Congrats & Happy Release to Julie A. Richam!
Bad Son Rising is LIVE!
Meet notorious bad boy Zac Moore below and enter to win a Kindle Paperwhite!
Good Luck & Enjoy!.. Book Trailer  People think I'm a douche.
And maybe I am.
I use most people.
It's what I know.
But if I love you,
I'd die for you.
I just don't know that I'm worth loving.
Handsome, privileged bad boy Zac Moore has always played by his own rules - at school, in business, with women. He's rewritten the rules to suit his own needs and his needs are all that matter.
Serious and focused family friend Liliana Castillo has one goal. Leave the pre-Med program at Yale to help people in developing nations.
As their paths cross and uncross, a tale of love, agony, betrayal and growth is woven, transforming two people who've hidden from relationships and love.
This is a stand-alone novel.
Additional Excerpt “I wasn’t kidding when I said that I was not going to be able to wait for next time.”
Lily’s elusive smile started at the corners of her mouth,
lifting the apples of her cheeks and crinkling the outer edges of her gold-flecked eyes.
“Do you seriously think you’re going to bang me against a Baobab tree?”
“I know I’m going to bang you against a Baobab tree.”
He was already working on the zipper of her jeans.
With his hands inside her pants, he slipped them into her underwear, tightly grasping her ass.
Lily’s gasp was audible as he kneaded a cheek with each hand.
“Are you ready for me?” he whispered.
Nodding she stepped out of her jeans and he undid his. Lifting her, she wrapped her legs around his slim hips and he lowered her onto his waiting cock. Leaning her back against the ancient tree trunk for leverage, Zac thrust his hips up burying himself deeply within Lily.
Her eyes were wide as she let out another gasp. “I’ve never fucked against a tree.”
Zac laughed, “It’s a first for me too, babe.” And after a few more strokes, “Tighten your legs around me, Lils.” Not taking his eyes off of hers, “You feel so damn good.”
“You too,” were the only words she could squeak out and finally,
as a result of his deep pounding, with bated breath, “Zac.”
He nodded, “I know, babe.” His final powerful thrusts had her back molded to the tree.
He fell into her, the old Baobab holding them both up. With their heads on one another’s shoulders, they stood very still until they’d both regained their breath.
Hand-in-hand they headed back to camp.
Please don’t fall in love with me, Zac silently warned.
Please fall in love with me, Zac silently prayed. Teasers
(Click on picture for full view) Meet the author Author Julie A. Richman is a native New Yorker living deep in the heart of Texas. A creative writing major in college, reading and writing fiction has always been a passion. Julie began her corporate career in publishing in NYC and writing played a major role throughout her career as she created and wrote marketing, advertising, direct mail and fundraising materials for Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies and non-profit organizations. She is an award winning nature photographer plagued with insatiable wanderlust. Julie and her husband have one son and a white German Shepherd named Juneau. STALK HER: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest
GIVEAWAY Want to see where it all began?
Click Read More for Excerpt and links to The Needing Moore Box Set!
Julie A. Richman's Needing Moore Series is one of our favorites. Schooner & Mia are the perfect couple. They are funny, witty and their chemistry is off the charts. We fell in love with Schooner and Mia in Searching For Moore and our love for this couple grew which each additional book. Although their relationship has gone through some rough times, with the help of good friends, they always pull through stronger and happier than ever!
Moore than Forever is the exciting and sweet conclusion to the Needing Moore series! If you have not had the opportunity to meet the swoon-worthy Schooner Moore now is your chance, Searching For Moore is ONLY $0.99!
Today we have fun facts from the cast of Needing Moore, Julie's insights on creating character chemistry, the importance of music in the series and a SIGNED Paperback GIVEAWAY! Creating Character Chemistry
One of the worst things about reading a story is feeling like the author is telling you to "see" this chemistry between the characters, but you're not "feeling" it. If I, as a writer, do my job right, I don't need to tell you to "see" anything because you are right there with me, a fly on the wall, to the scene unfolding. If I do a really good job, you are dying to jump off the wall and land right in the middle of the action. You want to beg Character A not to say that, you're flipping out that you can't slap Character B and tell them, "Don't you really see what is going on?" and you want to push Character C out of that bed, because that bitch doesn't deserve character D and YOU do!
