Cara Bertoia

Click to find at Barnes and Noble
Click to find Cruise Quarters at Barnes and Noble

Growing up in a strait-laced Southern family, I was always fascinated with casinos. In my twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, I drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. Well, I can tell you that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. My mother highly disapproved of my working in a casino, "a place so bad it has 'sin' in the middle." I wanted to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. I spent the next five years circling the globe for Princess Cruises. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. I was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in Leningrad. I returned from ships with a very special souvenir, my Scottish husband Ray. We went to work in Palm Springs. We now live in Hollywood, Florida, where I write about my casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD! HOW TO TAKE IN A PLAY, A MEAL, AND A COMEDY ACT ALL FOR FREE- AND IT'S NOT A TIMESHARE!

I have a confession to make. I love sit-coms. I'm a sucker for a sarcastic quip. I love anything that can make me laugh. I also live less than two hours from Hollywood, the epicenter of television and every once in a while I like to go all touristy and watch the making of a sitcom in person. So whenever I get the urge, I go to AudiencesUnlimited.com and book a taping. This is usually done late at night after a glass or two of wine, when wanderlust hits. So when I saw an opening for two of my favorite shows I grabbed them and it was Hooray for Hollywood!

My husband loves Puddy, everyone remembers the straight talking auto mechanic from Seinfeld and he is one of the animated voices from 'Family Guy,' the most beloved show of all post - adolescent males. On this show Patrick Warburton stars with Megyn Price an alumnus from one of the most underrated sitcoms of all times 'Grounded for Life.' Throw in David Spade from 'Just Shoot Me' and how can a show fail? Their show 'Rules of Engagement' films in Culver City and we were there at the appointed time, 4:45 p.m. our printed vouchers in hand waiting in line for the taping in a few hours. First you get checked out by the security guards; don't even think about bringing in a camera. In this line you meet interesting people from all over the globe, beside us were a couple that had flown over from London for a week just to attend tapings of their favorite American shows. The girl next to us was from Poland, and we took her under our wing.

The Cast of Rules of Engagement taking a break!

After a short wait you are walked through the studio and onto the sound stage where the sets you see every week on your television are right there in front of you. Oh, there is Jeff and Audrey's living room that looks so much larger on television, and to the left of it is the diner which is apparently the only restaurant in New York City. The stage is a jumble of cameras, and lights, which can partially obstruct your view while the filming is going on, but it's all part of the process.

Before the show a warm up guy greets the crowd and starts to perform a comedy act, sort of like an improv picking on foreign visitors and locals alike. The act is designed to rouse the crowd and work everyone into frenzy. Seated at the end of our row was guy wearing a Patrick Warburton celebrity golf tournament t-shirt. We later found out that this fellow was such a rabid fan that he had attended all the episodes for the last six years of the shows taping. We are given our instructions, no yelling or screaming allowed, just laughter. Followed by a short reel of the shows highlights played on televisions located directly over the stage. Then just before taping start the cast of the show appear to thunderous applause.

For the next few hours the cast and crew act out the shows script. It is like going to see a funny play. Writing comedy is hard, I know because my novel Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships is funny. Making that sit-com appear funny so effortlessly on your home screen is a lot of work. Each line has to be delivered with the right inflection, the lines can't be flubbed and the jokes can't fall flat. So each scene is shot multiple times, while the director searches for the perfect take. But that is the fun of a live taping you are there to witness the bloopers, and believe me sitcom actors are always flubbing their lines and cracking each other up. When the directors yell cut, the writers confer with the cast and the same scene can be re-shot several times with new lines added or old lines deleted.

Laughing can work up an appetite, and since a taping can run for over three hours, to control the crowd the interns fed us sandwiches and cookies. It is a small gesture but it makes you feel like they really appreciate you showing up and doing your bit.

The show was hilarious and for three hours we were in the Hollywood bubble making television. When the last scene wrapped, the cast graciously lined up to greet us as we left the sound stage. Then it happened, my husband Ray leaned over the railing that separated the cast from us, and Patrick Warburton shook his hand. I don't think he has washed that hand since.

So the next time you are planning a trip to Los Angeles make sure you catch a taping of you favorite show. Where else can you go see a play, dine and even catch a comedy show for free! And with plays coming in about $100 a seat, free is good.

Next time I'll tell you about Hot in Cleveland.

Below is the links to Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships
Click the link to find at Amazon.com
Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom
Click the link to find at Amazon Germany

BOOKS TO MOVIES AT THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Sometimes the best vacation is one where you don't go anywhere at all. For the last three years Ray and I have been spending a week in Palm Springs just like the other tourists going to the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Sonny Bono started the film festival 23 years ago and it keeps getting better every year.

