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As many of you may know, our beloved sister hostess SHARON DONOVAN, tragically passed away on 11th April 2012. We who knew her, loved her, and were inspired by her courage and determination to face head on whatever life threw at her. When she could no longer see to paint she turned to writing and showed her amazing talent in the Inspirational Romance and Romantic Suspense genres, and her story 'Charade Of Hearts' was awarded the coveted Predators and Editors Award in January 2011.

This Blog was a source of great delight to her, she was one of the founder hostesses and she contributed to the fun and silliness in her own original way, and was kind enough to let her unique creation, the hunky butler 'Oliver' join us for our Friday romp and prepare 'virtual breakfast' for the guests on the following morning. It's beyond hard to have to go on without her, but we know that she would have been the first to insist that 'the show must go on.' She is, and will always be with us in spirit.
Sharon, dear friend, we will never forget you.
The Author Roast and Toast is part of the legacy you left us. Let's raise a Toast to you as well as all our guests.
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Friday, September 5, 2014

A Hollywood Premier celebration for 'Paper Doll' by Joe Cosentino

The hostesses walk down the red carpet, flashes from the cameras exploding in their faces.
Mac, Lilly and Mary, dressed in gorgeous creations of mint green, blue and deep violet respectively, sashay down the runway, wide smiles on their faces as they wave at the public who wait patiently ten-deep for a glimpse of their favourite stars. 

“Oh, my gosh, Lyn,” LaVerne whispers out the corner of her mouth as they follow their fellow hostesses, her normally pale skin drained of all colour. “When you mentioned we were hosting a movie premiere for Joe Cosentino and his stunning heroine, Jana Lane, you failed to mention it was a Hollywood premiere. Look at the gorgeousness around us.” She gestures around then glances down at her own snug jeans and heels and winces. “I’m underdressed!”

 
Lyn grins and links their arms, propelling them in a stately march to the entrance. “Silly girl. This is Hollywood. Anything goes. You’re rocking the casual-cool look. Besides,” she nods towards Mary who’s stopped to have a selfie taken with a fan. “Everyone will be too distracted by Mary’s girls in that dress to take any notice.”

“I heard that.” Mary waves goodbye to her adoring public and matches stride with Lyn and LaVerne, adjusting the front of her dress in a futile tug. “What I wouldn’t give for a safety pin.”

“Oh, no,” LaVerne grins and links her free arm with Mary’s. “Flaunt it, girlfriend. I would if I could.”
Without warning, Lyn picks up speed and drags the other hostesses along making them trip over her feet. “The party has started and the special guests are here, hurry up girls!”

They join Mac and Lilly at the entrance where Oliver waits for them all before dispensing glasses of champagne and flattery. They float inside, blushing and giggling like schoolgirls. A man, resplendent in a tuxedo turns at their noisy entrance, a smile lighting his face and murmurs to the stunning woman at his side, her strawberry-blonde hair glinting under the chandeliers.

“Joe! Jana!” Lilly steps forward and kisses them each on the cheek. “How lovely to see you both. I can’t wait to hear more about your story. It sounds intriguing!”

“Thank you,” Jana replies, the musical quality to her voice matching the beauty of her appearance. “And thank you for hosting the premiere. This spread is amazing.”


Chocolate popcorn, pesto pizza, star shaped ginger cookies, tuxedo
brownie cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry shortcake, and strawberry ice cream sundaes. 

“No one does a party like the Roast girls, that’s for sure,” agrees Mac then sidles closer to the banquet table. “Hmm. Chicken Fingers With Caviar or Red Carpet Rollups.” Unable to decide, she plucks up both and bites into the rollup first, closing her eyes in delight. "Dig in guys. Oliver has really upped his game tonight!"


Not needing any further encouragement, they crowd the table, oohing and ahhing over the centrepiece, an Oscar-shaped fruit jello mold before piling their plates high.

Lilly taps her glass for attention. “Before we start, let’s raise our glasses to Joe Cosentino and his new novel, Paper Doll. With Jana center-stage, it is sure to be a hit!”

They hold their glasses aloft and clink, the sound of merriment filling the air. 

 
 PAPER DOLL
Picture
Purchase at Amazon

After a short ride into the center of town, Jana parked her car and walked to a dress shop on Carriage House Court. Once inside, she tried on her new dress for the evening—a pretty rayon print. Both the encouraging saleswoman and Jana agreed the dress was the most beautiful creation in Dutchess County, New York.

