I must say when Katelan first asked me to do the project I was a little scared. I’m so used to the one behind the camera that I wasn’t sure how I was going to do this assignment. I waited a long time before I even started the project….almost down to the last week we were supposed to submit the work. But in the end I am so glad I did it. Once I got my idea in my head and did not think about it I actually had a lot of fun with this project. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. J
What was the inspiration for your images?
Pressure was part of my decision. With only one week left to gather my images, I tried a variety of shots within my apartment but nothing was coming out how I wanted it. So I decided not to use a camera but instead use a scanner. I had an idea that was floating around in my mind and I was never really sure how to translate it to an image. I found that the scanner did just that. Using the scanner I was able to get that specific emotion that I had crammed up in my mind.
What did you learn about yourself from the experience?
I learned that exposing my self to the rest of the world is not so hard. It was nerve racking and uncomfortable for me to do this. I’ve taken several self-portraits in my lifetime but I’ve never showed them to anyone. I never wanted anyone to see me in that light. I also felt more comfortable photographing some else. Never myself. But after doing this project I feel more at ease and will most likely do it again.
Do you feel you are in the same state of mind as when you started?
Although I still am apprehensive about doing a self portrait… I feel like its not so bad and that I will do it again. I’m more comfortable with who I am, where I feel that in any light, good or bad sometimes its ok to expose that to others. I’m a little more relaxed and confident.
What advice would you give to those wanting to take their own portraits?
Have fun! Don’t think about it…too much. Don’t doubt yourself…. try it out first before you make a judgment because you might be surprised with what you find. And eat a cookie while you work and listen to some good music. J
background:
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Sun Sign: Gemini
Virtue: caring for others
Vice: wish I were more open with others….and cookies…lots of cookies. J
Secret Self Esteem Booster: music and the early morning hours of the day.
What Inspires You: helping those in need whatever the circumstance.
Please welcome Paige Tyler, author of Animal Instinct, Animal Attraction, Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101, Librarian by Day, Protective Custody and Valuable Cargo. Animal Attraction was a bestselling, 2009 Eppie Finalist, as well as voted Best Book of 2008 at Whipped Cream, and the sequel, Animal Instinct, is currently a #1 Bestseller at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid.
ETS – Please tell us a little about yourself.
I’m just your average girl who loves reading and writing a good books with steamy, and sometimes a little kinky sex, every once in a while! That got your attention, huh?! LOL!
I’ve loved reading romance books since I was teenager and could never get enough of them – Johanna Lindsey was a personal favorite who really influenced my writing. Probably because most of the heroes in her books like to put the heroines over their knee for a sound spanking!
Since I love to read romance books as much as I do, it’s only natural I started writing them. It took me a little while to find my voice, which is obvious by the binders I have full of stuff that just didn’t work, but once I did find my voice, the books just started coming!
In between writing, I love spending time with my hubby and our lazy kitty just hanging out in our cozy home on the coast of Florida and running off to the beach whenever we get the chance. I also like to do Pilates and jog. And watch pro football. We’re huge football fans!
ETS – You’re a very prolific author (little jealous here ). You have pages and pages of books on your website. What’s your writing process like?
When I first started out, I used to take a general idea and start writing – you know, totally winging it. But that didn’t work too well. I would write for days, then realize I had no idea where I was going. So I started using an outline instead. Here’s how my process works:
The moment I get an idea, no matter how small or insignificant, I write it down on the computer. These are my “seeds.” Most of the time, they’re just quick notes, like how two people meet, or even a sexy lovemaking scene. I give the idea a title, then I leave it. A seed needs time to grow, you know! LOL! Usually one of the seeds will resonate with me for some reason and as I think about it a little more (I do my best thinking in front of the bathroom mirror, while I’m doing make-up), I add a few more details. I try to have a good chapter by chapter outline in place for the story before I actually start writing. It helps me build a coherent story and I end up writing a lot faster. The best thing about this way of writing is that I always have another book to start on.
ETS – Let’s chat about Animal Instinct. Tell us what the hero and heroine face in this book…and what’s the heat level?
Heidi Gibson, the heroine in the book, is an artist taking in the beautiful vistas around Anchorage, Alaska for the summer and getting some great inspiration for her painting. She’s out hiking and taking some more pictures before heading back home when she’s attacked by a huge wolf. She would have been a goner for sure if hot, hunky wildlife biologist Luke McCall hadn’t come to her rescue and saved her. Even though she’s in quite a bit of pain, she’s definitely feeling this guy, right up to the moment when he tells her that she’s been bitten by a werewolf and will now turn into one herself during the next full moon! As you can imagine, she can’t get away from him fast enough.
