Lina Simoni's Blog: A writer's life

Today is the second day of the US Open (golf). I am avidly watching it, even as I am writing this post. For this particular tournament, there are red baskets instead of flags on the sticks. I find it odd, and more than that, I think it shouldn’t be allowed. You place a rigid object on the sticks instead of a flexible one and you have a different game. Ask Lee Westwood, who yesterday hit the perfect  shot except that his ball hit the basket and bounced off it and off the green for a double bogey. Had there been a flag instead, his ball would have either gone in the hole or landed a foot from it. Why is the PGA allowing such a huge deviation from the standard? There should be a ruling stating that anything other than flags is illegal, at least for PGA tour events. Let’s make a comparison with a different sport: tennis. What if  we had a wooden board in place of the net? With the net, if a ball hits the top of it it’s either: 1. a let if the ball came off a serve and landed in the right area; 2. or a ball that is in play if it rolls over the net; 3. or a lost point if the ball does not go over the net or the serve is not good. With a wooden board in place of the net, the ball would heavily bounce of it and probably land in the stands every single time. It would be different game. So what is with golf? Again, why is the PGA allowing the red baskets on the course? I would love it if some PGA official took the time to answer this question. I am hoping that one of the ESPN commentators will see this post and raise the issue on TV.

On to a different topic, “The Brimstone Wedding” by Barbara Vine. Before I share my opinion on this book, I must confess that I did not read the actual writing at first. I listened instead to the audiobook. It is read by Juliet Stevenson, a fantastic British actress. In fact, I found The Brimstone Wedding on Audible as I was looking for recordings by Stevenson. Her rendition of the book is so fantastic that I bought the book afterwards and went through it again. This is the first story by Barbara Vine I took on, so I did not quite know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the evolving relationship between the two main characters: Stella, a sophisticated, older woman on the verge of death living in a home; and Genevieve, her unsophisticated caregiver. As different in age and social milieu as they are, the two share a deep, devoted companionship and, yes, secrets. I’ll say no more or I’ll spoil your reading. This is a book that should be read twice to appreciate all the foreshadowing and the intriguing details the author masterfully weaves into the story.

Yes, I was gone from this blog for over a month. Why? Because for the past month and a half I have been deep into writing my third novel, The Cabinet’s Spell. And when I am deep into writing a long piece, everything else seems irrelevant. Which, of course, it’s not. Besides ignoring my blog, I also ignored my Twitter account, my Facebook page, and every social media I am on. The truth is, I get so involved with my characters and their tribulations, I feel I am living in a different world. But I’m back, as you can see. As for the Cabinet’s Spell, it starts in 2006 Brooklyn, where Madeleine, a 66 year old woman, has a very predictable, organized, routine life. Something happens to her on her way to work, and her life will never be the same. Then, in chapter 2, the story goes back in time to 1916, the year Madeleine’s mother was born in Genoa, Italy. Both stories continue on in parallel and by the end of the book they come together. I have one fourth of the novel done, and a long way to go. Keep reading this blog to see the progress! It’s a fascinating story, which took me a long time to conceive. I’m excited!

Now, let’s move on to singing. I like music and singing in particular, so I follow the singing competitions on TV. This year, I was shaking my head when I watched American Idol: the contestants were so bad I couldn’t believe it. Even the final three, who were so much better than everyone else, turned out to be pretty forgettable. By now, I don’t  know their names anymore, and their faces are a blur. Worst of all, their music is a blur. When Phillip Phillips and Scotty McCreery won, I was so excited. I downloaded their music, listened to it over and over. They were both unforgettable, and they continue to be relevant presences in the music world. On the other hand, there’s nothing left in me from this year’s competition. Zero. Zilch. Now I am following The Voice, and I am amazed by the incredible talent being showcased. So many “meaningful” artists are competing, even some who were eliminated. So, here is my question for you. Why are the Voice’s contestants so much more talented than the Idol’s contestants? And let’s talk for a moment about the format of the two competitions. Idol has four judges who sit on their chairs and basically do nothing other than repeat the same silly sentences, like “over the top”, or “this girl is in it to win it”, or “it was too pitchy for me”. BORING!!! But in The Voice there are no judges, only coaches who are deeply involved with the contestants and invested in their performances and success/failure. And they compete with each other. So much more interesting. Perhaps Idol needs a facelift? I say it does. And: am I rooting for someone on The Voice? You bet I am. My favorite singers are Michelle Chamuel and the Swon Brothers. I could listen to them all day long. Hope one of them wins!