To be able to create strong chemistry between characters it is essential to start by creating strong characterization. Who is the male (or female) lead (besides this hot looking guy)? Building a multi-dimensional character means that I have to know everything about him - his quirks, the way he'll respond to a situation (and why? What in his history shapes his reactions now?), what drives him, what shuts him down? If I don't know these things, and can't off the cuff tell you anecdotal stories about him, how can I accurately paint the portrait for you and expect you to feel the character's personal chemistry?
Fully-fleshed out characters provide rich opportunity in their interaction with other characters and that is where the chemistry begins to boil and explode - and become tangible to the reader. When this happens, a new entity is formed that takes on a life of its own. For instance, in the Needing Moore Series, Seth and Mia's chemistry as BFF's is very rich and can be witnessed through their sibling-like banter and in the little ways that they take care of one another. The reader knows that the interaction they are witnessing is uniquely Seth & Mia's - their chemistry is their trademark.
Chemistry between characters should be unique to the individuals involved and is created in the details. Sometimes, as a reader, you have to look very closely for the minute elements brought by each character that create their combustible chemistry, but if we, as authors do our jobs right, the chemistry will always be undeniable.
Recently Released Moore Than Forever (bk 3)
Book Summary & Purchase Link
Check out the chemistry between Mia & Schooner
 "You have no idea of what you do to me, Baby Girl."
"It's smoochal."
Is the love they always dreamed of enough?
Continuing the emotional journey of love and betrayal that began on a college campus in Searching for Moore and turned their worlds upside down in Moore to Lose, handsome, California entrepreneur Schooner Moore and sharp and sassy, New York advertising agency owner Mia Silver continue to be confronted with the harsh reality of the remnants from the lives they lived apart for 24 years.
Now, Schooner Moore and Mia Silver face the ultimate challenge - were they really meant to be together or will their pasts continue to tear them apart?
On the heels of the birth of their newborn son, Nathaniel, Schooner and Mia must decide if their love and loyalty to one another is strong enough to learn to grow together as a couple or if the life they always dreamed of sharing was better left as a teenage fantasy.
This is the third and final book in the Needing Moore Series and is not meant to be read as a stand-alone. Book 1 - Searching for Moore and Book 2 - Moore to Lose should be read prior to reading Moore than Forever.
Characters "Fun Facts"
Meet Schooner & Mia Schooner Moore
Schooner is every womans's dream come true.
Shoe Size: 12.5
Will only drink orange juice
w/ a lot of pulp in it
Hates socks
Favorite shoes: Sperry Made in Maine topsiders and Sperry Gold Cup topsiders
Toy you wish you owned: A jet. Hate having to charter them.
Craziest place you’ve had sex: Bathroom stall (I know, it’s not that crazy)
Favorite place to have sex:
Wherever my
Baby Girl is
Vertical sex or horizontal sex: Start vertically, finish horizontally
Rough sex or sensitive sex: Do they need to be mutually exclusive?
One thing people don’t know about you: I’m a snuggler.
Favorite Food: Halibut
Favorite Guilty Pleasure Food:
Soft pretzels … especially if they are hot
Favorite position: (raises eyebrow) Up
Least favorite position: None
Favorite color: Ombre Green
Appetizer or Dessert: Appetizer, hands down
Sexiest thing about you:
Umm, my mind, yeah, that’s it
Biggest turn-on in a woman: Intelligence and humor and great eyes
Biggest turn-off in a woman:
Fake everything
Geek thing no one knows:
Obsessed with The Weather Channel
Favorite Actress: Natalie Portman
Loves cliff diving
Donates equipment to schools in socio-economic challenged areas
| Mia Silver
Schooner's one true love. The quirky girl that everyone loves! 
Craves arugula salads
Can drink espresso at midnight and still sleep
Top talents: Gives good head and has a good business head, too
Pet Peeves: Bad parents not teaching their obnoxious children manners and people who think they are entitled enough to cut lines
Favorite Throwback activity: Pinball
Hates: Broccoli, phonies
Fears reptiles
Favorite food: French fries (with lots of salt and a little pepper)
Diehard NY Mets and Jets fan (sad, but true)
Favorite Shoe Designer: Converse, but Seth would make me say Stuart Weitzman
Favorite Purse Designer: Isabella Fiore
Craziest place you’ve had sex: toss-up between an alley and a subway J
Snarkiest thing you’ve ever said: Ask CJ J
Favorite jeans: Levis – forever and always
Jeans you hope to fit into again: A faded out pair of Calvin Kleins from the 90’s … my skinny-looking jeans. I will never throw them away and I will probably never fit into them again.
