[She] is the person with whom, in a room full of silly, boastful people, you will exchange a silent, speaking glance that becomes a smile; the person to whom you never need to explain yourself laboriously; the person you will not compete with.

[She] is that person you realize, deep down and at once, will be your friend.

This wonderful definition of female friendship is surprisingly written by a man in his book Indiscretion, a tribute to Jane Austen–Austen with balls (and not the waltzing kind), if you like–a truly fabulous read. Austen didn’t write many strong female friendships–the whole area seems to be full of pitfalls for her. Many of the friendships she depicts are skin deep–Marianne Dashwood cultivating Lucy Steele to find out the truth about Edward, for instance; or Catherine Morland’s flighty friendship with the flighty Isabella Thorpe. I’ve never really been sure whether Elizabeth Bennett’s friendship with Charlotte Lucas is deep enough, or shallow enough, to survive Charlotte’s marriage to Mr. Collins.

Austen’s relationships between sisters are much stronger and more subtle, and I think that’s a convention romance has adopted. Jude Morgan’s Indiscretion is the only romance I’ve read (and I’m very poorly read in romance, I’m the first to admit it) where a female friendship rings true.

Who are your favorite fictional sets of friends or sisters, and which would you rather read about?

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic power in it. Begin it now. – Goethe

This is just one inspirational quote from a collection I’ve been accumulating over time. It’s a good one. And yet beginning “it” (the writing) “now” isn’t as easy as it sounds.

I usually start writing soon after the kids get on the bus. But getting them there can be a hectic process: lunches and snacks to pack, fashion emergencies to solve, the violin to be remembered on orchestra days, etc… Making the transition from harried mom to focused writer isn’t trivial. What helps me is ritual.

First I make sure I won’t get cold from sitting quietly. Having a sweater handy keeps me from jumping up and getting sidetracked by some household task. I make sure I have coffee or tea at my elbow. I close the door, even if no one else is in the house, as it gives me a sense of being safe in my writing “cave”. I turn on music–usually classical instrumental, as lyrics distract me from the words I’m supposed to be writing. At present I’m in an impressionist mood and my CD player is loaded with Ravel and Debussy. On another day it could be Mozart and Beethoven or Elgar and Vaughn Williams. Then I light a candle.

It all may seem rather fussy–and perhaps time-wasting–but it works. These things help me settle down and leave the mundane world behind.

Do any of you have rituals to help you transition between different roles? What are they? Have they changed over time?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Richard Cerqueira returns to tell us more about being a Romance cover model. Below is the picture that is our contest prize! On the right is Comanche Temptation, Richard’s first and favorite cover.

1.Can you walk us through a photo shoot for a romance cover? How much direction are you given? How much is up to you to invent?

Sure, I get a call from the booking agent asking about my availability and the length of my hair. Sounds funny but the hair length is often a deciding factor whether you are right for the hero or not. Once that’s determined I am given an idea as to what kind of shoot it will be, that is will I be an aristocrat in a tuxedo, or a cowboy out on the range, or some Tarzan like figure saving the damsel in distress. One reason we are made privy to this information is that we often use some of our own clothes for a book cover shoot. In the instances that we need to be bare-chested or even more scantily clad we get to know if we need to be tan, and maybe watch the salt consumption the day before to be nice and lean for the camera.

So, come the day of the shoot, the female model and I get into our costumes if so required, and we are shown some pictures and/or sketches made by the artist or art director to give us an idea of what they will be looking for. At the shoot, there may be as little as two people (photographer and a model) or there may as many as eight people (two models, photographer, photographer’s assistant, art director, book author, and the artist). We shoot typically in front of a plain photographic paper backdrop; it’s up to the artist to add in the scenery. The photographer then sets up the lighting using a light meter and sets up a fan in the instances where they need wind tousled hair. Once that is all set up we assume our positions, the photographer then tells us to adjust ourselves to make the best use of the light and a test shot is taken. Before the advent of digital photography, this test shot was done with a Polaroid, now a digital camera can have the shot for all to see instantaneously on a large computer monitor and it can also be seen by an artist or art director across the globe in real time. That test shot will let everyone know if the lighting is right, once that is in check we go at it.

Again, since I started modeling things have changed for the better thanks to digital photography. In the past we took at least three rolls of film to make sure we got the shot, now we might take five pictures and get what they are looking for. It is up to us, the models, to play with the decided pose to capture the shot. The photographer, artist and/or art director will often guide us if they are looking for something special. Sometimes they end up doing something that is nothing like what was originally conceptualized and it turns out being the winning shot; at times, the models come up with the pose. Working with models that are more experienced makes the shoot go much quicker. Typically a book cover photo session takes no more than an hour, but there have been times that it has taken as long as two. It might not seem like much time, but in order to get those hot photos you often have to put yourself in to some unnatural positions and hold them there for long periods of time; I have often left a shoot feeling pretty worn out.

2. What do you think constitutes a good romance cover? What standard are you aiming for when you step in front of the camera?

The models chosen should accurately depict the books heroes. I have done more than one cover where I am not so sure that I was the right man for the job, I did it anyway, and the clients were happy, so that’s all that matters. I think that in the case of a couple they have to look good together, they have to make a good and convincing couple. Then there is the lighting, in art, lighting is everything, a book cover’s image is no different. When I do a cover I try to convey as much passion as I can, the covers usually need a hero who is both strong but human, it’s up to me as a model to pass that along to the photograph. The less the photographer has to direct me the better job I am doing; it’s what I strive for.

3. Tell us what is next for you. Do you have anything exciting coming up for yourself?

Actually, I do have something very exciting coming up, my brother and I participated in a reality show called Bullrun that will start to air on Spike TV March 13th @ 10 pm EST. The show is based on super exclusive road-rally across the USA. We are up against eleven other teams and are all competing for a $200,000 cash prize. The contestants were required to rally across America as well as compete in challenges that tested our cars, skills, and wits; think The Amazing Race meets The Cannonball Run. We shot for 3 weeks and covered over 4000 miles through nine states.

It was an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait until it airs! Its like nothing that has ever been done before, we had a crew of over 200 people and enough equipment rigs to fill a town! Spike TV has already begun running promos and the advertising campaign blitz will be soon to follow. The Spike TV website has information, pictures, and videos of us and the other contestants. www.spiketv.com. I have also made a Myspace page with some info about me, nothing very elaborate but it has some home pictures of me and some stuff from the upcoming show. www.myspace.com/xjguy

Thanks for you and your reader’s interest in me.
Richard

Bullrun premieres on Spike TV March 13 at 10 pm

Prize winner will be announced tomorrow. The prize may take some time to be delivered. Richard broke his thumb in a skiing mishap and can’t sign his name!–He’s been doing our interview with a broken thumb!
Thanks, Richard!!