We all have them, those memorable lines of dialogue that stick in our heads, that capture a specific moment in a movie, make us sigh or laugh or cry every time we remember them, never forgetting exactly how we felt when we heard them for the first time.

I think about those lines while I’m writing. Not specific ones, mind you, but rather the idea of them, their existence, and, ultimately, their power. When I write, I visualize each scene as if it’s on screen. I love the movies, so picturing my own stories as if they are being played out on a big imaginary screen inside my head as always felt natural to me. It’s always interesting to me to hear from readers telling me “Oh, and when he said xyz, I melted!” And I think…hmm, that’s not “the line” for me. I might have had an entirely different moment that I thought was “the one.”

I know this happens in films all the time. Lines that become so memorable they become part of our daily lexicon. Like Ahnold’s “Hasta la vista, baby!” and “I’ll be back.” Many times, the writer and director will tell you that they were surprised by which line caught the attention and imagination of the collective audience. And just as often, when they try and create what would seemingly be a surefire catch phrase or killer line, no one picks up on it.

For me, sometimes the popular phrases stick with me, sometimes they go right past me. “Frankly, my dear…” never did much for me. Nor did, “You know how to whistle don’t you?” I know, I’m a heretic, but there you have it. There are the humorous lines, and we have a few that have long since become staples in our house. “Allll righty then!” from Ace Ventura and “You can do eet!” from The Waterboy.

But for me, the most powerful are the ones that made me sigh, made me swoon. Like “You had me at hello” from Jerry Maguire, and “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” from Dirty Dancing, or one my all time favorites, from The Last of the Mohicans, “I will be back for you.”

True, the first two have been diluted after becoming the punch line of too many jokes, but when I think about how I felt, sitting in that dark theater when they were first uttered…yeah, they still work for me.

So…what about you? What lines made you sigh, made you swoon, made you laugh or made you cry?

Tags: Writing by Donna
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So, am I the only one who suddenly develops an avid interest in curling, luge, and short track speed skating once every four years? I love the Olympics. Love them. Ever since I went to gymnastics summer camp and every morning they woke us up by piping in the Olympic anthem. I remember thinking on those mornings how awesome it would be walk into the Olympic stadium representing my country. Sadly, my dreams of winning a gymnastic gold were cut abruptly short when I shot up to five-foot-eight before entering junior high school. Waif-like I was not. Not even close. A crushing blow, to be sure.

But summer games, winter games, it doesn’t matter. I’m in it for the duration. Yes, it’s changed so much, with pros competing, the commercialization, the pre-packaged events, yadda yadda yadda. I still watch, I still get a lump in my throat when it’s our guy (or gal) on the podium, and our flag being raised.

And nationality doesn’t matter. I love watching the stories of individual triumph, surmounting amazing odds, in many cases just to make the team, without even a hope of a medal. I love watching the faces of even the most cocky or cynical of athletes, as the inevitable awe washes over them when he or she realizes the importance of what they’ve accomplished as their national anthem is played for all the world to hear. All the personal sacrifice, the hard work, overcoming incredible odds, all worth it in that perfect moment.

And for those few weeks, every couple of years, I’m in summer gymnastics camp again, where anything is possible if you work hard enough. Even a gold medal.

Maybe that’s why I’m hooked. It reminds me that the same edict applies in life. And it gives me hope.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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We didn’t get quite the blizzard they got up north, but it was enough to blanket the area with almost a foot of snow and close schools for the day. Have I mentioned I’m on deadline? Mother Nature has a wicked sense of humor. I’m so not amused at the moment.

So, for this week’s Friday Giveaway I thought it would be fun to make the prize a copy of one of my older books, a Loveswept, titled DARK KNIGHT where the hero and heroine are stranded in a mountain cabin during a snow storm. Of course, there is that little bit of business where she has him handcuffed and tied up, seeing as how he’s the bad guy and all….or is he? This book was the final installment of my Delgado’s Dirty Dozen series, four titles in all, so, I think it’s only fair the winner gets all four! (I mean, why break up a set, right?)