Geek things people don’t know about you: Am a total museum geek and I love to read maps. When we still had phone books, I used to read phone books, too. Yeah, I know, weird, huh.
Makes a wish on the first star of the night
| Meet Yoli & Seth Yoli -
Schooner's right hand "man" and vocal hater of CJ
Would consider a night with the “other team” for Pierce Brosnan
Once keyed CJ’s car
Likes to stand too close to CJ and touch her just to f*ck with her
Thinks Schooner is really attractive (for a guy, if you like that kind of thing)
Was President of Gay & Lesbian Alliance at her college.
Hates sushi
Has a poppet doll (with pins)
Has pieces of paper with people’s names on them on ice in her freezer
Wants to retire on the Kona Coast of the Big Island in Hawaii
| Seth -
Mia's best friend and assistant.
He has wit & a fab sense of fashion!
Deathly afraid of spiders
Crosses the street when he sees someone wearing white after labor day (if they are on the same side of the street as he is)
Fairytale is current fave Gay bar in NYC
Loves Gummy Vitamins of all kinds
The Saint is the gay bar he misses the most – Long Live The Saint
Celebrity crush is Bradley Cooper
Fave song to dance to “It’s raining men.”
Loves drinking anything in a martini glass
Cooks amazing paella
Stole a pair of Schooner’s boxers and wears them around his apartment
|  If your true love was just a Facebook friend request away ... what would you do?
Sexy entrepreneur Schooner Moore never knew why the love of his life, college sweetheart, Mia Silver, disappeared.
Now, two decades later, he finds her on Facebook and is a friend request away from the truth about what ripped them apart and a second chance at the love that was torn from them.
Now if she'll only accept his friend request ...
One true love, two shattered hearts, a single friend request and a second chance at love ...
Searching for Moore is the first book in Schooner and Mia's journey of love, loss and betrayal as they fight for their own happily ever after.
Meet additional Characters
of the Needing Moore Series  Continuing the fight for their happily ever after that began in Searching for Moore, Schooner Moore and Mia Silver struggle to overcome the ghosts and baggage they accumulated during their time apart.
Exploring the missing 24 years when they were separated, Moore to Lose follows Mia's journey from heartbroken teen to kickass businesswoman to her emotional reunion with Schooner and the exploration of the love that was ripped from them.
But is their love really strong enough to overcome the damage of those missing 24 years or will they continue to be ripped apart by pasts that can't be changed?
Meet Holly & Zac Holly -
Schooner's daughter & strong supporter of her father
Purposely pee’d her pants so that she wouldn’t have to be in a
beauty pageant at age 4
Purposely pee’d her pants at every pageant event after that until her mother stopped taking her.
Plays on her college’s Women’s Volleyball and Soccer teams.
Likes to go out sailing alone with her Dad
Lives on chocolate pudding cups
Meditates every morning
Plans on hiking/hosteling trip through Europe with Jared when she graduates
| Zac Moore -
Schooner's son
The perfect mama's boy with a sexy smile and a bad attitude
Virginity lost: to a friend of his mother’s.
He seduced her!
Slept with every maid
under 30 employed by The Moore’s
Wet his bed until age 9
Manscapes
Rocky Road is his favorite ice cream flavor
Only likes waffle cones
Pays his roommate to write his papers
Has never made a girl come and doesn’t care
Can roll a joint with one hand while driving
Been stealing his father’s booze
since he was 11
| THE MUSIC OF THE NEEDING MOORE SERIES Readers of the Needing Moore Series learn early on of my love for music and how music influences the characters in my books. In Searching for Moore, Schooner and Mia fall in love while working on a project for a class about American Popular Culture and music. They spend a month with their friends, Henry and Rosie, debating music and its influence on culture.
Like many writers, I write with music and certain songs evoke a character or scene in the book. I'd like to share with you some of the songs that influenced the first two books in the series and really became my personal writing soundtrack for the entire series.
