The Eastside Scene, January 30, 2015

the E A S T S I D E

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T E L L S S I K Arts and Entertainment | February 2015

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Romance novels are no joke.

In fact, they’re a billion-dollar business.

(No kidding)

Read what Eastside authors have to say about the world of love-lit.

PLUS: Baron Vaughn dishes on the plight of the modern nerd

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February

DO | Chop Shop: Bodies of Work

Midway through 2014, The Stone Dance Collective had a problem on its hands.

For seven years, the company had put on its Chop Shop Dance Festival at the Meydenbauer, bringing the best artists in contemporary dance to Bellevue. But a crucial $8,000 loss in grant funding left them short of enough to continue.

Score another one for Kickstarter.

Donors gave the full amount and then some to ensure the show went on.

“The people stepped in and saved the Festival,” Stone Dance Artistic Director Eva Stone said.

This year, visiting performers will include Israel’s Asher Lev, New York’s Gabrielle Revlock, Portland’s Lindsey Matheis, Vancouver, B.C.’s Project20 and San Francisco’s The Foundry.

When: Feb. 14-15 Where: The Theatre at Meydenbauer

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WATCH | Return of the River

DRINK | Beat the Winter Brews

LAUGH | Tom Green

LISTEN | Brandi Carlile

Environmentalists and ecologists won a major victory for habitat restoration when demolition began on the Elwha Dam, which had helped energize the Bonneville Power Administration since 1913 but choked the local ecosystem.

Directors Jessica Plumb and John Gussman document the changing attitudes of a town toward the dam in the runup to its demoliton. Presented for free by the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery.

When: Feb. 20 Release Date: Watershed Science Center at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, 125 West Sunset Way, Issaquah

The Canadian shock-comic best known for his protoJackass stunt show on MTV takes the stage at Parlor Live Bellevue to perform a night of stand-up comedy.

Green began performing stand-up in Ontario comedy clubs at the age of 15, though he left the format two-anda-half years later to pursue a career in rap (No, really).

He returned to stand-up in 2010, performing at the Gathering of the Juggalos — making Tom Green the least volatile person at the Gathering of the Juggalos.

When: Feb. 20-21 Where: Parlor Live at Lincoln Square Bellevue

The Issaquah Chamber of Commerce celebrates winter’s ebb with an adults only party featuring the finest brewers, vintners and distillers in the Pacific Northwest.

The current line-up is TBD, but last year’s booze-biz dream team included Georgetown Brewing Company, Rogue Brewery, Seattle Cider Company, the Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company, ICON Cellars and Batch 206.

The festivities run from 5:30-8 p.m. Tickets are $25 on preorder and $30 at the door.

When: Feb. 27 Where: Gilman Village of Issaquah

Folk rock singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile will go entirely unplugged as she closes out the acoustic Pin Drop Tour at The Moore Theatre.

The end of the tour precedes the release of the new album The Firewatcher’s Daughter in March.

Originally from Ravensdale, Wash., Carlile had to convince bandmates Phil and Tim Hanseroth to begin a band, promising to get them signed and on the road within a year.

The Pin Drop Tour benefits nonprofit radio station KEXP. When: Feb. 20 Where: The Moore Theatre, Seattle

What’s Inside

6 EATING WELL

This month, check out Taphouse Grill’s recipe for a lean-yet-filling Bulgogi Marinated Salmon.

7

BOTTOMS UP!

Why can’t you have your cake and drink it too? We feature a recipe for the Raspberry Truffle. This stout/liqueur combo will have you declaring sweet success.

9

WRITING ROMANCE

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ON THE COVER: Photo via Creative Commons, editing by Daniel Nash

COMEDY

Baron Vaughn: (noun) A wisecracking warrior intellect who never sacrifices a joke’s smarts for a broader laugh.

Volunteers: If you would like to help a little – or a lot, First graduating class, 1968 please email evan.epstein@bellevuecollege.edu Alums: Please post your memories and photos on our 50th Anniversary Facebook page: www.facebook.com/BellevueCollege50thAnniversary

Sign up for classes now at bellevuecollege.edu.

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Romance novels are the biggest business in the world of adult fiction publishing. But who are the people who write it? Are there real life love lessons to be had, or should fiction remain on the page?

