Wise Words from Lama Ole Nydahl – Buddha & Love

How often does one listen to the wise words from a Lama?  I met with one of the few Western Lamas in the world, Lama Ole Nydahl. This spry 71-year-old, recently wrote his 8^th book, Buddha & Love is about modern relationships. It’s a comprehensive manual about love and partnership from a Buddhist perspective. Lama Ole’s approach to relationships helps the reader relax ones mind, break bad habits, and use relationships with others to grow and benefit in the experience.

He is not the type of Lama who sits and prays all day long. Lama Ole is an authentic Tibetan Buddhist master who has established more than 600 Buddhist centers in 50 countries. His Diamond Way Centers help people learn the joy of nurturing others.

Instead of wearing traditional robes, Lama Ole is more a layperson in his cargo pants. The book is a tribute to his late wife, Hannah as he shares his pragmatic, modern and truly unconventional insight on how to love better.

Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl went to Nepal on their honeymoon in the late 60s. They met their first Buddhist teacher, Lopon Tchechu Rinpoche and later became the students of the H.H. 16^th Gyalwa Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. In his book, Ole Lama acknowledges that his teacher offered him compassion and intuitive insight. For over forty years, Hannah and Lama Ole introduced thousands of students to this new way of seeing the world.

As I sat down with Lama Ole, he shared with me, “Women carry the cultural spirit. They have 10 times more feelings than man. Men should treat women well. Women need to support men and give their man self-confidence.”

This book is a modern day “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus,” written by John Gray and published in 1992. “Live for each other. Think of what you can bring and give to a relationship,” believes Lama Ole. “If you are willing to grow, you can develop a love for anyone.”

Lama Ole only sleeps four hours a night and speaks to crowds of hundreds at his centers. He has no permanent home, but is welcomed as family by his students around the world. His next book, due to come out in the Fall, 2012 is about death and rebirth. “One can choose rebirth if one feels they would be useful in this world again,” said Lama Ole. “I teach people how not to be afraid of death.” He gives people the tools to be more relaxed and calm in the dying process. “Use the moment of death to go into a good sphere,” advises Ole Lama.

Ida Garten is The Barefoot Contessa

Ida Garten, author and host of the popular Food Network program Barefoot Contessa, was at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Nov. 15 to discuss her latest cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, to a packed crowd of foodie enthusiasts.

When Garten was a little girl, she would join her mother in the kitchen. Within minutes her mother would say, “My job is to cook, your job is to study, get out of the kitchen and study,” shared Garten.

All of her studying paid off. In her 20s, Garten became a White House nuclear energy policy analyst. In her 30s, she said to herself, “This isn’t for me anymore.” She wanted to do something that she really loved.

While camping around Europe for a few months with her husband Jeffrey, Garten bought and ate a lot of fresh French food. She soon realized her true passion was cooking. Not formally trained, Garten learned how to cook by following recipes from many of Julia Child’s cookbooks.

Garten’s new recipe ideas come from childhood memories that she tweaks. She uses her scientific approach when making her dishes. “I’ll make a dish anywhere from 4 to 25 times to perfect it,” Garten said to the audience.

In her newest book, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, Garten helps home cooks look great in the kitchen and dining room table. It’s the eighth cookbook she has created. She shares with readers her easy steps to pull off deeply satisfying dishes that offer a “wow” factor to family and friends.

 

Clarkson/Potter Publishing, 2012

Interview with Robert Crais

Meeting with mystery novelist Robert Crais at Vromen’s bookstore in Pasadena during a book tour appearance, was a treat.

I arrived to a standing-room only audience of loyal fans eager to hear the successful novelist speak. He was celebrating the success of his just released, fifteenth book, Taken, featuring his beloved main characters; Elvis Cole and Joe Pike.

When asked how he comes up with the angle for this book, Crais shared with the audience “Eighteen months ago, I read about mass graves being found South of the Texas border, so I did more research.” Crais discovered that the violence wasn’t from the drug cartel, but from bajadores. The victims were mostly immigrants from India, Asia and Europe who came up through Central America on their journey to Mexico to enter the USA illegally. Bajadores find out which buses are filled with immigrants, kidnap the people at gunpoint and milk them for money. “People smuggling is a huge business,” announced Crais. “Bajadores kidnap, bring their prey to remote ranches and try to collect as much money as they can from families or employers. When the hundreds and thousands of dollars stops coming, the person is killed and buried in a mass grave with others of no value to the bajadores.”

