisting my subject's husband had another name, something like Carbunkle, Arbuckle --2nd) another women hogged up the front of my line and kept asking me if I'd been inside a VA hospital? She flashed several different IDs and my, ultimately, tart retort did not drive her away. Finally a friend went into another room and rang my cell phone, escape! and 3rd) as I awaited a car to take me to the hotel where the event took place, a friend called to tell me Sylvia Miles had just stopped him on the sidewalk at Lower Broadway and Houston with "tell Rebecca the book is beautiful!" Mind you my friend had spoken to Miss Miles on the phone to help arrange an interview but had never met her-- I spoke with her a few days later and she did confirm the story and she still strongly believes she's met my friend~~~~

Grayson's friend and co-star on Dark Shadows, Nancy Barrett

Link--Click Here to view the YouTube video of Launch Event

Rebecca, how did you have time to write a book? Several folks have asked me that this last year. My reply--I don't have kids, I don't have a house requiring maintenance, I don't have a boyfriend (at present) requiring attention, my job is no longer all-consuming. I have plenty of time--3 to 4 hours every night (face it there isn't much on tv), weekends ( 6 hours Saturday, 6 hours on Sunday leaves plenty of time for dinners, parties, cocktail hours, theatre!) Like I said--plenty of time!. Now that it's done--yeah, i'm bored. So I'll pull out another project in October and work on a timeline and chapter outline for finishing it next year. Wish me luck!

With Love

For those of you who've seen a copy of the book, it is dedicated as follows, "To my mother, Arlene, and my friend Helen, with love." I spoke to my mother over the phone as she saw the dedication. It was a teary moment. I went to Washington, D.C. to give a copy to Helen, 87.

Nah, she ain't me. ..

As many know, I have been mistaken for 'someone' more than once since moving to NYC. People starring a bit longer than necessary, walking away and saying to one another "Was it her? Why didn't you ask?" More than one pal has suggested folks might think I'm Julianne Moore--based on this photo comparison below--yeah, I don't think so! I outweight her by at least 30 lbs. Another pal suggested perhaps Mary McDonnell? (You know she was in Dances with Wolves or the great updated show Battlestar Galactica--seriously if you're not watching this show--you missing something very special. A thought provoking, political show about survival in the wake of a dessimated society--not the space-crap we got in the 70s.)

Dame Helen!

My plug for folks to watch the final installment of the great British program, Prime Suspect 7. Check the link for PBS airings in your area. This really is a favorite program of mine starring an admired (non redhead?!) actress, Helen Mirren. This program has always been a well written exploration of a mature woman making it in the London Police Department with her brains not her "assets" though Dame Helen has quite a few assets. Anyone familiar with her work, e.g. Excalibur, The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover, The Madness of King George, or most recently a movie that I really liked (and few critics did), Shadowboxer with Cuba Gooding, Jr (finally making a decent film)--knows she's not adverse to artistic exploration or kinda kinky behavior! She's married to director Taylor Hackford who directed the Oscar-winning Ray (biop of Ray Charles). She has a new film coming out entitled The Queen for which she received a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.

600 feet below the City

One of the few fun work activities that I participated in recently was a tour of a place few have gone before..less than 100 people actually and that is 600 feet under Manhattan where the construction of a new water tunnel has been on going for over 20 years. After a 13 minute elevator ride down into the bowels of the City, we arrived to an area blasted out by dynamite to make room for a "digger" which constructed 60-miles of tunnels through granite and Manhattan shist. The tunnel is expected to be opened and operational in 2020 at a cost of $6 billion. Here's a link to more info about the site (for the rock geeks amongst you.) It was definitely a case study of the difference between the sexes. After 20-30 mins the women were done but the boys stood around ewww-ahhing over the tunnel boring machine and the rocks. blech!



What's next? Heck, wasn't this enough? As said above, I have another writing project, and well I turn 39 in a few weeks (Brent will be making his annual return for duo birthday festivities). I'll begin planning that "Turning 40 in Italy" vacation in earnest. . . I heard from lotsa folks interested in joining me in Italy--all i know is it is going to be near water, maybe Como or another mountain lake or maybe along the southern coast. . I just want to sit by the water with a few books and some wine and cheese and some fun filled friends for a month--that's the goal! Hopefully I'll have a chosen locale by the end of the year and then commitments in cash kids!