Publisher William Shaw Editor/Layout Daniel Nash Production Designer Diana Nelson Contributing Writers Josh Stilts

2700 Richards Rd, Suite 201, Bellevue 98005 | theEastsideScene.com For Advertising, call Jim Gatens 425.440.0437

the eastside scene 3

Writing Romance T

The one piece of advice romance author Anna Richland gives me as she hands me her business card is this: “Please — please — whatever you do, don’t refer to what we write as ‘bodicerippers.’”

She recalls a May 2014 story in The New York Times, about News Corp’s acquisition of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., a publisher of paperback romantic fiction. Even the East Coast’s dignified Grey Lady, in an otherwise serious profile of a business acquisition, couldn’t resist including the mocking euphemism for the books in its headline. Or a paragraph or two of musings on whether The Wall Street Journal would replace its stock listings with steamy serialized fiction. The cracks could be argued as hitting harder on the Fox News owners’ synergistic predilections than on those of a genre’s readers and writers, but Richland says there’s still a double standard at play.

“If it weren’t romance, if it were another genre like mystery or science fiction, it would have been a straightforward article about a publisher merger,” Richland says.

“But because it’s romance, it’s a joke.”

We’re in the Bellevue Library after the close of the monthly meeting of the Greater Seattle chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Richland, a former officer who specializes in love stories with a military bent, is one of nearly a dozen authors — from new to well-published — who have left me their card.

With Valentine’s Day looming, I’ve set out to learn about the people who make their living manufacturing romance.

Does the genre hold real-life romantic lessons? Or is fiction best left on the page?

Think romance novels are cheap thrills? How cheap does $1 billion sound to you? Meet the authors writing in publishing’s most successful genre.

By Daniel Nash

THE GREATER ISSAQUAH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTS

2015

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*** The first thing you have to understand about romance is that it’s big business.

Big. As in, one of the biggest in the consumer trade sector of book publishing.

Providing Nielsen and BookStats selfreported publisher figures from 2013 (2014 figures weren’t yet available as of

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this writing) the Romance Writers of America reported $1.08 billion in sales, or 13 percent of the adult fiction market (though the Library of Congress, in promotional materials for an upcoming conference on the genre, gives a more generous 21 percent estimate).

Romance has transitioned well into the digital age, as has genre fiction in general.

E-books comprised the greatest proportion of romance sales at 39 percent, compared to 32 percent for mass-market paperbacks. Amazon, the largest seller of e-books, doesn’t report its most popular genres, but a quick glance at the website’s Top 100 Literature & Fiction list for Jan. 19 showed that romance and erotica novels took up more than 22 spots.

Anecdotally, think back to your last visit to a brick-and-mortar bookseller.

If this was a chain retailer, genre fiction was probably presented on freestanding bookshelves in the middle of the sales floor. Concentrate: How much space was devoted to each category?

Did you notice the Romance/Erotica section? It was likely as large or larger than the Science Fiction/Fantasy and Mystery sections combined. Row after row after row of paperbacks, enough to overwhelm and consume the uninitiated reader. To the initiated reader, that’s barely scraping by — romance readers are among the most voracious of all reading groups.

Here’s the second thing you have to understand about romance — though, admittedly, it’s just a hypothesis: It’s unique among genre fiction in the payoff it offers to readers.

Genre fiction is defined by its payoff.

For science fiction, the payoff is technological: Readers expect a “what if?” scenario around the tools humans use to survive and thrive. For fantasy, the payoff is mythological: A rousing adventure in an unfamiliar world of magic and monsters. Western readers expect cowboys and

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Eating What you’ll need 1 fresh salmon fillet 12 ozs Bulgogi marinade Sushi rice 2 ozs butter

8 stems asparagus Salt Pepper Garlic

Preparation Pour the Bulgogi marinade over the fish and let sit for at least an hour. The longer it marinades the more flavor soaks into the fish.

Bulgogi Marinated Salmon Everyone loves good pub fare, but it needn’t be a greasy, rich mess every time. This month’s recipe from Tap House Grill takes filling, lean salmon and gives it a Korean twist. The Bulgogi (literally “fire meat”) method of marination was originally used for beef and involved roasting your meat, soaked in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and pepper, over a fire pit — though your home oven will do in a pinch.