Turns out that Luke, the hero in the book, knows exactly what he’s talking about because it just so happens that he’s a werewolf himself! And he knows that the beautiful woman whose life he just saved is going to turn soon. The only problem is that she was in such a rush to get away from him that he didn’t have a chance to get her name. So how is he suppose to find her now?
But finding Heidi turns out to be the easy part. The hard part is how a lone wolf like Luke is going to deal with falling in love with a gorgeous woman who is only is Alaska for the summer and going to be leaving to go back home any day. Besides that, there is the issue of the werewolf that bite Heidi – was he just looking for a quick snack, or did he have something else in mind?
As far as the heat level, this story is firmly in the “erotic” line.
ETS – I absolutely LOVE the cover for both Animal Instinct and Animal Attraction. Where you involved with the process?
Yes! Rika Singh, the very talented artist who does all of my covers at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid is fantastic to work with! She lets me have a lot of input, but honestly, my biggest input comes in the form of things I don’t like, such as facial hair, curly hair, and computer generated models, which I mention before she even starts each cover. Other than that, I’m pretty wide open, and I’m happy to say that Rika is batting a thousand - I haven’t had to ask her to change anything. Her covers always fit the books perfectly! But to be honest, all she has to do is throw in a great set of abs and I’m pretty much hooked! LOL!
ETS – Describe the perfect date.
Well, since I’m such a mushy romantic, I’d have to say that my perfect date would be the first date I had with my hubby. Just a simple dinner with some wonderful conversation, then I enticed him inside with an offer of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and milk (the way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach!) Some more conversation followed, then some knee weakening kissing. Yes, that’s as far as it went so get your minds out of the gutter. I told you it was a first date! It may have just been a little kissing, but it was enough to let me know that this guy was the one for me and still is!
ETS – You also wrote as Samantha Danvers. Is this a different genre, a different voice?
I get asked that a lot and always feel silly telling everyone that I didn’t write a different genre or use a different voice under that name. At the time I was writing for a publisher that had just opened a new website in addition to their original one and they wanted to make it seem like there were more authors there, so I became multiple personalities! Anything to help out a publisher. I still write for that publisher, but now that they’re a lot bigger, I just go by Paige Tyler there. That’s a good thing. It was confusing trying to remember which pen name wrote which book!
ETS – Interesting. What is your favorite romance of all time?
As far as books goes, my favorite would probably Into the Sunset, by Shelly Thacker. The two characters, Annie and Lucas just really do it for me. And the story is just so incredibly romantic.
If we were talking about a movie, Then my favorite romance would be Aragorn and Arwen from Lord of the Rings. They’re just so perfect together that it almost makes me want to cry every time I see the movie.
ETS – Do you have a critique partner? Do you think an author can benefit from having one?
My hubby is actually my critique partner, as well as my research assistant! *wink* I’ll bounce ideas for stories off him and he’ll help me edit my books before I send them to my publishers. I find it very helpful, so to answer your other question, yes, I think an author can benefit from having a critique partner. However, I do think you have to completely trust the person you’re working with. I’ve heard some horror stories of authors having their ideas stolen by their supposed critique partners.
You also have to be on the same wavelength with your critique partner, as far as the approach to a story and where you feel the characters should go.
ETS – Writing can be a solitary business. How do you keep from getting the ‘keyboard blues?’
I’ve been very fortunate to never run into that problem. For me, writing is a very social activity. Besides all the hours I spend working with my hubby during the outlining and editing, there’s also the time I spend talking to other writers, fans, and just promoting my books in general. If anything, I find that I sometimes spend more time chatting and promoting that I do writing.
ETS – Brad Pitt or George Clooney?
Okay, now this is probably going to shock you, but I was never into either of them, so I’ll say neither! Now, if you’d asked me to pick between Viggo Mortensen or David Boreanaz, or those yummy hunks from the television show Supernatural, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, then I would really have had to think about it!
ETS – Ohhhh…Jensen is so HOT. In total agreement. J Can you tell us what you’re working on now?
I have a few books going right now. I tend to be pretty secretive about my project until I get them to my publisher – call me paranoia! LOL! But I can say that I have one contemporary romance working where I’m really letting my characters get their kink on! I’m exploring all kinds of naughty areas that I don’t usually play in. This one is going to be even hotter than normal!