To learn more about the series you can click on the Donna’s Bookshelf link in the right hand column, then click on the spines for Santerra’s Sin, Light My Fire, Silent Warrior, and Dark Knight. If you’d like to win a set for yourself, send me an email with PICK ME! in the subject line and your address in the email. That’s all there is to it. I will randomly select a winner this Friday. Good luck!

Oh yeah…today’s MAC: Dancing with the Stars

George, we loved ya, but it was your time to go. Hopefully he’ll stick around to do back room commentary. Samantha Harris is lovely, but honestly, she seems more suited to the sidelines of a football game than doing color commentary on ballroom dancing. Tom Bergeron, on the other hand, rocks.

So…this week, will it be Jerry? Love him too, and his work ethic is laudable, but the guy can’t dance….and, you know, this is a dancing competition. If it were me, I’d like to see Stacy, Drew, and Lisa in the finale. With Drew winning the Glittery Trophy of Awe. Or is that Ew? (Honestly, the trophy is so cheesy you have to love it. Even Tom knows it’s cheesy.) But the dancing has been really wonderful to watch and they’re giving it their all. I’m going to miss this show when it’s over.

So…who is your favorite?

Tags: Writing by Donna
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I learned that my ER is nothing like the one on television. No cute doctors, no hunky orderlies. I also learned that concussions are no fun and sometimes a little scary. In this case, my oldest was the one suffering the head injury, but I am glad to report that other than a splitting headache, he’s otherwise unimpaired and will be a-okay. Mom, on the other hand, might require some medicinal chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. (Honestly, any excuse, but this time, I think I get a pass.)

SO! On to more fun stuff! Like…..drum roll please…..this week’s grand giveaway prize winner. Congratulations Caitlin from Illinois!! You’re the big winner!! I’ll be sending your book along to you shortly. Check in next week to see what the new giveaway will be!

I also wanted to thank everyone for their “comfort” suggestions this week. I haven’t had a chance to respond to the movie goers yet, but that’s next on my list. I think my Netflix queue might be filling up here shortly!

Today’s MAC: Dancing with the Stars. Everyone is looking SO great now. And for all I think that George is on the low end of the skill set range, he is such a great entertainer. I loved his and Edyta’s performance. (The ER gets brownie points for having good taste in tv shows. ) I thought Jerry did the best he’s ever done as well, however, much as I love him too, I think I’d place Jerry and George in the bottom two. It could go either way tonight. While I didn’t think Lisa’s “line” was all that great, her footwork on the quickstep really wowed me, and I thought she looked lovely. The true stars of the night were Stacy and Drew. Hands down, loved that tango with Drew and Cheryl. Such chemistry they have. So much fun. And I have to admit, that while I’ve always admired Stacy’s skills, she’s never drawn me in. Last night was the first time I really enjoyed her performance. I think it’s going to be a tight race between those two!

The group waltz was fun. Again, Drew and Cheryl stood out, but for whatever reason, I found my attention continually drawn to Lisa. I think it was her dress - it was stunning and so perfect for that dance. Also, on the Shallow Meter, thank you thank you ABC for giving me my Alec fix. We’ve missed him since last season…and boy did he look good in those jeans or what? Pardon me while I fan myself. In fact, perhaps some ice cream would cool me off even better….

I am off to hunker back down into deadline hell, ever present mini goldfish and diet coke supply by my side and await the snow storm supposedly heading my way.

Have a great weekend….and stay safe!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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The comfort read/author discussion led to another discussion with a writer friend of mine. She finds she can’t read genre fiction while she’s writing, so she finds her ‘comfort’ in movies. I’ll admit, I’m a huge movie fan, too, but like books, I rarely watch the same movie twice. (Unlike my sons who can recite entire passages of Napoleon Dynamite verbatim.)

