Sunday, March 26, 2006
Johanna Edwards
I'm so excited to be blogging Johanna Edwards this week, not only because she's a fabulous author -- as well as another Berkley-ite! -- but also because we're doing a teen vamp anthology together with Serena Robar (date to be announced later) called FENDI, FERRAGAMO & FANGS. Such fun!
But for now, it's all about Johanna and YOUR BIG BREAK (check out that cover; awesome, huh?):
Here's what Johanna had to say in response to my now-standard GCC tour questions:
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
I usually start writing around 10 p.m. and don't stop until 3 or 4 a.m. Needless to say, this often means I am VERY sleepy the next day!
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
As soon as I learned about breakup businesses, a.k.a. love separation services, I was off and running! Can you believe it's possible to hire a complete stranger to dump your lover? I couldn't, and I wanted to base a book around it.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
The love interest, Brady Simms, loves writing poetry and so do I! His poetry is often a little cheesy, and mine is, too.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Paper, definitely. I would go nuts if I couldn't write down my thoughts.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine -- I love yellow tail merlot.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate -- I hate vanilla.
WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
JK again ... I have to admit I'm now motivated to re-read The Bell Jar.
Here's a bit more about the book:
Your Big Break
A new romantic comedy from Johanna Edwards, bestselling author of The Next Big Thing
About the book:
Danielle “Dani” Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother….
About the author:
Johanna Edwards is an award-winning journalist and a former radio/TV producer. Johanna's debut novel, The Next Big Thing, was released on March 1, 2005 and landed on both the Barnes & Noble bestseller list and the Neilsen BookScan bestseller list its first week out.
The Next Big Thing has been featured in USA Today, Us Weekly, The Boston Globe, Writer's Digest, The New York Post, The Daily Buzz, Figure Magazine, Entertainment Today, Publishers Weekly, The Arizona Daily Star, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Magazine, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The Memphis Downtowner, San Diego Words Magazine, and The Romantic Times.
Johanna was born in 1978 in Memphis, Tennessee. She has published over 250 articles in both local and national magazines and newspapers and has interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment, including 3 Doors Down, 'N Sync, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Smith, Nick Stahl, Carmen Electra, Seann William Scott, Tori Spelling, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Walker, Jon Lithgow, Ivan Reitman, Steve Zahn, and David Duchovny.
But for now, it's all about Johanna and YOUR BIG BREAK (check out that cover; awesome, huh?):
Here's what Johanna had to say in response to my now-standard GCC tour questions:
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL “WRITING DAY”?
I usually start writing around 10 p.m. and don't stop until 3 or 4 a.m. Needless to say, this often means I am VERY sleepy the next day!
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
As soon as I learned about breakup businesses, a.k.a. love separation services, I was off and running! Can you believe it's possible to hire a complete stranger to dump your lover? I couldn't, and I wanted to base a book around it.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
The love interest, Brady Simms, loves writing poetry and so do I! His poetry is often a little cheesy, and mine is, too.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Paper, definitely. I would go nuts if I couldn't write down my thoughts.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine -- I love yellow tail merlot.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate -- I hate vanilla.
WHAT’S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
JK again ... I have to admit I'm now motivated to re-read The Bell Jar.
Here's a bit more about the book:
Your Big Break
A new romantic comedy from Johanna Edwards, bestselling author of The Next Big Thing
About the book:
Danielle “Dani” Myers has become an expert at romantic breakups ever since she was hired to "facilitate" them for clients of Your Big Break, Inc. In other words, she dumps people for money. But company rule #5 (do not get personally involved) is getting harder to obey. One of her dumpees is turning out to be the kind of guy she might just want to pick up on the rebound. and a new client has just walked in, begging for Dani's help breaking up with The Big Jackass, who's been leading her on all this time-and now turns out to be married. It would be a routine job except for one problem: the so-called Big Jackass is married to none other than Dani's mother….
About the author:
Johanna Edwards is an award-winning journalist and a former radio/TV producer. Johanna's debut novel, The Next Big Thing, was released on March 1, 2005 and landed on both the Barnes & Noble bestseller list and the Neilsen BookScan bestseller list its first week out.
