EVERLASTING: COMING SOON!!!!!

Hi All,

A sneak peek into my upcoming novel "Everlasting", to be released by Simon and Schuster this Fall!!!!

EVERLASTING:

Meet Romeo and Juliet of the new millennium!!!

Everlasting is the chronicle of two equally fascinating Latino teenagers, seventeen year old Juan Alonso and sixteen year old Nina Sagastume, who fall in love despite unrelenting odds.

Juan is a political, outspoken romantic who believes education and determination is the key to a better life. His brother Rico is the leader of the notorious Bronx street gang, The New York Assassins. Juan can't seem to escape the hold of his community until he meets Nina.
Nina is a striking, straight-laced dreamer who's never even been kissed. She quickly becomes Juan's salvation. In return, Juan allures her with his charm and inspiring intelligence. Nina finds herself doing something that she's never done…falling in love. It isn't until Juan rules her heart that Nina finds out he's affiliated with the New York Assassins, the rival gang of the Bronx Gangstas, an equally powerful street gang led by her cousin Tajo. Tajo and Rico refuse to let Nina and Juan run off into the sunset. They will do anything to keep the war between the gangs solid.

Things become even more complicated for Juan and Nina when Chino, a jealous admirer determined to have Nina for himself, enters the picture. Despite these obstacles, Juan and Nina realize that true love is hard to obtain but definitely worth fighting for.
Everlasting is a passionate love story for today's generation or for anyone who truly believes that love conquers all.

No Longer Being Updated

Hi All,

This blog will no longer be updated due to my busy schedule. I just don't have the time. If time permits, I may be able to began blogging again. I enjoy the process as well as sharing my thoughts with most of you. I may began a different blog next year closer to my next book release. I encourage readers to enjoy past posts. I will keep my blog up as an archive. I hope you all continue to pass through it.

I am no longer accepting comments on the blog for the fact that I may not check in to accept or reject regularly. Please continue to enjoy the posts. I believe they will continue to enlighten and entertain.

Look for my Latino Love story (Fall 2007) and other fiction coming from my new publisher, Simon and Schuster!

Best wishes to you all,

Stacy-Deanne

A New Day

Hi All,

LOL, honestly I don't know how many of my regular bloggers will pass through since I haven't been on in a while but I wanted to say hello anyway.

Every time I blog now it seems that I have some news. Well this time is no different. Remember In The Light? Well that's been over for a while. I cancelled the site in May. I am no longer an interviewer. Not that I considered myself one anyway. You all know the problems I was having. I figured making it a literary site wasn't worth it. I'm getting busier by the moment. The site was only in the way. I would say I truly enjoyed it but I didn't. It was something I was glad to get rid of. Now I am freeeeeeee!

I have some BIG news coming up! I'm not ready to make it public yet. All I can say is that it has something to do with one of my novels. I'll let you all know in due time. I thank you all for the encouragement you've always given me. You are a great bunch of folks.

Reminder: I am one of the authors mentioned in Heather Covington's " Literary Divas " book. The book is on sale now online. It will be in stores everywhere soon. It may already be in stores but I am not sure. Just do a search and you should have no problem seeing where it's available now. I have to get a copy soon too!

Well, I just wanted to let people know what I am up to. I hope everyone is doing okay. I look forward to comments(if any)! I know it's hard to get back into the blogs when folks have been gone a long time. I hope you have missed me. For those still around, I've missed you too.

Adios,

Stacy

Been A Long Time/Announcing a HUGE Honor

Well it’s been a while since I’ve been here. I guess you can see how busy I am. I’ve been doing a lot of things so maybe you all expected the absence. I am glad I had the opportunity to pop in today. I can’t say if or when I will be able to blog daily again but I wanted you all to know that I am not far away. I guess I should share some of my latest news:

1. In The Light will become a literary site this August. This will be easier for me to handle. I was so excited about interviewing entertainers and bringing such new talent to the forefront. The idea seemed better than it actually was. Due to the fact that the people I was suppose to interview couldn’t get things done on time, I decided that maybe this wasn’t my cup of tea. I figured that a literary site would be better for me because of time issues and all the hard work I was putting in. Call me stupid for giving out free promotion and believing some appreciated it. Many did but I figured the ones who held me up didn’t so it didn’t take me long to say so long. So after July the entertainers will no longer be a part of ITL. The literary site will be far more interesting and will allow me to do things at my own pace. Plus, the free promotion is out the window. Since running the site takes money from my pocket and I am giving exposure then I feel people should pay. It’s the new way of the technical world. Folks can accept it or move on.

