In many of my books, something from my past has influenced the story. The Past Came Hunting came from a police ridealong. Deadly Recall resulted from my memory of a piano lesson I greatly exaggerated and fictionalized.
On June 16 through June 30, my fourth single title romantic suspense goes on sale. I was actually living the idea behind Buried Agendas at the time and I’d like to share the story behind it.
Although my husband is happily retired these days, in his work life he was a chemical engineer who specialized in industrial water treatment. Over the years, I met his customers and clients. As a storyteller, I’d listen with rapt attention to the goings on of their businesses. Naturally, when I learned his company had been awarded a contract to help with the cleanup of the Rocky Flats Nuclear weapons plant rocky-flats-site-colorado-fact-sheet (energy.gov) I was intrigued but also concerned.
That project started me thinking about the dangers of environmental contamination, not only nuclear but chemical. I’d read and listened to broadcasts about states rightfully objecting to where nuclear waste should be stored. About drums of illegal chemicals buried in the desert.
Conversely, I learned about the stiff fines and penalties the Environmental Protection Agency inflicted on corporations should they not adhere to these regulations.
Such was my idea behind Buried Agendas and the book would not have been written without a wonderful resource of an EPA staffer in Denver. Not only did we have a long informative phone conversation, afterward, she sent me reams of information on superfund sites (by snail mail no less).
Neither would the book have been written without the help of chemists, plant managers, and an underground tank expert. And by the time I completed interviews and consumed an enormous amount of research material, I came up with what I thought might be a believable inciting incident.
What if a chemical was created that should never have been created?
All right. That seemed to work. But how to develop a romantic suspense plot around such a complicated subject? Here’s what I came up with.
A devastating secret drove her from her lover’s arms; will a secret equally as deadly lead her back to him?
Diana Reid is an investigative reporter skilled at uncovering other people’s secrets. It’s her own she works to keep buried. Eight years earlier, she promised to leave her fiancé and hometown of Diamond, Texas forever. That pledge vanishes when she receives a letter stating people are going to die, implicating her hometown’s largest employer, and making a veiled threat against her mother. With no other choice, Diana will return to Diamond, albeit in disguise, to discover the anonymous author.
Brad Jordan moved on with his life after Diana left him. Preferring to practice law rather than assume his birthright, Jordan Industries, he turns the chemical processing plant over to his brother. Later, Brad runs for office and is elected mayor on his promise to rebuild his struggling hometown. Those plans are jeopardized when he’s notified that the company is suspected of wrongdoing and may be sacrificing the public’s health.
Diana Reid is the last person Brad Jordan wants to see, personally or professionally. But, when he discovers her presence in Diamond, he’s forced to accept that a woman he vowed to forget may be his only avenue to get to the truth.
What readers have said:
“Buried Agendas is a well-written, well-plotted romantic suspense. It kept me reading late into the night to find out what happens to the star-crossed lovers. The story had enough technical detail to be realistic without coming across as a chemistry lesson–well done! I felt the heat of the Texas setting and enjoyed getting to know the characters. I’m looking forward to Ms. Bell’s next one.”
~~~
BURIED AGENDAS follows the romantic suspense plots that Bell is known for. A fast compelling read with hot topics in the news today– Chemical waste and the hazards of border crossing. The characters are well developed and carry the reader through an exciting pace to the finish. If you haven’t read her previous books, you’re missing out on great storytelling.
~~~
“This is a well written, suspenseful thriller with fully drawn characters and a fast paced plot. Diana, forced to return to her hometown, confronts the fact that she still has feelings for the man she betrayed eight years ago. And now she’s in town to investigate his family’s business and possibly destroy all that he holds dear. Donnell Bell’s character emotions ring true and her plot is all too believable.”
If you enjoy romantic suspense, I hope you’ll check out Buried Agendas, particularly when it goes on sale June 16-30 for $.99.
How about you? Has something in your past influenced you? For authors, did said influence inspire you to incorporate it in a book or to write an entire novel?
About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell writes both romantic suspense and multi-jurisdictional task force plots, keeping close tabs on her theme SUSPENSE TOO CLOSE TO HOME. Her single-title romantic suspense novels, The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall, Betrayed, and Buried Agendas, have all been Amazon e-book best sellers.