Searching for Moore
Scene: It's about 2 weeks into freshman year and there is a freshman retreat in the mountains. Sixteen year old Mia is feeling very far away from home (NYC) and doesn't want to be part of the activities. She takes off hiking in the woods and meets up with Schooner Moore (who she hung out with during freshman orientation) and his roommate, Beau. They smoke a joint together in the woods and then go their separate ways. Later, Schooner's girlfriend, CJ, sees Schooner paying attention to Mia and CJ decides to torture Mia on the long bus ride back to campus by sitting behind her and talking loudly to her girlfriend's about how into her Schooner is. Mia knows that CJ is putting on the show for her benefit.
The Song: The song playing in Mia's head is In the Flesh off of Blondie's first album.
Went walking one day on the Lower East Side,
Met you with your girlfriend
You were divine
She said, "Hands off this one, Sweetie
This boy is mine"
I couldn't resist you, I'm not deaf, dumb and blind
Scene: Mia, Schooner, Henry and Rosie go up to the mountains and have a fun day playing in a field with fresh fallen snow. They have a raucous snowball fight and it's the first time Schooner and Mia's flirtation becomes somewhat physical when he pulls her into his arms. Mia thinks Schooner is going to kiss her, but he doesn't, making her wonder if this "flirtation" is really all in her head.
The Song: With Arms Outstretched by Rilo Kiley. The song talks about going up into the mountains and about a day at a lake that goes by too fast. This upbeat song is the perfect soundtrack for the snowball fight.
The Scene: Mia's first days at her new school in Moore to Lose. Lost and heartbroken. Hating Schooner. Loving Schooner. Missing Schooner. Lost & Broken.
The Song: Wake Up Alone by Amy Winehouse. 'Nuff said.
The Scene: Same timeframe as the scene above, except for Schooner, when Mia doesn't return to school in the fall and all his prayers from over the summer go unanswered. With his tennis career (and his hand) shattered, he takes to the track nightly (black wool hat Mia gave him pulled down to his eyes) with his Walkman (it was the 80's).
The Song: An obscure Beach Boys song called Girl Don't Tell Me.
The Scene: A heartbroken Schooner running the track every night during the beginning of his sophomore year. Black wool cap pulled down to his eyes. Walkmen on (yes, there were Walkmen back then), playing the song over and over again about the girl he thought that loved him and totally blew him off. Hours of exercise in an attempt to exorcise the ghosts of two very precious things: Mia Silver and his tennis career.
The Song: The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys
No scene in particular ... just the yin and the yang of Schooner & Mia. "I saw the crescent, but you saw the whole of the moon." The lyric, "You came like comet , Blazing your trail , Too high, Too far, Too soon." That, to me, is an apt description of a 16 year old Mia ... too high ... too far ... too soon. Even with her advanced maturity level, Mia is so far over her head that dealing with love, betrayal and tragedy become too much for her. She has not learned how to employ the coping strategies to deal with these things and she runs.
Moore to Lose
The Song: As Time Goes By from the film, Casablanca
The Scene: New Year's Eve 1999. The theme of the Millennium Party was Casablanca. Surrounded by WWII era Café Society motif and Big Band tunes, Michael and Mia share a moment. Here's looking at you, Kid.
The Song: Missing You by John Waite
The Scene: Mia in denial. Sitting on the floor of her door room, knees hugged to her chest, listening to songs over and over again. Her heart breaking "down the long distance line tonight" when she reaches out and calls Schooner and Beau tells her the lie that he's left for the night with CJ (Schooner's running on the track and wondering why Mia left him).
The Song: I'm Gonna Find Another You by John Mayer
The Scene: Although this song is about a guy telling a girl that he's going to find someone else, I think of this as Mia letting Tom into her life and trying to let go of the memory and pain of Schooner.
The Song: The Mess We're In by PJ Harvey
The Scene: Evokes the desolation and desperation of 9/11 for me. I can see the smoke hazed city sky in this one.
The Song: I Saw the Light by Todd Rundgren
The Scene: Actually from Searching for Moore. Mia opens her apartment door for the first time to Schooner and immediately wraps her arms tightly around his waist. "And I ran out before. But I won't do it anymore. Can't you see the light in my eyes." This is the second chance. And they are both going to hold on tight.
Needing Moore Series Reading Order GIVEAWAY
Guest Appearance by Julie Richman
Chapter One Excerpt of Searching for Moore, Playlist &
Exclusive Character Interview!