Crais learned how to write successful novels from being a Screenwriter. He wrote scripts for the successful television hits: Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice shows. Twenty-two years ago, he left the lucrative entertainment field as a producer and contract writer to follow a dream of writing his own novel.  Crais hit the jackpot with his first Elvis Cole novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat.

When asked how novel writing is different than screenwriting, Crais replied, “The dialogue and format don’t change, just the pacing.” He went on to tell the group, “To write a novel, you don’t have to be visual. With screenwriting you do have to be visual.” What he enjoys most is the freedom he has as a novelist.

Crais doesn’t give a lot of physical description of his characters because he doesn’t see them. He told his fans “I can see their outline and the scuff marks on their shoes, but as the camera rises, my characters become a blur.”

A lady asked Crais where does he get his material to write his books? He replied with a smile “Writers cannibalize their life. They suck in and take everything around them.”

Another fan asked him how he developed his main characters Elvis Cole and Joe Pike? He looked out into the audience and said “I created two guys that I wished were my friends. I’d like to hang out with them. I enjoy thinking about them.”

Crais received a big laugh when he described his worst book tour. He was at a Barnes and Noble in Pittsburgh, PA. The bookstore was kind enough to set up 40 chairs, a podium and signs. When he arrived and was introduced, there were only three people in the audience. Two women sat near the front and one gentleman was in the back of the room. Instead of talking at the podium into a microphone, he invited the gentleman to sit next to the two ladies. Crais grabbed a chair and sat with them to chat about his book. “The man declined to move up and the ladies giggled when I sat down,” shared Crais. “They didn’t know who I was, and told me they were just resting their feet for a moment before continuing on with their shopping.”

His book, Taken, is set in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. A young couple happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and are kidnapped by bajadores. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike come to the rescue.

Before signing books, Crais told us “I like Joe Pike’s depth and complexity. I haven’t even touched the surface of Joe Pike.” Lucky for his readers, Elvis and Joe have many more adventures ahead with Crais at the reigns.

Randy Jackson – More than a Judge on American Idol

        On the hit reality show American Idol, Paula was the “heart”, Simon the “reality”, and Randy is the “knowledge.” He is an expert in the music industry. With over 25 years in the entertainment industry, Randy Jackson is a Grammy winning producer, performer, songwriter, record executive, as well as a teacher. He has worked on over a thousand gold and multi-platinum albums with Mariah Carey, Madonna, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Bon Jovi, Destiny’s Child, NSYNC, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin.  He is not related to anyone from the Jackson Five or Samuel Jackson, he is his own star.

A Passion For Music

      Randy was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA. He fell in love with music in grade school, learning to play the saxophone, guitar and drums. In high school he joined marching, symphony, and jazz bands, winning a grant from the National Association of Jazz Education and the Endowment for the Arts to study with Chuck Rainey, a master bass player. Randy soon realized, the bass guitar would become his favorite instrument.

      Later, while studying music at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Jackson got his first big break auditioning for jazz-rock fusion great, Billy Cobham. He won the audition, joined Cobham’s band, made two albums, and toured the country meeting some of the music industry giants. In 1993, Jackson auditioned for the hit rock group, Journey. They needed an experienced musician to help with a new album and tour the country. Randy was exactly what the band members were looking for. “Being a rock star was unbelievable,” he says. “I would be on stage with 100,000 people singing the words to our songs.”

Randy’s Health Challenge

      Randy was a healthy, normal weight as a child, but began bulking up in high school to play varsity football. While touring with Journey, he retained the weight from his high school football days. “I tried numerous diet and exercise programs, but couldn’t lose weight. About five years ago I developed Type 2 diabetes,” says Jackson.

      In 2002, Randy had gastric bypass surgery to improve his health. After the surgery he lost nearly 100 pounds, began exercising, and consumed 1/3 of what he formerly ate. His Type 2 diabetes is now controlled with oral medication, good eating habits and exercise.