Traditionally published with Belle Books/Bell Bridge Books, Black Pearl, a Cold Case Suspense was her first mainstream suspense and book one of a series, and a Colorado Book Award finalist. Her second book in the series, Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense, released in May of 2022 was voted best thriller in 2023 at the Imaginarium Celebration Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Sign up for her newsletter or follow her blog at https://www.donnellannbell.com
History Speaks to Us
/in amateur sleuth mysteries, Historical Mystery, Inspiration, Romantic Suspense, Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery series, Settings, travel/by Gay YellenI was not a big fan of history in my teens and twenties. No history class ever made the factoids we had to memorize feel real or relevant to the world I lived in.
The History Buff
Then I married a big fan of history, and through his eyes, his love for that old stuff began to come alive for me, too.
Mont-Saint-Michel
In 1999, we traveled to Normandy together. I’d spent my junior year in college in France, and I remembered Normandy mostly for the delicious crepes and hard apple cider the region is known for. And of course, for the wondrous sight of Mont-Saint-Michel rising from a sea of tidal sands.
But I had never toured the D-Day beaches there, where the tide of World War II began to turn. Of course, my history-buff husband very much wanted to see them.
No Hollywood Movie
Most people have experienced film versions of the war, including depictions of D-Day. But no matter how “real” the filmmakers tried to make the movie, nothing—not the enormous scope of the effort, the danger involved, the bravery of thousands of young soldiers—nothing ever hit me in the gut, until I saw what those intrepid souls were up against on that day, and all the days after.
Already under fire from the German guns positioned atop the cliffs that loomed above the beach, they somehow mustered the fortitude to leap out of their landing boats, race for their lives across the vast beach past their dead and dying comrades, and scramble up the sheer, vertical cliffs. And if they succeeded, what then?
How did they do it?
Knowing that they faced more guns and possibly hand-to-hand combat if they were “lucky” enough to make it all the way up, how did they push on? It gives me chills to think about it.
We enjoyed the whole of our trip to France that year. But the memory that lingers is of the site of that fateful day in 1944. And I will never think of history the same again.
Has history ever come alive for you? How?
Please share your experience below.
Gay Yellen is the author of the multi-award-winning SamanthaNewman Mysteries include The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News!
Contact her at GayYellen.com
What Influences a Book?
/in Author Life, Donnell Ann Bell, Ideas, Marketing, Publishing, Romantic Suspense, Sale, Suspense, The Stiletto Gang/by Donnell Ann BellOn June 16 through June 30, my fourth single title romantic suspense goes on sale. I was actually living the idea behind Buried Agendas at the time and I’d like to share the story behind it.
Although my husband is happily retired these days, in his work life he was a chemical engineer who specialized in industrial water treatment. Over the years, I met his customers and clients. As a storyteller, I’d listen with rapt attention to the goings on of their businesses. Naturally, when I learned his company had been awarded a contract to help with the cleanup of the Rocky Flats Nuclear weapons plant rocky-flats-site-colorado-fact-sheet (energy.gov) I was intrigued but also concerned.
That project started me thinking about the dangers of environmental contamination, not only nuclear but chemical. I’d read and listened to broadcasts about states rightfully objecting to where nuclear waste should be stored. About drums of illegal chemicals buried in the desert.
Conversely, I learned about the stiff fines and penalties the Environmental Protection Agency inflicted on corporations should they not adhere to these regulations.
Such was my idea behind Buried Agendas and the book would not have been written without a wonderful resource of an EPA staffer in Denver. Not only did we have a long informative phone conversation, afterward, she sent me reams of information on superfund sites (by snail mail no less).
Neither would the book have been written without the help of chemists, plant managers, and an underground tank expert. And by the time I completed interviews and consumed an enormous amount of research material, I came up with what I thought might be a believable inciting incident.
What if a chemical was created that should never have been created?
All right. That seemed to work. But how to develop a romantic suspense plot around such a complicated subject? Here’s what I came up with.
A devastating secret drove her from her lover’s arms; will a secret equally as deadly lead her back to him?
Diana Reid is an investigative reporter skilled at uncovering other people’s secrets. It’s her own she works to keep buried. Eight years earlier, she promised to leave her fiancé and hometown of Diamond, Texas forever. That pledge vanishes when she receives a letter stating people are going to die, implicating her hometown’s largest employer, and making a veiled threat against her mother. With no other choice, Diana will return to Diamond, albeit in disguise, to discover the anonymous author.
