Thoughts and Laments from a former soap watcher
by: Stephanie Burkhart
In the early 1980's as a young teenager, I discovered soap operas. The first story I remembered watching was Luke and Laura's quest for the Ice Princess. That was it. I was a General Hospital fan. My favorite storyline was the slow-burning character driven romance of Robert and Holly. Then my friend, Alyssa, turned me onto As The World Turns.
I loved to hate Craig from ATWT. Meg Ryan played "Betsy." Julianne Moore was "Frannie." I loved All My Children in the early 1990's with Dimitri and Erica and the Young and Restless' Victor and Hope's story. Then I found Todd Manning and was devoted to One Life to Live.
I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you simply because I miss them. As an aspiring writer, I wrote the "One Life to Live Satire" from 1998-2002. With over 100 episodes, this fan fiction was well received and I even met with Jonathan Reiner from TV Guide who covered the soaps at that time.
What did the soap opera format give me as a writer? The most important thing I received was the ability to picture my stories in my head with a compelling respect for setting. Soaps taught me the importance of a good character driven romance as opposed to a plot driven one. Soaps also taught me the difference between love, passion, lust, and pure, honest romance. I learned the rewards for honesty, loyalty, and integrity, and that crime doesn't pay.
Let's face it, all I needed to know I learned from watching soap operas.
I am heartbroken to see there are only four soap operas on Daytime TV now. In 1990, there were 12.
Who can remember watching with their mom, grandma, or favorite aunt? Heck, my Aunt Mary would drop everything she was doing to watch Guiding Light. Aunt Mary was hooked on Reva. Anything my Aunt Mary did was cool so I joined her.
Why did soaps fail after seventy years after it's inception? Ultimately, I think it was the culmination of a perfect storm of events, but in my observations and research, I've developed 4 points.
1. Working Women
In the 1970's women worked in the house, but through the decade, into the 80's and 90's and beyond, women went to work outside the home. That generational bond between mother and daughter which was previously nurtured, wasn't. Young girls went looking for other shows.
2. AC Nielsen did not keep track of places with common settings such as restaurants, work breakrooms, and health clubs. What else doesn't count? DVR and the Internet. So viewers may actually consist of a higher number, they aren't counted.
3. Cable and Internet provide alternatives to traditional daytime programming.
4. Viewers prefers reality shows to TV melodrama which goes back to point one and passing the legacy of watching a show onto your "loyal" daughter.
What was your favorite show? Your favorite storyline? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the decline of soaps and what impact it might have. What impact did watching soap have on you personally?
A member of Generation X, Stephanie Burkhart was born and raised in New Hampshire. She spent 11 years in the military, serving 7 of them overseas in Germany. Now a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD, Stephanie enjoys reading a good book, Dancing with the Stars, and volunteering in her sons' classrooms. Her December 2011 release is "The Faberge Secret," a Christmas contemporary romance.
REVIEWS:
5 STARS, Celia Yeary, Author
You will thoroughly enjoy this fast-paced tale of danger, a mystery, and a satisfying conclusion. Elise and Dimitri make sparks fly!
5 Stars, Reader's Favorites
Fabulously written, the story combines elements of mystery, action, love, and tender family moments all at the right places, making a perfect fit. If you want a good story combining history, crime, and passion, "The Faberge Secret" is the book for you.
Sue Perkins, Author
The Faberge Secret exceeded my expectations. Definitely worth reading more than once. What more can I say? It is such a good book.
5 Hearts, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
As the love story thicken, the suspense heightens and it won't let your eyes leave the page. I recommend The Faberge Secret to all of the romance readers. Even if you have never read romance, The Faberge Secret would be a great place to start.
BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5ujOoDRXs
BLURB:
Elise Goodwin finds herself faced with danger when she learns the Faberge egg she's bought belongs to a Russian mogul, Dimitri Romanov, but is Dimitri playing a game with Elise's heart to get his heirloom back?
Elise Goodwin runs a heritage museum in Brattleboro, Vermont. She travels to Boston to buy some items for her museum at Sotheby's auction. What she acquires is a delicious surprise that would excite any curator – a Faberge egg.
