Looking fabulous and ever so friendly, there stood glamorous Hollywood writer Jackie Collins among the NY media sipping a “power trip” martini cocktail ready to promote her newest book ‘The Power Trip.”
At an intimate soiree held at the ultra-futuristic and cool Yotel hotel right off Times Square, the “fabulous storyteller’ dubbed by her then second husband back in the 60’s who”changed her life”, got down and dirty and talked all about the new book, empowering women, and why a man having a “good moral compass, a sense of integrity and a great sense of humor” trumps good looking any day of the week.
As much as she adores a handsome man, Collins is very smart. “I don’t think a man has to be great looking. It’s about a moral compass, a sense of integrity and a great sense of humor. That’s what we really want in our guys. It’s nice when u throw in good looking and well hung, very well hung.” Did I mention she’s funny too.
Her newest and 29th book sure to be another best -seller, was derived from a true experience. “I just so happened to be on a billionaires yacht with a bunch of couples and while sleeping one night with my fiance snoring away, I went up on deck to ask the captain where we were and he said we’re somewhere between the South of France and Sardinia on open water, and I wondered what would happen if we got pirated.”
Famous for writing memorable characters that resemble our biggest real-life stars, and for giving readers an unrivaled insider’s knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives (and loves) of the rich, famous, and infamous, Jackie knows how to get our attention when she writes about “A 50 something movie star afraid to commit”, or “a cheating politician.” “It could be Clooney, Bradley Cooper. It could be a little bit of all of them or it could be none of them. Edwards, Weiner, Spitzer, who knows?.”
Jackie Collins is one of the world’s top-selling novelists. She was one of the first to empower women at a time when no one else was.
“I think I was always one of the first writers who always had a powerful female. It was usually the men that were powerful. ‘Hollywood Wives’ was written at a time when nobody had written about the women of Hollywood. When I moved there in the early 80’s, I realized no one had done that. It was always about a screenwriter who couldn’t get his act together and stuff like that. And I figured I’ve watched women, so.”
Hanging on her every word, the excitement continued…
“I’m going to name drop now.” Oh please do. “My very good friends Michael and Shakira Caine would have like these salon type gatherings at their house every Sunday and I met everybody from Billy Wilder to all the movie stars to everybody because of them. And I would watch what went on and it came to me that the women at that time in the 80’s ruled Hollywood. They would have all these little tennis parties and dinner parties and that’s where all the deals were made. And so I wrote about them.”
Not bad for a high-school drop-out. At 18 years old, Jackie was living on her own and all over the place.
“I got married at 19, but unfortunately he turned out to be a drug addict. Then I divorced him and married my 2nd husband who was 20 years older and he changed my life.”
Jackie’s next response is an answer to how important it is for women to have a good partner and be with the right person.
“After having many unfinished manuscripts sitting around, my husband read one of them and said “you are a fabulous storyteller and you need to finish this one.” “I told him but I have so many others and new ideas and he said no, finish this one.” “So I went out to Montauk where I had friends living, and being from London, I love the sun but I told myself I couldn’t go out in the sun unless I wrote ten pages a day. And that’s how I finished ‘The World is Full of Married Men.’ It was published in 1968 and became a best-seller in two weeks.”
More on empowering women.
“I always wanted to empower women. I was doing this way back when. Back when I wrote Carrie in ‘Chances’.” I gave her the same background as Billie Holiday. And she became one of the biggest society women ever. My mother always said, “girls can do anything.” “I think girls should be pursuing a career. They should be finding something that’s interesting. It’s not about texting and going out and going up to guys everywhere and wondering where their next tequila is coming from. Girls have to have strength and they have to show it to guys. Especially these days with the internet and so much pornography. And guys think that’s what girls are like. And that’s not what girls are like. And that’s my motto girls can do anything.”
Sounds like her daughter has been paying attention to mom. Her daughter is writing now too.
“I’m very proud. It’s really very good. I’m not just saying that. It’s self published, because she got these amazing rejection letters and so she did a blog about rejection letters. It’s called ‘Playing Along.’ Her name is Rory Samantha Green. I put one in each of your gift bags and she doesn’t know. I try to help her all I can but she refuses to use my name. I told her it could be helpful. Hers is completely different than my book. Its chick lit but intelligent chick lit.”
Time for more name dropping.
“One of my best friends, I’m gonna name drop now again, Sidney and Joanna Poitier. Sidney is a wonderful man. You’ve all seen him, he’s a very serious man but he has this crazy, crazy wicked sense of humor.”
A pop culture junkie, the younger sister of screen star Joan Collins moved to America 20 years ago.
Favorite guilty pleasure?
“Lying on my bed- I have 4 TiVo’s in my bedroom. I spend my life catching up. A bar of chocolate and maybe watching ‘Shameless’ or ‘Breaking Bad.’ Emmy Rossum would make a great Lucky Santangelo.”
Any Reality TV shows?
“I like that ‘Millionaire Matchmaker‘, love ‘Mob Wives‘. Those shows can be fun. I call them car crash television. I’m an addict of really fun television.”
Music inspires Jackie’s writing and she even made a soundtrack to the trailer on her website thepowertripbook.com and tells us what to listen to while reading her book. “It’s sexy.”
Jackie lives a rich and luscious life.
“I probably go out to eat five nights a week. That’s my relaxation.
What do you like to eat?
“I love smoked salmon, shrimp, caviar. You know the simple things in life.
Which restaurants?
“Craig’s, which is a very popular Hollywood restaurant. Ciccones for great Italian pizza. BOA has fabulous steaks and Trader Vics – a Hollywood staple. I kind of stick to the same restaurants I have always gone to.”
Advice for women on how to shoot for their dreams?
“Women have to respect themselves if u want others to respect you. If you’re on a job interview don’t flirt with the guy. Keep it cool and keep it on the same level. And pursue your dream.”
Next for Jackie?
“I take pictures everywhere I go. I’m doing a photo book ‘Jackie Collin: Hollywood Snaps.’ They’re about people having fun.”
And I’m finishing ‘Confession of a Wild Child’ which is Lucky Santangelo when she’s fifteen, and a wild child. And then I’m writing a book called ‘The Santangelo’s which is Bobby at 26 and gorgeous. Something epic is going to happen right at the beginning of the book and I don’t know what that is until I start to write it but I know it’s going to be epic.”
We have no doubt Jackie. You are epic.
Great interview!