Today, my new book ICE COLD goes on sale in the U.S. And this release, like every release before it, is filling me with a mixture of joy, excitement, apprehension, and yes — even a bit of dread. Because I’m so good at imagining all the things that can go wrong.
So I’m going to distract myself from the book-release butterflies in my stomach by talking instead about my visit over the weekend to Hollywood.
I was there for the “Rizzoli & Isles” press junket — which is a term I really didn’t understand until after this weekend. TNT flew me out to L.A., put me up at the Beverly Wilshire (woohoo!), and treated me to a most amazing experience. I was there to talk to radio DJ’s from around the country, who were also flown out to L.A.
The first day started off with an evening cocktail party at Paramount studios, where I mingled with the DJ’s and kept having to pinch myself that I was actually at the Paramount lot. Here I am with some of TNT’s marketing and publicity team.
It was the little touches that I kept oohing and ahhing over — they probably thought I was bonkers, but I got so excited about funny things like … well, just the paper cups and napkins!
After cocktails, we all moved into the Paramount movie theater to watch a screening of Episode 2 of “Rizzoli & Isles.” The theater is like a real movie theater, complete with popcorn counter and soda pop.
Sitting in the dark theater, surrounded by the DJ’s, I was happy to hear them laughing at all the right places. One of them later told me that he was exhausted by his flight to L.A. and was planning to take a nap when the lights went out … but instead sat up riveted to the episode.
After the screening, one of the writers on the show, David Gould, took us on a tour of the “Rizzoli & Isles” set. Here we are at the morgue, which was furnished with real hospital equipment. It looked like every morgue I’ve ever been in, with the exception of the red sink!
Then it was on to the set for the bar “The Dirty Robber” where Jane and Maura relax after work.
We also visited the makeup trailer, where Lorraine Bracco was getting ready to shoot her next scene. Mind you, this was at 10 PM at night, so those actors work long, long hours.
Finally, we got to peek in the production office, where desks and wall boards were covered with all the details involved with making a TV show happen.
I got back to the hotel around 11 PM, crashed, and the next day got ready for round 2 of the fun: the radio interviews. Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Jordan Bridges, Bruce McGill, and Lee Thompson Young were on hand for the round-robin chats with the DJ’s.
Me and Angie:
Me with Bruce McGill (Korsak) and Janet Tamaro (executive producer):
The 21 DJ’s were set up in booths in the hotel ballroom, and we went from booth to booth to be interviewed. I was paired with Janet Tamaro, the writer and executive producer of Rizzoli & Isles, and we answered questions about where the characters came from and what it was like to adapt them to TV. Janet really is like Jane Rizzoli — smart, quick-thinking, and thriving in a tough industry. Obviously the perfect person to be writing this show! Each interview lasted only 4 minutes, and then we had to jump up and move on to the next DJ. At the end of it, Lee Thompson Young told me he couldn’t believe how exhausted he was.
Then it was on to the really fun finale: the cast cocktail party! I got the chance to chat with Sasha and Lee.
The next day, I was up at 4:30 to catch the flight home. Still can’t believe it all happened — but if it was just a dream, it was a very good dream.
How cool and exciting!! (and I see those outfits you got are also beautiful!)
What an amazing experience for you, Tess. Thanks for giving us a peek behind the curtain
Oh man. Bruce McGill! He elevates everything he’s in. Fantastic.
I cannot WAIT to see this. You do look stunning, Tess.
And Bruce McGill is a wildly handsome Korsak, I may have to reevaluate my feelings about that character…
You looked fabulous, Tess. Whatever were you worried about? And what an experience! I can’t imagine having something you’ve imagined being put into visual form for everyone to see. Amazing. I’ve got your new release pre-ordered for the Kindle — hey, it must be here already. Woo hoo!
Fabulous, Tess!
And yeah, those outfits look very cool.
How exciting! We’re all so happy for you. Can’t wait to see the show! I hope you took home a suitcase filled with those napkins and cups. If I were you, I’d use them as my party ware for decades to come.
Oh, and congratulations on pub day! I plugged ICE COLD on my Facebook page so you should expect to be #1 on the list next week 🙂
Alafair, thanks so much for the plug! It’s always a scary week.
Mark, Bruce McGill is the consummate pro. I loved him. And by the way, he can still play the William Tell overture while tapping on his throat!
Fantastic, Tess. Congrats on pub day, and those on set/behind the scene shots are great. I can see they’re treating you well.
Congrats again.
I wanna be you when I grow up, Tess. Congrats all around.
It all sound so exciting! I’m glad you enjoyed, and I can’t wait to watch Rizzoli & Isles!
Gosh… Angie and Sasha are truly gorgeous and so are you! Congrats!!! 🙂
How exciting for you. You look great, the clothes are beautiful, and everything all fits together perfectly. I’m enjoying it by proxy. Congratulations.
Holy schmoley! What an AWESOME experience that must have been! Tess, this is the coolest thing in the world! I am soooo happy for you. Well-deserved, and a long-time coming. And I totally dig those cups and napkins, too. Paramount is a great, historic lot, and a fun place to be. I’m glad they’re treating you right!
So happy everything so well. And yes, my eyes are naturally this green — all the time.
I am thrilled for you, Tess – Paramount, for ghodsake!! And Bruce McGill has lots of fans who might not otherwise ‘meet’ your characters.
Did anyone mention that you look great in those pix? Yes? Worth repeating, you wear the stylish things well.
Good stuff. Big congratulations on all counts! Echoing what has already been said, you looked amazing!
Congrats. Great post I would have been gushing over the details of the cups and napkins too.
Sounds like you had an amazing time, and they really went all out! Congratulations!
Tess, you look gorgeous and chic, but then, I expected you would. (I always think you do.)