The weather was warm and sunny, the relatives flew in from Florida to join us, and we got to do my two favorite things, go to the movies and eat out. As if that wasn't enough we got to see George Clooney. But this year he was just one of the stars who turned up. Brad and Angelina, Charilize Theron, Adrian Brody, Glen Close and Olivia Wilde to name a few all walked the red carpet. We even gawked as the limos pulled up depositing the stars at the convention center.

The picture my cousin Robert took of George Clooney

This is a great film festival because it features the best foreign films from across the globe and if you can't visit a country the best way to travel there is by watching a movie or reading a book. This blog is about great movies based on great novels.

All I had to do was go into the theatre, wait for the lights to dim and I was sitting in a cafe on a square in 1930' Belgrade. Montevideo, the Taste of a Dream is based on a novel by Vladimir Stankovic. This is a beautiful film, filmed with beautiful actors, which tells the story of a Belgrade soccer team trying to reach Montevideo to participate in the first World Soccer Cup. Some movies are so evocative of a time and a place. Slick and sexy the scene in a jazz club is one of the best I have ever seen.

We wrote our novel Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships after working aboard a luxury cruise ship. I loved the cruise to Scandinavia and Russia, so when I saw how many movies from that area of the world were showing, I bought tickets to many of them.

A great movie out of Norway is Headhunters. This movie is a thriller in every sense of the word. It is slick and sleek just what you would expect from a Scandinavian movie and the best thing is that the thrills and chills are created without the special effects of most Hollywood blockbusters. Even if you can't see the movie you can read the book. The movie is based on Jo Neb's novel, Headhunters.

The next movie on my list is Generation P out of Russia. There is a chapter in our novel devoted to Moscow; Ray worked there after the fall of communism, when it was just becoming the wild and wicked city featured in the film. This movie is a mixed bag. The first hour is one of the best examples of Russia's transition to capitalism through the eyes of a writer who gets a job in advertising. The second hour however is a bit of a mess. But maybe you just have to be Russian to get all the inside jokes and references, because this movie was a game changer in Russia. This book is based on the novel Generation P written by Victor Pelevin.

I much preferred My Father Baryshnikov which was centered on the school where the Bolshoi dancers are trained. It is a charming tale of a young man who doesn't know who his father is and so he pretends he is Baryshnikov. It was written about a time when all Russians lived in the same type of apartments, ate the same food and wore the same clothes. This movie is an uplifting tale that will make you see 1980's Russia in a new light. A Russian friend of mine agreed that the movie got it just right. Although it was based on the writers life there is no book.

A movie, like a book has the power to change your heart. I defy anyone to go see A Separation, and not come out of the theater with a new understanding of Iranian society. This is just a simple tale of two people going through a divorce, both with faults and problems, but the insights it gives us into modern day Iranian society are priceless.

I love my city and I hope all of you will one day have a chance to travel here during the festival. Where else in one week can you get the chance to see over 200 films from over 70 countries, and only have to pack your bags once?

Casino Queen (Night Hawk Casino Series Book 1) - Kindle edition by Bertoia, Cara. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

WHAT NOT TO DO IF YOUR CRUISE SHIP IS SINKING

Ray attending a lifeboat drill

Last Sunday night the Costa Concordia sank off the coast of the island of Giglio, enroute to Civitavecchia, a port I had visited many times working for Princess Cruises. I would like to say that in all my years at sea I never encountered a captain like Francesco Schettino. I considered all the captains kings of their ship, they were all very professional, attentive and if I have to admit it, a little bit scary.

While normally I am not one to comment on ship safety the lack of knowledge of some of the announcers made me feel I had to write this post. A newscaster was interviewing some passengers after they had made it back to safety in the US. They told him that when they realized that the ship was in trouble they were dressed in formal wear, an evening gown and high heels. Reasoning that this was not the proper attire for lifeboat travel, they returned to their cabins and changed their clothes.

The commentator congratulated them, "What clear thinking,"

NO, NO, NO, it was not clear thinking returning to their cabin. It was a horrible idea. It is never a good idea to return to your cabin when a ship is possibly sinking. There are just too many things that can go wrong, What if the ship is on fire? What if the electricity goes off? What if the ship tilts and you can't open the door to your cabin? When you hear any kind of alarm you should proceed to your muster station and if you don't know where it is then proceed to the highest open deck.