Moments later, Jana hurried out of the store with box-in-hand—totally convinced that the dress was not right for her. As she ran across the lamppost-lined street, the ex-child star noticed an odd-looking boy with a turned up nose and a full red mouth. She realized that he was dressed in light blue from head-to-toe. As he grew closer in her view, he transformed into a thirty-eight-year-old man sporting the beginnings of a receded hairline and an intense gleam of desire in his big brown eyes.

“Jana, it’s you!”

“Have we met?” She took a step backward and perused the small town shops for lit windows.

“Pardon me. I feel like I’ve known you all my life!” he said ecstatically. When for some reason she seemed perplexed, he added, “I watch your movies!”

“Still?”

“Sure. All the time.”

Ah, a fan. “I’m flattered.” Let’s see, is there a working pen in my purse to sign an autograph? “That’s quite noble.”

“You’d be surprised the parts you can forget. Like when you were seven years old in Surf’s Up, and you saved your little friend, Timmy, from that shark. Then you swam him on your back to your father’s boat. And when Timmy asked if you would ride with him back to shore you said, ‘Don’t worry . . . I won’t leave you. We’ll be friends . . . always.’ I almost forgot that part until I replayed you on tape yesterday, and there it was. It still puts a lump in my throat.”

“Thank you.” Is there any mace in my purse?

“My name is Mark Leonard. I’m your biggest fan!” His eyes grew bulbous.

“Nice to meet you, Mark.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” He bowed grandly.

Not knowing if she should pat him on the head or lift her ring to his lips, she said, “I’d better go.” Jana placed one foot in front of the other, hoping the man would not follow her. Once at a safe distance, she called out over her shoulder, “Take care,” and kept walking—rapidly.

He stood on the curb, wiped the perspiration from his hands onto his vest, and called out, “I’m so happy to have finally met you. I’ve been searching for quite a while. I even tracked down your father. I phoned him to try to find you. You mean a great deal to me. I wake up each morning thinking about your movies. If I’m having a bad day . . . which is most of the time . . . I remember something encouraging you said in one of your films, and I feel better.”

Jana waved and walked faster.

“And don’t worry, Jana. Other people may have stopped watching, but not me. I promise! I’ll always be your fan.”


Fifteen minutes later, Jana’s sports car rounded a curve overlooking New York’s picturesque Hudson Valley. She was lost in thought about the strange mix of people in her little hometown—not so unlike the people she had once encountered in Hollywood’s motion picture industry. Jana spotted a small black car growing larger behind her. She strained to see the driver’s face in her rear view mirror, but instead noticed a black tinted front window—now a few inches away from her back fender. Feeling the sweat drip down her leg, Jana pressed harder on the gas pedal. Rapidly approaching a zigzag in the road, she noticed the upcoming stretch of non shouldered highway was under construction and had no guard-rail. Suddenly, the black car was an inch away and then just a heart palpitation away! As Jana flashed her lights, she pleaded with God to save her—for the sake of her children, to reconcile with Brian, to watch over her father and Tamara. Just as the black monstrosity was about to run her tiny sports car off the road, Jana veered right—into a patch of mud and briar. With a growl, the black car sped along the open highway.

“Joe Cosentino has utilized his keen knowledge of show business through shrewd celluloid eyes with tight twists, wicked turns, and one stunning surprise after another!”
            ̶  Jeff Walt, author of “Hex”

“Paper Doll is a delicious concoction of suspense and nostalgia with all the trash of the tabloids and all the style of classic film noir.  Romance, glamour, lust, and murder, make a page turning mystery. I can’t wait for the sequel; I can’t wait for the movie!”
            ̶  Gerald Fierst, storyteller and author of “The Heart of the Wedding”
Joe Cosentino has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and Jason Robards. He has written and directed many musical plays for family audiences (toured through Encore Performing Arts of NY, and one published through Eldridge Plays and Musicals). His one-act plays, Infatuation and Neighbor were performed in New York City. Another one-act, Swing, was performed by Stageworks of NY and published in the Marquee Literary Journal. He wrote The Perils of Pauline, available on CDROM (through Prentice Hall Publishers). Joe received his MFA from Goddard College in Vermont, and MA from SUNY New Paltz. He is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York. His upcoming novels include An Infatuation (Dreamspinner Press),Drama Queen, and Nick the Nerd (for children). JoeCosentino.weebly.com.