Brad Jordan moved on with his life after Diana left him. Preferring to practice law rather than assume his birthright, Jordan Industries, he turns the chemical processing plant over to his brother. Later, Brad runs for office and is elected mayor on his promise to rebuild his struggling hometown. Those plans are jeopardized when he’s notified that the company is suspected of wrongdoing and may be sacrificing the public’s health.
Diana Reid is the last person Brad Jordan wants to see, personally or professionally. But, when he discovers her presence in Diamond, he’s forced to accept that a woman he vowed to forget may be his only avenue to get to the truth.
What readers have said:
“Buried Agendas is a well-written, well-plotted romantic suspense. It kept me reading late into the night to find out what happens to the star-crossed lovers. The story had enough technical detail to be realistic without coming across as a chemistry lesson–well done! I felt the heat of the Texas setting and enjoyed getting to know the characters. I’m looking forward to Ms. Bell’s next one.”
~~~
BURIED AGENDAS follows the romantic suspense plots that Bell is known for. A fast compelling read with hot topics in the news today– Chemical waste and the hazards of border crossing. The characters are well developed and carry the reader through an exciting pace to the finish. If you haven’t read her previous books, you’re missing out on great storytelling.
~~~
“This is a well written, suspenseful thriller with fully drawn characters and a fast paced plot. Diana, forced to return to her hometown, confronts the fact that she still has feelings for the man she betrayed eight years ago. And now she’s in town to investigate his family’s business and possibly destroy all that he holds dear. Donnell Bell’s character emotions ring true and her plot is all too believable.”
If you enjoy romantic suspense, I hope you’ll check out Buried Agendas, particularly when it goes on sale June 16-30 for $.99.
How about you? Has something in your past influenced you? For authors, did said influence inspire you to incorporate it in a book or to write an entire novel?
About the Author: Donnell Ann Bell writes both romantic suspense and multi-jurisdictional task force plots, keeping close tabs on her theme SUSPENSE TOO CLOSE TO HOME. Her single-title romantic suspense novels, The Past Came Hunting, Deadly Recall, Betrayed, and Buried Agendas, have all been Amazon e-book best sellers.
Traditionally published with Belle Books/Bell Bridge Books, Black Pearl, a Cold Case Suspense was her first mainstream suspense and book one of a series, and a Colorado Book Award finalist. Her second book in the series, Until Dead, A Cold Case Suspense, released in May of 2022 was voted best thriller in 2023 at the Imaginarium Celebration Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Sign up for her newsletter or follow her blog at https://www.donnellannbell.com
‘Tis the Season…for Summer Reading
/in Summer Reads, Uncategorized/by Mary Lee Ashfordby Mary Lee Ashford
Maybe we no longer get a summer break but the beauty of summer reading lies in the endless possibilities. Whether you’re lounging by the lake, embarking on a trip, or simply enjoying a quite weekend at home, it’s still the perfect time to dive into a great book. But how to you choose the book?
As the days grow longer and the temperatures rise, we begin to see those lists of “Best Beach Reads.” I’m always curious enough to check them out and there are often some good suggestions to consider.
BookBub offers this great list of recommendations in their Ultimate Guide to 2024’s Best Beach Reads with a wide variety of choices.
Barnes & Noble has their Top Books for Your 2023 Reading List.
Publisher’s Weekly gives us their Top Ten Summer Read for 2024
Those types of lists are a good place to start.
Here are a few additional tips for choosing your perfect summer read:
Now I’d love to hear from you.
Do you have any recommendations? What book (or books) are you looking forward to diving into this summer?
Clicking Our Heels – Gluttony and Our Just Desserts
/in Clicking Our Heels, Desserts, Gluttony/by DebraClicking Our Heels – Gluttony and Our Just Desserts
Sometimes, in a restaurant, have you ever found yourself too full for dessert, but you eat one anyway? What would it be? These are the just desserts that Stiletto Members can’t live without.
T.K. Thorne – If tiramisu or cream brûlée is offered, I am lost….
Donnell Ann Bell – Pecan pie 😊
Anita Carter (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – If I’m sharing with my husband, it’s always Crème Brûlée, that’s his favorite. Otherwise, it might be something with lemon. I love lemon cake and lemon bars.
Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) – It sounds cliché but if it’s chocolate, I’m in. In fact, I’ll forgo parts of the other courses just to make sure there’s room for the chocolate.
Gay Yellen – My husband it the dessert eater, so I usually take a bite of whatever he’s ordered, which is usually something chocolate. On the rare occasion when I order dessert, it’s bread pudding, or a fruit tarte or cobbler.
Debra Sennefelder – Anything chocolate.
Lynn McPherson/Sydney Leigh – Any fresh baked good. I love them all.
Lois Winston – Crème Brûlée.
Dru Ann Love – Ice cream.
Saralyn Richard – I can’t think of any, but my characters really love chocolate mousse cake with ganache.
Barbara J. Eikmeier – Crème brûlée.
Bethany Maines – The one that’s on the dessert menu. I will eat that one.
Debra H. Goldstein – Any mini-treat that comes in a tiny glass like those at Seasons 52.
Echo words anyone?
/in Author Life, How to Write, humor, Mystery Series, Susan P. Baker, Writing and the Arts/by Susan P. BakerEcho words anyone? (And other hiccups)
Every time I reach what I hope is the last version of my manuscript before I publish it, I read it aloud to find anything that I’ve missed that needs correction. The little devil on one shoulder says, “Don’t waste time reading it aloud. It’s fine. It’s a pretty cool book.” The little angel on the other shoulder says, “Even though you don’t want to spend the time reading it aloud, you know you’ll find so many things that need to be fixed. Fix it, and then it will actually be really cool, and you’ll be pretty happy.” So, actually, w
hether or not I want to spend the time, I always read it aloud. And actually, I find so many things that need to be fixed that I’m pretty happy that I’ve read it aloud. Other writers say to let it sit awhile before you do that. I know I should wait awhile, but, actually, I don’t always wait awhile to read it. Whether or not you read your manuscript aloud, or print it out like we did in the old days, let it sit awhile, and then read it, I urge you to do one or the other, so you’ll be pretty happy, too.
Susan P. Baker’s 6th Mavis Davis mystery, The Underground Murders, will be released in July.
Now What?
/in Author Life, Writing and the Arts/by Brooke TerpeningHi everyone. My name is Brooke and I’m an unabashed pantster. Whew. I’ve finally come out of my panster closet and told the world.
Actually, my process is more like that of a quilter. When I envision a scene, I jump in and write it. My characters take control of the story and go in unexpected directions. “If you can’t surprise yourself, you can’t surprise the reader” is my mantra.
The only problem with these twists and turns is that occasionally they put my story in a dead-end alley. I’m not the first nor will I be the last author to paint themselves into a corner of a room without any windows or doors. Escape seems impossible at first. Is it time to find a hidden trapdoor or for a ladder to drop down from a helicopter, which appears out of nowhere? As tempting as these options are, I’d rather reign in my unruly characters and replot.
Today the term refers to “an unexpected, artificial, or improbable character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot.” We’ve seen this device used in old cowboy movies where the cavalry appears from thin air at the last minute to rescue our heroes or a dead character suddenly resurrects to save the day.
So, what’s wrong with using deus ex machina? It can be effective for comic relief or a surprise happy ending. Some of literature’s greatest writers have resolved a plot problem with this device. In THE LORD OF THE FLIES, critics charge that the appearance of the naval vessel to rescue the boys is an example. However, William Golding did drop a few hints that ships were passing the island, and the boys did build a fire to attract their attention.
The lesson I take from this is to play fair with the reader. If the cavalry is coming to the rescue, insert some hints—not too many to spoil a dramatic rescue from an unexpected source, but enough to be believable.
Now I’m off to rescue my protagonist, who fell off a cliff. Where’s a helicopter when I need one?
Short Story Provides Met Gala Theme
/in Uncategorized/by Paula Bensonby Paula Gail Benson
Read the 1962 Short Story That Inspired This Year’s Met Gala Theme ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com)
In LitHub, the story is described as: “Count Axel and his wife live and listen to Mozart in a magnificent villa, surrounded by a garden of crystal flowers, as an angry and unruly army advances upon them. To keep the ‘approaching rabble’ at bay, Axel must turn back time by plucking the flowers, one by one, until they are all gone, and there is no time left.”
True to the theme, the gowns and suits worn to the Gala featured images of flowers, aristocracy, and time.