Enter Russian businessman Dimitri Romanov. He goes to the auction with the intent of buying the egg only to discover that Elise is in possession of it. His dilemma? He's attracted to the petite brunette with doe-like eyes and a trusting disposition.
Complicating matters is Dimitri's rival, Gustav Kelch, who wants the precious jeweled object for his own collection. Can Dimitri protect Elise from Kelch?
ENJOY THIS EXCERPT:
Fascinated by Dimitri's story, Elise sipped her warm milk. "Boris' van was in front of the auction house. He told me the auction didn't want his items. They didn't think they were valuable enough."
Dimitri snapped his fingers. "Ah, all right. That makes sense, but how could they miss the egg? They had to know it was valuable."
"Perhaps they didn't want it. Perhaps they suspected it was stolen and didn't want anything to do with it."
"So why did you buy it?"
"How could I pass up something so precious? I love the beauty of it."
"I'm glad you appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of the egg."
"Of course I do. I'm an art history major."
Dimitri continued to look at her thoughtfully. He rubbed his chin. "Alexi didn't tell me, but I wonder... could Boris have been his contact?"
"Boris?" Elise sipped her milk. "I doubt it. If you want my opinion, he didn't strike me as the informer type."
"No... Boris mentioned a name. Anatoly, I believe, when I talked to him. I wonder if he was Alexi's informant."
Elise shrugged. The name wasn't familiar to her.
"Perhaps... yes. Perhaps Anatoly was Alexi's informant, and he stole the goods to give to Boris. Boris was supposed to use the auction house to sell them, but they didn't anticipate the auction house not wanting the items, so Boris sold them on the street," Dimitri mused.
"It's plausible, but how did Kelch's men know to track us down?" Elise asked.
Dimitri scrubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "No... no... but..."
Elise put down the mug and placed her hand on his waist. The contact sparked a fire in her limbs. "What's wrong?"
"Your receipt--" He lowered his hands. Guilt splayed across his face. "I saw it, and that's how I knew Boris had sold you my egg. I... I crumpled it up and threw it on the floor of the van. Kelch must have broken Anatoly, and then sent his men to find Boris. And if they found him--"
"Oh." Elise swallowed at the fear glittering in his eyes -- fear for her. "They found the receipt with my name."
"Yes. Damn it! I should have pocketed the receipt, but I was furious. All I wanted was my egg."
Apprehension coursed through her. That's why Lucy had been attacked. Kelch and his men hoped to find the egg because they knew Elise had bought it. Lucy had just happened to be in the hotel room because Elise was on a date -- with Dimitri.
He pushed her hand off his waist, clenched his fists, and marched into the living room, halting close to the window. Was he angry at her, or at himself? Well, a part of her was angry at him, too. She and Lucy were in danger -- real danger -- because of that egg, but a part of her just wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, to tell him everything would be all right.
Elise shifted from foot to foot. Dimitri truly had protected her and Lucy tonight, but how much could she trust him? Was it all about his egg? That's all he'd thought about when he'd thrown the receipt on the floor. No. This man respected his family. He honored Christmas. He was spiritual. She couldn't let him beat himself up for a mistake.
She left the kitchen and walked up behind him.
He stiffened. "Elise, now is not the time. I want to be alone."
She ignored him and placed her hand on his back just under his shoulders. "I know you didn't intend to put Lucy and me in harm's way."
"But I did."
"Dimitri--"
"No, I've got to fix this. I've got to make this right."
"Dimitri, stop--"
He spun around and pressed the hard length of his body against hers, curving his hand around the nape of her neck. His kiss was hard and demanding. Her core heated. Her bones melted. A man's kiss had never rocked her senses quite like this.
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON KINDLE:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Faberge-Secret-ebook/dp/B006LTE2ZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324310728&sr=8-1
B&N NOOK:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-faberge-secret-stephanie-burkhart/1105070465?
ean=2940013874596&itm=1&usri=the+faberge+secret
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thefabergesecret-657577-149.html
PUBLISHER'S LINK:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-236/The-Faberge-Secret-Stephanie/Detail.bok
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The Fall of American Soap Operas
Monday, November 7, 2011
'Voices in the Dark' now reissued
My romantic suspense novel 'Voices in the Dark,' first published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1995, is now re-issued as an ebook and is available for all the usual formats (including Kindle) on Smashwords. UPDATE: Both Voices in the Dark and Night of the Storm are now available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.
