writer, teacher, traveler, and lazy gardener
I’m thrilled to announce Love Match will be available early October for Kindle and in paperback. Chapter 1 is online now to tantalize, entice and have you craving for more! So if you’re a fan of romantic comedies, hijinks, rock ‘n’ roll, San Francisco—even revenge plots—check it out.
The heroine of my new book Love Match is a matchmaker. She promises to take you from “Single to Soul Mate in 30 Days.” Do you think soul mates exist? If so, is it possible to meet one in 30 days?
When I was young and cynical (opinions formed based on no actual life experience) as opposed to my current state (older and wiser), I thought the notion of soul mates was bullshit. It was just a lot of hooey created and perpetuated by society and the nefarious card industry to keep us enslaved by our emotions. If you’re constantly aspiring and longing for something unattainable, then you’re likely to be depressed and unhappy. Dissatisfied people tend to be more susceptible to all kinds of things, such as advertising, which convinces them to buy more stuff to fill the vast void in one’s life. Back then, I was a lonely philosophy major in college, so my thoughts often ran toward the dark and conspiratorial. I’ve since changed my tune about soul mates.
What is a soul mate? Merriam-Webster defines a SOUL MATE as:
1: a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament
2: a person who strongly resembles another in attitudes or beliefs
I wouldn’t say my husband and I are perfectly suited in temperament. He’s the calm one while I’m the hyper one, but he fits the bill for definition two. We’ve got tons in common and have similar attitudes. Twenty years ago, our eyes actually met across a crowded dance floor. We connected instantly. I had him when I revealed that I loved Star Trek: Next Generation. He had me when he said he loved the movie Jacob’s Ladder and British comedy. We’ve been together ever since.
Of course, soul mates don’t have be lovers. They come in many forms: friends, family members, even pets. Singer Kelly Rowland, formerly of Destiny’s Child, recently said Beyonce’ was her soul mate. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on their wall? Imagine being in a famous group at that young age and looking that hot. The bond they must’ve formed. I can attest to soul mate-type relationships with my close girlfriends and gay boyfriends. We’re so simpatico all it takes is one raised eyebrow or nostril flare to know exactly what each other’s thinking.
I’d love to hear your soul mate story. Please share in comments.
The romantic drama Words and Pictures opens this Friday. It stars Juliette Binoche—the luminous and forthright French actress from The English Patient and Cache’ and Clive Owen—known for playing brooding and sexy in Croupier and bad assy in the BMW The Hire web series.
She’s a prickly art teacher and he’s an affable English teacher. You already see where this is going? Watch how two attractive characters with disparate interests and attitudes overcome their differences and find true love. But wait, there’s more. Their journey is framed within a competition—with students! According to the movie’s logline, their respective pupils go head-to-head to determine which conveys more meaning: words or pictures.
I haven’t seen the movie yet, so I’m purely speculating, from the trailer, how this storyline will play out. While they’re discovering how perfect they are for each other, this competition thingy will happen, which of course, will be the obstacle that disrupts their path to happiness. And I can’t wait! I just pray these two movie stars have explosive chemistry, because nothing can sink a romance faster than bad chemistry. Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp individually have chemistry to burn, but their coupling in The Tourist was a resounding dud.
The words and pictures part of the story is an intriguing premise. What’s more important? Words or pictures? You’d think as a writer I’d choose the obvious, but I can’t pick. I see it this way: words create pictures in the mind, whole universes upon which to project our thoughts and emotions. While visual imagery creates visceral feelings and reminiscences. Pictures have a powerful immediacy; the thoughts come seconds after. Each conjures unique experiences. Together they add to our life experience. If you’re thinking this reasoning is a cop-out, tell me so in the comments and explain your choice.
As for the movie, we’ll see if the intended love birds find their middle ground. Maybe they won’t, which would be a nice twist in the romance drama formula. One thing I can bet on: the power of love will reign supreme over words and pictures.
What happens when a professional matchmaker can't make her own match?
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