Wine and chocolate
I wanted a sensual experience for Tori.
This is a slow awakening (hah!) of her senses and her appetites. You don’t just throw someone in the deep water to swim, and you don’t start with whips and chains the first time someone calls you Master.
The Chocolate
I did a little research (not a lot) about pairing chocolate with wine. As I grew into adulthood, I became a dark chocolate lover. Milk chocolate is great, of course, but there’s something special about the bitter-sweet depths ...
Film Terms
As fictional as this book is, I do want to keep some things true to life. There’s only so much disbelief a reader is expected to put on hold. Frankly, I want to use that quota in other ways, not when discussing something simple like incorrect film jargon in a pre-production meeting.
Line Producer – the dude or lady who is in charge of a film’s budget. They’re basically the film’s lead accountant and they make sure all the bills are paid.
Production Designer – these men and ...
Antoine’s
I’ve never actually been to Antoine's, but from what I've heard from the people I know, it’s a really nice restaurant. I love the history of it and the menu and the floor plan, and next time I’m back home in Louisiana, I plan on visiting.
The main dining room
But, since I’m writing this book from the other L.A., I can only visit it virtually and on the written page.
[And, just to make clear, there is no disrespect intended for this prized New Orleans treasure. I ...
Port of Call
I wrote a chapter-shaped love poem about Port of Call (Sir Chapter 13) in New Orleans. I've been to a lot of restaurants in New Orleans, most of them simply outstanding, but push-comes-to-shove, Port of Call is at the top of my favorites list.
First, it’s a damned good hamburger. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t really like hamburgers.
Second, baked potatoes piled obscenely high with cheese, butter, and sour cream. Need I say more?
Third <drumroll ...
The Finewhile Diner. . .
I love diners.
Particularly small-town, roadside diners. Diners that still look like they did when they were built in the heyday of highway travel, at a time before interstates were a thing.
Diners are going by the wayside, which makes me sad. Half the ones I’ve been to in the past decade since I moved to L.A. cook frozen food that they bought in bulk and call it “homemade”. (Maybe it says that on the box, but it sure as hell ain’t homemade!) Anyway, bad food, and bad diner food, ...
Actors and Directors and Producers, Oh MY!
A Tiny Insight into the Film (and Television) Industry
Producing/Directing/Acting
This is something I didn’t know until I actually was in the industry. In simple terms:
Actors are the “talent” (they’re literally called that *eye roll*). They’re the faces that make the story real. I guess that’s why they make bank (sometimes, depending, not the bit parts).
Directors direct the movie. It’s their vision how the script comes alive. Their job is to make sure that there’s ...
What it takes to become a Hollywood A-list star…
So you want to be an actor or actress...
Becoming an actor
I’ve met…many… young girls who were determined that they were going to be an actress, going to be a star one day. Is it possible? Sure. There are about 40 A list actresses out there, they were all just a girl with a dream at some point. We’ll just ignore for a moment that most of them have impressive film pedigrees with parents, and grandparents, already well established in the industry and able to blast the door open for ...
Step Behind the Curtains. . . and into my blog.
WELCOME to D.L.Hess.com!
I decided to journal my progress and thoughts on Sir as I was writing and editing and re-reading because I have more to share, I guess, than what’s on the actual page in the actual book.
I’m a writer. I was a writer before I started this endeavor, and I’ll be a writer long after I’m done. I know the amount of work and effort and reasoning that goes into every small detail. At least, for me when I’m writing, there’s a ton of work that goes on before ...