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City Girl

As a reward for tackling another big chunk of my scarily gigantic to-do list, I'm playing You Got Mail in the background. 

I'm in love with the moment when Tom Hanks' character reads Pride and Prejudice because a woman he's never met said he should. I have told my close guy friends that they would SO GET LAID if they read some Jane Austen. Seriously, they could use it to replace those lame pick up lines and their success rate would rise. But it's too much effort to actually read. 

Every Nora Ephron movie makes me want to live in New York. She knew how to capture the city in such a beautiful way. One day I'd love to capture a city that way in my writing. Maybe Charlotte, if only to find the bits of heart that it has, though most of the time it feels so artificial. I'm finding more and more hidden gems of life and beauty, of organic and genuine places in the city. We'll see if I end up sticking it out. 

Yeah, I'm definitely a city girl. 

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....And Then Writing Happened (by Darcy Drake)

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Fucking love water color tattoos!

This was done by JohnnyMac at Tinta Catina in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I kind of let him do whatever. I wanted watercolor and a pawprint. He did 3 because I have 3 dogs (in type writer form) and did my favorite colors as well. He added the heart last minute too.

Even my dad who hates my tattoos loved this one. This guy is genius. I love my dogs so much and this really shows it. <3Tabitha

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To give me a break from the moving craziness and to distract me from the writing rush, the boyfriend took me to the UNCC Botanical Gardens. In less humidity, I could definitely see myself writing here. If you're a Charlotte local, you should definitely check it out!

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I must Cosplay this. ONE DAY. 

Miss Sherlock Holmes, The Hounds of Baskerville,

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In the middle of moving!

After a fifty-two hour work week at the day jobs and helping my mom with her own move to Texas. Hopefully I'll be back to my usual social media antics in a week or two. 

P.S. But writing has to come first yo.

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By this time tomorrow I'll be in Greenville, hanging out with The M Shelf Ladies!

And it will be freaking awesome because when I see them I'll be like

Because I woke up like at 5am on a Saturday to drive two hours to get to Greenville from Charlotte. 

And then we'll be like

All the way to the PRW meeting.

And then I'll have to try and sit still in my chair while Anna DeStefano talks so she won't want to kill me but seriously the ADHD sometimes makes me like

And when I do make it through the meeting I'll be like

And Elizabeth Michels will be like

And then there will be mimosas and french toast and breakfast and shenanigans and beautiful shoes and all the wonderful things in the world and 

And by the end of the weekend I'll be like

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Is It Unfair Treatment or Calling Out the Posers?

Akin to my small addiction to trash tv and my huge love for all things Entertainment Weekly, I do have the habit of visiting websites like Yahoo!'s OMG!. For the most part, it's fuck awful. Fuck awful in a delicious kind of way, like a Hostess cake. That's a compliment! They know their business and their audience. They suck me in with blend of gossip, fashion, and entertainment. But once in awhile, they put up something that provokes greater thought besides whether Anne Hathaway or Emily Blunt wore a dress better. 

I was reading Fashion Designers Slamming Celebrities by Breanne L. Heldman. Oh, why was I reading this when I should have been making comments on a CP's manuscript, answering emails, or, you know, writing? I don't know. Yes, I do. I'm procrastinating. Anyway, the story begins with this:

It’s one thing when websites like us call out frightening outfits in galleries like our weekly installment of “What Were They Thinking?!” It’s quite another when the designers themselves publicly diss the stars who might just be wearing their costly clothes.

This can be especially shocking because most of the digs are coming from older, well-respected, A-list designers and they’re picking on celebrities many view as style icons.

These days I'm not sure if there are any celebrity style icons. Between being paid to wear the clothes or having their outfits chosen for them by professionals, it seems that these so-called 'style icons' are more like blank canvases. Actors and actresses are in the business of, well, acting. I'm sure there are those that put their own thoughts into their style, but for the most part it appears that style is a full time job that is outsourced to the nearest Rachel Zoe. They might have an interest, but that doesn't mean they know how to create a unique style that will make them stand out on the red carpet. And standing out on the red carpet is pretty damn important, just like an amazing cover is to a book among hundreds and thousands in a store.

Fashion, like publishing, is a group effort. Sure, it's headed up by the big brain running the show, but behind the name is a whole team making their vision a reality. Books wouldn't be possible without the teams at the writer's agent's agency, the writer's editor and publishing house. 

She goes on to quote two well known designers, both in the fashion world and in the public eye:

“Today, if you play tennis, you can be a really good designer,” Oscar de la Renta said while accepting an award from the Couture Council. “Or, if you’re an actress, you can be a designer. I’ve been at it for 45 years and I’m still learning my craft on a daily basis.”

When asked what he thought of celebrity clothing lines such as Adam Levine for Kmart and Katie Holmes for Holmes & Yang, youngster Christian Siriano told omg!, “The hardest thing is when people have no place in the industry. It’s a tough thing because there’s a lot of people that just don’t understand the business.”

When I read these remarks, they do not come off as 'dissing' to me. The article does go on to list fashion cattiness, designers criticizing the celebrities wearing their clothes. Whatever. I'm sure it hurts when a designer says you're forgettable, but I hope that they'd react by throwing up a big 'W' into the air.

