No, not Collen McCullough’s THE THORN BIRDS but A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE by Louisa May Alcott.

Written in 1866 a few years before Alcott’s revered classic, LITTLE WOMEN, A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE was never published in Alcott’s lifetime. Deemed “too sensational” (translation: too risque) by her male publisher, the book was shelved among her private papers for more than a century and only rediscovered and published in the 1990′s.

As a middle school student, I adored LITTLE WOMEN and well, A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE is not it. Written for serialization to keep the author’s perennially impoverished family of Transcendentalist intellectuals out of the poorhouse, the book is more penny dreadful than great novel. Still, the themes Alcott addresses–stalking, spousal abuse, bigamy, and a woman’s right to independence and freedom–resonate with a raw contemporary clarity.

As the title suggests, A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE doesn’t end happily. Despite the every other chapter cliffhanger (it was meant to be serialized), the only true suspense is for whom the chase will prove fatal. The hastily pulled together ending answers that with no real surprises, leaving the reader not so much satisfied as relieved. Like Alcott’s heroine, Rosamund, we too are weary and ready for the chase to end.

Still, A LONG FATAL CHASE is worth a read for Alcott fans as well as fans of 19th century “women’s” literature, a literary tradition that still fascinates and inspires us today. For a wonderful paranormal YA Victorian Gothic romance in the tradition of Oscar Wilde’s THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (only with a happy ending!), read DARKER STILL by my Lady Jane’s Salon co-founder, Leanna Renee Hieber.

And for a fun and informative treatise on romance novels throughout the centuries, check out my other Lady Jane’s Salon co-founder, Maya Rodale’s, new nonfiction e-book, DANGEROUS BOOKS FOR GIRLS.

Speaking of Lady Jane’s, do join us on Monday, February 6th, 7-10PM at Madame X, for Lady Jane’s Third Anniversary Salon. It’s our third year birthday bash and we’re celebrating with our usual lineup of fabo readers including S.b. Sarah Wendell, Lauren Willig, and Eloisa James! Special EOY contribution to our charitable recipient, Women-in-Need. Sponsors: Chambord Vodka (“Pink Your Drink”) and Beatrice.com.

Happy Month of Hearts & Flowers,

Hope

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The video, made by Pacific TV for the Romance Writers of America NYC Chapter, was shot back in 2007. Like the romance novelist heroine of STROKES OF MIDNIGHT, Becky Stone AKA Rebecca St. Claire, I too was coming to New York City with Big Dreams.

And like my fictional Becky, five years later, I’m happy to report that most of those Big Dreams have come true. So have some new ones.

As for those bangs, let’s just say I’m glad it’s 2012 in all kinds of ways.

STROKES OF MIDNIGHT is available as an e-book for Kindle and Nook users.

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

From Monday, September 12^th through Monday, September 26^th, VANQUISHED (the launch to my “Men of Roxbury House” trilogy) is available as a free e-book. Across all platforms!

Whether you’re an Amazon Kindle user or a fan of the Barnes & Noble Nook or other e-reader platform, you have two solid weeks to download VANQUISHED. For free.

Obviously my hope is that VANQUISHED will act as a gateway drug to downloading the other two trilogy books, ENSLAVED and UNTAMED but certainly there’s no obligation to do so.

Resist if you must.

Thanks to my wonderful publisher, Medallion Press, for making this offer possible and thereby putting my beloved book in new readers’ hands.

Happy e-Reading,

Hope

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

April’s scintillating Salon guests are Lisa Dale, Leslie Carroll and guest emcee Alisa Bowman.

Guest authors books will be available for sale and signing on site. (Cash only).

Admission is $5 or one paperback romance novel. Net proceeds support an end-of-year donation to a NYC women’s charity.

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Recently I caught up with Biz, who kindly consented to answer my interview questions.

In publishing we say, “the writing is in the rewriting.” Similarly, the ”art” of photo editing/refinishing seems every bit as essential to a great final product as capturing that winning shot. Without giving up any “trade secrets,” how do you go about steering clear of overly plasticized perfection while conveying a polished yet natural look?