Story and photo by JOSH STILTS

When ready to cook, preheat the oven the 350 degrees.

Place the fish on a cedar plank and cook between 10 to 15 minutes depending on preference and oven.

While that’s cooking take the cooked sushi rice and place it in an oiled pan for one to two minutes on each side to get it crispy, but not burned and set it aside.

Butter, salt and pepper the asparagus stems to taste and place on the grill for five minutes on each side.

Once all is cooked to your liking, place the rice bed down on the plate with the fish on top, asparagus to the side. Garnish with lemon and Sriracha for taste.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Authentic Asian Restaurant Opens in Bellevue

There’s a new Asian restaurant in town featuring fresh, locally made Hong Kong barbecue and Cantonese cuisine. XO is a traditional sitdown, full-service restaurant, specializing in Hong Kong barbecue-style dishes, and a variety of authentic Cantonese selections.

The restaurant opened in April, and many people have already come to enjoy this unique spot again and again.

The extensive, detailed menu features photographs of every dish, making it easy to order.

“One of our most popular dishes is the Roast Duck,” said manager Ben Chen.

“It’s prepared on-site. Before, customers had to go to places like Seattle to enjoy houseprepared Roast Duck. Now it’s available right here in Bellevue.”

This is also one of the most popular items ordered for carryout. Many customers order a half or whole Roast Duck for special occasions or even gifts.

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XO Restaurant For dining in or carry-out, Sunday through other favorites include the Thursday, Honey Barbecued Pork, Fish 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Filet with Spicy Eggplant and Friday & Saturday, the Clams with Vermicelli in 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Wine Sauce. XO also serves a wide variety of Noodle dishes.

530 112th Ave. NE Bellevue, WA 98004 All items are prepared to 425-453-8899 order, with the freshest quality www.xousa.net ingredients.

Besides the large dining room, the restaurant features private rooms for groups of 10 or more. The rooms are comfortable and intimate, and provide a nice atmosphere for sharing food and conversation with friends, family or business associates. Reservations Mapo Eggplant for private rooms are recommended.

At XO, beer and wine are served, along with tea and soft drinks. Ben Chen and his team at XO are excited to be in Bellevue. Both new and repeat customers are invited to come in for delicious food, excellent service and a warm, inviting Stir-fried Fish Fillet atmosphere.

Preserved Meat and Rice in Casserole

Beef in Chili Oil Sauce

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

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~ Locally Focused Wine List ~ Extensive Bourbon, Whiskey and Scotch selections VIP Bottle Service ~ Small Plate Menu ~ Locally Sourced, Fresh, Seasonal Menu ~ Craft Cocktails ~ Happy Hour Every Day

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the eastside scene 7

<< WRITING, cont’d from page 4 frontier living. Mystery readers expect… well, let’s not become repetitive.

Regardless of the emotional highs and lows of their stories, each of those genres promise something cerebral. A certain setting, a certain structure, maybe a certain character archetype.

Romance, by contrast, promises the emotional. In the sense that it wheels and deals in the love instinct, it’s the most fundamentally human of genres.

“Everyone loves a happy ending that a couple has worked hard to achieve,” says teen romance author Sally Brandle. “A good romance should validate that none of us are perfect. It isn’t easy to find the right partner to share life with and not to give up.”

And by demanding only that a love story be front and center, romance constructs a large tent. Every genre imaginable has a sub-genre within romance.

Do you have a soft spot for America’s colonial era? There’s a book for that — a library’s worth. Do you like spaceships?

Sci-fi romance is a sub-genre on the rise.

How about steampunk settings with vaguely Lovecraftian story themes? You can see where this is going.

*** Anna Alexander was an early blooming writer. She identifies herself as a major league fan of comics and comic book movies -- a trait borne out in Heroes of Saturn, her debut series of steamy offworld novels about superpowered vigilantes. “Hugh Jackman’s abs” and “Christopher Reeves’ blue eyes” are both listed as inspirations on her author bio. Lately she’s diversified into the western sub-genre. The first book in her Men of the Sprawling A Ranch series, The Cowboy Way, was released in July.

We’re speaking over the phone. It’s a Saturday, and Alexander is tired but riding on a personal high: She’s just completed a two-week writing marathon to meet deadlines on three new novels.

