Everyone is agreeing- sparkle, bling, and metallic’s are in for this holiday season! Pick up some great items for yourself, such as a festive scarf or glittery ballet flats, and get some great gifts for friends and family. Women’s Health Magazine has 18 great bling ideas to add to your must get list. Check them out here!
We all know that eating breakfast gives you fuel to get you through the day, but what does lunch do for you? More than you may think. Marisa Moore, R.D., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association says, “What you eat can determine how much energy you’ll have for the rest of the day and whether you’ll overdo it at dinner.” Some suggestions were posted to Shape.com for different sceneries that you may come across.
If you hit up the gym instead of eating lunch. Sometimes I take a Pilates class during my lunch hour, or (when the weather was nicer!) take a walk outside of my office. But you should never skip lunch! Instead, try to have a healthy snack (about 100-150 calories) an hour before your workout. Afterwards, try to get some protein to refuel your system, such as a salad with a lean meat. And drink lots of water to stay hydrated!
You don’t have time for a full meal. If you can’t sit down and eat a real meal, it is okay to snack throughout the day- making sure you are keeping it healthy (snacking on Oreo’s doesn’t count!) Some good ideas: low calorie snack packs, applesauce, and raisins.
Check out Shape.com for more helpful, healthy hints!
Emily Giffin’s novel Something Borrowed is getting closer to production! Luke Greenfield has signed on as director of the romance novel that will be coming to a theater near you. Greenfield has produced big name films such as “The Girl Next Door” and “Role Model’s” and will be joined by Wild Ocean Film’s Aaron Lubin and Pamela Schein as producers. Alcon Entertainment will produce the film (which will keep the novel’s title of Something Borrowed) and will bring along big names such as Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Molly Smith, and Hilary Swank. Jennie Urman penned the screenplay.
Maggie Marr, author of the celebrity ridden, Hollywood gossip novels Hollywood Girls Club and Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club didn’t start out in the depths of the plush L.A. lifestyle. She grew up in Illinois, practiced law for four years- first as a guardian-ad-litem for abused children in Chicago and then as a prosecutor in domestic violence in Denver. After that, Marr moved to Los Angeles with her husband, an actor, and began her first job in the entertainment industry- pushing a mail cart at ICM. The pushing paid off, as she later became a motion picture literacy agent.
Marr now splits her time between producing and writing. Her two published titles are Hollywood Girls Club and Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club. She also finished her most recent television pilot My Mr. Universe. Maggie Marr is currently working on a contemporary romance and a new motion picture script.
Women’s Health Magazine put out a great article busting common sleep myths. It’s not uncommon that I find myself struggling to fall asleep at night, and reading through these myths taught me a lot and gave me some good tips for falling asleep quicker. Some of my favorites were:
1. Myth: It is good to “catch-up” on sleep when you can- such as sleeping in on the weekends.
–I have to admit I do this all the time. My job requires me to work Monday-Friday starting at 8, and it isn’t unusual for me to sleep in until 11 or sometimes even noon on the weekends!
Busted: You want to keep a regular sleep pattern all seven days. Having a regular bedtime and waking up at the same hours will help you fall asleep at night.
2. Working out in the evening will cause you to be tired and fall asleep quickly.
–Again, I am guilty of this! I try to work out everyday, but sometimes I have to squeeze in my gym time around 8 or even 9 at night.
Busted: Exercising regularly will help you sleep at night. But you want to finish your workout at least 3 hours before you hit the sheets, because a cooler body will help you get to sleep faster. When you exercise, your body temperature is raised and can take some time to get back down to normal.
3. Having a drink before bed, such as a glass of wine, will make you tired.
Busted: Drinking alcohol may make you tired, but it will cause you to have fragmented sleep, and you may have problems waking up throughout the night.
Click here to read all 10 sleeping myths and tips for a better night’s sleep.
What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Probably the moment when you begin to feel you’re getting somewhere. It’s always a relief when it starts to flow after a period of writer’s block or when you know you are at the point where the book is beginning to take shape. Seeing your work in a finished tangible form with a pretty, shiny cover is amazing too.
How did you decide on this career path?
I started off being really interested in broadcasting but when I went to college to study journalism and radio I found that I much preferred the print side. I had a great teacher called Barbara Jones who inspired me. She’d bundle us into the college minibus and drive to Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley’s house so we could ask them for interviews, she’d arrange trips to places like the Houses of Parliament or BBC HQ and once took us to Glastonbury so we could grill Michael Eavis about the festival. She gave us a real glimpse of what a job in journalism would be like.
Who has been your favourite celebrity so far to interview?
Honor Blackman was amazing – she’s such a cool lady. I also loved Julie Walters when I interviewed her. Claudia Winkleman is very, very funny as is Laurence Llewelyn Bowen who will answer anything you ask him with complete candidness. He’s brilliant.
And, who is the one celebrity you haven’t yet interviewed but would love the chance to?
Well Oprah Winfrey would be a good one at the moment seeing as she has just quit her chat show, or for my own guilty pleasure – Robert Pattinson. I used to love Orlando now I’m swooning over Rob. It’s a bit sad for a woman over 30 but there you go.
You’ve said that Why Am I Always The One Before ‘The One?’ is based on you and your friends searching for, well, ‘The One.’ How much fun did you have writing this book?
Lots! There were loads of funny moments down the pub as my friends told me their stories and I’d be frantically scribbling them down on a napkin. I think it made us all see that you don’t have to be ashamed of your dating disaster stories. Infatuated people do silly things and life would be very boring if we didn’t. It was lovely to have my friends contributing and there was a shared sense of excitement when that book came out.
