One more candidate

I went to see Casino Royale today. It was research.

I expected that I would go and spend my time appreciating Daniel Craig and admiring the many and varied ways he finds to kill people as James Bond. And admittedly he does a very good job. I think I like him as JB. He has a definite edge. I can't imagine anyone else that they seem to have had on the short list who would bring that edge to the character. It helps.

The scenery was worth looking at, too. Lake Como, which seems to have been doubling for Montenegro, was as usual spectacular. I talked with one of my sons after I saw the movie and said, "I knew that was Lake Como, didn't you?" and he said, "Huh?" And I said, "Lake Como. We were there on that trip we took when you were in high school." And he said, "We were? Where was I?" And I said, "Probably reading a map," because in fact I think that's exactly what he was doing.

He was a skiing fanatic in those days and the time we spent in Chamonix and Vallorcine and various other seriously alpine places were far more interesting to him then. He bought maps and studied them avidly. So I suppose he missed Lake Como entirely.

He doesn't plan to miss it the next time he goes to Italy. I don't either.

So anyway, the scenery was to die for.

But the real plus was finding Eva Green, the Bond girl who could possibly be Sara. Now, before you jump on me and say no Bond girl could ever be a small town Montana girl like Sara McMaster, take a good look. She can play down. Or up. And she's definitely got That Look.

I may not be able to settle on one Sara. I may have to take bits of two or three. That's all right. I expect my readers will do the same. They'll see someone in their heads who is nothing like what I see. I don't care. Whatever works and brings the character alive in their minds. Reading is a reciprocal event -- between writer and reader. We both bring something to the process. So if readers want to bring someone entirely different, that's fine with me.

We had a great "party" today on the eharlequin site -- lots of readers and writers and prizes and talking of books and life and such. Got some good ideas for books I'd like to read and ran into old friends and met new ones. I discovered that my old friend Day LeClaire who wrote many terrific Harlequin Romances is now writing for Desire. So if anyone has missed Day's books, as I have, start looking in Desire come February.

The collage is beginning to take shape. If anyone has suggestions for Irish places and more pix of terrific heroines (or heroes for that matter -- guys who look like James Purefoy for Flynn!), send them along. Thanks!