“It was good and it was fun, but I don’t know that I want to do that again anytime soon,” she says.

Far from grousing about her tight schedule or collapsing into post-deadline exhaustion, she sounds positively chipper. After all, she’s doing exactly what she

wants to do. And she remembers how, not too long ago, she wasn’t.

Alexander’s “origin story” begins at 13, when a friend lent her a copy of A Rose in Winter, by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss — a period romance full of betrayal, cruel fortunes, torn hearts and new beginnings.

For Alexander, it wasn’t just another book: It was a revelation. She felt like she had found the blueprint for her writing career.

She wrote a short book of her own.

Then another.

And another.

In the made-forTV movie version - Sally Brandle of this story, Alexander would have left school with bestseller in hand, ready to walk into a career as the next literary wunderkind.

But life happens. Somewhere between graduating school, marrying and pursuing a steady career, she stopped writing.

She stopped reading too, something she says with a little bit more of a wince in her voice.

“I had a career path in mind before I entered the real world ... I got sidetracked.”

“A good romance should validate that none of us are perfect.

It isn’t easy to find the right partner.”

OVERLAKE MEDICAL CENTER

A few years ago, Alexander rediscovered her love of reading. Her love of writing returned soon after. This was around 2009. Iron Man and The Dark Knight had shifted the public interest in superhero films into overdrive and it looked as if the trend would only continue. Alexander knew she had the right interests at the right time in history — so she made a decision and committed her fingers to the keyboard. By the time Marvel’s The Avengers was a month away from theaters, Alexander’s Hero Revealed had hit bookshelves under the paranormal Twilight line from erotic publisher Ellora’s Cave. She hasn’t looked back since.

Alexander’s basic story isn’t unique among authors. Every writer who weighed in on this article began as an insatiable reader. But each had a different call-to-action.

Eilis Flynn had to see how the meat was made. She had always been a fan of the happy endings in romance. When she took a freelance job for a romance publisher in the 1980s, she found herself working with the books in their raw, unfinished stages. Today, she writes paranormal novels and helps other authors polish their manuscripts.

Brandle’s tipping point was practically a

see ROMANCE, page 10 >>

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scene Arts and entertainment

Conversations with Funny People

Baron Vaughn Remember the scene in History of the World Part 1 where Mel Brooks plays Comicus, the stand-up philosopher? That’s Baron Vaughn in a nutshell: A wise-cracking warrior intellect who never sacrifices a joke’s smarts for a broader laugh. In fact, it’s better if the smarts are what earn the laugh in the first place.

Vaughn’s wit has earned him time on Fallon, Ferguson, Lopez Tonight and Conan.

He’ll star as Lily Tomlin’s adopted son on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie this spring, but you can catch him at Laugh’s Comedy Spot Feb. 5-7.

by Daniel Nash

Your last album in 2011 was “Raised By Cable.” What does it mean to you to be raised by cable?

It makes it sound very schizophrenic. Has that amplified now, when we’re moving post-cable and people are consuming their media from many different places?

VAUGHN: Yeah, I mean the thing is, I think the Internet age has brought on specificity. If you pick up an encyclopedia and open up to the letter ‘D’ and read all the entries, there’s going to be a buttload of different information in there and the only thing they have in common is they all start with the letter ‘D.’ That’s cable. The Internet age has brought people to what they’re already interested in, as opposed to being open to other things they might not be interested in. It’s easy to find things you already like and people who already like them too. It’s harder to learn about those other things when you have that choice. People don’t know how to talk about them easily and it’s harder to talk to people who like different things and have had different

experiences because you don’t easily relate to them.

Last fall you appeared on Craig Ferguson and you had a bit about being labeled a nerd and lamenting all the work that has to go into that lifestyle. What do you think about the modern ‘nerd culture,’ where all these things have transformed from interests to status symbols?

VAUGHN: Well, I think it’s about branding. Nerds used to be the outcasts. But the thing is, now outcasts have the money so the market caters to them. Look at superhero movies, look at TV today. When I was a kid and I was reading comic books, it was something that was shameful, that had to be kept a secret. Now I read in public and people go “Oh, The Walking Dead, I love that!”

