Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

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Scenes From My Video Shoot For "You'd Better Not Die"

September 12, 2012

What a fun day! The crew from Expanded Books came to the house from L.A. to shoot a video trailer for my new book. I wrote a script for the two-plus minute video that I kept revising right down to the last minute. I have new appreciation for actors now, because memorizing every word of that script was hard, as short as it was. But before I delivered my lines, I got made up by a pro named Patrice Ryan, who’s painted the faces of many a movie and TV star.

the "before" picture, complete with hair in rollers

I told her I wanted to look like me only a whole lot better, and she obliged by giving me eyes that popped but didn’t go all raccoon.

hamming it up between takes

Once we got rolling I really enjoyed the process, probably because I was allowed to “cheat” by glancing at the script every now and then.

taking a sec to get my words just right

The main thing is that I was able to look right into the camera and talk to the 65 million caregivers in America. I wanted to tell them that I wrote “You’d Better Not Die” for them – by sharing my own caregiving story with my husband Michael, by introducing the other resilient caregivers I interviewed and by providing advice from experts. The last line of the script invites viewers of the video to write to me with their own experiences and join the conversation. I sure hope they will.

"Got a story of your own? Check out YOU'D BETTER NOT DIE and join the conversation."

Oh – in case anyone’s wondering, we shot the video in my office, with me in front of a green screen, because we’ll be using animation. I’ll be “talking” to characters that Expanded Books will create, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with.

 

Filed Under: Cosmetics, Mainly Jane, Wellness Tagged With: caregiver book, caregiving, Expanded Books, Patrica Ryan, video book trailer, You'd Better Not Die or I'll Kill You

A Happy Ending For A Friend

March 25, 2011

I was invited to a wedding reception today. It’s not my place to announce the name of the bride on this blog, but suffice it to say she’s a bestselling novelist who’s about to have the sort of happy ending reserved for, well, bestselling novels.

She had been married to a fellow writer and theirs was a partnership in every way. She felt lost after he died a few years ago and didn’t expect to find love again. Never mind that she’s smart and lively and turns heads when she walks in a room. She figured a Baby Boomer like her wasn’t going to connect with anyone new, and that was that.

Along came Facebook.

Facebook has started revolutions, helped to overthrow dictators, become the basis for an Oscar-winning movie. But a romance? My friend wasn’t looking for one on Facebook.

But she was asked to write something on the site as part of her book promotion and a certain man happened to read what she’d written and to write an intelligent comment of his own, and before either of them realized it they had fallen in love with each other’s words.

They took it to the next level and emailed, then phoned, then planned a face-to-face meeting. Soon they were spending all their time together, acting as goofy as teenagers, totally smitten.

And now they’re moving forward and becoming husband and wife.

On the invitation it says not to buy them a gift. I can understand the sentiment, since the real gift is the fact that they found each other, but I’m not going empty handed. I’m thinking about making a donation to their favorite charity in their name – and then posting the charity on….where else…..Facebook.

Filed Under: Cosmetics, Lifestyle, Mainly Jane, Popular culture Tagged With: Baby Boomers, bestselling novelist, cyber-dating, Facebook, marriage

Is There Anyone Who Doesn't Have A Fragrance These Days?

February 9, 2011

When I was a kid, women wore perfumes like Chanel No. 5, Shalimar, Arpege and (if they really wanted to spend a fortune) Joy. My teenage self practically took a bath in Jean Nate, and in college my friends and I wore the same stuff that the boys wore for some reason: Canoe and English Leather. And in my 20s and 30s, many of us dabbed a little of this behind our ears.

(courtesy: mccormick.com)

I don’t remember when it became fashionable for every remotely famous person to have fragrance. Maybe when Elizabeth Taylor launched her White Diamonds? All I know is that the whole industry has gotten ridiculous. Actors, designers, models, athletes – they all have their own “scent” now. I bet even Snooki has her own perfume, and I don’t want to think what it might smell like. If I walked down the fragrance aisle at Bloomingdale’s, I’d be overwhelmed by all the products and end up buying nothing. There are way too many choices, and as a result I’ve stopped wearing perfume altogether.

Michael, too, has stopped wearing after shave, but then he’s a total curmudgeon when it comes to trying anything new. When we met, he used to wear a product I loved.

(courtesy: perfumezilla.com)

It was citrus-y and fresh, not heavy at all. He claims nobody sells it anymore, but I found it on Amazon today. I’m buying him a bottle and he’s promised to start wearing it again.

As for me? I’d like to find my fragrance, but where would I begin the search? I have a friend who swears by Princess from Vera Wang and another friend who uses Calvin Klein’s Obsession. Both are too sticky sweet for me. I’ve checked out all the different brands that get inserted into magazine ads, and they make me sneeze. So if anyone has any suggestions for me, please let me know. Thanks.

Filed Under: Cosmetics, Mainly Jane Tagged With: after shave lotion, Canoe, English Leather, fragrance, Jean Nate, perfume, Royall Lyme, Shalimar, Snooki

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.

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