I’m also putting the finishing touches on the sequel to Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101. The title is still classified, but I can tell you that my readers begged me to give them more of Kaige and Savanna from the first book. Well. I’ve listened to them! This story picks up with Kaige and Savanna right where the first book left off, with them hunting down a rogue vampire. I think you’re going to love it!
I also have a new release coming out with Liquid Silver Books on Aug 17th called Valuable Cargo that I’m really excited about! It’s a sexy sci-fi erotic romance about a hunky astronaut who wakes up to find himself seven-hundred years in the future on a spaceship full of beautiful women! I’ve got an excerpt on my website at http://www.paigetylertheauthor.com if anyone would like to check it out!
ETS – What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
One thing I’ve discovered is that you have to write because you love writing – it can’t be all about getting published. If you spend all your time worrying about getting published, you’ll just go crazy and you’ll end up spending more time waiting for answers to query letters than writing. Just write stories you’d love to read and the rest will take care of itself.
Another thing is to find your voice. What I mean by that is that you have to write the kind of stories that work for you. Don’t try writing a storyline you’re not comfortable writing just because it’s the current “hot thing.”
ETS – Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us!
You’re very welcome! I had a great time and hope that everyone will enjoy reading my answers to all your great questions!
ETS – You can visit Paige’s Website to find out more about her books.
LINKS
Blog, Myspace, Facebook, Yahoo Group.
EXCERPTS
Animal Attraction, Animal Instinct, Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101, Librarian by Day, Protective Custody, Valuable Cargo.
BOOK TRAILERS
Animal Attraction, Animal Instinct, Modern Day Vampires: Vampire 101, Librarian by Day, Protective Custody, Valuable Cargo.
XXL dropped some excerpts from their interview with jigga. The Octber issue of XXL will hit newsstands on september 15th.
XXL: Because you had so much time to live with this new album, do you think it’s your most thoughtful body of work?
Jay-Z: No, it’s just the approach. I don’t think it changed the music any. You can look at it both ways. The Blueprint was all natural. You could tell the the rawness of the spontaneous thoughts. Or you can have someone who plans and plots and makes sure everything is the same. Lyor [Cohen, CEO of warner music Group] asked me, after he listened to the [New] album, “ Did you mess up by putting an album out every year? Should you have taken your time and done it like this one?” And I was like, “No, it’s just process.” I don’t think the Blueprint was bad. But this album has to come out. It’s just really Cohesive. It feels really good.
XXL: what would you say is the Blueprint 3’s grand statement?
Jay-Z: I keep using this phrase “New Classic” Becuse it has classic sounds and instrumentation, like how music was recorded before. That’s why the whole album cover [Features] white instruments. Just left in the corner, no colour. It’s all about the instruments. It feels classic in that approach, but it’s new subject matter, new flows it’s not like an Amy winehouse thing: a take on what was already done. I mean, if you listen to “D.O.A.” Just the sax alone, those type of sounds. The subject matter is right now. It’s a hot-button issue right now.
XXL: it’s funny that you stress the subject matter being current one criticism “D.O.A.” Has been the topic is a year old
Jay-Z: A year past or a year early?
XXL: A year to old. Music was being saturated by Auto-Tune the most last year. So were you thinking bussiness first, like, Kanye’s coming out with 808s & Heartbreak album, so I’m going to hold off on the criticism til he’s in the clear?
Jay-Z: No, that’s not how it happened. It really just happened in the studio. We were just having a discussion about the Game and music and where everything is going. So NO ID plays this track, and kanye jumps up. Actually, Kanye gave me the idea. He jumps up and is like, “Man, this is hard. This is against everything.” I don’t know if he knew where I was going to take it, but he sparked the idea. I came back the next day and did the record.
XXL: what’s puzzling is that your own buddies, like kanye and pharrell, wear the Brightest shirts and Tightest jeans, But your clearly not going at them. You’re going after the cats that are trying to be like them, and not themselves. Correct?