I think it’s interesting these things have become, like you said, status symbols as opposed to a source of shame. It used to be you had to go out of your way to find your nerdy pursuits. You had to go out of your way to find that comic book, or that band you like, and put in a lot of work to nurture your interests. It’s sort of the difference between being given a Chrysler LeBaron, as opposed to saving up for a long time, washing it, taking care of it ... If you just get a brand new Ferrari, you don’t care about it. I think it can be good though because it can make people more open.

The fact that nerd has become a title is interesting though: “Hello, I’m David Winchester, Esquire... Nerd!”

In that same bit, you talk about someone identifying you as a “black nerd,” and everything that means today. And how the term has been coopted and transformed into a quirky archetype out of qualities that used to be applied to black leaders and cultural figures. Especially as an

see VAUGHN, next page >>

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BARON VAUGHN: It means that flipping the channels has informed a lot of who I am and catching glimpses of thingslike I could flip through to old TV shows, TV shows like I Love Lucy, Sanford and Son, What’s Happening, then you flip through some more and here’s a movie by Woody Allen, then a musical. Hey, Oklahoma! is on.

Having cable is being, like… it means seeing people doing different things. My grandma loved cable — she was the reason our family had it — so I grew up with HBO and stuff and I was able to watch Def Comedy Jam, or Chris Rock, Dave Chapelle, George Carlin specials.

Then Amadeus would come on. I had this giant world of entertainment afforded to me and I would always wonder, “Who are these people making these things? How did we move from black-and-white to color television? Who’s responsible for all of this coming together?”

Me putting these things together, coloring in the missing pieces… When I say that I’m raised by cable I mean that I have a buttload of random information in my head.

the eastside scene 9

<< ROMANCE, cont’d from page 8 personal dare. She devoured romance novels but found herself skipping past the explicit bits.

She became determined to write “a great romance,” sans sex. Her work resulted in Teens to Teacups, a chaste romance series geared toward young readers.

DeCuir’s tipping point was… well, light theft.

“Back in high school a friend and I would steal her mom’s Harlequin romances and devour them — usually two per weekend,” she says. “I always thought, ‘I can do better than that.’” *** “Fiction is where we can get in touch with our emotions,” DeCuir says. “We read other genres for other purposes: To study history, to learn about particular figures, to learn a new skill. But when readers pick up a fiction book, I believe they want to laugh. They want to cry. They want to feel angry and elated. … Romance, in particular, can draw out every single one of those emotions in one book. It’s a roller coaster ride.”

DeCuir keeps her stories rooted firmly in reality, specializing in romances that blossom in the fictional hamlet of Scallop Shores, based off her own childhood hometown of York, Maine. Her business cards are printed with the tagline “Fall in love in a small town!”

She recognizes that readers pick up romance novels for an escape, but she says a good one can also lend real life lessons in love.

“A well-crafted hero can show a young girl that she doesn’t have to settle for the jerk who only wants one thing from her,” she says. “A strong heroine can give a reader something to aspire to. A reader might discover something lacking in their own relationship that they can fix based on what they have learned in a novel. Or they might gain the courage to leave a relationship in order to find someone more deserving of their love. Books are powerful tools.”

Alexander agrees. “[The genre’s] absolutely full of real-life romantic lessons,” she says. “It should be full of romantic lessons.

“In our stories, the couples aren’t perfect. But together they realize ‘We can be better people.’ Why can’t that be a real occurrence? I think it can be.”

Alexander says she sees romantic novels as a revitalizing experience for readers. Like people, relationships grow old. They become more mature and more capable against life’s challenges, but they also tend to lose their youthful abandon. Through fiction, readers can experi-

<< VAUGHN, cont’d from last page entertainer, what’s been your experience being pegged to a “type?”

VAUGHN: That whole bit came out of me

feeling that these things (blackness and nerdiness) are very separate for people.

Within the black identity there’s no room for nerds. Being a black person I’ve felt I don’t fit into (societal expectations on blackness). People will say, “Black people like this, this and this” and those things aren’t important to me. I like the things I

10 the eastside scene

ence a return to innocence again and again.

“One of my over-80-year-old readers once told me that parts of my story reminded her of when her husband was ‘courting’ her,” Brandle says. “What she felt when they first held hands.”