***GIVEAWAY***
To win a copy of Joe 's book, all you have to do is just leave a comment and your e-mail address.
Contest ends on Sunday and everyone who comments is eligible.
(We reserve the right to waive the prize in any week when there are not enough contestants for a draw to be deemed fair and unbiased)

52 comments:

  1. Welcome to your Roast, Joe, 'Paper Doll' sounds amazing - we hope you enjoy your party and wishing you much success with your new book!

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  2. When I was an actor, I always wanted to win an Oscar. Now I feel as if I've arrived. Hah. Thanks so much for the roast. I love all of the pictures and write-ups!

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  3. Good morning Joe and fans. lol! And welcome to The Roast! Joe, that excerpt gave me goosebumps. Or as my daughter used to say, "It gave me chicken skin!" Paper Doll sounds like an exciting read and it is definitely going on my TBR list. Now, about Bruce Willis and Jason Robarbs....did you meet them? I think they are both great actors! Can you share some of the titles of some of the movies in which you had a part? Sounds very exciting! Let's drink to your continued success. Oliver! More champagne please!

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  4. I'll drink to that! Good morning, Joe and congrats on the release of Paper Doll. Mornin' chickies. Doesn't everyone look fab!

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  5. Thanks, Lilly. Yes! I acted in the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with Bruce Willis, the play "The Roar of the Greasepaint" with Nathan Lane, a TV commercial with Jason Robards, the ABC-TV movie "My Mother Was Never a Kid" with Holland Taylor, and an AT&T live Industrial with Rosie O'Donnell. "My Mother Was Never a Kid" is on You Tube. When my college students saw it, they said, "You were cute when you were young!" Hah.

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    1. I'm going to have to check out You Tube. ;-) And remember that here on The Roast, we are all young and cute. Just ask Oliver. He never seems to age. lol!

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  6. Lilly, thank you also for the nice comment about the blurb from my book. That is the section where Jana Lane, my heroine, meets her most devoted fan, Mark Leonard. Like the rest of the mystery/romance novel, it is quirky and fun, but a real suspense nail-biter. Here is the blurb about the book: Jana Lane was America’s most famous child star until she was attacked on the studio lot at eighteen years old. Now a thirty-eight-year-old beauty and mother of two living in a mansion in picturesque Hudson Valley, New York, Jana’s flashbacks from her past turn into murder attempts in her present.
    The local suspects include Jana’s down-on-his-luck husband with a dislike for living off the fruits of his wife’s young labor, Jana’s sister and male friend (who both have eyes for Jana’s husband), Jana’s show business father, her deranged loyal fan, and Jana's young Guy Friday who covets her fame and shares an uncanny resemblance to Jana.
    Forced to summon up the lost courage she had as a child, Jana visits the California movie studio she once called home. This sends her on a whirlwind of visits with former and current movie studio personnel. It also leads to a romance with the son of her old producer—Rocco Cavoto—the devilishly handsome filmmaker who is planning Jana’s comeback both professionally and personally. With Rocco’s help, Jana uncovers a web of secrets about everyone she loves, including the person who destroyed her past and threatens to snuff out her future.
    After you read it, please let me know how you liked it!

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    1. I agree with one of your reviews. This WOULD make an awesome movie! Sounds like a great read too. Care to share another excerpt...one that will have us on the edge of our seats?

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  7. Hywela, Lilly, and Mackenzie, You did a great job with this blog. It is so much fun and so creative! Am I the first male writer you have roasted? If so, I should win the Oscar for Best Male Writer on the Author Roast and Toast blogspot. Hah.

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    1. Geez, there's no edit button here. What gives? LOL What I meant to say was, And the Oscar goes to....

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  8. I read and loved this book. It's a real page turner. Such vivid characters/suspects. I totally did not guess the ending/villain, but when it was revealed, it made total sense. I recommend it to everyone. It should be made into a movie too! Sharon

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  9. Thanks, Sharon. I like mysteries with many clues adding up to only one possible ending, rather than an author simply picking the culprit out of nowhere. P.S. - I want to play Simon (Jana's agent) in the movie version. Now all we need is a production company to option the book!

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  10. Hi Sharon, so glad you could join us to celebrate Joe's book - it sounds like it would make a wonderful movie. LOL Joe, I think that's most auhor's dream to see their book made into a movie - as long as the film didn't deviate too much from the book, of course!

    By the way, in answer to your query - we have had a few males on the Roast before, but you are rather a rare species! We think you certainly deserve an Oscar anyway!