I pride myself in getting photos that still look exactly like the person that walked into the room.  As an actor, myself, I understand how important it is to have a photo that is a true representation of yourself.  The client wants to know that the picture they see if the person they are going to meet.  So when I approach photo retouching (which I totally agree, Hope, is 99.9% vital to making a good picture great) I stick with the bare minimum.  Do I see hair out of place?  Is there some laugh lines that can be softened?  Not, wow, that dude’s nose could stand to be a little smaller.  The retouch should only enhance what already makes you you.  When you see someone in person, you don’t notice the lines at their mouth, or a hair that is stuck to the side of their face, those things become much clearer on a still photograph.  So I remove only what is standing in the way of making the best you come through.

One of the things that struck me during our photo shoot–and folks, we shot for like five hours both indoors and outdoors in the August heat–is how patient, dare I say unflappable you are. And as I’ve confessed several times now, I am most definitely a blinker. For every keeper shot we got, we easily tossed out 3 or 4 bloopers. Without naming names, of course, would you be willing to share one of your more difficult client moments?

Thanks Hope, but when it’s what I love to do and I get to work with one of my favorite creative people, that day was easy and so much fun!!  I do have a story that to this day I still cringe…  When I was just starting out as a photographer, I met up with a client, a young woman, who had been a referral.  We had never met before.  She arrived and was blinking in one eye, apologized and explained that while curling her eyelashes with a eyelash curler, she accidently pulled out most of the eyelashes on her left eye.  Needless to say I told her we should reschedule.  But she insisted, she was FINE.  Oh lord, she wasn’t.  It was a long 1 hour.  And a few weeks later, she called me up and said that her friends said she looked funny.  Ummmm… yep.  I learned my lesson.  If I feel like there is a dynamic that is going to throw the shoot off, I insist on a reschedule.  I want you to look and more importantly, feel your best.

What makes a successful shoot for you?

The most important part of any shoot for me is someone who is up to have a good time.  I like to make my clients feel comfortable and I want the shoot to be as painless as possible.  If you are open and know that I’m there to help you and not murder you with my camera, we’ll be okay.  I adore shooting outdoors, which, when I shoot in NYC as opposed to LA can be tricky.  So a beautiful, slightly overcast day with some clouds in the sky, I’m a happy gal.
 
In looking at my photos, both the original and retouched versions, I really felt like you “got” me, not just my image but my spirit. When photographing human subjects, be it for a publicity or family photo, what are your goals? What do you strive to convey?

My goal is to give you a shot that is a great representation of you.  Sometimes your photo is the only thing people see and so it is so important to make sure it is you, in a way, telling the story of you.  In your case, we were able to get so many great sides of you.  As a writer, with your cats, in your neighborhood.  Your spirit just radiated through.  I love chatting with my clients, I find that the more I learn about them, they are more relacx
 
Do you have any mantras? It sounds a tad woo-woo, I know, but sometimes writers have pat phrases we invoke when we need to work through writer’s block, a difficult scene or plot point etc.

Well, when I want to get someone a little loosened up, or if I’m feeling a little low energy… sometimes I’ll surprise us both with a little “F— yeah”  (feel free not to print that but it helps). 
 
What should someone look for in a photographer, be it for a publicity photo or say, a family portrait or wedding? Can you share some tips as well as red flags?

When you’re looking for a photographer, it’s cliche but a picture can tell 1,000 words.  In this case, literally.  Go to their sites, see what they’ve been doing.  Most photographers has a few specialties- if you see shots that you’d like, be if for your wedding, a birthday party or product shots, does the photographer have pics like what you need on their site?  If their headshots are still in black and white, move on.  If they only have 1 client and that client is posed with sexy clothes, that photographer might not be the person to shoot your childrens back-to-school shots!
 
In addition to photography, you have a background in theater arts and have worked professionally as an actor in LA doing sketch comedy, improv as well as commercials. You just finished stage managing a play here in New York City, I hear. Tell us a bit about your “other” life.

Theater has always been a passion of mine and I was very lucky to work for 8 years in LA working as an actor, in addition to starting my photography business.  I am looking forward to getting back to the improv world here in New York.  If you want to see some of my acting work, you can check out my reel at www.youtube.com/bizurban08.  Right before I left LA I shot a fun Dominos commercial that took place in Gotham City, a webisode series called Road to Altar starring Jaleel White (oh yes, Urkel) and a indie comedy The Burbank Playas Present: Manipede!  It was fun! But I’m so happy to be in this incredible city and work with so many people through my photography… especially brilliant writers like Hope Tarr!!