Searching for Moore Excerpt Chapter One
NOW ... CHAPTER One
Schooner Moore did not like turning forty-three - not at all. It didn't sound as old as say fifty, but it wasn't as cool and sexy sounding as thirty-five or even thirty-seven had been. Forty-three - was that even still hot, he wondered. If he judged by the way women continued to come on to him, clamored to get his attention, overtly tried to pick him up - then yes, it was still hot. It just sounded so damn old and that was what was really pissing him off.
Leaning over the railing of a surprisingly empty deck at Newport Beach hot spot, The Dock, Schooner stood alone breathing in the humid, sea air and listening to the boats clanking in the marina. Behind him, echoes of laughter pealed from inside the packed restaurant - a restaurant that his wife, CJ, had rented out in its entirety on a Saturday night for this little birthday soirée. He shuddered to think of what this had just cost him.
CJ meant well, but Schooner knew this shindig really had very little to do with him and everything to do with her coveted social standing aspirations. And a party for turning forty-three? Seriously, who does that? Forty, he could understand. Forty-five, he could understand. But forty-three? This party wasn't about him. And he knew it.
He heard the creaking of worn planks rather than footsteps and felt the familiar slap on his shoulder.
"Hiding, eh?" Beau Gordon leaned on the railing beside him. Beau was a dead ringer for Pee Wee Herman, and with a few drinks in him and the right audience, was significantly funnier.
Schooner laughed, "I can't get far enough away".
"Ahhh, It's not that bad." Beau breathed the dank harbor air in deeply.
"No, I guess it isn't." Schooner acquiesced, with an All-American boy smile, a smile that even at forty-three could stop women - from ages eight to eighty - dead in their tracks.
"There are some really hot babes in there."
Schooner let out a wry chuckle, "Watch out or you'll be picking up an extra mortgage by morning. Don't let those sweet, Botoxed looks fool you. That is a shark tank in there, my man and you are shark chum!" He ended, dramatically.
Beau leaned back on the railing and surveyed the crowd on the other side of the glass wall. "Yeah, I had a few "store-bought racks" of the soon-to-be-divorced, rubbed on me tonight. Not that I'm complaining. But those women were definitely not happy about having to be changing zip codes."
"Still have your wallet?" Schooner chided.
Beau patted his pockets, pulling something out. He sauntered over into the shadows, as Schooner squinted into the darkened corner of the deck to see where his old college roommate was going. Schooner smelled it, before even hearing Beau's first loud exhale.
"You did NOT just light up a dube, Bro!" Schooner quickly scanned the deck, after a paranoid jolt to both his stomach and sphincter.
Beau sat down on a chair and put his feet up on the railing. He slowly inhaled a long drag of the joint, held it and let out a thin stream of white smoke that curled into the night air in paisley patterns. Schooner took the seat next to Beau, lifting his boat shoe clad feet to the rail and stretching his long, athletic legs. Beau silently handed his buddy the joint and Schooner took it from him in a ritual that seemed nearly as old as they were. Gingerly dragging on the glowing joint, Schooner tried to remember the last time he had gotten high. A decade before, maybe - but he really wasn't quite sure.
Almost immediately, Schooner felt the relaxation spread through his body, feeling the tension roll away from his too tight neck and shoulders. "And there it goes. It's moving out with the tide," he silently thought.
"Man, I need to hang out with you more often." Schooner coughed slightly.
Beau just smiled. They were in different worlds. Beau had never married, traveled extensively for work and spent most of his free time vetting the world's great scuba spots, while unsuccessfully trying to pick up women. Schooner, on the other hand, had married CJ almost immediately upon graduation, after dating her for almost all four years of college. His photogenic, California-boy good looks, as well as his sharp business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit and a hefty bankroll from a childhood modeling career had made Schooner a very rich man by the time he was twenty-eight. Everyone who was anyone, from Malibu to the OC, worked out in one of Schooner's clubs. State-of-the-Art equipment coupled with a concierge based staff and entertainment amenities catered to the elite under one roof.
Schooner and CJ. Like Ken and Barbie come to life. They were the epitome of every out-of-stater's fantasy of what the quintessential California boy and California girl looked like. Schooner and CJ. They were beautiful and they looked like they belonged together. Everyone said so and they knew it the first time they had laid eyes on one another. They were like two sides of the same golden coin.
