Tony Blair is in Love

Tony Blair declares he's had a love affair!  Not what you think, perhaps. Not with a woman. The object of his affection: the United States. In this simple declaration, he's become my hero. What America needs -- and has always needed -- are non-American ambassadors whose understanding can bridge misunderstandings and dispel outright disdain. Someone who just plain "gets" us.

Let me explain something:  I am married to a naturalized American citizen who, too, has found that the beauty of this country lies not in its sameness but in its diversity. We talk about it a lot. His family in Greece doesn't "get" us. There is no "one" America. There is no sameness. That this is not a cultural wasteland, a breeding ground for "ugly" Americans. The commonalities we have that bind us together lie not in being "American" but in our tolerance of others' beliefs, in our ability to argue and in our inherent naivete. In our love of search and quest.  By and large, Americans still believe that anyone can achieve, can overcome, can succeed. It's the foundation upon which our society was built and continues to grow. And it's still the only place on Earth where that is so.

The times I have lived outside the United States have been the moments I have felt most patriotic, having to defend the actions of my Presidents and Congress, my fellow citizens, good and bad, who certainly have faltered, flawed and fumbled. We have not always been the best ambassadors for our cause.  Having to dispel the myth of the "ugly" American, the "gringo, the cultural wasteland is an every-day occurrence for those living outside.

I would like to see the Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, George Bush show. There's no question it will make you laugh, make you think, may even make you cry. But above all, it will confirm that we are a force to be reckoned with.

I think this book needs to be a must-read for our generation, around the world.

My alter ego is Latina.

Hemingway had an alter ego. I learned that in seventh grade, when we read The Nick Adams Stories. They say Adams, the protagonist of more than two dozen short stories, was inspired by the author's own experiences -- from growing up fishing on lakes in Michigan to serving as an ambulance driver in Europe during World War I. The unfolding of a boy's adolescence into adulthood is carefully crafted in these stories, all linking a life together. Or maybe two lives, really: Nick's and Hemingway's.

Similarly, I have an alter ego and she has been present for many, many years. Although some have known her, this is her official and "public" coming out.

In 1983, as a young Spanish-speaking speechwriter, aspiring political promoter and basic go-fer, I was sent to Venezuela as part of a strategic team to work for a year on a Presidential campaign. There, under a name given to me by their Secret Service, I became Conchita Davila and had access to the Cabinet, DISIP (their Secret Service), the President, the presidential candidates and top COPEI party officials.

Among my friends and colleagues from those days, the name stuck and they jokingly still refer to "Conchi" in the most endearing terms.  But even more lasting has been her spirit, which has provided an impetus for my years of working in Latin America and the US, predominantly in television as a writer, producer, marketer and promoter.   I have won numerous awards for both writing and promotions, including an Emmy for a series called “Youth Speaks Out,” a special commendation for a documentary called “Cori: A Struggle for Life”; ADDYs, Tellys and BDA awards for promotional campaigns at networks including WNBC, Telemundo, Cinecanal, MTV Latino and The Weather Channel / El Canal del Tiempo. 

But what's always been my motivation are not the accolades, but the ability to transform . In particular, transformation to a culture that was not my birth-right, but my passion. What I've come to realize is that,THAT is the spirit of the Urban Nomad -- the desire to understand the depths of emotion, motivation, action and reaction of a culture not your own and make it your own in new ways, by living it.

In my “spare time,” I have always written fiction. Now, I have decided to write under my alter ego. Conchita's screenplay, is, in fact "writing what I know," as the experts always advise. 

The Sanchez Clause, is a holiday tale with, I think, huge commercial potential.  Part Beverly Hills Chihuahua, part Fred Clause, this comedy featuring a somewhat “dark” Santa Claus,  a loving Latino family from East LA, crazy characters from the Caribbean, Harlem and Park Avenue , I believe, offers a true cross-over opportunity for audiences and actors alike. 

I hope you'll embrace Conchita Davila and her works with as much love and support as you've given me, as Karen.