1st Edition Hardcover (Wikipedia)
Ballard (whose name was James Gordon) was born in Shanghai International Settlement in the Republic of China where his father, a chemist, became the chairman and managing director of the China Printing and Finishing Company. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the settlement and imprisoned the Allied civilian families. From his experiences during this time, Ballard wrote the semi-autobiographical novel Empire of the Sun, which became a film written by Tom Stoppard and directed by Steven Spielberg.
Today, as we celebrate Memorial Day, let us remember those who gave their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces. We acknowledge with gratitude their sacrifice and wish comfort and peace for their families.
The Times They Are a’Changing
/in amateur sleuth mysteries, Author Life, Cozy Mysteries, crafting cozies, How to Write, indie publishing, Mystery, Publishing, Series, women sleuths/by Lois WinstonI don’t like change. I much prefer the security and comfort of habit. I’m not the kind of person who climbs a mountain just because it’s there. I need a reason to step out of my comfort zone, lace up my hiking boots, and ascend into the unknown. When I’m confronted with the need to change, I first spend time soul-searching and deliberating.
Unfortunately, the publishing industry has been fraught with change for quite some time now. Gone are the days when an author had a home for life, and the people she worked with at the publishing house became like a second family to her. These days there’s a lot of divorce going on in publishing. More and more authors are being dropped because their sales aren’t strong enough. Or authors decide for various reasons that they need to leave their publishers. Both situations are very scary for the author. No matter which party institutes the divorce proceedings, fear of the unknown can overwhelm an author.
Twelve years ago, I realized I needed to institute a change in my life. I didn’t want to, but after several long months of soul-searching, I knew it was time to climb the mountain. I laced up those hiking boots and walked away from two new publishing contracts—one for additional books in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series and one for a new series, the Empty Nest Mysteries.
Was I terrified? You bet! Being published by a traditional publishing house is the Holy Grail to all aspiring authors. Or it used to be. Times have changed. Self-publishing, now often referred to as indie publishing, no longer has the stigma it once did because authors are in control, not questionable vanity presses.
Rather than sign with one of the small publishers interested in continuing my series, I went indie. I continued writing the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, adding a series of three connected mini-mysteries. I also published the Empty Nest Mysteries and several standalone mystery novellas. I reissued my backlist and published some unsold romances and romantic suspense novels.
Would I regret my decision? After all, not only had I given up the “legitimacy” of traditional publishing, but I’d also given up some decent advance money. There were nights I tossed and turned, wondering if I’d made the biggest mistake of my life by going indie, especially when I didn’t see the huge numbers of sales that other indie authors claimed to have.
Was it because I didn’t write super-sexy books with shirtless studs? Or was there some other reason? My traditionally published books had received stellar reviews, including starred reviews from Publishers Weeklyand Booklist for my mystery series. I’d also won quite a few awards for my fiction. Why weren’t my indie books selling better?
One mantra I kept repeating was something I’d heard from other authors: It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. It was hard to convince myself since I seemed to be limping along, not sprinting. But eventually I saw that they were right. It took some time, but since publishing my first indie book, I’ve seen steady growth in sales. Can I support myself on what I’m making? Heck, no! But then again, I couldn’t support myself on what I made from traditional publishing.
However, as time has passed, I’ve become more comfortable with my decision. There’s much to be said about having total control over your writing career. What I’ve also discovered is that readers don’t really care who publishes you. Authors might constantly ask other authors, “Who’s your publisher?” but readers are only interested in good books. They don’t know PRH from Level Best. Mention “the Big Five,” and they’ll most likely think you’re talking about a college basketball conference.
Meanwhile, Sorry, Knot Sorry, the thirteenth book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, is currently on preorder and releases June 4th. For those of you familiar with Anastasia, I hope you enjoy her latest adventure. For those of you who haven’t gotten to know her yet, I hope you will.
Sorry, Knot Sorry
An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 13
Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack may finally be able to pay off the remaining debt she found herself saddled with when her duplicitous first husband dropped dead in a Las Vegas casino. But as Anastasia has discovered, nothing in her life is ever straightforward. Strings are always attached. Thanks to the success of an unauthorized true crime podcast, a television production company wants to option her life—warts and all—as a reluctant amateur sleuth.
