call me lara
LaraDiamondI’ve been a Sticks lurker for quite a while but just started commenting recently, and now I get to join the party. So I guess I should be polite and introduce myself.
First, I should confess that Lara Diamond’s not my real name. It’s my pen name for a novel (Man Overboard) I wrote that takes place in 1920s land boom Tampa. A few people have asked me why a pen name and why such a fake-sounding one at that. Truth is, I’d rather use my real name but my day job required me to use a pen name for this book. Since the book takes place in the 1920s and is written in the noir style popular at the time, I wanted something that was a little bit Guy Noir, a little bit Sam Spade–something that made a smoky sax solo play in your head. The main character’s last name is Heart, and Club is a crummy last name, so Diamond it was.
If you want to know more about the book, you can visit my website at www.manoverboard.us (There’s some info in there about the fabulous Burgert Brothers historical photograph collection and some other stuff about Tampa, including a couple of tours.)
I’m sarcastic and opinionated, which apparently makes me perfect for this newfangled thang called blogging. In my real life, I spent many years as a social worker and public servant before becoming a writer, editor and journalist. I adore Florida’s exuberant eccentricity and have spent more than two decades digging up odd bits of it for various projects. My fascination began in the mid-1980s, when I worked on a five-part documentary on eccentric Florida architecture. The doc won a bunch of awards including an Emmy, and I was hooked for life on the area’s peculiar charm and amazing history.
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April 28th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
“My fascination began in the mid-1980s, when I worked on a five-part documentary on eccentric Florida architecture.”
Fantastic!
I wanted to let you know that this documentary, “Fantasy of Florida: Dreams Expressed in Architecture,” is currently being aired by the City of Temple Terrace on their two cable channels:
http://www.templeterrace.com/media/releases/FantasyFla_030508.pdf
This is the first time this Emmy award winning documentary series has aired since the 1990s, I believe.
I am a practicing architect who lives in Temple Terrace, works in S. Tampa and I attest it is the best documentary on Florida architecture yet created. Highly recommended.
Copies of the 5 part series are available from WEDU on Dvd.
I’ll check out your book, I am currently reading the Charlie Wall book “White Shadow” by Ace Atkins.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Hi Lara! Thought your name was real. Not unlike others I’ve heard around and about. Maybe those aren’t real either…
Anyway, missing documentaries like this is one of the downsides of having DirectTV. Maybe it will be on PBS.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Bingo, GKR! Wow, I can’t believe somebody remembers Fantasy of Florida. I had no idea it was still airing or that you could get a dvd of it. In fact, the producer of that series, Linda Bassett, who now works at Rutgers University, just visited here last week and we were talking about the fact that neither of us has a copy and we were wondering if WEDU still had one and worrying that it must look pretty dated now. Thanks so much for letting me know it’s still out there.
I did read Ace Atkins’ White Shadow. His name sounds fake, Patricia, but it’s actually real. I liked his book, which as you know revolves around the murder of Charlie Wall, a lot. Very atmospheric with lots of local color and very well researched, which you would expect from the trained reporter he is. My only criticism is that he sort of “emptied his notebook” into it. That’s what newspaper editors used to tell reporters who dumped every bit of research they did into a story instead of selecting the most pertinent and interesting stuff.
Hi, Patricia! I have found one woman whose real name is Lara Diamond. She’s an 80-something-year-old lady, so it’s not a totally fake name after all. Fantasy of Florida was on PBS many, many years ago. I’d be surprised if they’d ever broadcast it again, but I discovered this week again that the past has a way of turning up when you least expect it.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Hey Lara, ever see the Marx Bros in “Cocoanuts”? Funniest movie ever about Florida real estate. They could use the same script today, 80 years later. “Oh, how you can get stucco!”
April 30th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
It’s been a while since I’ve seen that movie, Carl. I’ll have to watch it again on your recommendation.
June 12th, 2008 at 8:38 am
I am the real Lara Diamond, and have been for 32 years. I think it’s hysterical that you think my name is “a little bit Guy Noir, a little bit Sam Spade–something that made a smoky sax solo play in your head.” I should hand out copies of your books to my friends so they all think I am a published author.