Beau handed Schooner back the joint and said, "Do you remember the first time we got high together?"
Schooner thought for a second and a slow smile spread across his handsome face, his clear sky blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He felt a warm glow in his chest, but oddly also felt the sting of tears behind his eyes. "Yeah, it was at that freshman retreat in the mountains."
"What was that chick's name, that friend of yours, that we got high with?" Beau turned to Schooner, a questioning look on his face, trying hard to grab hold of a memory just out of his reach.
"Mia Silver," her name tumbled out like a waterfall. Just verbalizing it, after all this time, put a smile in Schooner's heart.
"That was Mia Silver?" Beau broke Schooner's pleasant moment.
"Yeah, why?"
"The chick with the glasses? Seriously, Dude? That was Mia Silver?"
"Yeah, that was Mia." Schooner sat up straight in his chair, wondering what his buddy was about to tell him.
"I'll be damned." Beau shook his head, "I just got into one hell of a fight with her on Scott Morgan's Facebook page. She always was a freaking liberal bitch." He shook his head again, "She grew up nice though. She is smokin' hot now. I would not have recognized her, not in a million years." I would have, something deep inside of Schooner screamed.
Schooner felt like his heart was being mashed up in someone's hands - like dough being kneaded. The humid air was no longer making its way deep into his lungs. WTF? He shook his head. Not after all these years, to have such a visceral reaction. Must be the effects of getting stoned or maybe this turning forty-three bullshit.
He was trying to process what Beau had said... he'd had contact with Mia. He'd had contact with Mia. Holy shit. Schooner suddenly felt like he was ready to jump out of his own skin. He wanted to be anywhere, but there. He wanted to be away from Beau. Away from the party. Away from all of their supposed friends - a room filled with Real Housewives of Orange County clones. He knew he needed to take a deep breath and calm himself, because he wasn't going to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Chef Jonathan walked out onto the deck where Schooner and Beau sat. Beau silently handed him the joint. Jonathan dragged deeply, looking out over the night harbor. "Hey, it's cake time. You'd better go back in there, Birthday Boy".
"Lucky me." Schooner muttered.
He took a deep breath and silently said to himself, "Showtime," as he headed in to face the gaggle of his wife's friends, acquaintances and other assorted hangers on.
Introducing Mia Silver - My interview with Mia
 This morning I hopped a plane to NYC to interview the infamous Mia Silver. Mia is currently engaged to Schooner Moore, the Southern California boy turned fitness guru to the stars. I landed in NYC, grabbed a mid-morning snack and headed over to M. Silver and Associates to meet the lovely petite Mia Silver.
The boutique advertising agency is in the Chelsea District of Manhattan and fits Mia perfectly! The cab drops me off infront of an old renovated warehouse. The office is funky and chic, everything I would expect from a Manhattan Ad agency. I am greeted by a stylish, friendly receptionist.
Lisa: Hello, Lisa from The Rock Stars of Romance to see Mia Silver
Friendly Receptionist: Thank you Lisa. Please have a seat. Seth, Mia’s Assistant, will be with you shortly. In the meantime, would you like something to drink?
Lisa: Thank you that would be nice.
I go and sit in the waiting area in one of the cute yellow chairs . A few minutes later my drink arrives. It is a cappuccino in a coffee cup that reads “BBC” I laugh out loud and am smiling.
Smiling and giggling, I do not even notice the person standing over me. I look up at the stylish man standing in front of me. He is smiling a big cheeky grin with his head tilted to the side.
Seth: You must be Lisa, was it something I said?
I stand and smile. I then show him the mug the friendly funky receptionist handed me earlier. We both laugh out loud. Seth looks me up and down from head to toe. I am wearing a bohemian style dress with my favorite pair of Jimmy Choo's. I grab my vintage Ghurka bag and shake his hand.
Lisa: Yes, that would be me...
Seth: Why don't you come this way. Mia will be in shortly. I think Schooner kept her busy this morning.
He looks at me and winks...
 I follow behind as we enter a small conference room. Seth pulls out my chair and takes a seat to the left of me. We make small talk. Seth tells me some fantastic places to eat and a few fashion boutiques he swears are to die for...