     According to the American Diabetes Association, Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes. With Type 2, excess weight destroys the body’s ability to process sugar. The body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the cells seem to ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to assimilate sugar, the basic fuel for the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood, instead of going into cells, it can cause life- threatening consequences, such as heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage. Once called Adult Onset Diabetes, now most overweight children will develop Type 2 diabetes, if not as children, then as young adults.  

     When his daughter developed a weight problem, Randy and his wife of ten years, Erica, were introduced to Dr. Francine Kaufman, one of America’s foremost pediatric endocrinologists and director of the comprehensive Childhood Diabetes Center, and head of the Center of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. “We hit it off immediately and collaborated with her to start a foundation to help Dr. Kaufman in her research to find a cure,” he says. “ With the rise of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, kids aren’t eating well, or getting the proper exercise.” Experts believe that more than one-third of the children born in 2000 will develop diabetes.

         Randy is also involved in numerous charities and functions involving children.  Jackson and his family were among the celebrity guests at a recent Make-A-Wish fundraiser aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship. He graciously signed autographs and offered advice on the music industry. “I try to bring my family to many of these functions,” he says.  He also helps his good friend Mariah Carey with her Fresh Air Fund.

      At his children’s school, he has read the anti-drug pledge during Red Ribbon Week.  “It was a kick to shout ‘What’s Up Dawg?’ and the kids scream back with excitement.” He shared that “I told the kids that the reason why I have been successful in life, is because of hard work, talent, and not drinking or taking drugs.”

Life Change Since Idol

      Before American Idol, Jackson was senior VP of A&R (Artist & Repertoire) and staff producer at Columbia Records and MCA. “A&R people find producers, songwriters and musicians to help a singer make a hit album,” he says. He discovered Mariah Carey and became her A&R guy.  He won a Grammy Award for co-producing Gladys Knight’s album At Last.

      Randy was usually off to New York for four to five days, or traveling with Mariah Carey when she went on tour. In the beginning Erica traveled with him, but when they began having a family, both strongly agreed that a parent should be at home with the children. She enjoys being with their two children, Zoe and Jordan and is actively involved at their school.

      Since American Idol, Erica states “In some aspects our family life is better, because we see Randy more, especially on the weekends, he comes to the kids baseball and softball games.” One drawback from Randy working on American Idol is the family can’t go to Sea World or Disneyland with him anymore. “Instead of Randy being a vacationing dad, he is a celebrity dad.  He talks to kids, signs autographs, and it interferes with family time,” states Erica.

Jackson and his wife maintain a normal household for their children.  The kids attend a neighborhood public school, instead of a private schools filled with celebrity children. “Money, huge houses, and fancy cars don’t matter. What does matter is what we give back to the community.”  The Jackson’s foundation is helping Dr. Kaufman raise more money for research in finding cures for kids in need. “Life is about what you give, not what you get.” Randy Jackson is a true American idol.

The Essential Armchair Guidebook to Winning SURVIVOR

I’ll never forget the first time I watched Season One of the Emmy Award winning reality television show, Survivor. Sixteen contestants were dropped off by boat on a remote island with the intention to survive in the wilderness for at least 30 days. It’s not only a physical endurance challenge, but mental as well. Many of the players weaken as they lose at least 30 pounds in 30 days. It’s a social experiment as people lie to fellow contestants, betray them, pretend to love them, form alliances with the strong and vote off the weak. It all happens in the presence of cameras to air on television to about 11 million viewers a week.

I sat down with author Larry Richardson at Firenza Osteria in Toluca Lake for lunch to discuss his new guidebook to winning Survivor.

“My first book was actually a training manual for the FBI on hostage negotiations,” shared Richardson. “It was my dissertation to earn my Ph.D from USC.”

Richardson is probably the ultimate fan of the show. “It’s an entertaining show, where people compete in physical challenges and the last man or woman standing wins one million dollars,” he said with a smile.

Richardson has watched every season on television and on YouTube.

After 22 seasons, there have been 31 contestants over the age of 50, with the oldest player, Rudy Boesch. The oldest winner was Bob Crowley at the age of 57 during Season 17.