Even though international law states that a lifeboat drill has to be held at least 24 hours after a boat leaves port, every ship I ever worked on held an emergency drill as soon as the ship sailed. As a crew member I also attended many drills over the course of my career at sea. If you read my book Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships, I talk about the 'how to board a lifeboat drills', 'how to locate a bomb drills', 'how to crawl out of your cabin in case of a fire drills', and even a drill about the proper way to jump off the side of a ship without breaking your neck!

The following story perfectly illustrates my point.

Ray had been working on a Greek ship for three months and was very familiar with his surroundings. One day while the ship was docked in Patras he went out to lunch with a friend. When they returned to the ship they discovered the engine room was on fire and the ship had been evacuated. After a few hours the fire had been put out but the ship was declared out of service for repairs. They allowed the crew to board so that they could collect their belongings.

There was no power or lights working on the ship. When Ray left the ships entrance and headed to his cabin, he became disoriented walking down the pitch black corridor. He found his cabin by counting the doors. Once inside he relied on the light from the porthole as he gathered his belongings, but leaving the his cabin he found it very difficult to find his way back to the gangway. His walk was further complicated by the debris that had been dropped in the hallway, by the other crew in their scramble to get off the ship.

Our main point is that even in this situation when the ship was stable and upright and there was no immediate danger or rush and no crowd of panicking passengers, finding his way around the bowels of the ship was no easy task - and he was a crew member. So imagine the problems a passenger would have in the middle of an emergency situation.

Although ships are very safe and safety is taken very seriously on a cruise ship accidents can still happen. We hope this helps you if you ever find yourself on a sinking ship.

As an update to this article we are sorry to report that Sandor Feher the violinist on the Costa ship, helped children into their life-jackets and then left to return to his cabin to retrieve his violin and was never seen again.

Click the link below to order at Amazon

Click the link below to order at Barnes and Noble

Casino Queen by Cara Bertoia | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Cara Bertoia is the author of Casino Queen a new mystery novel that will be published by the Wild Rose Press on March 16th. It is based on the many true stories she lived through in her many years in the casino industry although the names have been changed to protect the guilty. Read the blurb here.

Caroline Popov, alone, heartbroken, and deeply in debt ends up in glamorous Palm Springs, California where Native casinos have just opened, offering employment to thousands. She lands a job at the Palm Oasis Casino and is mentored by the charismatic tribal chairman, John Tovar.

Embraced by casino culture, Caroline works her way up to casino manager of the Night Hawk, in the High Desert town of Joshua Tree. There, she is responsible for managing multicultural team members, satisfying the demands of challenging guests, growing revenue while rooting out corruption.

In the process of rediscovering her inner strength, she learns, you have to gamble like your life depends on it. Because it often does.

TO KEEP OUR READERS INFORMED ABOUT ALL THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CASINO AND CRUISE SHIP INDUSTRY WE HAVE PUBLISHED AN ONLINE NEWSPAPER

If you are reading this blog post right now it is probably a good guess that your are interested in Casinos and Cruise Ships. So to keep our readers up to date and current with what is happening in both industries we have created a new online paper Casinos and Cruise Ships, and the best part is that the subscription is absolutely FREE. So keep yourself informed about the latest developments in the casino and cruise ship industry across the globe. You don't have to subscribe to check it out.

TO CHECK OUT THE NEW ONLINE PAPER CASINOS AND CRUISE SHIPS CLICK THIS LINK

INTERVIEW OF CARA BERTOIA AT THE REVIEW GIRL

Today, I am thrilled to host Cara Bertoia, co-author of an amazing travel novel which is as much about romance as it is about travel (the novel is based on their real-life love story). So read on to find out more about the book “Cruise Quarters” and how she met the man of her dreams. You would not want to miss infectious laugh on her witty answers as a bonus! :)
The Review Girl Interview of Cara Bertoia
What a great introduction, click the link above to read the whole interview.

CLCIK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE HOLIDAY MOVIE

World Premiere of Holiday Greetings from the Bertoias

Around five years ago Ray and I started making holiday movies, this year we are pleased to announce that we have just completed work on It's a Wonderful World on Minerva Road Please just click the link above to view our movie. We would like to extend Season Greetings to all our readers of Cruise Quarters - A Novel About Casinos and Cruise Ship.

And if you aren't tired of clicking yet, I am running a Question and Answer discussion group on Goodreads this month. For those of you who have never gone to Goodreads you will be amazed at all the information available for book lovers. The questions are fun. I know that if you are reading my blog you like to travel and cruise. So please follow the link and tell us more about your favorite places in the world, whether you have been there or just want to go.
Discussion Group About Cruise Quarters