Jay-Z: Yeah, once it becomes…..a trend is a trend. I follow trends. I set trends. Now, when a trend becames a gimmick, it’s time to get rid of it. As far as hip-hop. Like, when they were saying “bling bling” on CNN, it’s time to never say that word again. It was just about the aggression of everything I saw everyone, cause it was successful following one path. You turn on the radio, and that’s all you hear. I’m not saying I hate T-pain what I’m talking about is a trend that’s becoming a gimmick. And if we continue down this path, we’re going to open the door for another genre of music. Same way when rock was doing hair metal it opened the door even wider for hip-hop to come through and put rock music in trouble for 10 years and more. Right now, there are a lot of indie bands coming out, which is making rock more exciting: the MGMTs and the kings of Leons. You keep messing around, making generic music, people are going to start turning off one at a time. And if these guys [keep] makeing great music guess what? [Fans are] gonna go to them. If you look back in the histroy of music, that’s what happens all the time. I’m just saying, stay up. Be aware. Be innovative. Let keep making this shit interesting. I love Drake. I’ m not hating on young people. Like. When people say that, I’m like, what are you talking about? It’s just stupid I’m not hating on young people. I love Drake. I worked with him on the alum. Every time they ask me what I’m listening to it’s so far gone and kings of Leon. Them two act [acts] owe me money. I’m not bill russel, [sayiny]michael jordan ain’t shit. I’m saying Lil wayne and kanye are like LeBron and kobe my job as someone at the forefront of the game is to leave it in a better position than when I came in same way that Russell [simmons] left it to me. Cause this thing saved my life Literally. So I have a responsibility to it karmically. And after it’s on you. I did my part. I made “D.O.A.” I said it. I made the statement. I made the push. Here, y’all take it from here.
XXL: you’ve been getting a lot of heat about your second single “Run this Town” featuring kanye and rihanna critics and the Blog world have said ye out rapped you.
Jay-Z: I think that thing has gone a little too far. I think it’s more about that than the song now. What I’m saying is that’s just life, if [whose verse was better] was the thing, and we based [song quality] on that, after I’ve done 400 songs, I’m sure once the average of who was better on the song weights out, I’m pretty high. Some Nights [LA Lakers player] pau Gasol can score more points than kobe bryant not saying that kanye is pau Gasol, cause you have to be really clear with that– [but] as long as I’ve been in the game that’s going to happen, once or twice or even three times.
The Associated Press is reporting that some news organizations are paying for interviews while covering the Jaycee Lee Dugard story. It’s a practice that is forbidden by most media outlets, but Vanity Fair magazine found a loophole around it in an upcoming issue featuring Levi Johnston—the former boyfriend of Sarah Palin’s oldest daughter, whose determined to take shots at Alaska’s former first family.
Hundreds of media outlets around the world are covering the Dugard story. Police say she was kidnapped from a school bus stop when she was 11 years old and imprisoned for 18 years by a convicted sex offender and his wife.
Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, are charged in the case.
When the AP tried to interview Garrido’s father, Manuel Garrido, the man refused unless he was paid. He told the wire service that an overseas media organization paid him $2,000 for an interview, but he refused to say which one it was. The AP refused to pay him.
Vanity Fair paid Johnston for his revelations about his life with the Palin family in the upcoming October issue of the magazine. Technically, Johnston “wrote” the piece.
Actually, Johnston dished dirt on the Palin family and Vanity Fair transcribed the interviews, edited them, and put it in a piece where the teen was labeled the writer. That way the magazine could pay him for writing a story, just as it would with other journalists.
So how did you meet Kanye?
He heard the first album, he heard Tale of Two Cities. I’m really proud of the fact that it wasn’t me being up in his grill, it wasn’t, like, my record company hustling. It was just the album that did the talking, you know?
And then he flew you out to Hawaii to do 808s & Heartbreak?
You know how we do, yeah? Isn’t that crazy? Well, at first it was Blueprint 3, to sing on a track called “Young Forever.” We just did a little bit of that, and then he said, “Hang on, I need to make my album.” And then we did 808s & Heartbreaks in about three weeks. And luckily, they didn’t send me home. They kind of forgot to send me home. And I ended up being part of the whole process. So I sang on a track, and co-produced a track, and just helped out. I remember Kanye saying early on he just wanted people to help. He didn’t want people to get their own shine or their own take. It was just, “Help me make the record.”
What was the daily ritual like when you were working on 808s?
Just, you know, wake up in a nice hotel, have a cawfee, play some basketball, make some groundbreaking hip-hop. And then go to bed. And repeat.
Were you just playing one-on-one with Kanye?
Sometimes it was one-on-one, and he insists on playing full-court. That was some serious cardio. I was in the best shape of my life after that.
Are you any good?
For an Englishman, yeah. But no.
What about Kanye?