After Season 5, an audience member asked Jeff Probst if there was something he could do to successfully compete on the show? Probst recommended, John Nash’s Non-Cooperative Game Theory.

Now Probst can also include Richardson’s book when asked by potential players. This book will teach you how to be thoughtful, flexible, loving, respectful, share rewards with others and keep your promises. These applications are life lessons that apply to everyday life. It will help you survive in your personal and business life.

Enjoy!

Sue Grafton – The Queen of the “ABC” Mystery Series

I first picked up one of Sue Grafton’s books in the late 1980s. It was “D” is for Deadbeat. Since then, I’ve been hooked reading all of her mystery novels.

Her newest book “V” is for Vengeance, just hit the shelves. I had the fortunate opportunity to interview Grafton last month to learn more about her life, her fabulous character Kinsey Millhone and how this 71-year-old stays so fit, healthy and young looking.

Grafton shared that she wrote her first book “A” is for Alibi on a typewriter with white-out next to her. “If I made two mistakes on a piece of paper, I was such a prissy thing that I’d pull the sheet out and retype everything,” she admitted to me over the telephone.

Now, she writes on a computer, even though she admits she isn’t technologically savvy. “I realize how exasperating it was typing hundreds of pages. A computer is much easier to use to research information for my books,” said Grafton.

The main character is her books is Kinsey Milhoune. Grafton shared that her oldest daughter, Leslie, named one of her daughter’s Kinsey. “We have license plates on our cars saying ‘THX KNZ’ and ‘Kinsey2’ in gratitude for what this character has given us in life. My granddaughter thinks we named the cars after her,” giggled Grafton.

This prolific writer really enjoys being a grandmother. “You get the joy without the sense of responsibility,” said Grafton. She believes it’s very hard to raise a child at this age. Being a grandmother has made her finally realize what parenting is all about. “I am more patient with my grandchildren, than I was with my own children. I enjoy watching them tie their shoes and appreciate every moment. With my own children I was always rushing them along,” enthused Grafton.

When I shared with Grafton that I enjoy the special relationship between Kinsey and her neighbor Henry, she informed me that Henry is totally invented and not based on anyone in her life. “I love writing about the elderly. Nowadays, they say you are elderly in your 70s. I’m 71 and don’t feel old at all. It’s odd the perception of aging,” expressed Grafton.

I inquired if she would share some secrets with the Not Born Yesterday readers about how she stays so young? She said she gave up junk food years ago, however when she is in California (she lives six months in Montecito and six months in Louisville, KY), she sometimes likes to get an In-N-Out burger.

“I exercise five days a week and walk about 20 to 25 miles a week,” Grafton proudly told me. After our interview, she was going to walk three-miles and then go to Curves Fitness Center. “I like the 30-minute circuit training,” said Grafton. “I used to jog, but it starting breaking down my feet and was hard on my spine.” She believes walking is a great form of exercise.

Since I enjoy her books so much, I asked her if we might see Kinsey Millhone on the movie screen. While working in Hollywood for 15 years as a television and screenwriter, the entertainment industry became a very irritating and unpleasant career. “Kinsey Millhone was my ticket out of Hollywood. It was where I could write solo and make my own decisions,” stated Grafton. She believes if she sold out Kinsey to Hollywood, the entertainment industry would never get the character exactly like she is in Grafton’s books. “It would be the death of Kinsey. My fans would be disappointed and I would be devastated,” announced Grafton.

V is for Vengeance came out on Nov. 14. The book begins on Kinsey’s 38^th birthday and she is trying to figure out how she broke her nose again. She is a mess and people irritate her. Everyone thinks she had cosmetic work done on her nose, which is so unlike her character. It’s a fun book to read.

I asked Grafton if Kinsey’s voice comes into her mind while writing her books. She shared that she tries to quiet all the thoughts and noise around, so she is  able to hear the story. “Keeping my heart open helps in writing, “ she admits.

Wise words from a charming and talented woman. Read one of Sue Grafton’s books. It’s a fun “whodunit” journey set in the fictional town of Santa Theresa (it’s really Santa Barbara). I first picked up one of Sue Grafton’s books in the late 1980s. It was “D” is for Deadbeat. Since then, I’ve been hooked reading all of her mystery novels.