The Next Big Thing has been featured in USA Today, Us Weekly, The Boston Globe, Writer's Digest, The New York Post, The Daily Buzz, Figure Magazine, Entertainment Today, Publishers Weekly, The Arizona Daily Star, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis Magazine, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, The Memphis Downtowner, San Diego Words Magazine, and The Romantic Times.
Johanna was born in 1978 in Memphis, Tennessee. She has published over 250 articles in both local and national magazines and newspapers and has interviewed some of the biggest names in entertainment, including 3 Doors Down, 'N Sync, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kevin Smith, Nick Stahl, Carmen Electra, Seann William Scott, Tori Spelling, Vivica A. Fox, Paul Walker, Jon Lithgow, Ivan Reitman, Steve Zahn, and David Duchovny.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Givenchy Wins Reader Poll!
All About Romance Novels: At the Back Fence Issue #217 -- Check it out! THE GIVENCHY CODE won the Readers' Poll at All About Romance for best chicklit/women's fiction! I'm so psyched!
Romance for the Lunatic Fringe
Doncha love that? That's how Cindy Cruciger describes Revenge Gifts.
Here's more from Cindy:
I believe that some people are just plain haunted. I think that certain people are lightning rods for ghosts. I think they grow up with it, learn to live with it and ignore it – to the point where they one day find themselves in serious trouble. That is the crux of my heroine’s character in the Revenge Gifts chronicles.
Revenge Gifts takes place over thirteen days spanning a full moon. Tara Cole is an extremely powerful attractant to ghosts, specifically ghosts seeking revenge. One spirit attracted to Tara in particular is the voodoo loa Erzulie, goddess of love, envy, jealousy and revenge. In thirteen days Tara’s life is turned upside down by a Reversal of Fortune curse placed on her by an angry recipient of one of her revenge gifts.
The weird wasteland that was Tara’s life turns around with a vengeance and he ten year dating dry spell? Over. But with all things good in a garden of evil a price must be paid.
This is not your typical romance. This is not a romance for normal people. Revenge Gifts is a romance for the lunatic fringe.
***
I had the chance to ask Cindy my now-standard Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour questions, and here are her answers!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
I pull into the parking lot of the soccer fields and toss my 13 year old son out of the Miata, fire up the laptop and write until he's done.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
My mother was complaining about how much a funeral cost and she was telling me to just cremate her. I told her I would not only cremate her, I would design the urns. I said since she never visits for holidays I would create Seasonal Urns and divide her ashes into Easter Eggs, Christmas Tree ornaments and a Halloween Jack O Lantern. I told her she was going to be a fire cracker for the 4th of July if she did not let go of the funeral talk. Thus Revenge-Gifts.com was born.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Derick. He is a computer geek completely incapable of functioning in the real world.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Paper.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine (Ca' Montini Pinot Grigio for every day - Zaca Mesa Syrah for steak and McManis Cabernet Sauvignon for a hard day)
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate. That question is insane BTW. Does anyone ever chose Vanilla OVER chocolate? And -- if they do are they human?
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Here's more from Cindy:
I believe that some people are just plain haunted. I think that certain people are lightning rods for ghosts. I think they grow up with it, learn to live with it and ignore it – to the point where they one day find themselves in serious trouble. That is the crux of my heroine’s character in the Revenge Gifts chronicles.
Revenge Gifts takes place over thirteen days spanning a full moon. Tara Cole is an extremely powerful attractant to ghosts, specifically ghosts seeking revenge. One spirit attracted to Tara in particular is the voodoo loa Erzulie, goddess of love, envy, jealousy and revenge. In thirteen days Tara’s life is turned upside down by a Reversal of Fortune curse placed on her by an angry recipient of one of her revenge gifts.
The weird wasteland that was Tara’s life turns around with a vengeance and he ten year dating dry spell? Over. But with all things good in a garden of evil a price must be paid.
This is not your typical romance. This is not a romance for normal people. Revenge Gifts is a romance for the lunatic fringe.
***
I had the chance to ask Cindy my now-standard Girlfriends Cyber Circuit tour questions, and here are her answers!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
I pull into the parking lot of the soccer fields and toss my 13 year old son out of the Miata, fire up the laptop and write until he's done.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
My mother was complaining about how much a funeral cost and she was telling me to just cremate her. I told her I would not only cremate her, I would design the urns. I said since she never visits for holidays I would create Seasonal Urns and divide her ashes into Easter Eggs, Christmas Tree ornaments and a Halloween Jack O Lantern. I told her she was going to be a fire cracker for the 4th of July if she did not let go of the funeral talk. Thus Revenge-Gifts.com was born.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Derick. He is a computer geek completely incapable of functioning in the real world.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Paper.