2. The biggest news I have to share is that I will be featured in Literary Divas: The Top 100 Most Admired African-American Women Writers. I am not only thrilled but also proud and appreciative of such an honor. It’s good to finally be recognized after years of struggling creatively and personally. I have already received feedback from authors who’ve described me as a " pioneer " for young writers. I can’t explain how wonderful that makes me feel. It’s one thing to conquer your dreams. It’s another to help people realize they can conquer theirs one day as well. Literary Divas was written by Heather Covington and is due out in June. You can view it here: http://www.stacy-deanne.net Just scroll down a bit on my homepage.

So as you can see, Bootsy’s been busy. I now see why some bloggers have fallen off. It becomes almost impossible to be busy in real life and be able to blog consistently. I do hope to continue the daily ritual of sharing and growing with blog pals that remain. I’ve missed you all. I hope you’ve missed me. I plan to be around, at least somewhere for a long time.

With love,

Stacy

The Flop of Basic Instinct 2

Boy oh boy, oh boy.

Was I the only one that saw this coming? You know I like Sharon Stone. Sure, she took her clothes off in most of her films but I still like the woman. Even I could see BI2 was doomed to fail. It opened at number 10 at the box office it’s first week. Am I right? If I’m wrong then correct me. That’s terrible but then again in this day and age all films have kissed decent box office stats goodbye.

Some folks said the reviews killed it. Well, a lot of the critics agreed that the actors were good. They blamed problems on a worthless plot. Many also believed this sequel was too tame compared to its predecessor. Okay whatever, LOL. Others blamed it on the fact that Michael Douglas was nowhere to be seen. They even went as far as making Viagra jokes when speculating as to why MD wasn’t in the picture. I believe this is what hurt the movie too. The combination of Stone and Douglas was unbeatable even though the first film wasn’t great. Without this you just got Sharon pawing over some English actor (isn’t he English?) and people could care less with this combination. This is one time when the studio should deeply regret not getting a veteran male to accompany Stone in the role. At least the problems weren’t the actors’ fault.

Some critics said the direction sucked. They also said that moving the story to London this time just didn’t hit on anything. Some said Stone overplayed the part of Catherine. They also said she was more frightening than sexy. That’s not a good thing in an erotic thriller. I think we all had an idea that BI2 wouldn’t be the hit the first was. We probably didn’t expect it to do THIS badly but it did. I guess Stone’s fans didn’t even come out to show support on this one. Hey, you have to give Sharon her props. She’s still damn sexy at her age.

Want to know my opinion as to why the movie flopped? Course you do! That’s why you’re here. I believe it has a lot to do with the economy and that it’s just a new day. People aren’t going to the movies like they used to. It’s the computer age for one thing. People are losing jobs and becoming homeless more each day. This is a big reason. So we don’t have to try to find a reason why these movies flop. There are more than enough to choose from! Times are hard. The box office is feeling it more than ever. Sure BI2 may not have been that good but I don’t believe it deserved the poor showing it got. Was it that bad? How could it be if the actors were good? Most agreed they were. This tells me that it’s more to the story. I just think that folks weren’t in the mood to see this sequel. Maybe they were hooked on the first and felt nothing could be better. Hey, I don’t know but this is why I think it flopped.

Kudos to Stone and what’s-his-name (the British guy) if they were as good as critics said. You think BI2 deserves another shot or do you think it’s just another film that can’t live up to the hype?

Did anyone see it? Share your thoughts!

What am I listening to at the moment? In case you’re wondering. Yep, rock today. I’m currently listening to an old Springsteen classic…“ Adam Raised a Cane “.

Sharon Stone...plays Catherine, a bitch with a blade. But this time it wasn't enough.


Bootsy

What’s The Deal With the Television Remakes?

(Yes I’m on a movie kick but it’s fun and uplifting right?)