From her perspective as an editor, Flynn says the best romance novels accomplish the same thing the best novels, period, accomplish — they reflect who people are. Though the genre has its formula, good novels can’t be formulaic.

“I’ve had dozens of romance writers — almost 60 in the past two or three years, in fact — as clients,” she says.

“I’ve found the best romances … keep in mind that it’s not an artificial point-to-point story; those aren’t worth finishing. [Romance is] the oldest story in the world, because it’s how we humans evolved and thrived.”

“A strong heroine can give a reader something to aspire to. A reader might discover something lacking in their relationship they can fix. Or they might gain the courage to leave. Books are powerful tools.” - Jennifer DeCuir *** DeCuir is the only author in this article who wholeheartedly identifies herself as a romantic person.

Brandle says she grew up a tomboy. Alexander and Flynn each describe themselves as inhabiting the middle ground between hopeless romantic and hard-nosed pragmatist.

Richland, the military romance author from the beginning of this story, provides some insight as to why that might be.

“Writers are business owners,” she says. “We run a business.”

The reality is, successful authorship requires surprising amounts of time away from the keyboard. Time spent picking book cover designs. Or pitching new stories to

like.

For a while, black identity was in this post’80s, post-capitalism sort of thing. Now blackness is a thing that we market to. If you’re black you have to have these certain traffics, you know? And if you’re going to perform being black, you better have the right stage and right costume. And I’ve seen black comics take that up to reach an audience. Those things never worked for me, so I’ve stuck to what I know.

It’s paradoxical. I never felt like I fit into this sort of box, so on stage I talk about the things I do and I identify with. But

publishers. Or networking at conventions. In the Internet age, blogging and maintaining social media accounts have become a necessity.

That’s why many authors flock to the Romance Writers of America, a guild and support organization for genre writers. After forming a sizable collection of rejection letters from magazines and Harlequin, DeCuir says her local chapter directed her to other publishers that might be interested in her brand of small town romance. That list led her to Crimson Romance, which accepted her Scallop Shores series under its Contemporary line. Her fourth book with Crimson, Trapped in Tourist Town, came out in January.

King County, Wash. is covered by two chapters of RWA: the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America — for which Alexander serves as president — and the Eastside Romance Writers of America.

Sitting in the first GSRWA meeting of the new year, members are elated as they file into the room. Many group together with friends they haven’t seen since the prior month. Some who meet regularly to bounce ideas off each other pick up where their last conversation left off.

“Next to the word ‘supportive’ in Webster’s should be GSRWA and ESRWA as examples,” Brandle says. “No back stabbing, conniving members in these groups …

[It’s] so different from the climate of any competitive field I have experienced.”

It’s a small marvel watching Alexander run through the chapter’s organizational housekeeping. She rattles off a list of upcoming events, reminding the unpublished writers in the room to submit their manuscripts to the Golden Heart Awards and the published writers to send cover art into the Judge A Book By Its Cover contest (sitting next to me, country romance author Nancy Radke of Kirkland lays out a half-dozen options she’s considering). She reminds everyone to submit their writing goals for the month to the group to keep themselves honest.

“The publishing world is crazy,” she says from the front of the conference room. “No one understands, but we do.”

The meat of the meeting comes when children’s author Lois Brandt gives a presentation on the structure of short story. This comes with an assignment: Write about a memorable break-up. This elicits a series of groans (Mostly in jest — one woman shouts “Oh no,” before breaking into giggles). But when Brandt starts the timer, everyone — unpublished and published alike — begins scribbling furiously in their notebooks. Because they know the learning process never stops.

then sometimes a person will tell me, “You shouldn’t talk about those things in your act because that’s not what black people are into.” And meanwhile I knew people who were into those things, who are black. Does that make sense?

It’s a split between what you know to be reality and the ideas people have about reality.

VAUGHN: Exactly, so I’m tempted to be…

when I was younger of course, I thought I could only be one thing or another. Now I know there’s a thing called duality and you

can be one person here and another person there. And you don’t always control that duality. I don’t fit the public idea of black, but I know that I’m black. I walk into a store, instantly I’m reminded, “You’re black.”

What’s next for you? Do you have another album in the works?

