Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Big O and other related thoughts from Hollywood...and a chance to win

Awhile ago, dearest Jane brought up the Big O and how does one describe it, over and over and over again...?

Well, I'm still working on that (I really do need to post an example, don't I?), but here's something Candice Bergen said about it that made me laugh (and think of Meg Ryan):

"I may not be a great actress, but I've become the greatest at screen orgasms. Ten seconds of heavy breathing, roll your head from side to side, simulate a slight asthma attack, and die a little."

And here's another one of my favorite quotes from a Hollywood seductress:

"Let's forget about the six feet and talk about the seven inches." (That's what Mae West said when she was told that a new male acquaintance was 6'7". Go Mae!!!)

Okay, last one. This gem is from the wild Bette Midler: "I'm as confident as Cleopatra's pussy."

Yeah. Does that mean she's going to welcome that asp or not...?

Okay, sorry. I'm punchy. It was a weekend filled with laziness, junk/comfort food, and lots o'sleep...so I'm feeling a bit out of sorts.

So.

I think it's time I livened things up a bit. How about....a chance to win a copy of my erotic Phantom of the Opera novel, Unmasqued, which our own Pam Rosenthal said was a "labyrinth of dark, extravagant eroticism." (Thanks again, Pam!) It's coming on August 7th, from NAL, and here's your chance to win....

Ask me a question in the comments section about the book or the Phantom movie/play, and you're entered to win! I'll draw a winner on Thursday morning, and answer the questions in the comments.

23 comments:

Maureen said...

What's your favorite scene from the play?

Rhonda Helms said...

Oooooh what a great contest! Man, I'd love to read this book--I'm gaga over Phantom. *sniffle*

Here's my question: How long did it take you to write the book, and what was your typical schedule like during the writing?

oops, that's two questions. haha

Cherie J said...

Wow! I love the cover for your book! Very sexy!

Who is your favorite character from the play/movie and why?

Colette Gale said...

Let's see...Maureen, my favorite scene from the play is the Music of the Night scene...however, my favorite scene from the movie is the Point of No Return scene. Sigh.

Rhonda...I think it took about four months to write the first draft, and then another two months to add on the second part of the book (originally, the book was going to be part of a trilogy and it was going to end where the movie/play ends...but my editor felt it left things hanging too much, and I agreed...plus I decided not to write a trilogy.)

As for my schedule when writing...well, writing erotica is much harder for me than writing non-erotica, so I have to sort of be in the mood (lol!)...so my schedule was erratic. When I wrote the book, actually, I was writing it really for me, and didn't ever think it would get published!

Cherie, my favorite character is the Phantom. Because he's HAWT! And so misunderstood, yet so passionate and brilliant, and devoted. And Gerard Butler did such a good job portraying him. :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm so exited about this book! I love everything Phantom!

In your book, do you have references to the songs from musical?

Colette Gale said...

Hi Sandraq!

I don't really have any references to specific songs from the musical in my book...I didn't think Mr. Webber would like that. :-)

However, any references in my book to things that seem "Webberish" were actually from the original Leroux book...for example, Christine calls Erik her "Angel of Music" and that's directly from Leroux.

The book is my take on what was going on behind the scenes of the Phantom book, and thus one of the main characters in my book was never seen or mentioned in the Webber versions: Philippe d'Chagny, Raoul's older brother, who was a main character in the original book.

Thanks for coming by!

Anonymous said...

Your website says "Colette Gale is the pseudonym of a historical novelist."

Did you have to use a pseudonum to have "Unmasqued" published? Or did you want to use one to differentiate this book from your other writings?

Thanks,
-B

Colette Gale said...

Hi "B"~

Colette Gale is a pseudonym that I chose to use partly because I wanted to differentiate these books (ie, my erotica) from my other books, and partly because I didn't want my grandma to read my eroticas and know I wrote them! (LOL!)

Kammie said...

Love those quotes...especially the seven inch one. lol My question is:

Is there anything unusual or suprising you learned while doing research for your book?

Diana Peterfreund said...

Have you ever seen Robert Guillaume's performances?

Colette Gale said...

Kimw~~When I started doing my research to "flesh out" the book, I learned a lot about the perception of actresses and dancers by the gentry--and the rest of Parisian society. It's not uncommon knowledge that dancers and actresses were considered "easy"...but around the time Phantom was set (ie, 1880s/90s), there was beginning to be a change of tide in the reputation of dancers and actresses.

They were actually given more credibility as the power of the gentry waned and the power of the "people" began to show in the government and in society itself. In other words, because the actresses and dancers came from the lower echelons of society, and because those same lower class people were now taking hand in running the government, they weren't so quick to assume that lower class=slutty or crass.

That fascinated me, and I did address that somewhat in the book.

Colette Gale said...

Diana! You're back!

No, I haven't seen Robert Guillaume's performance, but I'm sure he was fabulous...

In fact, I've never been lucky enough to see anyone "big" perform the role of the Phantom--Michael Crawford, nor Colm Wilkinson, nor Guillaume.

I just missed Wilkinson when I saw the play for the first time--by about a week.

Unknown said...

I've never seen The Phantom of the Opera. Tell me why the Phantom is HAWT?

Colette Gale said...

LITTLE LAMB LOST!!!! GO RENT THE MOVIE!!

Then you'll see. Or, if you can't wait, go here and tell me this man isn't HAWT:

http://www.colleengleason.com/wordpress/2006/08/25/a-good-excuse/

Colette Gale said...

WHoops...the link should be:

http://www.colleengleason.com/wordpress/2006/08/25/
a-good-excuse/

Anonymous said...

Hi and welcome,
I'd love to see the movie The Phantom. With you book, who did the cover art and chose the title of the book? Thanks.

robynl

tetewa said...

I am so looking forward to the release of this book. I took my mom to see the play for Christmas. She'd never even saw the movie and didn't know what to expect. She loved it, so my question for you is what is your favorite song from the play?

Kammie said...

Thanks for answering my question.

Caffey said...

Oh I'm so excited about this release! Can't wait to read it!

With Phantom being one of your favorites, is there another legend, or history related story you'd like to write like you did with Phantom?

Thanks!
Cathie

Caffey said...

I forgot to say tho, I absolutely loved the quotes!! I can't imagine how you found them but they were perfect for your blog post too!

Another quick question :) If you had a reader who is new to Phantom, what sites would you recommend for them becoming familiar with it? Thanks

Anonymous said...

Hey Colette! Wow, people have really asked some good questions. This book looks sooo good. I really can't wait to read it. I've always loved the story and always wished it had a different ending. Plus, the story is so dark, sexy and romantic--the perfect tortured hero romance.

A quick question: Did you write this book while you were writing the historical romances you were contracted for, or in between books?

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm new to your website. I sort of stumbled upon it while I was looking up for adaptations books written about The Phantom of the Opera (Apparently, that's the only way to sate my growing obssession with this story, which began last December when I watched the 2004 POTO movie for the first time).

I read about the incoming release of your book and I became intrigued. I've never read an erotic novel before, but then again I'm reading a lot of things that I've never read before. It's certainly a plausible course of action for the story. Anyway, I'm really interested.

I'd really love to win a copy of your book. So, here's my question: Did you take into account other elements fron different retellings of the story (such us Susan Kay's Phantom) to write your story or draw your characters?

That's all. Greetings from Argentina.

Colette Gale said...

Sorry to everyone who was asking the questions that I didn't get to! I'm going to pick a winner and post the answers/questions in a whole new blog entry!