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  11. I also red the book and loved it. Yes, it would make a great movie. The characters are so rich and varied. The story grabs you emotionally, and the thriller ending is an exciting surprise. Enjoy your red carpet gala! - Fred

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  12. Sorry to be late, I got star struck! So you have a history in acting. I hope you enjoyed every minute of it. This dress is giving me fits. How do they keep them on when the tape don't work??
    Wouldn't that be amazing to have a movie made out of your book.

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  13. Hywela, thank you for the Oscar! I would like to thank the Academy, the AuthorRoastandToast blog, and my mother in NJ who said to me recently, "Don't you have anything better to do than write books?" I wonder if Shakespeare's mother said that. Hah.

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  14. My question is:
    How much research went into the descriptive interior design sections of the book. You are very specific about costume, furniture ect. Does this come from your acting career; time on sets and in preparing for theatre roles? - Margaret

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  15. Welcome to the Roast Sharon and Fred. Have you had any Champagne yet? Mary, you definitely need more tape for that dress! Joe, if your book is made into a movie and you win an Oscar for best supporting role for your part as Jana's agent, can you finagle an Oscar invite for the hostesses?

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  16. Thanks, Fred! I agree that the book is very cinematic. Now we just need millions of dollars to shoot and distribute the movie. I wonder if Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper read this blog and would like to star? Hah.

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  17. Mary, in the theatre we use velcro, so actors can quickly slip in and out of costumes, even overdressing for quick changes. You four definitely need that so you can always be ready for the red carpet!

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    1. Oh, dear Lord, Joe. Don't give Mary any ideas about how to get out of her clothes faster. We have enough trouble with her already.

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  18. Margaret, Great question! As an actor and playwright, I knew I could handle writing good, juicy, character-driven dialogue for my first novel, but I was concerned about writing the descriptive passages. However, a number of people and reviewers have mentioned how much they enjoyed those descriptive sections. I based Jana's mansion and furniture in Hyde Park, New York on a rich relative's mansion in NJ. I did a lot of web research on women's clothing in 1980 to describe Jana's vast wardrobe. It was also fun to throw in many tidbits about 1980 throughout the book (i.e. yellow ribbon, Donna Summer, etc.).

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  19. Lilly, yes of course! When I am nominated (and win) the Oscars for Best Screenplay and Best Featured Actor for PAPER DOLL, I will send you an invitation. So buy the velcro now!

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  20. Lilly, Yes, I noticed that Oliver hasn't aged throughout the blog. I was tempted to ask you to use his picture instead of mine. Hah. Thanks for requesting another snippet from PAPER DOLL. Here is how the novel opens--with Jana's recurring nightmare from her past:
    Eighteen-year-old child star, Jana Lane, stood deathly still. A masked figure sprang out from the shadows. Jana tried to call out, but a gloved-hand covered her mouth and dragged her backwards, causing her tiny heels to scrape against the gray studio floor. In a dark flash, two hard knees pinned the backs of her legs onto the cold concrete. Another gloved-hand wrenched her wrists together until . . .

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  21. I especially loved the characters when Jana goes to Hollywood to investigate her past. Were they based on people you worked with in show business? Miriam

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  22. Miriam, Those characters made me laugh out loud when I wrote them. They also contribute a number of important clues. They aren't directly based on people I've worked with, but they have certain elements from actors, agents, directors, and producers I've known or observed. Thank you!

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  23. Would you rather see a TV series, or a movie?
    How about another excerpt? Pretty please. I promise to use the tape! Or not use it? Either way it's a good idea. If I have a clothing malfunction, it might shock the red carpet right off the floor! It's true, we have a real use for the tape, especially if it can improve anything!

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  24. The more I hear about this book the more I think I need to read it, Joe!

    I have to tell you it's not getting in and out of costumes that's Mary's problem - it's more of an -er - a 'fallout' problem you could say! LOL (Well curvy is our Mary)