Starting Monday, I will be on call for jury duty.  Every time this happens, and it happens way too often in California, I cannot but wonder about the pros and cons of the jury system as the basis for the administration of justice. I was born and raised in a country (Italy) where juries don’t exist, as is the case in most of Europe. Verdicts are handed out by a judge or a panel of judges. Now, it is a fact that a judge and a jury are two entirely different entities.  The former is an “expert” in matters of the law, he/she is educated, competent, and has chosen judging as his/her job. The latter is a collection of “neighbors”, who could easily be uneducated, are by enlarge ignorant of the legal discourse, hold jobs in a variety of different fields, and likely think that spending time on a jury is a disruption of their lives. Let’s be honest: no citizen with a family and a job wants to spend weeks or months in a court of law. All of which raises a number of questions, including these: (1) If the same case were to be tried in both a jury-based and a judge-based system, could the outcome turn out different? Answer: definitely yes. (2) If I were a defendant and was given a choice of system, would I want to be judged by an highly educated, competent person with years of experience in legal matters and who has chosen the law as his/her profession or by a random group of people whose grasp of the issues depends on how many episodes of Law and Order they watched and would rather be elsewhere? Post your answer, but here is mine: I would want to be judged by a judge (or a panel of judges.) And there’s more. A jury’s level of education (which I associate with the ability of making competent decisions) depends of the location the trial is held at. Why should a defendant in, let’s say, Manhattan be judged by a highly educated jury and a defendant in, let’s say, Mobile, Alabama should not? I wish I could say that justice is administered in the same way all across the US, but I can’t.  Not to talk about race. There are places in the US where racism is so deeply rooted that an African-American or Hispanic defendant is deemed guilty before the trial begins. Just watch “Bernie.” Besides being a great movie, it ends with a jury trial that says it all. There’s no easy fix to the American unfair and broken education system and widespread (loud or silent) racism. So what’s the answer? Here is one: let’s have judges hand out verdicts. They are the great equalizers. It‘s working in other highly-civilized countries. Has worked for hundreds and hundreds of years. Why are we still using a flawed, tedious, life-disrupting system such as the jury? Thomas Jefferson believed that serving on a jury is more important than voting. He said, “I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet imagined by man by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” I respectfully disagree. Am I the only one?

On a different note, a couple of weeks ago I finished reading “On Chesil Beach” by Ian McEwan and I am in awe of it. The simplicity and complexity of the story drew me in, and I could not put it down. Two youngsters on their honeymoon, a suite overlooking the beach, few spoken words, many unspoken ones. The unspoken words drive the story. Unforgettable characters, masterful writing. “On Chesil Beach” is as close as prose gets to poetry. And the ending … is sublime.  As a reader, this is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. As an author, it’s a book I wish I were able to write.

I am a serious tennis fan. I have also been a very good player since childhood, until a series of injuries sidelined me. I follow tournaments, live and on TV. I went to all the Grand Slams except the Australian Open, Too far, Of course I have favorite and “unfavorite” players. As it turns out, Maria Sharapova tops my list of unfavorite players. Her attitude (cold, detached, superior), her forced/fake smiles, her grunts (unbearably loud), and her game (so one-dimensional and boring to watch) all contribute to my disliking of her. While I write this post, she is playing the Sony Open final against Serena Williams, another player I do not care for. So I won’t be watching. I’ll take my dogs for a long hike. But not before pointing out another reason my opinion of Maria Sharapova has dropped to abysmal levels in the past months: Sugarpova. Sugarpova, if you don’t know, is a company she created that, as the name suggests, fabricates and sells candies. I read the list of ingredients on one candy package.  The main ones: sugar and corn syrup. Are you kidding us, Maria? With all the money you have and all the influence you have as a top athlete, of all the enterprises you could have created, you chose one that promotes sugar among a population that is affected by obesity, diabetes, and other sugar-related illnesses? Don’t you know that American kids are getting fatter by the minute and that bad eating habits are to blame for rising levels of sickness and death? How do you live with yourself? You could have chosen to actually “help” the society you live in, and in so  may ways, but instead you chose to foster a serious problem, one that so many people are working on daily to try and overcome. Why? I heard on TV your explanation: as a child you liked candies. OMG. Grow up. And start doing something useful with your life.

