I never need an excuse to go to London. Never. I'd go tomorrow if a pile of cash fell on my lap. *looks up to the sky*
Last week I made the long, long trip from San Francisco to London for the best reason ever: to visit my publisher.....for the second time. I had the good fortune to meet the gang at HarperImpulse last October for the fun and fabulous 'autumn fete.' I had such a great time I secretly hoped they'd gather all the authors together again. Most of them live in the UK with a few others sprinkled around here in the US and even a couple in South Africa. Needless to say, unless we all lived on the same street it's rare that we're able to see one another.
When I found out HarperImpulse was hosting another event, I just had to go. I had to. It took months of pleading my case but the universe finally smiled down on me and gave me the go-ahead.
Isn't the London office gorgeous? Of course there was an amazing reason to be there this time too. It was HarperImpulse's first birthday. The imprint, part of HarperCollins, hosted a seminar featuring the music and entertainment manager for Twitter UK and then talked about their vision for the future.
Oh, and there were cupcakes with glitter on the frosting. That's right. Glitter cupcakes.
After the workshop we all went across to the pub. I had the chance to see many familiar faces and meet a few new ones. As someone who's never been published before, I think it's so great that we, as authors, can have little get-togethers like this. Everyone is so fantastic. Really.
When I went in October I was so bright eyed and in awe of everything. I'm happy to say that feeling hasn't gone away. Walking through the front doors of the HarperCollins building should be enough to convince me that I'm one of their authors but I still get all starry eyed. That says a lot because I'm not one who dazzles easily. =)
Check us out. Aren't we fabulous?
While I sat in the car yesterday for hours and hours and hours and hours (driving to and from Yosemite), my brain kept drifting to a couple things: how the hell I'm going to finish my next book and the casting announcement for Fifty Shades of Grey. Random thoughts, I know.
I would be lying if I said I had no actor/actress in mind for the unlikely film adaptation of my trilogy. I have a secret Pinterest board with all of them in full color. Wishful thinking at its finest. But as an avid reader I often found myself averse to having a book turned into a movie. My imagination is so vivid I like to create my own version of the world an author puts on a page. There have been many times I've seen the movie version of a book I loved and was totally disappointed by casting decisions or the director's vision or what have you. Yes, movies are awesome and who wouldn't want to see their world interpreted on screen? The thing is....a reader's mind is so subjective *nobody* will ever be good enough to match who they pictured as the main hero or heroine. Even the actors I chose for my "dream team" cast on my secret Pinterest page don't completely embody the hero and heroine I created. Okay, one of them does but that's besides the point.
The backlash I saw online yesterday about the decision to cast Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey was horrid. Grown women were throwing fits because their version of a fictional character wasn't cast. Someone even tweeted to the producer that she hated him. Hate is a strong word. It's only a movie. There are numerous factors that go into casting a role. I do not envy casting directors, although I think their job is pretty cool.
As a new author with high hopes and all sorts of aspirations for the books I'm writing, reactions like that scare me. Obviously, not every book is made into a movie or TV show so I'll probably just stare at my Pinterest board forever.
I mean, honestly, is Charlie really that bad?