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  25. Mary and Hywela, duct tape may work. hah. I think PAPER DOLL should be a movie first then a TV series. This way I can win an Oscar and an EMMY, and you can all attend. Hah. That makes me think of the actress character on "Hot in Cleveland" on TV Land who named her children: Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. It makes sense to me. Here's another clip from the very beginning of the novel. Enjoy!
    “Jana?”
    She gasped for much-needed air. A strong hand touched her shoulder.
    “Another dream?”
    She shivered a nod.
    Her husband wiped a tear off the face he once called, ‘as smooth as the porcelain doll that bore its name.’ He asked, “What can I do, babe?”
    “Hold me.” Jana felt her eyes double in size. She couldn’t face the horror of her nightmare. More importantly, she couldn’t face the possibility that it was more than a dream.
    Brian wrapped his powerful arms around her petite body like a blanket over a baby. He gazed down at her pouty full lips and said, “Don’t make me worry. Tell me what you saw, Jan.”
    As she relayed the painful details of the nightmare, Jana placed her index finger with the bitten off nail around her husband’s large round thumb. It felt warm and protecting.
    “A masked man, huh.” Brian’s eyes twinkled playfully. “You sure it wasn’t some Zorro rerun stuck in your beautiful head?” He winced as two fingers pulled at the hair on his arm. “Ouch!”
    “Sorry.” She wasn’t.
    Rubbing his arm, he asked, “1960 is a long time ago. Why do you think you’re remembering it all now—twenty years later?”
    With raised shoulders, she said, “I don’t know.”
    “I think I do.”
    She did a double-take. “What?”
    With a condescending nod, he said, “Your nightmares are courtesy of Scott Lane.”
    Jana slid out from Brian’s touch, tugged back the silk bed sheet her husband recently called, ‘the fruits of her child labor,’ and sat with her elbows resting on her knees. “What does my father have to do with—”
    “All his blabber about ‘the good old days in Hollywood’ when you were ‘a star.’ It’s no wonder you’re reliving all that crap. I thought you had decided . . . we had decided to finally let it go. Jana . . . babe, I don’t want to have to glue you back together again the way I did when we first met.”
    “So, now this is all about you?”
    “It’s about your mental health!”
    A crease formed between her eyebrows. “So now you’re a psychiatrist. I thought you were a—” Her words raced out faster than her brain formed them.
    “I’m a what? Go ahead and say it!” He rose from the bed and stared out the window at the swirled palette of orange, red, and violet over the nearby black jagged mountains. Like Jana Lane, it was perfection out of reach.
    After a guilty cringe into her pillow, Jana said, “I didn’t mean to disparage your profession.”
    “I know what you meant,” he said resentfully.
    As Brian ran his fingers through the thick mane that crowned his six-foot stance, Jana watched his body glow like a bronzed Greek god in the early morning sunlight. She remembered their first meeting at the Hyde Park Town Hall. He reminded her then of a boy who had found a wounded bird, and made a vow to protect it from the storm. Yes, Brian was definitely the anchor that saved Jana Lane after her stormy ride in Hollywood, and she would never forget it.
    Lifting her arms invitingly, she said, “Come back to bed.”
    Brian stared at the expensive ruby-red canopy bed, where they once made love from dusk to dawn. “I have to get ready to do some important landscaping.” He brushed past a French Provincial chair and closed the bathroom door behind him.
    Jana rubbed her throbbing eyes and rested back against the bed’s gold circular headboard. She wanted Brian to understand about her childhood . . . her family . . . and her marriage.
    She rose and peered into the spacious bathroom. Hearing a Billy Joel song playing on the radio, she watched unnoticed as Brian rested his head against the glass wall of their long shower stall, whispered her name, and cried into the water droplets from the pure-gold nozzle.

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  26. Yes, I had some champagne and hors d'oeuvres, and am enjoying the discussion. Joe, you have such a wide range of characters. Where do you get your character ideas -- from people you know, people you read about, or just make it up out of your head? - Fred

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  27. Joe, I agree that the characters are so vivid and fun to read. Which one is your favorite, least favorite? Karen

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  28. Karen, thank you! Wow, that's like asking which is your favorite child. My mother would have no problem with that one. Hah. Jana’s sister, Tamara, was hardest to write since, unlike most of the other characters in the novel, Tamara does not have a sense of humor. Tamara is a tortured soul with a secret and painful past. She loves her sister (and brother-in-law) yet at the same time envies her. It was difficult for me to get into her mindset, but once I did, I believe I represented her well. Jana’s best friend Jackson was the most fun to write because he is so funny, smart, charming, and devoted to Jana (and her husband). I also like that Jackson has the courage to fight for equality as a gay activist back in 1980 when it wasn’t as acceptable as it is now.

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  29. Hi Joe and hostesses, I really enjoyed the book too and loved the surprise ending. What advice would you give to someone who wants to write a mystery novel but is totally new to it? Tammy Q. P.S. - This blog is lots of fun.