Here are the details:
Smashwords 2011
$3.99
Buy the ebook: Smashwords
Amazon Kindle (US)
Amazon Kindle (UK)
Reviews from the original UK print edition:Birmingham Sunday Mercury:Lindsay Townsend's mixture of arias and skullduggery turns into a highly readable thriller.
Yorkshire Post:Confident debut.
Grimsby Evening Telegraph:She obviously has a passion for writing. This is a book you will not be able to put down.
Monday, November 30, 2009
A Bold and Beautiful Confession
I have a confession to make. It’s a little embarrassing, although it shouldn’t be, because clearly I’m not the only one on the planet to look forward to my daily dose of cheese. No, I’m not talking edible fromage; heaven knows I’m not impartial to a nice nibble of French Morbier, or a chunk of English Cheddar after dinner. I’m talking about cheesy entertainment. You see, I’m addicted to “Top Models”, better known throughout the world as ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’.
There, I’ve said it. It’s out. And I’m grinning, even though many of you are probably rolling their eyes and thinking “you poor, sad person.” But I don’t care because I’m equally sure there are plenty of you sighing with relief, having been afraid I was about to confess to something way more icky. In fact, some of you might be grinning along with me, thrilled to have found a cheesy kindred spirit. Hello, “Top Models” fans! Gimme five!
I’ve been watching “Top Models” since it first aired here in Switzerland back in 1987. In my twenties at the time, I came across this never-ending show somewhere in between rushing back from work, getting changed, and rushing out again to paint the town red with my friends. Maybe I was tired, maybe I’d just had my heart broken by some imbecile, or maybe I was coming down with some mind-numbing bug, but for whatever reason, on that fateful autumnal evening, I switched on the television instead of the turntable and my daily schedule changed forever. Because there they were, the Forrester family, having their first problematic evening reunion, being served by a pretty blonde girl from the wrong side of the valley called Brooke Logan (played by Katherine Kelly-Lang). Back then, who’d have thought that the lovely Miss Logan (and the rest of her messed-up family) would wreck such long-term havoc upon those unsuspecting neurotic Forrester souls? Who’d have guessed that, twenty-two years later, they’d all still be nursing variations of the same problems and insecurities, still bitching, conniving, swapping partners, and generally pulling rugs out from beneath one another’s expensively clad feet?
On an even crazier note, who’d have thought that, after all this time, I’d still be tuning in, night after night? I mean, I know I’ve got it bad because whenever I can’t make that 6.15 TV appointment, I make sure it’s taped so I can watch it later. There have even been times when I’ve come back from holiday looking forward to two or three weeks worth of “Forrester Problems”, as my son Gregory calls the show. I also get pretty miffed when, for reasons beyond my control, I’m prevented from watching “Top Models”. Take last night for example. There I was, sitting comfortably, enjoying the first few minutes of my daily fix when the bloody Cablecom box conked out mid-B&B introductory theme song and the screen went blank. I was not amused.
Basically, I just love plopping down in front of the television at the end of the day with a nice cup of tea and being whisked away to Forresterland for twenty minutes of mindless entertainment. People know not to phone me at this time of the day; experience has shown that if they do they know I’ll be a) annoyed, and b) too distracted to listen to what they have to say. When my children were younger, they’d both been fed by the time the show aired. Well trained, they’d sit quietly on my knee or in their bouncy chairs, jiggling in time to the familiar theme tune. Nowadays, even the dogs recognize the “Top Models” music; I know this because when the daily episode comes to its cliffhanging end and the music soars, they automatically jump out of their baskets, knowing I’m going to get up and move onto more important things, such as checking my emails for the trillionth time, or getting started with the dinner. Pavlov definitely knew his doggy stuff.