I truly enjoyed watching the recent papal election with its secrecy and pomp and circumstance. It was like watching an Umberto Eco saga: mysterious rooms, invisible players, smoke. Best reality TV show in a long time. I am not religious, but because I was born in Italy, I was raised Catholic, as everyone in that country is. So I am well aware of the event’s special significance for the Italians and in particular for the Romans. For a few days, Rome is the center of the universe, and no one there can talk about anything else but the Pope. The traffic, congested on any given day, is even more congested if a Pope is about to be elected. I watched the coverage on CNN and found it not bad, but how could they have misspelled “Habemus Papam”, one of the world’s most famous sentences, as “Habemus Papem” for hours? It was running at the bottom of the screen over and over, in big letters, while supposedly “papal experts” were offering guesses and explanations. Ouch. I was happy to see a Latino Pope show up on the balcony, not only because it’s the first time a non-European clergy holds the post, but also because clearly the Latino population is the main Catholic force today. This morning CNN reported on the transition that occurred in the US as the “white” population stepped away from the Church put off by the sex scandals and the widespread corruption and the Latino immigrants stepped in in ever rising numbers. In general, I don’t have much sympathy for the Catholic Church with its ridiculous and anachronistic positions on women and birth control, but I still hope Pope Francis will “see” that it’s time for the institution to take a different approach and blend into the current times. On a different, but not so different, note, if you haven’t seen the 2011 film “Habemus Papam” (translated in English as We have a Pope) by Nanni Moretti, this would be a good time to download it from Netfllix. Nanni Moretti is a beloved, left-wing, Italian director/writer/actor, and Habemus Papam is a comical, provocative look at the Vatican’s inside “life” while a Papal election is undergoing. You will see Cardinals play soccer and overdose on anti-anxiety pills, the elected Pope run away, and the Vatican’s officials try to cover it all up. Fabulous. The film is in Italian with English subtitles, and the translation is good. Enjoy!

Yesterday morning (3/11) around 10 AM the earth shook under me. I was lying in bed, watching the news on CNN, when my two cocker spaniels, Biscuit and Simon, started to bark for apparently no reason. One second later, the earthquake struck. It didn’t last long, only a few moments, but it was enough to frighten me to death. I darted outside in time to see the water in my pool make waves. And then it was over. Wow, scary. The scariest part is how earthquakes strike without notice. It was a beautiful, sunny day, with sparkling blue skies and palm trees fluttering in a very light breeze. It was, in other words, as close as a day can get to paradise. And then, the shaking. And then, paradise again. And today is another paradise day. Till the next quake. That’s what life is in Southern California. Nothing one can do about it.

On a different note, I’d like to talk about a fabulous thriller: Cat by Veronica Bains. It was just published (March 4th, 2013) I read an advance copy (Ms Bains and I have the same publisher, Moonleaf Pubishing, LLC.) What struck me the most about this book–besides the fast pace and the multidimensional, intriguing characters–is the fact that the reader works her/his way through the story alongside the victim, a likable, young, exploited  illegal immigrant named Alicia Gomez. Not many thrillers take this approach. As a consequence, there’s a lot more in “Cat” than a cat-and-mouth game or a police procedural. Ms Bains brings in issues (illegal immigration, the exploitation of working women) that are  socially relevant, current, and important. The heroine, Alicia Gomez, is stubborn, courageous, and lovely. Her detective pals, Carlos and George, are funny and engaging. Their sarcastic, pungent humor next to the horrors of serial killings will entangle you and you won’t be able to put the book down. For sale on amazon.com, bn.com and everywhere books are sold. “Cat” also has a lovely website: http://www.catthethriller.com. Enjoy!