There is an exception…at Christmas time, when I have my annual marathon gift wrapping session, I always watch the same two holiday movies. White Christmas with Danny Kaye and B-b-b-b-ing Crosby, and Desk Set, with my two favorites, Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. And yes, I can recite whole passages from either of them verbatim, but have never found a reason to. So I do understand the warm fuzzy that comes from watching a favorite film. For me it’s the snappy dialogue and that wonderful “50’s” feel, where all the world is one giant, perfect snow globe. It might get shaken up a little, but everything always falls neatly back into place. Probably why I’m a sucker for Doris Day movies, too.

I suppose if I had to rent-a-repeat, some of the ones I might look for would be Chocolat, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, anything with Harrison Ford, preferably with the word “Indiana” in the title, Bond, James Bond, Gosford Park, a recent joy, Cassanova (Heath, really, call me) to name but a few off the top of my head.

So…what are your “comfort” movies, that you can watch again and again?

Today’s MAC: Project Runway 2. I picked Chloe to win, so I’m happy about that. I did think she deserved it. Kara was a close second for me, too. So I actually concurred with the judges on what they liked. Quelle shock! The rest? Not so much. I didn’t think Dan’s was horrible, though I agree it wasn’t finished. The thing I didn’t like most about his was mixing brown leather with a red dress. Some other color combo might have been less offensive. But he had immunity, so ah well. As to the auf-ing…I’m not so happy. I understood the complaints about Nick’s suit and even agree, but I’d rather have the designer be over ambitious and miss the mark somewhat, than do something like Santino where the entire garment was literally falling off of her. Not to mention it made Kara look like a ridiculously bizarre extra on the set of Lost in Space 3.

They auf-ed Zulema for putting together an unfinished garment, but let Santino go when his was literally glued on and falling off. They sacked Uncle Nick, who otherwise has done nice work, for making a bad fabric choice and being a little too femme in his style. It was still a solid piece. Santino’s was a solid piece, too, a solid piece of…well, you get my meaning. He’s consistently been in the bottom two, but they give him a pass and send Nick on his merry way instead. So…I’m not happy. I want Chloe and Dan in the finals, and it looks like that could happen…but it’s clear the producers want Santino there with them. With Kara as the only other option, I’m pretty meh on the whole thing. Because the third finalist should have been Nick. Just sayin’.

For you fellow PR2 watchers, what garment did you like best? For me it was Nick’s pin striped suit, designed by Chloe. Very well made, and I liked the pink silk back to the vest, it was totally Nick’s style. Hard to believe that was her first venture into menswear. I can see her winning this thing! (Come on, Dan! Step up!)

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Am I the only one who doesn’t have comfort reads? I have an entire bookshelf filled with books I’ve yet to read, so the idea of going back and re-reading something has never really appealed to me. And yet, I hold on to books that I love. (Which fill an entirely different bookcase.) Why? I have no idea. Will I ever re-read them? Probably not. I just like to have them. Maybe that’s the comfort value. Just looking at them and remembering how much I enjoyed them provides a kind of comfort. And I have loaned them out to other readers, so they can enjoy them. So perhaps that is why.

I do have “comfort read” authors. Authors whose books are usually a guaranteed slam dunk page turner for me. If I’m stressed out (did I mention I’m on deadline?) then I don’t want to fool around with something that might or might not satisfy. I think one of the cruel ironies of my life is that while it was my love of reading that spurred my desire to write, since becoming a writer, I have very limited time left over to devote to the very pleasure that got me into this career in the first place. So when I do have the time, and most especially when I most desperately need the escape, I do turn to my “comfort read” authors.

