Sneak peek at Eliza

A little birdie - who drives a dragon red Vespa and once carried a Macauley Culkin doll wherever she went ... in college - recently sent me some advance copies of Eliza's debut issue.

First, what I loOove-

I did NOT want this magazine to come across as Mormon. Because even though I am a proud member of the LDS Church, I do not think that the only way to "be in the world but not of the world" is to watch "Singles Ward" ad naseum, purchase hymns set to hip-hop beats and wear 18 layers of tank tops to accommodate a scanty top. Also, sometimes Mormons can be cheesy. (I plead the fifth.) And I did not want this magazine to be cheesy. I wanted it to be hip, fresh and modest for a mass audience.

I'm happy to report that it is. The images are great. The clothing is classy couture. And the articles are good. For a first issue, it's pretty amazing.

I was not thrilled to discover, however, that there are no bylines for my stories, even though I am credited for two of them on the contributor page. Really long story short, it's a first issue so there were a few mistakes. But in case you're curious, I penned the following pages:
* 12 - Wedding 911: Your fashion first-aid kit
* 13 - Tradition: Classic wedding traditions and how to give them your own spin
* 26 - Body: Get Your Om on - finding the yoga that's right for you
* 33 - We've got Issues: Child bride or old maid?
* 36 - One Last Thing: Why fashion matters

Also, I'm not a big fan of the column layout. While the magazine's overall design is really cool, the columns are about an ant's-width apart, which makes the stories hard to read. Looks cool but not practical. Also, there is a major shortage of advertising, which is understandable for a starter mag - and much the relief of most of us who are sick of seeing ads with gaunt models making out with alligators - but a good portion of the ads are for Sorella Bellesa, which is a .... ? Um .... Well ... Since there's no additional information besides the company name - no website, no contact info, no explanation - I want to say it's a modest clothing line. (Apparently, there's not enough of those coming out of American Fork on a daily basis.) But I honestly have no clue, though I do think it might be connected to the Editor-in-Chief, whose last name is Bellessa. Maybe she's double-dipping into the Eliza pool?

Anyway, I don't mean to rain on Eliza's parade since I'm certainly a big fan and major contributor. But I'm a journalist so I'm pretty keen on objectivity. Also, I'm a blogger so I'm pretty keen on being blunt.

Overall, I'd give it a B. And since it's the first issue, I think you could expect A+ material in a year ... if the mag makes it since it's not the easiest industry to break into. But I wish them the best of luck.

Let me know what you think when you get your copy. Mine still hasn't arrived in the mail, but I hear they're coming.

Speaking of mags, what's your favorite magazine?

I'll never turn down a People mag, but I really enjoy Real Simple, Domino, In Style, Marie Claire and Cookie, which I just bought for the first time. Honestly, I wouldn't turn down most magazines.

But what gets your reading glasses on?

Do tell.