Can I embarrass myself any more, you wonder? Well, actually, yes I can. You see, many years ago, in the days when Thorne was played by Jeff Trachta (we’ve been through quite a few different Thornes…), and when the long-suffering Macy, played by Bobbie Eakes, was still alive, there was a whole musical sidekick to “Top Models”. Back then, Thorne and Macy were pursuing scripted singing careers, and if I remember rightly, Eric (John McCook) and Sally Spectra (Darlene Conley) also duetted episodically on the show. So, sometime during the mid-1990s, the producers decided it would be nice for all of them to go on a real “Top Models” worldwide concert tour. Which is how it came to pass that, on December 20, 1997, (albeit without Eric and Sally Spectra), Thorne and Macy performed at Geneva’s Arena. And guess what? I bought three tickets, one for my friend Asa, one for my sister Victoria (who is never going to forgive me for revealing this mortifying moment of her life), and one for me. Yes, I went to a “Top Models” concert!
Hey, don’t think I can’t see you, sitting there in front of your screen, with that little smirk on your face! I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t care, because it was a once in a lifetime experience. You see, the Arena, which has hosted massive stars such as Ricky Martin (would you believe I actually missed him when he performed there? Still kicking myself over that…), Brian Adams and Sting, was PACKED. People (mostly elderly ladies…) came from far and wide to see Thorne and Macy croon their soppy duets, supported by the authentic “Top Models” orchestra. In fact, the concert actually opened with the “Top Models” theme song, and everyone in the venue went wild, la-la-ing along. As for when Thorne and Macy sauntered onto the stage, well the crowd simply went beserk! I must confess that, at that point, I was a little embarrassed by the lack of “retenue” demonstrated by my fellow “B&B” aficionados; it was somewhat disconcerting to see all these little old Swiss ladies leaping out of their seats, wiggling their botties and squealing with delight. But at the same time, there was something refreshing – moving even - about this heartfelt show of enthusiasm. This wasn’t a “cool” concert; there were no special effects, no big screens, no sophisticated graphics to blow our minds or rev our pulse rates. This was just a little orchestra and two soap-opera stars belting out the likes of "Everlasting Love", "Especially for You", and "What’s Forever For", but it was wonderfully entertaining in the cheesiest kind of way.
There was even an intermission during which many of the little old Swiss ladies rushed down to the front of the stage to get Thorne and Macy’s autographs, something Asa and I didn’t partake in so as to avoid my increasingly-mortified sister from committing hara-kiri on the spot. I did, however, buy a Thorne and Macy CD on my way out. And although they’ll never admit it now for fear of committing social suicide, both my kids were thrilled and wanted to listen to it all the time. That CD is still sitting around here somewhere, squashed in among hundreds of other old albums deemed far more... -how should I put it? - socially acceptable, maybe?
I experienced another unforgettable “B&B” moment recently when my daughter Olivia came back from a trip to the local shopping centre with a sparkle of wicked glee in her eyes. “Guess what they’re selling in Manor?” she chuckled, one eyebrow cocked, baiting me.
I was stumped. They’re always selling loads of stuff in Manor; it happens to be one of Switzerland’s biggest department stores.
“A box-set of the first few years of ‘Top Models’!”, she exclaimed, wide-eyed. Then she threw back her head and gave in to a fully-fledged fit of the giggles.
I guess I know what Father Christmas will be bringing me this year. In fact, I hope he does, because I’ve quite thoroughly enjoyed trawling through YouTube today, searching for snippets of Bold and Beautiful memorabilia to share with you. I hope you’ve enjoyed them too, or at the very least, I hope they’ve made you smile.
But I’ve got to leave you now. Because, you see, it’s almost 6.15.
It’s “Top Models” time.
xx Francesca Prescott
"MUCHO CALIENTE! - Wish upon a Latino Superstar"
An effervescent romantic comedy
LASR: Best Long Book of the Year 2008 : "Laugh out loud hilarious!"
NOR: Reviewer Top Pick : "A seriously fun book with more twists and turns than expected"
CRR: “Hard to put down”
http://www.francescaprescott.com/
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