My little Vedra walks the Red Carpet

Mothers sometimes have reason to be proud. If you've already read Siren's Feast, you would know that my daughter Vedra spent nearly her first 18 months in a London Prison with me. Just last week she walked the Red Carpet at the Berlin Film Festival with her adoptive Dad, Joe Dallesandro, for the premiere of the documentary she produced--Little Joe. Joe also received the Teddy Award. All the screenings were sold out and they had over 75 requests for interviews.

The project evolved over eight years and the results are just fantastic. You can read the review from Variety here.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=review&id=2478&reviewid=VE1117939697&cs=1

Florence

I haven't had time to post anything lately. My adorable mother, Florence, fell and broke her hip the day after her 94th birthday.
And it happened in Newport Beach, which involved a lot of driving back and forth. Happy to report she is a trooper and came through surgery just fine, is still in rehab and we hope to have her up and walking soon. For anyone who goes through this, be aware that the after effects of anaesthesia in the elderly can bring out the devil in the most unassuming people. Before surgery the nurses were all "sweethearts." After surgery they all became "dirty bitches." (Mom's words, not mine.) The next day the nurses were all "sweethearts" again, prompting one of them to say, "She's baaack. We missed you."

Since I've never posted a photo of my mother and my daughter Vedra, here they are--both major characters of SIREN'S FEAST.

And I'll be baaaack---soon.

Book Signing Extravaganza

It's been hard to settle down enough to post anything lately. There was the book signing at The Cook's Library in West Hollywood with 9 LA food writers peddling their works on the street. The weather cooperated, thank goodness.


Then my friend Glenna Forster Jones arrived from London in time to help me peddle some more at the Studio City Farmer's Market. I've been on the street quite a lot lately and again, even though cold rain was predicted, it was clear and sunny. People don't usually come to a Farmer's Market to buy books but it worked out just fine. Another friend showed up with her 140 lb. lab Charlie who caught everyone's attention.

It's been a month for book signings. Pal Herman Leonard at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, then Diahann Carroll plugging her new memoir at Vroman's in Pasadena. When someone asked Diahann what her beauty secrets were she gave me a shout-out as her masseuse of many years. Diahann's new memoir, The Legs Are the Last To Go, is a great read. No more signings until next year. Have a wonderful holiday season everyone!

When It Rains, Get Wet

So Thursday night ( DEC. 4) I went to see my long-time ghetto buddy Quincy Jones at the book signing for his new fantastic coffee table book THE COMPLETE QUINCY JONES: MY JOURNEY AND PASSIONS: PHOTOS, LETTERS, MEMORIES AND MORE FROM Q'S PERSONAL COLLECTION. About 300 people showed up to hear Quincy in conversation with Don Heckman, noted jazz journalist and, generous as ever, Quincy stayed until midnight to sign books and greet fans. Needless to say, the book is out of this world and even interactive. You can pull his report card from the Schillinger School of Music out of its sleeve. Need I add that he got mostly all A's. Also among the amazing collection of memorabilia from one of the most exciting lives ever lived is the sheet music for We Are The World, with the signatures of everyone who participated, including the fingerprints of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and the lipstick kiss of Diana Ross. Check out Q's website http://www.quincyjones.com

I pulled a photo from my own memorabilia. Howard Hesseman, Quincy Jones and Herman Leonard--3 of my all time favorite guys. And guess what? They're all Pisces. Quincy's favorite quote and the path he has followed--"When it rains, get wet." Sage advice from the coolest dude on the planet.

Phoenix Reunion

Well, the Arizona desert is still beautiful and lush and the turnout for my book signing and tasting (another 100 grape leaves were rolled) was a delight. Friends, family and strangers turned out in numbers as chairs were added to accommodate them. I greeted people I had not seen in years. Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe is a true delight and no wonder it was chosen as the Publisher's Weekly Bookseller of the Year for 2007.

Hippies Get It Right

So, the election is over and I can finally get back to work on my next book and actually writing something on my blog. And in the midst of all the Obama fever, there have been some amazing goings on. Writing a memoir and having it out in the world can actually help old friends find you and several I haven't been in contact with for the past 35+ years have made reappearances.
I just got an email from one of my Argentinian buddies from Ibiza, Hector Milberg, who is back in Buenos Aires running a gourmet catering company with his wife Fernanda and had no idea he was mentioned in Siren's Feast. Nice to discover so many hippies have become foodies. We were on to something all those years ago with our yoga, meditation, organic health food, natural healing, herbs, vegetarianism, recycling.

Then thumbing through an issue of Gourmet magazine I came upon a lovely article on the fellow whose macrobiotic restaurant I managed in London back in the day. He always was a true entrepreneur since he owned the first macrobiotic shop on Portobello Road in London back in the late 60's. Well, Craig Sams went on to become chairman of Britain's prestigious Soil Association and was the founder of Green & Black's organic chocolate. And Cadbury bought the company in 2005 for $52 mil. Not bad for an oldish hippie, I'd say. LSD didn't rot our brains after all. http://www.craigsams.com
You can read the article for yourself here: http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2008/08/craigsams

YES WE DID!

Marc Cooper of the LA Weekly always writes a great column. His most recent says it all so well.

http://www.laweekly.com/2008-11-06/news/yes-we-did-what-we-know-and-what-we-don-39-t-about-our-new-american-era