Is such exposure worth a clean financial slate? Anastasia isn’t sure, but at the same time, rumors are flying about layoffs at the office. Whether she wants national exposure or not, Anastasia may be forced to sign on the dotted line to keep from standing in the unemployment line. But the dead bodies keep coming, and they’re not in the script.
Craft tips included.
Buy Links (preorder now. Available June 4th)
Amazon
Kobo
Nook
Apple Books
Paperback and Hardcover editions available after June 4th.
~*~
USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website where can also sign up for her newsletter and find links to her other social media: www.loiswinston.com
Home, Sweet Home by Saralyn Richard
/in Uncategorized/by Saralyn RichardHome, Sweet Home
by Saralyn Richard
I live on an island, and there’s a saying around here that when you cross the causeway coming into the island, you leave all your troubles behind. The saying must be true, because everyone I know says they experience something truly spiritual whenever they drive into town. It happens to me every time—a lightening of the mood, a warming of the heart, and sometimes, a tear in the eye.
Home is more than a place. It’s an atmosphere, an attitude, a group of people whom you love and who love you back, an album full of memories.
I left my island home many years ago, but the connection remained strong. I moved back in 2005, back to the house I grew up in. Not many people are lucky enough to do this, but I was, and I’m so grateful.
Here in this house, I sat at the kitchen table with my entire nuclear family, had girlfriends spend the night, was picked up for my first and subsequent dates, brought my husband-to-be home to meet my family.
The house and I have been through celebrations and tragedies. I know its every cranny, every pebble in its concrete, every branch of its trees.
No wonder, then, that the homes in my novels are practically characters, especially the estates in the Detective Parrott mystery series, located in Brandywine Valley. Bucolia, Manderley, Sweetgrass, and Moonglow—each with its own special characteristics—serve as places, but also figure into the books’ plots. Secrets abound within their walls.
What connotations of home have you found in some of your favorite books? How did the author breathe life into the homes in those books?
Saralyn Richard writes award-winning humor- and romance-tinged mysteries that pull back the curtain on people in settings as diverse as elite country manor houses and disadvantaged urban high schools. Her works include the Detective Parrott mystery series, two standalone mysteries, a children’s book, and various short stories published in anthologies. She also edited the nonfiction book, Burn Survivors. An active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature. Her favorite thing about being an author is interacting with readers like you. If you would like to subscribe to Saralyn’s monthly newsletter and receive information, giveaways, opportunities, surveys, freebies, and more, sign up at https://saralynrichard.com.
Mesmerized by the Met Gala
/in Paula Gail Benson/by Paula Bensonby Paula Gail Benson
Until I watched Ocean’s 8, a female heist film featuring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchette, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter, in 2018, I wasn’t very familiar with the Met Gala. Now, after having seen that movie numerous times, I’ve become intrigued by the event and wanted to know more about it.
Wikipedia tells us it was initially organized in 1948 by Eleanor Lambert as the Costume Institute Benefit, a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute’s annual exhibit. Tickets for the first event were $50 each. According to cbsnews.com, a ticket this year cost $75,000 (up 50% from last year’s price of $50,000), with a table for ten started at $350,000.
Except for 1996, since 1995 Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor in chief, has organized the event. Held on the first Monday in May, it showcases influencing figures from drama, sports, fashion, and other cultural pursuits, who are asked to dress conforming to a theme.
This year’s theme was “The Garden of Time,” based on a short story of that title by J.G. Ballard. In the story, two aristocrats wait in their villa as an angry mob approaches. The protagonist keeps the rebels away by picking a flower that turns back time briefly. In the end, all the flowers are gone and the villa is overtaken.
Interpretations of the theme featured many variations on floral arrangements, time, and aristocratic uniforms. Harpers Bazaar characterized the exhibit that invitees had the opportunity to view, entitled “Sleeping Beauty: Reawakening Fashion,” as spotlighting 250 historically significant designs that are “too fragile to ever be worn again.”
On the red carpet, those attending wore both regal and elegant garments (like Anna Wintour’s black embellished with colorful flowers) and structurally intricate (like Mindy Kaling’s beige, textured “Melting Flower of Time,” by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta; Demi Moore’s black column made of wallpaper and accessorized by a stunning Cartier necklace; and Tyla’s form fitting sand outfit that required she be carried up the steps and cut out).
To respect photo copyrights, please let me refer you to Vogue’s coverage of the event. Once you start looking at the designs, I think you’ll be a fan, too.