Showing an American movie to Mexican Teens

I wasn´t sure if Mexican teens and almost-teens would connect with a movie about boarding school boys in the 50s when I started showing The Dead Poets Society, but they are loving it. It will give us lots to talk about when I bring up Theme next week.

What Ever Happened to Jack McKinney

A massage client who suddenly let me know he was well-versed in my dad´s story and oh, by the way, developed some software that allowed writers to do something that allowed him to read a lot of manuscripts, read my book. He read the entire thing on a Friday night. His poor wife.

But yo, he said he couldn´t put it down. He says I´m doing it all wrong. I need to stress to agents that they will learn What Happened to Jack McKinney. I immediately think of some Manhattan women who have no clue who Jack McKiiney. Those women who work as agents who I have been contacting. Who yawn at my story. So I think OK, maybe this guy, Pat, is right. I´ll try it his way.

To be continued.

I´ve changed the title of my memoir to I Married A Mexican Teenager. My friend, the NY writer Alice Denham, who wrote Sleeping With Bad Boys convinced me I Married... had more of a pick-me-up-from-the-shelf quality. I guess she would.

Dear Annette, I´m writing again...

I wrote a page. I wrote a page. I wrote a page. Twelve-year old Sean is so into her Snoggy, Nuggy Nuggy books about a teenager in England with a nose the size of Jupiter (she read me that part) that I´ve been inspired to look at the YA I started. So I did and then my fingers started flying.

And it was easy.

And it was fun.

And the story is good.

Pant, pant. I´m back.

And it feels good.

PS This space will soon - like when Sean gets home from school - have the correct titles and author named of the abovementioned favorite books. Apologies to the author.

Containing the Jealous Gardener

So my friend Maggi, of Malibu, California built in San Miguel in a gated little plot of ground with a gorgeous view where three homes share gardens, an ancient chapel and a lovely pool. Everything was beautiful until the owners of the two other homes (who happen to be related) had seemingly unbridgeable differences of opinions, and now one or both of the homes are for sale. Maggi wants buyers who will make good neighbors.

Enter Don Jesus.

Jesus identified a spirit or ghost who lived in the area of a mesquite tree on the property, rather peacefully. The problem, he noted, was not the ghost but the manager of one of the houses, whose livlihood would be threatened by a sale. Would he keep his job? Yes, Maggi concurred. Don Mario, we´ll call him, had been less than friendly, since an imminent sale was announced.

Don Jesus´mission was to cleanse the energy around Maggi´s house and minimize the impact of Don Mario´s insecurity. Again, as with the Burch´s house, Jesus opened windows, spread his magic water across the floors and spritzed the air. Then he cleansed all of us inside, including me, so we could spread good energy to the newly uncontaminated space.