The Ultimate Makeover

I've been reading stuff (such as this NY Times article and this blog) about author looks and packaging. Apparently there are those who believe a good looking author will sell more books. If it's true, it's bad news for the thousands of ordinary looking authors who simply write well.

Years ago I, and a fellow author and friend, Cyn Mobley, decided that since pseudonyms are used by authors all the time, there was no reason a pseudopic couldn't be used as well. I mean, sheesh, think of the possibilities. I could be anyone! Angelina Jolie! Christie Brinkley! Charlize Theron! Hell, with all the photo software out there I could create a whole new entity that uses the best features of several people. The ultimate makeover. A whole new me.

So whose parts would I choose to use in building my new face? I'd like Charlize's eyes, Angelina's cheek bones (I don't much like the fat lip look), Jennifer Aniston's hair, Christina Applegate's smile, and Elizabeth Hurley's body. And what new name would I use for this new face? That's easy: Frances Stein.