Hollywood always has to have a kick right? The mid-nineties it was horror films like Scream ruling the box office. The late nineties it was the Matrix. At the beginning of this decade it was teen-queen, Lindsey Lohan and Princess Diary type movies. Now it’s the battle of the television remakes. Some began in the early nineties and now in 2006 they seem to have taken over the world. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

Just how many old television hits have been made into feature films?

The Mod Squad
Starksy and Hutch
The Honeymooners
Miami Vice
Welcome Back Kotter (being made now)
Charlie’s Angels
Bewitched (doomed from the start!) Nicole Kidman in this? Oh how the mighty has fallen!
Beverly Hillbillies (93’)
Richie Rich (94’) Yes, cartoon remakes count!
Scooby Doo (Yikes!)
Casper
The Addams Family (Jeez this has been going on since the early nineties!) I sure miss Raul Julia though.
Dukes of Hazzard
Herbie the Love Bug

On the way…Magnum P.I. possibly with George Clooney. There have also been talks about a Simon and Simon and What’s Happening! film as well. Also there have been talks of a Starksy and Hutch sequel! As if the first one didn’t bomb fast enough. I like Owen and Ben but not in this!

I probably even left some off. Most of these (except the soon to be released Miami Vice, and Kotter, and along with 2000’s Charlie’s Angels) have been bombs. Who knows if Colin Firth and Jamie Foxx’s Miami Vice will hit or miss? And am I the only one who finds it frightening that Ice Cube has stepped in the shoes of Gabe Kaplin’s Kotter to play the beloved teacher of sweat hogs? Oooh, scary thought!

Remake Rumors:

All In The Family (with black stars)
Good Times
The Jeffersons
Happy Days
The Munsters (now this may be fun!)

What’s next? Hawaii Five-O, Quincy, Laverne and Shirley, Maude, Gimme A Break, Punky Brewster, Soap, The Cosby Show? Three’s A Company with Britney Spears? Make it stop!

Well, (sigh). Most of these remakes have been big bombs but what is your opinion? And what old television show close to your heart would you love to see made into a feature film? My opinion, if it ain’t broke please don’t try to fix it! Leave these classics alone. They can’t get any better.

Adios!

Dating Services: For it or Against It?

I am against them. I don’t agree with the concept of dating services or dating through personals. Why? How can a relationship work if you CHOSE everything you wanted?

You chose someone because of his or her looks.
You choose someone because of his or her salary.
You chose someone because they have everything in common with you.
You chose someone because they are religious or not.
You chose someone because they do or do not smoke, do or do not drink, etc.
You chose someone who loves the same exact foods you like.

Get the picture? If we choose someone based on what we want is that healthy? We all have types of people we like but that is different from constructing a person from head to toe. When you rely on dating services you are picking everything that you want. How can this be a healthy or long lasting relationship? Is everyone supposed to have something in common with you? Do I want a man who likes everything I like? No. That’s boring isn’t it? I’d rather have a man who is not a replica of me. I could date myself if that’s the case. I don’t smoke. Does that mean that I will not date a man that does? I don’t agree with second hand smoke but couldn’t we work something out if we care for one another? He could find places to smoke. I could find places to let him be himself. Should we pick someone based on how we want them to look? Do I really want a man who fits every physical characteristic I like? Yeah it sounds good doesn’t it? But is that realistic? Can we possibly have a romance? I’m not very religious. Does that mean I don’t want a man that is? Do I want someone who changes his beliefs for me? Do I want to change my beliefs for him? Get the point?

We can’t just pick soul mates. We can’t pick someone because they fit what we want and think that’s the key to true love. Being in love means you take someone for themselves. You may like blue. He may like green. You may love comedies. He may like horrors. He may go to church on Sundays. You may never have or don’t plan to. He may smoke and drink. You may hate the idea of that. But still, it’s reality. This is a real relationship. You fall in love with the person for who they are am I right? So when you resort to dating services, who are you “ in love “ with? The person or the idea of them?

And who is to say that just because “professionals” hooked you up the relationship will last? You could have Mr. and Mrs. Right easily. But does that mean they are the right ones for you?

I don’t see how a dating service can bring forth a realistic relationship. You should meet folks naturally and fall in love the way nature intended. Romance shouldn’t be constructed like chapters of a book.

Photos are from the 1996 Romeo + Juliet film. The story may not have been real but at least the love was true.

Bootsy