The fabulous Julia London joins us this week ...


Julie Kenner is leading my intervention, and she has asked me to come here today and make a public confession that is long overdue: My name is Julia F. London and I am a reality TV junkie.

I don’t know how it happened, because I never watched TV until a couple of years ago—I was waaaay too hip for the boob tube. But I can remember when Survivor first debuted—I was left out of the water cooler chat because I’d never seen it. Not only had I never seen it, I didn’t know what it was, thought it sounded stupid, and was a total snob about it.

But then something happened to me. Two words: American Idol.

I fell so easily, stumbling into the program one night, probably looking for PBS or something really worthy of my time, and dude, I was hooked. I was fascinated by the seemingly normal people who would cheerfully subject themselves to shame and ridicule. Each week I came back, tuning into warble along with the contestants and boo Simon. I couldn’t wait for Wednesday nights when all of America would learn who had been voted off.

Then, one night after a results show, I forgot to turn off the TV and read like every good author should, and it happened again. I caught an episode of The Bachelor.

The Bachelor!!

All I could think was where have I been? It was the stuff of snarky dreams--lots of skanky women vying for the attention of a slutty guy who was doing them all in his private suite while they gushed about love and commitment. It just didn’t get any better than that for my money!

Reality TV became my blow, the stuff I had to have on a daily basis, and it’s only gotten worse with time. Like any good crack addict, the high I used to get from Idol and Bach have dulled, and I need a little more kick. Got a nanny and some really rotten kids? I’m there. Want to send some surly teens to a wilderness camp and break them down? Let me get my popcorn. Round up a bunch of Average Joes and get them to believe they’ve got a chance with a gorgeous model? Fills me with glee. Want to be a Hilton? Yes, I want to be a Hilton!

The good news is that my sudden devotion to TV gave me a fabulous and sexy idea for a new contemporary series, Thrillseekers Anonymous, which is all about having the experience of a lifetime, like wind- surfing hurricane force winds in the Gulf of Mexico or helicopter skiing in the Rockies. The series is about a group of thirty-something guys who run the best boy’s club in the world: an exclusive, members-only adventure service, catering to the likes of Hollywood moguls, technology and real estate billionaires, and European aristocracy with unique thrill-seeking adventures staged worldwide. Name your fantasy, and these guys make it happen…until someone asks for an extreme wedding: In order to pull it off, they have to bring in the experts: Women. WEDDING SURVIVOR will be out in October.

But wait! I have an historical romance out this week, HIGHLANDER IN LOVE, about a bunch of Highlanders in early 19th century Scotland. WHAT, you might be shouting at this point, has THAT to do with REALITY TV?

Here’s what: My highlanders were the original reality TV (okay, I know they didn’t have TV back then, but I am groping for a metaphor here). These guys were tough and played their games for keeps. There was nothing too hard or too dangerous when they were on a quest. These guys put the babies on the Apprentice to shame. They made Survivor castaways look like marshmallow men lounging by the pool. They would take one look at a bungee jump on the Amazing Race and laugh as they flung themselves into the abyss.

But it doesn’t end there. Brawn by itself is not that appealing, right? You think Dancing with Stars was a hoot? Imagine how cool it would be if real manly-men danced and danced well. Quadrilles, waltzes, and minuets were nothing but another sport to them. The Highland guys in my books are sexy, powerful, and extremely charming without seeming gay. And, they had great abs. Want to know how great? Check out the cover to my latest historical book, Highlander in Love which features the most charming of the Highland guys and tell me it ain’t so.

In the meantime, I hear there is a new lawyer reality TV show starting up soon. I am hardly able to contain my joy. Here’s hoping your day is full of joy, too!

*****
Julia London was raised in West Texas, where, as a rancher’s daughter in the middle of absolutely nowhere, she had an enormous amount of time on her hands to dream of adventure—the swashbuckling, hero-to-die-for kind of adventure. That went on for some years until her parents forced her to acknowledge that such dreams do not produce income all by themselves. This, she conceded, and went from there to study at the University of Texas.

Somehow, through no conscious effort of her own, Julia landed in Washington, D.C., where she eventually ended up working for the White House. Sadly, life inside the Beltway did not exactly mesh with her propensity for dreaming—or with President Clinton, who fired her along with everyone else. She stumbled back to Texas and into public administration for a big local government, in which she insisted on frightening law-abiding taxpayers by spending all their money.

Fortunately for everyone in her community, Julia finally got the idea to write down her daydreams, and no one was more surprised than she to discover how many people out there wanted to share in them. She is now the award-winning and national best-selling author of several published novels, has been translated into several languages, and has over one million books in print.