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Author Doesn’t Eat Vegetables and is Very Short - Connection? You Decide.

Saturday, February 16th, 2008 February 16, 2008 Hello Darlings, Did you miss me? I missed you. All I can say is thank you Lard Jeezus (!!!) for ending the Writer’s Strike so I can send my newsletters out again. As you know, I had to go into reruns with my Holiday letter and I went dark until a settlement was reached. No, I’m not in the Union, but my adorable and talented screenwriters for The Ivy Chronicles are and you know me, I’m nothing if not supportive. I hope Jim and Stan appreciate my sacrifice and send me a thank you text message or better yet, citrus scented bath products (I love those). Since we last connected, Christmas has come and gone. We took another cruise, this one to the Caribbean. It was on the Emerald Princess, which holds 3,000 people, the subway of cruise ships. Yes, if you must know, this was a continuation the vital research I was compelled to do for Holly Would Dream. You can’t be too careful with details in fiction. My public demands authenticity in their beach reads. I believe my next book will be set in a private villa in the South of France with many servants to do my (I mean, my character’s) bidding . Last weekend, I made a fascinating discovery at The Golden Door Spa where Mark took me for a getaway (yes, it is hard being me). Backstory: I am a girl who does not eat her vegetables. Seriously it is rare that a green food passes my lips. Perhaps this accounts for my shortness of stature, I don’t know. It’s either that or all the coffee I drank as a toddler. Now brown foods I love (steak, chocolate, potatoes, bread - yummy!). But I digress. Not long ago I was visiting my thin friend and talented writer (Guilding Lily), Tatiana, who was on a juice fast. She offered me a sip of some green looking sludge (Pureed algae perhaps?), and I politely declined. But after my massage last week at the Golden Door, they gave me a glass of this moss green slimy looking shit, I mean juice. I decided to be brave and taste it (because everyone else in the relaxation room was drinking theirs) and guess what? It was delicious! Who knew that they hide the taste of the vegetables with fruit juice! As soon as I returned home, I went to Whole Foods and bought three brands of green juice for a comparison test. I figured, if I could get something healthy into me without having to taste icky spinach or yucky broccoli, it would be an absolute coup. Here are my results: The best tasting (no hint of vegetable at all) was Odwalla Superfood; a close second was Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness; Naked Green Machine was third and I warn you, there is a spinachy aftertaste (echh echh). So if you’re like me and you don’t eat your vegetables, this is a good way to sneak them in your diet. I was so inspired after this discovery that I went out and bought Jessica Seinfeld’s book Deceptively Delicious which is all about hiding vegetables in your foods to get your children (or in my case, me) to eat them. I am going to try some of the recipes this week so I’ll report back. Here’s a quick family update because my holiday letter was a rerun of letters past. Schuyler continues to soar. She got the lead in her school play, Bye Bye Birdie (the Ann Margaret role). I’m so proud of her for that. Yesterday, she jetted off to a posh resort in Mexico with her friend, Rachel, for winter break (In my next life, remind me to come back as one of my children). Sam continues to stay in his room most of the time, except when he quietly slips out to hang with his posse. He makes good grades, bathes, and changes his underwear every other day so I can’t complain. Mark is ecstatic that the indoor track season has started. It doesn’t take much to make him happy - a track meet, a jazz show, the love of a good woman (moi!). Me, I’m just writing away and continuing my studies at Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts. Currently, I’m working toward my PH.d in Pleasure. Really, I am. It’s so much more fun than studying for those silly business or law degrees I got in my youth. Well, that’s it for now. Hope you are having a great Winter and sticking to that diet you resolved to go on after the New Year. I know I’m not. Hugs, Karen P.S. I’m so excited about Holly Would Dream, which comes out in June. One of the fun things about the book is that has over 125 hidden references to my favorite Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant movies. If you want to be REALLY prepared to read the book and spot the references, watch these films between now and June: An Affair to Remember, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Charade, To Catch a Thief, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, That Touch of Mink, Funny Face, My Fair Lady, How to Steal a Million. These are all great movies that I promise you’ll love.