The door opens and an adorable, petite well-dressed woman walks in carrying the same Ghurka bag I own. Seth is right; I would fit in here.
She stumbles a bit as she walks towards me. I stand and we shake hands. Mia walks over and has a seat.
Mia: It's a pleasure to meet you. Did you have any trouble getting here?
Lisa: Oh no, it has been an amazing day do so far and Seth has been wonderful. He has also given me some fashion tips.
Mia looks at Seth and laughs.
Mia: If it wasn't for Seth, who knows what I'd come to work in....He wouldn't let me get away with anything less than completely chic!
Seth laughs
Seth: On that note, I will leave you ladies to girl talk...
He gets up, gives both of us a nod and a smirk.
Lisa: Mia, it's a pleasure to finally get a chance to meet you and I am so appreciative for you taking the time to do this.
Mia: now that L9 is open. I have some time on my hands.
Lisa: Should we start?
She takes a sip of her coffee she brought in with her. She smiles.
Mia: yes please... Be gentle with me.
I laugh and begin the interview.
The Interview Why did you feel advertising best suited you, what drew you to it?
Writing and photography – two of my greatest passions come together in advertising. Figuring out visually and descriptively how to strategically position a company or a product has always fascinated me. I’m always looking at everything and thinking, “Hmm, if this was my account, what would I do with it?”
(After we finish this question…. Seth walks in to refill our drinks. After he leaves with a quick smile and shasay’s away)
Lisa: Mia, Seth is quite the character what brought you two together and why do you think your relationship works?
Mia: <Laughing> He is quite amusing, isn’t he!
Seth and I worked together at a large ad agency on Madison Avenue and we hit it off immediately. Like we were best friends five minutes after we met. We were both in our 20’s and we’d go out and party after work and dance all night, go back to our apartments, shower, change clothes, meet for breakfast and then go back to work. I don’t know how we did it with no sleep. I’m tired just thinking about it. We were like crazy party animals. <laughs>.
The reason our relationship works is trust and honesty. I trust Seth with everything and I know I can depend on him and he won’t let me down or breach my confidence. When you’re the president of a company, people tell you what they think you want to hear. Basically, they blow smoke up your ass. So, you really need to have people around you who will keep it real and tell you the truth or you never know what is really going on.
And I make sure we don’t eat cat food. <smiles and laughs>
Lisa: Tell us, why are you the BBC?
Mia: I am NOT the BBC. Don’t go listening to Seth! I think he’s the BBC. Though I will admit to some BBC moments. <laughs> OK, more than a few. Can I blame it on hormones?
Do you know he’s even got Schooner calling me that.
(For those of you that don’t know. BBC was their acronym for “Bitch Be Crazy” – women who act crazy or did wacko things or were just plain loopy were known as BBC’s – Searching for Moore)
Lisa: You met Schooner when you were only 16 and Schooner was 18. What was your first impression of him?
Mia: When we first met, his back was to me and when he turned around Lisa, OMG, I thought my knees were going to buckle under me and I tried acting so cool, but it didn’t work. I thought he was the most gorgeous guy I’d ever seen. He was just like what I'd always pictured the perfect California boy to look like. He was really nice and we got along really well when we were hanging out with our families and I hoped he and I could be friends, but after orientation, it was clear that we were really different and hung out with different crowds, so we became more acquaintances than friends that first semester. But I still thought he was really nice.
Lisa: What was the first thing that went the through your head when you saw the friend request from Schooner?
Mia: <eyes get watery> Wow … I don’t even know how to verbalize what I thought or felt because it was such a rush of so many emotions at once. I guess it was a combination of thinking “Holy Shit!!! Schooner???” and feeling my heart immediately soar with happiness and in my head a visualization of what he looked like when I last saw him. I was really overwhelmed.
Lisa: Are you still Schooner's only Facebook Friend or has he expanded his horizons?
Mia: <laughing> No, he has a few more, but not many … Holly, Yoli, Beau … he’s not a big Facebook guy. <laughing> He gets a lot of friend requests though from women he doesn’t know.
Lisa: All those years that you were without Schooner, was there ever another person that was special at all? Or was it like nobody could ever fill Schooners shoes?