BEER OR WINE?
Wine (Ca' Montini Pinot Grigio for every day - Zaca Mesa Syrah for steak and McManis Cabernet Sauvignon for a hard day)
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate. That question is insane BTW. Does anyone ever chose Vanilla OVER chocolate? And -- if they do are they human?
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Slay Your Demons
A new entry's up at Slay Your Demons...this one by the fabulous Alesia Holliday! Pop over and take a look!
Slay Your Demons
A new entry's up at Slay Your Demons...this one by the fabulous Alesia Holliday! Pop over and take a look!
Slay Your Demons
A new entry's up at Slay Your Demons...this one by the fabulous Alesia Holliday! Pop over and take a look!
Slay Your Demons
A new entry's up at Slay Your Demons...this one by the fabulous Alesia Holliday! Pop over and take a look!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Dream Of The Blue Room: Books: Michelle Richmond
I have the pleasure of blogging Michelle Richmond's Dream of the Blue Room ... and Michelle agreed to answer some questions for me so that you folks could know a bit more about her and the book:
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
--Before I had my son 14 months ago, I wrote on the days I wasn't teaching, so I had two or three days a week to write. I'd begin around 7:30 when my husband left for work, and keep going for several hours, then spend the rest of the day doing class prep, reading student stories, etc. Since my son came along, I have no typical writing day! On many nights, following a 2 a.m. feeding, I've sat down at the computer for an hour or so until his next waking. Occasionally he'll take a nap, and if I don't have class prep to do, I use that time to write.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Yes, I was working and traveling in China, and I became interested in the Three Gorges Dam, which was under construction at the time and promised to big the biggest and most ill-advised dam in the world. On a river cruise in China, I met an Australian gentleman who was living in Beijing, and he was the inspiration for the character of Graham, whom our narrator meets on a cruise up the Yangtze and whom she becomes involved with.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Jenny, the narrator. Like her, I was in my early thirties when I was writing the book. Like her, I grew up in Alabama and was transplanted to New York City (although I now live in San Francisco). Unlike Jenny, I have the good fortune to be involved in a happy marriage. Jenny is driven in part by--well, let's face it--lust. Lust is something I can relate to--temptation. I think I'm better at resisting it than Jenny is, though.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Oh, wow, what a fabulous question! I'd definitely go with the limitless books, though. A desserted island would be lonely, and living with characters of my own creation wouldn't necessarily ease the loneliness. Books, though, an endless variety of books, would be a way of feeling not quite so isolated.
BEER OR WINE?
Depends on the food. I grew up on the Gulf Coast, and nothing goes better with a beachside lobster broil or crawfish boil on a hot night than an ice cold beer. On a cold night in San Francisco, with steak (rare), I love a good cabernet or pinot.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate, no question.
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy.
And now...a bit more about the book ...
On a warm night in July, 32-year-old Jenny finds herself sitting on the deck of a Chinese cruise ship next to a charming but secretive stranger. In Jenny's lap is a tin containing the ashes of her best friend, Amanda Ruth, mysteriously murdered fourteen years earlier in a small Alabama town.
In this foreign landscape, filled with ancient cities that will soon be inundated by the rising waters of the Yangtze River, Jenny must confront her haunted past and decide the direction of her future. As the ship moves slowly upriver, from one abandoned village to another, Jenny journeys deeper into her own guilt and eroticism.
Dream of the Blue Room explores the nature of friendship and the intimacy that exists between young girls as they struggle toward adulthood. Set alternately against the impressive landscape of the Yangtze and in a small river town in Alabama, this stunning novel reflects on the human desire to control and tame what is ultimately untamable.
Praise for Dream of the Blue Room:
"A dreamy, haunting work with a deeply personal feel. Any time a work of fiction raises our sights to higher truths, as this one does, the writer has done her job." Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Some childhood relationships are so fulfilling they shape our lives and leave us wondering why they didn't last longer. Richmond captures, explores, and intertwines these bonds so elegantly, you might even think the relationships are your own." USA Today
"With the slow build-up of a mystery, the exquisite pain of a coming-of-age novel, the masterful images of a travel writer, and a darkness that is true to the Southern Gothic, Dream of a Blue Room is a work of wonderfully chimeric form. " Joanna Pearson, Small Spiral Notebook
"Intelligent, original, complex." The San Francisco Chronicle
"A complex and nimbly fashioned first novel." Kirkus Reviews
Be sure to check it out!!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL "WRITING DAY"?