I'm more interested in the beginning of the article, addressing designers vs. celebrities with their own clothing lines.

And they definitely don’t care for celebrity clothing lines.

Can anyone blame them?

I mean, really? 

In every creative industry, I think there is a certain amount of eye rolling when it comes to those leap frogging from one to another, using their fame in one area to jump right to the top.

There is a general understanding that even the right to go for a chance at success has to be earned. It's about proving yourself and paying dues. These days there are lots of ways to square away that bill, from going through the nail biting process of a contest to starting out as the coffee person in a big company. Hard work is a universal sign that you want something badly enough.

If an actor does cross over into fashion, they have to work hard to prove they deserve to be there. That it isn't just their name earning them a fat paycheck. If it appears that they are only "endorsing" a line with very little real design commitment, then of course this would be repugnant to artists. Duh.

All in all, I think they are trying to say, in their own darling way, is that it takes hard work to succeed... and that posers need to GTFO of our industry. And doesn't everyone feel that way?

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BuzzFeed: 16 Reasons You MUST Revisit “Murder, She Wrote”

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How cool! The M Shelf Ladies did character cast posts too.

;D

Check out their posts and drool over the awesome casts of their books!

McGovy... and... E. Michels.

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The "Saint Series" Cast

Sarah Shahi as Victoria Saint, the superhuman optimist and freelance zombie killer turned amateur sleuth

Josh Holloway as J. Falconer, the bow-wielding gardener

Niecy Nash as Latoya Richardson, ZEDs desk attendant/temp receptionist for Mayor Standwick

Emma Watson as Sarsaparilla Foyle, the Assistant Apprentice Archivist

"Zombie Boy" as Hex, bouncer at the Cherry Club (Hex's tattoos are solely bone images and not the awesome purification artwork.)

Christina Hendricks as Madam Magenta, Governor of the First Ward

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Captain Rodney Fairchild, Head of the Zombie Elimination Division

Fiona Shaw as Mayor Fiona Standwick (I did try to name her something else, but 'Fiona' stuck.)

Yaya DaCosta as Bellamy, a worker in the textiles co-op with an eye for details.

[Obviously these picstures are just approximations of how I imagine the characters and I'm posting them just for fun. :) I'm still missing a few characters.

Inspired by asking Heather McGovern who she imagined as her characters. Tag, McGovy!]

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Dar's Thoughts on "Fame"

It's no secret that I'm a functioning addict of Entertainment Weekly (magazine AND website) as not only do they comment on gossip, but have legitimate reviews, articles, and updates. It's a great source for someone who likes more meat than gravy with their movie-music-tv-all-things-entertainment news.

Also it's convenient because EW is obsessed with all things Jennifer Lawrence and I can read their commentary on everything she does without feeling like a total creeper... even though I am a total creeper. 

[Image: Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

It made me ridiculously happy when she quoted The First Wives' Club in her acceptance speech, a movie I know by heart. It's one of my grandma's favorites and we watch it all the time together (since I was a young kid) and always danced around the room, singing the end song together. "Youuuuu don't oooown meeeee!"

  Jennifer Lawrence walks the line of sharing herself with the world, but holding enough back to remain a private individual. Whether this is thought out, practiced, or happens on it's own, as a fan and fellow human being, I appreciate it. Just because I think, "O-m-g we'd totally be friends" about someone doesn't mean I want their privacy invaded or know too much about them. If it came out tomorrow that JLaw was having an affair with some married director (ala KStew) I wouldn't want to know and I wouldn't care.

She's an actress, not a public official. I don't buy this line that fame equals answering to the entire world for every decision made. 

So what inspired this commentary?

Because I always have to deal with fucking Lindsay Lohan (when I make the mistake, like today, of getting my Golden Globes fix somewhere other than EW) mixed in with the good stuff.

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Maybe it's because I'm part of the generation where fame is only one YouTube video or talent competition away? A couple of million hits on a video and you get the next big star. The right publicity ploy at the right time and you get "overnight success." Artificial as it is, it does make the perceived degrees of separation shrink.  Hearing about Lindsay Lohan AGAIN is like listening to your great-aunt talk about that cousin you can't stand, but for some reason, everybody enjoys talking about her and you're like, 'please shut up.' Oh come on, every family has one of those.

For me, as I think is the same for many, respect and admiration has to be continuously earned. You want me to care? Do something to earn it. Capitalizing on fans when nothing is being given back is smarmy. If you're going to be in my face, you have to have a good reason. If your career is over and can't be revived, stop being ridiculous and go the fuck away. Find meaning in your life.

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Or let someone smack you upside the head until enough fluff and coke is gone and fill the empty cavity with common sense. Don't mistake people paying money to read gossip about you as fan loyalty or respect. It's not.

Goldie Hawn's character in The First Wives' Club is an aging actress who accepts herself, realizes her reliance on alcohol, and with the support and advice of her friends, gets the career revival she wanted, but in a way she didn't plan. In the end, she is able to respect herself again, which was what she wanted and needed all along.

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I don't care if she's fictional, THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE! 

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A tribute to the many exquisite faces of Goldie Hawn in The First Wives Club

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It was a fitting reference. Quick thinking!