Mia: <smiles> There was one person. He was a very, very special and wonderful man and he was very good to me. Otherwise, I dated a lot of assholes. I think I actively sought out assholes. And no, no one filled Schooner’s shoes – ever. And I guess part of that was I just never felt for anyone else what I felt for him, although I wanted to – which made it frustrating, both for me and for the guys I dated.
Lisa: You have always been a person who is not drawn to the spotlight or in need of acceptance, how are you dealing with your new found "fame?"
Mia: I’m famous? <laughs> I think it’s more like “Who’s that short chick with Schooner.”
(We both laugh, she really is quite short)
Lisa: CJ? CJ has tried to ruin your relationship and your happiness for some time. All for her own personal gain. Do you resent her for this? And, considering her and Schooner have children together, how do you feel you will react when you have personal contact with her in the future?
Mia: My mother is screaming at me in my head right now, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I don’t have a whole lot of nice things to say. I wish I could be more gracious. I really do try to look more forward though than backward. I mean, it is what it is and I can’t change the past. I wish I could. But I can’t. So, if I focus on the present and the future, she is, for the most part, a non-entity in my life. But, to your point, she and Schooner share children, so we will have contact in the future and I have a feeling it will need to be a Xanax moment for me.
Lisa: What is your favorite place to go in the City?
Mia: Depends on my mood … sometimes I just love to walk around the streets in the West Village and wander in and out of little shops and look at brownstones … sometimes I love to go up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and see the Greek and Roman antiquities and the impressionist paintings. My favorite Monet, “Terrace at Sainte Adresse” hangs there. Most of the time I just love finding little cafes to hang out and people watch.
Lisa: You have very good taste, would you like to take me shopping?
Mia: Thank you! Oh absolutely, we should go check out some of the little boutiques in SoHo and then go up to Jimmy on the roof of the James Hotel and get a drink and some appetizers.
Lisa: That concludes our interview. Are you hungry?
The Music Behind the Story: Searching for Moore
Over a period of several months, Searching for Moore was written between the hours of 10 PM – 2AM. I am a “night writer” and while some writers need total silence to focus, I need headphones on and music playing in my ears, to focus. I cannot write without music. With music, I get lost in another world. So while writing SFM, I developed a playlist called “No Skip” – songs that I wanted to hear and wouldn’t skip over. That play list contained 355 of my all-time favorite songs – from all genres and all eras.
Out of those 355 songs, there were four songs – four songs that will forever be Searching for Moore in my head and heart. Hearing them will always bring me to that bubble I was in when writing – feeling Schooner and Mia’s emotions.
There were nights where one of the songs would come on (I always listen in shuffle mode) and I would put it on repeat and 45 minutes later I would realize that the song was still playing. It was truly my soundtrack. Here are the four songs:
Girl Don’t Tell Me by The Beach Boys: A fairly obscure Beach Boys song that was the B side to Barbara Ann. It is also my all-time favorite Beach Boys song. This song is Schooner. I envision him running on the track at night, black knit cap pulled down to his eyes, trying to exorcise the angst and the demons and the pain of losing Mia. And then losing her again. This song was, by far, played more than any other song.
With Arms Outstretched by Rilo Kiley. Schooner, Mia, Henry and Rosalie form a great bond during Interim. Friendships and love bloom and the four share with one another on a plethora of levels. This song is the gang’s day up in the mountains – their snowball fight, building their well-endowed snowman – the almost kiss between Mia and Schooner.
The Brokenhearted by Bruce Springsteen … go to the last one minute and 15 seconds of this song and keep playing that last 1:15 over and over again … tell me that you love me, tell me that you need me, tell me that you want me. Bruce breaks into this anguished tone … rips you to shreds … so many moments for both Mia and Schooner, neither understanding why … why don’t you love me, why don’t you need me, why don’t you want me …
The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys. “I saw the crescent/You saw the whole of the moon.” Honestly, I did not know this song or this band when I started writing Searching for Moore. I was driving in my car one day and it came onto one of the XM stations (I don’t even know which one). It was initially released around the time Schooner and Mia were in college. The song grabbed me immediately and what struck me about the lyrics was that it was about two people coming together, from divergent points, pasts, views and together they formed a whole that enhanced the beauty and strength of the parts. The Whole of the Moon is Mia and Schooner together.
These four songs each played over and over again, hundreds of times, during the writing of Searching for Moore … take a listen and let me know if you can see the scenes from the book and the characters while listening to these songs.
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