He’s pretty good. He’s got a mean finger roll. But we were sort of cursed — we’d always have to get injuries. I’m not quite sure how it’s my fault, but apparently it’s my fault that Kanye ran into the pole at one point, head first. That was a serious injury. We were watching a lot of violent movies at the time — Apocalypto, Robocop — and I think it was spilling over into our basketball culture. But it was fun. We would run around, and we’d be working on hooks, working on the lyrics while we were on the court, just sort of singing them at each other.
When things started happening with Kanye, were you nervous to tell people about it?
Well, you know, that’s the thing, you don’t want to tempt fate and say, “Oh, this is happening,” and then when it doesn’t, you look like an idiot. I kind of kept it quiet, but it got to the point where other people were doing the talking for me. People like Jay-Z, and DJ Semtex, and Kanye West were going, “Yoooo, Mr Hudson is on The Blueprint 3.” And I’m just sitting there like, “Yeah, I suppose I am. If you say so.”
What else can you tell us about Blueprint 3?
Do you know what? It’s been pretty locked down. I’ve heard the beats that Kanye’s made for it. And I’ve heard what I’m singing on, and that’s about it. That’s cool. I’m glad that I haven’t heard it yet. Now, when it comes out, I’m gonna be like a fan: “Gotta get that record, I gotta get that new Jay-Z album.” And I’m on it.
Are you friendly with Jay-Z as well at this point?
I met Jay-Z quite a while back, a couple of years ago now. He heard my stuff quite early on. He keeps his ear to the ground, J-Hov. But, you know, he keeps himself a little bit more … where, you know, Kanye’s sort of bouncing around. I just assume that Jay-Z is in some penthouse office or something, sipping Champagne, smoking a cigar, while Kanye will be on the basketball court, or at some store looking at luminous clothes. D’you know what I mean?
Moving on to Straight No Chaser — the story is that you were living in a storage space while you were recording this album?
I was living above a pub in north London, in a room that I had used just to store my guitars and a couple of synthesizers. When I split with my girl, I was like, right, where do I go? So I just ended up sleeping on the floor and kind of forgot to leave, ’cause I got distracted by thinking, Maybe this is the time to make my album. I said to my friend, the landlord of the pub, I said “Michael, can you sort me out with a mattress?” And I just had a sleeping bag.
So are you still finding the transition to fame surreal?
I’m kind of getting used to it. I’m kind of pleased with myself because now I’m not stupidly starstruck anymore, like I was with Béyoncé. I blushed like a 15-year-old and hid in the corner and played on my laptop. But here’s a funny story: So I’m just in my little area in northern London, just puttering about, going to shops. And these two mums with their prams … do you call them “prams”? What do you call them? You put a baby in it, you wheel it around?
Strollers.
Strollers. So these two mums with their strollers are going into the store and they’re wheeling it around. And then one just goes, “Oh, my God, you’re that man that sings that thingy with thing-a-mi-bob.” I said, “I think so, yeah.” And she ran up. And she made me sign her receipt from the supermarket. Also, talking about signing things, I signed my first mammary the other day. In fact, two. A pair of breasts. In fact, two people, so four breasts. I have signed four breasts. And they were enormous breasts.
(7 min) This is an interview with Amy Jensen, Program Coordinator at the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. It was recorded on April 15, 2009 at Men Can Stop Rape’s Men and Women as Allies National Conference on the Primary Prevention of Men’s Violence Against Women.
In this interview, Ms. Jensen talks about the important role that women have in creating a new culture of prevention for girls and young women that is not based solely on risk reduction.
Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. (MCSR) is an international organization that mobilizes men to use their strength for creating cultures free from violence, especially men’s violence against women. MCSR provides agencies, schools, and organizations with direct services for youth, public service messaging, and leadership training.
MCSR’s Men and Women as Allies National Conference on the Primary Prevention of Men’s Violence Against Women was held on April 14th and 15th, 2009 in Washington, DC. To learn more about the events at this conference, visit the conference website at http://mencanstoprape.org/conference.
The Emmys are over, but that doesn’t mean that Soaps.com didn’t come back empty-handed – no indeed! You won’t want to miss the exciting tidbits, actor quotes, red carpet photos and video clips – some with special messages to our Soaps.com readers, in our Coverage Section!
Stop by the Coverage Section today for all your Emmy Scoops!
Until next year, we’ll see you on the site with all the latest news, interviews, recaps and don’t forget to stop our message boards to chat with other fans!