On the other hand, how difficult was it to write about the ‘ridiculous and deranged’ situations that you have experienced firsthand?
It was hard at first because if I’m honest I did feel like a bit of a wally. I’d be cringing, thinking, “Oh Jeez, did I really do that? Do I actually want to tell people?” But after a while I decided, “Oh sod it, if I can laugh about it then it’s not that bad.” Now I feel fine about my deranged moments as putting them out there in print for other people to enjoy has been quite cathartic. I’m a fool for love and proud so I did it all over again for ‘It’s Not Me, It’s You.’
You are currently ghostwriting a book, how much do you enjoy this experience?
I really enjoy it. I’m fascinated by other people’s stories. It’s an odd process though. As the deadline looms it often gets to the point where you are speaking to the person you are writing for more than anyone else in your life and vice versa. It becomes this strange intense relationship. When I’m going through an extreme ghostwriting period I can hear their voice in my head as I type and my dreams are all messed up and confused. I haven’t called my boyfriend someone else’s name in my sleep yet but it’s a distinct possibility.
What would be your advice for aspiring authors and journalists?
There’s no point pursuing a writing career unless you really are going to give it 110 per cent. You have to really want it and be prepared to do lots of unpaid work experience (including strange ‘journalism’ duties like tea runs and cleaning out cupboards) take lots of knocks and keep on plodding away for a pathetic amount of money. At the moment it’s more competitive than ever. However if it really is your dream then motivation, drive and initiative will get you far. If you want to be a journalist then get as much on-the-job experience as you can and offer up stories to your local newspaper so they can see you are keen and have a good news sense. If you want to get a book deal, write a blog and make sure you have at least four chapters written and clear chapter outlines for the rest of the book. Get hold of a copy of The Writer’s Handbook and seek out a literary agent who can give you advice on structure or plot and will have the publishing contacts to get your manuscript seen by the right people. Also, don’t give up if you are rejected at first – even JK Rowling was turned down numerous times before she had her success with Harry Potter.
You seem very busy with all the different projects you take part in, how do you fit in time for yourself?
I’m a bit rubbish at that and often seem to work seven days a week. It’s the drawback of working from home – there’s no clear structure to when you start and finish work, but I do try to take a break. When exhaustion hits me I’ll go home to my parents and cuddle up in front of the fire with my dog and cats. After three days my dad will say, “That’s better Charlotte, you’ve got some colour back in your cheeks!”
When you get some free time, how do you spend it?
Reading other people’s books, watching X Factor, True Blood and Lost, going to the cinema, seeing my friends, indulging in determined periods of gluttony then crying in TopShop changing rooms, cooing over animals at the zoo, going for nice walks or giving my credit card a battering.
What would be or is your favorite place to travel?
In terms of future destinations I really want to go to New Zealand. I have family out there so a visit is definitely on my wish list. For the last three summers I’ve been island hopping in Greece. It’s great as all you need to do is book a flight to Athens, go straight to the port and jump on a boat to an island of your choice. There are always loads of people waiting at the island ports with holiday apartments to let so you can book on the day and pick and choose at leisure. The weather is roasting, the beaches are gorgeous and there are about a million feral kittens roaming about which I like to stop, look at and take photos of. My boyfriend is very patient.
Shape Magazine has released an article about joining a running training program- so you can keep yourself healthy and fit while raising money for a worthy cause! Charitable organizations have increasingly been partnering up with road races to motivate more and more people to join in- and there are many great charities to choose from! Shape.com listed a handful on their website and someinclude:
Team LIVESTRONG (Live Strong.org) – Raises money for cancer and increase awareness
Joints in Motion (Arthritis.org) – Supports Arthritis Foundation
The Reeve Foundation (ChristopherReeve.org) – Supports victims of paralysis.
After you find the charity that is right for you and get signed up, they provide you with a running training program, a schedule of group runs and a coach. Then the fundraising begins. Most organizations will give you all the tools you need to get started, including tips for online fundraising, how to include your family and friends, and even way to utilize social networking pages, such as Facebook and Twitter.
Visit Shape.com for more organization information, and tips on how to succeed in your race!
Robyn Sisman was born in Los Angeles, California, the hometown of her grandparents. But she wasn’t there for long- as a child Sisman moved around to Illinois, Geneva, Oxford, Munich, and back to England. In nine years, she attended schools featuring three different main languages- French, English, and German. At 15, her parents divorced and she returned back to America, but was always determined to attend a university in England.
And she did. After graduating from Oxford, Sisman taught English in Ethiopia and traveled to Africa before looking for “proper” jobs. It was when she was working as a secretary at Oxford Press University that she met Adam Sisman, a new junior editor for history. She agreed to marry him after the third date.
After moving to London with her husband, Sisman worked her way up to become Managing Director of Hutchinson (Random House) and shortly after became a mother. While Adam worked on his biography, she decided to begin drafting her own book- which later became Special Relationship.
Sisman then went on to publish Perfect Strangers and Just Friends, both which were Sunday Times Top Ten bestsellers. Her published titles are: Special Relationship, Perfect Strangers, Just Friends, Weekend in Paris, Summer in the City, A Hollywood Ending, and The Perfect Couple (to be released in 2011).
Zaz Posen has been slated to be the next limited edition designer for Target’s Go International Series, People.com is reporting. Posen has designed for celebrities such as Rachel Bilson, Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and more. His designs will be featured at most Target stores nationwide, and also online at Target.com from April 25-May 30. The prices have not yet been released, but most items in the Go Program range from $15-150.