Thanks so much for taking time out to chat on my blog, Biz, and best of luck with your exciting projects and ventures.

Thank you, Hope, it was my pleasure!!!

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The retouch.

“But I want to look like myself,” you say.

Coiffed, buffed--and retouched. Photo by BizUrban.com.

And good for you. You should. In a recent Vanity Fair interview, 51-year-old film star and legendary beauty, Michelle Pfeiffer was asked to comment on the preponderance of plastic surgery among celebrities. To paraphrase the presumably unaltered Pfeiffer, as we grow older we should still be recognizable to our friends.

Candid shots are great for family and friends, the people who already know and yes, love us. But when a photo is intended for wider, public distribution, we want to put our best…face forward.

Arguably those smile lines and crow’s feet are badges of honor. And our faces are mobile, ever changing landscapes. A photographic portrait, however, is a static freeze frame capture of a set of sub-seconds. With unlimited time to look, viewers invariably hone in on the flaws.

In publishing we say, “the writing is in the rewriting.” Similarly, the ”art” of photo editing/refinishing is every bit as essential to a great final product as capturing the winning shot.

A good photographer knows how to steer clear of overly plasticized perfection while conveying a polished yet natural look. 

In the before/after photos shown here, notice how photographer, Biz Urban manages to “disappear” not only the puffy dark circles beneath my eyes and the small scar on my left cheek but also a good part of the last decade!

Before: A perfectly nice photo for family and friends but for promo not so much.

After: note how the puffy circles disappear from beneath my eyes. Ditto for the scar and freckle on my cheek.

Voila, publicity photos that look like me–currently–with the photo retouching equivalent of a few light (and pain free) nips and tucks.

For more information on Biz Urban, including samples of her work, visit her website.

Photographer Biz Urban.

Hope

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Girl in the mirror--and yes, those taped up reminder notes are mine a la "Romancing the Stone." Photo by BizUrban.com.

But having publicity photos taken isn’t just an excuse to play princess for a day. It’s also an investment. You want to be able to use those photos for some time, perhaps years to come on your web site, press materials, social networking profiles and yes, your book jacket. If there was ever a time to put your best face forward, to strut your stuff, and to well, Work It, that time is now.

While I’m hopeless with my hair, fortunately I’m a decent hand with the war paint, as our mothers, mine at least, called cosmetics Back in The Day.

Unlike me, Jane doesn't really need cosmetic improvement.

Like almost everything, when it comes to makeup, moderation is key, less is more. We still want to look like ourselves…albeit a really, really hawt version.

Next and final stop on the Princess Train: the photo retouch. Thankfully, along with the actual shooting, photo editing is your photographer’s job. A good thing, too.

All this prepping, preening and posing has worn me to a nub.

Voila! Off to "wardrobe" I go...Photo by BizUrban.com.

Hope

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Ground Zero AKA my local Aveda Salon.

Some really good shots.

We’ll be posting said gems…anon, namely after I get my current book proposal in. Alas, this writing gig is really messing with my modeling career!

Getting in touch with my Inner Princess is fun!

For now and as promised, I’m getting my Jamie Lee Curtis on and showing you the unexpurgated me–as in wet hair, no makeup, and scariest of all, no photo retouching!

Next stop: makeup!

Hope

Not a throne but close enough...

Forehead much? I am so dialing this down when I get home!

PS All behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Biz Urban–did I mention, she’s a saint!

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.

To that end, today, all day, I’ll be primping, prepping, and yes preening for new photos by Manhattan photographer, the lovely and talented Biz Urban.

And bonus, we’re going to shoot before as well as after photos with mayhap even some behind-the-scenes tossed in. If we’re lucky, the cats may get into the picture (so to speak), too.

Check back here for the Nekkid Truth: me as God made me with (gulp) four or so decades added on.

Should be most…revealing.

TGIF,

Hope

©2012 Hope Tarr's Blog. All Rights Reserved.