I totally understand. I grew up in Los Angeles (Hollywood district) and now live in a very rural setting. I wouldn't go back to the big city again to live for any reason.

My last two comments on your blog had red Xs so I clicked on them and they disappeared. Ah well, I decided that my eavesdropping might make a good plot for a future novel. :) By the way, where are you living in England and do you like it there? My paternal ancestors are from England's southern region as well as Ireland and Scotland.

Hey, Carole. Come on down!

Not really. Growing up in L.A. was an education unto itself. Add news reporting and a police beat and you get pretty tired of all the "tawdry" stuff. To me living in England is far more glamourous. What are you doing there?

Yes, Hollywood is pretty eccentric, for lack of a better word. The Hollywood Hills are beautiful but the district (It's not a town) is filled with all sorts of "creative" people.

We moved to eastern Los Angeles while I was in high school, so my only relationships with film people were with classmates with backstage parents. Mine were deadset against it. Later, when I became a journalist, I interviewed a number of well known people, including Hollywood screenwriters.

Lol, Carole. Okay, if you say so. Would you believe that I was actually born in Hollywood, grew up less than two blocks from Paramount Studios and attended Vine Street grammar school? We used to sit on the front porch in the evenings and watch the movie stars drive by.

I would love to be your friend. By the way, has anyone told you that you look like Barbara Stanwick, the former movie star?

Thanks for good wishes, Carol. If your book is half as exciting as this Crimespace site, you're going to be a bestseller. Really fun.

Hey, have you Megan Abbot yet? She's really good. I have a semi-tough time with female protags (I don't know why), but Megan's QUEENPIN is enthralling me.

Thanks for the nice comment Carole. I love the swing music you have posted here and I'm excited to read you've written a radio-play. I am a big fan of radio-drama and old-time radio.

Nice to meet you. Good luck with the writing.

You might check to see if City of Angels has been released on non-NTSC DVD.

>you specified Old Hitchcock--I agree with you, it's earlier films were the best I think

Yeah!

Did you ever see/hear of a mid-70s television series called "City of Angels?" I think you'd enjoy it.

It was short-lived. In looking it up for you, I was surprised to see it had 13 episodes; I'd thought they'd had far fewer.

http://www.tv.com/city-of-angels-1976/show/3831/summary.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073974/

Ah, nice page. :-)

Hi Carole! Wow, you've been busy with your page. Very nice.

Yes, I kind of disappeared for several months and then decided yesterday that I missed Crimespace and decided to come back. I'm so thankful that I still have all my friends on here! And yes, I'm a (very) distant relative of Alfred Hitchcock. Distant enough that my family didn't get any Christmas cards or whatnot. Not even a birthday card. The nerve!

I apologize for the lengthy comment but it has been a really long time. How's the writing? How's England? Details please. Hope to hear from you soon, Carole. -R

>Oh Leigh! NEW BESTEST FRIEND, LEIGH! Thanks for that. It is busting to come out!. It's escapist really, before I start writing I go and soak up all of my time capsule stuff and I'm back in another time! I'm Veronica Lake flirting with Alan Ladd--or Stanwyck, planning on "making a killing" in the insurance biz!
>I shut out giant tv screens and cell phones and all the noise of now--and dive into neon cities with big band music and jazzy cocktail lounges--I stroll arm in arm with my escort--wearing my ankle strap shoes and a gardenia in my hair, and it's not 2008! (My Mother always told me I was born much too late)!

It works. I like the ambiance of the era, the smoky look and the smoky songs. With your inventiveness, I look forward to your smokin' novel!

thanks much, carole. pleasure to be yours as well.

>I'm bold enough to say I'm a writer too!

You will be. The kind of creativity you displayed on your page is bursting to get out.

Fantastic page! Love the music. Gives me ideas for my page.

Thanks for the welcome! No, I haven't gotten to check out the Laura James site yet, but you can bet I will. Anything that helps with my research is a good thing! :)