I would have been gobsmacked over the little things, too, like the napkins and cups. What an amazing experience!
And congrats on release day for Ice Cold – I’ll go mention on Twitter and Facebook. 😉
Sounds like it was just fabulous – congrats!
Tess,
This is so wonderful. Enjoy every minute of it! I saw an ad for the series a little more than a week ago and screamed. My husband came running, worried that I’d been hurt. "Nope," I said, "That’s my friend!!"
Wow, what an experience. The pictures are terrific. What a cast for your series!
Still, being interviewed by 21 DJs, with a time limit, would scare me to death. My mind would have been a complete blank. Congratulations on surviving it!
And yes, of course the cups and napkins were cool! I’d have swiped at least one each as keepsakes.
How wonderful for you, the week-end and the release. No one deserves it more than you.
I love Lee Thompson Young for Frost. I know people are skeptical since he’s different looking than in the books, but tell me he doesn’t have that mediator, all around good guy feel to him? I love it.
Tess, you look gorgeous, like a movie star in her own element!
I’m gonna do the total fangirl thing and "OMG!!!!!!!! That is ALL SO COOL!!!!!" I REALLY can’t wait for Rizzoli & Isles and I’ve been talking about it to like, EVERYONE I know!!! I can’t wait!!!! I’m SO excited!!! And ICE COLD????? Yeaaaaah, school is out tomorrow! I’ve missed them all SO much!! Tess, I REALLY adore your books!!! 🙂
Now, I’m composing myself and doing this the right way: "Wow, Tess, congratulations on the show and the books. It is very exciting for us readers and fans."
(personally, I like the top one better!!!) 😀
Very cool! Congratulations and can’t wait to see it.
As your number one fan 🙂 . . . I am so excited about this series. I think Angie Harmon is a perfect Rizzoli, I watched some of the YouTube clips and am so thrilled for me as a fan and you as an author! I can even overlook some of the changes Hollywood makes because the basic characters and conflicts are still there. I am taking ICE COLD with me on my flight to NYC next week. A little reading, a little writing on my new iPad, and hopefully the flight will go fast!
Congratulations . . . and I really hope the series is available on iTunes.
So, so very cool!. And Angie Harmon’s still got it } :-)>
Tess…A friend of mine won an advance copy of Ice Cold. I’ve already read it! I LOVED it!! Don’t worry about it coming out. We love it already. Was taken by surprise about the series, but I have my calendar fixed to ding me so I can watch. I’m on vacation when it comes out. Thereafter, I will DVR it!! Congratulations on both the book and series. And I would’ve made sure I had a few of those cups and napkins in my suitcase too!!
What a great experience!
And by the way (based on what you wrote on your personal blog) I absolutely love your posts about your fears. It makes a mid-list author like me feel better about knowing that even the uber-writers feel like their writing may be crap. (Which, knowing your track record, ICE COLD will not be!)
-S.
I Enjoyed your post! I just bought your book earlier today, and I can’t wait to dig in and start reading it. As soon as i’m off work, and find a little time to myself, it is already dedicated to your book. I’ve yet to be dissapointed by your books and I am absolutely certain this will be no different. Don’t worry – I was standing in line at the bookstore and the lady ahead of me had a copy of your book as well!
Coming all the way from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia! (Canada)
Cheers!!
Thanks for all the wonderful comments! And yes, I would’ve swiped some napkins too, but I didn’t think to do it in time. However, they did have tchotchkes that I absconded with (I probably looked like a shoplifter stuffing things in my purse!).
Neil, Lee Thompson Young exudes just that right feeling of innocence that perfectly embodies Barry Frost.
And yes, Dusty, Angie Harmon’s definitely got "it." She really makes you believe that she could tackle a perp if she wanted to.
Toni and Allison, thanks for tweeting about it!
So much to comment on here…
The clothes – Tess, you looked stunning, and comfortable, and those red shoes in the last shot – YUM!
The show – I really can’t wait, it’s going to be fantastic!
The book release – You know what I’M doing right now. – Congratulations on your incredible day!
Tess, how fun–and you look so GORGEOUS!! Not that this is a surprise, but you are just as glamorous as all the Hollywood types, and it all sounds like a wonderful time. Yea!!!!!
Thanks for giving us a little behind-the-scenes tour of your Hollywood experience. CONGRATS! I’m looking forward to watching Rizzoli & Isles, which I’ll DVR, and reading ICE COLD. Oh, and that picture of you in your hat standing in front of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel plaque? Very, very classy!
So this is what the big time looks like. Congratulations – you look and sound like you’re up to it, too. So, the next time someone asks me who I’d cast as my protagonist, I will try NOT saying, "Oh, that’ll never happen." I can dream, anyway!
Tess, how fantastic! Thanks so much for giving us this behind-the-scenes look. It must be incredible that these characters you made up are now up on the screen like that 🙂
I got my hands on an ARC of The Killing Place aka Ice Cold and IT ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! Incredible work. I read it in one sitting and turned those pages like they were on fire. Thanks for another edge-of-the-seat ride.
cheers,
Katherine.
That looks so exciting! I can understand the nerves but I hope you overcame them to enjoy a party dedicated to characters that you had created – how exciting!
I’m impressed that I’ll be able to read another of your books soon. I’ll check today with my local bookstore if it is available.(Tiny town in Australia)..otherwise I know they’ll order it in for me…I can handle a little delayed gratification.
I’m also impressed with how elegant and confident you look in each shot Tess. You look in your element.Congratulations.
Tess,
What fun! And you look terrific! My best to you with this series. I know I’ll be watching every week!
Looks like a lot of fun! Congrats on the release. Going to get it this weekend.
Tess,
I’m so envious. It looks like you had a ball in Hollywood. Can’t wait to read Ice Cold. How could it be anything but wonderful?
jtb
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