Depending on my mood and needs at the time, depends on who I turn to. If I want to feel embraced by the warmth and familial bonds of a large family, I typically turn to Nora Roberts or Patricia Gaffney. If I want suspense, then I turn to Lisa Scottoline, James Grippando, or Brad Meltzer. If I want funny, I turn to Janet Evanovich, Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, or Jennifer Crusie. If I want paranormal I go for Karen Marie Moning or George RR Martin. Historical? Teresa Medeiros or Connie Brockway are both good bets for me. If I need a “category” fix, I turn to Jill Shalvis or some of Nora’s old Silhouette releases I missed the first time around.

Of course, the problem is, I usually suck down the new releases by these authors the moment they hit the shelves. So what to do when in need of that “comfort read” fix, but all the books lining my “to be read” shelves are by authors I have no track record with? What do you do? I rarely read online reviews as they’re often too all over the map for me to make any real kind of call. I ask friends for recommendations. But eventually I just grab one off the shelf and give it a shot. I always hope, with every new author I try, that I find another comfort read - must buy author. It doesn’t happen often, but every time, I hope it does. Because it’s precisely in times like these, that you realize you can’t have too many go-to authors you can depend on.

Which brings me to the long debated question of…just what is it that makes a certain author a must-buy? As both a reader and a writer, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering about this.
What is it about one voice that stands out, that captures my attention, and wins me over for the long haul? And why is it that it doesn’t happen more often? I read a lot of books that are perfectly entertaining and well written, but don’t compel me to dash out and track down every title that author has ever written.

I do know there is nothing more exciting than making a new “discovery” to add to my list. I immediately tell everyone I know to check them out. Even more rewarding, however, is getting a note from a reader telling me I’m one of her comfort reads. I know how good it feels as a reader, so there is no higher compliment as a writer.

So…who are your comfort read authors? (And no, I am NOT asking you all to suck up. ) Present company totally notwithstanding, whose books do you race out to buy the instant they hit the stands? And, if you’re a re-reader, whose books do you turn to again and again when you need that comfort fix?

I am curious for a lot of reasons, but I’m also asking for a totally selfish reason as well. You see, I need a few comfort reads right about now, and wouldn’t you know, I’ve long since exhausted all my must-buy authors current offerings. So I’m hoping maybe you’ll turn me on to someone I’ve overlooked. And who knows, maybe we’ll all find a few new comfort read authors to add to our must buy lists.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Top Ten Ways you can tell Donna is on Deadline…

10. Tuesday Pizza night extends to Wednesday, Thursday….
9. She holds meaningful conversations with her parrot over characterization and plot
8. Parrot gets co-author cover credit for his input
7. Her sons are forced to do their own laundry and clean the house
6. There are reports that hell, in fact, has frozen over
5. Starved for attention, her dogs befriend the UPS guy in hopes of getting out for a walk.
4. Starved for attention, Donna befriends the UPS guy in hopes of getting…okay, okay, so no she didn’t. But she thought about it. Waaaaay too much
3. Donna has meaningful plot conversation with Dominos delivery guy
2. Dominos guy gets co-author cover credit
2a. UPS guy is asked to pose for cover. (Shh, Donna does TOO have cover art input!)
1.And the number one way you can tell Donna is on deadline….

Donna? Hellooo? You didn’t finish the list!

Ah, Donna is found sound asleep, cold pizza clutched in one hand, UPS guys phone number in the other, face planted on keyboard, the letters F, G, H, and K permanently embedded in her cheek, muttering something about stupid conflicts and turning romance novel into murder mystery where all her characters mysteriously die in the last chapter…

Shhhh, let author sleep.

The number one way you can tell Donna is on deadline…Dangerous When Disturbed!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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WOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It took us awhile to get that last ring, but I knew we’d do it!

Now we can start on the other hand

It wasn’t pretty, but then, that’s the Pittsburgh Steelers for ya. We pulled it out. Ben, Hines, Antwaan, Troy, and last but never least, Jerome….thank you for a wonderful, wonderful ride!

If the Bus had to make a last stop, I’m so very glad it was in Detroit. Congratulations, Jerome!

AP (for more photos, click on NFL.com link in right hand column.)