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    1. Thanks Tammy! And as soon as you finish that mystery and get it published, remember to schedule your own roast!

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  30. Thank you, Tammy. The advice I was given was to read as many mystery novels as I possibly could read and post customer ratings/reviews on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. Next, I wrote my character breakdown and plot outline. I tried to write a story with engaging characters who I wanted to spend time with. Then I let my characters talk to one another. As they took on lives of their own, I gave myself the freedom to deviate from the outline when the characters dictated it. I wish you all the best with your novel. Please let me know when it is published. http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com.

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  31. Fred, thank you. My characters are conglomerations of various people I've met and observed. In the case of Jana Lane, I have always been fascinated by child stars like Hayley Mills, Elizabeth Taylor, Patty Duke, Natalie Wood, Shirley Temple, Roddy McDowell, Neil Patrick Harris, particularly as they navigate adulthood in show business. So I knew my first novel would pay tribute to that. Enjoy the champagne!

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  32. I'll take some of that champagne. It'll help with my balance. I myself am fascinated with grown up stars. Oh,Gerard Butler he'd do...
    A lot of those child stars seemed to be messed up adults, it's sad. Fame as youths was too much to handle.

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  33. Mary, true, but Jana (even after her attack) seems to have it together in the vein of stars like Hayley Mills and Neil Patrick Harris. However, when Jana gets attacked in the present, she realizes it is up to her to solve the mystery from her past to stay alive in the present.

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  34. Thanks, ladies, for the roast. Joe, can you tell us about your next novel? Tammy Q. again at the roast

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  35. Sure, Tammy. I'm glad you enjoyed the roast and toast. Dreamspinner Press is publishing my novella, AN INFATUATION, in February 2015. Here is the promo blurb: Muscular, sexy, and tantalizing, Mario was Harold’s hero and obsessive infatuation in high school until homophobia separated them. At their ten-year high school reunion, Harold is a teacher, and Mario is a male model. Both men are married: Mario to a woman, and Harold to a man. As the two meet and sparks fly, will Harold reignite the old flame and set his comfortable life ablaze? Joe Cosentino’s humorous, sweet, and touching novel will delightfully bring you back to your crushes of the past, and passions of the present!
    Also, I am currently writing a new comedy mystery series about murders in the world of academia, which I know something about. Not murder, academia!

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  36. Hi all!

    Joe - you look fantastic in a tuxedo! Thanks so much for the excerpts and the details behind your book. I love hearing how an author comes up with their ideas. There is nothing like experience to enrich fiction and you can certainly 'hear' it in these excerpts! Another one for my TBR pile for sure! :)

    Is Oliver still topping up the champagne? It might help me get through an afternoon with a houseful of five-year-olds! (Being Saturday here and my daughter hosting a play-date!) :)

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  37. LaVerne and all the hostesses, thank for the terrific roast and toast. I really enjoyed it. Obviously I love talking about the book. After you read it, please let me know what you think. And thank you to everyone who commented and asked such thought-provoking questions. Now I can get out of this tuxedo and bowtie and into my jammies. See you at the Oscars!

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  38. Hi La Verne - can I leave you in charge of the washing up? It's time for bed over here LOL!

    Goodnight Joe, We've loved having you as our special guest and it seems a shame that you're going to shed that very elegant tux - but jammies are Ok too. I must admit this evening gown is getting a bit uncomfortable and I'll be glad to get into my nightclothes myself - well it's not so much the gown as the shoes if I'm honest. Thank you for being such a fantastic guest of honour and we'll keep the party going for late comers.

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    1. But what fantastic shoes they were, Lyn! ;)

      Night, night everyone! *Tucks hand into crook of Oliver's arm* After all his hard work, its time Oliver kicked up his heels. I've heard he's a great dancer too - is there nothing he can't do? :)

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  39. LaVerne, I heard you know how to party. You're in charge. I have to take Lyn home, she snuck a flask of mead in, and well you know. Off to the after party!!

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    1. LOL! Thanks for looking after our Lyn, Mary, not that I can blame her. Mead, mmmm.

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  40. What a fun party. Loved the excerpts. Going to have to put this on my reading list.
    Sue B
    katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

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  41. Hi Sue B! Glad you could make it! Oliver has just opened a fresh bottle of champagne. Cheers!

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  42. Hi Sue - glad you could make it, we love having you visit our parties. I agree those excerpts really draw one in don't they - and I want to read this book too!

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