Hello Randy
I have some questions. I want to ask you about your upcoming book for some more news than that I hear around on the Diana Ross Yahoo groups.
About the book: is it true it's a remake of your book “Call Her Miss Ross”??
Hi Jim,
The new book is not an update of Call Her Miss Ross, but it does contain some elements of it. It's really a new book, though. I think the fans will be pleasantly surprised by it. It's a totally new and I think empowering way of looking at Diana.
CHMR was published more than 18 years ago, and so this is the first time I have tackled this subject, really, as a mature and seasoned writer. I also did a book about her in 1985 (called Diana) that was sort of a fan's look at her. So, this one is very different than Diana and Call Her Miss Ross. The 1980s were a different time and different place, and biographies were different back then. This edition is not of the tone of Call Her Miss Ross -- though I do love that book and consider it to be perfect for the time in which it was published. Since that book, though, I have written about the Kennedy’s, Madonna, Princess Grace, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson ... and I now bring to the Diana Ross story all of that experience, and also a sense of empathy and a much deeper understanding of what she has endured in her life, the importance of who she has become and how much she truly means to our culture.
Is it positive???
I have had a couple of true and loyal Diana Ross fans read the new book in advance for their opinions, and they've loved it. So, while some fans may find it hard to be objective about such a thing -- and I can understand that there are people who really don't want to read anything critical at all, and I accept that -- I believe that most will love it, and I know the general reader will appreciate it. Let me put it this way: when you finish the book, you will love Diana more than ever. My goal was for the reader to appreciate and respect her by the end of the book, and I am told I achieved that goal with this book. I'm also very protective of her.
Maybe you can tell me how it's going to look like??
I truly hope the fans will give it a chance and not jump to conclusions about it until they read it. This is the real deal. This book is the one that underscores her legendary status like no other... I'm serious about it and took this task very seriously. At this stage of my career, I would never write another Diana Ross book unless I had something new to say and a new way to say it. There would simply be no reason for me to take on this project unless I could bring something new to it. So, I truly think this book is my life's work, and my best work ... it's also my 14th book!
And are there more new pictures included??
The pictures, too, are amazing. There are 50 b/w photos and 25 colours, and I went for pictures on the interior that has never been published. The back jacket of the UK edition is a photo of Diana, Mary and Cindy that even I had never seen before!
And is the lay-out what I saw on Amazon indeed the new lay-out of the book??
Yes, that is the cover on Amazon.
My Elizabeth Taylor biography which has just been released hits the New York Times best seller list on September 17. "Diana Ross" will be out in January in the UK and in May in the USA.
Also, the discography is extremely comprehensive and includes lots of interesting "behind the scenes" trivia that the fans will love.
Thanks for asking, Jim... Hope you are feeling better.
Thanks for your time,
F2F Jim
http://www.dianarossfanclub.net/
I have some questions. I want to ask you about your upcoming book for some more news than that I hear around on the Diana Ross Yahoo groups.
About the book: is it true it's a remake of your book “Call Her Miss Ross”??
Hi Jim,
The new book is not an update of Call Her Miss Ross, but it does contain some elements of it. It's really a new book, though. I think the fans will be pleasantly surprised by it. It's a totally new and I think empowering way of looking at Diana.
CHMR was published more than 18 years ago, and so this is the first time I have tackled this subject, really, as a mature and seasoned writer. I also did a book about her in 1985 (called Diana) that was sort of a fan's look at her. So, this one is very different than Diana and Call Her Miss Ross. The 1980s were a different time and different place, and biographies were different back then. This edition is not of the tone of Call Her Miss Ross -- though I do love that book and consider it to be perfect for the time in which it was published. Since that book, though, I have written about the Kennedy’s, Madonna, Princess Grace, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson ... and I now bring to the Diana Ross story all of that experience, and also a sense of empathy and a much deeper understanding of what she has endured in her life, the importance of who she has become and how much she truly means to our culture.
Is it positive???
I have had a couple of true and loyal Diana Ross fans read the new book in advance for their opinions, and they've loved it. So, while some fans may find it hard to be objective about such a thing -- and I can understand that there are people who really don't want to read anything critical at all, and I accept that -- I believe that most will love it, and I know the general reader will appreciate it. Let me put it this way: when you finish the book, you will love Diana more than ever. My goal was for the reader to appreciate and respect her by the end of the book, and I am told I achieved that goal with this book. I'm also very protective of her.
Maybe you can tell me how it's going to look like??
I truly hope the fans will give it a chance and not jump to conclusions about it until they read it. This is the real deal. This book is the one that underscores her legendary status like no other... I'm serious about it and took this task very seriously. At this stage of my career, I would never write another Diana Ross book unless I had something new to say and a new way to say it. There would simply be no reason for me to take on this project unless I could bring something new to it. So, I truly think this book is my life's work, and my best work ... it's also my 14th book!
And are there more new pictures included??
The pictures, too, are amazing. There are 50 b/w photos and 25 colours, and I went for pictures on the interior that has never been published. The back jacket of the UK edition is a photo of Diana, Mary and Cindy that even I had never seen before!
And is the lay-out what I saw on Amazon indeed the new lay-out of the book??
Yes, that is the cover on Amazon.
My Elizabeth Taylor biography which has just been released hits the New York Times best seller list on September 17. "Diana Ross" will be out in January in the UK and in May in the USA.
Also, the discography is extremely comprehensive and includes lots of interesting "behind the scenes" trivia that the fans will love.
Thanks for asking, Jim... Hope you are feeling better.
Thanks for your time,
F2F Jim
http://www.dianarossfanclub.net/