Her newest book “V” is for Vengeance, just hit the shelves. I had the fortunate opportunity to interview Grafton last month to learn more about her life, her fabulous character Kinsey Millhone and how this 71-year-old stays so fit, healthy and young looking.

Grafton shared that she wrote her first book “A” is for Alibi on a typewriter with white-out next to her. “If I made two mistakes on a piece of paper, I was such a prissy thing that I’d pull the sheet out and retype everything,” she admitted to me over the telephone.

Now, she writes on a computer, even though she admits she isn’t technologically savvy. “I realize how exasperating it was typing hundreds of pages. A computer is much easier to use to research information for my books,” said Grafton.

The main character is her books is Kinsey Milhoune. Grafton shared that her oldest daughter, Leslie, named one of her daughter’s Kinsey. “We have license plates on our cars saying ‘THX KNZ’ and ‘Kinsey2’ in gratitude for what this character has given us in life. My granddaughter thinks we named the cars after her,” giggled Grafton.

This prolific writer really enjoys being a grandmother. “You get the joy without the sense of responsibility,” said Grafton. She believes it’s very hard to raise a child at this age. Being a grandmother has made her finally realize what parenting is all about. “I am more patient with my grandchildren, than I was with my own children. I enjoy watching them tie their shoes and appreciate every moment. With my own children I was always rushing them along,” enthused Grafton.

When I shared with Grafton that I enjoy the special relationship between Kinsey and her neighbor Henry, she informed me that Henry is totally invented and not based on anyone in her life. “I love writing about the elderly. Nowadays, they say you are elderly in your 70s. I’m 71 and don’t feel old at all. It’s odd the perception of aging,” expressed Grafton.

I inquired if she would share some secrets with the Not Born Yesterday readers about how she stays so young? She said she gave up junk food years ago, however when she is in California (she lives six months in Montecito and six months in Louisville, KY), she sometimes likes to get an In-N-Out burger.

“I exercise five days a week and walk about 20 to 25 miles a week,” Grafton proudly told me. After our interview, she was going to walk three-miles and then go to Curves Fitness Center. “I like the 30-minute circuit training,” said Grafton. “I used to jog, but it starting breaking down my feet and was hard on my spine.” She believes walking is a great form of exercise.

Since I enjoy her books so much, I asked her if we might see Kinsey Millhone on the movie screen. While working in Hollywood for 15 years as a television and screenwriter, the entertainment industry became a very irritating and unpleasant career. “Kinsey Millhone was my ticket out of Hollywood. It was where I could write solo and make my own decisions,” stated Grafton. She believes if she sold out Kinsey to Hollywood, the entertainment industry would never get the character exactly like she is in Grafton’s books. “It would be the death of Kinsey. My fans would be disappointed and I would be devastated,” announced Grafton.

V is for Vengeance came out on Nov. 14. The book begins on Kinsey’s 38^th birthday and she is trying to figure out how she broke her nose again. She is a mess and people irritate her. Everyone thinks she had cosmetic work done on her nose, which is so unlike her character. It’s a fun book to read.

I asked Grafton if Kinsey’s voice comes into her mind while writing her books. She shared that she tries to quiet all the thoughts and noise around, so she is  able to hear the story. “Keeping my heart open helps in writing, “ she admits.

Wise words from a charming and talented woman. Read one of Sue Grafton’s books. It’s a fun “whodunit” journey set in the fictional town of Santa Theresa (it’s really Santa Barbara).

Ernest Hemingway once said: “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”

Welcome to My Book Reviews

Ernest Hemingway once said: “There is no friend as loyal as a book.”

Want to read a good story? As a freelance writer for almost twenty years, I am passionate about reading books.

My favorite books hold my attention from the first page and make me laugh and cry out loud.

I am a member of a book club that reads one book a month. Not all books meet this criteria. As a result, sometimes I read two or three books at one time.

The following books on my blog held my attention and are worth reading. Luckily, I have been able to meet or talk to the authors. They shared with me their background and what inspired them to write the book.