VAUGHN: I’ll possibly have another album

in the near future, I’m not exactly sure yet.

Maybe a special. I’m talking to some people about this right now. And that’s how vague I have to be, because that’s how vague Hollywood is.

Beth Billington

For all your Real Estate Needs

www. b eth b illington .com www. c oldwell b anker p reviews .com

E a s t s i de Re a l Es t a te Multiple Offers

Vuecrest : West Bellevue SOLD : $3,200,000

Houghton : Kirkland SOLD : $1,600,000

East of Market : Kirkland PENDING : $1,375,000 Multiple Offers

Bayshore East : West Bellevue AVAILABLE : $898,000

North End : Mercer Island AVAILABLE : $875,000

Bridle Trails : Bellevue PENDING : $848,000

Multiple Offers

Executive Lochmoor : Bellevue PENDING : $1,075,000 Multiple Offers

Marymoor Heights : Redmond PENDING : $329,900

B e t h e m br a c e s t h e l a te s t i n n o va t i ve te c h n o l o g y !

Dollhouse view

Thinking of listing your home? Now is a great time! As inventory levels remain low, market conditions prove strong for sellers and we are still seeing multiple offers.

To maximize results, it is important that your property be presented in its best light.

You can be extremely successful if you take the time to prepare your home and use a seasoned professional to help navigate the process. I have the knowledge and expertise to market your home and help you command top dollar.

My marketing plan includes a strong internet presence including a 3D virtual tour.

The 3D Showcase provides the ultimate online experience allowing potential buyers to view the floor plan and tour your home from their phone, computer or tablet as if they are there in person! Call me today for a current market valuation of your home.

Coldwell Banker Bain International Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Top 1% Nationally, CRS, GRI 425-450-5208 beth@bethbillington.com 1210855

3D Showcase

the eastside scene 11

June 14–September 15, 2014

50 REBATE

$

PER UNIT*

ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS WITH THE POWERRISE® MOTORIZED SYSTEM:

Designer Roller Shades, Designer Screen Shades, Duette® Honeycomb Shades and Solera™ Soft Shades.

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ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PURCHASES:

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4 Duette® ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS WITH THE POWERRISE OR POWERGLIDE MOTORIZED SYSTEM: (plus $25 rebate each additional unit) ®

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2 Silhouette® Window Shadings (plus $50 rebate each additional unit) ®

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Solera® Soft Shades are designed with a unique cellular construction to help keep your Theeffi Blind rooms cozier in winter and cooler in summer. Energy ciencyAlley combined with a soft, NE 21st Street sculpted look. That’s not just cool, it’s smart. Ask14102 for details.

custom drapery & window blind specialists

14102 NE 21st Street, Bellevue, WA 98007

425-644-7181 • 1-800-642-5176 www.blindalley-bellevue.com • gallery@theblindalley.com

Bellevue Washington M-F: 9:30-5:00 Sat: 9:30-5:00 Closed Sunday 425-644-7181 www.blindalley-bellevue.com

*Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases of Hunter Douglas window fash issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Fu month thereafter. Additional limitations apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. are the property of their respective owners.

Showroom hours: 9:30 to 5:00 Monday – Saturday.

1210954

In-Home Decorator appointments available daytimes Monday through Saturday and evenings Monday through Thursday.

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* Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 2/1/15 – 4/25/15 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. A qualifying purchase is defi ned as a purchase of any of the product models set forth above in the quantities set forth above. If you purchase less than the specifi ed quantity, you will not be entitled to a rebate. Offer excludes Nantucket™ Window Shadings, a collection of Silhouette® Window Shadings. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and ® ® mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a *Manufacturer’s rebate offerissuance valid forandqualifying purchases Hunterlimitations Douglas may window with the PowerRise or PowerGlide system made 6/14/14 – 9/15/14 from used participating in the U.S. only. Rebate will be $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balancemail-in 7 months after card each month thereafter. of Additional apply.fashions Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. ©motorized 2015 Hunter Douglas.

All rights reserved.

All trademarks herein aredealers the property of Hunter Douglas. WIN15MB2 issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 6 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 7 months after card issuance and each 48018 month thereafter. Additional limitations apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. **Additional equipment is required for app operation; ask for details. ©2014 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein

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