So, as promised, a special weekly giveaway…

This Friday’s Giveaway - send an email to donna@donnakauffman.com with PICK ME!! in the subject line and your address in the email. Then, come Friday, you could win a signed, advance copy of my June release, NOT SO SNOW WHITE! To see more about the book, click on the cover in the right hand column.

Good luck!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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Patricia from Maryland Heights, Missouri! Woo hoo! Your books will be heading your way later today. Thanks for being one of the Blog Babes!

Boy, what a week. I’m very glad it’s Friday. I’m entering the acute phase of deadline hell (28 days and counting…) so that means there are no days off. BUT! And this is such a sweet BUT (you know, that didn’t come out sounding exactly right…) I will be taking off for five or so very fine hours on Sunday evening to watch MY STEELERS return to the Super Bowl. The last time I watched them win the big game, I was 20 years old. Almost 26 years I’ve waited, y’all. That’s some loyalty right there. So here’s to you, Jerome. Take it home, baby, take it home.

Okay, lotsa MAC today because, in their infinite wisdom, the tv gods decided to put two of the only four shows I watch (okay, okay, five when my Favorite Show Ever starts later this month, yes, I’m talking about the Amazing Race and the even more Amazing Host, Phil. Ahhhh, I can’t get my fill of Phil…) Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, they put them on the same dang night, at the same dang time. What is up with that anyway?

So…Dancing with the Stars first. Great show, fabulous dancing. With P gone, there were no uncomfortable moments. George was entertaining. Finally got to see Stacey shake her hips, and boy could she. Lisa was spunky (even if they did give her dreadful disco music to dance a samba to. And on top of that it was too slow. Hello? Music director? Come on!) Jerry worked his fine fanny off (and has an adorable daughter, to bootie.) Tia was admittedly off, but she’s so sincere - and her music didn’t exactly help her out, and Maksim’s choreography didn’t either. For me, it’s still all about Drew and Cheryl. They bring it every week and this one was no exception. Fantastic. The judges tonight? Not so much. Carrie Anne was bitchy, Len was playing mediator and Bruno needed a Xanax. Still, though I thought they were hypercritical (and CA, you might want to lead with the praise, then slam with the “helpful hints” k? Lighten up, man, they’re competing for a glittery trophy for gods sake, not the national title. And working their asses off.)

Anyway….yes, they were a bit much, but if you removed George’s ridiculously inflated score and put him at the bottom where–I love you man, but you know this is true–he belonged, then the rest of the rankings held up pretty well, though I might have altered the actual numbers a bit. I threw all my votes to Drew and Cheryl. Not enough people left to risk sympathy votes, though I was tempted to toss some to Tia…I have a feeling my girl is going home tonight. A week early, in my opinion, but still. Episode Grade: B+ (woulda been an A without all the bickering)

Okay, MAC #2 - SURVIVOR IS BACK ON, SURVIVOR IS BACK ON! Sorry. Ahem. First, a confession. I was SUCH a reality show snob until a few years ago, when I was finally dragged, kicking and screaming, into watching this show with my younger son. (Yes, that was the start of my complete descent into being reality tv’s bitch. I know. It’s sad. But so much fun! As guilty pleasures go, it packs a lot less calories than chocolate.) So..my virgin Survivor season started out with men versus women and it turned out that it provided the two of us with such a great opportunity to share our perspectives on the whole gender/age issue, that I was totally drawn in. More because of the dialogue it started between me and my son–I loved our Thursday night “Chinese food dates” with Jeff and his gang of dysfunctional castaways–but eventually the show itself, the concept, all of it, drew me right in, too. Haven’t missed a season (or a night of sesame chicken and debate) since. My youngest is hitting 16 now, and what with a long term girlfriend now and a new perspective on relationships, it’s been an interesting couple of seasons, with increasingly more interesting dialogue.