--Before I had my son 14 months ago, I wrote on the days I wasn't teaching, so I had two or three days a week to write. I'd begin around 7:30 when my husband left for work, and keep going for several hours, then spend the rest of the day doing class prep, reading student stories, etc. Since my son came along, I have no typical writing day! On many nights, following a 2 a.m. feeding, I've sat down at the computer for an hour or so until his next waking. Occasionally he'll take a nap, and if I don't have class prep to do, I use that time to write.
DO YOU RECALL THE KERNEL OF INSPIRATION FOR THIS BOOK?
Yes, I was working and traveling in China, and I became interested in the Three Gorges Dam, which was under construction at the time and promised to big the biggest and most ill-advised dam in the world. On a river cruise in China, I met an Australian gentleman who was living in Beijing, and he was the inspiration for the character of Graham, whom our narrator meets on a cruise up the Yangtze and whom she becomes involved with.
PICK A CHARACTER IN THE BOOK AND TELL US WHAT TRAIT YOU SHARE (OR COME CLOSEST TO SHARING) WITH THAT CHARACTER.
Jenny, the narrator. Like her, I was in my early thirties when I was writing the book. Like her, I grew up in Alabama and was transplanted to New York City (although I now live in San Francisco). Unlike Jenny, I have the good fortune to be involved in a happy marriage. Jenny is driven in part by--well, let's face it--lust. Lust is something I can relate to--temptation. I think I'm better at resisting it than Jenny is, though.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A DESERT ISLAND, WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A MAGICAL TRUNK THAT GAVE YOU LIMITLESS BOOKS TO READ, OR A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF PAPER ON WHICH TO WRITE?
Oh, wow, what a fabulous question! I'd definitely go with the limitless books, though. A desserted island would be lonely, and living with characters of my own creation wouldn't necessarily ease the loneliness. Books, though, an endless variety of books, would be a way of feeling not quite so isolated.
BEER OR WINE?
Depends on the food. I grew up on the Gulf Coast, and nothing goes better with a beachside lobster broil or crawfish boil on a hot night than an ice cold beer. On a cold night in San Francisco, with steak (rare), I love a good cabernet or pinot.
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Chocolate, no question.
WHAT'S YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOK?
The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy.
And now...a bit more about the book ...
On a warm night in July, 32-year-old Jenny finds herself sitting on the deck of a Chinese cruise ship next to a charming but secretive stranger. In Jenny's lap is a tin containing the ashes of her best friend, Amanda Ruth, mysteriously murdered fourteen years earlier in a small Alabama town.
In this foreign landscape, filled with ancient cities that will soon be inundated by the rising waters of the Yangtze River, Jenny must confront her haunted past and decide the direction of her future. As the ship moves slowly upriver, from one abandoned village to another, Jenny journeys deeper into her own guilt and eroticism.
Dream of the Blue Room explores the nature of friendship and the intimacy that exists between young girls as they struggle toward adulthood. Set alternately against the impressive landscape of the Yangtze and in a small river town in Alabama, this stunning novel reflects on the human desire to control and tame what is ultimately untamable.
Praise for Dream of the Blue Room:
"A dreamy, haunting work with a deeply personal feel. Any time a work of fiction raises our sights to higher truths, as this one does, the writer has done her job." Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Some childhood relationships are so fulfilling they shape our lives and leave us wondering why they didn't last longer. Richmond captures, explores, and intertwines these bonds so elegantly, you might even think the relationships are your own." USA Today
"With the slow build-up of a mystery, the exquisite pain of a coming-of-age novel, the masterful images of a travel writer, and a darkness that is true to the Southern Gothic, Dream of a Blue Room is a work of wonderfully chimeric form. " Joanna Pearson, Small Spiral Notebook
"Intelligent, original, complex." The San Francisco Chronicle
"A complex and nimbly fashioned first novel." Kirkus Reviews
Be sure to check it out!!
