Authors who use a lot of pop culture references probably have their assistants ring up the offices of the associated companies in order to obtain written permission to use the trademarks. Money probably doesn’t exchange hands, though. I hope it stays this way; I don’t think I could bear to wade through prose like this: “Hilary and Ashley went to the mall. They walked past the Gap(R), the Orange Julius(R), and the Macy’s(TM). There, they met Amber, drinking a Coke(R) and blowing her nose with a Kleenex(TM). You couldn’t get through a paragraph without stray trademarks sticking to your shoes.

Continuing with my odd segue into restaurant land, many years ago a friend of ours was always griping when we all went out for dinner. I thought his behavior indicated he was cheap. He kept on insisting that dining at home was more satisfying. I now esteem his wisdom regarding the dining in or out issue. Brian and I rarely eat out anymore – way too expensive and too often with disappointing food or service. Now regarding restaurant portion sizes…

I think most things that seem romantic from the outside aren’t usually so to those directly involved in them, whether they answer a passion or not. The process of writing is certainly like that. But there is something very compelling to those of us who have caught this writing bug. It can be almost like drug addiction in some ways. And once the completed work is there in front of the writer she can’t imagine anyone not liking it. Even though we learn to expect rejection, it’s still a shock. Like having someone tell you your child is likely to wind up in jail, when you’re certain he’s an absolute angel. It defies reason.

violetismycolor: I agree, giving your name to anything you believe in is fine. However, I think when authors do that in fiction they’re usually simply attempting to make a scene or character ring true. And it’s a lot less awkward to say, “She drove a big white Mercedes,” than to say, “She drove a big white upscale European sedan.” If I read the first example I wouldn’t pause, but the second would make me stop and think the author was trying too hard NOT to name a particular brand. This would have nothing to do with whether the author thought a Mercedes was a great car or a piece of junk—or even had some political reason for not wanting to support that company in print. One keeps the reader reading, the other throws them out of the story momentarily.

Reenie: I think I’d have used a pseudonym for the Olive Garden. It’s too easy to see lawsuit written all over that one. Wow, it’s amazing the number of horror stories that come out of people working for restaurants, chains or otherwise. I once worked with a man who’d previously been an under chef in a famous hotel restaurant in Coronado. He had nothing good to say about their practices. Most of the other stories I’ve heard have been about fast food chains. Maybe restaurant work is just so unglamorous that people wind up with awful attitudes toward the jobs and employers. If you hear enough of these stories, it makes you want to eat every meal at home. All my personal restaurant stories come from when I was a little girl and spent hours in the back room of my grandmother’s diner with my sister and cousin while our mothers worked for her. If I had my choice, I’d eat at Grandma’s. The pie was the best in the world. But don’t ask what mischief the little girls were getting into in the back room. (Don’t worry, we weren’t allowed anywhere near the food.)

Bev Jackson: The circus? I haven’t been to the circus in years, and that’s just too sad. When I was a kid, the only place you saw that was in auto racing. It’s spread quite a bit since then.

I hope advertisers DON’T start paying authors. It would ruin the stories, if you ask me. Then, instead of thinking how a book gripped me and drew me in, I’d wonder if I was being manipulated and coerced into buying something. There’s enough of that in real life. But I vote for all the really good writers getting published and making a living.

I do have rather STRONG opinions about the advertising that now decorates every stadium, arena, and game court in our country, and most of all, I HATE, HATE, HATE that the circus does it now too. So I don’t go anymore. Not that I was exactly a regular. ha.

And, yes, unrequited affection for my brilliant manuscripts can momentarily dim my passion – but the seduction is powerful and I continue to love unconditionally.

Nice to hear from you
Cas