Hi everyone. Months ago I promised I would blog regularly, and of course, I did not. I have a love/hate relationship with social media, and I guess the “hate” part took over in the past months. Well, I must say I was wrong. I got involved with Twitter recently, and I met a large number of interesting people I had no idea existed. I also followed links to stimulating blog posts. And that got me excited about blogging again. So, no more broken promises. I am here to stay. As for “Sweet Tooth”, it’s the title of a novel written by Ian McEwan. Fabulous. For those who do not recognize the name, Ian McEwan is the author of Atonement. Here is how I came across “Sweet Tooth”. On April 30, 2012 The New Yorker published a short story titled “A hand on the shoulder”. I read it in a hurry, unable to put it down, fascinated by the complex, intelligent female protagonist. It became my favorite New-Yorker short story of 2012. I did not know at the time that “A hand on the shoulder” is an excerpt from (or a seed for, depending on which one was written first) the novel “Sweet Tooth”. When I found out, I rushed to buy the book and the audiobook. And once again I could not put it down. I read it all over a 48-hour period, during which I slept very little, my sweet dogs staring at me and wondering why my light was still on at 3AM. The adventure of “Serena Fromme (rhymes with plume)” took me on an unforgettable ride through a fascinating world of broken love and espionage. And McEwan’s writing is masterful. I was appalled to see so many low ratings for this book on Goodreads and Amazon, barely higher than 3. Of course everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, but my reaction to it is: WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, PEOPLE? How can you give 3 stars to Sweet Tooth and five stars to Fifty Shades of Gray? Please revise your priorities. And read Sweet Tooth again. You may change your mind.

Now that the Olympics are over (and we can all turn off our TVs and get back to work,) I have a question for you out there. If you had the power to boot one sport out of the Olympic Games, which one would it be? Me, I have no doubt: synchronized swimming. Come on girls, go do something else with you lives. You are ridiculous with those little funny feet sticking out of the water like schizophrenic spoons. But the worst part is your clothing. Not to talk about your makeup and your fake smiles. Such turn-offs.  Look at all the other Olympic female athletes. Other than for the gals in rhythmic gymnastics (which came in a close second in my sport-to-boot list) everyone has beautiful, clean faces. And clothes that don’t blind you when you stare at them and don’t look like Barbie doll’s garments on steroids. Take the swimmers, for example. Or the cyclists. Or…you name it. Everyone looks great but you. It’s 2012, and you are reproducing and promoting the worst female stereotype on the planet. Give it up! And by the way, what kinds of parents enroll their daughters in synchronized swimming? Moms, dads, do you want to see your precious, beautiful daughter in the Olympics? Send her to the soccer field, or to swimming practice, or buy her a bike. How about the track? Not glamorous enough for you? Buy her tennis lessons. Want her to show off her beautiful body in a suit? Teach her how to dive. Is the suit not sexy enough? Would you rather see her in a bikini? Beach volleyball is the answer. Which is an area, by the way, where the US has a fabulous record, whereas the American synchro swimming team, let’s say it, sucks.

Oh, I let it all out, and I’m glad.

As I said in my previous post, I have a broken ankle, so I watched a lot of Olympics in the past two weeks. And I loved every moment of it, including Mary Carillo’s wacko pieces. Way to go, Mary! But when synchro swimming came on, boy, did I turn that telly off! Went playing ball with my dogs (yes, I can throw the ball from my wheelchair.) I’m sure that this post will make a number of people angry, but hopefully a much larger number of them will laugh. And, please, keep the discussion going. Who would you boot out of the Olympics if you could?

I am going back to work now. I have a novel that just came out and needs promoting (The House of Serenades,) and one in the making (The Cabinet Spell.) Lots to do, so I am thankful that, as thrilling as it was, the London adventure is over.

Simon, one and a half years old

Biscuit, two years old

I haven’t posted to this blog in over a month, and the reason is that I am having the worst summer… At the beginning of July I broke my left ankle in two places. I was hiking with my dogs up a mountain along a rough trail and all of a sudden I lost my footing. Never mind that I was far away from the parking lot and alone…Luckily I had my cell phone with me and a signal. Firefighters came to my rescue with a stretcher. And the rest is history. I have been in a wheelchair ever since and not in a very good mood. Three more weeks in the cast, then one month in a walking cast. So, I have been working on my new novel this whole month and shying away from social media. Writing is the only thing that “picks me up” in tough times. But I’m back. More soon.

P.S.

How bad is the discussion over Gabby’s hair? People, get a life!

I haven't posted to this blog in over a month, and the reason is that I am having the worst summer... At the beginning of July I broke my left ankle in two places. I was hiking with my dogs up a mountain along a rough trail and all of a sudden I lost my footing. Never mind that I was far away from the parking lot and alone...Luckily I had my cell phone with me and a signal. Firefighters came to my rescue with a stretcher. And the rest is history. I have been in a wheelchair ever since and not in a very good mood. Three more weeks in the cast, then one month in a walking cast. So, I have been working on my new novel this whole month and shying away from social media. Writing is the only thing that "picks me up" in tough times. But I'm back. More soon.