This season, we have four tribes of four. Older men, older women, younger men, younger women. I was naturally pulling for the older women right off, but my son ended up allying himself with the older men. He thought the younger guys were slackers. lol It’ll be interesting to see which of our pre-conceived ideals might be rocked, and which ones will simply be underscored. So far, it’s already pulled us both in and started a fun conversation about why we think certain teams are doing better than others. Is it just age? Just gender? Or more specific to the actual people involved on each team?

And the whole Exile thing? I love it. I love all the twists this year so far..and its only the first night! Changes all the strategy right off the bat. And in a good way, I think. Sucks to only have 4 people to rely on right off to build shelter, get food, make fire. Sucks worse to be only one of four when it comes time to vote off the first person. I felt sorry for Tina, felt horribly bad about her recent tragedy in losing her son…but that aside, in terms of game play, a little more self awareness and a lot more humble pie would have gone a long way to securing her staying longer. I have to credit Cerie with both keeping it real, being very self aware of her (extreme) limitations, and finding a way to work it to survive anyway. This week anyway. You go, girl.

Tune in Monday for news on the next Giveaway!! (Hint: if the Steelers win, I might be feeling really generous!) Me? Extorting support for my team? Nooooo.

Tags: Writing by Donna
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College financial aid forms…otherwise known as FAFSA…that is my personal hell at the moment. It’s bad enough we have to do our taxes this time of year, but to add in this particular brand of torture? I could do without. And then there is the endless list of scholarships and grants you can apply for. Which ones of the hundreds should you go for, which to skip? Where is that lucky winning lottery ticket when you need it?

Today’s MAC: Project Runway. Interesting challenge, having to design an outfit entirely out of things found in a floral shop. I liked it better than last season’s grocery store challenge. I thought all of the finished designs were really strong. It was a tough call. My pick to go home was Kara, who has been the weakest link of the group, and then last night she pulls out this exquisite dress and almost won the challenge. (Daniel, my favorite, won. Yay, Daniel! 4 time winner!) But Kara staying meant that someone else had to go, and this time it was Andrae. I understood his Audrey Hepburn inspired dress, but out of the group, I can see why he was OUT. I don’t think he was strong enough to make it to the final three, but I was really sorry to see him go. He was a fun character and occasionally he pulled out some really great stuff. (The photo challenge dress from last week in particular.)

Here is Daniel’s winning design. (To see the rest, click on the Project Runway link in the right hand column.)

One gripe was the judges giving the designers a hard time about using so much greenery and not a lot of flowers. They, partially rightly, assumed it was because the designers were afraid of wilting (after seeing Austin’s similar nightmare last year) but what they completely failed to take into consideration was the designers were given a whopping 100 bucks for materials - and flowers are A) expensive and B) don’t cover much ground. The designs had to be 100% foliage, so naturally they went with things that covered more area, were less expensive, and didn’t wilt. No one said they had to use flowers - and a couple of designers found color in different types of leaves. Anyway - that part annoyed me to no end. Although it was cool that designers Badgley and Mischka were part of the judging panel this time. Looked like they were having fun.

So…we’re down to five, all strong designers, although I still think Kara is in jeopardy. And Santino. (His Tim Gunn impressions slay me. For that alone I hope he stays. And Tim brings the major funny in this episode’s pod cast. I loved that he was a good sport about it. Red Lobster anyone?)

Next week’s challenge doesn’t actually look like a lot of fun to me. These guys have been designing non stop under brutal conditions for weeks now and they’re understandably a bit fried. So instead of something fun and inspiring…they get to give each other makeovers. Woo. Hoo. Except, you know, not. I especially feel for those who get stuck designing menswear in this challenge as the entire focus thus far has been women’s wear. It seems those who end up designing for the remaining women would have the edge. Ah well…we’ll see next week!

This episode grade: B+ It was somewhat nonsensical, but I really enjoyed seeing the creativity.

Tune in tomorrow for this week’s giveaway winner!

Tags: Writing by Donna
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